I’ve finally started to iron out some of the details about how I want the company to run, which was a much needed step in the process, of course. I know that I want my organization to work collaboratively with the schools that these girls attend because, in my opinion, there’s hardly a more valuable thing to learn in school than self confidence. I would also like some kind of tie in with the high schools so that students there can help mentor younger kids which would increase their own self confidence and inspire a younger generation. Any ideas? I’m open to em!

My designer friend is working on a logo for me, so I’m eagerly awaiting that. I’ve also almost got my application for the Graduate Community Mental Health Program at SNHU wrapped up, so that will be exciting to get in the mail!

More updates soon!

So I’m kind of back to square one now. It’s very hard to come up with a name that sums up your whole company but also hasn’t been thought of and patented by anyone else! Please feel free to send suggestions and ideas–I’ll consider everything!

Though this week is a short one because of the holidays, I’m hoping to make some good headway on my business plan since I’ll have a lot of downtime the next two days and at home in RI. Aimee is going to get some comps together for my logo, which I’m super excited about. I feel like a logo will make this whole thing much more official and real.

Next step is coming up with a sound business plan. The section I especially need help with is the Needs Analysis part. I need to analyze my target audience and do some kind of poll, survey, focus group, etc. to find out what their needs are and if my current business structure will meet those. I think it might be super helpful to do a focus group and my friend Emily has directed me to a school in Mass. that would probably be open to my ideas.

If anyone–especially people that interact with kids on a regular basis ie; moms, nannies, health professionals, teachers, etc.–has suggestions to contribute on what you think kids’ needs are today, please feel free to email me at gutsygirl.melissa@gmail.com or send a message/comment my way!

Here’s what I’m picking up on my next stop at the bookstore. I’ve heard great things about this book and this post only affirmed the rumors. I’ll be stopping by B&N today and will provide my own review after I’ve read some this weekend.

First, I really need to come up with a finalized name. I’m really liking GutsyGirl because I think it has a little more pop than GUTS and I’m afraid that the acronym (Girls Unwilling to Settle) will make the organization come off as a super feminist outfit–which is definitely not my intention for it. I want the name to be at least a little bit feminine, since I’m celebrating women and girls, but nothing too cutesy that will be misconstrued as just another way for the pretty and popular girls to be championed. If anyone has any insight into this whole naming thing, please feel free to make suggestions–up til this point, I’ve had very little collaboration/brainstorming with external sources, so I’d love to hear some constructive feedback.

Next on the docket is a logo. Luckily for me, I work for an interactive agency as their Client Services Manager, so hopefully I can get some logo comps on the cheap. I want to save up my money (what little I have) for a really great website that my company can design and build for me in the future–a killer website will be worth every dime I spend on it because it really is the best form of marketing. I’m pretty undecided about a logo at this point, but think I might want to do a non-girly color scheme–maybe the colors of this blog (lime green, blue, brown or maybe orange, green brown..not sure.) Pink is very easily associated with breast cancer and purple is my least favorite color on earth, so I’m looking to go in a different direction. Plus, I don’t want this organization to be geared towards only younger girls–I want it to also be appealing for an older, more sophisticated subset of girls and young women. Either way, I have no idea at this point about colors/logo designs, so feel free to send some suggestions my way for those as well!

That’s all for the time being

After years of dealing with my own insecurities and perceived shortcomings, I finally woke up to the realization that being me is pretty awesome. Luckily, I figured this out while I still had time on my side and got the opportunity to embrace my life while it was still mine to live. Unfortunately, some girls aren’t as lucky to be held up by a support system like mine who made coming back to the sunny side of the road a much shorter trip. I never would have reached that point had I been left to my own devices and I hope someday to be the supporter that shows a girl what she has to offer to the world before she finds herself in the dark.

This blog will be the detailing of my effort to start something truly wonderful and inspiring. I hope, in time, I’ll be able to look back on this post as the beginning of something amazing–so keep following my posts to find out