Editor’s Note: Sabrina Ricci’s column chronicles her attempts to start a small business, which is a literary website. She lives in Hoboken.
We did it! With 40 backers and a couple hours to spare, we successfully funded our Fiction Brigade Kickstarter project. Now we actually have some cash and we can become a real business.
Too bad it’s December.
Don’t get me wrong – the holidays are a wonderful time of year. There’s great food, time to spend with family and friends, and a celebratory mood.
Of course, as budding entrepreneurs, the holidays can also be a trying time of year. In the midst of all the merriment, we have to find ways to keep working. And working. Personally, I’m having a hard time.
Last week, I was walking home down Washington Street when I heard a loud, “Ho, ho, ho.” At first I thought it was someone’s car radio, then I heard it again. “Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!”
I turned to my right and saw an elf driving a police car with Santa in the passenger seat. The car stopped at a red light, and a young woman ran up to it, frantically waving.
“Merry Christmas,” Santa said into his PA system. “Have you been a good girl?”
“Of course!” she yelled.
“Well then, may you get all the presents you ask for. Merry Christmas!”
Witnessing that exchange made me smile – I hope Santa riding in a cop car is a Hoboken tradition. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me to be productive, especially when I know that everyone around me is having fun and taking it easy.
The only thing that keeps me going is staying organized. In my apartment we have a big whiteboard, the size of a classroom whiteboard. I have dry erase markers in seven different colors, which I use to write down my to-do list in order of importance. Then, once I’ve finished a task, I get to erase it from my board.
There is something extremely satisfying about erasing an item on a to-do list. Crossing out a completed job or writing a check mark is also good. When I’m not near my whiteboard, I either use the sticky notes app on my MacBook or the Out of Milk Shopping List app on my Droid 3. And in case I’m out without my laptop and my phone is almost out of batteries, I make sure to keep a notebook and pen with me at all times.
My memory is horrible. If I don’t write down my ideas or to-do list items right away, then I risk missing a deadline or forgetting an important task that may be required in order to move on to the next step.
Here’s a sample of what’s on my current to-do list—which needs to be done within the next three weeks:
• Finish designing our Kickstarter rewards, such as pens and notebooks
• Mail our Kickstarter rewards to our generous backers
• Find an agent and file the paperwork to form an LLC
• Redesign our website
• Continue reaching out to find new writers
• Lay the groundwork to make ebooks – our next step – including drafting new contracts and contacting all our authors
Whew. Thinking about all that makes me tired. I can’t wait to start crossing items off my list.