HOW TO: learn about business from martha, PART 2!
Below is Part 2 of the article written by Christy Petterson. These rules are vital when building a successful business.
Rule #6: Quality is everyday. Quality should be placed at the top or your list of priorities, and it should remain there. Quality is something you should strive for in every decision, every day.
For an entrepreneur to be successful they must be able to identify quality and understand what goes into producing quality. Understanding quality comes from comparing designs, materials and methods. With excellent quality comes satisfied and happy customers.
Rule #7: Build an a-team. Seek out and hire employees who are brimming with talent, energy, integrity, optimism, and generosity. Search for advisors and partners who complement your skills and understand your ideals.
The thought of someday having a team seems totally out of reach to me at this point, but I suppose it might happen one day. And even if it doesnt, I think this rule can be applied to collaborators as well as employees. Martha says, Good employees will energize you and your business. This reminds me of something I always say, Enthusiasm is infectious.
Rule #8: So the pie isnt perfect? Cut it into wedges. When faced with a business challenge, evaluate or assess the situation, gather the good things in sight, abandon the bad, clear your mind and move on. Focus on the positive. Stay in control, and never panic.
This chapter contained my favorite story of the book. During one of her catering gigs, Martha was preparing a dinner for Paul Newman (who would have been the love of my life had I been born a little sooner and had he not met…) and Joanne Woodward. Martha had just traveled to Morocco and suggested a Moroccan buffet for the dinner theme. Shortly before serving time she discovered that one of the main dishes–dinner pies–had burned in the places that were closest to the walls of the oven. There wasnt enough time to recreate the dish so she had to think quick on her feet and decided to slice the pieces and serve the unburned pieces on platters. Instead of freaking out–most peoples initial response–she took a moment to assess the situation. Grace under fire!
Rule #9: Take risks, not chances. In business, theres a difference between a risk and a chance. A well-calculated risk may very well end up as an investment in your business. A careless chance can cause it to crumble. And when an opportunity presents itself, never assume it will be your last.
Martha suggests following a well-informed instinct or a calculated hunch. You might be the only person who sees the merit in the opportunity and you have to be ready to take the risk despite others warning against it. She describes a chance as a long shot that depends largely on luck and warns against these. I like that she reassures us that no opportunity is ever your last opportunity. Sometimes it feels like you should try everything when youre just starting out, but you dont have to do it all!
Rule #10: Make it beautiful. Listen intently, learn new things every day, be willing to innovate, and become an authority your customers will trust. As an entrepreneur, you will find great joy and satisfaction in making your customers lives easier, more meaningful, and more beautiful.
Martha repeats the mantra Make it beautiful to herself several times a day and makes it her number one goal to improve the lives of her customers, colleagues, family and friends and in doing so her life is better as well. Sounds good to me!
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HOW TO: learn about business from martha
I found this great article written by Christy Petterson on www.getcrafty.com. We are not as familiar with Martha Stewart in Australia, however her advice is valuable.
So I hear Martha Stewart’s Apprentice wasn’t such a hit. I didn’t watch it. Instead I decided to read her latest book “The Martha Rules: 10 ESSENTIALS FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESS AS YOU START, BUILD OR MANAGE A BUSINESS.” Martha, herself, gets mixed reviews. Some crafty girls like her and some don’t. I like her, I think she’s brought the art, skill and intellect of making a nice home into the forefront of our culture, which often dismisses homemaking as insignificant, easy and a waste of time. Turning these matters into a business makes it all the more impressive to me. So when my boss at my “real” job offered to loan me Martha’s book on essentials for running a business, I took her up on it.
I know many of us are interested in turning our love of craft into a business and we also need guidance so I thought I’d share Martha’s rules with everyone here. Even if you don’t like her this advice is sound and I’m saving you from having to read her book. If you do like her, read this and then go read the book,her stories are real, funny and easy to relate to. She shares antidotes from her own experience as well as other successful entrepreneurs. This is part one of a two part look at Martha’s rules.
Rule #1: What’s passion got to do with it? Build your business success around something that you love, something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you.
Those of us interested in creating a crafty business have already found this passion and would probably agree with Martha when she states, Doing work that you enjoy gives you energy. Martha started out knowing that she loved to cook and from this developed her catering business which led to a book on entertaining and so on and so on. When you love what you do, she says, it’s not work.
