This is especially true of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers, but sometimes it’s imperative for a business to redefine the box instead of moving outside it for creativity. (I didn’t feel the other parts of this series really captured the sheer genius of developing solutions within boundaries.)
So often, we’re confronted with a situation that has to be solved quickly. We feel ill-equipped to handle it with what we have on hand, so we start thinking about the most outlandish way we could approach the situation and go from there. In so many of these cases, though, with a little aluminum foil and some duct tape, we can make like Macgyver and create incredibly simple, elegant, useful solutions that others will look to for inspiration.
Posted by Rebecca as Creativity, inspiration, and motivation at 8:10 AM EST
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There’s been a lot of talk over the past week about making use of not just the front of your business card, but the back, too. It’s a great idea! By keeping useful information on your card, people will want to keep it near, and that can create more business for you in the proces!
Additionally, you’re creating a more aware client base. By providing relevant, useful information, you’ve just enabled your potential client base to come to the table informed.
For me, and I am much in need of a business card redesign, I would use my jewelry design business card to include either the stones affiliated with borth months, or a guide to understanding various jewelry terms, like the names of the various necklace lengths. For my tutoring business, that’s in need of being launched, I’d include commonoly used math formulas.
Posted by Rebecca as Networking at 8:09 AM EST
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Want to get a lot accomplished? Then make people want to work with you. I speak from a lot of experience on this one. I can’t tell you how many times people told me that events I was running or leading a section of would flop because nobody would want to help take over any of the work.
Every single time, though, people who had worked with me in the past would approach me as soon as they heard I was somewhere in the event planning staff and ask me what they could do to help whatever activities I specifically controlled.
Why was I able to get help without asking when others couldn’t with asking? It’s because I’m easy to work with. I’m open to the suggestions of those around me. I’m not afraid to laugh, especially at myself. I try to give the people working with me as much information as I have. I also try to respect them.
It’s amazing how little work on my part always beenfitted me.
Found via Lifehacker
Posted by Rebecca as Skill building at 8:23 AM EST
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I’m feeling a little pressed for time lately (my own fault for not having a specific time-management device in place this month), so I’m just going to drop these here and check them out later.
I need all the marketing advice I can get!
Found via Angie McKaig
Posted by Rebecca as Marketing at 9:35 AM EST
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I still haven’t sat down to walk on my own 30-second commercial. I really ought to do that. I’m starting to go out among people, and it would be nice to give a concise explanation of how my life works.
To go along with this realization that i really do need to sit down and do it, I’ve found yet another article to help out. The problem at this point, I’m realizing, isn’t determining how to construct one. It’s the fact that I can’t seem to get started.
I think you guys, my readers, should keep me accountable on this. Feel free to comment and remind me to do this, or drop me an email and remind me. Perhaps if I feel accountable to someone, I’ll get it done.
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 8:53 AM EST
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I think this kind of goes along with exploring your skills and determining what you are an expert at, but this is an interesting article on thought leadership, and how to become a thought leader yourself.
I think that there’s this definite movement afoot to enable people to share what they’re good at. It’s a great thing. People are being presented with this opportunity to become self-aware, to figure out what it is they’re good at, and then be able to share that.
I know there are some concerns that this sort of enablement would actually discredit those who have established themselves as accepted experts in their given area, but i think it could actually grow networks of experts over a certain topic. It could allow deeper thought and exploration of these topics to allow for a better understanding.
Perhaps, though, I’m just an idealist.
Found via Lifehacker
Posted by Rebecca as Leadership and management at 8:24 AM EST
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Most of us probably have this latent feeling in the back of our minds that tells us we could or should be doing something else (unless you’re one of the privileged ones to be doing what you were born to do). One of the things to consider if you’re in that first group and looking to shake things up is to look at yourself and consider your strengths or your genius.
We all want to feel like we’re making the best use of what we’re good at. We all want to be seen as really good, if not an expert, at something. Find your purpose by identifying the skills and topics you excel at!
