I was recently discussing one of my businesses with a potential client and was taken aback by a simple question, "How do you compare with XXXXX?" My gut reaction was to begin to begin a break down of how I felt I could better serve his business needs, tell him the negative attributes of XXXXX and his employees, and explain why my company was the best thing since sliced bread. I caught myself before I did any of the above.
My response was concise and direct, "I would rather not compare myself or my business to any other. I would prefer to stand on my own merit." The conversation continued on with him telling me all about his product and why he wanted to be compared to his competitors. I did not make the sale, and to be honest, it did not matter. His chief competitor, and number one locally in that industry, is already a client. I decided we were not a fit for each other and we continue to be friends.
I later gave a great deal of thought to this conversation and here is what I have decided. My business (or yours) really has no competition. Sure, there are similar companies offering comparable services. Some of them offer a wider variety of services. Some are less expensive. However, in the end my chief and only competitor is ME. Would you like to know why? Be watching for upcoming blogs that will explain my ideas and opinions. Your's are welcome as well! Let me know what you think!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Healthy, Wealthy & Wise
I don't know about you, but I think I have a Messiah complex. I mean, I think sometimes I try to solve everyone else's problems and make their world a better place. Too often, that is a detriment to my own welfare. I have heard that people who have such a complex are often trying to avoid dealing with their own demons, therefore they end up tired and feeling used up. Does this sound familiar?
Well, while I do not intend to stop reaching out to people and encouraging them, I have decided that in 2011, I am going to focus on taking care of ME first. Please don't misunderstand, I don't mean to sound egotistical or self-centered. I have learned through trial and error that he who empties himself out has nothing left to offer. I want to make a serious impact on my world, and to do that I have to get MYSELF in line first. Then I will have something real, something of value to offer.
So, my mantra for 2011 is Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. My ultimate goal is to learn to become centered physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. More specifically, here is what I mean:
PHYSICALLY: Many of you know that I have some health concerns due to diabetes. I can take my meds, keep doctors appointments, and follow all the rules. But if I don't monitor my diet closely, get the proper amounts of rest and exercise, and keep an eye on my levels, the disease will continue to progress and more damage will be done to my internal organs. SOOO..In 2011 I vow to take better care of myself physically and get a grip on this thing that has a grip on me. In the end, life and death, blessings and curses are in my hand. Only I can chose what the outcome is. I chose LIFE, and that more abundantly.
EMOTIONALLY: We all have issues, baggage, etc. This year I choose to face them head on. I intend to examine all my thought patterns and determine which are beneficial and which are not. After all, "As a man thinketh, so is he." For most of us, the real battlefield is our mind. This is my year to think more positively, evalualte relationships, and to put a guard around my mind. As the old saying goes.....you can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from nesting on it. Each day we are bombarded with negative thoughts, energies, and visuals. Only we can choose whether we allow them to take root or whether we pull them up immediately. I choose Positive thinking, which produces positive outcome.
SPIRITUALLY: I spent years as a singer and evangelist. The past four years I have been off the road and have done some serious re-evaluation of my beliefs and approach. While my heart may have been in the right place, my head missed the point. This year, I plan to become more rounded, grounded, and spiritually centered. Regardless of what you call it, there is something within each of us that longs to connect with something greater than ourselves. I choose to reconnect, allow myself to become more spiritually attune, and to let the fulness of that flow out of me to everyone I come in contact with.
FINANCIALLY: Im 42. Time to face reality. While I have never tried to live above my means, I certainly have not tried to live beneath them either. My concept of money is somewhat warped due to my upbringing. Amazing, because we had so little, yet my best friends were always those who had so much. My parents were determined that I believed that I was just as good as anyone else whether I had money or material possessions. Perhaps I have taken it to the extreme though. So, this year I choose to be prosperous and better manage what I am able to acrue. Money is not everything, but it sure makes somethings simplier.
