I Am What I Am

Two months ago I almost shouted off the page when I posted a new Working Girl blog … “I’m in the groove”. Felt like writing again and I finally was ready to tackle Amazon book marketing.

It didn’t take me long - my elation was short lived. I needed to take my own advice - if a skill is critical to your success and you don’t have it, then HIRE IT. But this time it was more easily said than done.

My goal for this book was to sell lots of books and donate all my royalties carrying on the commitment of the Working Girls and Olympic Cellars… Created by Women, In Support of Women.

But just like the early days of the winery, there is a very small budget for marketing.

. . .Give me just a minute. There’s more to this story.

I live in Sequim, Washington and the first Friday every month is Art Walk. I love art and a rule I follow (or should follow) is when you see something you want, walk away. If it won’t leave your mind and you’re still thinking about it a few days later then consider buying it.

Well not this First Friday Art Walk. I only had about 15 minutes before meeting a friend for dinner. Walking around the Blue Whole Gallery a funky sculpture captured my attention. The name on the white card was “I Am What I Am” by Nancy Lawrence. I bought it immediately and blamed this impulse on art in general. When it reaches out to you and somehow touches you personally, well just open your purse.

The sculpture was a female bird, with three legs wearing boots and the expression on her face as she looked me in the eyes was challenging, “You Are What You Are”.

Did that dang funky bird just give me an Out? You won’t sell many books but It’s OK that you don’t know how to market on Amazon.

Or, is she challenging me to step up? Get you butt in gear and learn how or find another way Kathy.

That Bird has been taunting me ever since she moved into my office, giving me that look each day and expecting an answer. Today she got it.

I Am What I Am. 

A Working Girl and Damn Proud of It. 

So, I’m Getting to Work.

The Five Balls of Life

After the long months of writing, editing and finally publishing my book I had no words left. And I knew that my biggest job lay ahead… marketing my book on Amazon. Geez, just put me behind the bar again and let me sell wine.

OK Kathy, stop whining, you can do this.

As I’m grumping about Amazon marketing my dear friend is launching her women’s coaching business and she asked for my input on website design, content, logo, mission and marketing. Yea, I can do this. She would send me long emails and I provided feedback. It felt really good and then I realized she had given me a gift - it had got me thinking beyond my current projects on my desk - I felt in the groove again.

When I was at Olympic Cellars and communicating with my customers a common overarching theme was my Working Girl approach to owning a small business and also living life . . . as a mother, wife, grandmother, sister, friend, colleague and team leader. Of course, I sold wine too!

Tonight, looking around my office my eyes settled on five balls.

I had read or someone told me about juggling the 5 balls of your life . . . Family, Health, Friends, Spirit and Work. The five balls symbolized work-life balance. Work was a rubber ball. If you dropped it, it would bounce right back. But the other four were made of glass and you know what happens when glass hit’s the floor.

Since I’m a visual person, I wanted my own set of balls displayed in my office. So I asked a local glass blower for four glass balls and then I sprayed a tennis ball black and blocked out the word WORK.

My balls are set on a high window sill in my office close to the edge . . . think I was getting a bit carried away with the symbolism. But it has been a reminder to me over the years of what is important in life.

I’ve never liked the three words, work-life-balance, because to me it implied a 50-50 balance. Life changes constantly and different balls may get more priority than the others… but sometimes I do take a racket and hit that work ball right out of the park!!!

And, it's 7:30 and I'm still having my glass of wine with my computer. Old habits never die.

Cheers to all,
Kathy, A Working Girl

Author: Working Girl - Behind the Cellar Door
An Entrepreneur’s Journey from a Bankrupt Winery to Gold Medals

Eat That Frog First

It’s the New Year and like many of you I’m having fleeting thoughts of New Year’s Resolutions. You know. All the oh-so- familiar, year-in-and-year-out ones… update business plan, set goals, eat better, eat less sweets, exercise more, work harder, take more time off…  and so forth. None of these have hit the written page yet… as if that helped before.

My husband has always made me a bit crazy because he’s always talking about something that he’s “gonna, should of, need to” DO almost every day. And, then tells me I “should” too.

Well, I’m just a stubborn cuss… Don’t tell me what to do! Or maybe it’s after too many broken New Year’s Resolutions that I decided to stop beating up on myself.

