needs doing

Two things that hit me this morning:

1. The power of the unexpected
2. How successful entrepreneurs tend to get their Big Ideas: based on someone else's bright spark.

Now the first happened because I read a post in the Huff by Mark Olmsted here. And I thought Mark you're damn right: things happen all the time we don't plan on and it's hard to foresee the future, even more so because things change so fast. Should we give up trying to assess where out future is going and simply focus on that which is important to us? Focus and doing seem to be the most essential items in the tool kit.

The second thing clicked in my blond brain simply because I thought of a friend who told me how he got his Big Idea and set up for early retirement which was listening to someone else who gave it to him, also I finally watched The Social Network which showcases how Mark Zuckerberg (supposedly of course) got his Big Idea for The Facebook and consequently I thought of other stories that came to mind, all with the same scenario: Big Ideas are seldom unique, they are simply built on that which already was before. It's catching the strands of other ideas and connecting the dots.

I realized another thing: I connect dots but don't always utilize this ability as things usually move too fast for me to do something with it. What I decided is to de-fluff. Some ideas, especially those filled with nostalgia or grandeur might look pretty and be fun, but ultimately now is a time of practicalities. It's simply about finishing things and getting stuff off our to do lists. Boring? Perhaps. Sensible? Absolutely! Great? It's the answer.

For me finishing things on our farm in order to continue the plan of action that involves more then I'm willing to share at this time is paramount. Working simply to generate income to finish said plans is two. I had to reshape my planning idea I had a while back as my time-slots simply didn't allow all the things I wanted to do. This forced me to choose. Back-scaling to the essentials therefor is both simple, pragmatic and ... feasible. So I'm done with the many Big Ideas and am working on that which just needs doing. If I have time left over I will work on that prototype I'm developing. Which is an actual feasible and sensible idea.

As Mark Olmsted so aptly stated in his blog-post for the Huff: "The one thing that we can be sure of is that we can't be sure of anything. But we can expect the unexpected."

So my new motto is: stuff needs doing, just get on with it. How are you dealing with your plans?

Picture source: Spoon-Tamago

expenditure

So can YOU shop for $21 per week? On groceries?
Penny knows how! Find out how it's done.

speed of life

I'm SO enjoying reading positive things people are doing, whether it's a new start up, a transition with work, a change altogether or moving house. Truth be told the last 6 weeks if not more have been very very changeable. Many things have happened in my world and my whizz brain is still filtering some of it, I have started new endeavors with people and I'm generally much looking forward to what will happen next! A whirlwind of activity. It gets me excited! And more excited!


At the same token I received an email last night which got me thinking about the following. How would YOU respond if you had a dream, vision, startup, goal, ambition which has taken off and this would happen for example:

• some of your friends are getting a bit funny with you as they see you grow and find it hard to accept that fact as they seem to be stuck?
• your partner or family is not fully supporting your ambition and keeps coming up with "sensible" reasons to ward you off track and keep you where you were?
• your current employment has lost all its fizzle and you are actually rather be considering ANY other job then this before you can do what you love 24/7?

My point is that being hampered by people trying to put brakes on your speed of life is not only a turn off, it's silly. If a tsunami is coming little difference will be made with a wall built at the bottom of the hill. That water is coming one way or the other. Realize why those attempts at wall building are being made and recognize it for what it is: it's not your wall so press on regardless. You can be respectful in the process. Do ponder things to ensure you are not just being stubborn and above all else: don't get rude, play it nice. Or my credo: "be wise and shut up".

The aforementioned attempts at roadblocking are more likely to only make one more determined to succeed as it confirms our desire to get there. Now, I'm a big fan of pursuing and I'm less a fan of paperwork and finances. Or so I thought, which means I put my own roadblock in there for years. Once I decided to change that it's actually become more interesting and inspiring. How funny is that!

The trick is to be:

1. clear on your goals, have a time-frame and deadlines
2. have your finances in clean order (a good accountant helps too)
3. have a business plan (I'm working on one for Bonvivant now)
4. get a new support team if the current one is faltering should you need it
5. stick to your guns if you know in every fibre that you need to do this
6. start a mastermind group to help others too
7. get a life and enjoy something else that isn't work or your passion-passion > energy
8. remember to stay in touch with people who you love

So what are you working on right now?

time management

Do you get all the things done you need to? It seems a continuing saga for me. I do get it all organised, some things planned and some things on the fly. Prioritizing is an ever lasting event, and some things are put on the back burner; driveway, new wood burner installation. But things are surely changing. It's habit changing and simple gritty determination.


