It’s that time again – fund raising for political candidates has started in earnest.
Chris and I co-hosted a fund raising for Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire last night. It was well attended, in a gorgeous art gallery. The Governor was well spoken, personable and absolutely hilarious. She had the crowd laughing and whoopin’ it up with some of her off-the-cuff, situational one-liners.
It was a fun evening and we were both thrilled to participate.
Hi Erin,
You have an excellent point definitely worth thinking about. I love how clearly you write. It’s great to get well-thought out feedback.
While this blog is certainly influenced greatly by Bramble Berry and Otion, it’s a bit of a personality driven blog.
I feel so fortunate that many of the readers have turned into my friends over the last few years. I read their blogs. They read mine. I blog about my parents visiting, our funny squirrels or my sister in law’s birthday party. And, I think that may be why our readership continues to grow – because this blog just isn’t shilling and selling only Bramble Berry stuff. It’s really a mixed bag – a little bit of personality tossed into business musings, mad scientist experiments, obsessions with cupcakes and some cool projects I get to do.
When I posted the photo, I just considered the Governor’s evening an extension of a fun thing that I did – a general sharing of my weekend to a group of friends. I wasn’t trying to make a political statement but you’re right, I should always consider whether I’ll turn off potential customers or not. Bramble Berry is such a big part of my life that I would be devastated to lose any one single customer over something I write.
I’ll be more careful in the future. I agree. It’s not worth offending anyone.
A-M
PS –
Saturday, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to meet the CEO of Ford Motor Company and if I get a picture (I’m bringing my camera), I’ll post that on the blog too. Fingers crossed …
Dear Anon:
And many successful business people don’t…
The beauty of it is – just like politics – you’re entitled to your opinion and I’m entitled to mine!
I respect people for their opinions and their political affiliations even though they differ from mine!
: – )
Kind Regards,
HSS
Many, many successful business people mix business and politics without any fallout. Co-hosting a fundraiser, regardless of the cause, speaks to Anne-Marie’s commitment to her community. It’s great she’s politically engaged and active and mixin’ it up with the big stars!
Dear Anonymous:
I was just trying to make a point. You buy on quality and service. And, as far as I’m concerned, a person’s political beliefs don’t matter to me, either. Plus, Annie Marie’s products are top-of-the-line and I intend to continue doing business with Brambleberry.
But, some people are very passionate about their political beliefs. Some WOULD let that influence a business decision on it.
If it were me, I wouldn’t take the chance. I keep my political preferences out of the business end of things…
HSS
I buy on quality service and price. If I cared about my suppliers political leanings I wouldn’t do business with many big corporate businesses.
Hi:
While I respect you as a business woman, I have to ask the same question as James.
While, it may be a learning experience to interact with successful business people AND while everyone is entitled to his/her political and religious preference, I believe that religion and politics should not necessarily be mixed with business.
My case in point is that people make business decisions (e.g., which suppliers to choose)based on a broad spectrum of criteria. If you openly state that you support this woman, you may, unknowingly, be turning off potential clients who are conservative and don’t want to do business with someone who they perceive as openly liberal. And, consider the large percentage of business people who ARE conservative.
I am not from your state, but one of my business associates is. She is a conservative and has a very negative opinion of Ms. Gregoire, as, from what I have grown to understand, many other conservatives do, as well.
And, while I think it is a good thing for you to personally support the candidate you believe is the best, it may not be advantageous to advertise it in a public forum, where you have mixed political affiliations – including potential Brambleberry customers who are conservative!
My two cents, anyway!
: – )
Kind Regards,
Erin
James, I definitely think it’s helpful to my business to hang out with super successful people at the top of their game. Most politicians at the state level have some amazing skills to get them there and I’m sure there’s lots to learn from them (especially about interacting with people!)