Stylease Baby Talk

How To Deliver Effective Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:35:00 +0000

"O, it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters..."
William Shakespeare: Hamlet - Act 3, Scene 2

Giving presentations to audiences, large or small, can be a daunting and anxiety-ridden task. You’re going to be in front of a group of people, some you may know, some may be total strangers. You’re on stage, all eyes are on you, the audience has high expectations or they wouldn’t be there. Every word, every nuance, your appearance, the tone of your voice, not to mention the content of your presentation, will be scrutinized in every way. You know what you want to say – you know the material – but there’s that nagging feeling that you’ll say the wrong thing or you’ll have a spot on your suit or there will be some errant distraction.
Business presentations take many forms. Some are extremely formal with highly detailed information… how do you make sure the audience doesn’t get lost in the detail and focuses on the overall message? Some are informal and the difficulty is controlling the cross-talk. What about the technical aspects? What will you do if the projector goes out; do you have a backup plan? The outcome you want is that when the audience leaves, they will remember the information and be impressed with the overall presentation. These steps offer some guidelines on how to accomplish that purpose.

Steps

Know your audience and understand its perspective. Whether your goal is persuasion, or simply to inform, you need to understand your audience, its level of expertise and how your message will resonate. Crafting a presentation for a group of high school interns would be very different compared to an executive report to management, pitching a sales idea, or addressing a hostile audience about why the company needs to cut benefits.
Research thoroughly. You absolutely must be an expert on the subject. Okay, you don’t have to be the world’s leading authority, but you have to know the critical facts as well as much of the little-known information. Just talking about things everybody already knows is a recipe for boredom. It’s not at all unusual to spend weeks, or months, getting the facts, alternate opinions and comments from reputable sources as well as what the general community may think.
Document your sources. Where you get your information is as important as the information itself. Without solid, peer-reviewed data, you’re just a person with an opinion. The audience, in this exercise, is expecting facts and projections. Your personal opinion may very well be important but it must not be the only thing you present. You won’t be listing the sources ad nauseum (you will bore them silly) but you do want to be able to give citations when asked.
Write your speech. Off-the-cuff talks are fine if you’re on a soap box in a park. In a large room with hundreds of attendees, you just can’t afford that. You might not exactly "read" the speech, but that’s certainly not uncommon, especially if you’re going to be using a teleprompter. Print the speech in large print so you can easily see it at a glance without appearing to read from it. You want to give the appearance of talking to the audience instead of reading to them, but you also want the words and phrases to be precise and predetermined.
Prepare the slide show. If you're going to use a slide show, the visuals you will show to the audience need to be designed to support what you’re saying. Avoid showing a slide that has an inordinate amount of detail – the visuals are for impact. A spreadsheet with dozens of rows and columns will be basically meaningless. Titles on the slide should reflect the content of the slide and support what you’re saying. Do not read the slide! Assume the audience can read. The visuals should support your words, not duplicate them. There are very few things you can do that will have a worse impact than reading what the audience can read on their own. If all you’re going to do is put up slides and repeat what’s on them, then they don’t need you.
- PowerPoint slides, overhead projectors, blackboards, and whiteboards are "visual aids" and should be treated as such. First, they should be visual, focusing on graphics, illustrations and plots rather than text. If your slides contain large blocks of text--or even a few sentences in bullet points--your audience will spend their time reading instead of focusing on you and the points you want to draw attention to. Second, they should be aids--don't rely on the slides to make the presentation for you. Your speech should have more content than the slides.
- Don't pack slides too densely. If you put too much information up at once, the audience will lose focus.
- Don't use too many flashy graphics and animations. They distract attention from the information content of the slides--and they will distract attention away from you, the speaker, and what you are saying.
- Time your presentation to fit the information. If there is a time limit, be sure you stick to it including time for questions, if that is planned. It is better to pare down the material rather than to rush through it more quickly. Time your visuals to coincide with your speech. Avoid unnecessary or redundant slides such as outlines that describe the presentation to follow.
- If you have more material than you can fit in the time limit, push that material onto "extra" slides after the end of your presentation. Those slides might come in handy if, during Q&A, someone asks you for more detail. Then, you will look extra-well-prepared!
- Make sure the color schemes of slides are appropriate for the presentation venue. In some situations, dark text on a light background looks best, while sometimes light text on a dark background is easier to read. You might even prepare a version of your presentation in both formats just in case.
Rehearse alone. Do this repeatedly. Read your speech and watch your presentation dozens of times. This needs to be so familiar to you that you know what slide is next; what you’re going to say about each one, how you will segue between slides… this must be second nature to you. When you begin to get completely bored with doing this and you know it by rote, then you’re ready for the next step.
Do a dress rehearsal. Enlist some people that you trust to give honest opinions. These should be people that are reasonably representative of your expected audience. Give them the whole presentation. Have them make notes during the rehearsal – where are you confusing; what is particularly good? Have them also concentrate on you: Are you moving around too much; too little? You don’t want to appear "hyper" but you also don’t want to come across as a monotone statue.
Tweak the presentation. Take what you learned in the dress rehearsal and make modifications. Try to put yourself in the audience when you do this. What will they hear when the slides are on the screen?
Prepare yourself. So far, the steps have all been about preparing your presentation. Now, it’s time to think about you. Unless you do this for a living, you’re going to be nervous. Do some visual imagery of yourself in front of the crowd; doing a perfect job; getting applause, oohs and aahs. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and go over the presentation, imagine yourself being completely in control without any stumbling. This is a very, very important step. Professional athletes use this virtually every time before they go out to perform. It’s a proven technique.[1][2] Use it. You should also be doing this immediately before you go on stage.
Introduce the presentation. You’ve done a great job preparing, you know the material, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve visualized perfection – in short, you’re ready. One of the very important things to which you must pay close attention is your physical demeanor. You don't want to look too stiff, and you don't want to look too casual. You should have already gotten the right stance and movement in your dress rehearsal.
Present the material. Obviously, this is the meat of the subject. Remember you are the expert. Also remember… you will be nervous. How to avoid "stage fright" varies from person to person (you have heard the "imagine them in their underwear") but one serious tip is to use eye contact. Present to one person – then another – then another. Don’t think of it as a large crowd… you’re talking to one person at a time. Remember that YOU are the presentation.
Question and answer. This is optional, but can be an important way to clarify key points and be certain that your audience received your message. How to do a Q&A session is worthy of an article in itself but there are a few things you should consider.
- You must be in control. Some questions will undoubtedly be less than friendly. When you get those, answer them factually and move on. Just don’t call on that person again.
- You also might get "soft" questions that don’t really ask anything new – be careful with those. They’re easy and don’t deserve a lot of time. Don’t dismiss them or brush them off, but don’t spend too much time rehashing what you’ve already said. Answer factually, bring in some new information, then move on.
- Open the QA with, "before I close, are there any questions". This allows for a strong close and not a presentation that withers away with poor audience participation.
- When you get a question, first repeat the question to the audience so everyone can hear it, then proceed to answer.
- Take a few seconds to formulate a clear answer before replying to a question. Failing to do so can lead to wandering or vague responses that do not reflect well on you as a speaker.
Exit the stage. Thank everyone for their attention, tell them the presentation is available in printed form. If you will be available for personal consultation, make sure you mention that. Don’t spend a lot of time in the exit; you’re finished – exit graciously.

Small Group Events
The previous steps are oriented primarily towards more formal presentations. In a less formal setting, consider the following:

Remember adults are self-directed. You are a facilitator and not a grade school teacher.

Ask your audience to share their experiences with the group; adults need to connect learning to their knowledge base.

Help your audience see the importance of your topic to their work. Adults are goal-oriented and will appreciate an educational program that is organized and has clearly defined elements.

Remember to show your audience respect. They bring a wealth of experiential knowledge to your presentation and will, if allowed, contribute richly to it.

