dsmBUZZ

A lot to think about

Last night I was given this wonderful opportunity to learn from the teams of students in Timothy Johnson's Creativity in Business class. It was incredibly useful and overwhelming information. Each of the student teams did a terrific job of providing ideas, observations, and information. If you as a business EVER get approached to participate in this project - TAKE IT!!!

I went home sort of numb with so many ideas floating in my head and thinking, "What the hell am I doing?" I approached entrepreneurship much like a scene from a Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney movie. Instead of "lets put on a show," I thought, "well golly, I have access to the Internet, I can put two words together (without successfully getting to the point!), and I have just enough tenacity and salesmanship to launch the idea." What on earth was I thinking beyond that? 

Do I feel overwhelmed? Do I feel wacky? Do I feel grateful? Yes, yes, yes. Thanks to all of the groups for their wonderful resources and information. You all did a great job. I will do my damnedest to carry out as many ideas as I can starting tomorrow. Tonight I curl up in the fetal position, drink extra wine and think.

Spring 2007 issue - Sherman Hill

Spring has sprung everywhere including the lovely and historic Sherman Hill. Take a quick read break with David and I as we visit at Cafe di Scala, Hat Shop for Men, Ancient Ways, Joie de Vie and gather some insights from Paul Rottenberg of The Gateway Market which officially opens its doors on April 24.

Download v3_spring_issue.pdf

Be The Butterfly

202 SW Cherry St. Ankeny, IA 515.963.7877, jule@btbutterly.com, btbutterly.com

Be the Butterfly will stimulate your senses from the moment you walk in the door with organic aromatherapy, earthy decor tones, relaxing music, complementary organic tea, sweet treats, and caterpillar corner for the future little butterflies to be entertained with nature videos.We offer a wide variety of products and gifts that are good for you and for the earth.
                                Organic bath & body
                                Organic tea & tea ware
                                Essential oils, herbs & supplements
                                Mother & Baby
                                Limited Organic Clothing
                                Speciality snacks
                                Fair Trade gifts
                                Candles
                                Toys, Cleaning supplies & so much more!
Be the Butterfly is believing that no matter how small the cause, the effects can be infinitely life changing. I want every purchase made in my store to make a difference in some way. Take great comfort in knowing that your purchase is your vote for something good: Organic Farming, Clean Air & Water, Forest & Wildlife Preservation, Recycling, Fair Trade (a living wage), Providing education, job training and child care for the homeless, and research for the prevention of environmental causes of cancer.
In my life I want to give more than I take.

Environmentally yours,
Jule Dirksen

Waveland Week

dsmBUZZ is having a Waveland couple of weeks. It started with shooting the video last week and has migrated into a great interview here with Stoney who owns The Waveland.

We had such a great time shooting the video. Stoney and Julie have been terrific with providing encouragement and support on getting the project completed. Now The Waveland is a dsmBUZZ network merchant but Stoney has been an advocate of supporting locally owned or Iowa based businesses all his years in the restaurant industry.

Download the_waveland_cafe.wma

Thanks for all their help on the video: that video guy John Windschitl, Jay Villwock the consummate actor, Rob Lumbard for your terrific music, Mike Sansone actor and photographer, David and Katie too for being great in their roles!

The Waveland Cafe

The Waveland Cafe "Not Just for Breakfast Anymore" Three neighborhood locations 4708 University Avenue Des Moines, 50311

304 East 30th St. Des Moines, 50317

35653 Ute Ave. Booneville, Iowa 50038

304 East 30th St. Des Moines, 50317

Menus for you to view on line

Download waveland_boonevillepage_one.pdf

Download waveland_boonevillepage_two.pdf

Download waveland_dinneruniversity1.pdf

Download waveland_menu_all_day_all_locations_page_two.pdf

Download waveland_menu_all_day_all_locations_page_one.pdf

Download waveland_menu_all_day_all_locations_page_three.pdf

Download waveland_menu_all_day_all_locations_page_four.pdf

Download waveland_menu_all_day_all_locations_page_five.pdf

A topic for everyone - health insurance

I heard this on NPR yesterday and thought I'd share in case you didn't hear. It's an interview with Jonathan Cohn regarding his new book called Sick. The untold story of America's healthcare crises - and the people who pay the price. I know that fear is an energy drain but I confess that this topic always makes me worry. What do you think? I think Universal Health Care is the only answer.

This is an issue for all of us more and more every day as costs rise and even the middle income people can't afford full health insurance. As per thehealthcareblog.com "More than 10 million Americans are solidly middle income and uninsured." Maybe now that it is not just an issue of poverty but something that can quickly impoverish the middle class there will be more effort to find a solution.

How does this impact small business and the entrepreneur? Can anyone afford to be self-employed?

Java B Good

We serve coffee, espresso based specialty drinks, blended fruit and ice cream drinks, iced and hot teas. Morning pastries, cookies and homemade dessert bars. Lunches served daily include panini style grilled sandwiches, exceptional chicken salad croissants, salads, pasta dishes and soups. All lunches are also available to go, phone ahead or stop by.

Full breakfast served all day Saturday and Sunday. Choose scrambled eggs or specialty fritatas, accompanied by bacon, toast and fruit. Or try our new Ham or Bacon Egg croissant sandwich with fruit.

Coffee beans, whole or ground for home brewing are available and we offer unique coffee related items.

Our bistro style cafe has a warm, friendly atmosphere in a botanical setting. We can accommodate small business meetings and luncheon get-togethers. Ask us about on-site catering for small meetings and parties.

Locally owned and operated, Bryan Marker and Christopher Erickson have 25 years of food and beverage experience with 11 years in the coffee business in the greater Des Moines area.