I keep telling my husband, “WHEN I’m ready, I’ll do it but I’m not going to talk about it ‘til then.” That’s just a recipe for guilt. And, as a mother (or is it just being of the female gender) that we’re genetically born with guilt so why add to it.

Lisa, the owner now of Olympic Cellars Winery, once exclaimed when we were together at the winery, “I got to get home, I didn’t eat my frog”. I made an about face and called after her “what the heck are you talking about?”

As the door closed all I could hear was her parting words, Google It.

So I did. It’s an old saying… If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long! It has also been said, if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first!

The FROG is the thing you’re most likely to procrastinate on if you don't do something about it now! It is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and/or business results at the moment.

Right now I’m looking for a wacky Frog to sit on my desk daring me to EAT it every day. 

So instead of a long list of goals and to do’s, I’m going to approach this year one day at a time, eating That Frog each day and making it matter.

 

Cheers to all in 2018,

Kathy, A Working Girl

Author: Working Girl - Behind the Cellar Door
An Entrepreneur’s Journey from a Bankrupt Winery to Gold Medals

A Rainy Day Fund

Today after a long, dry summer we have a forecast for wet weather. Thought I would never say I'm looking forward to the rain, but the weather forecast got me thinking.

My15 years of owning Olympic Cellars taught me so much. Coming from a corporate environment, I didn't think about cash flow... just profit and stock price. But it didn't take me long to learn CASH was King in a small business. And after a few years when tourism was down due to early fall rains or the closing of Hood Canal Bridge during the summer, the importance of having a Rainy Day Fund (that's what I called ours) and keeping it funded became a line item on my annual budget.

While I don't dive deep into small business financials in the book focusing more on marketing and making money, I do give examples of what I did during some of the hard times. Bottom line I knew I had to work ON my business but I was always obsessed with my numbers. I tracked my income by day for 15 years with notes about the weather, if it was holiday, what sold best at the bar, who was working, etc. Trends started to jump out at me and I tested/made changes to see how it impacted the business. This was a job I couldn't delicate.

Ou barn and lower field that becomes home to ducks during the rainy season. The only cars in the parking lot are winery staff.

Working Girl: The 20-Minute Rule For Wine

Working Girl: The 20-Minute Rule For Wine: At the tasting bar we’re always asked, “What temperature should I serve my red and white wines?” Well, we could get really technical spout...

The Curse of The Good Girl…

I wrote this blog some years ago but believe me it still sends a message to me every time I look at the picture in my office. Frustrated last night cause my project wasn't coming together and I forgot to reach out to my grandgirls who were starting school the next day... my guilt-o-meter was in the red zone. Kathy I said, "get your butt up early tomorrow (grandgirls live in TX) and call before school". (I am so not a morning person.)

In my new book, Working Girl: Behind the Cellar Door I talk about what it takes to run a small business and why it is so important to put yourself at the top of your list on a regular basis.

================

The little white card taped to the wall by the painting proclaimed its title, Curse of the Good Girl.

But as I stared all I had were flashbacks... dozens of thoughts swirling through my head.

I’d already circled the gallery a couple of times just sipping wine, chatting with folks and glancing at all the art.

Then I put my glasses on and walked more slowly, finally standing in front of this whimsical piece.

At first it conjured up childhood memories, then hurled me back into high school insecurities, two marriages, kids, careers, and oh my God, now the Grandma Club.

Picture this… the focal point of the painting is two characters, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West (turned good?). How many times have I watched that movie as child, parent and grandma?

Surrounding Dorothy, in an ethereal warm glow, are the words of Dorothy’s Chant…

                                                 There’s No Place Like Home,
                                    There’s No Place Like Work,

There’s No Place Like Home,
There’s No Place Like
Work… Home… Work… Home...

You could almost hear the Wicked Witch with her icky green skin and crystal ball muttering; “I tried to save her but… alas, alas” in her most disgusted voice.

I could have been totally alone in the gallery as I found myself looking down at my shoes, almost expecting them to be red sequined. Did I really stand there and click my heals together? Was I unconsciously trying to rid myself of the Curse? You know… the one that’s genetically inbred into all us women.

It’s also known by another five-letter word and it starts with “G” for GUILT, Guilt, Guilt...

I bought the painting and it’s been sitting here in my office for 3 months. I find myself staring at it whenever I’m pulled in 5 different directions at once.

