The Birth of Story in the Land of Enchantment

My view of the Taos mountains in the summer of 2017.

​​In the summer of 2017, I had the great pleasure of spending two months in beautiful Arroyo Hondo just north of Taos. Living in Central Texas, I dread the summers where 100+ temperatures are the norm more than the exception. So I was super grateful to get this opportunity to spend the summer where I could look out every morning at the majestic Taos Mountains and enjoy the cool and dry temperatures of this wonderful location. Being only minutes from the cultural attractions available in Taos didn’t hurt either.

Northern New Mexico is a great place to take hikes in beautiful natural settings, a place to gain new inspiration and to make new friends. That summer was also something of a working vacation as I spent a portion of my time designing a new website for a client in the area. This turned out to be a unique opportunity to work with someone whom I would eventually realize I needed for my team.

Not only did I enjoy my work, but I enjoyed forming new friendships with some very interesting characters. One 87 year old artist comes immediately to mind. His breadth of experience and his gift as a master storyteller were truly inspiring. In addition to meeting the fabulous owners of the rental we stayed in, I also met several new local artists, an artisan soap maker, a Reiki practitioner, and two retired
environmentalists and hiking enthusiasts who also shared the gift of storytelling. 

This part of New Mexico certainly attracts people with fascinating backgrounds and a desire to deepen their spiritual understanding. The mountains seem to wrap you in their welcoming arms and inspire you to be more of who you already are. I left there knowing I had gained more clarity as to how I could continue to support small business in today's economy.

I've known the struggles and challenges many entrepreneurs face when it comes to marketing. Marketing is often the function of a small business that gets the least amount of  attention —especially in the early start up stages. I was lucky enough to have a huge interest in marketing when I started my first business so I was more than willing to invest heavily in my own training. Other entrepreneurs might invest in other areas of their business more heavily depending on their own strengths and interests. Often marketing suffers because of it.

My new approach to marketing and website design has had a two year gestation period where ideas were percolating steadily. In 2019, I will resume VIP operations and have it serve as a marketing resource center for emerging entrepreneurs and a gateway to VIP Biz Online and BizTempo Design. 

And I owe it all to that marvelous place in the mountains outside of Taos for serving as the incubator for this new phase of VIP's development. Inspiration leads to motivation and on to continued innovation. Interestingly enough, the beautiful house that I stayed in during my extended stay that summer was named CASA de Cuentos by the owners. It translates to House of Stories and now in 2019, story has become the focal point of VIP's new services.

Be brilliant.