Author Maureen Castellon

Make Your Social Media Take Off

NasaYou work on keeping Twitter feed relevant and regularly update your business Facebook page. Your website has fresh content, so what is the problem?  The good news is that everything is possible with persistence.  On the other hand, not every product or service is meant to take off. It may be hard to hear, but some products cannot find a large or niche audience.  There is the joke about the solar panel flashlight  or metal detecting sandals once being the net great thing. All products or services simply have to find the right customers. The singers on YouTube desperately want to be discovered. They are putting themselves out there and that at least moves them forward. The same should be true for any business out there that wants to gain traction in the marketplace. You must put yourself out there no matter the results for a sustainable length of time.

Ask yourself the following questions as truthfully as possible:

  1. Who is coming first, your clients or your ego?
  2. Are the pain points of your clients carefully considered and targeted?
  3. How much time are you really putting into your social media?

 

Who is coming first, your clients or your ego?

No one likes to be sold to. Consider how TiVo has made it easier to forward through commercials. If you are so in love with the idea of your product or service that everyone is a potential customer, then your ego has come first. If you understand that your audience has other competitors in their ear and you should stand out by best serving their needs, then your clients come first. Address their needs first and you can make all forms of social media relevant. One caveat, however, do not start your tweets or updates by asking a question.  This will come across as twee or trying too hard.

Are the pain points of your clients carefully considered and targeted?

Analyze what makes your clients tick. In my business, my clients want their content to be relevant and easily searchable. When I was doing restaurant financing SEO articles, I understood that the pain points of my clients included secure funding that would not use their houses as collateral. They want a loan that was easy to get and would not ruin their personal finances if their establishments did not work out as expected. All articles focused upon that need. Established restauranteurs would not be searching for this information, but the new ones would. The agency I worked for carefully targeted that audience to be one of the most successful campaigns in their history.  You can do the same with yours. Understand pain points and focus on a reasonable solution.

How much time are you really putting into your social media?

There is investing time in the online reputation of your business and then there is not taking it seriously. To properly invest in social media, you can put in time every day or have a social media day as some of my clients do.  This means composing tweets or having a writer do it, upload it to services such as hootsuit.com or any of several other services. Does this mean you are done? Not at all. You have to interact with your followers, send DMs,  and let others know you appreciate their acknowledgment.  You can buy some followers and have them slip away months later. In the process, this seems unsavory to your other followers.  Invest in getting to know who your visitors are and listen to what they have to say. Not everyone in the social media world is friendly.  Some are plain awful while others can be supportive. Don’t post and walk away. Interact.

Explaining Internet Marketing to Digital Immigrants
Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

Digital Immigrants- those that did not grow up with the internet

Digital Natives-those that not only grew up with technology, but embrace all forms of it

 

Realizing the value of the web is an important step for many business owners especially ones that did not grow up with the internet better known as‘Digital Immigrants’. Conversely, ‘Digital Natives’ typically embrace any form of technology, mostly because they are not hindered by the idea that it just hasn’t been done before so it should not be done now. Walk outside any schoolyard and most students are more engrossed in their devices than each other. This is their new way of communicating. Instead of passing notes, they like each other’s Facebook statuses. Relationship are cemented through social media rather than in real life. In fact, so many now report a sense of isolation from too much time in the digital realm. Still, they have grown up around computer screens and the like. Nothing digital is frightening to them. As for Digital Immigrants, even those that grew up with chat rooms and the like may have a harder time processing information. They can still recall a time before cellphones and had more face-to-face interactions with their friends than today’s youth.

Digital immigrants need special consideration when being pitched to. They are not likely to announce their satisfaction with a product on Twitter or like a page on Facebook.  They would prefer calling a customer care number to vent rather than turn to a screen. Technology may not be foreign to them, but it can still take a varying period to adjust to any changes. For the majority of their lives, advertising was done on television or radio. Internet marketing can be newfangled to them. They may not understand that search engines are a library of information provided by the business owner and used by search websites to create a market place for business, social networking and many other facets of digital life.

