12.30.2008 Tuesday: Dog Bone.

Picture of: a really good example of unusual business card. Director of dog care facility with a dog-bone shaped business card that is NOT larger than normal. Still fits in a regular card holder, etc.

Today I: did a huge amount of work on my website, making a major face lift to launch Thursday or Friday; ate lunch with kids; post office and bank; took daughter to interview for job at the dog-care place hence I have the card to show you; worked more on the websites.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

12.29.2008 Monday: Melting Away

Picture of: fresh, hot chocolate chip cookie dripping onto the table at lunch today.

Today I: met with a friend, who is in town for the holidays, to catch up on life; spoke with a client about a future date; worked on website update, probably done on Tuesday; worked on a cool idea for New Year's Eve party; sorted through some files on my desk.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

12.20.2008 Saturday: Here Come the Holidays.

Picture of: one of the shopping bags in the back of my van.

Today I: worked on database updates and additions; sent new postcards; did banking and post office; spent the rest of the day doing the holiday shopping thing and running daughter #1 back and forth to here dog agility competition; sorta of a "here comes the holidays" day.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

12.16.2008 Tuesday: BACK!

Picture of: the results of our family tradition of "buy ornaments and eat lunch with Poppa" day. From left to right are a bird, a pig (or is it a cow) a small penguin and large penguin.

Today I: finally am able to get back into Blogger to post my blog here, so very sorry but the dashboard has been down for some time; updated my mailing list with new entries; mailed postcards; did the post office and bank gauntlet; researched a new story; spent time with my kids for our traditional lunch and ornament buying trip; enjoyed the all-day rain in our cities today; talked with family members about holiday parties; read new marketing newsletters from the guru's guru.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

11.17.2008 Tuesday: Show Me the Money?

Picture of: ingredient cans from chili we made yesterday...cans are waiting for recycle bin

Today I: did the post office run- still not completely paid from one of my big gigs a few weeks ago; worked on new ideations of stories, one about worm farming and another about popcorn; submitted ezine articles; followed up with participants from last night's teleconference; spoken on the phone with a potential corporate storytelling coaching client; twittered a bit; ecoached a few folks; made dinner for my family; worked on post card designs for new marketing.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

11.10.2008 Monday: The Last Party

Picture: crock pots full of pasta sauce.

Today I: worked on Emails; updated websites; continued on secret projects; prepped and shopped for groceries for family gathering this evening; had a small 18-person family dinner with an a cousin in from out of state as well as a mini-bday party for my Mom who's birthday on the 7th got kinda lost in the wedding events; the last party of the wedding events. So happy birthday again, Mom.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

10.31.2008 Carving Turnips for Halloween

Picture of: real jack-o-lanterns, made from turnips and not pumpkins.

Today I: took daughter #1 to her volunteer work at the dog agility show, through rush hour morning traffic, way across town; went to the bank and the post office; worked on Halloween video that I posted at this link; made a grocery store run for candy and turnips; carved Halloween turnips with daughter #4, you can read about it here along with the Irish folktale; read postings about microphones and storytelling: folks, listen, it is about what your audience needs not what YOU need; drove back across town through evening rush hour to get volunteering-daughter; handed out candy; went to see my sister while she hosted a kids Halloween party; prepped for my storyteller's weekend "out of the office."

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

10.27.2008 Monday: Prepping Files

Picture of: me holding the sponsors sign at the "Adults Only" show at the Mesa Storytelling Festival (MSF) this last weekend. Thanks again to Mark Goldstein for photo.

Today I: worked on audio and video files from the MSF-which should be posted Tuesday or Wednesday; post officed; banked; ate lunch with daughters #1 and #4; evaluated some promo materials; updated contacts database of my storytelling friends, customers and clients; read one blog another posted about the MSF; yet another blog here; read another blog posted by another teller from the NSF; had dinner out with my wife.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

08.15.2008 Friday. Boot Camp Day and the 21st

Picture of: me teaching tonight at the "Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp" in Glendale, Arizona.

