The summer is slowly fading into the distance, even if the temperatures outside don’t seem to be subsiding. In a month or so, we’ll be digging out some slightly warmer clothing, starting a new school year, and making holiday travel plans. We may even see a leaf of two put on its own colorful wardrobe. So long summer, until next time.
Fall is my favorite time of and always has been. I always feel most alive during these last months of the year, and it’s always been a time of great change and accomplishment for me. I revel in it. I expect this Fall to be no exception to the norm. I will “celebrate” the 1 year anniversary of my apartment building fire that set off a year of change and transformation, and spend as much time reflecting as I do looking forward. Later in September, I’ll head up north to see my family and celebrate my mom’s retirement and her impending move to Florida with my stepfather. Times, they are always a changin’.
So here’s what’s been cooking over at Chez Christa as the summer winds down and what I’ve got on order for the coming month:
August Accomplishments:
1.) Kick off my viral, guerrilla, and social media marketing class at LIM College
My class fell through at the last-minute, which was a disappointing turn of events. I didn’t stay disappointed for long – as a result, space opened up in my life this Fall for some other wonderful activities and people. For more details, check out my post on the class cancellation.
2.) Make a decision on my apartment lease renewal. I’m thinking about a possible move to Brooklyn and doing some research before I notify my current landlord one way or the other.
I decided to renew the lease on my current apartment. The thought of packing and hauling myself to a new neighborhood wasn’t appealing since I couldn’t find better space for less money in a neighborhood as convenient as the Upper West Side.
3.) Make some headway on my out-of-school education project, Innovation Station. I recently made some valuable partner contacts to keep this idea moving as we head into the school year.
Moving right along and having more conversations with potential partners. Now that school will be back in session this month, the conversations should start to translate into actions.
4.) Do some marketing of my e-book, Hope in Progress.
I did some marketing which yielded some good results. As of August 31st, 413 uniques have downloaded the book. The book has been out for about two months so I think 413 downloads is a pretty decent number considering I haven’t done a big marketing push and the summer is a historically slow sales time. Now that my summer travels have passed, I’ll be doing some more work on marketing the book this Fall. (See #1 below in September’s goals.) To download a copy, click here.
September Goals:
1.) E-book marketing and expansion continues for Hope in Progress. My friend, Dan, asked me to get the book into as many formats as possible as fast as possible. He also said that the book may benefit from a new cover. I’m going to talk to my artist brother-in-law about helping me with the new cover. I like the image on the current cover but Dan’s right – it needs more pop. More formats and marketing on the way…
2.) Secure some more sub or regular teaching gigs and private clients for Compass Yoga. I’ve been added to the sub list at the Downtown Community Center, and there’s also a sub possibility brewing at Columbia University. Now that the summer is ending and people are returning to their routine lives, the yoga should pick up, too. I’ll also begin to more marketing on this front to get some additional private clients – so far I’ve stay close to home on drumming up business. Now that I have more time this Fall, I can devote more time to Compass.
3.) Online writing portfolio needed. I have a page on this blog with links to my freelance writing. With all the links, I now need a more formal portfolio. I’ve been in touch with several different services and now I’m weighing the options. More to come when it’s up and running.
4.) My apartment needs a makeover. Now that I’ve decided to stay in my apartment for another year, I’m going to add some color and new touches to my place. I’ll also take some time to de-clutter and reorganize myself after a whirlwind summer.
5.) I need to put some more time into my new book idea around yoga and personal finance. My friends, Dan and Sara, were very encouraging of the idea over the past few days. I think I’ve got something here…
6.) Continue to grease the skids of Innovation Station. As the school year kicks into high gear, I want to make sure that by next Spring I’ve completed a pilot program of some kind to really put some training wheels on this idea and see if I can get it to go.
Happy Fall, y’all! What are you planning?
Christa Avampato 