I just couldn't look at my business plan this evening and decided instead to post this entry. I actually miss the daily routine of downloading a few thoughts running through my head throughout the day but I've been totally FOCUSED these past few weeks and was actually starting to bore MYSELF with the same 'ole same 'ole missives about this gosh darn b-plan, lol.

Things are going well. Not done yet (do I hear an echo?) but am moving steadily forward. To be honest... I am really getting INTO it. This may sound so totally passe but putting together a business plan for *any* business concept is so worth the time and effort. It really forces you to think about every aspect of the business. Especially the parts you don't want to think about.

Sounds funny but it's true.

I'm now on the operational side of the financial model and am specifically working on the marketing/advertising strategy section. Though marketing was my major in college, I have never actually had a job in a marketing capacity. Ironic eh?

It's amazing how many "great" ideas one can come up with to market to a niche community such as ours. I have gone from ridiculous guerrilla marketing tactics (remember the days of the Evite die-hards?) to TELEVISION commercials on CNN Asia to IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE ad placements to God-knows-what, sheesh!

And like every marketing executive that ever lived (and in America I should add), I too wish for the ultimate gift that I could ever ask for during my lifetime, and that is --> an unlimited marketing budget. LOL.

In any case... once I sat down to design a realistic marketing plan and clearly defined the different categories of our customers and how to reach them, all of the ideas started to come together. You'd be surprised at just how CHEAP marketing efforts can be with a little touch of creativity.

I may not know my Excel... but creative I can be.

Wink wink.

Still working on it but we'll see what happens. Running a pet project is one thing but trying to build a business out of it is an entirely different ballgame, albeit fun. Actually I should clarify that the MARKETING STRATEGY is a lot of fun to work on compared to the other areas of the business. I guess we know where my true interests lie, eh? If nothing else, running this site has made me realize just how much I do enjoy marketing. I didn't know that about myself before.

To that I say... cool beans.

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Let's see. Well Wayne of course was in town last weekend so I hung out with him for a bit (nice). As suspected, he introduced me to a completely RANDOM Japanese restaurant on the west side of town that I never would have found on my own that served really good food! It was kind of like a HWEI-FAN set up but with a curry sauce and melted CHEESE of all things. Believe it or not, it was GOOD.

Also in the news...

We've got a couple of folks who are leaving.

Well, leaving me at least. Ginny will be moving to Hong Kong by the end of the year. She's been talking about moving for awhile now so it shouldn't be such a surprise to me, but still...

And the other person that is leaving by year end is Wennie, who just submitted her resignation last week. She has already lined up another job that begins after Chinese New Year and will still be in Taipei for awhile anyway, but still. It's not the same as seeing her every day. Who am I going to have lunch with? Sad...

I can't help but wonder about my own future here in Taipei.

Am I staying?

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There is some good news. Both Mark and Felicia are coming here to visit this weekend! And they're staying with us at the apartment, yay! Mark is coming in from the Big Apple, and Felicia from Kaohsiung, so it will be really good to see them both. Should be a fun weekend ahead of us. =)

What else?

Right. Jim is currently in Shanghai and is having a total blast. He keeps sending me emails that are making me want to go over too, as in, right now!

It is HARD to sit back and watch other people fly off to Shanghai, for field trips if nothing else -- and I think Jimmy was just there this past month -- but I refuse to allow myself to travel anywhere before I'm done with my (fill in the blank).

Nelson is planning a visit to Shanghai and Beijing at the end of this month if not in early December and has asked me if I wanted to join him. I think I just might try and do that (YES), though I'm still trying to decide what to do for the holidays. That in itself is a whole nother dilemma -- I'm very concerned about flying to the East Coast (D.C./NY) during that time -- but I shan't go into that here.

Do I want to be in Shanghai?

Someone asked me not too long ago what my future plans were... a question I pretty much skirted because well... I don't really have an answer. I'd love to be in Shanghai. But I'd love to be in the States as well. I'd love to get married to a really terrific guy and buy a house and have three kids with him ASAP and pretend that we were living in pre-911 America. But, a big part of me wants to witness, and be a part of, China's transformation too, somehow.

Can I have it all?

Well... it certainly would be nice. Truth is, I hesitate to have a 'fixed' plan and prefer to keep things open because at the end of the day it's not going to be MY plan but rather, ours. "We" being me and whoever becomes my significant other.

Granted, the percentage of men out there who actually want both a family and an international lifestyle that I seek (and who I LIKE to be with, gotta like the guy for Christ's sakes...lol...) may be miniscule. But what the hell.

Never hurts to dream, right?

We'll see what happens.

"Hello? Anybody there? WHERE IS THE LOVE?!"


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