Today I: got my office phones fixed; cell phones are a pain in the neck- also I take these pics with cell phone- borrowed camera for this weekend; had to buy one of these cheap pay-as-you-go cell phones for our staff to communicate this weekend; assembled all the equipment we need for the OISBCamp; moved into the hotel conference room and set up; welcomed our students to camp and had a fun Mexican-style dinner; the accountant was the guest speaker tonight- great guy and thanks, Alex; during the talks tonight, we gave one tip out will immediately save one participant $800 per year by changing one aspect of her business. That tip alone is worth more than she paid for the camp. The OISBC works.

And...August 15 is the wedding anniversary for Michelle and I. Michelle, I love being married to you and would marry you again in a heartbeat. I love you, M.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

08.07.08: Ketchup

Picture of: stack of mail waiting to go out.

Today I:In the last few days I; finalized the meal choices with the caterer for OISBCamp next week, did post office and ban runs; prepped and mailed last-minute paperwork for the students in next week's "Outside In Storytelling Marketing Workshop;"worked on a dozen-page evaluation of my current work vs. where I want to be with my speaking and storytelling business over the next year; participated in a master-mind group; updated blogs; posted the new "Storytelling 101" kit and website; evaluated a CD for a client and wrote a jacket-quote for them; worked with another phone coaching client.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

08.01.2008 Friday: Hot Storyteller

Picture of: the place to get $1 drinks in a drive-thru location. Record setting temps in AZ, so this a very popular offer.

Today I: prepped for my big writing day on Saturday; talked with a coaching client; did bank and post office errands; shopped for Popsicles(tm) for sick child and bought cheap frozen pizzas for family "pizza and snacks" night; dug around for "Beauty and the Beast" variant; did Emailing for the "Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp" coming up in just a few weeks!

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

07.07.08 Monday: Picking and Chosing.

Picture of: pile of letters on my desk, waiting to go out tomorrow.

Today I:Over the last few days I: Laid low for the holidays and worked out what to keep and what to throw away; updated my mailing database with another handful of new clients and interested parties; worked through some registration issues for the OISBC Marketing event; produced a mailing for a super deal on camp registration- I can't tell you HOW DEEPLY I FEEL THE NEED FOR YOU TO JOIN US AT THIS CAMP in August of you are trying to build your business- a hard economy makes it a GREAT time for marketing opportunities; had dinner with a kid who used to be in one of my youth groups a long time ago, he's not such a kid now; edited audio files for release; added more lessons to the free Ecourse I am running (join); rewrote the scripts for the next free TeleConferences (join them too); prepped show order for school show tomorrow; sorry for missing days with you, some days there is only so much energy left in my fms-filled days; spoke on the phone to a storyteller in a nearby state about the state of storytelling in our states.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.27.2008 Friday: Keynotes, Workshops, Sales

Picture of: order forms from my vendor table at the youth rally I worked today.

Today I: provided the keynote presentation today at the Diocese of Beaumont Youth Rally held in Houston Texas- lots of stories in 45 minutes; presented a quick Storytelling 101 workshop for the adults leaders; sold many tools, tapes and books from my vendor table after the workshop; packed up my hotel room to check out; got downstairs and realized I had forgotten things in the hotel room so had to run back up there; high-school-aged kid on the elevator told me I had to go to his church so he could hear the story of the seagull again; got a ride back to the airport with my new friend Linda; was early at the airport so I ate my lunch at Chili's and then killed time until the flight boarded; got upgraded to first class as we were boarding the plane- now that was a good surprise; flew two turbulent hours to Phoenix; got picked up by my lovely family- daughter #4 did not run to greet me as I think she was afraid she would spill her $tarbuck$, lol; got home and tallied up my sales- sales of the resources were up 300% per ticket by making one change to my presentation- something you will learn at the Outside In Marketing Camp this August. This isn't about taking money from participants. The people who purchased got great, useful tools and I was compensated for my work- that is what marketing is about- win/win; crashing now

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.17.2008 Tuesday: Posted

Picture of: why I don't want to leave the house.

Today I: negotiated hotel costs for the upcoming Philly event; finished the website and the flyer for the September "Storyteller.net Live!" event coming soon to Philadelphia, PA; posted the pre-release deal for the "Outside In" Marketing Camp Audio kit; did the bank and post office run; shopped for groceries; weeded through some audio for a new corporate storytelling project I am doing; posted a new blog;
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.11.2008 Wednesday: Goals

Picture of: my bags at the Philadelphia airport as I wait for the hotel shuttle to whisk me away.

