I spent the middle part of today in my garden, checking on my sugarsnap peas, with my 2-year-old, Sierra. We planted these peas with her older sister, Sascha, a few weeks ago. Peas remind me of Oregon, where I’m from. I guess that is because there is an “Oregon Sugarsnap,” which I tend to gravitate towards planting, even here in N.C.

Today, it was time to put up the support for my pea vines. In the past, I’ve used rickety sticks and various things that have tumbled down in the wind. This year, I’m trying four fence posts, with twine interspersed. They are a little short, but they are stronger than those sticks. We’ll see how it goes.

It seems that no matter what support system I use, I always get peas. They are simple, sweet, nutritious, and delicious.

I spent the earlier part of my day in my home office, working. I mulled over the branding needs for a couple of budding writers and entrepreneur clients.

As I start this blog, I’m influenced by the desire to keep the product simple and sweet. It’s easy to get caught up in what a website should look like or what the Twitter Guru of the Universe is saying about the hottest thing in social media, or the number of recipients on your eblast list, but when it really comes down to it, these statistics don’t matter as much as the seeds you are planting, and the fact that you are watering them and intend to eat them.

Focus on the basics. Here are some tips:

1)Do you know who you are, or what you stand for? If not, figure it out. Otherwise, you’ll be reaching outside of yourself to market, and you’ll be spread thin.

2)Do you believe in what you are doing? Do you get so distracted by your work that you forget to send invoices? This is generally a pretty good indicator that you are in the right place.

3)Are you as comfortable telling your grocer about your work, as you are writing about it on Facebook? Social media may seem like the easy way to make a buck, but it’s only part of the mix. You still need to get to know people around you, and provide them with something of value… like sugarsnap peas. This creates an authenticity about what you do, which makes your brand much more solid.

What sort of seeds are you planting? Post your comments.