Thank you to my friend Ashton Kutcher for his Twitter post alerting me to this collection of my buddy, Will Smith's videos.
OK, I don't know either one of them...but I'm "acting as if". A girl's gotta dream. A long video - almost ten minutes, but it's a good dose of inspiration. And Will's not to hard on the eyes, if ya know what I'm sayin'...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Day 21 - see a breakfast trend, here?
Guess what? I'm submitting a proposal to buy Sweet Cakes Bakery for $59.95. Cupcakes would be a wonderful addition to the Fresh product line. Bachelorette Tea Parties. Late night, post party binges. One simply MUST have cupcakes. I had planned to spend $59.95 to import luxury cupcakes from NYC, but I just got the ProJo, and before I walked back up the driveway, I had read the news that the local bakery is having a contest, and I know I will win it.
Check it out: sweetcakesbakeryri.com. Another example of how all the resources are lining up perfectly, as if Divine guidance is pulling me along a path. I guess when you have passion, ambition and good intentions, not to mention a head for business and a network to die for, success is inevitable.
I'm having too much fun this year.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Day 20 - When being capable is your downfall
I was just on Twitter, and saw this post: @HeathAll, RT @mombizcoach "Being capable of doing everything is the downfall of many mompreneurs. Focus on your top $-making skills & delegate the rest"
How true this is. I've often said it takes a village to raise a business, and yet so many solo entrepreneurs think small and stay small because they try to do it all themselves.
I have done it myself. I've had the thought, "Why pay someone else to do something I can do myself? I don't have any money to pay that person for their service, so I have to raise the money first. Until then, I'll just do it myself." Instead, I should have shifted my thoughts to say, "I could be making $100 an hour doing work, if only I wasn't entering email addresses into my database, which my assistant can do for $20 an hour." She can work for 5 hours for $100 and I can do billable work in the amount of $500.
I distinctly recall a conversation I had with a business buddy of mine, Todd Grant. Back then, Todd was the founder and CEO of New Territories, and I asked him at a networking event how his day was. He said, "Well, I didn't have much to do." Now, I knew his business was a $5 million company at the time, and I was shocked to hear he was idle. He explained that he had hired the right people, and he was assured that they were doing their jobs properly, and he had just found himself at a point where he had some breathing room in his schedule. I loved that.
When I decided to sell my share of my web marketing company a year before I actually did, I set about to train my very capable staff members to do the stuff I had been doing, because I knew I wasn't always going to be there. They did a better job of it than I did, and many times I found myself asking, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
This time, I'm doing it right. My goal is to absolutely nothing. Just kidding! But only half so. I want everyone to do what they're good at, and I want to do marketing, which I'm good at.
I have hired an attorney, and an accountant. I have talked to a few event planners. I have handshake agreements to formalize with hairdressers, make up artists, dance instructors, art teachers, reiki masters, reflexologists, fitness instructors, inspirational speakers, videographers, photographers, limo drivers, conference centers, and many more. They will do what they do. I will market their services to our bridal parties. We will all make money. And, our girls will have the best bachelorette parties ever! It's a beautiful thing, a win-win-win, as they say.
Just because I can do it all, doesn't mean I should. (Not that I can in this case - I am a terrible dancer, artist, driver, etc.) But you get the idea. It will take a village to start Fresh, and I'm building it to be scalable from the beginning.
Because I know we're going to get big, fast. I'm a good marketing person! But I don't want to give up snuggle time with the kids in the morning or get stressed trying to juggle two kids and two businesses. I can't do it all, and I shouldn't do it all.
I just wish more mompreneurs would think the same way. If you're reading this, what one thing can you "outsource", or hire someone else to do for you? Maybe cleaning your house? Maybe sending that direct mail campaign? Maybe your bookkeeping? Think about it and make your move!
How true this is. I've often said it takes a village to raise a business, and yet so many solo entrepreneurs think small and stay small because they try to do it all themselves.