Talking to my now 40+year old daughter, I described the picture and its message. “Mom,” she says. “If I didn’t have to work, I wouldn’t. The things I love to do are outside of work… my girls, volunteering in their school, our family.”

So different.

When I was her age, it was ALL about work. I really wanted to succeed in the corporate world… to be recognized and rewarded for the job I did. Getting to daycare on time, soccer Mom duties and making homemade school treats were always my hot spots of failure.

But as I write this, I think maybe we of the “fabulous 50s+++ club” helped lift the CURSE.

Our generation paved the way for our daughters. While it may not be perfect, the work environment today is much more flexible and accommodating for women and families. Choices can be made!

My daughter is a much-in-demand physical therapist... who works on her own terms just 3 days a week.

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m reminded of a BLOG I read last year by Melinda Shoaf, appropriately named The Designated Celebrator. In it she states, “…I believe in the importance of celebrations. As my family's Designated Celebrator I may be tired and I may not have done all that I set out to do but I believe that this year I celebrated the ones I love, and I hope with all my heart that I celebrated them well.”

And so, in the spirit of the Curse of the Good Girl, I want to leave you with a parting thought.

Don’t add the “P” word to the Curse. There’s not enough power in the Witch’s crystal ball to rid us of the need for everything to be just “PERFECT”.

So, look at your holiday list of “to-dos” this year. Pick out the true “family traditions” to carry on, add in a good dose of family time with no agenda, and above all, put yourself on that list! Wife, mother, sister, grandmother, caregiver, friend… you wear a lot of hats.

Take care and love yourself, too.

Kathy Charlton

www.olympiccellars.com
Home to the Working Girl Wines
Created by Women, In Support of Women
Charities supported:http://www.workinggirlwines.com/support/charity/


Port Angeles Artist, Melissa Klein: http://www.osisart.com 
Blog Author, Melinda Shoaf: http://www.melindashoaf.blogspot.com

It’s Lavender Festival Weekend and boy oh boy have we gone all in...

The Lavender
We’ll be tasting our newly released and 100% local Madeleine Angevine wine.  We’ve paired it with lavender cheddar cheese produced by Golden Glen creamery out of Bow, Wa. Yumm!

Also, winemaker Greg created a very special lavender infused, sparkling Riesling for you to sample and purchase by the glass.  The base wine is our Dungeness White which is slightly sweet and deliciously refreshing.  The flavor of the lavender infusion is subtle but distinct and the fragrance is absolutely divine.
 
This wine will even be available during our evening concert on Saturday.  And speaking of concerts…

The Concert 
This Saturday, the Barn will sizzle with the return of the West Coast Women's Blues Review.  This band plays smoking hot, soulful blues, delivered via the powerful voice of Patti Allen.

A fresh electric soulful feel spices their blues. They shine with the power of Aretha and the pearl-in-laid guitar coolness of Bonnie Raitt & Eric Clapton. A one two punch of brilliantly burning vocal genius and blazingly sweet blues guitar licks demand attention!

They last played the Barn in 2012 and if you were there – you know – They Brought the House Down! The show was amazing, full of energy and a soulfulness that brought tears to the eyes at times.

The Non-Profit
Every summer, each of our concerts benefits a different non-profit.  This week’s non-profit group, the Jefferson County Fund for Women and Girls envisions a world where women are safe, economically secure and free from discrimination so that they can reach their full potential.

We’re proud of what we’ve all accomplished over the past few years, raising more than $45,000 for our Olympic Peninsula Community.  Let’s make this season the biggest and the best.   Join us this Saturday.  Let’s blow it out and support a great charity!

Tickets cost $13 in advance or $15 at the door (if any remain).  Order on-line at Brown Paper Tickets or visit the winery.  Doors open at 6:00. The band starts at 7:00.

