I have been a distributor for Wikaniko since December 2010 and it is a company I love to be involved with. The folk who run the company work tirelessly to help us grow our businesses. they pay all the suppliers upfront . They offer help and support every step of the way. They are helping me to help others take those small green steps to save the Earth without costing the Earth,
It has taken time to build, as all good things do but this morning I faced a particular frustration and I got straight onto the online direct chat to HQ. Drew answered my call and within minutes, he had sorted my problem. Well done Drew. Thanks so much. Im now on my way to take more green steps……….why not come with me – check out the eco friendly products in my online shop and find out how you could have your own shop full of eco friendly items. Why wait – act now http://lynblackledge.wikaniko.com
Unfortunately, my fellow shock cash mob organiser, Julie Jones Evans, was unable to accompany me on Sunday 24th March in East Cowes. It was however, a successful event and boosted the sales at Kathy’s Cards and Gifts in East Cowes.
When I opened a new bank account with Barclays Bank recently, I had no idea of the fun that lay ahead. I love to have fun while working my business and as a self employed work from home mum and grandmum, this is so easy. For most of my working life, I have been self employed and so I set the rules. I enjoy what I do and having fun whilst doing it makes it even nicer. No boss to relate to. No boss to set my hours. I work as and when I want to. I work hard but I also play hard.
Well, on the day I opened the new account, my new Barclays manager, Wayne Child, told me about the back to business scheme that Barclays run. The managers are encouraged to go out with a client and spend a day with them in their business. Wayne asked me if I would like to participate in the scheme and I was very keen to take part. When I set the date, I had a client who wanted a video made so thought this might be quite interesting for Wayne to watch. After all, he had told me he didn’t want a boring day in the home office. Unfortunately, my client had to postpone my appointment with her but I decided to keep the date with Wayne.
When I set the date, I hadn’t realised it was Comic relief day. However, it soon occured to me that this was a day that could be a lot of fun and during the day we could do something funny for money. Why ever not?
I checked with Wayne to see if he was prepared for a fun day and he had absolutely no problem with it – in fact he sounded as though it was right “up his street”.
I am, very much a community person and I love to fundraise and encourage my Wightbuzz members to do the same. I spotted an opportunity and ran with it.
I sent out a letter to my Wightbuzz members and was offered raffle prizes. Jade Thornton of Petticoats and Frills offered us a box of red nose cup cakes. She even dressed in red to deliver them to the Wightbuzz office. She was truly embracing the “doing something funny for money” theme.
Doing something funny for money - fun cup cakes
Michael of the Dorset House, offered us a Sunday lunch for 2
Michael, of the Dorset House, donates Sunday lunch for 2
Susan Revell, also a Wightbuzz member, donated a free first aid course and Jayne Read of Island Memories, donated a family ticket for the VE celebrations being held in May. Claire and Ann of Attraction, a lovely gift shop in Cross Street Ryde, donated a jewellery set. I am very grateful to all these ovely people.
With all these lovely prizes, I knew my super Wightbuzz members would be happy to part with their money.
Before my bank manager came to pick me up, I uploaded a video clip to you tube,
My bank manager turned up to pick me up at 9. We needed to decorate the collecting tin and Wayne even obliged with this!
Then, after a quick coffee we were off on the start of our very exciting day. First stop – Jo of Wightcakes
who supplied us with coffee and
scrummy cake! It was going to be one of THOSE days
We then popped along to Missy J cafe where Janine insisted on tweaking my nose before parting with her money – well the theme was doing something funny for money!
Next stop - Wightsight for a quick laugh and joke with Mandy and Adrian who also bought raffle tickets
then a few doors along to Attraction to see Claire, one of the raffle prize donators.
We just HAD to stop at Barclays in Ryde. Well it would be sily not to as I was with my Barclays manager!!
a few more stops in Ryde then we zoomed over to Sandown and to the lovely gift shop Che-Sands
then we popped across to Rapaunui where we also met the lovely Emma from Island Voucher where there was time for a very quick photo call!
then over to recruit Wendy of Deeva into Wightbuzz before selling her raffle tickets too
by the time we got to the wightbuzz office we were really beginning to flag but Liz supplied us with coffee to keep us going
and it was here we stopped to make a couple of video clips about our day.
and
Our final stop was with Julie Jones Evans of Dragonfly i Nodehill – (my fellow shock cash mobber )
We rounded off the day with a lovely sit down and chat with Julie and more coffee and cake!
We had a brilliant day – it was manic, it was fun and we did something funny for money. We raised about £75 for comic relief and my Barclays bank manager and I now know each other much better! It truly was a fun day. (I spent the weekend chilling as I was quite exhausted!!)
I did pop in to see Wayne’s boss on Monday to report on what an excellent experience it was! Praise where praise is due. I have had friends, who bank at other banks, who don’t even know if they have a bank manager, let alone know his name!
I made a you tube clip of the day
Do you have stories to relate about your bank manager? Have you had a fun day out with yours? Pop your comments below
I am a trader with Phoenix Trading and have enjoyied running my own business from home promoting and selling beautiful greetings cards, wrapping paper and stationery gifts for two and a half years. I am now building a team.
I look forward to helping others grow their own businesses and looking after any new team members.
On Saturday 2nd March, I will be running another Coffee and Shop event at Ryde Methdist Church. We have many talented local crafts people and some of these have booked a stall at this event. We also have people running local businesses so this is a great chance to pop in and support the shop local campaign.
See you there.
Ryde Methodist Church, Garfield Road, 10 am – 12 noon
It’s half term and the grandchildren have been to stay. There are many Visitor Attractions on the Isle of Wight and we decided to visit Carisbrooke Castle , part of English heritage where we enjoyed seeing the donkeys. We followed the donkey trail and were awarded a prize. We learned how the donkeys worked the water wheel and found out how deep the well was.
The following day, as we had bought English Heritage membership tickets, my daughter and I decided to take my grandchildren to Osborne House, the country home of Queen Victoria and another Visitor Attraction on the Isle of Wight.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day and the we enjoyed a walk in the grounds. We will go back and visit the house another day for no extra harge – one of the benefits of being English Heritage members .
The Isle of Wight really is a great place to take your holiday and there are so many `Visitor attractions that there is no shortage of things to do here. The grandchildren’s time was all too short here but they will return and there will be plenty more for them to do.
I am a Primary Stars Advisor (one of my many roles) and when Polly of the Family Directory, asked if I would donate 5 times table learning cubes as prizes to be reviewed, I was more than happy to donate them.
Times table learning cubes and all the other learning cubes are such a fun way to learn.
If you would like more information about the cubes or the the other educational products I promote, then please sign up to my newsletter -
It is with sadness that I read a facebook post this morning that yet another shop in Ryde is to close it’s doors tomorrow. Julie Jones Evans and I have been leading a cash mob campaign – which is designed to encourage people to shop local .
We were inspired by fellow top 100 mums club winner Karen Mercer who had been cashmobbing in Enfield.
Our first cashmob in November was extremely successful. We are continuing to encourage local residents to shop local.
We will continue to organise more events across the Isle of Wight. Do you shop local? How important do you think it is to support your local independent traders?