Well, I hope that is not too honest for you. :-) I truly believe if I can master these four things, then I can set a pattern of Health, Wealth & Wisdom that spills out from 2011 and carries me through the end of days. Feel free to post a response, I certainly care about what you have to say. It may not alter my goals one iota, but I do have an open mind, heart, and spirit.
Make 2011 your best year ever!
Well, while I do not intend to stop reaching out to people and encouraging them, I have decided that in 2011, I am going to focus on taking care of ME first. Please don't misunderstand, I don't mean to sound egotistical or self-centered. I have learned through trial and error that he who empties himself out has nothing left to offer. I want to make a serious impact on my world, and to do that I have to get MYSELF in line first. Then I will have something real, something of value to offer.
So, my mantra for 2011 is Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. My ultimate goal is to learn to become centered physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. More specifically, here is what I mean:
PHYSICALLY: Many of you know that I have some health concerns due to diabetes. I can take my meds, keep doctors appointments, and follow all the rules. But if I don't monitor my diet closely, get the proper amounts of rest and exercise, and keep an eye on my levels, the disease will continue to progress and more damage will be done to my internal organs. SOOO..In 2011 I vow to take better care of myself physically and get a grip on this thing that has a grip on me. In the end, life and death, blessings and curses are in my hand. Only I can chose what the outcome is. I chose LIFE, and that more abundantly.
EMOTIONALLY: We all have issues, baggage, etc. This year I choose to face them head on. I intend to examine all my thought patterns and determine which are beneficial and which are not. After all, "As a man thinketh, so is he." For most of us, the real battlefield is our mind. This is my year to think more positively, evalualte relationships, and to put a guard around my mind. As the old saying goes.....you can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from nesting on it. Each day we are bombarded with negative thoughts, energies, and visuals. Only we can choose whether we allow them to take root or whether we pull them up immediately. I choose Positive thinking, which produces positive outcome.
SPIRITUALLY: I spent years as a singer and evangelist. The past four years I have been off the road and have done some serious re-evaluation of my beliefs and approach. While my heart may have been in the right place, my head missed the point. This year, I plan to become more rounded, grounded, and spiritually centered. Regardless of what you call it, there is something within each of us that longs to connect with something greater than ourselves. I choose to reconnect, allow myself to become more spiritually attune, and to let the fulness of that flow out of me to everyone I come in contact with.
FINANCIALLY: Im 42. Time to face reality. While I have never tried to live above my means, I certainly have not tried to live beneath them either. My concept of money is somewhat warped due to my upbringing. Amazing, because we had so little, yet my best friends were always those who had so much. My parents were determined that I believed that I was just as good as anyone else whether I had money or material possessions. Perhaps I have taken it to the extreme though. So, this year I choose to be prosperous and better manage what I am able to acrue. Money is not everything, but it sure makes somethings simplier.
Well, I hope that is not too honest for you. :-) I truly believe if I can master these four things, then I can set a pattern of Health, Wealth & Wisdom that spills out from 2011 and carries me through the end of days. Feel free to post a response, I certainly care about what you have to say. It may not alter my goals one iota, but I do have an open mind, heart, and spirit.
Make 2011 your best year ever!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Think Pink!
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Edit Blog PostsFriends, I am sure that by now you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Strange, but I can remember in my lifetime you would have gotten slapped by your mother for saying the word breast in public. Now you see them on TV selling everything from bubble gum to motor oil! As the old cig commercial use to say, "You've come a long way baby!" Still women are diagnosed and die everyday needlessly from this disease because so many refuse to stand up, speak out, or simply have a mammagram. The only shame is that this disease is treatable and can be controlled by early detection. Do your self exam. Teach your daughters the process, no matter if they are developed yet or not. Have your mammagram done. Be proactive.In addition to my HOPE candle which I am sure you have read about, I am offering during this month a beautiful Swaovsky Crystal pink bracelet designed especially to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. I have partnered locally with The West Tennessee Healthcare Breast Cancer Awareness Fund and will be contributing a portion of my proceeds during this entire month to help educate and treat women in my own home town.If you would like to help, email me at info@candlesgiftsandmusic.biz. The life you save may be your own.
