Sunday, November 16, 2008

It's been awhile and I FEEL...

...I feel sometimes just a little overwhelmed. Okay, I lied. I always feel completely overwhelmed. My life, mostly by choice is simply that way. I don't know how to sit still. I am constantly moving somewhere. Physically I am always moving, my fingers are tapping or my leg is bouncing or I am biting my nails. But what I am really talking about is the constant motion in my head. I have massive attention deficit. Thank the good Lord that they weren't diagnosing that back in my day. I guess it wouldn't have mattered, by parents wouldn't have put me on drugs anyway. But I really do have massive ADD. I am not a guy with a one track mind. My wife is, but I am not. haha. Here is what I am currently working on:

1. I have started a new brand of products. Pure INTENSITY. It is a line of products with a couple of purposes. In the short term it will be only available in my store and Aloha Nutrition (my brothers store). But in another label it will soon see distribution throughout Utah. This will be my 2nd shot at a sports nutrition line. I am using other peoples formulas for a few basic products but I already am in production on two original formulas. I also have another 3-4 in the works. I got my first shipment Friday. Sold my first couple bottles that day too.

2. I have 10 Day Results. This is my company that I started about a year ago. It has been in the national marketplace for about 7 months now. We have it in about 50 stores. Slow start but promising. There are four formulas in that line and I am currently working on 6 more. 2 will launch around January and 4 in March.

3. Vitality Nutrition. Between broken arms, miscarriages and hysterectomies I have had a few employee issues the last couple months. Thankfully I have a very willing staff. They have pitched in a covered where needed. Kimberlee is also helping me finish the remodel that kind of stalled out after the big stuff got done. She is amazing. She has finished the floor trim, done a lot of painting, fixed our broken toilet and attached our paper towel dispensers in kitchen and both bathrooms. Don't know how I functioned before her. Oh, I am also finishing up labels for my Vitality Nutrition line of products.

4. On top of all of that I also have RidgeCrest Herbals. I have been working on a great product that I am super excited about for UTIs. Recently discovered a new ingredient that has almost unbelievable clinical research on it. So now I am sorting that out and looking at a formula change to make it even more effective. In addition to that I have been feverishly working on brochures for the top 10 products in the line. Speaking of top ten, my Adrenal and Anxiety products are both in there and Adrenal is starting faster than any product in the history of the company. Hair Revive for Woman is dangerously close to number 2 in overall sales. I am also in the early rounds of product development on 5 new formulas for launch next year.

5. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, I recently started reading a book I found at the Seattle Airport. The New Rules of Marketing and PR. What a great book. So now I am in the business of self promotion. Between my radio show, my new blog; Jaredsherbalmind.typepad.com and my store and brands I am trying to position myself to be a known asset in my industry. Hopefully that will pay off down the road. We shall see.

So there it is....my severe attention deficit. oh....and....I almost forgot (well not really).

6. My family. I think I may have found some balance. I am now regularly taking Friday and Saturday off from work. Trying so hard to pack in about 32 days worth of work into the first 4 days of the week. Of course I have always taken Sundays off. So now I am mister 3 day weekend. Now, this plan doesn't always work. I do have to run to Sale Lake every Saturday to do my radio show. Also I do about 10 trade shows a year. So I do work about a weekend a month. But, I am finding that my kids really appreciate their "daddy" time and that I feel renewed when I go back to the grind stone on Monday morning. Oh, and Kimberlee and I are now doing a nice late night walk most nights. This alone time in the quiet of Syracuse, Utah is a true blessing in our lives.

I will end now, because I have been neither funny or interesting in this blog, but I have been extremely long winded. Sorry Joan.

Until later.....remember there is more than one way to slice a turtle.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for picking up my book "New RUles..." Hope you find it useful. While it may not make you feel less overwhelmed in general, people tell me that my ideas on marketing & PR help them to feel on control of how they communicate to the world. Cheers, David

Joan said...

You are a crazy man and you do work like a dog...but you love it...AND you keep your priorities in line (ie: you put your family first). Good man.

by Kimberlee St. Clair said...

I love you. And I love your honesty about being overwhelmed! lol. I love our walks, and all you do to keep our family supported. I am very grateful for you. Loves!

Anonymous said...

Well i am glad to hear I am not the only one burning the midnight oil. I recently started working at another hospital on my days off. It is kinda cool. Good to hear how well your store/business is doing. I doubt there are many people left that remember when it was a tiny little store down on second west in Bountiful. Anyhow, good luck in the future--and if I can stay up late enough I will catch your radio show one of these sat mornings.