Control the cross-talk. In these evironments you can lose control of the presentation if you do not maintain the focus of the audience. This does not mean adopting Draconian-style dictatorship, but do make sure everyone is aware that you are the presenter and keep control of the other participants.

Tips

Dress for the event. Plan what you’ll wear and lay it out the night before. Is it formal dress; business casual; jeans and t-shirt? What you wear depends in part on the audience and in part on the material. Whatever you wear, make sure it’s clean and looks nice on you. Clothes that are too tight or too loose for your body shape will distract the audience from your presentation. You want them concentrating on the material – not how you look. Avoid clothing with distracting designs, as listeners may go on more "mental vacations" and miss important aspects of the presentation.
Walk as you talk. Move around a bit, but not so much as to be distracting. Your movements and body language can evoke interest, reinforce the emotions of your stories and punctuate a change of pace or topic.
Prepare handouts. You will want printed copies of the slides, and perhaps notes, to be available to the audience… after the presentation is over. You can also use these as a backup to hand out in case the technology you’re using fails. If the projector goes out, you can quickly distribute the printed material.
If you stumble. Recover and move on. Don’t dwell on that. It’s perfectly OK to correct yourself, but don’t focus on it. Don’t try to turn it into a joke – just account for the error (if necessary) and proceed as though it didn’t happen. Focus on the present and the future – not the past.
You might start with a humorous anecdote. If you do this, be very sure you try this on your dress rehearsal group and pay attention to their feedback. This often works to get the audience, and you, relaxed. But if you bomb on the joke, it will take time to recover.
If appropriate, honor some attendees by name. Cite individual audience members by name as positive examples of the points you are making. Interview the meeting planner well in advance, sharing your main points and gathering examples that involve people in the planned audience. If you do this, make sure you pronounce the names correctly.
If the audience will be seeing multiple presentations in one session, focus on what your audience should remember most from your presentation.
On bullet slides, set up the slide to start blank and to add bullets one by one only after a mouse click. Dim (gray) the previous bullets that you've already covered, so only the new bullet is highlighted. Having a slide full of bullet items in front of the audience is an invitation for them to read ahead or get distracted by re-reading old material, instead of listening to you. By dimming the previous bullets, they're still readable should someone (or you!) need to refer back, but they're also "in the background" enough to direct the focus onto the current bullet.
Confidence! It's the magical charm that makes others want to listen. If you've followed the steps so far, everything will be fine with nothing to worry about. So look straight at your audience members, speak clearly and keep the pace of the presentation.

Warnings

Do not hand out the presentation in advance. This is a very, very common mistake. If you do that, the audience will read and not watch. You will lose their attention and the impact will be gone.
Strictly avoid "pause" words. "Um" or "uh" are things you must avoid. A pause is better than an inappropriate conjunctive. When used appropriately, pauses can be highly effective. Winston Churchill was supposed to be famous for dramatically pausing during speeches, then blurting out what he would have said anyway, giving the audience an impression that the phrase had just occurred to him.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19990501-000018.html

↑ http://healthjournal.upmc.com/0405/MentalTraining.htm

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Deliver Effective Presentations. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Find a Manufacturer

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:56:00 +0000

I found an exciting link this morning that I wanted to let you know about.

I make absolutely NO guarantee of the quality of the facilities listed but man, what a great resource for finding a manufacturer!

The Export Bureau

The great thing about it is it gives you a terrific selection of companies in every category from all over the world and provides some info on each company. If you click on the tiny bar graph to the left of each company name it gives you a breakdown of what the company does so you can see if they are just private label or of they design from specs or what.

It appears to be a non-biased, not for profit group. Bonus. I have not confirmed or researched it though, I just found it and hastily posted the link, perhaps exposing you to fraudulent rubes and thieves.

You're welcome. (read: Tengas muy cuidado!)

And as a complete non-sequetor, here is a new picture of Mr. Bubbles cause he is just so darn cute. Do I have time for another pet? No. But here we are Wobert.*

* Edna Mode said that in "The Incredibles". We use it all the time. :o)

I'm off to somewhere to find a pressie for the hubster. Our 14 year anniversary is tomorrow.

Have a lovely day.

Holy Time Warp Bat Man

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:11:00 +0000

I guess I had a busy March. Last I looked up it was, well, what I thought was two weeks since my last post.

HA!

But the dated blog post doesn't lie. So, how was your March? I know in Michigan, March is downright miserable. Folks are tired of being cooped up. The weather teases you with shades of spring then dumps more freezing rain on your hopes and dreams of sun and fun. Here in So Cal however, I must say March is grand. Trees budding and flowers poking up in places.
I had several shows in March. One in NY and one in the Bay Area. They went ok, considering no one is spending due to all their money ending up in their gas tanks. I'm thankful I drive a hybrid.

Here is a new addition to our family... Yep, It's a pig. And yes, he will be a city pig.
His name:

Mr. Cobra Bubbles

Understanding the Core of Strategic Partnerships

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:27:00 +0000

The definition of a strategic partnership is "a formal alliance between two commercial enterprises, usually formalized by one or more business contracts, but falls short of forming a legal partnership or, agency, or corporate affiliate relationship."

Whew! Does it really have to be that hard? Absolutely not. You form strategic partnerships all the time without even realizing it. A strategic partnership simply takes the resources that a person or company has to offer and combines them with the equally valuable, but differing resources of another person or company in order to save time, money or energy - or all of the above.

The easy analogy of strategic partnerships

Have you ever borrowed something from someone? A power tool, a ladder, something you didn't have, that you didn't necessarily want to spend your time and resources to acquire because you weren't sure that you would need to use the item often? Well, that's a simplified form of a strategic alliance. Your neighbor provided you with a resource that you didn't have and didn't necessarily want to acquire. Chances are you'll reciprocate in some fashion at some point in time.

Typically, when two companies form a strategic partnership, each business has a particular asset that the other company doesn't want to spend the time and energy to develop for themselves. For instance, manufacturing companies form strategic alliances with inventors. The manufacturer provides the product materials, production, and distribution. The inventor provides the creative or technical expertise. Normally, it's a win-win situation for both parties because it saves them time and money, while allowing each party to focus on what they do best.

Finding a strategic partnership balance

Strategic partnerships are often seen in between companies who are in the same industry, but who are not in direct competition. A small car dealer may develop a strategic alliance or partnership with bank who can offer financing to the dealer's customers. The dealer wins because he doesn't need to be licensed for loans, but he can service his customers and sell cars. The bank wins because they are being sent customers that they didn't have to solicit.

Think about service and product providers in your industry who are not in direct competition with your business. Who offers a product or service that could be beneficial to your business that you do not have the time or resources to develop? What would be an area of your business that could be beneficial to them?

In one example, a marketing company that specializes in strategy developed a strategic alliance with a graphic design firm because they included collateral development as part of their strategy. However, the marketing company did not want to develop a design department. They felt it wouldn't be cost-effective given their strategic niche. The design firm often had people looking for a more comprehensive marketing plan than what they chose to offer. Obviously, this was a strategic partnership that worked well for both companies.

Take a look at your business and begin to think about areas that are not your focus, but for which you continually hear requests. Now, take a look and find a company that services that area. You may need to "try out" a company or two before you find the right fit, but when you do, it will have been worth the time and effort.

Here is a great link to a specialist in joint ventures.

Christian Fea is a Collaboration Marketing Strategist. He empowers business owners to discover how to implement Integration, Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics to solve their specific business challenges. He demonstrates how you can create your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your new sales, conversation rates, and repeat business. He can be reached at: http://www.christianfea.com

Copyright © 2008 Christian Fea

It Pays to Poke Around

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Good morning my cheeky monkeys. (I love Craig Ferguson)

A friend of mine sent me a link in an email to "click here and join this website and we will plant a tree". Well I clicked, just to be a good friend but then it started asking me my personal info and I'm thinking, "hang on a second, what am I signing up for and how much junk mail will this mean. I don't need any more male member enhancing advertising sent to my obviously female named address..." So the clicking quest stopped there.

