expert advice

tips from ladies who have been there, done that

X vs. Y

10.25.11

The HuffPo just ran an article written by Adelaide Lancaster, who I coincidentally blogged about last week (nope–don’t know her). The article’s title is 10 Reasons Why Women Make Better Entrepreneurs. Here is the at-a-glance version, but I highly recommend you take a minute and click through to read the article in it’s entirety.

1. Women are better connectors.
2. Women are better at multitasking.
3. Women are perfectionists.
4. Women take others into consideration.
5. Women think success comes from hard work not just from being “awesome.”
6. Women share the credit.
7. Women second guess themselves.
8. Women don’t take as many risks.
9. Women don’t fiercely negotiate for the best they can get.
10. Women value their life outside of work.

Thanks Adelaide!

image from Vineet Kaur

 

See Jane run. See Jane succeed!

10.17.11

I had the pleasure of hearing Jane Wurwand, founder of Dermalogica, speak today and was so refreshed and inspired by her words I thought I would share my notes with you.

1. No such thing as balance–it’s about resiliance.

2. If you come across the greatest pain, you’re on to the best idea.

3. Who are YOU? It all begins (and I would add, ends) with you as an entrepreneur.

4. What would you be really excited about doing even if you didn’t get paid for three years?

5. You must have unrelenting enthusiasm for your idea.

6. Don’t be mediocre. Don’t be oatmeal when you can be Huevos Rancheros–even if some people don’t like hevos racheros other LOVE it.

7. Don’t do what everyone else is already doing.

8. Thrive on pressure. When the heat is on, don’t take a break go harder and faster. She used the example of giving birth and saying to the doctor at a critical moment during labor that she was too tired and needed to take a break–doesn’t work!

9. Be very good enough.

10. Saying no to something is saying yes to something else. Saying no is easier to do and saying is easier to say.

11. Do what ONLY you can do and delegate the rest.

12. Eat the frog. Do the worst thing on your list first. Waiting to eat the frog is better in the am because you have the day to digest it. Keeping it on your desk makes you tired.

13. Tell your story. Build relationships using social media. Relationship–Purchase–Advocacy.

14. Be frugal. Spend where it matters and effects the bottom line. It’s not about cost, it’s about value.

15.  You must have a clear company culture.

16. Hire the person not the resume.

17. Be a dream believer.

18. Have established core values. Dermalogica’s core values are:

-Embrace drive and change
-Allow for fun and weirdness
-Be enthusiastic, kind and friendly
-Build open and honest relationships by talking
-Don’t keep dream destroyers around
-Be authentic and humble
-It’s all about the product all the time, always!

19. Don’t loose site of the product because of the process

20. Seek a higher purpose.

Thanks Jane, for living out your own purpose and teaching us to do the same!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storytelling

9.21.11

I am obsessed with companies that tell good stories, the kind that make you want to go out and buy their product or services or tell other’s about all about them.  One of my all time favorite storytelling brands is Imogene + Willie.  I’ve never been to Nashville but you can bet I will soon be making a pilgrimage to the denim mecca all because of their story!

Their narrative, their authenticity and their intentionality gives you the sense that you know them and trust them. The Imogene and Willie story conveys how much they believe in creating art. They are serious about good old fashioned craftsmanship–everything from their employees to their retail space conveys a clear vision, a concise mission and consistent story. I wonder if they sat down one day to tell their story and it all came spilling out, or if they took the time to craft a plot to include where they came from, what they believe in and where they are going? They are so good at storytelling, it’s hard to know.

How about you?  Have you become a good storyteller when it come to taking about your venture? Is your message 1) clear, 2) concise and 3) consistent?  Whenever crafting your story be sure to take the 3-C test to make sure you are always telling the same story in everything you do. Your tag-line, your collateral, your web content, your your video, your your business card and even your physical space should all tell a story–the same story.

Brand knew

9.19.11

How well do they know your brand?

To my delight this beautiful little macaron shop just popped up in my neighborhood. Walking by one day, I began to think about how these sweet treats are just as much an experience as they are a sugary delight.

The brand, Lette, is selling, and we are buying, a piece of the Lette lifestyle with each cookie. Exiting the store with your lavender-hued bag filled with brightly colored macarons will surely cast you as girl-in-the-know. The whole experience conjures up images like a Parisian pastry shop, suede fuchsia pumps, contemporary art and a modern girl’s sweet tooth. It’s easy to imagine Blair indulging in one of these gastronomic treats.  Who knew a cookie could do all this?!?!

So how about your brand? What exactly are your customers experiencing?

