Gwen Gardner
Simply Chickie/www.SimplyChickieClothing.com - OwnerNewport , Rhode Island
http://www.SimplyChickieClothing.com
Gwen's Blog
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Business lessons through children's books.The children's book, Our Library, by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Maggie Smith is a beautiful example of focusing on one project. "Miss Goose stamped my library book. She leaned across her desk. ‘Our library is going to close forever,' she whispered."
Little Raccoon and Mouse look sad. "Oh, no...Why?"
The library is old and in need of a lot of repair says Miss Goose. So, the little creatures set about on a very serious project. They check out two books-How to Lay a Perfect Roof and Library Painting.
Little ones can be single-minded, and we, as entrepreneurs, can learn from that. I am in a Savor the Success goal-oriented mini-group now. On February 5, each one of us had to state a 30-day goal and talk about what each one of us would do to reach that goal. Thirty days isn't that long-it's manageable-one project-one goal.
The little creatures decide on a single task as well-saving the library. "The next morning, we got started. We la [...]
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Business lessons through children's books--
The Cat in the Hat children's book by Dr. Seuss can teach us a valuable business lesson about audience. As entrepreneurs we must always be focused on our audience.
Who buys your stuff?
Really, do you know?
Can you pick your buying client out in the line at the grocery store?
In the classic book, The Cat in the Hat, the cat knows exactly who his audience is---bored young children!
You may recall in the book two small children peering out their living room window at a deluge of rain. "The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day...How I wish we had something to do." The children sit and sit and sit waiting for the rain to stop.
If a cat, prowling outside in the pouring rain, wants to go inside a warm house, who should he choose?
-A nice grandmother? No. She'll say, "Poor kitty" and place a bowl of milk outside!
-A 25 year-old, stay-at-home dad? No, he's too busy changing d [...]
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I swept my hand across the new red glistening Savor the Success Holiday Catalogue, and said, "So many stories are inside here."
As we share this beautiful catalogue with friends and family far and wide, don't forget to mention the giving and powerful stories of the women behind the products and services.
Customers love story.
I am reminded of a children's poem I wrote many years ago after seeing a robin one morning.
Don't tell me---
You saw a bird eating breakfast in the rain---
When you meant to say,
You saw---
A red-breasted robin
Pull a worm from a
Deep
Dark
Hole
Through the mist of this morning's rainbow.
When you hand the catalogue to your best friend, tell her a story:
Carrie Bell of www.madcapz.net realized she was a true entrepreneur at age 48. She was losing her hair due to illness and couldn't find a fun feminine cap to wear, so she made them herself. ---And, how cute is the multi-colored pussy cat one!
How could you not go Ga-Ga over Jill Burrows Jon [...]
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As entrepreneurs we are into the final quarter where we will be breaking land and speed records at what we attempt to accomplish by the end of year. We will feel like we cannot hold on sometimes.
I am reminded of the Audrey Hepburn quote, "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other," and the children's book, Me and My Dad by Alison Ritchie and illustrated by Alison Edgson.
Richie writes through a fuzzy papa bear and a playful baby bear. Little bear says, "We go out exploring, there's so much to see. My dad knows where all the best secrets will be." Ritchie reminds us to remember all those good feelings and lessons our dads gave us; we can pass them on to our pals and clients.
"My dad twirls me ‘round and the world whizzes past. My head gets all dizzy, I'm spinning so fast!" You will feel as if you are spinning by December 1st; I am sure. The little bear still holds onto her dad though.
"When it's raining my dad plays a staying - dry trick - To dodge all the raind [...]
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In these, "I need it yesterday times," companies can make promises, but not deliver. So, it's important to make sure you really can deliver before you make promises.
George and Martha, in The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends by James Marshall, reminds us all of a key business concept for success.
George, in his hippopotamus finest and most stately, sits down for tea with his friend Martha. "I used to be a champion jumper," he says.
Martha raises an eyebrow.
"And," says George, "I used to be a wicked pirate."
"Hmmm," says Martha.
At this point in the story, the reader realizes George is fibbing. He wants to impress Martha.
Just like, in our businesses, we want to impress our clients. We may think we can push the envelope and deliver stunning success in a fast turn-around- time, an extra quality product, or an extremely competitive price structure.
Hold on!
Do your homework? Work your numbers! Call your suppliers! ---Before ---you respond with an absolute answer.
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Pay attention to the math of your business----fall in love with it.
While reading the children's book, Mathematickles! by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Steven Salerno, the idea of the sultry, synergistic effect of poetry and math made me think of my bottom line in a sexy way. In the book, there is a short poem set-up like a math problem, "pumpkin patch x sunlight = ooooooorange."
Wow, multiplication is sooooooo pretty----oranges and yellows combine to create a lot of zeros. I like a lot of zeros on my balance sheet!
On my website, the flashy lime green pages and smiling children combine to create unique visitors. I know how many visited me today. Do you know how many you had?
You should, because through simple multiplication and division you can predict your sales----the amount of orange sunlight in the form of green money that will rain down on you!
A unique visitor is a person who visits a web site more than once within a specified period of time.
Software that tr [...]
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In this internet world, people still want to connect on a personal level. Clients want to know your story!
What state do you live in? Why did you make selling dog biscuits your entrepreneurial adventure? Do you leave the cap off the toothpaste?
I even choose some of my library books based on the author page. When I open a new children's book at the library, I check the back flap. That's where I find the "About the Author" page.
For example, Leslie Patricelli wrote the book, Higher! Higher! She, "lives in the mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho, with her musician husband, three inspiring children, one fat cat, one skinny cat, two fast rabbits, and a legion of well-trained sea monkeys." Cool, I think, she has a wild life. She is a fun author---I want to read this book to my daughter. Then I check the publishing house---Candlewick Press. Now, I know we have to get the book---that's my favorite publishing company.
That detective work only took me about 20 seconds, but with a f [...]
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So what's your "Fancy Nancy" word? The one wow word you use to describe your business? Do you fumble with your pitch? I'm well a ________. I create_________. Well, what I really do is_____________.
Who are you really? Really, who are you? What word comes to mind when others think of you? It should be a magic word! It should be one word. --Become the word you want to present to the world---wear it---Payson, with her transformational jewelry, can help you at www.paysonjewelry.com.
While reading the children's book, Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words by Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, I realized the importance of a "go to" word. What word describes your business?
You are in the elevator in Trump Tower, and the cute French guy next to you says, "What do you do?"
Little Nancy says, "I think fancy words are almost like magic. You can take a plain word like feather and----presto change---o!---turn it into something special...a plume! Fancy words also sound beautiful and [...]