If you or your business are challenged by explaining a search engine simplify it as a market place similar to a mall.  They are in a grand sense electronic billboards and store signs. The more time a sign is up, the greater chance the business will be seen as reputable. They can be at the entrance of the mall where the signage encourages potential clients to visit. On the internet, many will not know you exist unless a search engine brings them to your digital storefront. The longer an ad is up on the internet, the higher the ranking can be. Google works hard to prevent shady businesses from gaining traction on their site. Many fly by night businesses will buy websites and try to make them appear legitimate with bought ads. Google is aware and wary of this practice. In order to ensure a solid marketing mind frame, the ads/business with endurance will rise to the top. Keep in mind that is very difficult to get to the top of the search engine list, especially if your business arena is a packed one. For example, if you own a tanning salon in Miami, there could be hundreds of ads for a tanning salon. Be patient and willing to spend to reach the top of the list or even the first page.

Activity: Open up your laptop or phone. Type in Google and search for high gloss creme nail polish. On the left side of the screen will be different sites of information. On the right side of the screen are paid advertisements.  You can pay to have your business on the right side of the screen. This is internet marketing at work.

Mark Your Calendars!

January 15th Small Business Expo

I will be at the SCORE Miami booth. Hope to see you there!

 

 

February 1st Journaling Workshop at 5 Sisters

This is a journaling workshop based on a series of prompts. Bring your journals!

 

 

February 4th Entrepreneur Magazine Growth Conference

I will be hosting Mentoring in Minutes Workshops. Prepare a few questions to ask SCORE counselors.

My First National Campaign!

I am the writer for SquareHue.com a monthly subscription box of truly amazing nail colors. Starting this month I have created an insert story to match their new Decades Collection that will continue throughout 2015. I love this company not only for their style, but also their compassion. A portion of their profits are donated to fight human trafficking. This is my favorite company to work for and if you are into nails, please check out their website, www.squarehue.com.

sHue_1114-Prague_Insert Card_PRINT (1)

Kitty Hawk has never seen so many people! We’re all sitting anxiously on
the beach dune. Of course, Erika draws hearts, Laura draws geometric
shapes and Diana loves staring at the clouds and daydreaming. We are all
waiting for the big spectacle. Two brothers are testing a real flying machine.
I think they are crazier than bedbugs, but I can’t bear to miss a thing. As
the wind started picking up, we see it takeoff and glide for what seems like
an eternity. We jump up shouting and waving our arms. Erika is the first to
jump into the ocean and then we all follow suite, splashing each other with
glee. What a thrill to have witnessed the first flight! The world is changing so
much it makes my head turn. Laura was telling us that soon women will have
the right to vote. After watching a machine in the sky, I believe anything is
possible. I can’t help but be excited to see what happens in the next decade.

-Siren

Research Your Competition

In Middle America, nowadays everyone gets a trophy just for participating. The competitive edge is being tossed out in favor of fairness. As adults, we know that competition keeps us keen. Business plans include a section on rating your competitors for good reason. First, investors want to know that there is actual a market for your product/service. Many people have great ideas for a product or service. There are normal to outlandish products out there which may or may not have a niche market. A normal product would be gift wrapping paper while a not so normal one may be handpainted gift wrapping paper. You can sell to either the general market or to your niche, but the underlying consideration is that your product can sell.

The next concern is how you measure up. Are you a big fish in a small pond or are you small fish in a big pond? You need to stand out whether you have a bigger or smaller market. Your investors will want to know if you are taking your business seriously. This means you have done your research and understand what you are trying to achieve. Many times entrepreneurs may think if they want to buy something then there must be a market for it. However, that is not always the case. You must understand what your competition does to be successful and to make it yours.

Of course, do not try to be the competition. Focus on the aspects that make your product/service unique and go from there.

I Will Not Fear the Business Plan Part Three: Internal and External Factors

S.W.O.T

When I was a high school teacher, my lesson plans included the acronym S.W.B.A.T. This was confusing to the outside world, but all it meant was student will be able to. S.W.O.T. is even easier: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is important when writing your business plan to be honest to a fault. If someone was to ask you for money and they said it would be a solid investment, you would want to know what the catch is. Banks and investors understand that nothing is without faults, but often people do not want to take a look at the challenges their businesses face.

What are your future company’s strengths?
location
reputation
experience
saleable products
atmosphere
managerial expertise

These strengths are inside the company and can be great selling points.

