INDIE Book Club: Delivering Happiness

Last Tuesday was the second installment of the Indie Biz Book Club (a group of fantastic women entrepreneurs - read about meeting number one here). We are reading Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. First before I discuss the meeting, I just want to say that this book is an easy ready and totally inspiring. I was sucked into the story of Tony’s life and the beginning of Zappos. He started his first business at the age of 8!! When I was 8, all I cared about were Barbies and My Little Ponies, the last thing on my mind was starting a business. Incredible.

The second installment of the book club meeting started with each of us sharing our favorite passage from part two of the book. I shared the following section from page 163

"We must all learn not only to fear change, but to embrace it enthusiastically and, perhaps even more important, encourage and drive it. We must always plan for and be prepared for constant change."

- this particular passage struck me because it is so true and also happens to be something I am currently working on accepting both in my life and in my business.

Part two of Delivering Happiness was incredibly interesting, Tony shares the evolution of the Culture Book, 10 Core Values and staying committed to the unique culture that has developed (which became the Zappos brand). We discussed delegating non-core tasks, knowing when to hire people, hiring good employees, working with interns, making sure you are looking at the big picture and the small picture. I am looking forward to the next section of our Biz Book Meeting: Profits, Passion, and Purpose

2011 Biz Goals

to do list by mondernemotive

I've been meaning to post these for a while and finally (the story of my blogging life) have them postable.

• Create a real business budget: I am a little embarrassed to admit this but I have never created a budget for my business. That is not to say that I didn't track my sales or purchases or my COGs (cost of goods sold). But I have never had an actual budget as a guide. Part of the reason was I was scared, how much would I actually need to make to move to part time work? or quit my day job all together? I also kept putting it off for other “more important” tasks. This year I’ve vowed to create a real budget for myself so I can track my progress, create goals and make changes when necessary. As of last week, I have finally created a real budget for my business. There are some scary numbers there but at least I have a real idea of what I need to make to move my business forward.

• Add three new products to my line. I would like to add lip balm, candles, and whipped scrubs to my line this year. I hope you are all as excited about these new products as I am!

• Add a soap of the month club. Done, you can check it out here.

• Add 2-3 new wholesale accounts each quarter. This is a big goal. After completely my budget I see the necessity of adding additional accounts if I want to move to part time work by the end of the year. This is also a part of the business that is a bit hard for me. It is really scary to put your business out there, especially when it is such a part of you. However, its something I have to get over if I want my business to succeed, so I need to suck it up and get it done.

• Create a production schedule. I’ve created a long term production schedule and am working on breaking the larger goals into smaller pieces. I feel so much better. :)

• Create a marketing plan. Marketing is on of my biggest business struggles. I’ve read books, gone to seminars and I still don't seem to have a full grasp of everything, especially a plan that I will consistently follow and refer to. So, I started seeing on of the free business counselors at the San Francisco Chapter of the Small Business Development Center. I should have a “real” plan in the next few months.

• Start blogging 1-3 times a week. Obviously this has been going ok, but could be better. I need someone to get tough with me - any volunteers?
  

I heart Austin, TX

I am officially in love with Austin. I went for a visit with two of my girlfriends from college just over two weeks ago. I miss it already. We had a blast hanging out and doing the things we like best such as eating great food (I am still talking about the breakfast tacos),

cupcake trailer!

trailer park eatery's...heck yes

our very exciting happy hour appetizers from South Congress Cafe

discovering great shops and of course soap,

south of congress shops

smelling soap in the giant Whole Foods

listening to great live music and we got real crazy....

mine is the oak leaf in the center

by getting tattoos (that sounds wild but we've each been thinking about getting one for a while)!

It wasn't all fun and games while in Austin ;). I made a few product drops at a few stores (see here and here). I am really hoping to pick up some new clients to help get my products out there! Send me all your good vibes.

Update

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green sand beach in Hawaii

Wow, it has been a while since I’ve blogged. A lot has happened both personally and businesswise in the last few months, so I figure I should give everyone a little update. Since my last major post in July, I’ve signed a few new wholesale accounts (more about those later), gotten a great blog mention (here is the link in case you missed it), debuted a new product, been on a mad soaping mission, went on an amazing trip to Hawaii and got myself engaged.

the beach where we got engaged

I am excited about all the changes in my life and a little nervous too (not about the marriage part, I swear). I get nervous that things are moving too fast, or not fast enough, that I’m not doing enough, that I I need to delegate more, etc. A friend of mine put things into perspective for me the other day when he mentioned how proud and amazed he is at how far I’ve come. It really made me think.

contemplative moment in Kona

I rarely take time to reflect on how much I’ve accomplished, I’m almost always focused on what needs to be done or what I haven’t done yet. I am not saying that I should be constantly looking back but I think it would help put things in perspective if I did a little check in once in a while. I think one of the best ways to accomplish this is to get back on track with my blog. It will give me the opportunity to see how far I’ve come. Please help me keep up with my new vow, I need your support!

one of the feral horses in the waipio valley

Weekend Recap: Taste of Yountville

Image from Art and Living

I had my first craft show of 2010 this last weekend at the Napa Valley Mustard Festival's Taste of Yountville. This is only the second year they did a "craft" area but I think they realized that the combination of wine and shopping is a winner.

I got to share my outdoor 10x10 space with the very talented Kendra of Kendra Renee Jewelry Design, we shared laughs, snacks and booth tricks (Kendra had some awesome fabric hook thingy that she let me use). The show was a lot of fun and went well. The best part was it really got me excited about connecting with customers face to face again - which is good since I just found out today that I got into the Maker Faire in May...YIPEEE!!!!

Fear...Dun Dun Duuuuun.

photo from HowStuffWorks

I just saw this great post about Fear at Soap and the Finer Things In Life by The Soap Queen aka Anne-Marie Faiola. This is an issue I struggling with when it comes to starting my own business, I have many fears not only about failing but about succeeding as well (sounds weird but its true!). I can truly overwhelm myself with fear when I start imagining all sorts of future scenarios involving my business. What happens if my business fails? What will I do then? What happens if I succeed? What will my life be like?? Some of us have learned how to deal with Fear and keep moving forward while others havent reached that place yet. I know I need to work on acknowledging my fears - then to just keep truckin. Otherwise I will get stuck, feeling helpless and in turn not following my dreams and passions which would pretty much suck! That is definitely NOT how I want to live my life.

What fears do you deal with?? How do you deal with them??