The main problem is that my friend had sent the link to my main e-mail address which happens to be the one I use for business. I have had to kill my main address before due to spam and it was a nightmare because it was on all my business cards. And Amex sent me $800 in chargebacks for fraudulent internet orders because I never answered their inquiries because I forgot to update my contact info with them after killing that e-mail even though I implemented redirecting autoresponders and mail forwarding for over a year! OUCH!

Mid-Story Moral: Have a different address than your main business contact, for personal e-mail!! DUH!

I digress... So I didn't sign up for this site from that e-mail, BUT I did go to that website directly. The website is called Mamasource.com. I liked the name and thought there might be something to it.

Boy am I glad I went in search of. This is a terrific site. One of the best things I like about it is it connects local people. All the moms asking for advise are right here in the city I registered as mine so it has a very local flavor. I was surprised how many responses post so rapidly from many qualified, intelligent people. People post a concern or question and get an onslaught of advise and comments very rapidly. What a fantastic resource.

I'm trying to think of something I want advise on so I can post in that capacity. In the meantime I'm enjoying my daily, brief newsletter and browsing people's questions. Some, I lend advise to and others I just look forward to reading what other folks have to say. It's a very inspiring and encouraging community. I also listed my business, since I'm a mompreneur and business owner and they naturally support that kind of thing.

Do yourself a favor and check out Mamasource! It's also on my side bar.

Carry on my cheeky monkeys.

Qualities Required to Start Your Own Business

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:26:00 +0000

A lack of skill, ability and experience in certain business areas need not be a barrier to success and starting your own business. The personal qualities exerted by a small business owner overcoming deficiencies over and over again are vital and present in many entrepreneurs much more so that specific technical knowledge.

Not everyone is a master of all business attributes in fact very few are. Certainly being a master of all is a fantastic position but unrealistic while certain personal qualities are essential to fight the inevitable battles to come. Business battles the successful entrepreneur wins.

Businesses that have grown and become medium sized and bigger are not reliant on the business owner entirely. Employees are engaged with specialist skills and abilities to develop and grow the business. A sole trader just starting out has to settle for a comfortable living or have the ability to grow the business to the point where more specialist abilities can be added to the business.

Most small business owners who start a new business do so in an area where that small business owner has some knowledge, experience and skill. It is a natural progression having acquired the business knowledge and experience to use those abilities to build the business under self employment rules rather than earn profits for an employer.

The personal qualities a small business owner possesses are more likely to determine the level of success. Abilities such as hard work, determination, persistence, intuition, tolerance and aggression can be the bedrock of success. But the road to success is not all slam wham bang for the entrepreneur.

Small business owners invariably work longer and harder than employees. An employee works for wages and an adequate work performance is enough. A small business owner is more likely to be on the job at first light, miss the coffee and dinner break and twelve hours later announce he has to finish off for the day because he has to go home and do the business accounting books that he started on Sunday.

Determination and persistence go hand in glove with success. Every new business runs into problems at some time or reaches a stage where the business owner needs to be completely focused and stick with a strategy to make the plans work. Things go wrong from time to time; its normal, determination and persistence are valuable qualities to see through these times.

Aggression in forcing through a business plan may sometimes be the only viable option. Not physical violence but the heightened state of anxiety to push through the plan and make it work with controlled aggression and passion. On the other side of the coin there will be times when the small business owner has to exercise tolerance and just go with the flow.

Many small start up businesses go out of business within 2 to 3 years of starting a new business. A major cause is under capitalisation which basically means they run out of money. Liquidity is a major area of concern for every small business entrepreneur and a cautious approach to a new business can be of considerable value.

There is a strong tendency for a new business start up to borrow money and buy new equipment just to get started. Such businesses are taking a major risk the plans will work. Some plans do work but rarely it is a smooth path and a better option is to build the business and reinvest profits made.

A more cautious approach would be to start a new business without borrowing substantial funds because if the small business owner has the ability to make a success of the business and make money then they can usually do so without external funding and use the profits made to build the business in the future. The sound reason for a small business or a start up business to borrow money is to already be showing a good financial performance and use extra funds to speed up future success while borrowing funds with no track record is a gamble.

Here is a good source for accounting and payroll!

Terry Cartwright, DIY Accounting qualified accountant designs Small Business Accounting Software on excel spreadsheets and Payroll Software for small to medium sized business providing a complete accounting and bookkeeping solution and also supplies Company Formation packages for new limited liability companies

Shipping Ports

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Who knows what kind of readers that heading will pull in. Organized crime bosses, kingpins, oh hey, maybe first time manufacturers struggling to make sense of it all.

I was scared to death of importing when I got started. How was I supposed to master the container shipping industry and import tariffs and dockside management and and and... I just want to design baby clothes!

DELEGATE - and I don't mean the presidential kind... find someone who knows how to do a specialized service you need and PAY THEM to do it for you. You actually save money by spending it. With that attitude I should work for the Federal Reserve. I'm not republican but at first glance, I kinda like Huckabee's idea of doing away with income tax and replacing it with a 23% national sales tax. Tax on what you spend, not what you earn. I'm sure there is a way to easily corrupt it and the rich get richer and poor get the shaft, just like any idea that starts out as a nice thing... oh that's just me being an optimist...

But I digress... FedEx holds my import bond and they do everything for me, door to door. It's lovely. The reason for this shipping port post, quickly before I endure the masses of Los Angeles County at Costco, which is an unfortunate but necessary trip I must make this morning, is because I was in Long Beach yesterday and I saw where my goods come in when they arrive from China. Grizzly shipping dock by day, seedy shipping dock by night but awfully pretty at sunset.

So they make their way here via LCL in a 20' container shared with who knows what else. LCL meaning Less Than Container Load. It's much more cost effective but more risky because if someone else's goods, with whom you are sharing the container, runs into problems, your shipment can be held up indefinitely. And you generally can't pick your container roommates. Logistically it's complicated.

Then the goods get off loaded and put on a train and rail across the US to Detroit where they are put on a truck that takes them to the warehouse in MI. And all that happens with one phone call. Then an e-mail that tells me the goods have been checked in. Ahhhh efficiency. It's yummy!

Even though we are now out in Los Angeles... 35 minutes from where the goods arrive, it is more cost effective to truck them around, house them and drop ship from the Midwest.

But why, you ask? But how? Well insurance is very reasonable as there are no natural disasters there. The zip code they reside in is a benefit because there is virtually no crime. And they are centrally located so it is cheaper to ship to all places from the middle than to every place from one coast or another. Plus we have a house in the dreamy little town where the warehouse is and we can write off our visits... SO THERE.

The container cranes through a porthole cause I'm artsy-fartsy.

The lovely town of Long Beach... home of the Queen Mary

And NO Time Life Magazine, you may not use this picture without paying me huge royalties that will help fund my company... You can look at it but you can't have it. :-) It made me all patriotic and stuff.

Off to Costco... Wish me luck.

Seize the moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:51:00 +0000

Ya know when someone suggests something and you think,
"Oh I really SHOULD do that but I just don't feel like it?" or
"That sounds like fun but it just seems like too much trouble."

Well, I suffer from this kind of thinking. Luckily my hubby just says, "Come on, we are doing this." And I drag along until I get with the program. If this sounds like you, do your best to find the energy to experience what is in front of you.

If I hadn't climbed to the top of the peak (which is something I only half wanted to do) I would have missed this view.

Now that would have been a pity!

This is Lake Tahoe. Not a bad place to grow up.

Have a great day!