What are your future company’s weaknesses?
funding
reputation
employee turnover rate

Not matter how great your future company will be, it will have obstacles. Be as honest as possible. Maybe you run a food truck and the short cooks do not stay a long time or your run a school and the average teacher turnover rate is five years. Your business plan must address the weakness(es) in order for you to come across as trustworthy and competent.

What are your future company’s opportunities?
growing market demand
partnerships/internships
untapped market
area demographics

A doctor opening a practice in an underserved community could have the market share of patients.In that situation, the demand is high while the supply is low making it an opportunity. Figure out what your opportunities could be and go at them hard.

What are your future company’s threats?
competition
supply dependent
the EPA
weather (hurricanes, typhoons)

You must let your investors/bank know what the threats are and your plan of action. It demonstrated that you are an aware business owner, but more importantly proactive. For those not living in South Florida, hurricanes pose a real threat not only to businesses but to life as well. SWOT-TEMPLATE-2

I Will Not Fear the Business Plan Part Two: Products & Services

In today’s market, you can have a product and/or a service, but the key is understanding the difference. Most products have elements of service in them and vice versa. You buy a car, but can take it to the dealership for services as wll. Use any overlap to your advantage.

What Can You Make Me?
If a client asks this, then you have a product. A product is easier to count and measure than a service. Here is a brief list of popular products:
video games
pharmaceuticals
cars
movies
iPhones

Packaging and presentation are key elements when marketing a product. If you have bought something just because it looked nice or had a great logo, then you understand the value of presentation first hand. Consider what need it is fulfilling and market its advantage. For example, iPhones fulfill the need to be able to communicate using the latest technology. Likewise, product manufacturers market several offerings of merchandise or they can specialize. Squarehue.com specializes in nail polish, but they do it so well no other products are needed. Ask yourself if it is better to have one great product or several. Just make sure they all relate in one way or another. Your company can make great shoe polish, but a customer might not be interested if you are also offering lipstick under the same brand.

What Can You Do for Me?
If a client asks this, then you have a service.The Economist defines a service as any activity “you can’t drop on your foot”. The definition was most likely set before the digital age when the contrast between concrete and abstract did not veer into a gray area.

bookkeeping
business plan service
pool cleaning
consulting
dog walker

Customer relationships are the key to launching a successful service. No matter how necessary a service is, you cannot take any client for granted. If you are a lifestyle coach, your service cannot be looked at every day or framed, so you must immediately address the value of your service. Services tend to be so specialized that what you wind up selling most is the value of your reputation. Quality can be hard to measure here; however, there is an easier way around this. Siren Publications offers a money back guarantee so if the client is hesitant to take the risk on a writing service, I will absorb the loss not them.

Whether you are offering a product or a service, stick with it in your business plan. A bank or an investor will be rightfully wary of a business that cannot make up its mind on what it offers.

services-vs-products

I Will Not Fear the Business Plan Part One: Audience

No matter what stage a business is in, a business plan is a must. Startups especially must have one. A business plan, hereafter referred to as BP, is a financial document with a narrative. I like to think of it as a persuasive essay and math worksheets hybrid. When a new business is in the planning stages, it can be too easy to throw money at everything and hoping everything works out. That mentality is a surefire way to fail.

A BP asks you to answer the hard questions about your business. For example, who is your target audience? Your product/service may not exactly appeal to who you may think. A few years ago a cereal bar opened next to the University of Miami, over 500 different types of cereal and quite a few toppings were offered. College kids and cereal should have been a home run, but it fell short. I went in there one day and all I saw were young children delighted at the idea of Capt Crunch and Coco Pebbles in the same bowl as strawberry milk.

The owners tried to capitalize on this surprise audience too late in the game and closed within six months. If they had been open to other audiences, they could have done quite well. This business exemplifies the value of a BP for truly contemplating who your audience(s) could be and who might be interested as well.

cereals

When you open a business, there should be some room as to who your target audience is. Your marketing efforts should be directed to who you feel will be a stronger presence, but keep in mind that who you want to respond and who actually responds are two different beasts.

Business Plan Excerpt for an Art Gallery

Business Plan for an Art Gallery

Henry Art Gallery offers the high-quality artwork, particularly sculpture, of prominent South Florida and Latin American artists. The company was founded in January 2007 by Catherine Henry and for the past seven years has been steadily increasing in sales and offerings.

