Impossible Steamy Bikinis

 No Responses »
Feb 012012
 

“We didn’t know it was impossible so we went ahead and did it.”

“I began doing everything by myself, drawing without knowing how to draw, designing without knowing how to design, directing without knowing how to direct. It was all very experimental at the time, based on trial and error.”

Those quotes could have been from the same person but in fact they come from people in two different continents and relate to projects that couldn’t be more different. The former was a comment by one of the founders of the Great Western Society that now runs the Didcot Railway Centre. As teenagers in the 1960s, four friends set out to buy a small steam engine to preserve it from being scrapped as British Railways moved over to diesel. With the optimism of youth they embarked on a project that most would have considered impossible, that then grew into something much, much bigger.

The second quote was from the founder of the Brazilian swimwear company, Salinas, and referred to the period when as a teenager,  she started making bikinis at home for the local market. Salinas has now grown to be a global brand favoured by many A-list celebrities  - probably something that may have been considered impossible if it was considered at all. (Full article on the BBC business website.)

If all you see is obstacles you’ll never get anywhere. If you see opportunities there is a slight possibility that the impossible may be possible.

Share

Not Going Out

 No Responses »
Oct 202011
 

Recently I was having an email conversation with Judy Heminsley on Jelly, co-working, networking, in fact, just getting out of the office. This is particularly important for anyone working on their own at home. Meeting other people and building business relationships is so important for success. But just as importantly is maintaining confidence to be out and about and mixing with other people. Many of us suffer from what one might call the ‘I look up to him’ syndrome illustrated so wonderfully in the  ‘Class Sketch’ in the Frost Report back in 1966. (Yes, I know you’re all too young, that’s why I’ve included the link.)

Everyone else is more successful, more confident, better looking, taller; you name it and they are it compared with us. So naturally they won’t want to talk to us if we go to a networking event will they? Of course, most of them are looking at us and feeling exactly the same! And will be hoping desperately that we’ll approach them to chat. A New York Times Survey on social anxiety became the inspiration for the book title ‘… and Death Came Third’ having discovered that the top two responses were walking into a room full of strangers and speaking in public. And death came third. 

The less frequently we go out, the harder it is to do so. So we should seize every opportunity to keep ourselves in the mainstream. Now, although we have been talking about people who work for themselves, the same argument could apply, but maybe for slightly different reasons, to employees of larger companies. The sales people talk to customers don’t they? But wouldn’t it be good if every employee was part of the sales team, the quality team, the service team? I suggest that most companies do not use the talent they have to full effect. The only way to do this is for everyone to understand the customers, to be able to act as their advocates within the business. And to demonstrate their enthusiasm for the products or services of the company whenever they come into contact with potential customers. So come on guys, let’s all start going out.

Share

Best Networking

 4 Responses »
Jun 072011
 

What is the best networking event? Or more accurately, the best type of networking event? That was the subject of a conversation at last Thursday’s Bromsgrove Jelly co-working day. The answer is that I don’t think there is an answer. All have value. At any one you might meet someone who could be a great contact. However, on balance I prefer the smaller events. In fact, the smaller the better. Eight or ten people sitting round a table can have a conversation that involves all of them. They can get to know each other, what they do and what they can offer from a business perspective. A newcomer can be made to feel welcome and at home very quickly – far less intimidating than turning up and finding a room with 30 or 40 strangers! Remember the New York Times survey that showed that people’s greatest social fears were walking into a room full of strangers and speaking in front of an audience? And death came third! Which became the title of a book offering advice on how to deal with the first two. I don’t think they had a solution for the third.

Serious work at Bromsgrove Jelly!

By the way, if you usually work on your own apart from the cat, dog or goldfish, and you would like the occasional day working with other humans, why not find your nearest Jelly event? Networking in the sense of selling is strictly forbidden, but it is an opportunity to get to know other business people and for them to understand what you are all about. And sometimes chance conversations can turn into opportunities. Maybe it is the best networking! You would be very welcome to join us at the next Bromsgrove Jelly on 7th July.

Share

Rules or Responsibility?

 No Responses »
Mar 112011
 

There seems little doubt that some people like rules. They are happy to have someone else think for them and tell them what to do. They just want to turn up. Of course, they moan if the rules don’t suit them. The alternative to rules is responsibility. Responsibility means not expecting ‘them’ to sort things out. Them is the committee, the council, the management, the government, in fact anyone but us.

Last week we held the first Bromsgrove Jelly co-working day. If  you haven’t come across the concept, Jelly events are held monthly and are an opportunity for people working from home to spend the day working with other human beings. They are free to attend and no one makes any money from them. There is an etiquette (Jellyquette) that attendees should observe.  There is a current debate amongst Jelly organisers as to how to deal with the odd person who doesn’t respect the ettiquette. I have expressed the view that it is up to the rest of the group to take responsibility to ensure that the event operates in a way that is satisfactory to the majority. On a corporate scale, this approach is well documented by Ricardo Semler in his books Maverick and The Seven Day Weekend.

As Semler built his family business from a small engineering company to being a major industrial player in Brazil, he instigated a type of democracy in the workplace that placed a great deal of emphasis on the workforce at all levels taking responsibility for the operation of the various businesses within the organisation. His preferred modus operandi was to do nothing when workplace problems arose. That way, rather than a solution being imposed by management, it was developed and owned by those who it affected.

As a self-confessed perfectionist control freak, I find democracy a bit of a challenge. But the alternative is to run the world myself. However, as I can’t cope with my current To Do list, that may be a little too ambitious.

Share

Focus, Focus, Focus

 No Responses »
Dec 222010
 

In my previous job there were one particular task that I found quite challenging. It wasn’t really that difficult, it’s just that I had a bit of a mental block. It usually took longer than it should because I found it hard to really focus. Of course, this dragged out the task, which made it even more tedious. Now I work for myself things aren’t greatly different. There are some activities where I get bogged down, so I divert from them to do more enjoyable things, like writing blog posts. So I was struck by the latest thoughts from Seth Godin. Here is an extract:

When you’re doing hard work, getting rejected, failing, working it out–this is a dumb time to make a situational decision about whether it’s time for a nap or a day off or a coffee break.

Do I agree with Seth? Mostly. Although there are times when the creative juices can be persuaded to flow if you take a break from a difficult task and come back to it with a fresh perspective. But perhaps the key is to remove the distractions. Sometimes when I needed to write a board paper I would bring it home and usually finish it in an hour or two. In the office it would have taken a day or two because of constant interruptions.

If we interrupt ourselves by allowing our minds to wander to the possibility of stopping for a coffee, taking a nap or popping out to the shops, everything will get dragged out. Is that any way to be successful? Maybe our mantra for 2011 should be focus, focus, focus.

Share
 Older Entries

site tracking with Asynchronous Google Analytics plugin for Multisite by WordPress Expert at Web Design Jakarta.