Success Stories Archives - Page 12 of 22

Latest Soapy Obsessions

November 15, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

I recently received a new boxful of soapy inspirational goodness! Have you every seriously contemplated taking a little nibble out of some soap because it smelled that good? .

If edible, soapy sensations are your thing, look no further; introducing Cinnamon Toast Soap from French Hill Country. I love love love this fragrance. The little fortune cookie shaped soaps came in the cutest “to go” container. And no, I didn’t take a bite despite the urge.

This Lily of the Valley soap from Rain Barrel Soaps smells heavenly too. I don’t want to eat it but the scent gives me a calm and fresh feeling every time I use it. It has a great fluffy lather too. The calming fragrance combined with the copious bubbles makes for a luxurious shower. The packaging is also unique and adds to the natural, handmade message Rain Barrel Soaps promotes.

This Lavender Mint from Dandy caught my eye because of their simple yet effective packaging. They did a marvelous job with their labels. It looks very professional and classy. The Lavender buds are a nice addition. They add texture and feel without overburdening the bar with too much scritch and scratch.

Creative Bath Fizzies

November 14, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

These are the cutest bath fizzies from Bauble Bath. Check out other adorable products from Bauble Bath here.Aren’t you inspired to try and make your own bath fizzies to meet the new cuteness standard? I sure am! The pressure is on!

Suds to Love Care Package

November 10, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

There’s something about receiving a hand written letter that just makes you feel good inside. Thanks, Trisha, for thinking of me. Your generosity made my day! I waited to blog this creative gift until I had actually used some of the soap. I just finished off the Champagne bar this weekend and was enamored with the suds this soap produced.

Trish, from Suds to Love sent us 6 beautiful and delicious smelling soaps. Everyone in the office agreed that our favorite scent was the Kumquat. The bar came out perfectly with nice even color and smelled very strong. The Wasabi & Green Tea blend came in at a close second place with its herbaceous and fresh smell. Overall all of the bars smelled and looked wonderful. She also sent us Chai Tea, Mango Champagne, Sweet Orange-Anise and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. It was hard to choose just one to take home. Check out the Suds to Love blog hereand read about Trisha’s soaping adventures, family and adorable puppies.

Thanks again for the care package!

Lessons from the Shooting Range

November 6, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

Thanks to the Seattle Police Foundation, I spent half a day with members of the Seattle Police Department on their shooting range and training course. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with lots of leadership lessons. The four top leadership lessons I walked away with were:

1. Have the right tools – It was shocking to see how easy it was to hit the clay pigeon from 100 yards with the right sniper rifle and an amazing scope. I hit the pigeon on my first try (after a little help figuring out how to see properly through the scope). One hundred yards is a long way. I’ve never shot a sniper rifle. As evidenced by the comments from the photo last night, I’m clearly inexperienced when it comes to guns. But, I hit a teensy target from 100 yards away. It wasn’t me; it was the tools.

It’s the same way in business. It’s a lot easier to get the job done when you have the right tools. This means that you want to have above-average technology and the right equipment to make your business a success.

2. Practice– Preparation and repetition is the key to making sure that when a real situation arises that you’ll be ready. Intentional and willful practice is necessary to be an expert. You need to hone your craft, no matter what your craft is.

In this case, the Department had a life-like simulator. It went through various scenarios that you would face on a regular basis if you were a police officer. It helped to figure out what you would do in a real life situation. It turns out that the majority of the civilians trying the simulator killed the innocent bystander. The innocent bystander was just reaching into his pocket to grab his cell phone but in the hyped up simulator situation, the adrenaline and self-preservation instincts kicked in and mistakes were made. It was complex and difficult and gave all players a generous dose of humility and appreciation for the day-to-day gray areas that police officers face.

Trying on the 70 pound Kevlar Bomb Squad outfit

3. Love Your Job – Every single police officer I had the honor of interacting with had passion for their job; they genuinely appreciated and loved it. And of all the jobs that anyone could have, being a police officer is one of those most stressful in the world(right up there with being an air traffic controller). In order to make it through the day, for any job, you have to have a genuine appreciation and desire to be there. Being self-employed, if you don’t love your job and find the value in what you are doing each and every day, the motivation to log the long nights, worry about finances and make just one more cold call won’t be there. You need to love your job.