Ask yourself:

1. How do you want your customers to feel when they encounter your brand?

2. How would you describe your brand’s personality?

3. What do you want people to say about you or your company?

Now ask  5 people the same 3 questions.  How similar are their answers to yours? Are you conveying what you thought you were? Are people experiencing your brand as you intended? If so, congrats. If not, try this:

1. Create a fictional character. Give him or her a name, age and salary range.

2. Pick out her favorite magazines, music, food, stores, etc.

3. What does she wear? Who does she hang out with? What does she typically do during the weekdays and weekends?

It might seem silly at first, but you will quickly realize that your fictional character will come in handy when trying to figure out how to appropriately create, or manipulate, your brand to appeal to your target market. You will also get some clues as to where and how to reach them.

The fictional character for Lette could have been described like this:

Madison, 29, is a young professional making $75,000, She lives downtown and commutes from her 5 story walk up. She’s a trend setter among her peers and savors weekends with good friends at local hot spots. Her shoes, watch and handbag are designer, but she always boasts about her newest find from Target, Gap or Old Navy–no one would ever know if she didn’t volunteer the info.  She was crushed when Domino magazine said good bye, and never let’s a day go by without reading her favorite style blogs. She loves flowers and cupcakes, but is ready for something new and fresh to pass along to her friends, especially on festive occasions.

Straight from the chicks mouth–err beak.

9.13.11

 

I simply adore Design Love Fest‘s blog. The images, the typography, the jazzy, vintage-esq videos, and Bri’s (blog founder and graphic designer extraordinaire) playful personality make you want to hang out with her (ahh, must write a blog post on getting your personality to shine online–okay, back to what I was talking about).  A few weeks ago, I was making my regular DLF pit stop when I came across Miss Emery’s twitter tips. Great advice for you newly hatched chicks just getting your tweet on, or those of us needing a few reminders. Please click here to see the exact post. Or go to DLF‘s home page and scroll down to the 8-31-11 post, it’s worth the 5 seconds it will take your mouse to head south.

So, you now know Bri, have a great contact for all your graphic design needs, a new blog to add to your must read list, a new friend to follow on twitter, and some tweeting tips to go.  Not bad for one post!

images by angela and ithyle

 

Don’t hide!

9.3.11


So what do you do when you accidentally send out a bad link on your website, blog, or in my case,  a thousand printed brochures?

1) Hide, or ignore it and hope no one notices.

Forget that–someone ALWAYS notices!

2) Blame someone else for the mistake.

LAME! What are you 12?

3) Accept responsibility and use it as an opportunity to make things better than right.

Let’s go for this one!

Yah, we think the best policy is to fess up and fix!  With all this talk about companies, personalities and people being “real”, it’s a great chance to be truly transparent with more than what you ate for breakfast.

My humble attempt at taking this advice…Sorry to www.yourlittlefilm.com, www.ladieswholaunch.com and www.smartypeople.com for the flubbed-up urls in our brochure. Thanks for your patients, we’ll do better next time!

image kelley moore creative media blogspot

 

Delivering Happiness

11.8.10

Just back from seeing Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com–WOW! He shared his views and company commitment to “Delivering Happiness,” the title of his new book.

What he shared was refreshing, mind-shifting and on point. Had we been in church there would have been lots of “AMENs” from the crowd. Tony suggested that we change our focus from “chasing paper to chasing dreams”–a concept we fully embrace around here!!!

One of the highlights for me was when Tony revealed what made Zappos the success it is and how they created a dynamic, committed, and I think it’s fair to say, playful company culture. He even shared his companies attainable core values and they were too good not to pass along to you.

  1. Deliver WOW Through Service
  2. Embrace and Drive Change
  3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
  4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
  5. Pursue Growth and Learning
  6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
  7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
  8. Do More With Less
  9. Be Passionate and Determined
  10. Be Humble

I hope you are able to find at least one of these values that you can adopt in your own company. And I hope you enjoy the above video–it was my way of delivering a little happiness to you today! ;)


Writer-preneur?

5.17.10

When my book first came out I had a conversation with a friend who said, “Your book makes me want to start a business, but I’m just not the entrepreneurial type.”  My friend happens to be an aspiring writer and when I asked her why she didn’t consider writers to be entrepreneurial she said she had never thought of it that way.  Well I am here to tell you they are!

I have launched and run a small business, as well as written a book. I am intimately aware of the similarities. The creative process is much the same. The passion to communicate your vision or your opinion is no different than that of a person with a great idea for a product or service.  The ability to sell yourself to agents, publishers and ultimately readers is virtually the same as rallying consumers to buy your product or visit your website.  The marketing, public relations and social media campaigns built around launching your book parallel the efforts of an entrepreneur opening a store or a consulting business.