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:02:00 +0000

Moving weeks/days before Christmas is something we have done for two years in a row. I'm very glad to be in a new house with more room but it makes the normal Christmas groove a little challenging.

Luckily our kids don't seem to notice. We have the Las Vegas, all white Christmas tree up, half decorated. But hey, we are going up north for Christmas week anyway. Ya know, when you are spinning burning plates at both ends in the air things get re-prioritized.

Hu?

One bit of holiday advice I have for you is:

DON'T IGNORE THE WRENCH!

Our 2006 Honda hybrid had the little orange wrench show up on the dash board. This means something needs attention. We knew that the oil needed to be changed so we assumed that was the problem and just kept driving around for a day or two... then we began lurching around the neighborhood floored, going 4 miles an hour. Even with my hazards on because my hamster powered car was OBVIOUSLY having "issues" people were honking at me and swerving around me like I was some kind of hundred year old Sunday driver from Pokipsy.

I'm quite sure being behind me was like following a street sweeper being driven by someone who was reading the paper while talking on the phone between bites of a big mac but Jeeze people! I honestly could not go any faster. Eventually we rolled backwards into a parking place, engine dead. 8:00pm on a school night, two kids in the back seat, one coming down with a cold, the other asking, "Is the car dead? What happened? Will we have to get a new one? Idon'twanttowalkhomeWhenarewegoingtoeatMomI'mhungryIsthecarok
IwantnoodlesWhenarewegoinghomeArewegoingouttoeatI'mcoldIhavetogopee

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

I figured since it was a hybrid and the assist battery gage was gone, just plain empty, that it was a battery thing. And not the kind you can jump and get on your way... But the expensive kind. The hybrid kind.

I kept saying, "In a normal car, it feels like the carburetor isn't getting any gas, likes it's a clogged fuel filter." My main point of reference being our "other" car, my 1971 Volkswagon bug that was a birthday present for my 16th birthday. Now THAT car I expect to break.

But you pop the hood on the hybrid half expecting to find Tinker Bell and her friends sprinkling fairy dust in there and it just mysteriously running... the engine doesn't even turn over when you start it, it just kind of - goes on - then hums, does not ever shift gears, the engine completely stops when you slow down but kicks in when you take your foot off the break. That's NORMAL operation so how the hell was I supposed to know what the wrench stood for? What on earth could go wrong with the magic-mobile? Was Tink caught in a fan belt? Did it even have a fan? Or a belt?

Well apparently it does have a fuel pump, JUST like one of them regular type cars! ... and a faulty fuel pump at that. Just like a regular car. So much for my romantic, exotic manifestation of some new fangled Jetsonesque repair. Sigh.

So the kids and I took a taxi home while R dealt with the car.

So when your little wrench goes on in the dashboard of life, don't ignore it or it will likely bite you in the butt at a most inconvenient time.

That reminds me, I need to make an appointment for a physical.

Have a very happy holiday.

Here is a link to a fantastic post by Mamanista.com. They offered Stylease as a contest prize. I love seeing which outfits people liked best. I will make a note of it when designing the next line. Thanks Mamanista!!!

http://www.mamanista.com/2007

Why Trying to Fit In Doesn't Work

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:33:00 +0000

With the holiday season upon us, and the stress some are faced with, yet again this year, just like every year... dealing with the in-laws or long lost crazy uncle, being forced together to have a happy holiday season, let's face it... It's a stressful time of year. But it shouldn't be! I have a little story for you...

I've been taking voice lessons on and off for the past couple of years. In my last lesson, I was having some trouble. I just wasn't singing well. I wasn't hitting the right notes and my timing was off. I was annoyed with myself and my frustration was building. Finally, my voice teacher said to me, "Stop thinking, stop trying so hard, and just sing." So I did.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let go. Suddenly I was singing again, and sounding great. Afterwards, it occurred to me that I was just trying too hard.

I was trying to hit the right notes,
trying to breathe in the right places,
trying to project my voice...
I was caving under the pressure.

But once I stopped trying so hard and started trusting myself, the pressure went away. My performance improved greatly, I felt relaxed, and I had fun.

If you're trying really hard to live life the way you're "supposed" to, then chances are you're stressed out, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Stop trying to fit in and start embracing your differences. Trust yourself and do what works for you, not what works for everyone else. Some examples include:

* Feeling comfortable taking care of yourself, even if that means saying "no" to people or taking a day off just to relax

* Doing whatever it is you have to do in order to pay attention, even if that means doodling in a meeting

* Organizing yourself in ways that are comfortable for you, even if that means being a little disorganized compared to most people's standards

* Refusing to stress out about the little things, even if that means running a few minutes late sometimes

Don't try to be good at everything. Don't try to conform to other people's standards. Set your own principals and standards and stick to them for you, not someone else.

Success isn't all about money and material gains. It's about feeling comfortable being yourself, and finding solutions to your challenges on your own terms. It's about enjoying your life, and having confidence in yourself.

Most entrepreneurs aren't afraid to be the "odd one out" because they know that following other people's rules doesn't always work. It leads to stress, frustration, anxiety, and pressure. Breaking those rules and making your own is sometimes a much better fit.

Wouldn't you rather be happy and successful than waste energy trying to fit in?

So go ahead and let your relative attempt to guilt you about whatever their hang-ups are... how you aren't good enough for your spouse or you don't cook right or whatever... They're going to do it anyway. Bring it on. If you refuse to let their standards be imposed upon you, then *POOF* no worries. Once you don't let them get to you, it's kinda fun to watch them try.

Here is a good book if you suffer from a little "Trying to Fit In Syndrome"... Apparently some adults with ADD are especially vulnerable to this. Even if you don't have ADD, most of us have so much crammed into our brain that sometimes it's a challenge to stay organized and prioritize what's important. And that is taking care of yourself.

If you don't have much cluttering your gray matter, congratulations! What's that like?!

Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder of the ADD Management Group, Inc. and the author of the new book Odd One Out: The Maverick's Guide to Adult ADD. Jennifer and her team work with ADD adults who are overwhelmed with everyday life in order to help them simplify, focus, and succeed. For free resources and information on adult ADD, visit http://www.ADDmanagement.com .

Setting SMART Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 04:57:00 +0000

Happy November!

We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different outcome. So if you resolve to re-commit to any unfulfilled goal (lose 10 pounds, quit smoking, find a new job, etc.), I have some suggestions for taking the struggle out of the process.

Write your goals down. You can write them in your journal, in your Palm Pilot, or on a cocktail napkin. The physical act of writing anything down commands that “Google search engine” that is your subconscious mind to attract resources, information, anything you need to attain that goal. Further, as soon as you attain one goal, create another. Keep a constant “Things to Do List” for your life.

When writing your goals down, make them SMART:

Specific and Simple. The subconscious, which is where all behavior comes from, needs clarity and precision. Broad goals such as “I will be happier in 2006” are too vague. Ask yourself what specifically would make you happier? A new career? Make that your goal. The subconscious is a doer, not a thinker, and it must receive the bottom line, crystal clear bulleted targets: “I’m enrolling in law school.” Or I’m being promoted to vice president.” Or “I’m becoming a non-smoker.” Don’t flood the engine of the subconscious with TMI (too much information) such as complex business plans and financial projections from the data processing department.

Measurable and Meaningful. How will you know when you’ve gotten your goal? Make it easy for your subconscious to help you attain your goal. “I’m making $250,000 this year.” “I’m doubling my sales quotas.” These are “idiot proof” measures that anyone (including your subconscious) can recognize and applaud.

Your goals should be meaningful to you. I can’t tell you how many people think they have no willpower or that they constantly self-sabotage. Actually, at the root of it all, they simply don’t want that goal. Perhaps they keep failing the Bar Exam because they really don’t want to be an attorney…they’ve been trying to please their parents, or someone else. Make sure your goals are in line with YOUR dreams, because it will show up in your work, in your health, in your heart, in your face, and in your life.

