Our Anniversary Party last night....

[pinkwafer]

was a HUGE success!

We could not *believe* how many people showed up, nor the comments we received on our place, what we do (I saw DH in his treatment room with various guests several times over the course of the event, either showing them his "toys" or demonstrating them, or with a chart of some sort or another rolled open on the table pointing out what "this, that, and the other points are for").

We saw a nice mixture of guests from both of the networking groups to which we belong (one is a Netweavers group and the other is a Chamber of Commerce), combined with some clients and personal friends. One really cool part of that was that as I'd introduce folks to each other, they'd immediately start "networking" amongst themselves- not in that oh-so-rude, "gotta sell something to YOU, TONIGHT" way, but in sincerity of intent: "What do YOU do and how can we work together to help us both out?".

***I gotta throw in a comment here: I remember asking here whether it was worth joining a networking group, and got several varied replies; most of which seemed to boil down to "it depends on the group and what you do/expect from it". I have found this to be *absolutely true*. We started attending a local Netweavers group back in November, and things really got rolling well with them in January of this year; considering the holidays in between, I'd say that's a decently short amount of time! Once the first "guinea pig" from that group got on the table and went back to the group with "Hey, y'all- you GOTTA try this massage!", things really started picking up.

One thing led to another; this group taught us how to *think* of networking, got us back involved with the Chamber we'd kinda-sorta wishy-washey'd around with for the past year or so, and then things REALLY started picking up. When I stood up in the Netweavers group the other day and pled "We're having our first anniversary soon and we want to throw a party but we need help putting it together", folks started rallying to our aid. The same thing happened in the Chamber group (several of our friends are members of both groups!). Between the two groups, and some working on my own, we had several door prizes donated from local businesses to give away, coupons available to give away, balloons to decorate the office, drinks, sandwiches, tables covered and set up in "good feng shui" order to hold all the "stuff", signs printed and posted up on the walls (to explain various spaces/ items we had set up), chips and salsa and some *fabulous* guacamole, a cake with our logo on it, and GUESTS to share it all with.

Oh, and we also had a *photographer* who came and brought her camera, and walked around taking pictures of the evening (it was her own offer to do this!). It was embarrassing when I was ready to cut the cake, and she raised her camera, and then one of the guests said "WAIT! We haven't sung "Happy Anniversary" yet! So they all sang a rousingly off-key chorus of "Happy Anniversary" (to the tune- somewhat- of "Happy Birthday"), and the photographer got pictures of DH and I blushing like crazy.

Our younger kids even made us some "foil art", that, while not exactly Le Louvre caliber, was a very creative and sweet gesture; I gave them a shelf to arrange it all on and even printed up a "Foil Art by" sign. We allowed them to attend and they were *excellent*, and I have heard so many sweet comments about them (parents need to hear these things, when others actually think well of their children! For those who are not parents/ are otherwise "uninitiated", we parents do tend to get a bit paranoid worrying that our offspring are either annoying others, or are otherwise doing things to make us look like the world's worst parents. We truly DO have wonderful kids- I say this not in bragging but in awe, as in "how did We get such wonderful kids???", but even so, we do still worry, as all parents do, LOL!). But it also goes to show- our business exists BECAUSE OF and FOR those yong'uns; we would never have gotten where we are now if it weren't for them, on so many levels. Our friends, clients, and guests have often heard ABOUT "that huge family"; now they got the chance to actually MEET them (and know that they truly do exist, too, LOL!). Yes, this is indeed "a family business", even though the kids aren't in the office themselves.... "very much".

