My beloved, creative, entrepreneurial friends, if you read one blog post today, make it this one. So, so, so good. And important. And deeply helpful.

Thanks, Danielle. You rock.

All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment on this post, and tell us about your favourite hand-made thing. It can be something you love to make yourself, or someone else’s creation — whatever you like. We’ll select a winner at random from the entries. The contest will close Monday, July 6th at 5:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time). Please note that to be eligible you will need to use a valid email address as we’ll be contacting the winner via email.

Good luck!

There’s a lot in it I don’t relate to, because the subject of the piece, Keith Ferrazzi, is a relentlessly ambitious guy who has made it his singular goal in life to achieve the kind of success Emira and I are pretty skeptical of — the kind that comes with being a Fortune 500 CEO, a political bigwig, or some other kind of high-profile, high-income heavy hitter. However, I found Ferrazzi completely fascinating, and I even discovered a couple of snippets of advice that I think are both brilliant and applicable to just about any entrepreneur.

For starters, there’s this comment about maintaining a diverse circle of friends and connections:

The best sort of networking occurs when Ferrazzi can connect two people who don’t know each other. Which drives home a surprising implication: the strength of your network derives as much from the diversity of your relationships as it does from their quality or quantity. Most of us know the people within our own profession and social group, and little more. Ferrazzi makes a point of knowing as many people from as many different worlds as possible. The ability to bridge those worlds is a key attribute in managers who are paid better and promoted faster, according to an influential study conducted by Ron Burt, a professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

I’ve personally seen this in action, and in fact Emira is one of the most brilliant examples I know of. She’s forever making connections between the various worlds in which she travels, be it high-tech and DIY crafters, or mompreneurs and nonprofits. When you can be the go-to person people turn to when they need to meet just the right person in a field that’s outside their usual realm, it becomes highly valuable for them to maintain their relationship with you — which in turn has all kinds of good repercussions for your business.

I also enjoyed this bit about sharing your knowledge freely:

The care and feeding of contacts is a relatively new concept for the business networker. In Power! How to Get It, How to Use It, a 1975 self-help screed on the secrets to becoming a corporate chieftain, Michael Korda advised that “masters players … attempt to channel as much information as they can into their own hands, then withhold it from as many people as possible.” That is, 30 years ago old-style connectors attained power through a monopoly of information, whereas today people like Ferrazzi view the system as social arbitrage, a constant and open exchange of favors and intelligence. It’s a sort of career karma, too; how much you give to the network determines how much you’ll receive.

I feel like we’re hearing this message more and more, but it still bears repeating: Share what you know, and don’t expect an immediate tit-for-tat return on it. You’ll build up a reputation as an expert and a source of good info, and people will turn to you when they need help.

I recommend reading the whole article, but I don’t think I’ll be following Ferrazzi’s lead when it comes to work-life balance:

Ferrazzi, who has no children but has been in a 10-year relationship with another man, spends almost all his time working. “I wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning, and I go until 1 in the morning,” he says. “Every free moment is a chance to E-mail or call someone. But I don’t consider that work. That’s my true joy. I have balance, but it’s my own version. My career and my community-service stuff have always taken a front seat to my personal life. But, in a sense, that is my personal life. There’s no distinction for me. Yes, I’d like to go to church more and meditate more. And it’s been a while since I’ve taken a real vacation. But do I feel like I’ve sacrificed anything? No.”

Although I admire the fact he’s clearly made a conscious decision about fusing his work & personal lives, I know that wouldn’t work for me. I think I’ll be sticking with keeping a good chunk of time for myself (not to mention for sleeping!).

Oh, and while you’re over at Inc., you may be interested in reading Margot Fraser’s “How I Did It” story; she’s the founder of Birkenstock, and an amazing woman. We were fortunate enough to meet her a few years back, and she’s one of the humblest and most delightful women I’ve ever met. She treated us like peers and was eager to learn from everyone she met. If I can remain that open into my eighties, I’ll be damn proud of myself.

The screening takes place at the Rio Theatre here in Vancouver, at 1660 East Broadway (at Commercial), on Thursday, July 9. There’s a craft showcase at 7:00 PM, followed by an 8:00 PM screening. Tickets are $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door, and the first 100 tickets sold will receive a swag bag. There are more details on the Got Craft website (they’re the ones hosting & promoting the event).

You can also check out the accompanying book: Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design

Get a flavour of the film from the trailer:

I was particularly delighted to read Caddell’s thoughts about the “Learn to say ‘no’” segment:

We’ve come across things people want us to do, that we do well (or at least better than the competition) that we really don’t want to do. This is perhaps the most fatal trap for any business I’ve worked in. These are the sirens calling you to shipwreck. You’ll hemorrhage your best people, you’ll stop loving what you do, and you’ll lose the passion that built your business in the first place. Start saying ‘No.’