The company garners about $700,000 in sales each year. Henry Art Gallery is looking to increase sales to become a global leader in quality artwork by implementing a company reorganization and a revitalized marketing plan. To accomplish this Henry Art Gallery will be hiring a General Manager, acquire a gallery assistant and partnering with Siren Publications to provide small business writing (blogs, eBooks etc.) for high impact marketing and to develop a marketing plan for the company.

The newly hired General Manager will oversee day-to-day operations, consult with clientele for acquisitions and art brokering in addition to bookkeeping.  As the first duty of the General Manager, they will hire a Gallery assistant to scout for new talent and to aggressively market the Gallery as an international leader for both figurative and abstract sculpture.

Catherine Henry, the owner and namesake of the gallery, is an artist herself who focuses upon figurative sculpture through the medium of wood implementing the technique of subtractive woodcarving. The owner uses her reputation for the recruitment of world-class artistic cohorts. With the daily operations handled by the General Manger and business writings produced by Maureen Castellon of Siren Publications, Ms. Henry will be able to focus primarily on targeting established and advancing artists to add to the roster of works available to commission works from said artists. Catherine Henry will specialize in this area with the goal to add one commercially viable artist per quarter. Established and newly acquired artists will be featured on the company website, which will be maintained by the Gallery assistant.

The General Manager will host and curate the company website for its evolution to being the premier art gallery, specializing in sculpture on the web with the capacity to conduct e-Commerce. Newly acquired artists will pay a setup fee to be hosted on the site and will also have a commission fee deducted from their transactions from the site. New works by artists on the website will not be charged again for the setup fee as a measure to ensure continued patronage of the website.  Artists will be required to create a hyperlink, if not already available, to be presented on the site and to also cross-reference Henry Art Gallery on their personal site.

Henry Art Gallery has expanded its operations since starting seven years ago in an efficiency located in Kendall, Florida to its current located in the design district of Wynwood, which provides 6,000 square feet for display and three office spaces.  The company has recently renewed its lease with Prime Space Realty for an additional five years. In addition, Henry Art Gallery has acquired a contract with Russian artist Miko Brakisov to be the exclusive purveyor of his much sought after works. This partnership has the potential to bring in a more international audience and $20, 000 in commission.

The company has done little to no advertising as it has relied on positive word of mouth marketing and the strength of Catherine Henry’s reputation in the art world to promote the Gallery’s capabilities. However, in order to ensure future success, the time has come to establish consistent social media and to develop further the company website. The company is seeking $90, 000 in funding to promote the next level of service in offerings and production. This will enable sales to be moved up to $900, 000 within two years and $1.1 million within three years.

Both equity and debt funding will be entertained with terms to be determined by both parties. Funding will be used to hire a General Manager, Gallery assistant and to commission content from Siren Publications in addition to upgrading our website.

1.1    Objectives

  1. Hire a General Manager to oversee daily operations and to acquire a competent Gallery assistant.
  2. Develop a network of 500 marketable artists during 2015.
  3. Revamp website to include e-Commerce and social media outlets by the second month of 2015.
  4. Contract content from Siren Publications.
  5. Raise an additional $100,000 for the company through website sales by June 2015.

1.2    Mission

Henry Art Gallery offers carefully curated world class art, specializing in sculpture to the world via their website. We provide attentive service to established clientele and prospective buyers equally through means of consulting, acquisition or appraisals. Henry Art Gallery is known for the great value of their pieces and timely customer service.

1.3    Keys to Success

The keys to success for this business rest on Catherine Henry’s reputation as an artist and leveraging that to establish/maintain relationships with dealers, other galleries and particularly artists. High-quality customer service continues to be a touchstone at Henry Art Gallery.

2.0 COMPANY SUMMARY

Started in 2007, Henry Art Gallery has name recognition amongst artists, brokers and other galleries for providing excellent customer service alongside high-quality artwork. Revenue for the past four years has demonstrated a steady growth curve. Revenue streams for the 2010- 2014 have been as follows: 2010-$189, 500; 2011-$215,000; 2012-$235, 000; 2013- $180,890; 2014 -$ 247,514. Gross margins for the same operating period are as follows- 2010-61.8 percent; 2011-59.9 percent 2012-65.2 percent;  2013-50 percent and 2014-59 percent.