She advises finding a mentor who will be honest with you. Having a mentor who only gives you positive feedback will stunt your growth. It is helpful to have someone who can tell you when an idea needs further development or isn’t based in reality.
Rule #2: Ask yourself, what’s the big idea? Focus your attention and creativity on basic things, things that people need and want. Then look for ways to enlarge, improve, and enhance your big idea.
Martha suggests that every business person take a walk in their customers shoes in order to come up with your big idea. Take time to brainstorm, compile lists of ideas, scrutinize and analyze your idea and assess it from many different perspectives including geography, affordability and expandability.
Rule #3: Get a telescope, a wide-angle lens, and a microscope. Create a business plan that allows you to stay true to your big idea but helps you focus on the details. Then remain flexible enough to zoom in or out on the vital aspects of your enterprise as your business grows.
The telescope, wide-angle lens and microscope are all essential for business success. With the telescope you should keep in mind where you are going and what the future holds. With the wide-angle lens you should evaluate the broad picture of operating your business. And with the microscope you will look at the finest details of your business.
A word to the wise: you must write a business plan.
Rule #4: Teach so you can learn. By sharing your knowledge about your product or service with your customers, you create a deep connection that will help you learn how best to build and manage your business.
Customers respond best to business people who create a good experience for the customer and make it clear that they truly want their customer to have a good experience. You need them to view you and your business as their primary resource, their refuge, their reliable provider of information, products, entertainment, or inspiration, says Martha.
Rule #5: All dressed up and ready to grow. Use smart, cost-effective promotional techniques that will arrest the eye, tug at the heart, and convey what is unique and special about your business or service.
Your product has to stand out and you have to make this happen through packaging, advertising, publicity or some combination of all three. Make sure you find a way to distinguish your product from its market competitors. I have found, says Martha, that the two most important elements in your promotional strategy should be creativity and common sense. A successful business absolutely needs both.
This is just a smattering of the helpful hints in the first half of this book. Helpful hints are like gold for the young and ambitious. I hope this will help everyone’s business savvy!
Christy Petterson lives in Atlanta where she writes, sews, works in PR, organizes crafty events, roadies for her drummer-of-a-husband, eats the yummy food he cooks her, drinks coffee, goes for walks and spends time with her friends and family. Her latest exciting news is that That’s Clever is coming to film her this month! And there are just a few weeks left to apply for the Indie Craft Experience…. www.ice-atlanta.com
Filed under YOUR Craft Business | Comment (0)Best of the Art Blog
Analysts try to make sense of up-and-down sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s
On Monday, when the fall auctions kicked off in New York, the art world seemed as placid as a seascape by Canaletto. But now that same outlook has grown stormy. The sales have also raised fresh concerns about the fate of next week’s postwar and contemporary art auctions, which begin Tuesday.
Analysts, art dealers and readers of our On the Block blog (blogs.wsj.com/ontheblock) spent Friday grappling with how to interpret the week’s up-and-down sales of Impressionist and modern art at Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Christie’s had a steady start by selling $395 million worth of Impressionist art at its evening sale Tuesday. The highlight of its week was Henri Matisse’s “L’Odalisque, harmonie bleue,” a portrait of a reclining blonde that sold for $33.6 million above its $20 million high estimate. But Sotheby’s sent the art world reeling Wednesday night when a quarter of its offerings went unsold and its stock shares subsequently fell by nearly a third.
Steven Pincus, the managing director of the DeWitt Stern Group, a fine art practice specializing in risk assessment and insurance for art, isn’t predicting a total crash. “The market went from the speed of light to the speed of sound,” he says. A plateau in prices for Warhol, Basquiat, and Rothko might even be healthy over the long run, he added, since it may compel auction houses to stop giving risk-free guarantees to sellers. Such a move could “level the playing field” for private dealers, he said.
By KELLY CROW and LAUREN A.E. SCHUKER
November 10, 2007; Page W2 Wall Street Journal
The Success Factor
Ever thought, when you look around, why some people appear to be more successful?
Some may even have been in your school. They had the same teachers, the same lessons, examinations to sit. So what made the difference between then and now. Why do they appear to have achieved more in life. Could it be some sort of Success Factor!