Posted by Rebecca as Creativity, inspiration, and motivation at 8:13 AM EST
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I grew up playing games with my parents and with friends. Then I discovered video games, and thought those were pretty awesome. I’ve always been drawn to puzzle-solving games, games that require some degree of strategy to win them.
Oddly enough, I’ve never fared well at chess…
In graduate school, I spent my weekends at a local game shop. I’d read or work on papers while helping the store owners run the Pokemon League. That was quite the experience. It’s never really left me.
The kids were interesting to watch. They built their decks. They traded cards trying to create strong decks. Some of the kids often tried to build against the trends they were noticing in other kids’ decks. Everyone wanted to be able to beat the top player in our shop, who also happened to be the top ranked Pokemon player in the country.
These kids read whatever they could get their hands on to help grow their strategies, to make sure their trading deals were fair. The more experienced kids would often mentor new kids to help them build their first decks, or play a few games against them to help them see how their deck worked. Problems were often resolved by a neutral kid, the ones that couldn’t be resolved that way were brought to us.
If you were smart, you never, ever tried to cheat these kids, because they as a whole would make sure you regretted it, oftentimes driving off the offending party if they didn’t change their ways.
I think often about these kids. The oldest is now in his early twenties. The youngest are probably enjoying their freshman year of college. I wonder if the skills they picked up while playing Pokemon have followed them. It occurs to me that these kids have this incredible skill set that can only help them if they continue to grow and adapt them to the grown-up world.
So many people look on games as a pointless waste of time, a way to spend free time that no one has. But what if it’s playing those games that help builds our character? What if games help us develop a problem-solving skill set, a negotiatiing skill set, a language for resolving conflict? If I could, I’d actually conduct a study on this. Follow a group of kids playing Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. Maybe follow them into Magic: the Gathering. Then follow them throughout high school and college, into their professional lives, just to see what impact playing strategic games has on them.
It’s possible for adults to get into and reap the benefits of playing games. Chess is always a viable option, but for the more faint of heart, there is always poker. Of course, I’ve been known to accept a random Pokemon or Harry Potter deck myself to play against a kid. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great learning experience!
Posted by Rebecca as Skill building at 7:33 AM EST
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Happy New Year! I hope everyone who sees this is having a safe holiday filled with laughter and fellowship.
The new year is a busy time of year for any entrepreneur. For those with established businesses, it’s a great time to take stock, decide what things are working, and which processes need to be rethought or dropped. For the entrepreneur still hiding out in the "pre-launch" phase (like me), it’s the time to dedicate himself or herself to moving into that frightening, yet rewarding launch phase. For the person considering becoming an entrepreneur, this is when the resolution to start that business is set.
I remember being at this phase. I was terrifed (still am, in fact). I was looking at creating a handcrafts business with someone I had met through a medieval recreation group, and she was far more gung ho about it than I was. It was great having her energy around because it really helped quiet some of my uncertainty.
One of the best conversations we ever had was the one leading up to our proposed business name. While it generated a unique monniker, it was rather challenging to explain in a way that didn’t make people look at us like we had both sprouted another head. We named the business around a misunderstanding that we both had found completely funny. It turned out that the name drew people in just long enough to ask how we came up with it, but the explanation quickly drove them off before they had a chance to see what we had to offer.
When I started out on my own, I originally kept the name in the hopes of keeping some of her energy around when she moved on. It blew up in my face yet again. I thought long and hard about a new business name, first trying out Tapestry Designs based on a long-stnading daydream of mine. That similarly ran into problems because people found it a bit misleading.
After much debating and a few other aborted name considerations, I finally settled on stating who I am and what I do- My name is Rebecca Thomas, and I design. Hence, my little fledgling business is now called Rebecca Thomas Designs. The process to come up with the name has actually helped me focus on what I want from this endeavor, and has helped me plan some growth into this place.
Now to motivate myself to move forward with this business!
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 8:11 AM EST
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