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	<title>Clesha Staten &#187; Simply Clesha</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.cleshastaten.com/category/aromatherapy/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com</link>
	<description>My Creative Journey...and Other Musings</description>
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		<title>BULK BUY: 50 Pink &amp; 50 Red Bud Vases</title>
		<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com/50-pink-50-red-bud-vases/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cleshastaten.com/50-pink-50-red-bud-vases/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:25:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clesha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Simply Clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[It's On Sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vases]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[&#160; &#160; Plastic bud vases are available. They are made of a lightweight plastic and are 8 inches in height. I have 50 pink and 50 red available. If the colors don’t appeal to you, you can always spray paint them to the color of your choice. They are $10.00 for each group of 50 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>&#160;<a href="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/vasesgrp.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="vases-grp" border="0" alt="vases-grp" src="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/vasesgrp_thumb.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Plastic bud vases are available. They are made of a lightweight plastic and are 8 inches in height. I have 50 pink and 50 red available.</p>
<p>If the colors don’t appeal to you, you can always spray paint them to the color of your choice.</p>
<p align="center"><strong>They are $10.00 for each group of 50 or, $15.00 for both. </strong></p>
<p>Shipping cost will be emailed to you after items are purchased. The BUY NOW buttons will be removed once sold.</p>
<p>100 Plastic Bud Vases in Red &#038; Pink</p>
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<p>50 Pink Plastic Bud Vases</p>
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<p>50 Red Plastic Bud Vases</p>
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		<title>New Simply Clesha Bulk Buy Department &amp; eList</title>
		<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com/bulk-buy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cleshastaten.com/bulk-buy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:05:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clesha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Simply Clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bulk buy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overstock]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Ever wanted to start a bath &#38; body or gift basket business? Well, I’m overstocked and need to let go of inventory. This is the perfect opportunity to buy supplies below the retail cost. I&#8217;ve created a Bulk Buy section on the Simply Clesha blog listing all of my non-advertised supplies sale. The list will [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="money-sign" border="0" alt="money-sign" align="left" src="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/moneysign.jpg" width="240" height="240" /> Ever wanted to start a bath &amp; body or gift basket business? Well, I’m overstocked and need to let go of inventory. This is the perfect opportunity to buy supplies below the retail cost. </p>
<p>I&#8217;ve created a <a href="http://blog.simplyclesha.com/category/bulk-buy/" target="_blank">Bulk Buy section</a> on the Simply Clesha blog listing all of my non-advertised supplies sale. The list will include items for bath &amp; body manufacturing, as well as, gift basket supplies. Sale items will be posted when there are new items available for purchase. Once it&#8217;s gone, it&#8217;s gone.</p>
<p>Already in business? Stock up on your foundation items at great prices and save some $$$$. </p>
<p>To make things easier, items can be purchased directly from the blog post using the Buy Now button. Payment is accepted using Paypal and shipping costs will be calculated once you place your order.</p>
<p>So check out the Bulk Buy section on the <a href="http://blog.simplyclesha.com/category/bulk-buy/" target="_blank">Simply Clesha blog</a> or get on the list and save big on supplies!</p>
<p><a title="http://www.simplyclesha.com/pages/supplies-elist.php" href="http://www.simplyclesha.com/pages/supplies-elist.php">http://www.simplyclesha.com/pages/supplies-elist.php</a></p>
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		<title>My Meeting With SCORE</title>
		<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com/my-meeting-with-score/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cleshastaten.com/my-meeting-with-score/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clesha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Simply Clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SCORE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cleshastaten.com/my-meeting-with-score/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago I had my first meeting with my SCORE mentors. They were, of course, friendly and very knowledgeable about all things business.&#160;&#160; I laid out everything I wanted to do, what I was doing now and how I wanted to build a stronger foundation. I felt like a grown up business woman [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><a href="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/peopleatwork1.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="people at work1" border="0" alt="people at work1" src="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/peopleatwork1_thumb.jpg" width="504" height="379" /></a> </p>
<p>A few weeks ago I had my first meeting with my <a href="http://www.score.org/index.html" target="_blank">SCORE</a> mentors. They were, of course, friendly and very knowledgeable about all things business.&#160;&#160; </p>
<p>I laid out everything I wanted to do, what I was doing now and how I wanted to build a stronger foundation. I felt like a grown up business woman when I sat back in my chair and waited for their responses. Boy, I was in for a 45 minutes wake-up call. </p>
<p>After answering a barrage of questions, one theme emerged. I was trying to do too much, too soon.&#160; There were a lot of gray areas I haven’t thought about or explored with one major project I’m working on and no real roadmap to make it all happen. I have a very viable idea, but I need to implement it in stages to do it right.</p>
<p>My homework from this meeting (yes, I was assigned actual homework) is:</p>
<ul>
<li>work on a business plan</li>
<li>go to the library to research changing the business status (that was an actual same day assignment!)</li>
<li>research organizations that could use my services (I was given a nice list of suggestions)</li>
<li>start holding workshops</li>
</ul>
<p>There were other things on my list, but that’s the top four. I’m slowly going through the list, and I know it’s going to take a bit of time to do it all, but I’ve gotten started. That, to me, is the important part. I don’t have to meet with them again until I’m ready, so the ball is completely in my court.</p>