Read his blog post and see what you think. (And if you love it so much you want to hang it on your wall, he’s got you covered there — check the post for details on buying prints.)

We’re delighted to be speaking at this week’s GBA meeting, which takes place on Wednesday. Care to join us?

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Grassroots Business Association: “Defining Business Success on Your Own Terms”
(We’ll be speaking, and signing books.)
Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA – note venue change!
RSVP on Meetup.com

Photo: dancing shoes, by streetpreacher83

The economic woes we’re facing right now feel awfully familiar.

See, Emira and I started our business in February 2000; by the end of that summer, our industry (and in fact all things web-related) had experienced the first big dot-com crash. Our friends and family wondered at times if we’d hitched our horses to the wrong wagon. But the fact is, we’d made a very wise decision in striking out on our own earlier that year.

Why? A few reasons:

• We were no longer dependent on salaries from the larger firm where we’d worked. (A lot of the big firms went under that year, and many of our colleagues found themselves out of work.)
• We were piloting a small, nimble, service-based firm that had enough flexibility to weather economic storms.
• We were carrying no debt, and low overhead.
• With no investors or bankers breathing down our necks, we could afford to build our business slowly and steadily.

The bootstrap approach to starting a business has always appealed to me, with the major caveat that I am not a fan of putting things like your family home or other key assets on the line for the sake of an entrepreneurial venture. I’m sure there are occasions when that’s a worthwhile risk to take, but I prefer to keep the financial gambles to a minimum even if it results in slower growth. What I like about bootstrapping is the DIY approach to entrepreneurship — I’ve never been big on owing other people money, so investors and big bank loans make me a little nervous.

In my opinion, although today might not be the ideal time to start some businesses, many ventures started during an economic downturn will put down roots that will stand them in very good stead in the future. Certainly, those started with an eye to frugality and a cautious approach to risk stand a very good chance of not only making it through rough patches like this one, but also thriving in sunnier times.

Financially, you’ve got a few advantages when you start your business during a downturn:

• Interest rates are low. So if you do take out a loan, you benefit from reasonable rates.
• It’s a buyer’s market. If you are renting or leasing equipment, it’s a good time to negotiate on price & payment terms.
• Restrictions can force you to think creatively. When you have fewer options, sometimes you come up with brilliant solutions you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. I’ve learned this lesson as a designer, and it has held true as a business owner as well.

And more than once lately I’ve heard about new entrepreneurs who were laid off from salaried jobs and decided this was their chance to try their hand at running their own business, so that’s another way of turning the current economic troubles into an opportunity.

In the bigger picture, I feel like the various unsustainable realities we’re living with today (mounting personal & national debt, low personal savings rates, the world’s aging population, peak oil, and climate change, just to name a few) all point to smaller, lower-risk, slow-growth business models as the way of the future. I think we could all stand to rethink our cultural predisposition towards the quick buck and rapid growth, and look for inspiration from the “slow” movements, such as slow food. I’m not sure I can wholeheartedly embrace slowness as an umbrella concept — I do work in high-tech, after all, and I like things to move at a brisk pace — but as far as my workplace and my bank balance are concerned, I favour stability and gradual evolution over roller-coaster rides.

When you start your business with an eye to mitigating the inevitable ups and downs of the marketplace by regulating your spending and debt, you create a solid foundation for future years — so whereas some people might look at starting a new business during a downturn as a risky venture, I feel that when it comes to the kinds of businesses we wrote about in The Boss of You, today could be just the moment you’ve been waiting for.

It feels like this may be an opportune time, therefore, to talk a bit about blogging for your business, and a few of the misconceptions that get in the way of good blogging. (I’m hoping that by writing this down I’ll present myself with fewer excuses the next time things get busy.)

This isn’t just a pep talk, though — my hope is that it’s also a helpful reality check in terms of evaluating the relative importance of blogging to your business. I recently had a conversation with a client of mine who wants to start blogging but is feeling daunted by all the marketing tasks he’s juggling right now: As a sole proprietor, he is wisely cautious about tackling yet another marketing venture that seems likely to require a lot of time and is relatively unlikely to increase his cashflow, at least in the short term. His reservations are entirely valid, and in fact I totally relate — as a business owner myself, I have a hell of a time prioritizing my blogging over other items on my to-do list that seem much more urgent. In fact, I have a whole litany of negative statements that float into my mind whenever I consider procrastinating on another blog post. And I bet at least one of them will sound very familiar to you.

Please believe me when I say that I have been guilty of buying into all of these at one time or another — but I’ve learned my lessons after nine years of trial and error as a blogger (and just as many years as a web designer whose clients turn to me for advice on all things online-marketing-related). Here’s a handful of the blogging excuses I’ve stopped buying (or at least, am going to try valiantly to quash whenever they enter my mind — they’re kinda resilient).

