At the time of writing, it's Thursday and I only have 3.5 proper working days this week because this afternoon we are going to Finland with Annika and Hampus for a fair this weekend! We're home again Monday morning.

The feeling right now is a mixture of peppered for work, harmonious after a really good start to the day (it's early morning now) but at the same time a little heavy feeling that I left my cat Viktoria with the cat sitter already yesterday (due to practical circumstances) and I have never slept at home without her so it feels so heavenly empty and strange. But Annika's mother who is a cat sitter is super happy and thinks it will be so cozy with a cat and Viktoria will get so much cuddles, so she's not a pity at all, it's just me it's a pity haha!

Skype meeting with packaging manufacturers

Last Wednesday I went a little outside my comfort zone again, not very much really because I was never nervous or so, it was just fun. But Skype meeting in English when you really want to give a professional impression, it was not the safest feeling if you say so! :)

But as soon as we started, it felt very natural, it's a bit difficult to use English only when you have to talk small details on packaging when you do not know the exact word. Is can jar "jar" even when talking about makeup and not food? A lid on a make-up package is it lid or cap? And what do you say if you mean a lid that is stuck in small hinges instead of screw caps? The answer is apparently "fliptop" I think she said haha.

My upcoming make-up brand (hopefully) will start with 3 products if all goes well. The first prototype (apart from graphic design and logo) I will probably hold in my hand already in 1-2 weeks. But the right filling and the right packaging! Iiiiiiiihh!

It was so fun because there are two different details that I wanted for one of the packages and that feel important to me. The only one is that it should be as practical as possible as this product (from other brands) often fails due to the packaging. I wanted all the details from a different package (to a completely different product) and make some changes so that it works for my product. 2. The second detail is about environmental thinking and I have researched a lot about different plastics etc. but everything comes with different advantages and disadvantages so it is difficult to be completely wise. So I had a refill idea that I did not think would work but I felt it was worth asking.

And do you know? ALL the details they could fix! She took out a sample for me and showed it in the video call and it is even smarter than what I asked for in terms of the refill idea. Of course I have to put the packaging to the test (I long for it until I get my samples home) but already now I love it! I never thought I would make it this good!

Aaaaah so peppered !!

Brain Ghost Monday

I think it's helpful with small, small doses of low self - esteem sometimes - because that's when you take hold of yourself and make changes. Or is it just me? :)

My Monday started with a split feeling - one side of me was excited to roll up my sleeves and the other side of me felt the need to roll up my sleeves just because of an underlying feeling that I am bad and need to improve.

Sometimes I have a little hard to get tips and advice from people if I did not ask for it, people want to help and usually I devour all the feedback with gusto but sometimes I see it more as people pointing out what I do wrong or badly. So if someone gives a suggestion for improvement, I mostly feel that it is criticism. Do you understand what I mean?

I have not had time to finish examining myself yet, but I guess it will be a "sensitive point" only, that you take it upon yourself because you think the person is right, so the criticism is really from myself and not from that person.

So it has been a bit now, tips here and there that first made me feel bad. I thought "if someone else had my job, conditions and channels, I would have had a thriving salon with a six-month waiting list for bookings, an online shop that competes with Eleven, Lyko and Skincity and a personal brand on a par with Bianca Ingrosso."

But instead of going down in that feeling, it does not help anything, so I realized that I needed to meditate and brainstorm a bit around the matter. It's not only possible to roll up my sleeves and "get started" but I would probably need a mini-kickoff with myself as well. I have not had time for that yet, so for now I just roll up my sleeves;)

This picture illustrated a Helena who rolled up her sleeves and is fit for fight or what do you say haha.

Winter time and new morning routine!

I thought you would stop changing the clock (?) But 1.5 weeks ago I was told that we change to winter time now and then I thought "from winter time, my morning routine will get a fresh start!". Get up at exactly the same time and start the day in a really good way!

I have tried the same thing before, but it always gets a little too hardcore, which means that I keep the routine for a while and then I quit. But it was not as important to me before either when I worked at the salon every day, because my days looked pretty much the same anyway. The salon opened at 10 so I left home at 9 and before that I would have time to put on make-up and take photos for the blog, eat breakfast etc. But now my working days are so varied that I have a greater need for a clear morning routine to feel good :)

This week I have done the following:

