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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 18, 2024 14:42:26 GMT -5
Here's this week's Building Memories episode, clocking in at just over 15 minutes. I am going to break this one into a few different segments. One will be the professionally narrated, two minute overview of Standing Pines. I'll play withe others to see how a highlights reel might look. |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 22, 2024 15:38:39 GMT -5
Here's a fun little gift I shared with the facebook community (now at 1,850 followers and continuing to grow!). Standing Pines Campground & RV Resort Bonus gift for the community! Enjoy! We're excited to offer something special for our Standing Pines family today - a free Forest Friends comic strip! Today's gift: "Foraging" Rascal and Sage find a new way to find food in this cute little story of fellowship and friendship! We hope this little adventure brings a smile to your face and sparks conversation with the little campers in your life about friendship and helping others. 🎥 Want to see these characters come to life? After the Building Memories show, we're uploading these shorts to our YouTube channel, @standingpines. Look for the Forest Friends Shorts playlist! Who's your favorite Forest Friend? Comment below and let's see who gets the most love! #ForestFriends #KidsComics #StandingPinesCampground #FamilyFun  |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 25, 2024 12:27:52 GMT -5
Vent Time Today is one of those days I'd like to go back and start again. None of the frustrations are major. We already have started plans to deal with them. Still, all combined, these make me want to just hit "reset" for today and go back to the beginning to restart it. Alas, not possible! So I'm going to vent for just a moment here. -DH got up early to film new drone views. He came back excited to share his best videographer work to date. Then realized he went without a memory card, so no video after all. -The sub who has not shown for past 4 weeks is still not here. Long conversation with GC about it's time to either get a date certain for that sub or find another one. TBD. -I can't quite force myself to do the work I need to do to integrate all the pool permit responses. I should have done it last week and I'm procrastinating because I'm frustrated. -DH damaged another tooth. He's off for his 3rd unexpected visit to the dentist in 3 weeks. Good thing he likes this dentist I guess. -Potential guests for other campgrounds keep calling me, looking for cheap sites or low cost places to live. I like sharing helpful info, but at some point I really hope potential guests who want what we plan to offer start calling! -I emailed, called and messaged the bank doing our loan yesterday. I need my statement for the loan. I haven't seen one for three months. Instead of getting the statement - or access to the account online so I can look at it - I'm getting the run around. Very aggravating for a multi-million dollar loan, especially given the two year long journey and massive documentation they require from me. -Social media engagement dropped last week when I tried implementing so best practices to save time on my end. It saved time, but not sure that time savings is worth the drop in engagement! -We are behind on the list of pre-opening building work on our list. After a heart to heart with DH last week, we moved a good bit off his list and over to mine. It will cost us more to outsource this. However, to have some amenities ready in time for 10/15/2024, we may have to reach out and get some more people in to handle some of these things. I've got the ball rolling on several of these now. -Artist illustrating the Forest Friends books is behind on some deadlines for me. I understand. Still, I had to connect with her to talk about revised deadlines to keep this moving. On the positive side: -I finished this week's Building Memory show completely yesterday. So instead of stressing and busting it out at the last minute, I'm just chilling and monitoring comments to respond real time. That's really nice! And here, the social media best practice advice seems to be working. I spent too long on this video - about 10 hours - but that's a lot less than the 30 hours of the prior week or the 60 hours of the week before. I can see getting it down to about 4 hours per week. The upside is that this gives a TON of content I can repurpose quickly and easily. -I found a good potential vendor/supplier for the campsite fire ring / grills that's within budget! -The local concrete guy who did a great job for us on an initial foundation is interested in the little pours we need for picnic table areas, mini golf and the pool equipment room floor. -The contractor who cleared the trees can do the trails for us if we get pushed for time. They will be wider than planned if we go this route...but that may not be a bad thing. -I found a way to get the gem mining activity equipment through a vendor. It requires signing up for a minimum annual spend, but they also have a good selection of souvenirs I'll want to order for the store anyway in addition to the gem mining packages. Win! As usual, there's far more on the positive side than the negative. Sometime I just have to remind myself of that. And also I need to remind myself that it is okay to say no. Pool builder called me 3x during the livestream. I'm not ready to talk to him, so I messaged I'll call him later. That feels like reasonable boundary setting right now. I will feel less stressed when the BLEEP subcontractor arrives onsite and starts work on the water/sewer underground utilities currently holding the whole project up! Here's the link to this week's Building Memories show! Live stream is now complete for another week. www.youtube.com/live/alMyqlK_fu0?si=fH2Sj6X6pmSt1dAY And I'm going to treat myself to lunch at McDonalds. Because that's comfort food for me and I could use some of that comfort today! Catch ya'll again soon with another update. |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 26, 2024 8:50:25 GMT -5
Good morning! I slept in today, resulting in starting my work day at 9ish instead of before the crack of dawn. Here's hoping that brings a slew of positivity today!
