As many great things do...by accident.

The first week in March 2009 sowed the seeds for what would later become a firestorm—

Monday: Oprah does a show instructing consumers to stop spending money on anything that was non-necessity

Tuesday: CBS News reports that “Consumer spending drives 70% of the economy. When consumers put their wallets away, the economy has trouble making a U-turn.”

Friday: In a guest spot on the Today Show, Erin Burnett from CNBC talks about how psychology plays into the economy and the importance of innovation in times of difficulty

Sunday: Erin’s back, this time on Meet the Press, chiding the national media for taking negative hyperbole into the stratosphere

Mix those together with a deep seated desire to create a message that’s positive and achievable, and, well...you get a blog post written on March 11, 2009, giving birth to The 3/50 Project.

The next week, I threw together a free flyer businesses could crank out of their desktop printers to hand customers. Within 48 hours, I received more than 350 emails asking “What else have you got?” So I built the website you see today, launching it mid-afternoon on Monday, March 30th.

In the first seven days, more than 7,600 people found it (8,600+ if you count repeat visits).

Be careful what you blog about. It just might change the world. Or at least someone’s world.

So who started all this ruckus?

When someone asks “Hey Cinda, what do you do?” the response is simple:

“I hand Superman capes to small business owners, then teach them to fly.”

More aptly put, I’m a retail consultant and professional speaker (Always Upward) whose mission is to strengthen independent brick and mortar businesses. Having spent fourteen years as a successful retail store owner, I “get it” from the inside out, and feel an obligation to pay forward the hard earned knowledge and expertise that brought me to where I am today...

...which is juggling my new 80-hour-per-week job as President of The 3/50 Project, the best volunteer gig on earth.

Welcome to our celebration of indie business. Pull up a chair, kick back, and make yourself at home. We’re all friends here.

..........................................................................Cinda Baxter
..........................................................................Founder and President,
..........................................................................The 3/50 Project, LLC

..........................................................................Check out the blog