So for all you aspiring authors out there I encourage you to see yourself launching a business venture when considering your book writing dreams. Whose your target market? How will you reach them with your message? What’s so compelling about you as an author (your publisher and even agent will want to know).  What’s unique about your voice, your point of view, and how is it distinct from those around you? Is there a possibility for a franchise of books, think Harry Potter and Twilight.  Publishers even ask you for your “Author’s Platform” which is all about how YOU will market YOUR book. I would even encourage you to consider what comes after the book has hit the shelves.  Which new doors will open and what positive change can you bring about with your new title as “published author.”

Here are a few start-up souls who have endured the journey into the world of words.  They have braved the long hours, constant editing and second guessing, not to mention the endless nail bitting as someone reads your thoughts and then forms an opinion. My hats off to them for all their hard work and for choosing to live their entrepreneurial dreams. And for the sake of transparency, you should know these women are all fantastic writers and some of the smartest women I know, they also happen to be dear friends.

Celeste Liversidge and Shannon Fox recently launched their first book last Tuesday, Last One Down the Isle Wins: 10 Keys to a Fabulous Single Life Now and an Even Better Marriage Later. Congratulations ladies!  As an attorney and a therapist they have seen their fair share of failed marriages. So it’s no surprise that these two show with humor, intelligence, and reassurance, getting a ring on your finger is the last thing you should be thinking about when you’re in your twenties.  In fact, statistics show that if you wait and marry at thirty, your chances of having a healthy, long-lasting relationship more than double. So before rushing off to become someone else’s better half, take the time to become the best, strongest whole person you can be!

Check them out live right here.

Leigh Ann Oshirak and Amy Eschilman launched their book last month. The snarky title, Balance Is a Crock, Sleep Is for the Weak: An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood, says it all.  I’m still not sure how these two ladies, who literally keep the airlines in business with their full-time corporate gigs, pulled this off, but they did! This wickedly funny, girlfriend-to-girlfriend survival guide is for working mothers who want real answers, not mommy manifestos or sappy crap on finding “balance”–nope , this is the real deal. The two marketing veterans know firsthand what a struggle it can be to hold down a stressful job while raising a family, and that sometimes the only way to preserve your sanity is with laughter.

Wanna see them live and in person click here

TA DA

Opportunity born of adversity

4.27.10

Aimee Mullins will transform you into a believer and a do-er with her intention and strength.

I dare you to watch this video and walk away thinking you can’t do whatever you’ve been dreaming about doing with your life.  Whatever your “disability,” whatever you must overcome, it seems clear that nothing can stop you except yourself!

Lessons learned from a dancing fool

4.13.10

For some reason this theme keeps appearing in my life and my inbox–it was too interesting and thought provoking not to share.

Below are comments from Paul Steinbrueck of www.liveintentionally.org.  I don’t know Paul, I just stumbled, or in this case Kirtsy-ed, upon his site and thought you would appreciate his perspective.

Paul says, ”The commentator makes a lot of insightful observations about leadership, but I think he misses the biggest one of all.

First, the good stuff:

  • A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous.
  • He must be easy to follow.
  • The first follower has a crucial role…. He shows everyone else how to follow.
  • It takes guts to be a first follower. You stand out and brave ridicule yourself.
  • The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader.
  • The second follower is a turning point… Now it’s not a lone nut and it’s not two nuts… Three is a crowd and a crowd is news.
  • A movement must be public.
  • Everyone needs to see followers because new followers emulate followers not the leader.

The commentator closes with this interesting paragraph:

Leadership is over-glorified. It was the first follower who transformed the lone nut into a leader. There’s no movement without the first follower. See, we’re told that we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective. The best way to make a movement if you really care is to courageously follow and show others how to follow.

Really?

I think he is mistaken when he says, “leadership is over-glorified” and puts more emphasis on the first follower. Yes, the first follower is crucial, and so is the second and the third. But a good leader knows this. A good leader also understands that being an early follower is risky.

‘Dancing Guy’ was lucky that someone took the big risk of being the first follower.  And someone else took the risk of being the second follower.  More often than not, lone dancing guy ends up dancing by himself.

A better way to lead – one that increases a leaders chances of success – is to identify potential early followers and meet with them privately.  One by one build a core that is committed to the movement.  Then when that core is in place, go public with the movement.  At that point it already has momentum and it’s easy for the crowd to join.”

The same day I came upon Paul’s site this popped into my inbox from Seth Godin.

Seth shares, “There is no Tribe of Normal–People don’t coalesce into active and committed tribes around the status quo.

The only vibrant tribes in our communities are the ones closer the edges, or those trying to make change. The center is large, but it’s not connected.

If you’re trying to build a tribe, a community or a movement, and you want it to be safe and beyond reproach at the same time, you will fail.

Heretical thoughts, delivered in a way that capture the attention of the minority–that’s the path that works.”

So what do you think about the role of leaders, first and early followers or adapters, and the building of a tribe? I for one am trying to figure out how to “capture the attention of a critical minority.” Send me your thoughts.