I Fell Off The Blog-Wagon June 13, 2008

It’s no secret, I’m new to blogging.  When I initially decided to fire up ErinHawkins.com, I was primarily concerned with the blog engine… and debating whether or not to roll my own for a little geek street cred.  A number of people told me that blogging is a content problem, not a software problem. 

I agree with that statement, but my problem really revolves around the weather.  We in Omaha really missed out on Spring this year - the weather was really wretched, and Winter never seemed to end.  Now that Mother Nature finally has her act together, it kills me to spend time inside if I don’t have to.  I’ve found it really difficult to spend time indoors, blogging about the interesting things I’ve been doing outside, when I could be outside doing more interesting things.

So what’s the answer?  Who knows.  Hope for crappy weather, I guess.

Indian Creek Nursery May 18, 2008

For week one of my ongoing blog series, Tour de Midtown, I’ve decided to introduce you all to Indian Creek Nursery. Indian Creek is a wonderful “Mom and Pop” establishment with some of the most helpful and knowledgeable staff in the business.

My Story

I’ve been shopping at Indian Creek for a number of years, but I didn’t truly appreciate their knowledge, care, and customer service until my husband and I bought our first home. Neither of us had a lot of gardening/landscaping experience under our belts (what do you expect from a couple of geeks?), and our weed paradise of a yard demanded action. We tried a few things on our own, with terrible results. We needed help.

Last Spring, we got wise and started asking for recommendations as to what might not die, and our yard started to come around. This year, we decided to really put and emphasis on establishing an attractive landscape around our home. Indian Creek was our one and only stop. The ever-patient and helpful staff made recommendations for every flower bed on our property. They’ve really idiot proofed the entire process for me, and everything I have planted so far is beautiful … and thriving. Yay!

I would also like to add that Indian Creek has a great selection and variety. I found my favorite heirloom tomatoes just today.

Additional Praise

In addition to my own great experiences with Indian Creek, a number of my neighbors have also had great things to say. My next door neighbor calls them fairly frequently with gardening questions - everything from “Should I re-pot this house plant?” to “How do I keep the squirrels out of my geraniums?” Unfortunately, the answer to the latter was urinal cakes and her yard stunk like a men’s room for most of last summer. I do think it kept the squirrels away, though.

Final Plug

Now that Spring has finally sprung in Omaha, I highly recommend giving Indian Creek a whirl. I have yet to ask a question they can’t answer, or find a plant they can’t identify. You can find them on the map below.

View Larger Map.

Announcing Tour de Midtown (Omaha)! May 6, 2008

I love my neighborhood - I’ve lived here for about 6 years, and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in town. One of Midtown’s greatest assets is the variety of locally owned and operated businesses. The offerings here are as colorful and varied as the people who live here - offering everything from vintage clothing rentals to some of the finest German baking on this side of the “pond.”

In an effort to get the word out about a few of my favorite places (and jumpstart my blog), I am officially announcing Tour de Midtown! Every week, I will write an informative post about a locally owned business in my neighborhood. I hope to get the word out about some of my current favorites, meet some new people, and add a explore a few new places.

To help you find your way along the tour, I’ve created a custom Google Map (below). I will add a point for each place visited along the way.

View Larger Map

Real Guitar Hero April 22, 2008

A couple of months ago, I was surprised with an acoustic guitar for my birthday. I have always wanted to learn to play someday, but never would have gone so far as to ask for one. I wasn’t even sure of what to make of it at first. I was really excited about the guitar, but I was a little concerned it would wind up burried in the back of the closet by the end of the year.

I finally came to the conclusion that rocking Guitar Hero wasn’t enough for me - I really wanted to learn to play real guitar. In this same epiphone, I remembered that I am horribly lazy. I needed some accountability.

I found my accountability in the form of weekly guitar lessons with a talented musician by the name of Matt Whipkey. I had my first lesson about 6 weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure that my playing is about 1000 times better than if I weren’t taking lessons. In addition, I’m starting to actually enjoy playing - but that may have a lot to do with my practice sessions sounding more like music and less like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Taking the Plunge March 20, 2008

I have spent the bulk of my professional career working for one corporate behemoth or another. I bought and drank the bad coffee, tolerated the dress code (even though I have yet to find any correlation between code quality and whatever I happen to be wearing), suffered the meetings, and bit my tongue about the asinine policies (most of the time…ok some of the time), and basically lived a stereotyped existence.

That’s not to say that I had a terrible experience in Corporate America - far from it, in fact. The real issue was the work. I found myself in a position where I didn’t have the opportunity to do the type of work I am passionate about, and all of the other little things started piling up.

Apples and Oranges

 I started keeping an eye on the local job postings; occasionally, at first, but more and more frequently as time wore on.  I found that almost all of the postings were some variation of the job I already had, and I was in need of change.  Luckily, I stumbled upon this add.

Two interviews, and a number of emails later…..the job was mine for the taking. All I had to do was figure out how to compare my then current job to the offer on the table. I knew I would be doing exactly the type of work I love at Brightmix, but Corporate America had it’s points too.

Money

Money should be an easy one.  Simply compare salaries, retirement, stock options, insurance, etc and put a number on them.  The tricky part is trying to figure out how your salary will grow with a small business.  If the company does well, and you work for good people, your salary will more than likely reflect the company’s success.  Corporate America, on the other hand, usually has a set range of salary increases, and a fixed schedule for handing them out. 

Location

Location may actually be easier than money, unless you live an equal distance from both places. Generally, one will win, easily.  For me, this was an easy victory for the small business.  Google Maps says 0.7 miles, going the long way!

Risk

Startups and small businesses are generally considered a riskier undertaking than your average corporate job.  If you are really serious about working for a small business, especially a startup, you have to consider the idea that the business might fail.  What is your plan B? 

My answer to this question is a decent emergency fund, and a good local job market that’s probably not going to dry up anytime soon. 

Benefits

Depending on the business, benefits can either be really easy, or insanely difficult to evaluate. Don’t expect a carefully branded company folder full of every detail about every dollar you are entitled to. There’s a good chance that your prospective don’t offer a number of benefits yet, making it next to impossible to compare them with what you already have.This was the area I struggled with more than anything. As the first prospective employee for Brightmix, everything was new to them. They didn’t have retirement or health insurance, because nobody needed it. They decided that I would qualify for retirement in 6 months (conveniently giving them 6 months to come up with a plan), so I had to choose whether or not to try to beat the details out of them. I chose to wait, hoping that time would give them more opportunitity to research, and ultimately result in a better plan.

Soft Benefits

Your calculator probably shouldn’t answer this one for you.  Soft benefits include things like dress code, flexible scheduling, telecommuting opportunities, etc. Yes, you can add up the amount of money you will save by working from home, but there’s a lot more to it.  It’s all about what these things mean for you.  If you have been dying to work from so you can wear your pajamas all day, or so you can hang out with your dog…. it might be worth more to you than the $300 you will save in gas each year by not driving to work.   

Happiness

You certainly can’t buy happiness, but it won’t put food on the table either. Still, it has to count for something. Obviously, if you are out looking for a job, you probably aren’t happy with your current one.

For me, the happiness factor was a big one. I really liked the people I would be working with, and was really excited about the work I would be doing. Additionally, I would have a voice in the company.

The Right Move

I joined Brightmix a little over a month ago now, and couldn’t be happier. How does actually working for a small business differ from Corporate America? I think I have found my next post.