This is success. A clear and defined plan with specific (timeline and financial) measurable goals to track success. Hallelujah
Mr. Lütke determined before the competition that it would have to inspire at least 600 new accounts to be successful. New customers, he figured, would spend a minimum of $24 a month for six months to compete, translating to at least $86,400 in revenue for Shopify…So far, Shopify has signed up more than 1,000 new Web stores, already exceeding the expectations of Mr. Lütke, who expects 50 to 100 more participants to sign up by May 1.
ShoeBoxed and Pre Planning on an index card – no joke. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Shoeboxed is the Netflix for receipts and business cards. I do my hustle thing, getting sh*t done, place the receipts and business cards in a big shiny blue Postage Prepaid envelope and wahla a few days later I get the most amazing organization of accounting and contacts I have EVER seen. I know too. I meet A LOT of people. I used to have my assistant scan everything using Neat Receipts. Even bought their super Desktop machine. But still with all the scanning errors it was costing me to have someone go through every contact and piece of paper for accuracy. Then through the golden gates of resources I met the owner of ShoeBoxed at SXSW. It took me close to a year to actually start using the system. My ego was probably stuck on the $500 bucks I spent on Neat Receipts when I could have been spending only 10 bucks a month with ShoeBoxed and no assistant cost!!! I am telling you. If you run a business, meet people and don’t use Shoe Boxed you are just simply crazy. You want to be wasting time.
And those simple plain boring INDEX cards are a goldmine of productivity. Don’t believe me? Just look at the famous GTD (Getting Things Done) blog . Yea I was going crazy keeping 10 to do lists on dry erase boards in my office, house, sticky notes, JOTT express, RTM (Remember the Milk) until a friend who seems to get EVERYTHING done said I just write it all on an index card the night before for that day and order them in sequence of priority after I’m done writing each task. “Come on… that’s it?” I said. He informed me that keeping multiple to do lists devalues each one and by having to open a to do list in a computer makes it not so accessible. So with an index card in his pocket at all times he just crosses off each task as they are completed. Then at the end of the day he transfers anything not done to the new index card for the following day and rips up the one for that day. And let me tell you ITS BEEN WORKING!!! I complete just about everything. Only difference. I think I’ll start burning each card when I’m done. Lots more fun
My new friend @Ribeezie direct messaged me, (also known as “DM”), on Twitter this morning and told me to “Now bring back some of that good stuff and share ” about Zappos Insights inaugural conference. Zappos, a billion dollar online commerce destination, is known for their leadership in customer service. Insights was created as an educational forum to guide entrepreneurs to successfully attain milestones. It was a privilege to be a part of their LIVE event, a revolution in leadership and corporate happiness. One of the speakers at the event, social media maven Brian Solis, said it perfectly, “In the end we’re measured by our actions, not our words.”
Three huge takes aways from the event that will transform the productivity and efficiency in our organizations.
Share….Stop self promoting and start listening. Share information that you know delivers value because you have been listening. Whether it be employees, personal relationships, twitter followers or facebook friends. The way to effectively intrigue people to take action is fueled by being inspired.
Discover your foundation before you start building.… The most crucial component in determining success in a company and in your personal development is first discovering what matters to you most.; Your core values. It starts with you, outside of your professional life. The business owner behind closed doors. When you look in the mirror what do you see? Integrity, Transparency, Adventure… Deceit…? In order to grow we must be honest with ourselves. It is so clear to me now that if I had taken the time to discover, write down, and share my core values with my team it would have reduced management, increased productivity and complimented my company vision. But instead I found ego was something in my company that created road blocks for our success. What’s interesting is ego is so far from my personal values. If I had taken the time to write down what’s important to me, I would have quickly discovered my team mate strayed from our core values and that situation could have been remedied with eloquence and efficiency.
3. Half of the world is searching for the other half of the world, but don’t know how to find them. Brian Solis emphasizes that before even planning an online marketing strategy establish your identity. Most brands don’t even strategize, they just jump on a band wagon. But lets say you are developing a strategy, before that DISCOVER your identity that you plan to communicate in this strategy. I LOVE that Brian reinforced this. I hadn’t even thought of charting out my brand identity before planning. I figured my identity is obvious. Surf brand means you’re a surfer right? No, not necessarily. You must establish your brand to stand for something. A Cause. Something bigger and selflLESS than selling a pair of board shorts.
I discovered the value of delegating somewhere between reading Four Quandrants by Robert Kiyosaki and The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Kiyosaki explained the differences between someone self employed and a business owner (see image below). That if a good business owner leaves their company the productivity maintains. A key owner injects advancement in the organization, not maintenance. Then in Ferriss’s book he shares that when he stopped being so hands on and started trusting a team by delegating, his company actually increased revenue and he had more time to do other things. If each owner of McDonalds had to be in daily attendance Mickey Dees wouldn’t be known for the effective automated hamburger franchise it is today. That being said, each day I think of ways to delegate. This isn’t to be lazy. Not at all. Delegating enables me to scale my businesses more efficiently. I try to find a common theme in my various ventures that will allow the same team to mimic their core competencies in each project so that I don’t need to find a new team each time I start something new. Needless to say, its very exciting and allows a lot more time for me to focus on my own core competencies. After all, there is only so much you can do if you try to do everything yourself.
