May is such a nice time of year.  The weather starts turning warmer, people and plants alike come out of their winter hibernation, kids are gearing up for the end of the school year and the beginning of summer and for paper lovers... it is National Stationery Show time! 

I have been fortunate enough to visit the show twice (2010 and 2012).  My initial trip was to see what all the talk was about and to plan my 2011 Toluka Paper debut as a vendor.  My trip that year was a quick one.  I made it a day trip (I do not recommend this unless you live in NYC or super close). Whoa, what a whirlwind. I learned a lot that day:  Ideas for making my booth stand out, display ideas, a little about fulfillment, the importance of networking, how important it is to wear comfortable shoes and most importantly… take a break to eat! I didn’t know the last one until it was too late and ended up with the worst migraine ever.  I barely remember the plane trip home.  Regardless of the paper hangover, the next day, I felt energized, super motivated, excited and like I had a great goal for myself for 2011.  Unfortunately, I wouldn’t truly realize all that I DID NOT learn until the winter of 2010/2011 when I applied to attend the 2011 NSS as a vendor.  I felt like I had done some decent research and had a planned budget.  I knew there would be things I didn’t account for…so I planned some padding for that.  I knew there would be things I would figure out a long the way, so I planned extra time for that…what I found out the hard way was even after all my planning I was still not prepared to attend NSS that year.

Now, fast forward a little to 2012 - I decided I would attend again to scope out NSS. This time I went armed with more information on the process, what details to look at and with a fellow stationery friend.  We had a great time swapping ideas, opinions and thoughts…not to mention comparing and coveting all the beautiful business cards and fun swag. I also gained a much better perspective of what would be involved in this event and left feeling better informed to work toward my goal of having a booth in 2013.  So why haven’t mentioned NSS yet?  The show will be wrapping up tomorrow!  Well, surprise surprise, I changed my mind again - only this time before putting down the down payment on a booth.  What helped me change my mind?  Something that I feel is a better fit for where I am with my business currently and will hopefully better prepare me to reach all my goals.  Stay tuned for the deets in Part 2.