Little fish...

 

Hello again. 

First off, thanks so much for the love and support I received in response to the first Digital Lane blog post. I can't tell you how good it feels, and how important it is that I have a support group behind me. You all are my backbone, my rock. My hat is forever tipped. Much love.

March 4th was an exciting day. The birth of a new idea, the start of any new journey, always is. I was fired up. I worked well into the night. It was a day to dream big. Hopes and aspirations abounded. I was going to take over the world, or at least my tiny place in it. As day turned into night, however, the realist that I am, began questioning everything. What about ethics? What about small business loans? When, how, and do I really have to register as a business? That company in the UK, that has the same name as mine, do I have to worry about them? Does my purchased domain name protect me from that? Am I ok because of jurisdiction? Should I reach out to them? Could I get sued? 

So yes, some air has been let out of the ballon. Not because I am any less excited about the future. I fully expect to take over my world. But, and there are always buts, it is now time to step back, evaluate where I am, where I want to go, and how, realistically, I can get there.

I haven't yet, for example, participated in a single, structured, digital marketing course. That starts soon, in late April actually. I am though, constantly researching, always searching, and self-learning. But institutional education is important. A piece of paper as proof of acquired skills is always a bonus. That journey will start soon. You folks will hear all about it, I promise. 

I have had a weekend to let things stew, the dust has settled a bit. There is still that new blog smell, but it isn't quite as shiny. Many of you have taken a look around, I trust that you took your shoes off at the door. Personally, I have had a few days to step away, breath, think about things. I have slowed it down a bit. I have played daddy. I went out into the sun and snow. My batteries are recharging.

A lot of the ential concerns, although still valid, are not as brain-melting as they were the morning of the 5th. I am still worried about ethics. I believe with all my soul in doing business ethically. This may be a hinderance to my bottom line, but I will not sacrifice my beliefs for a few extra dollars. I plan to slowly build a code of ethics and conduct, and I promise to do my best stick to that code, no matter the circumstance. After talking to friends, and doing some research, I am much less worried about my nemesis from the UK. *If they read that, I am joking. Peace and love.* Further thought and research is also needed as to how I move from blog to small business. We aren't there yet. I of course, will take on any project sent my way... but there is a long way to go until the Digital Lane becomes a viable small business. 

The practical side of setting up a small business, and becoming a solopreneur is an on going process. One that will be chronicalled extensively in this blog. There is a lot of fodder in that journey. I will do my best to let you all in on the fun. I will ask for advice. I will always need your support. I know I will hit a wall. I am going to fail, a lot. To those that are in my support group, thanks in advance, I'll need you to lift me up from time to time. 

I started this post with an image. I imagined myself as a little fish, in a big pond. As I banged away at the keys, and ideas began to emerge, I started to see myself as a small fish, yes, but I realized that  maybe I could control the size of my pond. I don't want to be the big fish, and I have very little interest in the big pond. My role is to be the small fish, in the small pond. Let's do micro well. Let's excel at the local level. Let's beautify our small pond together. 

Keep swimming, keep swimming.