1) Pool Builder call - the contractor who will build the pool called me to say he spoke with the pool engineer/designer yesterday. Based on their eval, they believe the updated permit package addresses all feedback we have received from the state. So maybe me procrastinating on that actually was productive! Anyways, I'll take the time today to review and understand it with the intent of pulling all the info together in one simple form to answer the permit issuer's questions. Fingers so crossed for this.
2) Bank fixed whatever problem with statements. I can now log on and see all the details of the loans. Likely a matter of asking for it, then being a polite PITA insisting they get me the data. Bottom line - now I have the info and can run some scenarios to see if the careful management of construction funds might actually free up some dollars for other uses.
3) It rained last night. That may help, at least for a few hours, with the dust issues.
4) Dentist did a quick/temp fix for DH latest tooth issue. It was immediate pain relief, which is great. Full procedure to redo the crown scheduled in 3 weeks.
Today's priorities are reviewing the pool permit data set, budget analysis, follow up with GC on the water/sewer sub, and following up on various contacts over the past 4-6 weeks for collaboration possibilities (Black Creek Wildlife Rescue, Coker College, Hartsville Tourism, Pee Dee Tourism, Clemson tree extension agent, Clemson pond extension agents, local book store for potential signing, local mayor) just to keep some of those on track.
Later this morning, the weekly Where Wednesday challenge will come out on the Standing Pines facebook page. I've pivoted to use this to highlight other campgrounds and other local businesses for a few weeks. This week's challenge asks followers to pick their favorite local ice cream shop! Seems appropriate, given the heat.
112 days and counting!
For the MO who have been following this journey with us for more than two years now, I feel like we should have some kind of a virtual event just for you prior to the public soft opening on 10/15/2024. What would you like to see for a virtual celebration / pre-view for MO?
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Post by dlwdwdvc on Jun 26, 2024 10:43:18 GMT -5
Celebrate Minnie Mom Day …
You deserve it !
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 27, 2024 7:46:31 GMT -5
dlwdwdvc, you are so sweet! Thank you!
So, GC gave me a verbal estimate for lining pond last week. That's likely the challenge I'm most worried about. I think we must have a pond/lake for aesthetics and to give guests a reason to come, plus the strong themes around creating a new ecosystem in the books, plus I really just want one, plus the additional revenue possibilities for renting small boats, etc.
After months of working it, his material costs was $98,000 minimum - likely to be more plus labor, which he though would be at least the materials cost, likely more. Overall ballpark estimate, $200,000 to $300,000 over and above budget.
No. That's not a possibility. So I told him to hold, that DH and I wanted to research other possibilities.
I got the first written quote back yesterday. $76,000 total installed cost for a 30 mil, commercial pond liner with a multi year guarantee and an estimated life of 20 years.
I'm waiting on two more quotes, plus have a back up plan with a local extension agent and a whole different business from a different part of the state that just does specialty ponds scheduled on site for an eval on August 10.
I spoke with GC earlier this week & gave him a ballpark of the numbers I was getting. We are taking this part of the project back. I need GC to focus on the sub who is currently 4 weeks behind and told him so. GC was super happy. Evidently, he didn't want to do the pond liner at all. Gosh, I wish he'd told me that months ago when I first asked about it. I could have already found and completed the solution!
I mean, the pond lining is going to be an unexpected $100,000 hit to my budget by the time all is said and done. I'm not happy about that, but it is part of the reason why we have a contingency built into loan. It's a reasonable thing to discover that the soil report, which suggested we might have clay in the sand but did not actually locate any, was correct and that we likely should have built in cost to line the pond from the beginning. But $100,000, while it hurts, is doable. $300,000 is not.
The challenge is that we also have had a number of small hits to budget without other saves to offset the cost. $3,000 here and $2,000 there adds up fast on a project. While I still hope to complete this project with about 1/3 of the contingency unspent, I suspect we are going to use 2/3 of it to address these unprojected additional costs.
