eBay Adventure - Never Speak Ill Over Your Business

Yes! After receiving an email from a customer saying that she had not received her package, I completed a missing package inquiry and her package was delivered yesterday. This was pleasantly odd because this morning I was prepared to tell my customer about the current status of my missing package inquiry; but, I remembered what a pastor preached about periodically checking things so that you would know the current status of things. I checked my package’s tracking number and saw that it was delivered yesterday.

It’s vindication because the company told me to refund her money over this. I refused because I didn’t exhaust all of my options plus the customer didn’t ask for one. I figured it out as a businesswoman. I went through the entire process. I also didn’t speak ill over my business. I spoke that this matter would be resolved and that my customer would receive her package. It was such vindication that I spoke this into existence (and did the work).

            Never ever speak ill over your business regardless of what you are going through.

Carla is a tall women’s fashion luxury consignment. Her motto is giving women Neiman Marcus merchandise at near rock bottom prices. Shop her store at: www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

eBay Adventure - Lessons Learned, Cash Earned

The sales keep rolling in and I am NOT complaining one bit! I have thankful that I got off my duff this past Monday and have done the livestream else I would be sitting here flummoxed as to why things aren’t selling. I have done much more since the livestream but doing this YouTube Live is the starting point. I have written blog posts, done Facebook Live broadcasts (must cross-promote and go where the customers are!), shared my merchandise on Twitter at least twice per day, priced according to the eBay recommendations and shared my blog posts to some Twitter re-share accounts every day since Monday. The result is 5 sales this week. I have just made a sale and completed a payment today. It feels great when I keep going, being diligent and thinking of new ways to promote my store every single day because I reap the rewards.

Shop my eBay store for the latest in tall women’s affordable luxury fashions!

www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Watch my lessons learned video

Watch and shop my eBay livestream for the best in tall women’s affordable luxury:

XD30 – Day 25 – Irregardless

I passed my third certification exam on the first try! I am very proud of myself especially after the morning that I had. I didn’t know that Metro changed its service hours so now on Sundays, it opened at 8am instead of 7am. I walked from home to McPherson, back to Farragut West (where some Asian man asked me if I had $5 in hashish at Farragut Square. Geesh! Drug dealers were NOW wearing hot pink t-shirts?! Who knew!). I then crossed the Square back to Farragut North only to learn the K Street entrance still had the gate up but the L street entrance was open (You had only ONE job!). Once I saw the 16-minute wait, I climbed the escalator back to McPherson where I waited another 19 minutes to roll to Reston. I arrived at the testing center at 9:30am. The instructor said that he just got started teaching. Oh vey!

This was NOT my first weird certification experience. I passed my PMP exam the day of the earthquake in 2011. The scrum test system crashed the day of the test from too many users and the Lyft driver missed the Vienna metro exit yet I still passed the Certified Scrum Master exam. I refused to be rattled over such nonsense. Not even that irritating broad whose favorite pastime was sitting in on certification workshop but not taking the exams then complaining about how backed up she felt. Girl, bye! She wasn’t the only one who made it a sport of sitting in these certification workshops but not taking the exam immediately afterward. There was another lady and gentleman in my training class who did the same thing. They acted as if it was nothing. I couldn’t waste that type of time sitting there which was why I now had three certifications and they didn’t. That’s what Udemy was for! Udemy out there giving away certification courses on the cheap for $10 (I scored mine for that much!). I bet they spent more of food and liquor than their own self-improvement! That lady was just the most annoying of the bunch.

I was happy that it was nice (not dripping humidity) outside because I walked to blow off steam (and stupidity!). It took me 30 minutes to register for the exam because it was onsite registration and another person who openly admitted that this was his second time sitting in on a computer language course and he didn’t think that he would pass (Are you serious?! You held my registration up for that?!). Anyway, I completed mine, went to the testing area, grabbed my headphones, prayed and got to work. I passed my certification exam on the first exam. I received my printout and certificate of completion and rolled back home happy knowing that I got what I came for. 

XD30 – Day 22 – Eyes on the Prize

                I am focused on preparing for the next phase of my career. Yes, there is a whole lot of negative things swirling around me; but, I refuse to let them distract me from my goal. Actually, I am glad that I am away from my cell right now because I get focused. I can hone in on what I need to do.

                Confession: I have received assistance for training and there’s a 90%+ passage rate; but, I am still doing my part to adequately prepare for the training. I always want to walk into the training center knowing what the topic is. I have never walked in cold without knowing anything. I own my learning and feel that although I am receiving assistance, it is still my responsibility to learn as much as possible.

                I have never told anybody anything about it because I only care about outcomes not steps. I never broadcast everything that is going on because when I do announce it. I am very general about discussing certain things especially when they haven’t come to fruition yet. Personally, I dislike people broadcasting every move you make. Focus on outcomes, not impressing people with the whole ‘look at me’ thing. Be productive not busy!

XD30 - Day 9 – Coming through

Finally! My security clearance has come through. I don’t know why it has taken this long but I am very happy that today is Friday and it has caps off my week on a high note! This is the best thing ever because now I also know that I qualify for a whole lot more stuff which is great. In addition, I have had someone watching my How to S.W.O.T. Away the Competition webinar which is a major feat in my book. Someone is interested in my material which is great. Furthermore, I am going to use this as a tripwire for my book! I do think that this will be great. Lastly, I am very happy that my Cavs have bounced back from the brink of extinction to win big at home. Go Cleveland!

