This year we had a better harvest. And an even better experience overall. I’ve planted new veggies and even put in a new raised bed.
“The best time to start a Garden was 20 years ago. The next best time is TODAY.”
Urban Gardeners Republic
2020’s Ups, Downs, And Sideways!
OMG! What a year it’s been! If you’re anywhere in the world you may have had the same type of year as we’ve had in CT. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed just about everything. Kids attending school virtually, people working from home, families using Zoom to do baby showers. Unfortunately, there have been an unimaginable amount of people that have died from the virus. And the many who have fallen ill from COVID are struggling to recuperate physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. It has been a unprecedented time for everyone.
For me and the family we’ve had our fair share of “trying times”. But at the same time we’ve been able to adapt to our “new normal”. My kids have been doing their best to deal with online school. My wife has recently joined the workforce and I’ve taken advantage of some opportunities that this pandemic has created.
Despite all the adversities, challenges, and uncertainties I’ve learned that being a prepper isn’t only for the conspiracy theorists. 😳
Who knew that toilet paper and lysol would be scarce?
With all the craziness, I’m still confident that we will all come out of this with a better appreciation for life.
2020 is almost done (thank God!) but the residuals from the events of this year will be lasting well into the next couple of years.
What have you learned from 2020? What will you do differently for the upcoming year?
Year End Review & Update
2019 is coming to an end in less than week. It was a tough and challenging year for me and the family. But we’re doing good and very excited about the new upcoming year. I pray that you’ve had a good year and that your 2020 is full of opportunities and good health.
I wanna share with you some of what has happened on all things Berrios
Starting with my Food Forest project
I followed James Prigioni’s The Gardening Channel on YouTube and did all my planting using my own composting and using wood chips as a mulch. It all worked wonderfully. The soil was covered for about a year and it was pretty fertile. I’m eager to see how much more fertile the soil will be after the winter.
I pruned my maple tree that’s located in the middle of the yard. So now I have more sunlight for the Food Forest.
I planted a few apple trees, a cherry tree, a couple hazelnut trees, two pear trees, an almond tree and peach tree. I’ll add pics and a video soon.
I’m planning on planting a few more trees this coming spring and I’ll be ordering a number of new seeds that I’d like plant.
All in all it was a good second season. I’m looking forward to new things to try and more fruits and vegetables to grow and eat.
Berrios Food Forest- Early Spring Update
Whoever said that gardening was easy and enjoyable was only half right!!!
It is enjoyable but it ain’t easy.
I’m having a great time building the Food Forest and I want to share a little update of what we’ve done so far.
check it out! 👇
Food Forest Phase 1
I’m excited to share the progress I’ve had so far in developing my food forest in my back yard. Before I go on I’d like to thank Chip Drop for hooking me up with access to the wood chip delivery. I highly recommend the company if you’re looking for fr.ee and accessible wood chips delivered to your garden.
I’m inviting you to check out the launch of my new series on my channel documenting the food forest build.
My disclaimer is that I’m not a professional gardener nor do I have any extensive experience in gardening besides growing some lettuce and tomatoes. However, I am a believer that whatever you set your mind to accomplish you will succeed once you model yourself after those individuals who have blazed the path before you.
With being said, i welcome you to check my first video in the Berrios Food Forest Build series
Time For a New Project: The Berrios Food Forest
Call me Farmer Berrios. The idea of one day owning a farm has been a dream of mine. I’ve had a small garden in the back yard of my apartment for like the last 5 years. Since we bought the house last March, we grew some tomatoes and veggies with some success. This season I’d like to expand into a mini-farm operation.
YouTube has been my online education resource from hobby farming to chicken coops. There’s so many Youtubers with great channels that I’m inspired to get my own Food Forest started. I’ve decided to go with a permaculture process like Paul Gautschi’s “Back To Eden” technique.
My back yard has been cleared out thanks to my dogs tearing and digging it all up. Thanks Odin and Dutchess, good dogs.
I ordered free wood chips from Chip Drop to lay all over the yard but just as I was distributing the wood chips, it started to snow. This is how it looks so far…
I’ve even drafted a plan drawing of the layout of my raised beds, chicken coop and dog pen. Just gotta lay out where my potential fruit trees are going. That’s how serious I am.
There’s a huge tree smack dab in the middle of the yard that I have to trim to allow more sun onto the Food Forest
I’d like to consider myself a handy, hands-on kinda guy. But tackling this beast may be way over my head. Literally.
My objective is to build the infrastructure DIY and with as much organic material as possible. I do plan to recycle and reuse whatever I can find to make the Food Forest as raw and natural as I can; but at the same time be fully functional.
This project is more than a dream for me. It’s about being self sustainable
Living off the grid.
Well sort of
I’m excited about this next venture and I’ll do the best I can to document the whole process
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The Power of Persistence
Last night I can hear the wind howling throughout the night. I was expecting the sound of a tree falling to the ground or worse the sound of broken glass because of the relentless wind.