No-Good Excuse #1: I can’t earn my keep through ad revenue.

Nope, you probably can’t. At best, you might be able to pay your hosting costs and a bit extra. If you’re a professional full-time blogger you might be able to earn a living this way; the time required to sell the ads and generate the kind of content you’d need to drive a lot of clicks to your advertisers’ sites is definitely a full-time gig. But for most of us — who are blogging off the side of our desk while trying to do something else for a living — ads are not going to pay for more than a few perks here and there. You’ll have to earn your rent some other way.

However, here’s what you can earn through your blog: stronger, two-way relationships with customers, prospects, and other interested parties; a reputation as a thought leader and trusted source of information; and great search engine traffic. And that’s just the first three things that came to mind. (Feel free to add your reasons in the comments.)

No-Good Excuse #2: Blogging doesn’t lead directly to sales.

Blogs are not a panacea, and setting up a blog won’t send your revenues through the roof. What blogging is good for is connecting with your community of customers, prospects and interested parties and forming relationships (AKA branding). Rather than looking at your blog as a sales vehicle, look at it as a playspace where you build friendships and share ideas. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t announce sales, products, and other business news on your blog — it just means that shouldn’t be the only information you’re sharing. When was the last time you read a sale flyer that landed in your mailbox? All business and no personality makes your blog a dull read, so enjoy yourself and behave like a great salesperson — be yourself and ask good questions.

No-Good Excuse #3: If you can’t post every day, you might as well give up.

This is a controversial one. I know there are lots of people who believe fervently that daily blogging (or at least, weekdaily (to coin a term) blogging) is the only way to go. But you know that saying that the best workout routine is the one that you actually do? That’s how I feel about marketing in general, and blogging in particular. Every other day is better than every other month, and once a week is better than once a year. Do what you can and knock those guilt gremlins out. They’re not doing you any good.

No-Good Excuse #4: If you don’t have something fresh and fascinating to say, nobody will listen.

This is a trap I fall into a lot. The problem with this belief is that it hinges on the idea that your readers are a passive audience of listeners. Au contraire! They may be reading your words, but what they want is engagement. If you don’t have breaking news to share, how about starting a conversation? Try asking your readers for feedback on new product ideas. (Talk about a win-win: Your customers get a voice in shaping your product line, while you get the benefit of free focus groups.) Or invite them to share their favourite tips on a topic that’s relevant to your business. Blogging can be a tool for listening as well as for talking, and every good conversationalist knows that asking questions is a key ingredient of great dialogues.

No-Good Excuse #5: My posts aren’t long enough.

Does anyone wish I’d drag this out longer than it needs to be? Didn’t think so. ‘Nuff said.

(OK, actually, I have one caveat here. If you’re keen to brand yourself as a thought leader, you probably will need to write some lengthier, article-type stuff on your blog — or at least, post it somewhere and link to it. But I’ve never heard anyone complain about a too-short blog post.)

Q: You went to design/fashion school, so obviously you’ve had intentions in this direction for a while, but did you plan to work for yourself/run your own show?

A: Okay, here’s a bit of a funny story, and it’s a little bit long.

When I decided to go to fashion school, it wasn’t something I had thought about or planned. I had been creating for a while and blogging about what I was making, but didn’t think about doing it professionally or going into business for myself with it.

Then one summer, I got a sewing machine. I taught myself to use it and wanted to draft my own patterns for my own designs. I needed direction for that, and I had an advantage: I was already living in a city in France where people come from all to study design and tailoring at the school downtown, and I was motivated. So I picked up the phone even though the school was closed for summer, and what I can only think of as divine intervention caused the director of the school to be there to answer. After I introduced myself and gave a little speech he said, “Hey! Come on over right now for an interview.” So I did. I was accepted and three weeks later I was starting the school year with all the other new students.
Carpe diem!

When I finished school (among the top of my class, I happily add) I thought I’d work at a company in order to “learn the ropes” before branching out on my own. However, after a very short while of doing this and seeing my designs being commercialized under someone else’s label, I changed plans. I wanted to bring my own ideas to life without any more
creative limitations and I wanted those who purchased my designs to know that I was the one who created them. That’s when I decided to fully dedicate my time to running my own show.

Q: You are very multi-talented what with the gorgeous clothes, bags and knitting prowess. How do you focus and not go off in your many talented directions?

A: There are so many things that I want to do and so many ideas I get that I could easily veer off into too many directions so I focus on what I know I do well.

Clothing is my main focus. I remain organized by creating small collections each season, researched before I even start drafting. (For example, this spring and summer I’m all about 19th century “en plein air” impressionists, pre-raphaelite art and outdoor picnics.) Making sure my collections are always cohesive and in my chosen colors for that season keeps me from going off in other directions. While I often get the urge to make over-the-top designs I was encouraged to do in school, my pragmatic side allows me to keep my items creative yet wearable so they’ll appeal to my customers.