4. Hire for Enthusiasm not Genius – Seattle Chief of Police R. Gil Kerlikowske (that’s him in the above photo) told me that the number one business advice he would give to any small business owner was to “Hire for enthusiasm not genius.” He went on to explain that you can teach skills, improve reflexes and make new neural pathways but ingrained attitudes and joyful enthusiasm are difficult to train.

The half-day training was an amazing experience. The Seattle Police Foundation does a full day training once a year for community members and supporters. If you’re interested in learning more, click here to be taken to their site to request information.

Rock the Vote

November 4, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

The Patience of a …

October 27, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

This artcard is made of pinholes. $45 here. The artist pokes each hole, individually, through the page to create this piece of art.

Finish the Year Strong

October 12, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

It’s 10/12 … do you know where your resolutions are?

This is the perfect time of year to check in on your 2008 New Year’s Resolutions (if you’ve forgotten yours, 54 comments on this post may remind you). The lull between summer and the impending holiday rush is an ideal moment to take stock in how 2008 has gone for you. It’s the season to make small course corrections and continue to work towards fulfilling your dreams.

If you’re feeling foolish because you’ve hardly made a dent in those dreams and ambitions from January 1, take heart because you’re not alone. Most New Year’s Resolutions don’t make it past the first month, let along tag along through the chaos of the entire year. It’s okay to change your goals, to make them more manageable or shift them to fit changes in your life. Just take your goal list out and make sure that you’re actively working on it. It’s permissble to change your goals to make them mesh with your current reality. I had to.

One goal I had this year was to start an Otion II in Seattle. I diligently pursued this: I hired a real estate broker, did the demographic research, lined up financing, spent time walking top neighborhoods and ultimately, negotiated two leases in different neighborhoods. Unfortunately, both of those leases fell through. I was bitterly disapointed and vowed to start over. And then, the markets did their loop-de-loop and financing dried up for Otion II. This goal needs to be changed to reflect the current business climate we’re in. So, I spent this afternoon changing that business focus. I’m going to take the time I was spending on Otion II and devote it to pushing through a website redesign with a smarter shopping cart.

The secret to success in anything is relentless pursuit of your goals, small baby steps at a time. So, sit down, take out that list and get re-energized about your dreams and ambitions. It’s important to finish this year strong so that you head into 2009 with some serious momentum.

PS – The Calender pictured up top is available for $10 from Perfect Laughter here.

Guest Blog: Going the Extra Mile

October 10, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

Going the Extra Mile will Get You Even Farther
by Jack Canfield

Successful people go the extra mile. Plain and simple.

They do it because it says multitudes about their work ethic and character. They stand out from the crowd because of their extra efforts. They are unwilling to give up, even in the face of difficult times.

They get the promotions, they get the loyal customers, they grow their businesses twice as fast, they get financial rewards, job security, and they go home feeling satisfied.

Do you exceed expectations? Do you surprise people with more than they were expecting from you? Do you look for ways that you could be of more service, or for projects that you could help out on?

People notice hard workers. They notice special services and all the small touches that make dealing with you so pleasurable. And when they are talking to their friends they will mention you and recommend you because you are the one who stands out.

Do you wonder what’s in it for you? Do you think it’s unfair to give more when you’re not being compensated for it or recognized for it? Do you have the “it’s not my job” mentality?

To be successful you must change your thinking. You can only win by making extra efforts. People who go the extra mile always get payback. You will discover yourself becoming more self-confident, more self-reliant and more influential with those around you.

You will get noticed! People will see that you pay attention to detail, that you consider all the small things that really make a business successful, that you care about your image, and that you belong with all the other people who work hard to achieve. You will attract new business and new opportunities.

Listen to any success story and you will hear of someone who worked exceptionally hard to get what they wanted.