1. Definitely a time with Miska, because we have to wake up at the same time because we live in a mini cabin with a room and a small attic, I can not start the day long before him. Then I have to sneak around and paw on my toe - not a good start. 06.00 the bell rings, then I get to snooze twice before I get up 06.20. So 22.00 I will fall asleep in the evening then.
2. In addition, I changed the alarm to calm bird chirping which starts so quietly so you do not wake up immediately and when the sound is raised then you wake up a little gently. Instead of an alarm that shocks one. So nice! Why have I not had it before?
3. Turns on the coffee maker I prepared the day before.
4. Exercise 15 min. I have a small pedal machine that I can drive on. I have a gym card, but since it is a 20 min drive to the gym, it will never run out, so now I have actually canceled it. My plan was 20 min training for pepper music but when I wake up and am tired and frozen it is not so simple, 15 min with a happy podcast has felt right. But let's hone this point in the routine a bit! It must not be hard (mentally) because then I will stop but it must not be too messy either because then you do not get so much out of it.
5. Heats water with lemon (should be good in the morning?) And puts me in the spa for an indefinite time, it usually takes about 10 minutes? I have not figured out the exact purpose yet but do a little different - one day I thought about how the day would be and had some planning time with myself, one day I tried to meditate and do gratitude exercises and sometimes I just let my thoughts flow freely - what the brain wants to think about I think about. What do you think is right? :)
6. Quick shower, lubricates me. Late coffee and breakfast! Crispbread with vegetables is what I eat most of now. Leaf spinach, cucumber and pepper! Simple but tasty and quite useful even if it is not at the green smoothie level.

The whole morning routine takes a total of 1.5-2 hours, depending on how talkative Miska and I are, our very best conversations take place at breakfast. It's a time I really take advantage of because I'm convinced that in the long run it's worth every minute!

So about 7.30 but no later than 8.00 the real working day starts and then I have both trained, eaten, showered and done the whole skin care routine and everything. And I really felt ready to start doing good then too, so the morning routine really works :)

There is a strict mobile phone ban when I am in the spa, but this morning I had to take a quick picture of my Sunday post;) Super poor quality because it was still a bit dark outside! Anyway, here I am with my lemon water and bubbling :)

I have been running this for half a week now and it feels like I have found a winning concept!

Podcast recording!

Yes you read that right! Miska and I help Tommy Einarö with marketing, website etc. and we got the idea to start a podcast about entrepreneurship. Tommy drives Peragenda and works with business development for other companies and is really inspiring and talented!

The purpose of the pod for Tommy is mostly marketing and that prospective customers can get an insight into how he works, for business development and such can sound "good but nothing we need" but it is not only the method he works by that is the point but Tommy himself as a person! If you want to invest in a large consulting and development service but are a little unsure, but then the consultant has a podcast that you can listen to, then well everyone does, I think? :) And realize how good he is!

The purpose for me is mostly that it is fun and at the same time I learn a lot from talking to him. Then there is a bit of advertising for me in the long run, perhaps? Depending on if we get some who listen haha. But above all that I learn things!

The goal is unclear at the moment, we have a list of about 10 topics and maybe we just make the sections that can then be on his website or it is so fun that we start with guests and stuff. You never know! We take the matter quite lightly like this in the beginning, we test :)

The first episode was recorded after our meeting on Monday afternoon and was mostly a test episode, but if it turns out well, we will publish. I'm cutting it now so we do not yet know if it will be published or if we will record a new one haha.

In the first section, we talk about staff and their responsibilities vs. rights. There is a lot of focus on staff rights today - everything from small costs such as wellness allowance, free coffee, fruit baskets to larger things such as determining their own working hours, salary increase, occupational pension, etc. But there is less focus on what responsibility employees have towards the company. Tommy talks about the fact that it is not rights and benefits that give the staff motivation but that you have an important role and feel seen and keep what you promise, simply that you get responsibility, take responsibility and then get positive feedback when you have done a good job Job. Rights are not something everyone should just get, you have to work to get it too.

Maybe no podcast for people who do not run companies (?) If you do not want to get an insight into how managers think and what problems we face. But it would be great fun with feedback from people who are not entrepreneurs as well!

Here I sit in the attic and listen through afterwards! I will tell you when (if hehe) it is published!

Mileya care & customers

I actually do not know myself how I managed to do so much in 3 days because on Tuesday I had customers and was a babysitter almost all day so that day was not so effective. Because I have also photographed blog material and prepared posts for next week, gone through statistics on our marketing, fixed Christmas presents for the staff, had a conference call about the upcoming make-up brand (with a person other than the packaging factory) and more, and more!

You can try to work a little when you take care of Mileya, but even though she is satisfied and happy, she demands attention. So it ends with you both working half-dant and being with her half-dant if you are to do so. Just unnecessarily energy consuming and makes no one happy.

So while Annika took permanent makeup clients, Miska and Mileya and I played loose in the staff room!

Miska is so funny, I went into the treatment room to reflect myself (would check the durability of the makeup) and turned to this view haha! Mileya was completely silent as a real customer, so heavenly cute !!

Well, corner, now I'll refill the coffee cup and fix the last things before we go to the boat.

Have a wonderful day everyone! ♥