I have done it myself. I've had the thought, "Why pay someone else to do something I can do myself? I don't have any money to pay that person for their service, so I have to raise the money first. Until then, I'll just do it myself." Instead, I should have shifted my thoughts to say, "I could be making $100 an hour doing work, if only I wasn't entering email addresses into my database, which my assistant can do for $20 an hour." She can work for 5 hours for $100 and I can do billable work in the amount of $500.
I distinctly recall a conversation I had with a business buddy of mine, Todd Grant. Back then, Todd was the founder and CEO of New Territories, and I asked him at a networking event how his day was. He said, "Well, I didn't have much to do." Now, I knew his business was a $5 million company at the time, and I was shocked to hear he was idle. He explained that he had hired the right people, and he was assured that they were doing their jobs properly, and he had just found himself at a point where he had some breathing room in his schedule. I loved that.
When I decided to sell my share of my web marketing company a year before I actually did, I set about to train my very capable staff members to do the stuff I had been doing, because I knew I wasn't always going to be there. They did a better job of it than I did, and many times I found myself asking, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
This time, I'm doing it right. My goal is to absolutely nothing. Just kidding! But only half so. I want everyone to do what they're good at, and I want to do marketing, which I'm good at.
I have hired an attorney, and an accountant. I have talked to a few event planners. I have handshake agreements to formalize with hairdressers, make up artists, dance instructors, art teachers, reiki masters, reflexologists, fitness instructors, inspirational speakers, videographers, photographers, limo drivers, conference centers, and many more. They will do what they do. I will market their services to our bridal parties. We will all make money. And, our girls will have the best bachelorette parties ever! It's a beautiful thing, a win-win-win, as they say.
Just because I can do it all, doesn't mean I should. (Not that I can in this case - I am a terrible dancer, artist, driver, etc.) But you get the idea. It will take a village to start Fresh, and I'm building it to be scalable from the beginning.
Because I know we're going to get big, fast. I'm a good marketing person! But I don't want to give up snuggle time with the kids in the morning or get stressed trying to juggle two kids and two businesses. I can't do it all, and I shouldn't do it all.
I just wish more mompreneurs would think the same way. If you're reading this, what one thing can you "outsource", or hire someone else to do for you? Maybe cleaning your house? Maybe sending that direct mail campaign? Maybe your bookkeeping? Think about it and make your move!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Day 19 - What Women Want
For the last month, I have been in research mode, trying to wrap my arms around the bachelorette market. I've gone to two bridal shows, watched a number of episodes of "Rich Bride/Poor Bride", read every bridal magazine I could get my hands on, and talked to dozens of people about "celebration services" for women. Convinced that the bachelorette party was more than a Girls Gone Wild concept with male strippers and sex toy parties, I wanted to get to the heart of it.
And guess what I found out? Girls just want to have fun, that's a given. But we REALLY just want to TALK. To each other. Spend quality time together. Get to know each other better. That's what the bachelorette party is about. The bride's closest friends and family (and female family members and friends of the groom) gathers together, usually after the bridal shower, and a few weeks before the wedding, to get the party started.
In my experience, this is when the bridesmaids bond. You have the bride's college roommates and her best friends from elementary school, and the groom's sister, and the women she works with. All of her worlds collide in the weeks leading up to the wedding. There is bonding to be done during the bridal shower planning, of course, but that tends to be driven by the mother or mom-in-law-to-be. And there is protocol to follow when the "family elders" are involved.
But, that bachelorette party. That's when the wedding fun begins! The girls meet each other again, laugh about stories of the shower, talk about how they will coordinate accessories with the bridesmaids dresses, all the while making connections with each other that will lay the groundwork for the fun wedding festivities ahead.
And, of course, The Bride-To-Be is honored, with her royal court roasting her in ways both gentle and sometimes not-so-gentle. It's one of those nights where emotions run high, but for the most part, good times are had by all.
When it comes down to it, if you strip away (pardon the pun) the fake bridal veils, the male-anatomy cakes, the limo rides, the signature drinks, the night club festivities, it's all about getting the chance to talk to each other. And, what opportunity do the ladies really have to do that?
