It’s the last day of the first month of 2008. Have your new year’s resolutions fizzled or sizzled? Let’s admit it, we Indie Business owners can easily set ourselves up by making resolutions that are a little unrealistic. And while hope may spring eternal, the reality is that specific goals beat lofty resolutions any time.
Take Indie Beauty Network member Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale. Kayla, pictured here with her oldest daughter, advocates keeping things simple. Here are her top three suggestions to help Indies set the rest of the year on the best course possible.
1. Set goals and take one step forward at a time 2. Forgive yourself for mistakes 3. Review and renew your passions
A few weeks ago, in response to a reporter’s query, I suggested that the best credit card for Indie Business owners was no credit card. I explained why. I never heard from her again.
Presumably, her story ran without my input, but that’s OK becuase I have a blog so I can tell you what I think myself. I think that the best credit card is one that has a pair of scissors going through the middle of it.
I first discovered Carol’s Daughter products when I spoke at a women’s conference in Pennsylvania in 1996. A woman had a booth filled to the brim with goodies made from exotic fragrance oils, herbs and colors taken from natural ingredients like alkanet root and calendula. The first one I tried was Mimosa Hair Honey. Of course I raced home to make my own version. It wasn’t bad, but ultimately couldn’t hold a candle to the real McKoy.
My friend Lisa Price has come a long way since making Mimosa Hair Honey in her Brooklyn kitchen. And even though the company is no longer fully owned by Lisa, her personality and dedication continue to be prominently displayed in every bottle that bears the Carol’s Daughter name.
When I was an attorney representing the business interests of a Fortune 500 company many years ago, my colleagues and I quickly figured out which arguments swayed the regulators to our side and which ones didn’t. As we preapred for a trial or hearing, we knew that, while we had to understand the nuances of each case, the most important thing we did was stick to the arguments that had worked before.
In other words, "put the needle on the record," and play the same tune, with minor variations, over and over again.
What did he see through that window, this strange, brave black man? Smooth southern sun kissed skin, a broad nose and full lips — all so hated throughout so much of history. Doesn't he know that one person can't change the world?
Doesn't he know that he could be killed? Doesn't he care that he'll leave little black children and a black wife with no better chance at life than he has?
There’s a lot of talk about "success" these days. In the business arena, I call it "Success Excess" because it seems as though most people inextricably link business success to financial excess. Consider the television shows which, though inspiring and entertaining, focus to a large extent on making millions, buying mansions, driving fancy cars and making tons of dough — all without working very hard.
This episode capsulizes my thoughts on the matter, and I’m not alone. There’s a revolution of Indie Business owners who agree with me that it’s high time we reexamine our definitions of success. They need to be brought more in line with reality. They need to speak not only to our desires for abundance, security and gratification, but also to the contributions our work will ultimately make to our communities and the world. I think we can emphasize profitability, as we must in order to be in business in the first place, without diminishing the significance of the many other things that make Indie Business ownership so meaningful and fulfilling.
Ours is the voice of a new age of business leadership which does not focus incessantly and nauseatingly on making millions.
What Do You Think?
Do you agree with my 4 Foundations of Meaningful Work? Do you think there’s more to it? Have I oversimplified things? I want to hear from you, and also to know how you combine your work and your passion to conribute meaningfully to the world rather than just count how many dollars you can temporarily possess while you’re in it.
@leedrake Congratulations on your 13 pound loss! What's the most important thing you do to achieve that? (I'll never be skinny.) in reply to leedrake6 hrs ago