Oh well. Getting these quotes makes me think we are likely going to be on track to have water in the pond by grand opening (12/01/24) if not soft opening (10/15/24) after all. That's good! And, if I can get myself focused on the pool permit reapplication today, maybe that will also be complete this year. Two big wins there!
111 days to go!
Oh yeah - I am doing some early testing of a potential future paid video ad. This is currently a youTube short that I posted on a couple of state/regional camping groups on facebook, so still not spending any money. But this combines to professional narration from the voice actor I found on fiver with the coaching from my social media consultant for using vision (stock) video, suggestions from our SBA advisor on running a special for opening, the logo/state graphic DD and I did together and the brand work on fonts and colors that I've been consistently using since first getting the logo designed almost three years ago now. I like it!
What do you think of this as a potential ad? There's a bit of a audio issue at the end that needs attention but otherwise it is the closest to a final video ad I've created yet.
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 27, 2024 7:52:15 GMT -5
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Post by Eli's Nana on Jun 27, 2024 11:57:59 GMT -5
Continuing to enjoy following you on this journey. You are doing a wonderful such a wonderful job - even more excited for your grand opening! Just sorry we are so far away here in Colorado. Thanks, as always for sharing!
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Jun 27, 2024 12:12:37 GMT -5
Seems like a pretty good ad to me, commercials for local businesses here in our medium-size town tend to look like that. My first thought was we spend the first third of the commercial watching a young lady in a pool floatie with a pina colada or something. Perfect if that's your demographic but it makes me think of a waterpark. I thought the scene where the screen was cut into four squares with kids and families and grilling seemed more like what I would imagine...but I'm no expert hee hee.
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 28, 2024 10:10:59 GMT -5
Continuing to enjoy following you on this journey. You are doing a wonderful such a wonderful job - even more excited for your grand opening! Just sorry we are so far away here in Colorado. Thanks, as always for sharing! Thanks for being part of the journey! Seems like a pretty good ad to me, commercials for local businesses here in our medium-size town tend to look like that. My first thought was we spend the first third of the commercial watching a young lady in a pool floatie with a pina colada or something. Perfect if that's your demographic but it makes me think of a waterpark. I thought the scene where the screen was cut into four squares with kids and families and grilling seemed more like what I would imagine...but I'm no expert hee hee. Good point. Also, glad the four square worked! My social media guru said try it; she didn't think it would show up well on phones for social media. The learning curve continues! We've had a productive Friday morning! DH and I met with a local contractor who did some work for us early on. We want him to do the concrete work for the mini golf and a few other small projects. That meeting went really well. We need to get him some follow up details for pricing as a next step. The sub who's been MIA was onsite yesterday and today to accept delivery of materials. Here's hoping that means he is here on Monday to complete his work. I think he can get his part done in 2-3 weeks if he's here with his team and focused. We had overhead inspection yesterday. I'm assuming that went well as the sheetrock crew is back in the Welcome Center today, continuing this work. I'm increasingly optimistic all sheetrock work will be done next week, even though it is only a short 3 day holiday week. Next is paint, then the drop ceilings and the final electrical and plumping work. The sitework crew is on site today as usual. We had a bit of rain last night (YES!!) so they are doing some compaction work. That whole part of the process seems to be on track for now. The pool permit work is taking more time. The designers didn't have their stuff ready for me to do full review, so I worked on a summary memo yesterday. I should get the full update from designers next week and will do a deep dive to compare their updates against what reviewer requested. Then I'll ask the builder/contractor to review as well before turning those plans in again to DHEC. I'd rather take the time to get the response than waste more time turning in anything less than the requested updates and going through yet another round of review. So that means another review of budget today. Then all afternoon I can do creative, fun work! Either marketing or next week's video update or maybe even work on my Forest Friends books! After several non stop weeks, if I work at all this weekend it is going to be on the creative fun stuff that I love. Because that's almost more like a way to relax than it is work, but still productive time! Or maybe visit the local water park for a couple hours in the morning. That's also technically work, as I'll take photos and do a blog post for this local attraction. Hum, wonder if I can bribe DD to go with me for a short visit tomorrow. Hope you have plans for a great weekend full of fun! |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jun 30, 2024 16:48:21 GMT -5
OCD is kicking in. I decided to take some time today to think about my task list and try to get all the stuff in one place so I don't lose any of my to-do's. Some of this is duplicative, some is AI suggestions I'll ditch after review. Still, having this is on place is a relief. It's just another tab in my project plan which I can tick through every day. Time to be efficient with my time!
