At the time of writing, it's Thursday and I only have 3.5 proper working days this week because this afternoon we are going to Finland with Annika and Hampus for a fair this weekend! We're home again Monday morning.
The feeling right now is a mixture of peppered for work, harmonious after a really good start to the day (it's early morning now) but at the same time a little heavy feeling that I left my cat Viktoria with the cat sitter already yesterday (due to practical circumstances) and I have never slept at home without her so it feels so heavenly empty and strange. But Annika's mother who is a cat sitter is super happy and thinks it will be so cozy with a cat and Viktoria will get so much cuddles, so she's not a pity at all, it's just me it's a pity haha!
Skype meeting with packaging manufacturers
Last Wednesday I went a little outside my comfort zone again, not very much really because I was never nervous or so, it was just fun. But Skype meeting in English when you really want to give a professional impression, it was not the safest feeling if you say so! :)
Men så fort vi startade så kändes det väldigt naturligt, det är lite svårt att med engelskan bara när man ska prata smådetaljer på förpackningar när man inte vet exakt det korrekta ordet. Heter burk “jar” även när man pratar smink och inte livsmedel? Ett lock på en sminkförpackning är det lid eller cap? Och hur säger man om man menar ett lock som sitter fast i små gångjärn istället för skruvlock? Svaret är tydligen “fliptop” tror jag hon sa haha.
My upcoming make-up brand (hopefully) will start with 3 products if all goes well. The first prototype (apart from graphic design and logo) I will probably hold in my hand already in 1-2 weeks. But the right filling and the right packaging! Iiiiiiiihh!
It was so fun because there are two different details that I wanted for one of the packages and that feel important to me. The only one is that it should be as practical as possible as this product (from other brands) often fails due to the packaging. I wanted all the details from a different package (to a completely different product) and make some changes so that it works for my product. 2. The second detail is about environmental thinking and I have researched a lot about different plastics etc. but everything comes with different advantages and disadvantages so it is difficult to be completely wise. So I had a refill idea that I did not think would work but I felt it was worth asking.
And do you know? ALL the details they could fix! She took out a sample for me and showed it in the video call and it is even smarter than what I asked for in terms of the refill idea. Of course I have to put the packaging to the test (I long for it until I get my samples home) but already now I love it! I never thought I would make it this good!
Aaaaah so peppered !!
Brain Ghost Monday
I think it's helpful with small, small doses of low self - esteem sometimes - because that's when you take hold of yourself and make changes. Or is it just me? :)
My Monday started with a split feeling - one side of me was excited to roll up my sleeves and the other side of me felt the need to roll up my sleeves just because of an underlying feeling that I am bad and need to improve.
Sometimes I have a little hard to get tips and advice from people if I did not ask for it, people want to help and usually I devour all the feedback with gusto but sometimes I see it more as people pointing out what I do wrong or badly. So if someone gives a suggestion for improvement, I mostly feel that it is criticism. Do you understand what I mean?
Jag har inte hunnit rannsaka mig själv färdigt än men jag antar att det blir en “känslig punkt” bara, att man tar åt sig för att man tycker att personen har rätt så egentligen är kritiken från mig själv och inte från den personen.
Så har det varit lite nu, tips hit och dit som först fick mig att känna mig dålig. Jag tänkte “om någon annan haft mitt jobb, förutsättningar och kanaler så hade jag haft en blomstrande salong med ett halvårs väntelista för bokningar, en webbshop som konkurrerar med Eleven, Lyko och Skincity och ett personligt varumärke i nivå med Bianca Ingrosso.”
Men istället för att gå ner i den känslan, det hjälper ju ingenting, så insåg jag att jag behövde meditera och brainstorma lite runt saken. Det går inte bara att kavla upp ärmarna och “sätta igång” utan jag skulle nog behöva en mini-kickoff med mig själv också. Det har jag inte hunnit med än dock, så tills vidare kavlar jag bara upp ärmarna ;)
This picture illustrated a Helena who rolled up her sleeves and is fit for fight or what do you say haha.
Winter time and new morning routine!
Jag trodde man skulle sluta ställa om klockan (?) men för 1,5 vecka sedan fick jag veta att vi ställer om till vintertid nu och då tänkte jag “från och med vintertiden så ska min morgonrutin få en nystart!”. Gå upp exakt samma tid och starta dagen på ett riktigt bra sätt!
I have tried the same thing before, but it always gets a little too hardcore, which means that I keep the routine for a while and then I quit. But it was not as important to me before either when I worked at the salon every day, because my days looked pretty much the same anyway. The salon opened at 10 so I left home at 9 and before that I would have time to put on make-up and take photos for the blog, eat breakfast etc. But now my working days are so varied that I have a greater need for a clear morning routine to feel good :)
This week I have done the following:
- Definitely a time with Miska, because we have to wake up at the same time because we live in a mini cabin with a room and a small attic, I can not start the day long before him. Then I have to sneak around and paw on my toe - not a good start. 06.00 the bell rings, then I get to snooze twice before I get up 06.20. So 22.00 I will fall asleep in the evening then.
