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.
These last few weeks have been really tough for me. I miss being in a relationship, spending time with girlfriends, traveling. I’ve given up just about every ounce of personal life I’ve had over the last decade for the freedom of being an entrepreneur.
Truly there is nothing more rewarding than knowing I have the power to turn a dream, a speckle of a thought, into an oasis. There is so much magic in seeing my dreams come to fruition. And the fact that my teammates get to see their dreams come true in tandem with mine.
With that being said it leaves me little time to, well, be me. The me that’s hidden behind my company. Light hearted. Adventurous. Romantic. Vulnerable. Scared.
In being a part of the LA tech community I have not only found new friends who (like my childhood friends) accept the sacrifices I make, but these new friendships can empathize as well. They are risk takers and business owners themselves. They know what it is like to have your employees be dependent on you, to have everything on the line from leveraging real estate and lines of credit, to spending all your savings, to have pressures from venture capitalists and the complexities of legal contracts. They know what it is to hire and fire. To strategize knowing failure is no option. They know what it is to lose friendships and have family question your life. They know what it is to feel alone just the same as they know the joy it is to have your company featured in a periodical or TV show. They know what it is to close a major deal. They know what it is to be Magic.
I have the blessing of having all these wonderful people in my “neighborhood” to see at any time… I just want to say thank you.
For a little LA Tech smiles and gossip check out Lalawag and for some of the most down to earth and informative business upstart videos go to Mixergy.
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.
This May 2009 will be just about the coolest conference yet – Big Omaha. The best of the best in social media, online content and business tech will be in attendance. Gary Vaynerchuk who I can’t stop writing about has mastered the momentum of online content. Adriana Gascoigne banded together Girls in Tech throughout the US and overseas being featured in periodicals like Fast Company for her leadership and social media expertise at powerhouse Hi5. Business modeling extraordinaire Jason Fried from 37 Signals. If you have yet to read how 37 Signals maintains laser focus on business development go there now to enhance your skills. Threadless founder Jeffrey Kalmikoff made selling retail online viral and community based. Matt Mullenweg who is behind the development of WordPress – just about the most unbelievable blogging platform ever. And no established business and technology event would be complete without the talented Shira Lazar hosting the extravaganza. This star studded cast are all flying to Omaha this May and so should we. I know I am. If you missed South by Southwest don’t make the same mistake twice.This May 2009 will be just about the coolest conference yet – Big Omaha. The best of the best in social media, online content and business tech will be in attendance. Gary Vaynerchuk who I can’t stop writing about has mastered the momentum of online content. Adriana Gascoigne banded together Girls in Tech throughout the US and overseas being featured in periodicals like Fast Company for her leadership and social media expertise at powerhouse Hi5. Business modeling extraordinaire Jason Fried from 37 Signals. If you have yet to read how 37 Signals maintains laser focus on business development go there now to enhance your skills. Threadless founder Jeffrey Kalmikoff made selling retail online viral and community based. Matt Mullenweg who is behind the development of WordPress – just about the most unbelievable blogging platform ever. And no established business and technology event would be complete without the talented Shira Lazar hosting the extravaganza. This star studded cast are all flying to Omaha this May and so should we. I know I am. If you missed South by Southwest don’t make the same mistake twice.
Don't risk feeling left out again like you did not attending SXSW in Austin last week
Okay so this week at South by Southwest I went to “Getting Things Done the Simple Way” taught by John Zeratsky. I was not going to miss it. I rolled out of bed forgoed brushing my teeth or an awesome Austin shower to rush to the panel in order to achieve the treasure hunt of eliminating my email count and all my “contacters” feeling victory in receiving attention to their email. I mean if Tony Hsieh, CEO of the greatest customer service company ever Zappos.com and one of the most attentive entrepreneurs I’ve meet Gary Vaynerchuk can resend to 1000 plus emails a day, well then so can I! So I will keep you posted on what system I figure out works for me so I can “put a little Zappos in my day,” BUT in the meanwhile watch this. A little treat from Gary Vee and my tech crush Kevin Rose. (Who doesn’t crush on Kevin Rose?)
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…
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?
Brought to you by your very own Willy Wonka. Here is a comprehensive resource list from great affordable personal assistants to how to get your new web business off the ground (and not some dumb BS sales pitch, but what I have actually touched smelled and made love too JK) Yea, I’m kinda a business junkie. Anyway, here it is.
"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.
Just got back from the Bay Area and CEO Shanna Tellerman from Wild Pockets said it best for being an effective manager – stop reading business books and start reading pre schooler development books. Because quite frankly at the end of the day we can’t have all the toys we want to play with whenever we want and in order to alleviate frustration and encourage progression let’s go back to pre school.
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 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 