Located in the historic Boesen's Flower Shop at 3801 Ingersoll Ave.

Parking available in both front and behind the cafe on 38th.

Business Hours Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

life without toilet paper

A family residing in New York is attempting to live a "no impact" life for a year with their small child and dog...right in the heart of Manhattan. I caught Colin Beavan explain his experiment on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon. I was both impressed and sort of guilt stricken. What would I be willing to give up to make less of a dent on the environment? Check out Colin's blog for great stories on solutions that his family has come up with and how they are making out. Are you prepared to give up toilet paper?

Definitely not as low impact on the environment as I aspire to be this weekend. David and I decided to take the financial plunge and become the proud parents of one more computer. We've been sharing a laptop together but I use it so much for dsmBUZZ that he never seems to gain access. I purchased a laptop, wireless router, new software,  ya-da, ya-da and spent the better part of the weekend dinking around getting things set up. The floor is littered with packages of plastic, all the little twisties for the cords. I'm up to my armpits in petroleum.

Tomorrow we're shooting a video at The Waveland Cafe. David Stone and his wife Julie are joining the merchant network. I thought it would be cool to have a video for their home page so we're moving in tomorrow evening at about 7 p.m. to shoot. John Windschitl That Video Guy is filming and editing. We've got a secret voice who is a local personality and then some cameos that should be fun. If you'd like to come in to Waveland to join us and help create ambiance at 7 p.m. Tuesday April 10 we'd love to see you.

We're yielding success and positive feedback on the beta test of card sales at Grounds for Celebration locations. I've got some small businesses to chase down and work to get done but it seems that people are willing to spend $10 to have access to perks that will provide them a lot of value.

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking with Carpe Factum's Timothy Johnson and his class of MBA students at Drake. Tim invited several businesses to come in and speak to his class of students working toward their MBAs. The students are assigned to a couple of the businesses that are presented and then given the task to work up solutions that help solve the challenges of their "client." I'm so excited to see what they come up with and will of course blog about the solutions.

Michael Libby of Insight Advertising made an observation about the amount and size of hearing aid advertisements in the Register. It's an interesting point he makes and got me to thinking about the age drain in Iowa and the marketing done by the state to encourage them to stay. Interestingly Mike of SMASH in East Village suggests that we've got the wrong strategy. He thinks we should encourage young people to leave for school and get out into other parts of the world. Once they've had their experiences they will discover that Iowa has a lot to offer and is a great place to live. Interesting tact. Kind of like reverse psychology perhaps? 

See you at the Waveland if you can make it!

photo of grass by kristinlam powered by flickr

Metropolis P.A. an interview with Trish Flaherty

I you are out of time, don't know what time it is, or watching the sands of time pass by then listen to this pod cast where we talk with Trish Flaherty of Metropolis P.A. There are great ideas here on how you can get the help you need to manage life and work more easily.

image by bfraz powered by flickr

Birthdays by Mandy

Birthdays by Mandy
515-554-4213
www.birthdaysbymandy.com or mandy@birthdaysbymandy.com
Owner and Entertainer, Mandy Julson
Located in Des Moines, but serving all of central Iowa

My name is Mandy and I entertain.  I especially love to entertain children because they entertain me back.  I have loved entertaining and children since I was a child.  At the early age of seven, I appeared on stage for the first time in a children’s musical called Free to be You and Me at ACTORS, Inc. in Ames, Iowa.  My mother was the director and my father, sister and brother joined me on the stage.  I guess it’s not too hard to see why I caught the acting bug (and caught it bad).   From there, I continued to do the big musical every spring at ACTORS until Middle School.  After that, no one could stop me from auditioning and acting in every play or musical I could find!  And I didn’t just act.  I designed costumes, I did make-up, I designed sets and lights, I did quick costume changes and eventually I became a director.  By the time I reached college, I had performed in over 30 plays and worked on the crews of many others. 

I continued my theatre education in college and was eventually drawn to the Big Apple at the age of 21.  In New York, I studied acting at The Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, a NYU Tisch School of the Arts studio, for two years, where I was taught by some of the greatest teachers in show business.    However, my simple life in Iowa drew be back, and in the year 2000, I returned to Ames to finish my degree at Iowa State University.  After graduating from ISU with a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts, I joined the education team at The Des Moines Playhouse in Des Moines, where I have been teaching drama to children of all ages ever since.  

Along the way, I have acted in many other plays and films in Ames and Des Moines and I have taught drama at Valley High School, Ames Middle School, Des Moines preschools and at schools in Johnston, Ankeny and West Des Moines.   I have directed two children’s plays at ACTORS; Peter Pan and The Hobbit, with children from the age of 8 to 18.  I also costumed these two plays.

A little over fourteen months ago I gave birth to my son, Evan.  For his first year of life I have stayed at home with him.  I have been honored to do so, but on his first birthday, I realized that I needed to create my own entertainment business in order to share my years of theatrical experience.  That is where Birthdays by Mandy comes in!  I have joined my theatrical expertise with my genuine love for children and education to create a business that not only brings joy to the children of central Iowa, but can also bring some much needed relief to busy parents, harried by the whole birthday party planning fiasco! 

As a mom myself, I saw that planning a great birthday party is often on the mind of moms everywhere and I want to help these fellow moms out, by providing fun and quality entertainment for their children and guests, while at the same time, providing help with all of the details, including the cake, decorations, the sometimes dreaded party favors, table ware, and more.   Once providing me with the overall theme for the party, the mom can “let go” so to speak and trust that the party is in good hands.  I truly want to bring joy to the joy of your life.