The shower is about the gifts. The rehearsal dinner is about practicing and meeting everyone involved. The wedding day is about the couple and the "pomp and circumstance". The traditional bachelorette party involved dinner and dancing. There are few options. Until now!
I am so freaking excited about the Fresh Getaway packages I'm putting together. I want to take my girlfriends on every one of them. It doesn't matter that we all got married 10-15 years ago. I'll plan the 40th birthdays, the divorce parties, the cancer-remission anniversaries and more. Girls just want to have fun. And time to talk. And laugh. And eat. And play. And FRESH is going to make it all happen, over and over again!
And guess what I found out? Girls just want to have fun, that's a given. But we REALLY just want to TALK. To each other. Spend quality time together. Get to know each other better. That's what the bachelorette party is about. The bride's closest friends and family (and female family members and friends of the groom) gathers together, usually after the bridal shower, and a few weeks before the wedding, to get the party started.
In my experience, this is when the bridesmaids bond. You have the bride's college roommates and her best friends from elementary school, and the groom's sister, and the women she works with. All of her worlds collide in the weeks leading up to the wedding. There is bonding to be done during the bridal shower planning, of course, but that tends to be driven by the mother or mom-in-law-to-be. And there is protocol to follow when the "family elders" are involved.
But, that bachelorette party. That's when the wedding fun begins! The girls meet each other again, laugh about stories of the shower, talk about how they will coordinate accessories with the bridesmaids dresses, all the while making connections with each other that will lay the groundwork for the fun wedding festivities ahead.
And, of course, The Bride-To-Be is honored, with her royal court roasting her in ways both gentle and sometimes not-so-gentle. It's one of those nights where emotions run high, but for the most part, good times are had by all.
When it comes down to it, if you strip away (pardon the pun) the fake bridal veils, the male-anatomy cakes, the limo rides, the signature drinks, the night club festivities, it's all about getting the chance to talk to each other. And, what opportunity do the ladies really have to do that?
The shower is about the gifts. The rehearsal dinner is about practicing and meeting everyone involved. The wedding day is about the couple and the "pomp and circumstance". The traditional bachelorette party involved dinner and dancing. There are few options. Until now!
I am so freaking excited about the Fresh Getaway packages I'm putting together. I want to take my girlfriends on every one of them. It doesn't matter that we all got married 10-15 years ago. I'll plan the 40th birthdays, the divorce parties, the cancer-remission anniversaries and more. Girls just want to have fun. And time to talk. And laugh. And eat. And play. And FRESH is going to make it all happen, over and over again!
Day 18 - Inspiring Woman, Carrie Johnson
Yesterday I played reporter for the Emerging Women in Business Conference. In my role as marketing chair of the conference, I got to shoot video of Carrie Johnson, author of From the Pits to the Palace, during her speech at the Leading Women breakfast, and interview her afterwards. I received the book just the night before and was already inspired by her story.
You see, Carrie has an incredible story. She created a $3.5 million dollar commercial cleaning business, called - get this - Sparkle Cleaning. What girl isn't inspired by a little sparkle? Well, Carrie has a lot of sparkle. She has that sparkle in her eye when she talks to you. I saw her talking to another woman across the room, dressed in the perfect red suit and accessories, and just knew she would win the hearts of everyone in the room.
Carrie wasn't always so sparkly. In 1985, she was a single mother of two trying to support her two boys on her $18k annual income as a reporter. They could barely afford to live in government assisted housing and she struggled with alcohol and drug abuse which had long masked the shame of childhood sexual abuse. She was going nowhere, as they say. Or worse, she was headed for disaster.
Carrie went on to tell the room how she discovered herself through her role as an entrepreneur. Her sons gave her purpose, and her business supported a much better lifestyle than the one she had as a reporter. She turned her life around, and created an impressive business, despite the challenges of being a black woman in a white male dominated industry. She then wrote an inspiring book about the whole ordeal, in order to give others the hope and confidence that they can do it, too. She's writing another one now.