The bags are just a plus. Here’s another funny story about how they came about: During my second year of school I worked an internship at a studio that designs and commercializes accessories in boutiques all over the world. When I got there one of the many tasks they entrusted me was that of designing bags and making the prototypes, so I had to learn pretty
quickly how to make beautifully constructed bags. I took advantage of this newly acquired talent by making bags on the weekends and selling them in my online shop (which paid for a lot of my art supplies and materials for that school year!)

As for knitting, well, I’m always knitting in the evenings or during my son’s karate tournaments as a way to relax. These knitting projects have to be small and portable so I currently focus on accessories.

Q: You’re very adept at getting yourself online and out there — with multiple websites (see here and here and here), Etsy, Twitter, etc. — how does your blog/social media factor into your business? Is there a planned relationship there or has it been more organic?

A: It’s definitely more organic. I do my social networking online without thinking, “I have to market myself and my creations.” It’s mostly my way of connecting. I started blogging when I moved to France in 1999, before blogs existed as we know them, and it was mostly a means to share what I was doing in my new home country. I was lucky enough to get mentions in some magazines and newspapers so before I knew it, I had a large readership that included a lot of people other than my family and friends.

When I taught myself to knit in the summer of 2000, I started showing what I was making to my blog readers along with the other daily musings. I did the same thing when I taught myself to sew, and then when I went to design school. Sharing slices of life is as important as sharing my creations. If I find a new web application that will help me connect more easily with people who feel the same way, like Twitter, I try it out and stick to it if I like it and am having fun with it.

Q: What do you enjoy most about running your own business?

A: Creative freedom, and organizing my day the way it works best for me! I love that I have no one to tell me that I have to design something while worrying about production costs or whether or not a commercial agent will be able to sell it. I love that I can pull on my jeans and bike to the post office or to the notions shop at 3:00 in the afternoon. Best of all, I love that I’m making what I want, when I want and how I want. It’s all good.

Q: What is one (or are some) of the more challenging aspects of self-employment for you?

A: The administrative aspects, and thankfully my husband gives tremendous support. On the creative side it’s a bit of a challenge doing everything myself from sourcing materials and sketching designs to drafting patterns and sewing. I enjoy doing it, but it requires lots of time-consuming work and effort.

Q: What inspires you to keep going as an entrepreneur?

Having customers return and seeing my work featured. It is rewarding to know that someone likes what I make so much that they’ve come back for more and/or sent others my way. This is one of the reasons why I constantly come up with new designs and strive to make my creations better and better.

Q: How do you define success as a designers and entrepreneur?

A: For me success is not always lucrative, and I know this because I gave up a good position at a big law firm before I became a designer. It may sound cliche, but for me success is being one hundred percent happy about going to work in the morning and having people like what you create enough to wear it as a means of personal expression.

And if all that leaves you wanting more, you can read more about Becky at this Etsy featured seller interview as well.

However, (and you knew there had to be a however in here somewhere), about a month ago I found myself sitting at the island in my mother’s kitchen thumbing through the paper for the business section when I was faced with a glaring contrast of the traditional (and supposedly successful and aspirational) business model and the way that we have been advocating approaching business.

In the left column, a story about how courts were backing a big Canadian telecom company in giving CEOs large bonus cheques despite the fact that many staff were being laid off within the company — a situation that I as a business owner simply can not imagine finding myself in. On the right, a story about two women who are working to renovate a downtown Victoria location to become a small cafe focused on quality, local food at affordable prices. Devour, the name of the new cafe, opened in April and the two owners spoke in the article about some of the silver linings they saw the current recession bringing them as new business owners. While they did also acknowledge the challenges, they cited everything from lower interest rates on loans and cheaper rent on commercial space, to a shift in people’s attitudes toward how they spend their money as potential benefits to open a business in this climate. In the interview, one of the owners, Alison Bigg, described the shift this way “I think people are really keen to support local businesses and local farmers, doing things that will help the local economy right here, right now… We are going to do affordable, quality food and that’s hard to find.”

Exactly.

Sadly, I haven’t yet had a chance to sample what sounds like delicious options at Devour, but will be heading there next time I’m in town. It is my sincere hope that these gals are spot on the money. Not just because I happen to share these gals views on food, but because I really do hope that if this downturn does one positive thing it helps to shift people’s attitudes toward building locally grounded businesses based on realistic expectations and a desire to engage in local communities. There was a time not too long ago when people assumed that working for a big telecom company on salary was the less risky, more stable career choice while entrepreneurial pursuits were necessarily high risk. It is my sincere hope, that as Lauren brought up a few weeks ago perspectives on risk are shifting and with them attitudes toward what makes a successful model business. And in the meantime, if you’re in Victoria check out Devour and let me know what you think.