- In addition, I changed the alarm to calm bird chirping which starts so quietly so you do not wake up immediately and when the sound is raised then you wake up a little gently. Instead of an alarm that shocks one. So nice! Why have I not had it before?
- Turns on the coffee maker I prepared the day before.
- Exercise 15 min. I have a small pedal machine that I can drive on. I have a gym card, but since it is a 20 min drive to the gym, it will never run out, so now I have actually canceled it. My plan was 20 min training for pepper music but when I wake up and am tired and frozen it is not so simple, 15 min with a happy podcast has felt right. But let's hone this point in the routine a bit! It must not be hard (mentally) because then I will stop but it must not be too messy either because then you do not get so much out of it.
- Heats water with lemon (should be good in the morning?) And puts me in the spa for an indefinite time, it usually takes about 10 minutes? I have not figured out the exact purpose yet but do a little different - one day I thought about how the day would be and had some planning time with myself, one day I tried to meditate and do gratitude exercises and sometimes I just let my thoughts flow freely - what the brain wants to think about I think about. What do you think is right? :)
- Quick shower, lubricates me. Late coffee and breakfast! Crispbread with vegetables is what I eat most of now. Leaf spinach, cucumber and pepper! Simple but tasty and quite useful even if it is not at the green smoothie level.
The whole morning routine takes a total of 1.5-2 hours, depending on how talkative Miska and I are, our very best conversations take place at breakfast. It's a time I really take advantage of because I'm convinced that in the long run it's worth every minute!
So about 7.30 but no later than 8.00 the real working day starts and then I have both trained, eaten, showered and done the whole skin care routine and everything. And I really felt ready to start doing good then too, so the morning routine really works :)
There is a strict mobile phone ban when I am in the spa, but this morning I had to take a quick picture of my Sunday post;) Super poor quality because it was still a bit dark outside! Anyway, here I am with my lemon water and bubbling :)
I have been running this for half a week now and it feels like I have found a winning concept!
Podcast recording!
Yes you read that right! Miska and I help Tommy Einarö with marketing, website etc. and we got the idea to start a podcast about entrepreneurship. Tommy drives Peragenda and works with business development for other companies and is really inspiring and talented!
Syftet med podden för Tommy är mest marknadsföring och att blivande kunder kan få en inblick i hur han arbetar, för verksamhetsutveckling och sådant kan ju låta “bra men inget vi behöver” men det är inte bara metoden han arbetar efter som är poängen utan Tommy själv som person! Om man vill investera i en stor konsult- och utvecklingstjänst men är lite osäker, men så har konsulten en podd som man kan lyssna på, då gör väl alla det tänker jag? :) Och inser hur bra han är!
The purpose for me is mostly that it is fun and at the same time I learn a lot from talking to him. Then there is a bit of advertising for me in the long run, perhaps? Depending on if we get some who listen haha. But above all that I learn things!
The goal is unclear at the moment, we have a list of about 10 topics and maybe we just make the sections that can then be on his website or it is so fun that we start with guests and stuff. You never know! We take the matter quite lightly like this in the beginning, we test :)
The first episode was recorded after our meeting on Monday afternoon and was mostly a test episode, but if it turns out well, we will publish. I'm cutting it now so we do not yet know if it will be published or if we will record a new one haha.
In the first section, we talk about staff and their responsibilities vs. rights. There is a lot of focus on staff rights today - everything from small costs such as wellness allowance, free coffee, fruit baskets to larger things such as determining their own working hours, salary increase, occupational pension, etc. But there is less focus on what responsibility employees have towards the company. Tommy talks about the fact that it is not rights and benefits that give the staff motivation but that you have an important role and feel seen and keep what you promise, simply that you get responsibility, take responsibility and then get positive feedback when you have done a good job Job. Rights are not something everyone should just get, you have to work to get it too.
Maybe no podcast for people who do not run companies (?) If you do not want to get an insight into how managers think and what problems we face. But it would be great fun with feedback from people who are not entrepreneurs as well!
Here I sit in the attic and listen through afterwards! I will tell you when (if hehe) it is published!
Mileya care & customers
I actually do not know myself how I managed to do so much in 3 days because on Tuesday I had customers and was a babysitter almost all day so that day was not so effective. Because I have also photographed blog material and prepared posts for next week, gone through statistics on our marketing, fixed Christmas presents for the staff, had a conference call about the upcoming make-up brand (with a person other than the packaging factory) and more, and more!
You can try to work a little when you take care of Mileya, but even though she is satisfied and happy, she demands attention. So it ends with you both working half-dant and being with her half-dant if you are to do so. Just unnecessarily energy consuming and makes no one happy.
So while Annika took permanent makeup clients, Miska and Mileya and I played loose in the staff room!
Miska is so funny, I went into the treatment room to reflect myself (would check the durability of the makeup) and turned to this view haha! Mileya was completely silent as a real customer, so heavenly cute !!
Well, corner, now I'll refill the coffee cup and fix the last things before we go to the boat.
Have a wonderful day everyone! ♥
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