As of this morning we still have high winds till like later on this evening. It is amazing how powerful the wind is. Powerfully persistent.
That is what we all have to be.
Every day be persistent about what it is that you do.
Whether it’s writing a blog post
Posting a Vlog
Following up with your customers emails
Getting in that 7 Minute Workout (Which btw, I forget to do)
What ever it is that is your modus operandi, (not to sound cliché) but like Nike says, “Just Do It”
God knows I’ve read all the self-help guru books in the world to know that the Power of Persistence is the key to success. But it’s the powerful wind, that knows no boundaries, that gave me the motivation to keep my pace for success for one more day.
Here’s to The Four Winds
Hustle Hard and Stand Strong
P.S. If you’re looking for a manual to being successful with online marketing, look no further. I’ve got the Blueprint to your success right HERE
My quick review of NECA Michael Myers
Me and Aaron did an impromptu review of Nezco’s Michael Myers.
Check it out here
Are You Struggling To Break Free?
Well it’s 2018 and Are You Struggling To Break Free?
I was and still am despite promoting to a better title within the organization I’m with. I am being compensated well and I’m having fun too. But I’m still missing something. My entrepreneurial spirit has been swirling with angst to get started in another business venture however I don’t know what I’d like to do.
I’ve done Uber for bit with little interest, maybe because I’m an introvert and also being confined in my car for too long of a period isn’t my thing. I’ve dabbled in conventional real estate sales with some success; but having to go through the licensing stuff every couple of years along with continuing education can be a drag. Plus we moved to CT recently (Yeah, I bought a house, finally!) So getting another license for another state was out of the question.
With commuting to work and the long hours I put in on the rails (I’m Motorman, AKA Train Operator) I had to find or create an opportunity that will not require too much of my available time and it has to be flexible. So I’m back at it with my media publishing and marketing biz. It’s the best way to generate cash flow (with not too much overhead) and at the same time helping people along the way to do the same thing while I grow my business.
What are you doing to break free from the rat race?
Share your story, I’d love to hear it…
Stand Strong
How to get your groove back
In today’s post I’m going to continue with what I started in my last post you can back go back and read it here: read my last post. Today, I want to discuss one of the first steps of How to get your groove back after you’ve stopped working on your business or you had to quit for whatever reason.
Now, when I mention business, I’m particularly speaking of any type of online or internet market in business. However, what I’m going to be sharing can be applied to just about any kind of business online or offline.
So let’s dive into the first few steps.
Remember when you first got started with that affiliate marketing company?
You were all hyped up and excited about the prospects of making all that money. Buying that Mercedes S550. Quitting your j.ob. (Just Over Broke) And having that time freedom that all those gurus talk about.
But what do you think happened after you got started? Maybe like after a couple of weeks to a few of months after getting started? Most likely you weren’t seeking the type of results you imagined and you just quit.
Hey, it happens to the best of us.
But we all know that failures are a part of the process and an important component to our eventual success. It’s what we do to bounce back in the game and get our our groove back that matters the most.
Let’s talk about some of the things you can do today if you’re restarting your business.
First off go back to of your existing contacts in your email database, all of your social media friends, family and connections. Start reconnecting with them is email and social media. You can begin by sending them a thank you message for sticking around while you were in your hiatus.
Engaging with your list whether they’re in email autoresponder or whatever social media platform you use is absolutely critical. Now that can be a science all by itself. But we’re gonna keep it super simple (remember the K.I.S.S principle)
Start off by sending them emails and posts about valuable content. I mean share ideas, information, tips, tricks, and or tools that people can use or benefit from.
Make sure that it’s original stuff, as best you can, or be sure to credit where you’re getting your knowledge from.
It really helps to have a blog and/or website to drive your people or traffic to. You can pretty much get a WordPress blog/site for a reasonable cost. On the topic of costs, I’m gonna get into that in my next post. That is really an all important topic when you’re getting back into business again after a long absence.
Do the best you can to be consistent and persistent with your emails and postings. I really suggest you invest in an audiobook by Michael Clarke called Email Marketing: That Doesn’t Suck. In fact, any investment you make in yourself to enhance your skills is highly recommended.
If you’re not sure what to talk about, don’t worry about that. Use your experience or the experience of others to connect with your prospects. Again, get a book on copywriting. I recommend any book from Robert Bly. Look for what’s trending in your particular niche. Do a “Top Ten List” breakdown. Or share a story that has a moral to it that can do one of two things for your prospects, 1) help them with solve a problem; or 2) help them achieve a pleasure. Either one is a benefit to the reader of your content.
At the end of all of your emails, posts or messages remember to send them over to your blog, site or squeeze page. More on that later.
In my next post we’ll go over financing your comeback. But for now, send out an email to your list and let them know that your back in business. Always remember to offer value above and beyond what your prospects will be expecting.
For more tips go visit my Fanpage.
By the way, Have you downloaded your copy of my Top Reasons Why Internet Marketers Fail Online? Go Download it HERE.
