I’m back. Did you miss me? Like a needy partner, I genuinely want to know. I meant to sign off properly before I left, but a painfully early flight had other plans, and suddenly I was just… gone. Not dramatic. Just vanished into vacation mode.

Dominican Republic with the Kids

I spent the past week and a half in the Dominican Republic with the kids, visiting family and showing them around. It had been a while since I’d been back, so the trip felt meaningful in ways I didn’t fully anticipate.

At the same time, I won’t lie — I missed the chase. I missed the action of business moving. When inquiries came in for dates I knew I couldn’t service, it stung a little. There were a few bigger ones that I probably could have gone after more aggressively, but knowing I’d be away, I didn’t push.

That’s on me.

Testing the Quo Virtual Assistant

Before I left, I turned on the virtual assistant feature through Quo for the first time. It’s called Sona. I loaded it up with FAQs and let it handle incoming calls while I was gone.

Quo runs on a credit system, and I actually ran out of credits while I was away — which means Sona handled quite a few calls.

Here’s the honest part: people knew immediately they were speaking to a virtual assistant. Most chose to transfer to a live agent or leave a message instead of engaging with it.

That was disappointing.

I really thought this feature might shift how we handle incoming calls. But I didn’t train it deeply enough, and the intro greeting could’ve been stronger. There’s potential there — I just need to set it up better.

Handling Quotes from Afar

Service wasn’t great, but whenever I found good Wi-Fi, I’d sneak away and check requests.

Anything submitted directly through Goodshuffle was easy — carts built, requests sent — those I could knock out in seconds.

Custom projects were different. Lighting requests especially require attention. For those, I acknowledged them and kept communication warm until I could get stable Wi-Fi and give them the time they deserved.

The Blizzard Plot Twist

I was supposed to be back Monday.

Apparently New York had a blizzard, and even though I wasn’t flying into or out of New York, my layover shuffle got caught in the chaos. Flight canceled. Extra unplanned night. Missed a networking event I had on the calendar.

Not ideal.

We made it back Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning — on just a few hours of sleep — I was up early clearing emails and responding to custom projects like I hadn’t skipped a beat.

Back on the Networking Train

Wednesday morning, I forced myself to get back out there.

It’s a free networking event that meets every other week. I went begrudgingly because it was early, right after school drop-off.

I’m glad I went.

No groundbreaking takeaways. Just showing face. Talking to others about the business. Staying present. Sometimes that’s the whole point.

Revenue Reality Check

I also didn’t get you a mid-month recap out this month, which is fine. But before I left, I did take a peek at the numbers.

Unless something big lands in the next day or two, we’re going to miss our revenue goal for the month.

That’s disappointing.

The calendar for the next few months still looks a little light, too. I’m not exactly sure how this chapter is going to unfold — but stay tuned.

This trip meant a lot. But it also made something clear: I can’t keep loosening the reins every time I step away.

If I want true flexibility, I need someone who can run this business while I’m gone — and eventually run it without me as the bottleneck.

For now though, I’m back.

Until next time
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A rotating list of the things feeding my brain so I can feed the business.