Entrepreneurs are taking steps to rejuvenate our economy. If we want to see change we must be change. And once again believe anything is possible just as we did when we were kids and didn’t know any other way.
I am absolutely exhilarated to to be visiting the Zappos headquarters tomorrow in Vegas. My company team has been vigorously studying the phenomenal Zappos culture which we do our best to emulate each day. I have personally been a fan of Zappos since about 2002 after discovering the site was the fastest loading site on the web. Being the geek that I am I was fascinated and had to know how they did it. I think their upload time was under 3 seconds and with a homepage full of graphics. Completely impressive.
Last night I realized that in loving my team as much as I love my company I don’t love myself enough. What does that mean. If they get upset I say how can I fix it and immediately blame myself for allowing any moment of discomfort to take place. If there is a decision to be made I am perpetually afraid I am not going to make the best one because haven’t I made so many mistakes in the past. But of course I have! Because I am a true entrepreneur, a risk taker. If I weren’t I wouldn’t be in business and definitely not for 10 years strong. So last night as I started to doze off I had a moment of clarity. That a firm decision is better than no decision at all even if it ends up being a mistake. People respect confidence and authority. And there is no way that I single handedly can or even need to prevent every issue before it arises. I am not perfect, nor is my staff. But it is about understanding one another. Providing them a leader to follow. And doing the best we can. A teammate isn’t about being their equal. It is about being what the team needs. A male friend of mine said he was autocratic with his staff because he didn’t have time to be friendly. His approach is command and control from above, no power in the masses. Maybe that polar opposite style isn’t the way for me. Each business owner is entitled to their own methodologies. But without a doubt my staff needs to start seeing the leader and the executive in me rather than the girl next door. Because truth be it if people walk all over me its because they think they can, no matter it be consciously or unconsciously. Both equate to the same results. I’m ready to start the day a new woman a new company.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. I used to be a yacht stewardess and some of the wealthiest people you would never know. Grease stained jeans, sandals, ripped tee shirt and the ability to have any dream they desired. Tonight I was in a situation where I was judged. You never know who you are talking to, who that is person is connected to and for you start ups which Simple Simon may end up being your next investor. Even a popular blogger who has the power to express any opinion pro or con. Luckily my mother always said, if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all. Well as long as you’re not KIIS that is…
This morning my new roommate posted a Happy Birthday message on my bathroom door I got to wake up to. It made my day. And reminded me of so many great and important life lessons.
1) How we choose to start our day sets the tone for that day. Every entrepreneur should be a leader and to deliver the right message to your team but in order to do so it must start with the entrepreneur embodying power and positivity.
2) Sometimes a consumer or client just wants to be acknowledged. Whatever the situation or even better non situation, expressing random thoughts of gratitude aka acknowledgment could stimulate them feeling good about choosing your company to work with or purchase from and a desire to do business with you again.
3) Lastly, sometimes as entrepreneurs we get caught up in being so focused on our businesses we forget to have a life outside of work. That’s me. And I am so lucky that I took a leap and moved out of a rural area to the city to be closer to friends and then to open the door and meet this incredible roommate of mine. It’s just the perfect birthday gift.
A woman is assertive and to the point, she’s a bitch. A woman is friendly and cares, she’s a pushover. Where’s the fine line for a kind hearted person who expects goals to be met and in return wants to cater to a fun and flexible work environment. Can that even exist? Does a leader always need to also be the asshole? And how can you simply enjoy the rapport with a co worker and not have it become a friendship? Or is it okay to be friends as long as those people are mature professionals? Almost all people who have worked for me I have genuinely enjoyed their personalities and getting to know who they are. I have to say that if I would have never gotten to know some of these people I would have really missed out. So where’s the fine line?
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"I've got the golden ticket..."
I made it a “page” so it is always right there if you need it. I will finsh it later in the week. I’m exhausted right now.
So just got my nails done. I know I know – don’t judge me. I deserve a break. I even worked on Christmas But the nail technician was sharing how the “VIP”s get “special treatment. And I thought to myself, what makes a person VIP. Of course there are actors and musicians. But why do they really have the power. It’s not simply because of their wealth, (although that does help). It’s because they have the power to influence. That’s why they are chosen to represent causes and political parties. Check out how to be an influencer > you don’t need to be famous.
Just saw the movie MILK tonight. Wow. It reminded me a lot of the Obama election. The common theme both politicians urged their listeners was that the change was not in them, but in us all working together, united. “Yes we can” and “I want to recruit you” is about inspiring a movement driven by hope. HOPE for a better tomorrow is a powerful thing. Tim Ferriss said something like…”Obama isn’t going to fly into office in his super hero cape send an email and all will be okay.” It takes an army of people to create change. As business owners our ability to partner with causes we believe in and inspire change through our brands will make our shops not about the single purchase, but about the movement. Look at Tom’s shoes and learn. www.tomsshoes.com
It's time to believe. I'm sick and tired of people making excuses for not going after their dreams. I'm going after mine and doing just fine. Crazy, sure. Manic, of course. Exhilarated, all the time. If you don't try then well... I am just sorry you missed out.
envelope and wahla a few days later I get the most amazing organization of accounting and contacts I have EVER seen. I know too. I meet A LOT of people. I used to have my assistant scan everything using 
