dsmBUZZ

Book Discussion in September: AGENDA FOR A NEW ECONOMY

A book discussion will be held at the downtown Central Library on Grand/Locust every Wednesday in September, starting the 9th, at noon until 1:30 each week. The book, AGENDA FOR A NEW ECONOMY: FROM PHANTOM WEALTH TO REAL WEALTH by David Korten, will be the topic of these weekly gatherings.  

This concise and compelling read suggests many ways we can turn away from the follies of  WALL STREET and make life changes that allow us to invest locally in MAIN STREET.

It is hoped that these weekly discussions spur action and ideas to develop initiatives for a more sustainable and vibrant local economy.A study guide will be available to help keep us on track, and a facilitator will provide traffic control for ideas.  
 
There is no charge for this event except for the purchase of the book which will be available at the first meeting, and is also be purchased at any time at The Book Store on Locust Street or any local book purveyor of your choice.  
 
For questions please contact Marybeth Gardem at 515-210-7928 or a mbgardam@aol.com. Use AGENDA FOR A NEW ECONOMY in the subject line.
 

Downtime is a good time to . . .

YOU name it and I think my mind went there over the past 18 or so days. David and I went to South Africa to visit our son who is serving in the Peace Corps. It was an amazing, expanding, redefining, invigorating, exhausting, and motivating experience.

I don't know if you can relate to this, but I personally spend a lot of time in my own thoughts trying to wrap my head around those internal voices that make me fearful. Is my content good enough to be interesting? Is it worthy enough to capture the attention and dialog of others? Am I doing something that is worthwhile? Going to a truly other world place such as South Africa let me see how CRAZY that sort of conversation really is.

What did I gain from my downtime? Here are a few highlights in no particular order.

I like people . . . really enjoy them. We are an interesting, complex, unified and a diverse lot. Getting to know and experience the lives of others through stories and conversation is a joy. I was thrilled to return and discover thatEPRShad actually garnered some shared revenue with Blog Talk Radio! For me, along with the downloads of listeners, this is like winning the grammy of podcasting.

I like being an entrepreneur and recognize my experience is just as it should be. I vow to stop fretting about what I am not doing and just evolve as I can. The ride is a pleasure with both its ups and downs. It is the passion and the process that I find most interesting to hear from of others who own a business. The passing back and forth of cash for goods and services is just one of the placeholders for what is REALLY going on within the entrepreneurial journey.

I got a wonderful thank you card from a Storied Gift customer. I believe in the value of my work, but it is a special gift to be thanked. More often now, I'm seeing the power of telling our stories. Telling them solidifies their theme and importance for the teller. As a witness to the story, we connect with others through a shared experience and expand our own life encounters by "living" those stories.

dsmBUZZ continues to morph but the theme behind the effort is very important. I will trust that efforts will mesh with intent and this will continue to be a tool for both the consumer and merchant community. I'll be updating the merchant list, sending out a newsletter, and reporting the outcome of the VJ Market soon.

In the weeks to come, you can read stories of our South African trip both in blog posts on Storied Giftsand through photos and video on Facebook. If you're interested please befriend me on Facebook. I'll keep you alerted once I start posting some of our adventures.

The photo: We have loads of pictures of animals, people, townships, villages and incredible landscapes. We went from one end of the country to the other and clicked like mad all the way. 

Until we visit again, I'll be headed off in a few minutes to see the doctor. I think I may have fractured my sternum while away. (A story there.) Ouch!,

I think this sign's warning sums up my clarity of all these thoughts.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.  

August Vacation, September Lineup EPRS

Look for Entrepreneur People Real Stories episodes to resume this September. I’ll be taking the month of August to catch a little entrepreneurial renewal. Thanks so much for listening. It’s a thrill to bring you these wonderful entrepreneurs and their stories!

September 1:  Becky McCray, Small Biz Survival. Quintessential to what it takes to be a small business owner, especially in a small town setting, is the capacity to have interests and skills in many areas. Becky can elegantly speak to her work as a consultant, grant writer, copywriter and more, while ringing the cash register for her own local business. This is an exceptional podcast as Becky speaks insightfully, almost poetically, about the how and why of small town living and business.  

September 8:  Jillian Sonksen, Heartland Therapeutic Massage. Nice and tidy, built one customer at a time. I love the story behind Jillian’s business as a massage therapist. Not everyone is out to build a large business –preferring to develop and take pleasure in a smaller, more manageable, more sustainable one. Great stories and how-to knowledge here, about building a service business.

September 15:  Carrie Yeager, Desert Lily, Joshua Tree, California. Lucky for me, I met this woman right here on the road in Iowa during RAGBRAI 2009. She was biking for her vacation while I was hiding from all that exhausting biking effort in a small town coffee shop. Carrie is the owner of a Bed and Breakfast based in California, who just happens to be a marvelous storyteller. This is a great chance to take a look inside the mind and experiences of this B & B owner and her beautiful establishment.

September 22:  BJ Foust, Foust Family Dentistry. West Des Moines, Iowa.  I was very lucky to get to speak with Dr. Foust who talked about his practice. He was generous with insights and suggestions on dental care and oral hygiene, as well as useful information on starting and building a dentristy practice from his own experiences.  www.foustfamilydentalcare.com.

September 29:  Chris David, Des Moines Jiu-Jitsu Academy. He started with his own desire to have a place to train, but soon the students just began to come along! Hear the story of how Chris went from the garage to a premier facility in downtown Des Moines, Iowa for instructing and competing in the art of Jiu-Jitsu. 

photo byvinduhl, powered byflickr