XD30 – Day 3 – The Devil Is a Lie

I cannot believe my good fortune! I have gotten into next week’s training program. I have only learned about this from my case worker this past Thursday. Originally, I didn’t even want to go to my meeting. I wanted to (literally) phone it in. My ITIL certification class was 2 ½ months late and I was fighting over the measly part-time contract position. I was angry. However, once he mentioned this, the lightbulb went off for me. I emailed him back telling him to refer me to this position. This is the fastest turnaround in government history! It ranks right up with my interviewing for my economist position on Friday and getting the job Monday afternoon. The Devil is a lie! In addition, with my in-person interview and future contingent letter and I am on a roll! 

eBay Adventure – Digging Down Deep!

                It has been a very hard week. I have not made one sale on eBay and as a newbie, I am discouraged. I have to report this because it is all about transparency and telling my readership the truth. Yes, I have earned over $1000 but come July, my sales have been stagnant. I have been in the dumps in the entire week. However, Saturday I have decided to do something that I can control which is project management course creation. In addition, I have transferred my PayPal money to the bank account and purchased the two cardboard boxes in anticipation of my future sales. DC’s weather is 90+ degrees and I don’t want to be running in around in a heatwave buying boxes. Furthermore, with the PayPal, I have released the money because I feel that I will receive more. I have stopped thinking that this is the only money that I will received. These two energy shifts have produced my first eBay sale.

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Scrum Journal : Day 5

Thursday, March 24, 2016, I awoke at 6am because I had the routine down pat. I nearly forgot my laptop so I had to return after getting to the basement level. At least I wasn’t on the metro. I still managed to board the earlier orange line train to Vienna station. Creating a buffer was essential since this was the metro. I transferred to the 2B and this time remembered to pull the bell in the right spot to avoid walking over the bridge. I was the fourth person there. I just prayed that there was over with so that I could take the test and pass it.

                The instructor started discussing technical debt which was because of my questions. I was validated because I did not think that I was learning a whole lot the day before. However, I did admit that doing the user stories, spring and product backlog activities taught me something. I would give the training that. During the morning break, I crossed the bridge to the PNC to get Uber driver tip money. During lunch, I dined on Uncle Julio’s patio (I fell for the trip of eating all of the chips and salsa. I filled up so much that I couldn’t finish the fajitas. Hey, I was starving. That chocolate bar wasn’t enough.).

                I returned to training still nursing a headache with no Aleve. I managed to survive more tangents and rumblings. I went to use the bathroom and boom I was shut out of the ScrumAlliance CSM exam page. That poor website said that it was busy. I packed my stuff, ordered an Uber and went on my way. Or so I thought…The Uber driver missed the Vienna exit. He asked me. I told her that I lived in DC. I did not know anything about Virginia. We managed to get to Dunn Loring metro. I did not recognize this Dunn Loring. I stopped going there ever since the silver line opened because it had Tysons Corner stops. A Smashburger franchise was built where the old parking lot was. It looked like all of those other planning communities for middle-middle class people (You would not find a Smashburger or other franchises in DuPont so that was a couple rungs below but still). I boarded the orange line returning home. I dropped my bags, reconfigured my laptop and took the test.

                My test was harder than the questions that my classmates received. Immediately I started surfing the Internet for scrum help. I found two sites which helped. Also I grabbed the Scrum Guide. It was written by scrum’s cofounders so I knew that I was good. I scored 94.3% (33/35) passing the exam. Immediately I photographed my certificate posting it on Instagram. I tried uploading it to LinkedIn, but the photo was upside down. Therefore, I found my digital camera in my black oversized Kate Spade purse and re-photographed it. LinkedIn liked that one. Afterward, I typed my CSM announcement posting it on my site. I then copied that to Medium.

                I thought that passing the CSM would be different, at least dinner. In my mind, I thought I would be dining at Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons. I dined at Morton’s steakhouse right after passing the PMP. Nope! Combined the headache, the misfit Uber driver and the ScrumAlliance’s crashed website, I settled for a frozen macaroni and cheese dinner from CVS. Hey, at least I was certified! No one can take CSM away from me! My biggest epiphany was my emotional intelligence. I did not flip out against the Uber driver. I just got home and carried on. I did not let that affect my certification exam performance. Now that was maturity!

I fulfilled this week’s goal of earning my CSM because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired in my job search. Immediately after passing, I created a scrum job alert. There were no less than 20-25 jobs. Also I emailed the three LinkedIn connections who helped me privately and highlighted their names publicly on my LinkedIn status. Giving credit and being gracious were essential. I changed my LinkedIn profile uploading my certificate and adding it to my certifications list. It was like Christmas and I was opening up a present. After 5 days, I was finally certified! Next I told my career coach because we had to start working on integrating this new certification into my personal brand. We had work to do. I had to write a new story.

Finally, I email someone who had impacted me. I was telling him that dipping into a specific fund felt like lack. He said to view this as a business investment since I filed my LLC. That CC Pace training cost $1295. I viewed it as an investment instead of a cost. I started this Sunday sick and tired of being sick and tired. Five days later, I was now a certified Scrum Master. That was an investment indeed!

Keeping At It Through and Through

I am thankful for enrolling in the Udemy Learn to Become a Professional Business Analyst course because it has explained all of the business concepts to me. This course perfectly follows the BABOK. Though I have read the BABOK by myself, this is the first time that everything has clicked for me.  I am 50% done and after completing the two lessons and two quizzes, I’ll be 75% done.  I make it a practice to watch the lesson video twice before taking the quiz to absorb everything that I have been learning.