Friday, October 1, 2010
ITS YOUR TIME!
Good Morning friends. It is 2:43 a.m. and I can not sleep. My mind is racing this morning on this, a new month and and the HUGE potential that the upcoming season brings for all of us.
A number of years ago I owned a small candy and gift store. I created my own homemade candies (still do!) and gift-baskets (still do!) and a few other lines. I was renting the space, paying the note to the previous owner, trying to keep lots of stock on hand for my customers, and trying to advertise in both print and radio. Keeping the lights on and the doors open was a constant struggle. But then came the Holiday Season! I knew if I could just hang on til then I would be ok for the rest of the year.
Today it is so much easier to operate a small business than it was back then. I have all the same opportunities with only a fraction of the cost. Thanks to the internet and social media, customers from across town or across the country can shop my store right from their recliners and have products shipped right to their door. I don't have tons of merchandise, tons of overhead, or tons of headache! I can have a little stock and a few catalogs and make as much in one evening at a home party as I did in a week with a storefront. And better yet, by introducing people to the work at home lifestyle, I can help other people start their own home business and earn residual income for myself.
PEOPLE! THIS IS OUR TIME! The summer months have been lean. But now is the time to reap the harvest! There are more people shopping right now than any other time of the year. There are more people looking for part or full time employment to supplement their incomes than any other time of year. Grab your sickle and head for the fields!
I challenge you to put in a little effort during this holiday season and watch your increase come. You can think it, sure! You can believe for it, most definately! You can work for it, and achieve it. It's up to you. The sky is the limit! CHARGE!
A number of years ago I owned a small candy and gift store. I created my own homemade candies (still do!) and gift-baskets (still do!) and a few other lines. I was renting the space, paying the note to the previous owner, trying to keep lots of stock on hand for my customers, and trying to advertise in both print and radio. Keeping the lights on and the doors open was a constant struggle. But then came the Holiday Season! I knew if I could just hang on til then I would be ok for the rest of the year.
Today it is so much easier to operate a small business than it was back then. I have all the same opportunities with only a fraction of the cost. Thanks to the internet and social media, customers from across town or across the country can shop my store right from their recliners and have products shipped right to their door. I don't have tons of merchandise, tons of overhead, or tons of headache! I can have a little stock and a few catalogs and make as much in one evening at a home party as I did in a week with a storefront. And better yet, by introducing people to the work at home lifestyle, I can help other people start their own home business and earn residual income for myself.
PEOPLE! THIS IS OUR TIME! The summer months have been lean. But now is the time to reap the harvest! There are more people shopping right now than any other time of the year. There are more people looking for part or full time employment to supplement their incomes than any other time of year. Grab your sickle and head for the fields!
I challenge you to put in a little effort during this holiday season and watch your increase come. You can think it, sure! You can believe for it, most definately! You can work for it, and achieve it. It's up to you. The sky is the limit! CHARGE!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Who Tells You How To Spend 'Your Money?
The other evening a friend and I decided to go to dinner. I had been working furiously all day and had not had a decent meal so we opted for a local buffet establishment.
As we walked to the counter to pay I could tell that the gentleman in front of me was angry at something and he was taking out on the cashier and the hostess. His language to the teen cashier was completely inappropriate and she stared as a deer in headlights. He was upset because he only wanted s beverage and nothing more. The problem was, this was a buffet restaraunt. Everything they serve is a buffet, there is no menu or a la carte. If he wanted anything he had to pay the full price. Though I could somewhat see his point, he was at an eatery with the word BUFFET in the title.
