Beautiful Day at Sundeck - top of Ajax

I decided to escape to get creative, at least for a moment.  These past 24-48 hours have been intense with promoting the business, and I need to catch my breath.

What better way to do so than to take a gondola ride to the top of Ajax and breathe in the beauty.  This view never disappoints.  The clouds today really bring out the reds/purples/greens in the mountain range across the way.  For those who are not locals, here's a glimpse of the view from The Sundeck.

I'm reminded of my first oil painting I painted.  My ex-husband and I had come here in 1999, if I recall correctly, and ventured up here.  There was a great picture of him standing in front of the gorgeous mountain range.  I used that picture as inspiration in my divorce.  As a nod to my future which most definitely included Aspen, I painted him out of it, signed it in my maiden name, and asked for a divorce.  Sounds cruel, I know.  I probably wouldn't be so cruel now that I'm older, but it is what it is.  Plus, now that I'm older, I don't beat myself up about about past indiscretions as much either.  Now I have one of my most favorite possessions: an oil painting of Aspen hanging in my home in MN.

I am remembering that lovely lady who used to give 10-15 minute chair massages up here.  I always got one when I was here, and I could use one now.  She passed away last year, but she's missed and in my thoughts today!

I'm also grateful for the wifi they installed here last year.  It sure is a nice treat..now, if only they'd get cell phone coverage.  Actually, that may not be such a great idea.  I just wish the Sundeck didn't close down at 4:30.  The clouds are really moving in now and it's SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL.

I'm going to take the gondola down, head over to The Aspen Club for a good long workout and then maybe hit the Jazz Festival in Snowmass tonight if the weather holds up.  Ciao.

Three Week Update

It's been three weeks now since HireMeAspen officially launched, and I hit the town promoting it.  Boy, have I already learned a lot about website launches!

Gameplan: Phase 1 ~ Filling Up Database of Workers

To date, we have about 55 unique profiles equalling 700+ cross-referenced profiles in our database.  My goal is to get to 100 uniques by the end of the month.  Agressive? Yes.  But doable if I really hustle!  I've got to keep the momentum going, and hopefully with 1. our launch press release being distributed tomorrow, 2, friends of friends finding out about the site, and 3. your continued support...we'll get there with ease. 

For a FREE profile, register here using code: CH01100. This code will be valid for a few more weeks only, so take advantage of it now!

Gameplan: Phase 2 ~Targeting Partners

Once I reach the first goal of 100 unique profiles in my database (or roughly 1250 profiles appearing in over 165 job categories), I can begin to focus new efforts on Phase 2 which is targeting Silver and Gold partners. You can view details about our Partner Program here.  We've signed up about 20 silver partners thus far which is better than awesome!  Once The Hive (the worker bee / members-only area of the website) is launched at the end of July, members will be able to see the Silver partner offers listed in The Honeycomb section.  First week of August, I'll start sending out membership cards so our worker bees can take advantage of these partner offers and start saving money! 

I've formulated an exciting gameplan for the Gold partners: creating an irresistable and valuable promotional package consisting of not only a business profile for all website visitors to see (including hirers), but unique promotional opportunities with other businesses in the valley like Qittle's Local Deals.  Plus, Gold Partners will receive display advertising opportunities on the site, preferred partner mentions on the site (ie. Partner Spotlight), social media marketing, and much, much more.  Stay tuned.  I've got more exciting things on the horizon for the Gold Partners.

And I've already met so many wonderful, interesting and supportive locals!  I'm finding that Facebook is a great way to generate brand awareness, so I've been playing around with several versions of targeted ads -- It's fun to see the results!  Lots of people come up to me indicating that they've seen my logo around town....from our gorilla marketing efforts of blanketing parking lots with info cards to community board flyers to hats and signage.  This feedback is great considering no press, no advertising, yet. 

Spread the Word

Become a fan on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.  And, if you're reading this post via FB/Twitter, please retreet/resend it to your friends.  Help me spread the word so I can help the hard-working locals.  Tell your friends/business partners we're looking for sponsors.  HireMeAspen is just what the Roaring Fork Valley locals need!

I'm jazzed for success, and I define success as: "locals ... getting hired, making money, saving money, being connected and having fun doing work they love!"

Thanks for being a part of the HireMeAspen community.  Let's get this snowball rolling!