Achievable. All Areas of your Life. Act as if you have it now.

There is no point in chasing after a goal that is unachievable (although with quantum physics, the unachievable is beginning to be a thing of the past). It’s an unachievable goal for President George W. Bush to hold a third term. (Thank God!) There are certain professional standards and limitations that we must honor, and allow them to guide us setting our goals.

Act as if you have it now, and it is simply a matter of time before it becomes reality. This is not delusion …unless of course you are constantly affirming that you are the Queen of England. You begin calling yourself to a higher level, clearing fears and obstacles out of your way, and summoning all the forces of the environment to fall in line with the new you. It is rehearsal. It’s training your subconscious to draw its attention to your goal to manifest it. You will be shocked and amazed at how many “coincidences” begin occurring when you stand in your commitment.

Realistic and Responsible. Our goals must be realistic. I can hardly expect to become an attorney if I have not completed law school and passed the Bar Exam. Our goals must be in line with our training, experience, as well as our desires.

Set responsible, ecological goals. It may not be responsible to open a liquor store if your spouse is an alcoholic. Rethink any goals that may damage the environment or cause others to suffer.

Timed and Toward. Give your goal a deadline (first quarter of the next year by March, in 5 years, etc). If you miss the deadline, no need to beat yourself up. Simply reset it and re-commit. Quantifying and qualifying goals keep us in action and fosters a fun, sportsmanlike spirit about it. When we simply say: “I’m becoming a better golfer,” then losing just one stroke has technically made you a better golfer. Setting a specific goal (“I’m consistently scoring within 3 points of par by the end of this year” gives you a healthy sense of urgency in attaining your goal.

You might consider designing a goal that moves toward something positive or pleasurable as opposed to moving from something negative or painful. When we want a new job just because we hate our current one, we will probably recreate the same misery, if not worse. This is because we get what we focus on. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream was not based on moving people away from racial injustice, oppression and discrimination, but rather it was toward brotherhood, equality, and freedom for everyone. Use this as a map for a world of difference and power in your goal attainment.

So rather than focusing on losing 20 lbs. because you feel like a fat pig who can’t get your clothes on, focus on overall health and fitness and fitting in that ideal suit size again. The first mindset has a limited, negative charge (down) and the latter is positive (up) and limitless. Where are there more possibilities: in outer space or in the ground?

Now go out and get your goals!

If you are interested in some interesting links to get and stay motivated, check them out below they seem a little infomercial-ly but taken in small doses, they provide some good info -

Dr. Irwin is a psychotherapist/therapeutic hypnotist in private practice in Los Angeles. She is also an author, public speaker, and avid goal setter.

http://www.hypnotherapistlosangeles.com

http://www.youtube.com/DrNancyIrwin

7 Minute Marketing Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 05:12:00 +0000

Could you really create a marketing plan in just 7 minutes?

If you want to win in any field of endeavor, you need a better plan than your competitors.

In business, the lack of a good marketing plan is a key reason why most businesses fail in their early years.

Most business owners create a product or service then they go out to the world effectively saying to everyone 'buy mine, buy mine' and hope to succeed.

Yet it really doesn't have to be like that.

The problem is that most people make the idea of having a marketing plan so complicated that it just never happens.

The truth is a marketing plan has to be easy to develop and implement. Otherwise you will either never start on it or never do anything with it.

It has to meet some basic standards. For example, it should be

written
resourced
measurable
and timed

But it doesn't have to be a large document and it needn't take long to create.

If you are disciplined, you really could create an effective marketing plan in seven minutes or less.

Seven minutes is better than no time at all.

And it's better than spending seven months planning without taking any action.

If you spend just one minute thinking about each of the following seven issues, you'll already have the basis for a strong plan.

1. Without a clear sense of direction in your business, you'll be unfocused and uncertain about what to do. So you need clear 'objectives' for what you want from your marketing.

2. The first and most obvious secret of successful marketing is having a product or service that people want to buy so you need to be clear about your 'proposition'.

3. The most successful businesses usually don't try to be something for everyone. Instead they recognize the value of focusing on a specific part of the market – so you need to be clear on your 'niche'.

4. You need to stand out from the competition in a way that is attractive to your market. This is your 'positioning'.

5. You need to have a consistent 'message' that appeals to people and that you communicate effectively.

6. When you know your message, you have to choose the right 'tactics and tools' for getting it across.

7. Finally you need to pull these tactics together into an easy-to-follow 'calendar'.

With the right approach, this really is possible in just 7 minutes. But the truth is you'll get the best results by investing a little more time. Try 7 minutes on each of the 7 issues. The secret is to follow the process quickly and then keep coming back to it regularly to improve your answers.

Of course, having a plan is only the start.

The most important thing is just to take action.

If you do that on any of the points covered here, you'll be amazed at how quickly you see results.

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Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps entrepreneurs and independent professionals develop the success mindset and marketing strategies for a better lifestyle. For his 7 top tips on earning more and working less, visit http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

Essentials in Baby Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:12:00 +0000

Baby Clothes 101: Needs and Proper Care

If you are a first time parent to-be, there are numerous tasks that must be accomplished before your new baby's arrival. One important, and fun "labor of love" is purchasing baby clothing. However, with such a large selection of baby clothing, you may be asking yourself which of these adorable little items are essentials. This is crucial information to know, as well as their proper care.

Onesies

"Onesies" are basically baby t-shirts and are a necessary baby clothing purchase. To keep the onesie from creeping up and exposing your baby's belly, most onesies have snaps in the crotch. They can be worn alone or as an undergarment. Onesies, also known as rompers, come in basic white, colored or patterned varieties. For your basics, you should have between 5 to 10 onesies.

Sleepers

Sleepers are one-piece items with long legs and long or short sleeves. They usually have snaps down the legs for easy accessibility for late night diaper changes.

When preparing your basics, you should have between 5 to 8 baby sleepers. These are necessary as it is recommended that a newborn not sleep with thick blankets. This could inadvertently cause suffocation. The best material for both your baby's warmth and comfort are cotton or fleece sleepers.

Baby Socks

For your baby's requirements, you should purchase between 6 to 8 pairs of baby socks. Although socks are not necessary in warm weather, they should be worn if taking your little one outside in chilly temperatures. They are also indispensable at night if your baby is wearing a sleeper without feet.

Baby socks are made of either thick or thin weaves. You should purchase a combination of both, as thin socks are desirable if your baby is to wear shoes.

Hats

Hats are baby clothing essentials for your little bundle. When taking care of your newborn, it is important to keep them adequately warm. Newborns often have difficulty regulating their body temperature and much of their heat escapes through their head.

It is recommended that your newborn wear a hat through his or her first month of life. After that, it is not as crucial unless you are taking them outside on a chilly or cold day. For this purpose, you should have 1 or 2 fairly snug, but not too restrictive, hats for your baby.

Proper Care for Baby Clothing

When caring for baby clothing, there are two schools of thought. The first is that your little bundle of joy's clothes should be washed in special detergents to alleviate the risk of skin allergies. There are numerous varieties of mild laundry soaps that are scent and dye-free. Many of these detergents are aimed at the baby market, such as Dreft that boasts "A gentle clean. Just for baby".

The other school of thought does not believe that "gentle" laundry soaps are required for baby clothing. If your baby's skin does not react adversely to certain detergents, then a special detergent is not necessary.

Stain Removal

Your bundle of pink or blue will not think twice about staining their cutest outfits. Certain formulas, baby food and stains caused by leaking diapers are often difficult to remove from baby clothing. If pretreated before washing, some of the most stubborn stains can be eliminated, leaving the clothing both clean and in pristine condition. One tried and true stain remover is Oxi-Clean. You may want to "audition" or try different stain removers to find the one best suited for your laundry needs.

