remind yourself

while mal and i are going through our re-identity of our business, i found this gem to be super appropriate.

via {pinterest}

happy monday!

xoxo,
kat

back to the drawing board

hello friends!
in an inconvenient turn of events...it seems that a company exists with the name that we had chosen. we 've been informed that legally, we would be fine to stick with our name...but would that be a good business decision?

we've landed on a resounding "no."

so our new fancy business cards will be recycled and we're headed back to the drawing board! (this time around, we will be sure to do a proper web search before letting our excitement get to us)

after getting over the initial disappointment, we're excited to be brainstorming again.  at least this time, we're starting with some ideas and strong preferences for what we're looking for in a name.

one thing we really loved about our previous business name was that it was distinctly southern without being overt or overbearing. we've been brainstorming southern associations, words, phrases and images and are hitting some roadblocks.

so we'd like to turn to you all for help: when you hear the word "southern" what are some of the things you think about? what comes to mind?  if you're from the south...what are some experiences that you had growing up?

we'd love to hear comments or suggestions from you - anything you have to say will surely be helpful!

in our southern spirit: thanks, y'all!
mallory + katherine

don't hold back

via {here}

i learned something incredibly valuable yesterday. you won't get anywhere if you hold back. let. yourself. GO.

xoxo,
kat

celebrate good times!

via {here}

after thursday's excitement, i thought the novelty of the feeling would wear off quickly with my insane schedule. however, i'm happy as a clam on a sunny day! having worked weddings before, I thought this would be a high-five moment and move on. however, i've realized it is SO important to celebrate milestones and reaching goals.  

Why have goals of reaching for the stars if you're not going to enjoy it once you've grabbed them?

i found myself delighted that mallory was beaming as much as i was :) yes, we made a bit of scene at open eye cafe (our favorite work spot), but why not? celebrate! celebrate the small things, the medium things and the BIG things! life is too short not to.

i think we will revel in this a bit more and then quickly move on toward our next goals!

cheers!
xoxo,
kat

our first client!!!

our apologies for the photo quality but we are just so excited we can hardly stand it!

today we booked our first wedding AND got our business cards in from moo! as soon as we get our business license approved, we'll reveal our name!! for now, we're celebrating at Open Eye Cafe in Carrboro with a bottle of champagne.

hip hip hooray!

love, mal

small business start up resources!

we've been working away on our business plan these days. doing so, we've found some great resources that are really directing what our end product will look like and we want to share!

to start - we found the SBTDC: the small business and technology center. it focuses on North Carolina but i'm sure there must be resources like it in other states. once we've got a strong outline of our business plan - we have every intention of taking it by their office for a consultation. they also offer different types of courses and training series. a particularly interesting one for us so far is about business plans! ...the best resource so far has proven to be a really awesome start-up guide!

we've also been utilizing the BizPlanIt.com site that provides a free virtual business plan guide. i just tried to access the site and for some reason it's not coming up for me. if you're interested, i've already downloaded the virtual business plan and would be happy to share upon request! it's also found on facebook.

if you're starting a business plan or if you're just updating it, these are great! if you're working without one - there are a lot of resources that highly suggest them. if anything, it'll help you think through everything you're doing.

good luck!

<3 mal

perspective

everyone needs it. and i got some this december.

it was great to take about a two and a half week break and take some time for myself, my family, and my friends. it's so important to have that kind of time in your life and i am very fortunate that both katherine and i both believe in it. during our first goal-setting session, a definite focus was ensuring that we never get too wrapped up in work to appreciate the things and people around us.

i got to catch up with old friends, i made some new ones and appreciated every minute of it!

on the last leg of my trip, i spent about 6 hours driving by myself on an incredibly scenic route through virginia and north carolina - hwy 81. i had mountains to my left and, eventually, a sunset to my right. i honestly had no idea that there were so many mountains in our state (aside from the blue ridge) and it was great to see. the sunset was my very favorite color of sunset! i wish i'd taken a photo of it, but this one isn't too far off.

i hope all of you out there had the opportunity to take some time to reflect, and if you didn't, that you make some soon!

i'm back, refreshed and ready to get back to working on the business plan! can't wait to share more about it!

<3

5 tips for prolific living {via Elsie}

elsie {of a beautiful mess} is one of my favorite finds of 2010. her outlook on creativity, life and business reflects much of what we are striving to achieve!

she posted yesterday about tips to leading a prolific (and full) life. i certainly noted the basics, but you should read the entire article with her thoughts on each tip.

2011 is around the corner and what better time than now to start setting goals and following through? i really take these tips to heart and will bring them up often to myself {and spunk. readers} in the coming year. these are applicable to anyone! so get busy ;)

who's ready to take on the new year? shall we cheers to the great journey ahead? i think so! *clink, clink*

xoxo
kat

turn can'ts into cans

Our friend, jacin {lovely little details}, blogged this inspirational image yesterday and i couldn't help but pass it along.

via {here} : source unknown

2011 has BIG things in store for all of us! great, wonderful, scary changes are on the horizon and i'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the ride :)

i hope you all will take 2011 by the reins and hang on! it's going to be a wild ride...

big thank you again to jacin for sharing this!

xoxo,
kat

life's too short...

via {here}

A lovely tweet this am, from the lovely Alison, of The Knotty Bride...food for thought! Being planners, it's difficult for us to not be critical of every little detail. However, I think this is excellent advice for the everyday situation. If we sweat the small stuff, we'll all go insane. And well, we don't want that, now do we? :)

xoxo,
Kat