There’s a lot to do when you run your own business. CEO to Tea Girl my pension chap told me. How TRUE. So in between dashing off to clients, scouring nurseries for exceptional plants and a host of other designery tasks I do all the ‘back end’ side of my small business too. I know I know I could get a VA I hear you shout, but why? I  love staying connected to the roots of my business. Perhaps if RGA gets much bigger for its’ boots I will relent but for now, I am IT.

I’ve long been pondering the real value of a Newsletter. Is it just for my benefit? for marketing RGA mercilessly? won;t folk just hit delete when it drops in the mailbox (like I do for many of the ones I subscribe to) and then something happened, I stumbled on two fabulous newsletters in short order, from companies I rather like, full of tidbits only in the newsletter and I actually read them. all the way through and might even have clicked on a link or two. I was interested in what they had to say and more that they said it really quickly!

Don’t get me wrong I love a good read, and lets face it I can talk for England myself – see the blog for many many MANY examples of this. BUT when it comes to teaser marketing – Newsletters – I have zero attention span, am often on the run so have little or no bandwidth and just want the basics to whet the appetite. These two showed me I could do all this in a succinct Newsy-Letter. Decision made.

Next was getting it done without too much faffing on my part. I like to do all my own web stuff because it stops the brain addling when I have to learn new things and keeps my hand in, technologically speaking.

Mail Chimp seemed like a good option. Turned out to be GREAT. After following the ‘all but idiot proof instructions’ low and behold the first Newsy-Letter went out last night. Only 4 subscribers so far but it’s early days and I have plans to bribe lots more folk to sign up!

If you haven’t already signed up, please do. No really PLEASE, DO. Top right hand corner of this page. I promise to mail a Newsy-Letter every quarter, at least but never more than once a month, well except on VERY extraordinary occasion.

Cut flowers with Rosa James Galway (probably!) Pimpinella rosea, Phlomis and heady Sweet William This is really what I do with spare time, grow stuff.