The calculations for 2013 illustrate a dip in Henry Art Gallery revenue stream; however, the gross margins show there an increase in gross margins from the year before.  We expect revenue and profitability to increase with additional capital and the new marketing campaign designed by Siren Publications.

2.1 Company Ownership

Henry Art Gallery is a limited liability company incorporated in the state of Florida. Majority ownership is by Catherine Henry with 95% and  5% of a silent partner, Breege Henry.  Breege Henry does not participate in the management of the company.

2.2 Company Location and Facility

Henry Art Gallery is located at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in Miami, FL in a 6,000 square feet building with provides three office spaces, a display area, storage and delivery areas. Henry Art Gallery currently leases the space and does not own the building.

3.0 PRODUCTS and SERVICES

Henry Art Gallery provides high-quality art with an emphasis on sculpture. Henry Art Gallery displays work from over 20 different international artists with Miko Brakisov as the resident artist for the next three months. Henry Art Gallery has the USP of a renowned artist at the helm of the company ensuring artists are paid fairly and clients received high-quality artwork.

Henry Art Gallery contributes greatly to the Miami art scene. Its reputation for excellent customer service is well-deserved as Catherine Henry assists private clientele, corporations and museums with the acquisition or sale of art, particularly sculpture pieces. The company presents each month, a group or solo exhibition and carefully curates a catalog of the sculpture artists in the South Florida area.

3.1 Competitive Comparison

The competition of Henry Art Gallery has been other galleries in the Wynwood Art District. Four other galleries specialize in sculpture. While they are excellent galleries, none are run by a commercially viable artist. The prime competitors are listed below:

Haciendas Sculpture Garden

12525 North Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33127

Frisk Fine Art Studio

8701 North Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33127

Blue Bead Gallery

5341 North Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33127

Rebel Heart Studio

234 North Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33127

3.2 Sales Literature

The Company is presently cataloging established and new artists not only for the website, but also in paper form to distribute to the 700 members only mailing list. In the future, this catalog will be updated  and available by request only.

4.0 MARKET ANALYSIS SUMMARY

Sculpture is a specialized area of creative mastery that Catherine Henry has dedicated her life to in full. As a viable commercial artist Catherine Henry’s art has been sold all over the world. Her work is a favorite of both collectors and was featured in galleries worldwide before she opened her gallery in Miami. While each artist is unique and valuable in his or her right, Catherine Henry is a prominent artist both creatively and commercially.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Numbers withheld for privacy purposes.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Our target market is quite focused. Henry Art Gallery offers high-quality artwork to a network of private clientele, dealers and patrons throughout the world.

4.3 Industry Analysis

Private sales of artworks in America is a $4 billion dollar a year industry consists of 6,300 companies that operate galleries countrywide. This creative industry currently provides jobs to more than 25,000 Americans, generating annual payrolls of in the ballpark figure of $631 million dollars. Industry growth coincides with the parallel growth of the economy. Patrons are upper middle-class and above socioeconomic statuses and Wealthy patrons from South America, particularly Venezuela.  Downturns in the economy do not effect this demographic or their hobby of art collection.

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary

The primary strategy for Henry Art Gallery is to build upon artist and dealer relationships to target the website offerings. As the Company continues to hold market share in South Florida’s creative collections, product movement will only continue to increase.

5.1 Competitive Edge

As a leading art gallery in South Florida, Henry Art Gallery offers quite a few competitive edges

  • In house talent. Henry is a prominent artist in the local and global art community. Her talent and position in the art world make her a trusted source for both artists and dealers.
  • Premium Quality. Henry Art Gallery’s strong reputation is built upon premium quality.
  • Henry Art Gallery provides customized service for both clients and artists.
  • Competitive Pricing. The Company offers competitive rates for the quality and service provided.

5.2 Milestones

Withheld for privacy issues.

6.0 Management Summary

Catherine Henry has twenty years’ experience in the art field and seven years  as a gallery owner. She is capable of consistent expansion while maintain artist/dealer relationships.

6.1 Organizational Structure

Catherine Henry is the president, primary resident artist and director of operations. Breege Henry is a silent partner and only appears during the Wynwood art walks.

6.2 Personnel Plan

The company is evolving towards a well-rounded and competent staff as illustrated in the following table:

Withheld for privacy purposes.