He kept insisting that "nobody tells me how to spend my @#*^& money. I can turn around and walk my @#$ out the door." In the end, he handed over the money and paid for a full buffet. The entire time I was there he walked around the place insisting that "nobody told him how to spend his money." After several minutes, I commented to my friend that apparently they do or he would not be there drinking at $11.95 glass of tea!
As businessmen and women, we can sometimes feel trapped by vendors or stores or whatever that have such a high premium on the products we need. I guess that I could explain it better like this....Too many times we go to a large wholesale store to buy supplies or other items we need. We really don't need 40,000 paperclips, but to get a good deal, that is what we have to buy. I read recently about three businesses who formed a co-op when they were needing new computers. They went together and shopped and got the best deal because they were buying in bulk. What a novel idea!
I am going to put some time and effort into thinking about this and looking for a way to save money and still not end up with 2000 pencils. I challenge you to do the same and get back with me on how you feel we can be beneficial to each other.
As we walked to the counter to pay I could tell that the gentleman in front of me was angry at something and he was taking out on the cashier and the hostess. His language to the teen cashier was completely inappropriate and she stared as a deer in headlights. He was upset because he only wanted s beverage and nothing more. The problem was, this was a buffet restaraunt. Everything they serve is a buffet, there is no menu or a la carte. If he wanted anything he had to pay the full price. Though I could somewhat see his point, he was at an eatery with the word BUFFET in the title.
He kept insisting that "nobody tells me how to spend my @#*^& money. I can turn around and walk my @#$ out the door." In the end, he handed over the money and paid for a full buffet. The entire time I was there he walked around the place insisting that "nobody told him how to spend his money." After several minutes, I commented to my friend that apparently they do or he would not be there drinking at $11.95 glass of tea!
As businessmen and women, we can sometimes feel trapped by vendors or stores or whatever that have such a high premium on the products we need. I guess that I could explain it better like this....Too many times we go to a large wholesale store to buy supplies or other items we need. We really don't need 40,000 paperclips, but to get a good deal, that is what we have to buy. I read recently about three businesses who formed a co-op when they were needing new computers. They went together and shopped and got the best deal because they were buying in bulk. What a novel idea!
I am going to put some time and effort into thinking about this and looking for a way to save money and still not end up with 2000 pencils. I challenge you to do the same and get back with me on how you feel we can be beneficial to each other.
What If I could Be Positive In My Own Outlook
I don't watch the news anymore. I read the newspaper even less. It's not that I am not interested in what is happening in the world or that I am illiterate. It's simply the barrage of negativity that flows from the teleprompter and out of the anchors mouth. I simply can n0t pick up another news paper and read about the depravity of this world. It's like Tyler Perry's character Madea telling her granddaughter to throw hot grits on the man who is beating her because, "it sticks."
What we think and ponder on affects every area of our lives: our family, our finances, our relationships, and yes, even our business. Thoughts often become deeds. There is hardly an action that we speak or a word we say that did not start as a thought. Therefore, I believe, our thoughts are to us as a rudder is to a ship. They guide and steer us in every direction we take.
I once worked with a lady who had been divorced for over twenty years. Still every day she talked about how her ex-husband had cheated on her and left her. She spent so much time being bitter that there was nothing in her life she enjoyed. She had two wonderful and attentive children and some beautiful grandchildren that she could hardly enjoy because of the bitterness and anger she had allowed to take root in her life. Soon it began to manifest in physical ailments that evetually caused her to go into an early retirement.
Friend, you and I know that is no way to live. If you look around you, you will notice that on every corner there are businesses folding and closing their doors. They leave behind unemployed men and women with families. For you and I, failure is not an option. Our business is the lifeblood to not only us, but to our community. Small business is the mainstay in any economy. We are blessed to be our own boss and to have the freedom that small or home businesses offer. Since we are the backbone of our financial society, then we must no fall by the wayside. Instead, we must thrive and grow and multiply.