Category Priority Task Description Due Date Status Notes
Content Creation High Edit Blossom's Big Dream
Content Creation High Edit Forest Friends chapter book
Site Preparation High Move stuff out of big cabin EARLY one morning
Construction High Ask Craig what he needs for bathrooms for big cabin
Signage High Price road signs and some basic signs for campground
Marketing Materials High Take pics of small cabin
Amenities High Follow up with fire pit company
Activity High Complete gem mining paperwork
Construction High Remind Craig about chalking WC for furniture build
Amenities High Call Carolina Fencing - dog park for sure for now and quote for pool
Amenities Medium Touch base with M for October CCC event
Potential Work Medium Add basketball court concrete quote request to Greg
Construction Medium Ask Craig about quote from Tim; any progress?
Marketing Medium Get video Monday morning (July 1) of work for this week's video show 1-Jul
Equipment Medium Follow up with Western liner to let them know we remain interested
Restaurant Medium Do deep dive review of restaurant equipment. Time to place order now?
Landscaping Medium Start looking for artificial grass options
Marketing High Daily social media work - schedule an hour and set a timer every day Ongoing
General High Scan through email; anything outstanding/urgent? Ongoing
Marketing High Respond to the fellow campground owner email about chairs
Construction High Confirm paint plan for WC interior
Equipment High Follow up with Windi about canopies
Content Creation High Create Forest Friends board game
Content Creation High Write the next few FF shorts
Marketing High Send Murphy at CoC the FF links and graphics
Reservation High Block two bedroom RV rental for Dec 1 grand opening (Keisha/Jenny)
Business Medium Obtain all necessary permits and licenses for operating a campground
Marketing Medium Update Standing Pines and Rascal websites. Create website for Ffbooks.com
Business Medium Create financial projections to estimate income, expenses, and profitability
Marketing Medium Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to attract potential customers
HR Medium Consider your staffing needs and timeline for hiring personnel
Construction Medium Touch base with Craig for mini golf overall - who has next step?
Marketing Medium Add Pee Dee Tourism link to Standing Pines website
Business High Apply for alcohol license
Marketing Medium Create social media announcement plan leading up to opening
PR Medium Create press releases and send out weekly to try for media coverage
HR Medium Document staffing plan, including when to post jobs
Construction Medium Will we make Builder September?
Accessibility Medium Go back and look at Autism Speaks suggestions for implementation
Business Medium Finalize cancellation and refund policies; communicate on website and emails
Retail Medium Set up online store for Standing Pines and Forest Friends merchandise
Business Medium Review insurance coverage and confirm all necessary policies are in place
HR Medium Schedule staff training: reservations, guest services, safety protocols
Facilities Medium Conduct thorough testing of all utility systems (electric, water, sewer, wifi)
Facilities Medium Develop maintenance and cleaning schedules for bathhouse, pool, playground, rentals
Supplies Medium Order cleaning supplies, paper goods, first aid kits, fire extinguishers
Signage Medium Design and order signage for trails, amenities, maps, rules and policies
Restaurant Medium Finalize menu and pricing for snack bar
Restaurant Medium Schedule health department inspection and obtain food service permits
HR Medium Interview and hire snack bar staff
Activities Medium Plan and schedule opening weekend and holiday activities
Partnerships Medium Reach out to potential partners: outfitters, guides, food trucks, musicians
Activities Medium Design scavenger hunt or activity incorporating Forest Friends characters
PR Medium Plan ribbon cutting ceremony and invite local officials and media
Marketing Medium Contact local visitor bureau and campground associations with listing details
PR Medium Pitch story ideas to local media: TV, newspapers, magazines, bloggers
Marketing Medium Run targeted ad campaigns on social media, Google, camping directories
Marketing Medium Update Google My Business and Apple Maps Connect listings
Marketing Medium Encourage early guests to leave reviews on Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor
Business Medium Check in with accountant on payroll setup, sales tax remittance
Business Medium Create contact list of local service providers and set up accounts
Business High Confirm all business licenses and permits have been obtained
Safety Medium Review emergency response plan with local fire department and EMS
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Post by MinnieMom on Jul 3, 2024 8:11:15 GMT -5