Wash New Clothes Before Wear

Before dressing your baby in new clothes, it is essential that you wash them first. Although baby clothing may look fresh and clean on department store hangers, many have come into contact with dirt, little four legged creatures and bugs during the shipping and packaging process.

Minor skin irritations may also result from sizing placed on many pieces of baby clothing. Sizing is used to keep items looking nice until they are purchased.

Getting prepared for your little one's new arrival is both a joyous and stressful time. Knowing what baby clothing is essential in your little one's layette and how to properly care for their clothing is one of the many tasks that lay before you. Knowledge is power and being prepared is half the battle.

And of course, when they get a little older and you are looking for something more stylish than the layette t-shirts and onesies, pick up a Stylease outfit or two for their wardrobe. You still get the convenience of that one-piece, and all the style of separates! Shameless plug, I know.

------------------------
If you are in the region, visit Paul Easton of Jack and Abby, a baby clothes store in Auckland, New Zealand. Even if you aren't lucky enought to be in New Zealand anytime soon, you can sign up today for their free email newsletter, and get first pick on their special offers, plus you'll get great exclusive VIP specials and FREE gifts too!! http://www.jackandabby.co.nz/

The magic word...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:22:00 +0000

It's not what you may think.

One, tiny word can bring about massive changes in your life. It's a word that we hate to hear, and hesitate to say ourselves. Have you guessed it? That's right, the word is 'no'.

Don't worry; I'm not going to tell you to become a negative, selfish person who refuses to help others. What I am going to share, however, are effective strategies for saying 'no' when it really counts.

Most of us are kind people by nature. We really want to help others, whether we're volunteering our time at a charitable organization or being supportive to our friends and family. But sometimes our good intentions can get the best of us. We end up taking on more and more obligations, and feeling uncomfortable when someone asks us for a favor.

How do we say no without offending them? Will they get angry at us? What if we really WANT to help, but it would be a great imposition to do so?

It can be helpful to first figure out why you hesitate to turn down requests. Do you believe they'll stop liking you if you do? Do you believe that making life easier for other people is more important than your own peace of mind? What is the worst thing that can happen if you say no?

When you start thinking about the answers to these questions, you'll probably realize some surprising things about yourself that you may not have been aware of previously.

Then, come up with a simple response to use when you really have to say no. Here's one that works well for me:

'I'm sorry, I'd love to help you out but I just won't be able to at that time'.

Notice I don't try to defend or explain my decision. I don't promise to do something else for them in the future to make up for not helping now.

When it comes right down to it, it's not up to you to save everyone. You have every right to help when you can and refuse when you can't! And you don't have to explain why or justify your decision.

Surprisingly, most people won't freak out over your refusal. They'll just accept it and move on. Some people might get annoyed, or even a little angry at you - especially if you usually bend over backwards to make their life easier. They won't be pleased that you're not willing to do it anymore.

But ultimately, what is more important to you: keeping them happy or keeping your sanity?

Saying no definitely requires a bit of inner strength and determination - but so do most positive changes in life.

If you want a good resource for dealing with this kind of thing, Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps entrepreneurs and independent professionals transform their business results by changing their mindset. Sign up for his free tips on Calming the Chaotic Life

Women in Business

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:26:00 +0000

Women are taking control of their financial destinies and careers by starting and running their own business. Women owned business opportunities are often of the work-at-home type due to several reasons.

When you work from home, there is usually little start-up costs involved in getting your business going. You already have a living accommodation that can double as your office, so you save from paying office rental.

There's the freedom to set your own work schedule. No more having a boss telling you what, when and how to do your work. You don't need to travel in bad weather or be stuck in a traffic jam.

You don't have to pay childcare costs or travel expenses such as gas and automobile maintenance. Many women in business are deciding to work from home so that they can spend more time with their children and family.

Potential Setbacks

Due to the fact that you have the flexibility to set your own schedule, it can be very tempting not follow it at times. You may become distracted and lose track of time. This will put you behind in your work and set the stage for stress and aggravation. Other distractions, such as the television, radio or telephone can interfere with your ability to maintain a schedule and get your work completed on time.

There may be household distractions such as the dishes that need to be washed or the floor that needs to be mopped and this is why it is important to prioritize. You can be distracted by friends dropping by unannounced to hang out because they don't understand that even though you are at home, you still have a business to run.

Overcoming setbacks

You must cultivate a strong commitment and self-discipline when running a home based business. Set your hours that you are going to work and stay as close to your schedule as possible. With a small child you can expect to have some unplanned interruptions so allow extra time for your projects to account for this. When the workday has ended, spend some quality time with your family even though you still have unfinished work.

Don't overload yourself with work. Once in a while you may receive a big project that will take extra time, but keep this to a minimum. You don't want to do this on a regular basis where you are constantly struggling to keep up. Remember to take breaks. It is easy to get so wrapped up in a project that the day is gone before you realize it. You can get really burned out this way. Divide up your workday with breaks by going for a walk, having lunch outside or have a special time set aside where you play a game with your child.

Be sure to keep in contact with others. Networking is an essential part of running a successful business. The rapid rise growth in women owned businesses is due to women placing more emphasis in building a business relationship, thus increasing customer loyalty and referrals.

Online opportunities are now more abundant than ever for women entrepreneurs wanting to start their own home-based business, since all that is needed is a computer with an internet connection.

If you would like some tips on how to get started www.ehome-basedbusiness.com caters to women who are seeking business opportunities. They cover 6 areas of starting a women owned business and provide match-up opportunities.

Categories in Licensing

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:24:00 +0000

There are endless categories in licensing. Some are appropriate for some brands. Some are not.

Pierre Cardin is a good example of how you can dilute a brand by licensing it poorly. According to an article I read, the brand owner doesn't care because he is making money.

Remember when Pierre Cardin was a high end men's fragrance? A logical place to go with licensing would have been high end men's wear and accessories, auto accessories and all things to do with the upscale male. And they did that successfully. But then you started seeing it everywhere, on cheap shirts and flip flops in drug stores, next to Suave in the grocery store. The brand became diluted and lost its cache. My husband just brought back two kids backpacks from China with the Pierre Cardin label. They just happened to be cool backpacks, he didn't buy them because of their label. But how did they get from high men's items to kids backpacks in an airport?

Licensing to every and any category. Maybe the brand has enough staying power to not be completely destroyed by this stunt but in general, as brand management goes, its not a good idea.

Examples of a good brand extension for the Kleenex brand (for instance) outside its main category of paper products might be cold remedies or other "comfort" areas concerning personal care. But would you buy a copy machine with the Kleenex brand on it? That would be a poor choice for them to try to forge that category because the public perception of that brand isn't likely to go there.

Victoria Secret could probably generate some good royalties licensing Nascar's #8 but they (thankfully) wouldn't do that because Nascar and expensive lingerie are generally not thought of in the same sentence.

So if you are thinking of looking into licensing for your brand, consider which categories would be a good fit.

That's my two cents anyway.

Licensee vs Licensor

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:16:00 +0000

Defined:
li·cen·see [lahy-suhn-see] - noun
a person, company, etc., to whom a license is granted or issued.

li·cen·sor [lī'səns-or] - noun
a person or company who grants official or legal permission to do or own a specified thing. See Synonyms at permission.

I had to be clear on these before I even ventured to the Licensing Show. Sure you know what they are but what are they REALLY? In terms of intellectual property or tangible things?

Well I went to the show thinking I was a licensee because my brand isn't well known enough to garner much attention. Certainly not the kind that some slightly larger companies were getting.

The show inspired me to go into licensing and scrap the whole manufacturing thing. But that's another blog post.

Some of the booths were so cool. They looked like little stores.

