Creating a Fast Start Any Time of the Year

Many people find it challenging to quickly regain momentum after any type of break. To help you maximize your precious time in 2010, below are a few ways to provide a fast start.

Be Awake ~ Mentally throw yourself into an icy lake of realism every day. Wake up to your present reality. Appreciate all that is good and accept or change what isn’t! Be present each and every day! It’s the most productive state possible to achieve your goals for the year.

Move out of Your Comfort Zones ~ the natural tendency for most of us is to stay where it’s “comfortable”. Break through comfort zones by taking intelligent risks. Try new ideas, trust your instincts, and implement new behaviors. Take a chance! If you are feeling UNcomfortable, you are on the right track. If you are still feeling cozy, increase the risk. You can do it! You’ll gain pride and self respect each time you take a chance to grow!

Immediately stop performing tasks that produce zero or little return. Focus on activities that produce the highest results possible. This is the key to successful prioritization. This is the magic wand of time management. Identify activities that produce the greatest results in relationship to your 2010 goals. Then, focus the majority of your time in these areas each day

Foster your energy level. The higher your energy, the greater your results. Your energy level can be divided into three categories
     a. Mindset ~ Positive Thoughts + Positive Feelings = Positive Outcomes. Surround every situation with positive words and feelings. Watch your creativity and innovation increase as well as your energy. Positive breeds positive!
     b. Nutrition ~ Focus on fresh! Every day make sure your diet includes: fruits and vegetables such as lemons, carrots, apples and greens. Don’t forget nuts, raisins, green tea, pomegranate juice, oatmeal, yogurt and water. Make it easy and be consistent.
     c. Physical ~ move, breathe, challenge! Move your body daily ~ At work or at play… run, walk, go to the gym. Breathe deeply. Increased oxygen is critical to maximize your thinking and performance level. Drink water when you need an energy boost. The oxygen in the water creates the energy boost. By taking care of body, you are taking care of your future

(info from Mark David Company)

Looking at the 'New" in the New Year

We started this blog to share our information, to give you a place to grow and learn. Thats what information blogs are all about; all of us sharing what we know best. Trading the ‘coupons’ and ‘free offers’ that we know about and helping others to learn and grow.

With this in mind we have decided that to create a better flow we will concentrate on a theme per month. This will allow us to offer you information in larger chunks with better examples and suggestions. It will also make it easier for you to post your comments, questions and experiences that tie into what were talking about. You've got all month to think about things you need to know and to share your experiences with us, with everyone.

So we’ll finish off January 2010 (yep the month is almost gone!) talking about being real, being who you are, no matter where you are.

Remember, we'd love to hear from you, comments, concerns, and your story.
Cindy

The Art of Listening

In the world of craft shows finding those hidden gems, the show where we get to pave the way, is what we sometimes think it’s all about. But don’t discount the shows that have had a predecessor or two before us.

Those shows can turn out to be our personal gold mines. Why? Well, our business name and product has been introduced, it carries credibility and shows stability, if we support those who came before us it shows the heart of the organization that we belong too, and by following in their footsteps we show how the opportunity can be shared by many.

Keeping this in mind we need to make sure that we are positive about those who have been there before us. Support their names and listen to customers tell their stories, if they have any loyal customers that show up at your booth you may not make a sale but you will build your business. They may also have offered something to their customers that you have not thought of, stand behind what they promised. These will now be your customers.

This is the way that businesses are built, one customer at a time. One story. One real person. We have to make a choice to not always be looking to make a sale, but by listening and hearing what we each need. Really listening is an art in itself. The less we say the more we hear.

Have a great show,
Cindy

Welcome

How many craft shows do you see advertised each year? In homes and schools, adult centers and in the park, their big business and drawing a lot of interest these days. It’s the little guy getting started in their dream job, sharing a piece of who they are with you. Allowing you to take home what they so lovingly created. For there has to be love in the creation, the dollars per hour they earn wouldn’t cover the electric bill!

Our ambition is to share what we’ve learned and to listen to what you have to say. To collect all of our ideas and thoughts and hopes and dreams in one place. If you sell as a crafter, we welcome you here, if you sell as an independent marketer, we welcome you too, or if you’re just getting into the ‘show’ business, we welcome you to join in our journey. We’ve been there and loved what we did with passion. That’s why we decided to build a place to share what we know.

So, we welcome you to join us as we set up our table, through the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the good ideas and bad, in that world of craft shows. How to enjoy yourself, how to engage your customers and reasons to come back again next year.

Can we guarantee that you’ll make money? Can we pass you that ever elusive silver bullet? No, but we will open your eyes to new ideas and innovations to draw your customers to your booth.

We hope you’ll join us and share your hearts. For that is what we have found to be the foundation of those who spend their weekends behind the table, their hearts.

Thanks, Cindy & Jen