Monday, August 11, 2008

The Business of Hoopdance- A Day in the Life of Hoopnotica's Head of Operations

August 7, 2008

8:00am- Rise & Shine… well- the shine part comes later- after a large cup (ie: carafe) of coffee. As much as I don’t relish waking up before 10am- I do enjoy having time to ease into my morning. So I make sure that I never wake up with only 15 minutes before I have to leave the house- I leisurely take a shower and get ready- take my dog on a walk around the block- do a Sudoku and drink my coffee (such a simple pleasure- and truly helps to get my mind focused and alive)- feed and pet the cats, and then head out the door to meet up with our lovely CEO Gabriella (aka HoopMamma).

9:00am- As I check my emails on my iPhone at various red lights on the way from Santa Monica to Venice, I get an email from our publicist about a certain picture for a press opportunity that they need asap- so I re-plan my day to head back to my house after my meeting with the CEO, grab my camera (Louisa) and head to Rayna’s for a quick photo shoot.

10:30am- Back at my house- I check and handle the seemingly endless emails in my inbox (I’m a stickler for never having more than 5 pending emails in my inbox ever- it’s what makes me good at my job).

12:00pm- Head to Rayna’s for a photo shoot & meeting with our new Office Assistant Raileen! Raileen has been a part of Hoopnotica HoopFests, expos & events for the past year, but is lending us her expertise in more ways and helping keeping our operations running in tip top shape.

2:00pm- After a successful photo shoot and press submission- I sit down with our founder and my friend Rayna for a quick chat about our itinerary for World Hoop Day tomorrow 8/8/08- we want to create a fun and free event where people of all ages can come together and hoop. We decide which Limited Edition Hoop we will give away (the hot Mai Tai Glow) and Rayna heads off to pack up the stuff we’ll need to put in the Hoopnotica van.

2:30pm- I realize that our Hoop Tape inventory has been getting a little chaotic, and decide to take on the project of organizing & labeling it, plus gathering all the numbers for placing a new tape order for us and our production warehouse. This project takes me a lot longer than expected, causing me to miss Yoga and I’m about ready to slay people on the road home from Rayna’s.

7:00pm- A glass of wine as I get ready for the evening calms the tensions of before and I decide what hoopable outfit I can wear for my fiancé’s company launch party tonight, where- of course- I’ll be bringing my hoop to play with. I decide on jeans, comfy boots, a cute sleeveless blouse (can never have sleeves for hooping comfortably on the upper body) and a hat- cause I’m in the mood to be a little mysterious.

8:00pm- I arrive at the party to find our good friends DJ Shylock and DJ Sammy Bliss (Rayna’s boyfriend!) lighting up the decks and enjoy and mingle with my fiancé’s co-workers and friends. Rayna shows up to support (with her hoop in tow of course) and soon someone demands that they see what this crazy hula hoop that we brought is for- so we each spend some time relishing in our hoops to the awesome music. It’s really nice as a more advanced Hooper to have an audience- no matter if it’s one person or a crowd of thousands- it changes everything. We let everyone take a turn giving our hoops a spin- some a little too drunk to listen to instruction, but most everyone loving the fact that they can do it, when they were sure they couldn’t. We leave the evening exhausted and happy.

1:00am- I fall in bed, tuck myself in my covers (my dog snuggling up by my belly, my cats by my feet, my man holding my hand) and take a moment to express gratitude for this life I get to live. Even though the day had its unexpected schedule shifts and ups and downs- all in all- the days that I get to tuck all the business side away and spend time hoopin’ and hollerin’, make it all worth it.

Have you played in your hoop today?

Keaton

1 comment:

Ms. Bliss said...

That was such an uplifting and inspirational entry. I wish it wasn't close to midnight here cuz I would definitely give my hoop a spin!! Love your blog and Hoopmamma's! Keep up the great work!