Today I: ate breakfast in my hotel room, it's cheaper (surprise) and easier than the breakfast lounge; wandered back down to the business center to print the joint-venture proposal that I had written the night before; took a cab over to the meeting space as I had to drag all these bags to the meeting- I think the cab driver was mad that the trip was so short- poor guy; attending the marketing meeting where we worked all day with a former producer for the world's largest afternoon talk show (you know which one I mean) to work on pitch(proposal) letters for various media groups; the speaker focused on the same thing that we focus on in our storytellers' marketing camp: NICHE. You really need to come to our camp in August; great lunch and conversation with other folks at this last day of the first phase of this program; shared a shuttle back to the airport with 10 or so other participants; took the hotel shuttle to this hotel I am in now- they have a well trained, customer service oriented front desk staff; ate dinner at the restaurant on the grounds; caught up on Email and site updates; realized my guild has different goals than what I thought it did; rewrote some "immediate goals" for all three areas of my own "Outside In" strategy in the areas of business, artistry and technical skill; that I need to kick off this week; online check in for my flight tomorrow- no upgrades available- cry cry; calling it an early night
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.10.2008 Tuesday: Self Employed

Picture of: my on-the-road office-in-my-hotel set up this evening.

Today I: ordered room service breakfast 'cuz I was not going mess around with the waiting line for way-too-small breakfast cafe; took my walk through historic Philadelphia to the meeting space; participated in the coaching/marketing event here; walked back to hotel for dinner break to print things I had forgotten to print b4 I left home; broken printer service at desk, grrr, had to work through another hotel printer; back to the meeting and met with representatives from publishers, tv and radio- very interesting; got back to hotel to check Email after 10PM and rainstorm in Philly; answered new Emails; rewrote and sent out to one of my booking agents a new one-sheet for educators along with recommendation letters; wrote out a proposal for a possible joint-venture project with another participant; wife and I did proofreading and editing over the phone and internet, yay for three hour time difference; finally getting to bed really late.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.08.2008 Sunday: Man, Are My Arms Tired.

Picture of: flight 1192 PHX to PHL unloads at the end of a long flight.

Today I: flew from my home to Philadelphia; read a great book on marketing during the plane flight; cab driver this time, as opposed to my last cab driver, said not a single word the entire time from airport to hotel; hotel room is rather large considering it is an east-coast hotel; checked into hotel; at dinner; reviewed maps and notes for Monday; talked to wife on the phone; went to bed.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

05.07.2008 Wednesday: Letting Someone Else Talk

Picture of: the sign in table, after lunch.

Today I: pushed past my FMS to get myself to a marketing seminar sponsored by one of my clients who really wants me in his mastermind group; participated in this day long conference and met some nice people; learned a new trick that we will add to the Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp; thought differently about my markets; fought my way back home through rush hour traffic; talked at length, while in said traffic, with the hotel meeting room planner for our Austin hotel event this weekend; worked through a registration or two for the "Storyteller.net Live!" event; we have room in this Saturday's (May 10th) Austin event if you want to come but this late in the game I can't assure you that there will be a lunch for you; worked on a couple of handouts for this weekend; went out to Target and dinner with my wife

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

04.13.2008 Sunday: Even on Sunday

Picture of: interesting piece of mail that I received from Megan Hicks. She is a storyteller and an Origami master. Her envelope both shows her craft and contains promotional info as part of the paper. Well Done.

Today I: sorted through Saturday's mail; went to the bank with checks from Saturday; prepared notes for Monday's guest speaker piece at GCC; packed up mail from Storytellingproducts.com; had lunch with my wife and kids; talked on the phone with a sponsor for the upcoming weeks events; prepared invoice for another sponsor; spoke with Tom Taylor in Texas about our upcoming "Storyteller.net Live!" event in Austin Texas next month.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

03.25.2008 Tuesday: Audio

Picture of: screenshot from my audio editing software I used all day today.

Today I: edited sound files for podcasts and future marketing training products; made my post office and banking runs; edited pages for a teller at Storyteller.net; sent reminder notices out to some Storyteller.net members; talked on the phone with the program director for my gig on Wednesday; talked with a new sponsor and booked a September event for a Women's Luncheon gathering; created invoices for upcoming events

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::