To top it all off, one of my best friends had offered several weeks ago to decorate my room for me. She knew that after the miscarriage last year I'd stopped massaging, and DH had absorbed much of "my stuff" into his own setup. So if I ever did a massage after that, I had to work it around his schedule in order to use his room. It was hard to "let go" and allow her to have the creative freedom to do that, but she knows me well enough that I felt she'd do a good job- and besides, she is way more artistically inclined than I am, so I knew she'd do a much better job on it than I'd be able to, as well. So we discussed colors ("But I don't HAVE a favorite color!" I cried desperately. Then, grasping the spring-themed scrub top that I *always* seem to wear to the office, I said "I like THESE colors- ALL of them!"), and themes (feminine, but not "frilly"; soothing and comforting to an expecting mother, yet not "babyish"), and necessary and desired elements in the room (accessibility to my equipment, clock, mirror, etc; as well as bamboo, a horse, and a few other things); and she got to work. She would not even allow DH to help (though she did let him "peek); she had the oldest son help her with everything. The end result was: I opened the door and walked into SPRINGTIME! Butterflies and flowers on the walls, soothing green drapes on the window, a lovely sitting area, and she even created a tiny Zen garden for me, complete with sand, pebbles, and a little rake to "draw" in the sand with! I *will* post pictures as soon as I can- I just can't adequately describe it. Needless to say, the newly decorated room was the hit of the party! So now I'm officially ready to get back to work!

Overall, the party was a huge undertaking for us- we're thoroughly exhausted, and are looking forward to our 4-day weekend to rest and play with our kids. But it was also a huge leap forward for us on so many levels. A real "bang" to end our first year in business- and to begin our second year. We have received so many extremely encouraging (and humbling!) comments from so many people. I know that we are indeed "in the right place, at the right time".

Anyway- I know I am rambling big time here, and I hope I'm making sense. I am still extremely tired from yesterday; even though we closed it all up at 7 and were home by 7:30 last night, it takes a lot of ENERGY to do something like that, and I am sorely lacking in that today!

 

[elsamuel7]

Our Anniversary Party last night....

That sounds like a GREAT party, Renee! Congratulations on getting through that first year with so much growth and success!!

 

[Karthik K]

Our Anniversary Party last night....

Wow! Many congratulations on everything! Your community is impressive. I'm totally inspired.
Enjoy that beautiful treatment room~

 

[Amanda & Jess S]

Our Anniversary Party last night....

That sounds like a GREAT party, Renee! Congratulations on getting through that first year with so much growth and success!!

Thank you, Sharon. I say once again, we both have been *amazed* at how things have happened so far. Someone told me yesterday, "The first year is always the hardest." We certainly *did* have a very rough first year- not specifically within the business, but certain "family matters" did indeed affect the business. However, I readily say now, if *that* was "the hardest", we'll have relatively smooth sailing from here on out. (Not being naive- we fully realize that how well our business does in the future will depend on how well we run it, and letting our guard down/getting lazy could have devastating consequences.)

 

[jenna b]

Our Anniversary Party last night....

Wow! Many congratulations on everything! Your community is impressive. I'm totally inspired.
Enjoy that beautiful treatment room~

Chris, you know how they say, it's not what you know, it's WHO you know? For so very long, DH and I were not part of a community such as this. We "did it all on our own" for so very long; coming here and being told within the first year that "You are not alone anymore; you don't have to do this by yourselves" was something we could not really wrap our minds around. Now, 4 years (and one year into this business) later, we know what that person meant. I was telling this little story to someone at the Chamber meeting yesterday morning- a person who had played a *major* role in helping us make the party a success. He said he knew *exactly* what I meant- that they (he and his wife) had experienced the exact same thing. There truly is something special about the community we have landed in, and this is an additional incentive to continue to work to make our little business succeed. So many people have expressed that "Where have you been for the last 20 years? I've needed this for so long, and didn't even know!" sentiment that many of us here at MassagePlanetL hear so often; we never dreamed that "little old we" could ever be such an important part of a community like this. Truly amazing... humbling... convicting... Just.... Wow. This would never have happened where we lived prior to moving into that RV. Talk about a reward for taking a leap of faith! Wow!

 

[Casey R]

Our Anniversary Party last night....

I am just so happy for you both!! Sounds like you guys put a lot of thought and hard work into your party and it sounds like it was very successful! Congrats! t041