Sunday, June 30, 2024
It has been so hot in my area, I hate having to think about going out.
That said, on Thursday, June 27, 2024 I did have to go out and my worst fears were realized, when the van I wanted to use would not start.
A brand new battery was installed about a year ago, however, the van is used less than once a month and I think the combination of hot weather and disuse drained the battery.
The good news, the van started right away with the amp charger I reference in this post.
I am seldom jealous of anyone with a pool. Allow me to explain. About the time I was completing my sophomore year in college (1979) and my sister was graduating from high school (always think of it as her graduation present), my parents had a pool installed.
Though I was never home (college, work, other interests), I perhaps used the pool less than 5 times before my parents sold the house in 1984. I thought when the pool was open (May-October), it was a lot of maintenance. And then there was the bunny that could not swim. I was simply never interested in that pool.
Several years ago, one of the neighbors had a pool installed. See below, the view from my office window. I have never wished I could just jump into that pool- that is, until this year.
Maybe it is because I have been working in my office more this year and the room seems hotter than other areas of the house, but I have wanted to dive into the neighbor's pool. That said, I do not want my very own pool.
Though, the next topic is not heat related, I was hot under the collar when the issue first came to my attention.
Facebook decided my business verification was no longer valid in 2022. I mention this issue in this post. I was baffled by this, however, let it go. At the time, I was a developer using Facebook APIs, however, there seemed to be no impact to my Facebook applications (see here and here), so I did not worry about it.
On Thursday, June 27, 2024, after notification earlier in the week related to the state's renewal of my business entity, I resubmitted the business information (state & business bank documents) to Facebook.
As noted from the graphic below, Facebook verified my business and also verified that my business is a tech provider for their services- mainly dealing with their API resources.
Glad most of my heat related issues worked out. I am currently working a number of business related projects and planning for the holiday.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
This morning, I received the three pair of slacks I discussed in the last post. I am so very pleased with this purchase and have been smiling all day.
I have made several purchases over the last month, including:
The following photos provide a closer look at the Joilcan 75" tripod. I already owned a 53" and a 17.32".
Other Amazon purchases made this month include the DEVICO portable utensils (on my
wish list & on sale) and the Miusol work pencil
dresses.
I wear many hats and I will be able to style the dresses for real estate activities as well as my software consultancy activities. I was surprised how well this dress style worked for my body type.
Amazon Purchases
I started this month thinking I wanted to sample products for inclusion to my online shop. I do not think I can source most of the products I sampled, however, happy to add updated pieces to my own wardrobe.
While working on this post, I noticed an email notification related to my Maryland small business (QiSoftware) and the trade name renewal.
Having a good day.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
My closets are filled with black, brown, gray, and olive suits. I wear a lot of black, preferring to appear tall and slender.
My physical stats:
- 5 feet 6 inches, I often wear heels (some are surprised I am only 5'6")
- About 155 pounds, however working on 130-135
- D cup
- No hips
With the weight loss over the last year, I decided I needed to update my wardrobe, however, most of the items in my closet are old classics that are now beginning to fit again. So I wanted to add to what I have.
I also wanted to see if I could add any of my new items to my shop- under the women's fashion category. I ordered several items as wholesale samples, including the slacks and tops shown in the following illustration.
I also ordered the two summer cardigans shown in the following photos.
In the following series of photos, I show how the one-size cardigans fit me, and why, though I love them, will probably not offer them in my shop.
From the photos above, you may be able to tell I am still researching my lighting issues. I finally decided that it is a lighting problem (almost purchased a new lens for my camera).
Amazon purchases I am or did consider to fix my lighting issues.
The last item I considered for my shop, are the button sweaters shown below.
I absolutely love these tops because I can wear them with or without a suit. Though these new sweaters are great, I was not happy with the crystal buttons that the manufacturer used, even though the tie hid them. I replaced them with the buttons shown or have on order replacement buttons.
I need a more business or formal appearance when out, however, I am trying to add new pieces like slacks. Not sure whether my new fashion items will work for my shop, however, I was able to get the items at very reduced prices, so I am not that unhappy.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
I ordered and received most of the shipping supplies I will need in the coming months for shop promotions I want to start.