Task-lists generally give me the jitters but the fact is if I don't remind myself to simply churn through them I have a huge pile when I don't need it. So they help save my tush that's what. Basically I try to keep track of the following both in my brain and my diary (my diary is most accurate):

1. What I promised to do for someone else: husband, friends, work, professional relations and also includes myself (socially based)
2. The simple weekly to do's: groceries, bill paying, car stuff, house stuff. This includes haircuts and other fluffing (maintenance)
3. The long haul plans: business, farm, personal goals (long term)
4. Legal and banking paperwork (in case any slipped past in 1,2,3)

Everyone has different ways to get here. My husband is incredibly apt in keeping track of the mundane and boring things. He has Sheldon Cooper tendencies regarding "logic". Unsurprisingly my brain seems to lose details of these items as I consider them boring (yes yes I know they are important). I guess that would make me quite like Penny. Still: a Penny on a mission because all those loose ends drive me nutty.

Getting back to some time management tips: (inspired by Steve Pavlina )

• focus + list: what do you need to get done right now? ask yourself
• flexibility: know your goals and be willing to make adjustments while en route
• quick turn around: finish tasks as soon as you can as it keeps your mind clear and allows more time to do other things; don't procrastinate
• decide: best to fire and steam ahead: too much time to think can kill progress
• get rid of time wasters. Use the trash can liberally. Stop watching tv.
• be effective: "also known as the Pareto Principle, the 80-20 rule states that 20% of a task's effort accounts for 80% of the value of that task."
• don't disturb sign: make sure you're not interrupted when doing a job 
• self discipline:  don't get sidetracked.
• multitasking: if you can do something else while having to do a maintenance or activity that you simply have to do; see if you can combine the two.
• enjoy: go after what really inspires you. Don't chase money. Chase your passion. If you aren't enthusiastic about your work, then you're wasting your life. 
• eat and exercise well

And another thing: use your diary and cellphone with reminders. Every time I stop using my diary and think I can remember things on the go: I can't. I finally came to the conclusion that an organized and focused approach actually saves me wasting time and therefore have more "me-time" later, something that is a luxury item to me. 
I am interested to know what your experiences are.

Point of difference

Communication, whether online or off, can be altered to suit the writer. We all make our own truths, create our own private vision of the world. Now why would our view -generally speaking- be so different from someone else's? Because it will be like reading the same book, but told by a different person. Other highlights here, deleted paragraphs there. That, I find interesting. The whole concept of uniqueness and yet of sameness. Things may look similar, but are not.

I was going to write about my fabric today. That I'm working on morphing the Cows & Couches cushion design into a full blown upholstery pattern, how exciting this is, as it's to be printed for a cow rancher in the US. I was going to tell you about my Highland girls Kate and Elsie who inspired me. A lovely story about personality and fuzzy vavoom with horns. So what happened? Something else did of course: I got another idea to write about. (Apologies to the lovely Kate & Elsie.)

You see, (financial) planning is not my strong suit, organizing things I can do. I wouldn't say that I always 'wing it' in what I do, but I go with my inner compass which has worked brilliantly thus far. Thinking and planning of course has its merits. We don't jump into something we should think more about, like marriage, buying a house or whether to get used to eating pizza every Friday night. Then I realized something while reading 'Industrial Design Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics', an article by Designdroplets. Instead of following their excellent advice straight away I thought: sometimes it can be just fine to run with an idea and continue to work on it while you're running instead of waiting till it's all ready. Why?

You miss out on the fun of learning, meeting new people and finding new clients while not experimenting but wanting to do it 'right'. Even if they find you on your imperfect website, they at least find you. Naturally this could give you the image of being premature or unpolished as it's clearly in transition. To be honest: does it matter? Whether someone likes what we do or not, it's about carrying out our own ideas and seeing if they come to fruition. I'd rather not wait till I'm all properly prepared but just go for it. Maybe that is silly. Heck it could be. I know it takes time to perfect a website and get an online store up and running. The trial and error phase is definitely an essential part of the process IMHO.

And the truth is: we are never ready. Even if you finally stand up to get started: whatever it was that spun your wheels before, it may have ceased to matter. It's like saying: ok we will have a child now only to find out you can't have them anymore (because you waited too long to decide and your ovaries went on a permanent vacation or your partner's sperm has stopped swimming uphill and the whole IVF is not what you want to get into).

We can think too much, get too worried, always planning to conquer life. (Whatever that is.) For what? They don't say for nothing: We plan our lives and God laughs. It's great to learn, lets' not start by limiting ourselves or dictating an essay about how it all should be. Life is now, just have that coffee and smile to your neighbour or the strange lady passing in the street.

Start on your project. Write your own story as it comes to you. Do what feels right. You know best. And yes if that means you do want to plan it all then go for it, research does have its benefits, just don't wait too long to reach "Stage Perfect". It may not happen. You may regret the wait later.