You’ll hear how they put in the extra time, did what wasn’t part of their job description, and over-delivered on what was asked of them. You’ll hear how they stuck at it until they broke through, and usually you’ll hear how it only took them a couple of years to do it.

What have you been doing for the past couple of years? The same thing? How quickly have you advanced? How quickly has time gone by? Think of what you could accomplish if you made it a habit to exceed everyone’s expectations. Image what doors could be open to you if you decided to be of better service and value.

How are you willing to go the extra mile? What kind of extra service are you willing to provide in order to stand out from the rest? What areas of your life could you be giving more of your effort and time, becoming more valuable, and improving your reputation?

Be willing to treat everyone like you’d treat your dearest friend. Don’t skimp on service. Don’t be mediocre or run of the mill. Show people what you are capable of. Show them that you care about your image and reputation.

When it comes to success, the people who are willing to go the extra mile get there that much faster!

About the Author: Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Gettin’ On My SoapBox – Sell! Sell! Sell!

September 26, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

I recently was honored when a young female entrepreneur asked me to mentor her. She’s an online business in a different space than ours – also specialty and niche but nothing to do with bath and body.

We sat down and chatted for a few hours. I loved her business concept, her business name and the entrepreneur herself. She was a dynamo! Only one problem: she didn’t have very many sales.

So, what did she do? She went out and started another company, having diagnosed her lack of sales as a positioning problem. In trying to start the new company, she all but let her first company sit in the weeds, gathering dust. She did no new marketing, no new products and quit writing her daily blog.

Now, 6 months later, she has one company not making any money (the first one) and another company … not making any money (the second one).

I see this disease in so many entrepreneurs (myself included) – misdiagnosing the problem

It’s natural to do only what you like to do. It’s natural to do the fun things first. It’s natural to want to eat the dessert and skip the broccoli. It’s natural to have too many good ideas as an entrepreneur.

The key is to squelch those natural instincts and actually follow through on ONE good idea. If you thought it was a great idea a year ago, why isn’t it valid now?

The sales part of any business is what’s hard. Actually convincing your potential customers that YOU’RE the one to buy from requires daily, incremental painful effort. It means doing the same things, day in and day out. It’s not sexy. It’s not always fun. It’s sometimes boring. It’s repetitive. But, it’s what will win the day in the end.

You don’t have a positioning problem. You don’t have a cash problem. You don’t have an employee problem. You don’t have a niche problem. You don’t have a packaging problem.

You have a SALES problem.

Get more sales and poof! All of those so-called “problems” go away and get magically solved. Why magic? Because with sales comes money. And with money comes more resources. And with more resources comes more bodies to work on your “problems.”

Don’t re-do your packaging yet again. Don’t re-jigger your formulas yet again. Don’t redesign your web site yet again.

Get out there and sell.

Then, in a year, when you’ve quadrupled your sales, you’ll look back at those other ideas that had been tugging at you and be able to use all of your new found cash to expand your business in a logical, thoughtful manner.

Fragrance Discoloration Tests

September 22, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

We’re busy working on our Spring 2009 fragrance line. If you can believe it, the two soaps on the right are not made with white soap. They are clear soap that has been clouded by a fragrance. Obviously, those are two fragrances we won’t be adding!

While soap is a science, it’s the fragrances and color and mold choices that can elevate this science into an art. But, sometimes, it’s those same art variables that can prove problematic for soap batches. Testing is important to help minimize potential surprises.

For the at-home crafter, this means that “best practices” is for you is to test each new ingredient you receive in a small batch before making a large batch of your regular product even ifyour vendor has tested it . Carefully documenting each batch and making detailed notes about your personal mix of ingredients and techniques for future reference is one key to ensuring continuity from batch to batch.

Crest Soaps by PJ

September 10, 2008 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

PJ, the talented soap artist who created the Realistic Clamshell Project from last week, made a piece of medieval artwork using just simple soap colors, the Milky Way Crest Mold and the PJ Tool Kit.