What is this Success Factor.
Well, it’s not some sort of great secret saved for the select few. It is merely this. Successful people think and act differently. It’s how they think and what they do with their time that makes the difference.
There are, of course, different areas to be successful in, but when you talk of being successful, most people will think in terms of financial success. It’s a case of doing some research, finding mentors who are already successful, making a plan, following in their footsteps, taking action, making corrections, overcoming set backs, having determination, applying visualisation every day and never giving up.
7 POINTERS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED NOW.
“NOW” being the operative word. You can only think and do in the NOW. What you think and do NOW will make a difference to your future. Sitting and watching TV or thinking through and making a business plan. Which one has the greater potential towards success? Pretty obvious really isn’t it. It’s not just a question of being lucky.
* Research - look for and research a business, products/services that are already established and successful.
* Find a mentor(s) people who have already found the way and done what it takes to become successful in that particular business. It is easier if you already have a knowledge in or are interested in that field.
* Make a plan. How can you find a place without a map?
* Put each process, component and system into place into a mode of operation like the mentor did.
* Manage that plan. Find ways around obstacles and set backs.
* Visualisation - every day, go through a mental rehearsal. In your mind, go through the method step by step of how you will achieve the desired goal.
* Vow to never give up. If one way fails, it is not the end. Try a different approach and keep trying until you get through to the next step. Persistence is the key.
* If you enjoy what you are doing, it’s not hard work!
Mike Taylor is the author of Freedom Lifestyle 7 Ways and spends his time writing for pleasure and to help people succeed.
Filed under PERSONAL Development | Comment (0)Artists To The Rescue
Who’s your art hero? A recent YouGov survey for the Arts Council in England has named Leonardo da Vinci as the most influential artist of all time. Who else was in the top ten? Golden folkie Bob Dylan (#2), Pop Artist Andy Warhol (#3), Cartoon King Walt Disney (#4), Comedian Peter Kay (#5), Writer Jane Austin (#6), renowned English Graffiti Artist Banksy (#7), Reggae King Bob Marley (#8), Cartoonist Nick Park (#9), & at #10….Picasso! Artworker Issue 01/2007
Filed under ART & CRAFT Ideas | Comment (0)Let’s Get Creative
Why is it that some people seem to have a flow of creative genius and others are lacking? Well, in reality we all have the ability to be creative. It’s just some people don’t realize that they can acquire it just like any other skill. Hopefully through this article I can give you some insight to get your creative genius going.
So how can you get your creative juices flowing? First of all, read everything you can get your hands on. You want to take in as much knowledge and learning as you can. Throughout this process be sure to keep an open mind. You may find a few new facts you didn’t know about that will interest you.
Next, try to draw something every day. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just start out doodling. Yes this will seem like it’s too much effort at first. But think of it this way, every time you try something new it is an effort. Yes it will seem impossible at times. But the longer you keep at it the easier it will become. Just like every thing new you try in your life.
Speaking of new things, when was the last time you were out of your comport zone? Going to different Places often help broaden perspectives. Try going to a new neighborhood or even going to a museum for the first time. But don’t stop with these examples. Keep trying new things, think outside the box. Staying inside the box only limits the creative process.
Another creative thing you can try is photography. Get your camera out and start shooting. These don’t need to be anything spectacular. Don’t worry about capturing an award winning photo, yet. Just experiment and see what you can come up with. Start out small and work your way up.
Finally, just try to open up and talk to people you meet at the store or some other event. You can learn all kinds of interesting things by talking to people. Keep a journal of what you learn from each person. They may have an interesting story to tell. Then with all your journal entries, who knows, you could write your first book! Get Creative!
Joann Snell is a freelance Graphic Designer. She specializes in print, corporate id, branding, and other marketing tools for small-medium sized businesses. http://www.josgraphicdesigns.com
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Million Dollar Quotes
For a current art project that I am working on, I have included some famous Inspirational Quotes in the art work.
So, I though I would share some of them with you. Even if only one quote inspire’s or sparks an idea within you, It’s Great and I’m Happy.
“Success is what you attract, by the person you become.” Jim Rohn
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Imagination is more important than knowledge” Albert Einstein
“A goal is a dream with a deadline” Napoleon Hill
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Tony Robbins
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