So it turns out that I was right (kind of) in thinking I'm the licensee because my brand does not have much equity yet. But I would only be a licensee if I was there to, say enter an agreement with an artist so I could put their designs on my line of kids clothes. I would be licensing their art in hopes that people would like it enough to buy it, thus selling my product because of their art. I make money, they make money.

But in another case, because I am a brand owner I would be a licensor. Say Stylease had brand equity and someone wanted to capitalize on the Stylease brand being connencted with mom-invented, problem-solving, well-made products. They would license the logo from me for their products and I would make a royalty on the sales of those products. People bought their products because of the Stylease brand. I make money, they make money.

But not just anyone is granted a license. If you have hardly any distribution and you want the Coca-Cola logo (for example) so you can get broader sales channels (grant me the logo and the sales will come) well, it doesn't work like that.

Coke wants to grant their logo to big companies with wide reach so they can get their name all over the place.

There are apparently no hard rules in licensing. Loose guidelines yes but with all the billions of dollars being made in the licensing industry, there is no such thing as a "Standard Licensing Agreement" every facet of every line of every thought or idea is negotiable.

This is a great thing. but also extremely dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. You would have to hire a consultant and licensing atty. to protect you from pitfalls like a single sentence in a wordy contract that negates a line somewhere else

>POOF< they don't owe you any royalties - didn't you understand line 58 b.1 section 7.

As intimidating as it was with the big guns signing HUGE agreements and renewing successful past deals, what struck me was the incredible energy everyone had. No one was moping around like at the apparel shows where I exhibit. People in licensing are very happy people.

And why shouldn't they be? Here is company A being approached by company B so everyone can make lots of money. And they do. A good licensing partnership is like the best marriage in the world.

Customers want to buy the brands they believe in and trust. Brand owners want to offer products in as many categories as are appropriate for their brand perception. It's a win win.

Next time I will discuss good and bad match-ups between brands and categories. Why some work and some don't.

Licensing Show Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:26:00 +0000

So as you may know, I attended the mother of all Licensing shows in NY in June.

It came about in the strangest way. I had been receiving literature about the show for 2 years or so and I always wanted to go but it wasn't a priority. And as you busy people know, things that are not in the top 5 on the list... well, they just don't happen.

So I was going to be flying back to MI with the girls around the time of the Licensing Show so I wrote this year off too (as far as not being able to go) because Rob was staying here, no one to watch the kids, plus we would have JUST returned to MI the timing wasn't right blah blah blah.

Well the same little slap in the face came to me as did when I started this thing. I was digging through old e-mail, found an important contact from last year, and reconnected with him about two weeks before the show. He wanted to meet and asked if I was going to be in NY. I e-mailed my sister-in-law, "Can you watch the girls?" Yes she'd love to. Went to Orbitz, bought my plane tickets. Went to the Licensing Show website and registered, then signed up for the whole conference package since I had no idea what the hell I was doing, kissed my hubby goodbye and left for Michigan. Got briefly settled in then took the girls to their cousin's house and left for New York!

So the moral is: Sometimes the only one getting in your way is you.

Next will come all the stuff I leaned at the show!

Good questions

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:14:00 +0000

I had a nice fellow contact me and ask me some start-up questions. I am happy to report that he has gone into production on his line and he is on his way with a fabulous product that you will no doubt see on shelves soon. I am including parts of his reply because I think they bring up some good points. Most of what you read, doing research, is corporate positioned facts and statistics. One reason I started this blog is to let you all in on my actual experiences I encountered starting a soft goods company and trying to launch an apparel brand.

Statistics are interesting and important but I found that when I was doing my research I was not really absorbing the information because it was all so new, I didn't have any reference in place to apply it. I look back now on what I read in the books I bought at the beginning and think, "Wow, that's right! That is true." But at the time it didn't make much sense I was just filling the mental library with information.

I hope you enjoy the following exchange:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Question:
I’m just now uncurling from the fetal position after realizing how little I know... I’ve been doing a lot of research and a lot of what you covered I’ve never heard before. If only you had more time I could totally see a book from you, that breaks down how to launch a product, based on different budgets.

Awesome tip about who manufactures the product. I would have never phrased it like that.

Did you set the amount you were going to spend at the beginning and have a large upfront cost that maintained you for awhile, or did you have to spend and spend and spend?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reply:
To answer your question regarding money... I did not do a business plan. (But I have one now) Blessing and a mistake.
A blessing because had I planned more, I would not have started the business because I would have had some indication of the colossal undertaking involved in trying to launch an apparel brand.

A mistake because had I planned more I would have had some indication as to how expensive it would be.

The problem with investing "in the beginning" is that the beginning could take 5 years. I have invested about $400,000 so far. Investors, 2nd home mortgage, separate business loans etc... Your trade shows and advertising budget annually should be about $20,000+. It is imperative that you advertise consistently. The best venue for juvenile items is Earnshaw's. It's a phenomenal, very focused infant/toddler children's wear trade mag. I pick up 1-4 new accounts a month just from my ad in that magazine. So that's about $700-$2,000 a month in ad rates depending on the size of the ad you run. Travel and hotels for tradeshows run about $1,500 per show plus $3000 in booth fees x 2-4 shows a year. You might surmise from this, that a 10-15K initial investment is nowhere near enough to sustain even the first year. And you can't count on that nice $250,000+ order from Sears in the first couple years. You might get it, great! But what if you don't? Do you have the cash flow to keep moving forward?

If you have a gift item you should REALLY invest in fantastic packaging design because if the concept is great, fabulous packaging would put you over the top. Consider consulting a MERCHANDISING specialist. Marketing and publicity is great but someone who can help you with merchandising will be key. You will also have to deal with high insurance premiums and textile testing because you are in the juvenile market. It's pretty strict in flammability requirements and you are dealing with the highest liability bracket so insurance will need it's own budget consideration.

Even if you do get a big order right out of the gate, you will need to use asset-based lending to manufacture it because you won't see a dime from big stores until 3-6 months AFTER you SHIP the order. Try not to use a Factor. Their rates are not competitive. Celebrate your first big order but should they cancel while the order is on the way to the floor (which they do, because the wind changed direction or the PMSing buyer never wrote the order down and says she never made one with you. I'm not kidding) Then you have lots of inventory and you will have to pay for it somehow.

Start small. Boutiques prepay with credit cards mostly (get set up to take credit cards if you don't already) But be prepared to be in the mom and pop market for a while. If you can open enough accounts, the cash flow is much better and MUCH less hassle than big accounts.

Consider contacting big brands like Gerber or Carters to see if they want to license the patent (if you have one to license) so they can put their name on it and your manufacturing and distribution problems are solved.

If you plan to launch your own brand, be prepared to commit a couple hundred thousand $$ for the long haul.

And know that in the United States, in this economy it is extremely difficult to get a big box store to give you that vendor number and the real estate (rack space) on the floor and get behind the product so that you will see the sell through you need to get a re-order. So far, I have found it impossible. That isn't to say it can't be done, but unless you have an in, all I can do is wish you the best of luck. And should you succeed you must come back and tell me how you did it! :-)

OTHER LINKS:

Consider advertising on JamesGirone.com It's also a great place to find reps and a ton of other info for the juvenile soft goods industry.

Find a good, honest contractor (manufacturer). They will source fabric for you and trim and print up your hang tags, garment tags, order your custom painted snaps... EVERYTHING. One-stop-shop. They will even handle all the packaging. And work in US dollars only if your contractor is overseas.

Just for clarification: YOU are the manufacturer of your product. Even when you hire a "manufacturer" they are actually your sewing contractor. People will ask you, "Who manufactures your product?" The answer is, "We do. It's our product, we design and manufacture it." Unless of course you license the patent to Gerber... that's a different story.

My warehouse and fulfillment company is:
E Fulfillment Service. Great rates, incredible customer service, safe, clean, dry warehouse with virtually zero error and theft rate. They are so so SO good.