<p>If you decide to meet with the folks at SCORE, do yourself a favor and bring an open mind, pen and paper. It’s also a good idea to have some sort of workable idea of what you want to do. They can’t help you unless you’re able to tell them what you’re trying to accomplish.&#160; </p>
<p>Whether you’re trying to get up and going, or already in business, SCORE is a great, and FREE, resource for the small business person.</p>
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		<title>Starting From Scratch</title>
		<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com/starting-from-scratch/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cleshastaten.com/starting-from-scratch/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:07:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clesha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Simply Clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PDP Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SCORE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[simply clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start-up]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cleshastaten.com/2010/03/starting-from-scratch/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You may remember me mentioning that I’m restructuring my business. I didn’t believe it would be this hard and take this much time to get that accomplished. The reason for the turtle-like restart is that my business is changing focus. I’m shifting from making a gazillion aromatherapy products, to teaching what I know to you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><a href="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/retrokitchenscene.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="retro-kitchen-scene" border="0" alt="retro-kitchen-scene" src="http://www.cleshastaten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/retrokitchenscene_thumb.jpg" width="404" height="270" /></a> </p>
<p>You may remember me mentioning that I’m <a href="http://www.cleshastaten.com/2010/01/a-funny-thing-happened-on-my-way-to-restructuring/">restructuring my business</a>. I didn’t believe it would be this hard and take this much time to get that accomplished. </p>
<p>The reason for the turtle-like restart is that my business is changing focus. I’m shifting from making a gazillion aromatherapy products, to teaching what I know to you and making only a few <em>really</em> good aromatherapy products. In the past I would had this baby back up and going, while making products, designing packaging, creating formulations, and saving the world.&#160; Not this time. This time God has me moving slower to my mark so that nothing is left out of His plan.</p>
<p>So far, I’ve realized that I can’t start 2 online schools at the same time, create content for 3 blogs, maintain an online shop, start an online&#160; group for Christian women, handmade aromatherapy products and expect to keep my sanity. And, that’s just the short list. </p>
<p>In light of my new found revelation, I’ve decided to focus on one thing at a time. Yeah, I know. This is new to me too, but I gotta do it. Since I’m pretty much starting over, I thought sharing the process with you would be good in the event you ever decide to take the plunge into the wonderful world of Entrepreneurship.</p>
<p><strong>First things first</strong></p>
<p>This time around, I’m going to utilize some old and new (new because I knew about them, but never used them) resources. My goals to get me on track are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Start, <em>and complete</em>, a business and marketing plan</li>
<li>Figure out how to use QuickBooks once and for all so I can do a better job of managing the business finances</li>
<li>Learn how to better manage my business. </li>
<li>Oh, and I also plan to put myself on payroll for the first time (major step!)</li>
<li>Change the status of my business from sole-proprietor to LLC. </li>
</ul>
<p>I think this short list is pretty do-able, don&#8217;t you? These steps will give me a pretty good foundation to build from and get me moving with purpose. If I take them one at a time and build off the lessons learned in each, I should be able to set up organizational systems and be good to go.</p>
<p><strong>SCORE</strong></p>
<p>So, my first stop on this journey is the <a href="http://www.score.org/index.html" target="_blank">SCORE office</a>. This is a free organization that’s been around forever (well, not ever, but a really long time). It’s an organization made up of retired business owners with a variety of different business skills waiting to help you succeed in your business…<em>for free</em>.</p>
<blockquote><p>SCORE &quot;Counselors to America&#8217;s Small Business&quot; is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Philadelphia Development Partnership</strong></p>
<p><font style="background-color: #f8f8f8">SCORE is nationwide, but if you’re looking for something specific to the Philadelphia area, you should definitely contact <a href="http://www.pdp-inc.org/" target="_blank">Philadelphia Development Partnership</a>. I have used this small business resource for years and they offer a wealth of great information, workshops, and a peer-to-peer lending program. Whether you’re thinking about starting a business, or already in one, this organization is one you want to keep at the top of your list. </font></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><strong>Have you ever thought about starting a business? If yes, where did you begin? If no, what’s holding you back? Share it in the comments.</strong></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Shea Butter Is On Its Way!</title>
		<link>http://www.cleshastaten.com/shea-butter-is-on-its-way/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cleshastaten.com/shea-butter-is-on-its-way/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:14:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clesha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Simply Clesha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shea butter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cleshastaten.com/2010/02/shea-butter-is-on-its-way/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You’ve kept the requests coming and now it’s finally on the way.&#160; A limited supply of Raw Shea Butter from Nigeria is on its way to the Simply Clesha shop, but the quantities will be very limited.&#160;&#160; Preorders are now available and have it shipped to you as soon as it arrives. The next shipment [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><a href="http://clesha.simplyclesha.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/shea_butter.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto 20px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="shea_butter" border="0" alt="shea_butter" src="http://clesha.simplyclesha.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/shea_butter_thumb.jpg" width="304" height="255" /></a> </p>
<p>You’ve kept the requests coming and now it’s finally on the way.&#160; A limited supply of <a href="http://www.simplyclesha.com/catalog.php?category=4">Raw Shea Butter</a> from Nigeria is on its way to the <a href="http://www.simplyclesha.com">Simply Clesha shop</a>, but the quantities will be very limited.&#160;&#160; Preorders are now available and have it shipped to you as soon as it arrives.</p>
<p>The next shipment will arrive in the spring so make sure you get preorder in now!</p>
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