i am so excited about the National Stationery Show in New York.  first of all – i think i’ll go bonkers at the show – all that creative power is going to charge me up!  and the thought of going to NYC (alone, maybe with my mom! or with a friend or two) is electric.  i haven’t been since the early days of ooma.  and i haven’t been more than a few hours without both kids since Charlie was born (it will be almost an entire year).   i’ll be wearing heels, make up, cute outfits galore!  perhaps i’ll be enjoying cocktails!  i’d love to see How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  fun times.

but getting into a tradeshow without an established business is like getting into a popular Vegas nightclub (i imagine, i don’t actually go to Vegas nightclubs!) at 1:00am:  difficult, but not impossible with the right tools.

the NSS has a laundry list of acceptable forms of entry – the only two that i could possibily muster up before opening would be my (1) business registration and (2) a website.  but a coming soon website doesn’t count.  hmph.

the only other thing i can provide is a Letter of Intent on the official stationery of a bank or attorney.  you’d think i’d be able to find the verbiage somewhere online – but have not been successful.  does anyone have a copy i could use as a boiler plate?

finally – i’ll need business cards – which means i’m starting the design process.  more on that in another post….(this i love)

i figured the business registration would be pretty straightforward.  not so.  there appeared to be a pretty simple online form – but when i got to my SS# – the whole thing shut down and said “it’s already in use”.  huh?  the same person can’t open more than one business?  and which am i supposed to do first:  register or FBN?  the city website is a maze i can’t seem to find my way through (i’m not good at corn mazes either, go figure).

anyway – i’m sure it’ll all work out – but my time to devote to these matters comes in such small chunks – that i need to be able to do things in the evening  – on my own – when the kids are sleeping.

wish me luck (and send me your boiler plate!!).