In her story, I heard the stories of so many of our sassy lady entrepreneurs. I heard my own story, always struggling to balance the needs of my business and family. Her story is "every woman entrepreneur's story." I was so lucky to be able to interview her afterwards, to share some of Carrie's sparkle. We talked about getting support, about using your emotion and intuition, about networking effectively, about forming a board of advisors for your company.
The video clips are all with the editor right now, and I'll be sure to share them with you when they are ready. You can join our Facebook and Twitter community to join the conversation between now and the April 22nd EWIB Conference in Providence, RI. I highly recommend reading Carrie's book.
Lisa Bergeron, the Conference chair and president of the So. New England chapter of Leading Women, liked the interviews so much, she asked me to interview Carrie on stage as part of the keynote address. If Carrie doesn't mind that format, I'll gladly do it. I could talk to her for hours!
And, you know... as I'm writing this, the idea popped into my head to have FRESH host the conference after party, maybe with a "sparkle" theme. Why not? Great marketing opportunity for all. My wheels are always turning.
You see, Carrie has an incredible story. She created a $3.5 million dollar commercial cleaning business, called - get this - Sparkle Cleaning. What girl isn't inspired by a little sparkle? Well, Carrie has a lot of sparkle. She has that sparkle in her eye when she talks to you. I saw her talking to another woman across the room, dressed in the perfect red suit and accessories, and just knew she would win the hearts of everyone in the room.
Carrie wasn't always so sparkly. In 1985, she was a single mother of two trying to support her two boys on her $18k annual income as a reporter. They could barely afford to live in government assisted housing and she struggled with alcohol and drug abuse which had long masked the shame of childhood sexual abuse. She was going nowhere, as they say. Or worse, she was headed for disaster.
Carrie went on to tell the room how she discovered herself through her role as an entrepreneur. Her sons gave her purpose, and her business supported a much better lifestyle than the one she had as a reporter. She turned her life around, and created an impressive business, despite the challenges of being a black woman in a white male dominated industry. She then wrote an inspiring book about the whole ordeal, in order to give others the hope and confidence that they can do it, too. She's writing another one now.
In her story, I heard the stories of so many of our sassy lady entrepreneurs. I heard my own story, always struggling to balance the needs of my business and family. Her story is "every woman entrepreneur's story." I was so lucky to be able to interview her afterwards, to share some of Carrie's sparkle. We talked about getting support, about using your emotion and intuition, about networking effectively, about forming a board of advisors for your company.
The video clips are all with the editor right now, and I'll be sure to share them with you when they are ready. You can join our Facebook and Twitter community to join the conversation between now and the April 22nd EWIB Conference in Providence, RI. I highly recommend reading Carrie's book.
Lisa Bergeron, the Conference chair and president of the So. New England chapter of Leading Women, liked the interviews so much, she asked me to interview Carrie on stage as part of the keynote address. If Carrie doesn't mind that format, I'll gladly do it. I could talk to her for hours!
And, you know... as I'm writing this, the idea popped into my head to have FRESH host the conference after party, maybe with a "sparkle" theme. Why not? Great marketing opportunity for all. My wheels are always turning.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 17 - The Frenzy Hangover
A few weeks back, I wrote about the "entrepreneurial frenzy" that I was experiencing during the creation/idea phase of this business. It was when I'd be awake at 3am, thinking about the marketing strategy instead of sleeping. As a result, a bunch of activities came out of that - meetings, conversations, documents, and, well, this blog!
This weekend, I hit the wall. I was exhausted from a lack of sleep and all the creative energy flowing through me. I hadn't been eating right, and was filling every hour with meetings, calls and more. It got to the point of insanity. Time to breathe, take a step back and regroup.
So, what is the remedy for a "frenzy hangover"? Lots of sleep and a good plan.
Sleep. I actually slept for 8+ hours both Saturday and Sunday night. Poor Rich, that means I fall into a deep sleep on the couch at 7pm until 10pm, watch TV with him until 11pm, then sleep until 5am. He has no company when I get like this. In the early morning, I have a 1 1/2 - 2 hours to plan my day, write, and have a cup of tea before the kids wake up and another hectic day begins.