Jewellery

I'm excited like a baby babboon letting loose in the thick jungle. Woohoo. (Ok, maybe I should use a different animal here but what the heck.) I'm working on new designs for the Design stores as I noticed that my kiwiana related designs would do really well there, and keep the women fashion styles I've already developed for gift and home decor stores. There's tons to do, revamping my bonvivant website, making more designs and also making them by using different materials. Then I had ideas for Hemptech about cushions and other home decor products so basically the brain has been popping like an overexcited popcorn machine. You get the idea.

Two stores in Auckland have expressed interest in stocking my products so I better get my bootie on. This leads me to Seth Godin's blog of the day. Growth is not done safely nor neccesarily logically. My husband is wondering whether I can make a fortune by investing modestly and starting with virtually zip but I know I will have to allow for some experimenting and investing otherwise the set up will be a half hearted attempt with little results. So all out baby, but using the realistic ballbreaking caution guide.

" It's easy to to adopt the policy of avoiding risk at all costs, that whenever possible, the products you launch or the engagements you have should be flawless and without downside. Here's the problem: in most endeavors, a small increase in risk can double the reward. It's the second doubling of reward that brings serious risk with it. But the first leap is relatively painless."

Seth Godin

I'm in the first stages so this would be the relative easy part and I'm aware of that. It's the continuing beyond the first orders that will be crucial. I'm dedicated to keep this process going and share my whimsical uniqueness with the world. I do want the quality to be way up there so have to raise the bar again. It will be hard work, but gee whizz I'm not going to sit on my hands on this one. Stand clear... prepare for take off.

The Business plan jitters

Yes it’s that time again: the big BP is looming. True it was already looming last year and I had done one version and started a second. The first one I understood but found lacking and the second attempt was way too long and felt like a visit to the dentist where the root canal was thoroughly being carried out. Time for version number 3 and the last one. I hate doing these things but that’s procrastination talking.

Why do I write one? Because I want to clarify the direction my business is taking. In short: a road map showing how goals and objectives can be achieved. You can’t get anywhere without knowing how to get there unless you’re keen to get lost and enjoy the experience.

First up: I have to do a SWOT. Looking at the word gives you the idea of either squatting behind a flax bush on the beach or giving the boot camp commander 20. Neither is applicable but I agree with the sentiment. A SWOT means doing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis. (Beats sitting behind that flax bush any day cooking in the hot Dunedin sun not wearing any slip slap slop.) I type, I sigh, I think so hard that it makes my blond curls nearly straighten out with the forcefulness of it.

Then onto the next phase: The Now, The Strategy and ‘le grand vision’ followed by the Tactical Rapport (very Star Trek) topping it off with the Timelines (told you, it’s like being back in an episode with Seven of Nine). Do a profit and Loss forecast and where the Cash Flow is going to hang out and off you go. Well not quite but breaking it down into chunks sure helps my heartbeat return to a more normal thumpety thump. I have a great mind for expressing ideas, creative stuff and designing which is joined at the hip with socializing and whipping up pastas, but these number crunchers positively give me the willies! Give me an overly fussy client any day of the week instead of this. (I’m so grateful for Debbie the accountant we have here at work, she is a marvelous efficient woman.) And to think that I did a post graduate year of communication and PR where there was equal amounts of theory babble. How on earth did I tackle that?

The good news is that once I have survived all this I know at least what I’m looking at. It’s by no means a guarantee for success but the blond beware attitude is better then happily winging it a la Barbie. (And she was signed up with Mattel so turns out she wasn’t that stupid either even though she was made of plastic.) Bottom-line: whether you are Entrepreneur or Employee, and I’m both, it pays to prepare. So I type, sigh and persevere. Not with a vengeance but with an honest attempt to smile.

The Smell of Coffee

Life is like a big stage. People come people go and you’re standing there blinking at the spot lights getting itchy from the layers of makeup. Do we conjure up lines as we go? Do we follow the script? Do we run screaming from the stage? Do we lie on the timber floor falling asleep? Which one are you?

I am not one for scripted ways of living but I have to say there’s a lot to be said for some planning. After all, if you do not know where you have been and where you are now, would you have a clue of where you are heading? If you have an inkling of where you like to aim for would you know what you’d be doing in a year’s time, two? Three? Ten? I always have some clear ideas about my designation (not destination in case you thought I put the wrong word). The point is to enjoy the trip while in transit. I have found I needed to re assess these field days however. Now I do this on a 2 month basis as my life keeps changing so quickly.
My eldest brother used to drive me mad with his overly planned life when I was a kid. He’s ten years my senior. I thought his planning was plain creepy. Whatdoyoumean you know what you’re doing when you’re 30, 40, 50, 60? Still, one grows up and starts to smell the coffee. So where from here?

I reckon it’s good to do a few things:
Self management (not others)
Prioritize activities
Set goals clearly
Know about The Now and the Horizon
Execute plans

Assess and Follow up. Right. Have we got that? Get set, ready, go!