Here's yesterday Building Memories show - a bit shorter than usual at 13 minutes due to holiday week. www.youtube.com/live/2xYvXRprgo8?si=WTMfS5gZgzkWYzQzAnd it's been a full week already even if it only Wednesday morning! The good news? The power company showed up in force. The installed two new power poles skirting our planned entrance to set up for removing the power pole right smack in the middle of the park entrance. They did it properly, blocked off the road and with at least 15-20 people on the project. Nice! The sub who's become the #1 PITA for the whole project finally showed up a couple days last week to place some material onsite. Of course, he's not showing up for work here. Nope. Soonest he may show is the week of July 15. GC knows that's a problem. Last week, I gave ultimatum - sub does something on site or replace him. This sub has cost us 8 weeks of work time (and counting) and still has not answered basic questions about why his costs increased by ~$90,000. So I was not pleased to see the GC turned in his monthly pay request that includes another $46,000 mobilization fee to this sub yesterday. Without going into several communications from yesterday about this whole mess, suffice it to say I put in writing to GC this morning that I will not approve that pay at this time. If sub isn't going to work, I'm not going to pay him. So GC can hold up whole payment, including for other subs and work that has been done, for this one sub who hasn't shown up. Or he can remove that cost and I'll approve the rest. I don't think GC sees it, but (at least in part) I'm trying to give him leverage to manage this sub. Well, plus I'm now turning stubborn. Yes, that's true. Right or wrong, I feel we are getting the short end of the stick and am done. Now, realistically, I can easily get back to win-win problem solving, but the sub is going to have to be willing to at least be part of the conversation for that to happen. And the GC is going to have to be much more up front. He knew that cost was going to be a problem and did not discuss it with me. I'm going to start calling other potential sub contractors today. This passed ridiculous weeks ago. And, just to end on a more positive note, I got the revisions back from the pool designer/engineer yesterday. I'm going to go over those today then (assuming I have no feedback) get them to pool builder for review. Again assuming to issues or other work we didn't already address, I will turn in the updated submittal to DHEC on Monday and cross fingers for permit.  |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jul 3, 2024 9:40:05 GMT -5
One of my tasks this week was to schedule the mid year Board of Directors meeting. Since all three BoD members are personal friends, I decided to make this fun. Below is the meeting invite I sent for it. All three accepted in just a couple hours. That's the fastest I've ever had any meeting I scheduled 100% confirmed for attendance! Maybe there is something to this whole "make it fun" concept? Anyway, I carried the theme with similar language on their courtesy calendar reminder to send questions 3 weeks prior to the meeting as well as the actual meeting invite itself. Sharing because this was fun!!!
VIP Invite: Standing Pines BoD Midyear Virtual Shindig!
Can you believe it? We're on track for the 10/15/24 soft opening! With this exciting milestone fast approaching, Craig and I can't wait to give you a VIP preview of all the awesomeness that's coming to the public soon!
Let's Party! (Virtually, of course) How does Friday, August 16 at 8am EST sound for our midyear virtual shindig? It is important to meet as a Board at least once a year, so if this date/time doesn't work, no worries! Just toss us some alternatives. Craig and I are flexible – we'll make any date work that suits you three wonderful ladies!
🎨 Your Mission (Should You Choose to Accept It) Our big ask for this midyear update? Help us spread the word about Standing Pines opening soon! We'll have some fun, eye-catching social media content ready for you to share with your networks. It's time to get everyone pumped for the Standing Pines opening events!
🗓️ Save the Date(s) This will also be your chance to let us know if you can make it in person to either the soft opening on 10/15/2024 or the grand opening celebration on 12/01/2024. We'd love to see your smiling faces there!
📚 Homework (But the Fun Kind!) About a week before our meet-up, I'll send out a formal written update and a video progress report. This way, we can focus on the fun marketing stuff during our time together! If there's anything specific you want me to dive into in the written update (construction schedule, budgets, marketing plan, operational actions, staffing plans, Forest Friends, etc.), just drop me a note by the end of July, and I'll make sure to include it.
💖 Thank You! You ladies rock! Your support and encouragement have kept us going, even when we weren't entirely sure how we were going to make this campground happen. Thanks so much for being part of the Standing Pines journey!
You're the best!
Amy
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Post by MinnieMom on Jul 6, 2024 14:44:13 GMT -5
We had a "get on the same page" meeting with GC and problematic sub just before business closed for the July 4 holiday. Here's hoping that moves us forward as needed. Next follow up is scheduled for Monday and will be a continual daily/weekly discussion until this part of the project is complete.
With that (hopefully) now pointed in the right direction, I took some time over the holiday weekend to get creative. I've made a prototype board game for the campground!
Anyone want to try playing it???
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Post by MinnieMom on Jul 8, 2024 13:39:51 GMT -5
Just met with painter; we seem to be on track for starting interior paint of Welcome Center early next week.
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