Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
Well, the first thing I had to do to earn my Entrepreneurial Spirit Badge was figure out how to spell the dang thing. I like to write down my adventures in badges, you know, and I’ve been trying to better myself by not abusing spell check. (I like to think of spell check as an over-worked, under-paid serf, residing in my laptop). So, anyway, about 10 years later, I got the spelling of entrepreneurial right. And I’ll never forget it.
On to the actual badge. (Would a badge about starting a gardening business be a entremanure badge?)
I’ve actually been drawing up business plans since I was a 4-year-old. I’ve always been pretty entrepreneurial, to tell you the truth. I’ve dreamed and plotted my way through many a business plan, including and not limited to:
spas
lemonade stands
cosmetics
muffin making
gift basket business
courier service
dog walking
fashion design
spy for hire
… and more.
‘Course, none of these businesses actually got off the ground, so I wondered if maybe my business plans were lacking somehow, somewhere. I decided to pick my favorite, rewrite it, and then give it a kiss and stick it beneath my pillow, where it could drift off to La-la Land on lavender-scented wings.
Wanna see it? Here you go:
“MBA Jane’s Perfumes”
OR:
“The Scent of Success!”
OR:
“Eau de Entrepreneurial!” (This last one is my favorite)
Dream: A small perfume shop where shoppers can mix up and match their own perfumes. For a flat fee, they can pick out their favorite-shaped bottles (anything from heart shaped, to old-fashioned, to swanky and modern), design their own labels (Ah, fonts! How I love thee! Let me count the ways: Times New Roman, Calibri, Curl MT, Algerian, Baskerville Old Face, Gigi, Stencil, Zapf Dingbats), and experiment to their little hearts’ content!
Location: A small shop, preferably in a lovely downtown building. Or maybe in my own house. Or possibly in a highrise. Or maybe just online? Hmmm. Note to self: decide already, okay?!
Goals: Get a grant? Apply for a loan? Win the lottery? Pick two.
Employees: Midge. She has a great nose.
Startup cost: Bigger than a bread box. But probably less than my other favorite idea: MBA Jane’s Posh Spa. Also, the spy agency … not a lot of overhead, but have you priced a decent trench coat and fedora lately?
Timeline: Before I die, but not before next weekend (I have a dinner party).
Immediate goals: Start talking to people. Act, think, speak like it’s going to happen! Design business cards. And those flyers with the contact info at the bottom that you can rip off? Those, too. Keep eyes open for a rentable space. Become friends with Coco Chanel and determine secret ingredient for No. 5. Not attainable? Try Justin Bieber or Beyonce (does EVERYONE have a fragrance these days?).
Once everything was written down, all businesslike, and tucked under my pillow for safekeeping, I really felt consumed with my idea. It wasn’t just a pipe dream anymore, it had legs. And a voice. Could it really happen? Could Eau de Entrepreneurial come true?
Only the future will tell.
Smells fabulous to me.
I look forward to each new edition of Mary Jane’s Farm. I was raised on a country road in “Almost Heaven,
West Virginia”! I now live in Bismarck ,ND. I live in the country but have no farm.
Each edition of you magazine takes me back to where I learned to live off the land. My grandfather had a small dairy farm where he taught me the richness of life on the farm. I get in touch with that richness through your magazine!
From your do it yourself projects to the canning and preserving, I enjoy each page!
I love Mary Jane’s farm for many reasons: the crafts, the recipes, the wisdom, but I mostly love that my dream of becoming a Farmgirl is coming true. We have begun an organic blueberry farm, with slow, steady progress toward residing there full time.
I find it very difficult to decide on just one thing I love about Mary Jane’s Farm… I love it all!!! I literally read my copy from cover to cover (including the ads!!!) the moment it arrives in my mailbox…the dishes can wait!! 🙂 I learn so much at the turn of every page…from crafts to chickens to organic living…I devour every word and feel sad when the back cover closes. If I’m not the lucky winner of this amazing coloring/activity book, you can bet I’ll be purchasing it! 🙂
I have subscribed to magazines, too numerous to mention, and with very few exceptions, I have been dissappointed. An avid recipe collector, I have tried two in particular, that have been out of this world delicious: Homemade Chicken Soup and Homemade Pasta. I have made these recipes in particular many times from other magazines, and they can’t hold a candle to the down home flavor and recipe success as Mary Jane Farm recipes have. I spent my childhood summers at my grandmother’s farm and she ingrained into my life how important homemade and homegrown foods are to our health and how living on a farm is important to the peace and satisfaction in all areas of life. She planted the seeds of good healthy living that I have attempted to follow all of my life, (I’m 68.), no mater where life has taken me.
I rarely comment online about anything, but I truly am honored to comment on MaryJanesFarm magazine. It is a wonderful read each time I receive it. I enjoy the feel of the paper and the emotion from a honest approach to living. I live in a small town on a half-acre with a small garden. I dream of having a few chickens, some rabbits, a few more fruit trees and a beehive. Your magazine lets me dream it and feel delighted in the knowledge that there are those out there doing it. I am making comment for the Secret Garden giveaway. I purchased from this artist a book of postcards awhile back and enjoyed Ms. Basford’s creativity. Keep the loving magazines coming and I wish all a blessed day
My family moved to the country when I was in grade school. We raised chickens, had a big strawberry patch, and enjoyed roaming the woods and fields. In the winter, we went ice skating on a nearby pond and slid down gentle hills on skis and sleds. I enjoy the “You can do this!” articles in the magazine and have tried new crafts and recipes. I am interested in learning about the dangers of altered foods, and the encroachment of Monsanto into the ate oldmethods of East Indian farmers. So many of the classic women’s magazines seem to follow the pattern of quick decorating fixes and the latest trends. I love Mary Jane’s broad variety of topics to enrich life at home and outside. Every magazine opens new doors!
I absolutely love Mary Jane’s Farm for all the wonderful recipes and great advice that I wouldn’t normally see in any other magazine. It inspires me to have my own farm…some day!!!!
My favorite thing about Mary Jane’s Farm is EVERYTHING!!! And i say that because you don’t find help and info like this anywhere! Literally i have been searching for years for something to help me fulfill my dreams of having my own farm and raising my own crops and animals. I knew i could do it on my own but Mary Jane’s Farm has truly shown me its not just a dream but a reality for a lady to have a farm! Thanks for all your inspiration!
<3 Talia (Lady Farmer)