See ya Saturday,  The Working Girls 

Please read the following list of tips and answers to frequently asked questions.  It will provide you with the information you need for a fabulous concert experience:
• Doors open at 6 p.m. Band starts at 7 p.m.
• Carpooling is much appreciated as parking is limited.
• The concerts are held outdoors, rain or shine.
• Throw some chairs in your truck.  Seating is festival-style.
• We have tables and chairs but do not reserve them. They're the first to go.
• Great bands equate to lots of dancing. We reserved the spaced under the patio in front of the band for dancing. That's why there is no seating there.
• Bring some warm clothes.  It gets cold once the sun goes down.
• You can bring in food and non-alcoholic beverages only.  It is against the law for you to bring in your own alcohol.
• There is a food vendor on-site, Little Devil’s Lunch Box.
• We are a family venue. But, concerts are usually 98% adults.
• All of these concerts are staffed by volunteers from the non-profit of the week.  This week’s non-profit is Jefferson County Fund for Women & Girls.

About the Band

West Coast Women’s Blues Revue is a showcase of female artists full of musical and artistic variety!


PATTI ALLEN
Patti has performed and/or recorded with: Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Lou Rawls, Little Bill and the Bluenotes, Randy Oxford Band, Dave Lewis Trio, Don Ells Orchestra and many other international & regional artists. Patti Allen was the first female recipient of the Washington Blues Society's LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.


TERI ANNE WILSON
Teri has performed and/or recorded with: Curtis Salgado, Bonnie Hayes, Duffy Bishop, Lady A, Rae Gordon, Karen Lovely, Vicki Stevens, Polly O’Keary, Rod Cook, Mark Riley, Red Hot Blues Sisters, Rosewood Embargo, School of Jam , United By Music and more!  She has received a Best Band award and Best Guitar nomination from the Washington Blues Society.  After touring Europe for the 3rd time, she founded the West Coast Women’s Blues Revue to feature female artists in 2010.  Her new solo album is being produced by Curtis Salgado at Falcon Studios in Portland.

STACY JONES
With 32 nominations from the Washington Blues Society,  Stacy Jones  continues to blow fans away with high-energy, genre bending performances.    With amazing vocals, incredible musicianship, outstanding songwriting and powerful, dynamic arrangements – it’s easy to understand why Stacy captivates crowds and gathers new fans worldwide.  A Multi-Instrumentalist, she is no stranger to guitar, harmonica and keyboards!
 
LYNNANN HYDE
All the way from Bend, Oregon, LynnAnn Hyde is a well-known and nationally endorsed harmonica and button-box player (see Hohner Harmonicas USA and Baldoni Accordions) and is also a songwriter/arranger of note in the Pacific NW.  As one half the duo of Kinzel and Hyde, she and long time partner Stu Kinzel are regarded as “Guardians of Traditional Blues” (The Blues Notes) and are also noted as “…one of the best acts the NW has produced…” (Back to the Roots, Be).

Rainy Day Special

R is for it’s RAIN and I mean lots of it!

A is for Anyone out there? Or are you all hunkered down to keep warm & dry?

I is for “I’ve got something that might interest you”

N is for “Need a good Red Wine” for this cold, dreary, gray, rainy day?

As many of you know all of our 2009 Red Varietals (Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Merlot) all won medals, gold - double gold and super accolades at competitions, Best in Show and Best in Class.

What you might not know is we also bottled Go Girl Red and Handyman Red blends from 2009 wines in our cellar. Really, really good.

So you’re saying… Kathy get to the point. (Soon… I promise.)

Yesterday I talked to two friends. First thing I asked was “what’s wrong” when I heard their voice… “Oh, (very dejected sounding) I’m doing my taxes”.

Well, so am I, today, along with year-end state and federal reporting for the winery. Yuk, Yuk, Yuk!

You know my answer for this kind of misery… pour yourself a good glass of wine.

But taxes equate to money… so to take a little of the sting out of your whole ordeal and to encourage you to come out on this dreary weekend here’s the deal….

This weekend only... Buy 2 bottles of either 2009 Go Girl Red or Handyman Red (or one of each) and get the third one free. Technically I can’t say free… so it works out to a discount of 33%. But if you think you might need 6 bottles to get you through, buy 3 and get 3 free, or a 50% discount.

Ssssh… Molly and Lisa are in Atlanta on a buying trip.

I’m slipping this by them.

Best, Kathy
Still a Working Girl

Ps. You can also call and buy the wine and pick it up next week if you just don't want to get wet:)

Because We Care

I've been in Arizona for a few days and every few miles on the overhead lighted highway signs were these messages...

• Drive sober or get pulled over, Drive Hammered…Get Nailed, Get a DD… not a DUI, Know Your Limit... Don’t Drink and Drive

The last slogan, Know Your Limit, made me think of a blog I wrote in 2011.