On a smaller scale to help with pattern development right here in the US of A... try
Pattern Design Unlimited I have never worked with them but am constantly intrigued by the services they offer...

Contact SCORE if you want for free business advice... investor stuff and you name it. My SCORE consultant is one of my most important allies. And over the years I have worked with him, we have become good friends.

One of these days I will get into the details of licensing. What a great industry THAT is!!!

Moving again

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:14:00 +0000

No apologies this time. I'm packing up half a house and kids and pets and business stuff to head back to California. And have been for a few weeks. It has been a nice but short summer. I can't help but think next summer will be more fun and less do-dad and odds and ends. There was so much to do this summer and so little time. And really no help. It was fun having Rob here for two weeks but I could REALLY use him this week!

The girls and I go back on Tuesday. I have so much I want to tell you!!! A follow-up on all the amazing stuff I learned at the Licensing show, a few topics that I read in the paper made me want to run to you and bloggity blog about it but I even forget what the topics were. It was important to remember at the time, but there they go... Whooosh!

But just since this rental property bathroom took up 3 solid weeks in July, and impacted my summer a bit...here it is:

This is what it looked like when we got a hold of the place. Broken tub and toilet wall in the middle of the tiny room, paneling... it was a nightmare. Someone call the fashion police.

So we ripped it out and put in this one

It was nice but the shower had leaking issues that ruined the floor and walls so I tore it out and decided to go the tile route...

So now we should not have to deal with it ever again. Plus, the claw foot tub is very stylish I think.

Success!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:41:00 +0000

Yes, we can all certainly tell how well my new plan is working!

I've been posting every day. I'm such a good girl.

What do you mean there were no new posts? WHAT?! All that fantastic advice and life experience WASTED? But but but...

Yeah. About that. Too bad. I'm here now aren't I? :-) I've been re-doing a bathroom in a rental property next door. Which is the thing to do during show season when you are trying to run an apparel company...

Tile a bathroom.

Rob is home for all of 2 weeks and can we go camping? No. Can we go snorkeling. No. There was a sign at Home Depot today that read "Do it right or do it over." Ain't that the truth.

So how the heck did "ain't" make it through my spell-checker?!? I understand that the apostrophe is to replace the missing letter as in (do not = don't) or (were not = weren't) but what the hell is "ain't" all about? My smarty pants writer friend Lisa probably knows.

Other funny things I saw today... a bumper sticker on a truck that said
"Driver Carries No Cash - he's married"
I'm glad I think that's funny. I have a friend who would be offended by that little bit of wife-bashing.

On a COMPLETELY unrelated subject... I added Paypal to my website. So now all of you baby clothes shoppers can do an express checkout easy-cheesy.

Here is a little cutie sporting the style Cleo. Yes, I know she is standing on a table... I normally cut the models out, discarding the background. But here you see the "director's cut" as it were. Lucky you.

This picture is actually the basis for my August ad below.

New Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:01:00 +0000

I have to have a new blogging plan because OBVIOUSLY the current one is not working.

In a perfect world I would love to post every day. Lord knows I have enough to say!! Why can't I do it? A couple reasons:

1.) Discipline.

The same discipline I lack to get my butt up and get to a gym... Actually, I just plain don't like working out so that is really more preference than lack of discipline.

2.) Justification.

Like how I justified my lack of discipline as merely a preference... nice one.

So the new plan is to not try to post some big profound thing. Just go for little bites. Little things that occur to me or things I run across.

So todays little ditty is this... I was reading the Cherry Festival schedule this morning (because the National Cherry Festival is going on here right now) and some singer named Kellie Pickler will be performing on Sunday. Then about an hour later I get an e-mail from a girl named Connie Gurkin... Then I was talking to our tenants next door and they mentioned their dog Olive...

Pickler
Gurkin
Olive

Praise the Jewish Carpenter it's a sign from above! I should have a summer porch party!!!

Who am I kidding? I can't even seems to handle a regular blog contribution. Well, Rob is due in town on the 21st. He's a bit of a porch party all by himself. He's the Mojito-maker anyway.

We'll wait breathlessly for his arrival.

Back in Michigan for the summer

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:58:00 +0000

Ah what a grand time to be in No. Michigan. The trees are all green and the fish are biting. I caught a good sized rock bass tonight while fishing with the girls. Threw it back since I don't have a license yet this year. Well, that and I don't like cleaning or cooking fish... But it was great. No bait either, just a killer lure (which got stuck in a rock on a later cast so I no longer have it...) sigh.

So the Traverse City Film Festival is in full dysfunctional swing and I have to say I am so glad I'm not involved. Word is that the founder is tougher and tougher to work with. I gave up last year. Or rather I should say that I have enough self esteem to not tolerate my time and talents being wasted, insulted and disrespected, for a second year in a row. I imagine he will be insufferable this year with his latest film coming out just before the festival begins. It's a shame too because I think his work is really important. He has a loud voice that yells about issues that most of us wish we could do something about and some try but how can one person or even an impassioned group change huge corporate problems and injustices?

Well he can because he mobilizes the masses. But this is a little lesson in good management... You simply cannot abuse the people you need services from. An ex-assistant of his told me that he has to restaff with all new people after every project he does because no one will work with him again. That works fine in New York because there are lots of people to go through who will take the abuse for the privilege of working with him. Once. The problem with mistreating people in a small town is that he will very soon run out of individuals who are actually trained in and able to do some of the specialized things that need to be done.

He may have tyrant syndrome (I just made that up). It's too bad he does not know when to turn it on and off. It was very evident to Rob and me last summer that it isn't the Traverse City Film Festival but in fact it's the Michael Moore Film Festival. It really is. Not from a political platform, but a micromanaged one.

I hope the public has a fabulous time and soaks up some great film experiences. And I hope he doesn't burn his way through every willing volunteer in Northern Michigan. He may just have to move the festival to Flint after all.

Happy summer folks.

Licensing - The Great Unknown

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:59:00 +0000

I probably should not title a blog post like that when I'm on the verge of departing for the biggest Licensing Show of them all. What if someone reads this? Then they will know, that is one little corner of my business I can safely say I know nothing about. A ripe target for some savvy licensor to take advantage of little ol me.

Yeah, well I promise you two things:

> I will not sign any major licensing deals before I go. (Except maybe to renew my driver's license)
> I will be A LOT smarter in about two weeks.

I get to go to NY for 4 days and be one of the lucky ducks going to the conferences and walking the floor. It will be fun to not have to set up and tear down a booth.

My company is sending me, all expenses paid! I'm so glad I work for me. I'm so nice! But I'm also frugal and pining for a visit with my Score buddy Phil, so I will be staying with his lovely wife and him.

We leave on Tuesday to go back to Michigan for the summer. I need to touch base with my warehouse. Love them still.

Swing Set Sweetie

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:56:00 +0000

Here is another adorable kid in Stylease.

This little cutie-pie is actually one of our models getting all grown up! You can see her as a littler person modeling our Garden Party style.

Littler is right. The pictures of our models are teensy... I will have to fix that.

Yea, yea, I'll put it on the list. If I had a boss breathing down my neck, they would be saying,
"Where are those reports Hughes? Did you mail out those catalogs like I told you to? What about resizing the images on the website? Hu? Are you listening Hughes? Are you? Did you lie on your resume? You can be replaced you know!"

"But... but but... just give me another chance. I have kids you see. And and and I was sick with the Chicken pox and a cold. The... the sun was in my eyes and and..."

"Not my problem Hughes. I got problems of my own. Get caught up or your fired!"

Slowly I start packing the pictures of my family and the other personal items from my desk. My favorite coffee cup, a candle that I was never allowed to burn. The little tube of hand lotion there by the phone. I'm going to miss this place.

Hey, wait, that's my dining room table. I'm clearing it off because we have to eat dinner!