Plan. When there are so many possibilities, you will spin your tires trying to do them all. Take time to plan, prioritize and schedule. It gets it all out of your head and onto paper. Then you can be a little more logical and strategic about how you spend your day.
I'm feeling much better on this side of the long weekend. I'm ready to hit the ground running again. I bounced back, baby! This bachelorette business is moving faster than a speed of light. I seem to be keeping up with it. But I'm REALLY REALLY glad my assistant Erin is back from vacation. If anyone can keep me on track, it is her.
This weekend, I hit the wall. I was exhausted from a lack of sleep and all the creative energy flowing through me. I hadn't been eating right, and was filling every hour with meetings, calls and more. It got to the point of insanity. Time to breathe, take a step back and regroup.
So, what is the remedy for a "frenzy hangover"? Lots of sleep and a good plan.
Sleep. I actually slept for 8+ hours both Saturday and Sunday night. Poor Rich, that means I fall into a deep sleep on the couch at 7pm until 10pm, watch TV with him until 11pm, then sleep until 5am. He has no company when I get like this. In the early morning, I have a 1 1/2 - 2 hours to plan my day, write, and have a cup of tea before the kids wake up and another hectic day begins.
Plan. When there are so many possibilities, you will spin your tires trying to do them all. Take time to plan, prioritize and schedule. It gets it all out of your head and onto paper. Then you can be a little more logical and strategic about how you spend your day.
I'm feeling much better on this side of the long weekend. I'm ready to hit the ground running again. I bounced back, baby! This bachelorette business is moving faster than a speed of light. I seem to be keeping up with it. But I'm REALLY REALLY glad my assistant Erin is back from vacation. If anyone can keep me on track, it is her.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 16 - Climb
Yesterday we watched the movie "The Sound of Music", and today I can't get the music out of my head. That Julie Andrews, what a goddess she is. Love her.
I watched the scene where she runs back to the convent after being encountered by the sly Baroness at the ball. That's when the Grand Poobah Nun tells her she must go back to Captain Von Trapp, and sings, "Climb Every Mountain"...you know the lyrics. Climb every mountain, cross every stream... until you find your dream.
My brain doesn't file things quite logically, so while she's singing this song, my mind flashes to another mountain song, by Miley Cyrus, "The Climb", my favorite of her songs. You may not know the lyrics, but they go a little something like this:
"I can almost see it.
That dream I'm dreaming.
But there's a voice inside my head saying,
You'll never reach it...
There's always gonna be another mountain.
I'm always gonna want to make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle.
Sometimes you're gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there.
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side...
It's the CLIMB."
Pardon the grammar, but she's saying, "It's the journey, not the destination". And of course, now I'm typing about songs about dreams, and tomorrow being Martin Luther King, Jr Day, my mind then jumps to the "I Have A Dream" speech.
Here's the part when I could make a long blog longer, but I won't. I could add an excerpt from the chapter in my book on Dreaming, refer to my friend Tara Steeves, the dream coach and founder of the Dream Party, who wrote a book on dreams. I could share all the dreams I've ever had, discuss day dreaming, dream analysis, or just say "Sweet Dreams", and sign off.
But instead, it's the CLIMB that stands out for me. Because with every "dream come true" I've ever had, from the beginning point, the dream itself seems so far fetched, so unattainable, so far away. And now, having seen the grand vision of the "Fresh" venture, I'm in the same exact place-having to move mountains to make it happen. More than one person who has read this blog has said to me, "I don't know how you do it."
Well, neither do I. But I never worry about The How. I just take the next step in faith. And the next one, and the next, and eventually, I finish the climb. And it feels good. And then, way over there, there's another mountain to climb. And I always want to make it move.
Am I restless? Attention deficit? Nope. Just ambitous, I'd like to think. Definitely not lazy. Sometimes a little crazy. But no one is going to make my dreams come true except for me. And so, to climb, or not to climb? That is the question.
It's not about what's waiting on the other side-it's the CLIMB! :)
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)