PJ did some research about her mold and had this to say about the historical realism of Milky Way’s work:

Did you know it’s a “real” crest of sorts? Whenever I get a mold that looks like it might be taken (even in part) from something that actually exists I like to do a little research and get some basics to at least make it look recognizable (or in this case to avoid insulting some family line) hehehe. Anyway, I just happened to find nearly the exact same crest called the “Rampant Lion Crest”:

http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/images/S112%20Large.jpg
http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/rampant-lion-crest-8478.html

A soap artist and a historian to boot … PJ is a soaper of many talents.

Orca Soap by Nahia Creations

September 8, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Shelly from Nahia Creations (see previous posts about Nahia Creations great products here and here) made some gorgeous melt and pour soap this weekend, using the Bramble Berry Orca mold.

Her soap turned out great. The detail work around the eye is appealing and adds to the realistic look of the soap.

Citrusy Checkerboard Soap

September 6, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Thank you Gale, from Pregailia’s Lathers in Alabama, for this adorable Checkerboard Soap. It smells bright and citrusy! I can’t get enough of it. It’s in my shower right now, honest to blog!

Gail was my gracious chauffeur from the airport to the Alabama Soaper’s Gathering. She was a delight to hang out with and had a sparky sense of humor to boot.Thanks for the gift, Gail. I love how it’s soaping up in the shower.

Delegation is Good (but hard to do right)

August 26, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

Bramble Berry’s COO was on vacation last week (that’s us, pretending to fly a plane – notice who is actually steering?). Besides making me desperately appreciate him even more, I took away a renewed appreciation in the fine art and skill of delegation. It turns out, when you over-delegate and under-instruct, nothing much happens. Or rather, much happens, none of it right.

My tips for delegating, after a week of doing a super sub par job of it:

1. Clearly outline the desired outcome – You’d be surprised at how hard this is. I’ve been failing at it for ten years now and still find it a struggle. If you want Mary Jo’s package to make it to her in British Columbia, with correct custom forms, for less than $35, by next Friday, you HAVE to spell all of that out…

2. In writng – If you want to delegate effectively, write out your desired outcome (and steps for success). My staff are often shocked to get an email from me when I could easily just turn around and tell them my wish. Just by writing it, you will gain clarity and focus as you try to make sense of your mind spaghetti on paper. In addition, giving a valued staff member your expectations in writing helps to ensure that they are exceedingly (and painfully) clear on your expectations.

3. With follow-up – Would you give a child in middle school an assignment worthy of a high schooler and not help, follow up, coach and mentor? Just like you wouldn’t tell your 15-year-old to go drive your stick shift BMW on the first try, it’s poor planning to delegate without mentorship. As Norman demonstrates with his son on the Bramble Berry forklift, hands on help and support are important. As a leader, your job is to instruct, mentor and coach your team to the next level of greatness – the depth of skill reservoir they didn’t even know they possessed! You do this through…

4. Scheduled Communication – Every day at Bramble Berry, we have team meetings. The warehouse meets, the key Management meet and the Customer Service Department meets. We cover the same things: (a) What did you do today? (b) Are you stuck? (c) What went well? How can we do more of that? Daily communication is a key to complete organizational alignment. It’s also a good check in for the projects you’ve delegated. “So, Apryl, how is that newsletter design I asked you to do?” (Hint for Soap Queen readers: the newsletter is coming out this week. If you want to shop two sales at once, go sign up for it here)

5. Praise for Things Done Right – No one runs your business as well as you do. No one can make your soap, pull your orders, invoice and talk to the customers the way you do. I get that. But if your helpers even do an 80% job, they deserve praise. They deserve recognition for a job done well. And they deserve your confidence that maybe, sometimes, they do run certain aspects of your business even better than you can do. Your way isn’t always the best way to do something. Let them tweak the process along the way and give them kudos when the end result is successful.

And, if they didn’t do an 80% job, head back to Step 3 and start the entire process again.

Resources to help you on the path to Delegation Success:

Jack Canfield Delegation Worksheet

Listen to Jack talk about delegating and the finances behind delegation