I realized then after some research detailed below that I didn't know the facts. I always told myself my limit was "2 drinks". My one beer consumed within an hour, considering my weight had me at a blood alcohol level of .08 which is the legal limit for drunk driving.

This is worth the read. Kathy

So some basic facts...

• Your body processes alcohol at a constant rate of .5 oz. per hour, regardless of how many ounces you consume.
• Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) is the amount of alcohol present in your blood as you drink
• In all 50 states, the legal limit for drunk driving is a BAL level of .08.
• Eating protein and fatty foods supposedly can slow down alcohol absorption but I couldn’t find any detailed, statistical supporting facts
• A 120-pound woman can reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180-pound man can be at .08 after only four drinks

What got my attention!

One drink is defined as having one-half ounce of pure ethyl alcohol; each of the following is considered "one drink."
 

• 10 oz to 12 oz of beer at 4% to 5% alcohol, or
• 8 oz to 12 oz of wine cooler at 4% to 6% alcohol, or
• 4 oz to 5 oz of table wine at 9% to 12% alcohol, or
• 2.5 oz of fortified wine at 20% alcohol, or
• 1.25 oz of 80 proof distilled spirits at 40%alcohol, or
• 1 oz of 100 proof distilled spirits at 50% alcohol.

As I type this blog, I’m drinking one of my favorite beers… One 12 oz Stout at 9% alcohol. (This would be 2 drinks)

Wines today, especially reds, weigh in on the average of 13-14+% alcohol, and the average glass pour is not 4-5 ounces.

One martini is equal to two drinks, one margarita equal to 1.5 drinks

The messages are still Drink Responsibly, Don’t Drink & Drive and Alcohol – Know your Limit

Know Your Limit, though, has a much broader message. It’s as important but in a different way than “don’t drink and drive”.  We all know that when we drink, we’re a bit freerer in mind.

So, my friends…

Because we care,

The Working Girls of Olympic Cellars

PS…. The tables below will help you estimate your Blood Alcohol Level

If you're a WOMAN, your Blood Alcohol Level is:

Weight
# of drinks in 1 hour	100 lbs.	120 lbs.	140 lbs.	160 lbs.	180 lbs.	200 lbs.	220 lbs.	240 lbs.
1	.05	.04	.04	.03	.03	.03	.02	.02
2	.10	.08	.07	.06	.06	.05	.05	.04
3	.15	.13	.11	.10	.08	.08	.07	.06
4	.20	.17	.15	.13	.11	.10	.09	.09
5	.25	.21	.18	.16	.14	.13	.12	.11
6	.30	.26	.22	.19	.17	.15	.14	.13
7	.36	.30	.26	.22	.20	.18	.16	.15
8	.41	.33	.29	.26	.23	.20	.19	.17
9	.46	.38	.33	.29	.26	.23	.21	.19
10	.51	.42	.36	.32	.28	.25	.23	.21
11	.56	.46	.40	.35	.31	.27	.25	.23
12	.61	.50	.43	.37	.33	.30	.28	.25
13	.66	.55	47	.40	.36	.32	.30	.27
14	.71	.59	.51	.43	.39	.35	.32	.29

If you're a MAN, your Blood Alcohol Level is:

Weight
# of drinks in 1 hour	100 lbs.	120 lbs.	140 lbs.	160 lbs.	180 lbs.	200 lbs.	220 lbs.	240 lbs.
1	.04	.04	.03	.03	.02	.02	.02	.02
2	.09	.07	.06	.05	.05	.04	.04	.04
4	.17	.15	.13	.11	.10	.09	.08	.07
5	.22	.18	.16	.14	.12	.11	.10	.09
6	.26	.22	.19	.16	.15	.13	.12	.11
7	.30	.25	.22	.19	.17	.15	.14	.13
8	.35	.29	.25	.22	.19	.17	.16	.14
9	.37	.32	.26	.24	.20	.19	.17	.15
10	.39	.35	.28	.25	.22	.20	.18	.16
11	.48	.40	.34	.30	.26	.24	.22	.20
12	.53	.43	.37	.32	.29	.26	.24	.21
13	.57	.47	.40	.35	.31	.29	.26	.23
14	.62	.50	.43	.37	.34	.31	.28	.25