Something Most Interesting has Happened...

Prologue: Yesterday, I went to Terra Java, the coffee shop I am working with, and I talked to Chef Omei about what next steps to take for advertising. The shop is already doing so well, but there are still more avenues I can hit. For example, the local newspapers (Arcadia News, Camelback Quarter, etc) have never done a story that was just about Terra Java, and the advertisements need to look different and be put in different places, perhaps the Java Magazine in Arizona. We need to advertise her Valentine's Specials more both on social networking sites and community wise; get more artists, musicians, and other talent into the store; and contact writers, food bloggers, and groups/clubs to come into the store. I have already emailed a local artist and a phoenix food blogger (hopefully they get back to me soon), and I am starting on making more contact connections through facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumblr, yelp, etc...

The Interesting Part: So I ended my meeting with Chef Omei and, while walking outside, I thought to myself, why not take a look at the stores in this shopping center. Maybe they could be good places to collaborate with for ads or events? As my brain was turning as to how I could pull that off, I walked into the first store that I thought could be a potential collaborator: Ray Eyewear. It seemed artsy enough to be something that Terra Java would like. As I was looking around at the really awesome glasses, jewelery, and other accessories, I was greeted by the guy behind the counter. We started talking about this pair of glasses I had suddenly grew fond of, which started to spiral into a nice chit-chat conversation, which then spiraled into him revealing that he was the owner and he was offering me to also help him in his social-networking and website advertising.
I stood there, flabbergasted, and the only way to describe the look on my face was with this phrase: "what just happened?"
I was getting hired by other people without even knowing that I was soliciting my abilities. It is so exciting! To think that this could be more than a senior project; it could be a starter-up business. For now, I will have to wait on more details with the next meeting I am having with him later today.
But this chance...it could be really big.