How to Use Your Opening Campaign Tools

Created: November 3, 2025 Updated: November 3, 2025 (Web Dashboard Added!) For: The Wandering Lantern Opening (Nov 28-29, 2025)

🚀 NEW: Interactive Web Dashboard

All your tools are now available as an interactive web dashboard!

Location: launch-dashboard/ folder

What's Inside:

To Use:

  1. Open launch-dashboard/index.html in your browser
  2. Bookmark it for easy access
  3. Use on phone, tablet, or laptop
  4. All tools linked from main dashboard

Best For: Quick access, no printing needed, works on any device!

Print-Friendly Tools (If You Prefer Paper)

You can also print any of the tools if you prefer working on paper:

📅 Tool #1: Fridge Calendar (Week-by-Week)

File: launch-dashboard/week-by-week.html

What It Is:

Weekly breakdown of every task from now through opening day. Print one week at a time and put it on your fridge.

How to Use It:

  1. Open in browser: Double-click the file or right-click → Open With → Chrome/Safari
  2. Print Week 1: Press Cmd+P, save as PDF or print directly
  3. Put on fridge: Use a magnet - this is your weekly checklist
  4. Check off tasks with a pen as you complete them
  5. Print next week when Week 1 is done

What's Inside:

Best For:

🎯 Tool #2: Modular Marketing Plan

File: launch-dashboard/modular-plan.html

What It Is:

Every marketing initiative broken into independent modules. Each module can be KEPT or SKIPPED without affecting the others.

How to Use It:

  1. Open in browser and print (about 15 pages)
  2. Review each module - read the description, time commitment, impact
  3. Mark KEEP or SKIP for each module (there are buttons on each card)
  4. Focus only on KEEP modules - forget the rest, no guilt

The 10 Modules:

  1. Email Campaign (5 emails) - MUST KEEP
  2. Instagram Daily Posting - Highly recommended
  3. Press Outreach - High impact, 3-4 hours
  4. Website Critical Fixes - 3 must-do fixes, 1 hour total
  5. Pre-Order System (Nov 21) - YOUR DECISION (5-8 hours)
  6. VIP Soft Opening (Nov 28) - YOUR DECISION (7-9 hours)
  7. Grand Opening (Nov 29) - MUST KEEP
  8. Community Partnerships - SKIP for now, do after opening
  9. Paid Ads ($150-300) - Optional if budget allows
  10. Website Enhancements (FAQ, photos) - Nice to have, can do later

Decision Matrix at the End:

Best For:

📋 Tool #3: Progress Tracker (Print & Mark)

File: launch-dashboard/progress.html

What It Is:

Simple checkbox lists for all 4 weeks + metrics tracking. Print it, mark it up with pen, photograph it, send back to me.

How to Use It:

  1. Print all pages (about 6 pages)
  2. During meetings/work sessions: Check off completed tasks, add notes, mark decisions
  3. Take a photo with your phone when you want to update me
  4. Send to Claude: Upload photo with message "Progress update for Week X"
  5. I'll adjust your plan based on what you've completed and what's blocked

What's Inside:

Best For:

How the Three Tools Work Together

Example Weekly Workflow:

Sunday Evening:

  1. Print Week 2 from Fridge Calendar
  2. Put it on fridge
  3. Review what's coming this week

During the Week:

  1. Check Fridge Calendar daily - "What's today's task?"
  2. Check off tasks as you complete them
  3. Add notes if something didn't work or you had questions

Friday Planning Session:

  1. Review Fridge Calendar - what got done, what didn't?
  2. Look at Progress Tracker - mark ✓ for completed items
  3. If you skipped something, mark ✗ and add note why
  4. Take photo of Progress Tracker
  5. Send to Claude: "Week 2 update - here's what we did"
  6. I'll respond with adjusted plan for Week 3

Decision Points:

Printing Tips

For Best Results:

Suggested Printing:

Sending Updates Back to Claude

What to Send:

What I'll Do:

When to Update Me:

Key Reminders

Done is Better Than Perfect

You don't need to do everything. Pick what matters most, do it well, skip the rest without guilt.

Minimum Viable Opening:

If you're feeling overwhelmed, focus on:

  1. Email campaign (your 100+ contacts are gold)
  2. Website image fix (1 hour, huge performance gain)
  3. Grand opening Saturday (the main event)
  4. Instagram 3x/week (instead of daily)

That's it. Everything else is a bonus.

You Have 25 Days:

Your Competitive Advantage:

  1. Cleveland's FIRST & ONLY children's bookstore
  2. Emily's expertise (teacher + mom of 4)
  3. Opening on Small Business Saturday (perfect timing)
  4. 100+ engaged email subscribers already
  5. Beautiful storefront + curated selection

You've got this. Focus on what matters, execute consistently, and enjoy the journey.

Questions?

If these tools aren't working for you or you need something different:

The goal is to help you, not overwhelm you. If a tool isn't helping, we'll change it.

Next Step (Right Now):

Option 1: Use the Web Dashboard

  1. Open launch-dashboard/index.html in your browser
  2. Bookmark it for easy access
  3. Explore the dashboard and linked tools
  4. Try the Google Sheets POC for cross-device sync!

Option 2: Print for Your Fridge

  1. Open launch-dashboard/week-by-week.html
  2. Print Week 1 (Nov 4-10)
  3. Put it on your fridge
  4. Check today's task (Monday Nov 4: Instagram construction photo)

Pick whichever works best for your workflow!

Let's make this opening incredible! 🎉📚✨

Created by Claude for The Wandering Lantern "Follow the light, find the wonder"