We can not afford to let our rudders be moved by the story tides of negativity. So keep your head held high. Put on blinders if you must. Do whatever you have to do to perservere in your business. Think possitive. Act possitive. Live possitive. Take each step in faith. Be strong and courageous and prove the naysayers wrong. It is our time to shine!
What we think and ponder on affects every area of our lives: our family, our finances, our relationships, and yes, even our business. Thoughts often become deeds. There is hardly an action that we speak or a word we say that did not start as a thought. Therefore, I believe, our thoughts are to us as a rudder is to a ship. They guide and steer us in every direction we take.
I once worked with a lady who had been divorced for over twenty years. Still every day she talked about how her ex-husband had cheated on her and left her. She spent so much time being bitter that there was nothing in her life she enjoyed. She had two wonderful and attentive children and some beautiful grandchildren that she could hardly enjoy because of the bitterness and anger she had allowed to take root in her life. Soon it began to manifest in physical ailments that evetually caused her to go into an early retirement.
Friend, you and I know that is no way to live. If you look around you, you will notice that on every corner there are businesses folding and closing their doors. They leave behind unemployed men and women with families. For you and I, failure is not an option. Our business is the lifeblood to not only us, but to our community. Small business is the mainstay in any economy. We are blessed to be our own boss and to have the freedom that small or home businesses offer. Since we are the backbone of our financial society, then we must no fall by the wayside. Instead, we must thrive and grow and multiply.
We can not afford to let our rudders be moved by the story tides of negativity. So keep your head held high. Put on blinders if you must. Do whatever you have to do to perservere in your business. Think possitive. Act possitive. Live possitive. Take each step in faith. Be strong and courageous and prove the naysayers wrong. It is our time to shine!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
How To Be Green While Making Green
This morning I was sipping my coffee and working online when something struck me. My company is doing it's dead level best to produce GREEN products that are friendly to the environment. In fact, many corporations now are seeing the damage done to the planet by our excessive use of chemicals and products that are not biodegradable. It's a common fact, if we continue to use up the environment, someday it will have to fight back.
So, anyway........I'm sitting here in my undies and working while the dog sleeps on the sofa next to me. All of the sudden it dawns on me how working at home has caused me to be GREEN with little to no effort. By working from home I am GREEN because I:
1. Do not have to do laundry so often since I am not in an office every day. That means that I save money on clothes that I would not ordinarily have to wear. In addition, it means that I do less laundry which uses energy, water, and chemical detergents often sold in non-biodegradable plastics or paper.
2. I burn less gas in my vehicle since I am not out on the road everyday. That means less carbon monoxide in the air from my engine. It means less oil and other fluids needed to make the vehicle run properly.
3. It means that I am not generating mounds of paperwork, memo's and etc. that I would working in an office that depletes our natural woodlands.......we all know the devestation that brings to the air and the animal kingdom.
These are just a few of the things that changed when I started working from home, I wonder how many more I could think of if I really tried.
Have you considered moving your office into your home? Starting your own home based business? GREEN is just one more reason to give it some serious thought.
So, anyway........I'm sitting here in my undies and working while the dog sleeps on the sofa next to me. All of the sudden it dawns on me how working at home has caused me to be GREEN with little to no effort. By working from home I am GREEN because I:
1. Do not have to do laundry so often since I am not in an office every day. That means that I save money on clothes that I would not ordinarily have to wear. In addition, it means that I do less laundry which uses energy, water, and chemical detergents often sold in non-biodegradable plastics or paper.
2. I burn less gas in my vehicle since I am not out on the road everyday. That means less carbon monoxide in the air from my engine. It means less oil and other fluids needed to make the vehicle run properly.
3. It means that I am not generating mounds of paperwork, memo's and etc. that I would working in an office that depletes our natural woodlands.......we all know the devestation that brings to the air and the animal kingdom.
These are just a few of the things that changed when I started working from home, I wonder how many more I could think of if I really tried.
Have you considered moving your office into your home? Starting your own home based business? GREEN is just one more reason to give it some serious thought.
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