Supplies shown (above) include:
- Flash drives for digital products
- Cellophane Self-adhesive plastic bags for digital products
- Tissue paper
- Thermal shipping labels
- Thermal sticky labels
- Jewelry card holders & outer plastic bags
- Small jewelry shipping boxes
- Thank you bags for local business
My plan is to add new products to the shop and my Paypal social media listings.
I plan to promote new products on blogs and social media using my own photography and videos, however use product sourcing photography and videos on the WiredShops site. Wholesalers do a great job of providing digital content to help sellers promote products, however, I want to provide personal content on my blog showing my use of specific products.
This is where I am running into issues. I spent a Saturday morning trying to find the right lighting, makeup, and pose to shoot photos of one of my new knit tops, to only stop in frustration. I never changed my biking shorts & sandals to the pencil skirt & heels I wanted to use for the shots.
I cannot figure out if I need more lights, space, or just need to hire professionals. That said, this is only for blog promotion of shop products, so I will continue looking into this until I come up with a solution.
One good note, I did find closet space for the new shipping supplies.
Thursday, June 06, 2024
In November 2022, I received a brand new Tordorday Thermal Printer at no cost because I opted to open a Amazon Rewards Visa Signature account through Chase, received a $60 gift card, and had several other gift cards already in the account.
When the printer arrived, I tested it and installed the driver on most of my devices, however, other than printing a Costco return shipping label have done little else with the printer, until today.
Awhile back, I ordered 750 two-inch white round thermal stickers so I could
print my shop logo 
and use the sticker to seal a package or envelope. Recently, I ordered
colored stickers, so today I decided to create a Microsoft Word template to
use with the printer.
I did a little research and noticed that most shop owners use Canva to create similar templates, however whenever possible I create products and templates using Microsoft Office Tools.
Why am I only now getting around to projects like this, since my shop has been online for awhile? I have many projects. Simply not a priority, however happy I have my template now- if I need it.
I have watched several shop owners demo Canva and understand it is a great online tool. I simply love my local versions of Microsoft Office Productivity Tools.
Wednesday, June 05, 2024
I have been looking into a number of business related issues, including the renewal of my Maryland business entity, QiSoftware, which is due to expire in September 2024.
A new Maryland law and the change of address for my business, made this a little more complicated than the renewal process five years ago. I think I have finally ironed out all of the problems.
My other business related projects of late? Working on my e-commerce shop, WiredShops. I have placed several orders to my wholesaler, including the fashion earrings shown below (now available) and sweaters and tops I want to add to the shop in late August.
The sweaters were ordered more to research the quality to ensure they were what I expected and I am very pleased.
In addition to the orders to my wholesaler, I also ordered the dress shown in the following images from Amazon.
Here again, very pleased with this purchase. Wish the photos showed more accurately the features of the dress.
Saturday, June 01, 2024
Over the last several weeks I have ordered more inventory and supplies for my online e-commerce shop WiredShops.
The problem? Though I have most of the tools I need to run my online shop, the organization of the office space is not what I would hope for. The following is a short video without audio explanation of my home office.
I currently use the office for the following tasks:
- Zoom meetings
- Online Virtual Courses
- All Printing & Faxing
- Some Photography
- Content Creation (Dubbing & Editing)
- Setting My Hair
I actually do most of the daily work on my sites, software
development/updates, and
all other business and social media tasks from my bedroom on one of two mini
PCs, a Samsung Android, and an iPad Mini. Shown one of the mini PCs setup on a
breakfast tray sitting on my bed. The other mini PC (software
development/update) sits on a bedside table in my bedroom- not shown.
Also not shown the shipping equipment (scales, thermal printers), labels, and packing material I began amassing when I first started my shop (November 2021).
Because I want to go after online sales in the form of digital products and shop inventory I really love (shown below), I have been preparing my e-commerce site and home office.
I purchased an inexpensive mirror from Lowes two weeks ago to help with inventory and affiliate marketing promotion.
Now, I want to install shelves and baskets to hold printers, packing material, and inventory. I have been researching several options, however feel the re-utilization of my home office could become more costly than I originally intended.