6.3 Management Team

Education: Yale School of Art: Sculpture

Catherine Henry was born in County Mayo Ireland and raised in Miami, FL. She spent her childhood admiring Rodin and Etruscan funerary art. She was accepted early admission to the Yale School of Art. Her work focuses upon figurative sculpture through the medium of wood implementing the technique of subtractive woodcarving.

Henry loves taking discarded tree stumps and turning them into works with highly creative elements.

Selected Exhibitions, Honors, and Awards:

2014 Prix de Arbole Award, National Forestry Group, Bangor, Maine

2011 Solo Exhibit L’Orangerie, Paris, France

2010 Solo Exhibit Rodin Musee, Paris, France

2009 National Academy of Sculptural Art, Miami, Florida Gold Medal Award

2008 National Academy of Sculptural Art, Miami, Florida Gold Medal Award

2008 DeMont Award for Structural Excellence

2007 Solo Exhibit, New York Sculpture Museum, New York, New York

2006 Fritz Gallery, Austin

2005 Museum of Sculpture, Santa Fe

2004 Mary Todd Museum, North Field, Montana

2002 Ridgemont Award for Excellence

 

Public and Private Collections:

The White House, Washington, D.C.

Weisbaden Collection, Weisbaden, Germany

Buckler Museum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Los Angeles Botanical Garden, Los Angeles, California

Lauren Bacall, New York, New York

Hunter W. Thompson, Los Angeles, California

Doven International, Piedmont, Texas

 

Commissions:

Broken Tree Museum Sydney, Australia

Slefloss International Hotel, Slefloss, Iceland

Indigo Pearl, Phuket, Thailand

 

Films:

Siren of the Woods, Zen Films Inc.

 

Bibliography

2013 Chainsaw Magazine, Spring

2011 Art Worthy of Investing, Investing Digest

2009 Tribal Art Digest, Commemorative Edition

2007 Miami New Times, Best of Issue

2005 Santa Fe Digest, March

2003 Outdoor Art, May

2003 Miami Art News, Summer

2001 Polenko Magazine, Winter

2000 Wooden Art, July/August

1998 Art of Trees Digest, January

1996 Top Thirty Sculptures Under Thirty, Sculpture Digest

 

Gallery Representations

Weisbaden Galleries, Weisbaden, Germany

Lavender Gallery, London, England

Diamond Gallery, Bakersfield, California

Gulnar Gallery, Mumbai, India

 

6.4 Management Team Gaps

Catherine Henry and Henry Art Gallery seek to add to the management team by employing a General Manager and a Gallery assistant. The Company seeks to hire personnel with a background in art and finance. Capital funding is required to close the gap and implement change.

7.0 Financial Plan

In order to gain capital seven key factors will be improved immediately:

  1. We will target existing customers and market the Gallery website and catalog.
  2. Our goal is to elevate the gross margin to 81 percent and the net profit margin to 2.1 percent by the 2015 fiscal year. Gross margin is expected to remain steady for the next five years at 76 percent. Net profit margins are expected to rise to 9.3 percent in the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years.
  3. Henry Art Gallery aspires to borrow $90,000 in capital funding.

7.1 Key Assumptions

The success of the Henry Art Gallery financial plan depends on key assumptions shown in the table below. The key assumptions are as follows: There will be no economic downturns and the economy will stay more or less as is. We assume there will be no major weather events such as hurricanes. We assume funding will be acquired and the selection process of a competent General Manager and Assistant will take no longer than three months.

Table of General Assumptions

 

 

 

 

 

Where Should I Start My Memoir?

Right in the middle or with a status quo scene.
Middle
What is the big event upon which upon your memoir centers? It can be anything. A memoir usually focuses on the catalyst, which can be a person, event or idea. Delve into the aftermath as if the catalyst is a given. For example, say you visit an ashram in Thailand and reach a point of clarity. This memoir could be cloying unless that point of enlightenment is sprinkled throughout the book as a flashback sequence. Give your readers something to look forward to as they read.

 

Status Quo
A status quo scene is one in which your version of normalcy is described. If my memoir centered on my dog, my status quo scene would entail walking her around the block. It allows the reader to take a peek in our normal lives. The bombshell will be made even more devastating when the reader understands how life will never return.

 

skywalk