Blog - Guest Blog

NYC Marathon November 1st: Ann Mehl Explains What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Marathoners

by Ann Mehl | 10/21/09 | 11:12am

Over the span of 16 years, Collective-E member Ann Mehl has run over forty marathons – NYC, Boston, Marine Corps, The Washington D.C. Marathon, Berlin, Stockholm, Quebec City, St. Louis, Dublin, The New Jersey Shore, The Rock in Roll Marathon in San Diego and Chicago to name but a few. Ann is also a Martha Beck certified life and career coach who "helps people over their finish line." We asked her, what can entrepreneurs learn from marathoners? Here are her thoughts:

The 26.2 mile distance has taught me a lot about what it takes to set a goal, maintain focus, and follow through. As an entrepreneur and certified coach, I work with clients who, like me, often struggle with finding motivation, direction and confidence. You certainly don’t have to run a marathon to know what it’s like to feel resistance. And so here are some of the lessons I’ve gleaned from the marathon to help you get motivated, keep pace and remain focused, whatever your particular “finish line”.

Stretch. Not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. Had I not dared to stretch myself beyond the one mile distance, I may have never known my full potential. I ran my first marathon in Boston in 1993 to prove to myself that I am strong and capable. The marathon taught me that I could achieve anything when I put my heart and mind into something. Stretch yourself. Surprise yourself. Do one thing each day that scares you.

Make the time. Whether you want to run a marathon or write a book, it all begins with carving out the necessary time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. So why do some people seem to do accomplish so much more? They do it by giving themselves the time. Create a short, achievable list of priorities and then make the time.

Pay attention to the inner voice. It is your constant traveling companion, and it can be your greatest friend or worst enemy. Snag any limiting voice when it surfaces and identify that i t is your fear talking. Learn to identify negative self-talk patterns and replace them with more constructive inner dialogue. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, either way you are usually right."

Just show up. According to Woody Allen, 80% of success is just showing up. That means you can't run a race if you don't make it to the start line. Don't be too easily swayed by your moods. Even when you don't initially "feel like" doing something, just taking the very first step will usually help you get in (and stay in) the mood.

Tune out the noise. Modern living is full of noise – literally and figuratively. Too much of it, and it can distract you from what you need to accomplish. Learn to quiet down your internal and external environment to the point where you can truly hear yourself. It will help you to stay focused and conserve precious energy.

Take in the view. When I am running, I often have to remind myself to take in the view. A new city, changing seasons – there's a lot to enjoy. Doing this helps me to stay "in the moment" and distracts me from whatever temporary discomfort I may feel. It also provides an energy booster when I look up and smile or talk to someone. Same as in life, as in running. As the saying goes "Life is a journey, not a destination."

Sometimes you'll stumble. False starts are central to the process of running, and awakening. So you miss a day's training, or you go nuts on dessert. Big deal! Start over again tomorrow. Perfectionism only causes stress and anxiety, and will eventually lead to burnout.

Buddy up. No man is an island, as John Donne once noted. Develop and nurture a healthy network of friends and partners who will support you in your endeavors. You will need them when the going gets tough. I believe that we carry one another in spirit. When someone falls down, go back and help them up. You may be able to do it all on your own, but you don't have to. Model after others if it will help you to move forward.

Laugh. Don't take life, running or yourself too seriously. And there's a lot to laugh at (especially in the marathon!). One good belly laugh a day is essential for optimal mental and physical health.

Run your own race. Ultimately, only you decide how you will run the race. Nobody else can run it for you. Learn to listen to, and trust your own intuition. You may take the counsel of those you trust, but don't be afraid to disregard it if you feel you know better. Dare to listen to the beat of your own drummer. Nobody knows you better than you.

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-Ann Mehl, http://www.annmehl.com
Certified Martha Beck life and career coach

Comments

katie

Submitted on 10/21/09 | 5:31pm

Great advice, Ann. And I love the mantra: Do one thing each day that scares you. I try to do that, and I find it helps you reach new levels.

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What's an Entrepreneurial Gal to Drink? Guest Blogger Anu Karwa of Swirl Events Answers the Question!

by Sabina Ptacin | 10/04/09 | 7:52pm

Today's guest blogger, Anu Karwa, member and founder / CEO of Swirl Events, answers the question many of us wonder, while debating what to drink after a long day at the office/home office and dealing with the regular entrepreneurial day-to-day grind. So sit back, pour a glass of wine, and check out what this wine expert has to say!

It's the end of the day, you've pitched your heart - and company- out non-stop, and all you can think about is putting your well-manicured heels on the coffee table and sitting back with a glass of wine. But what's an entrepreneurial gal like yourself to drink? Here are my favorite wine picking strategies that won't require a round of fundraising but taste as good as getting your product on Oprah. And if you thought this was helpful, send a little link love to my blog, SwirlSavvy.

1. Celebrate - you're worth it. But try a Prosecco, a lightly sparkling wine from the Northeast corner of Italy, or a Cava, a sparkling wine from Spain made the traditional Champagne method. Neither can be considered Champagne (since that only comes from the region of the same name in France) but it has all the festivity and bubbles as the more famous drink but at 1/5 of less of the price. My favorite is the Sorelle Bronca Prosecco made quarterly, to keep it fresh, by a duo of sisters in Veneto, Italy.

2. Venture into the unknown - As an entrepreneur, you're willing to take a bit of a risk. I recommend doing that with your wine choices as well. Try lesser known regions and reap huge rewards. A lesser known wine region that is taking the world by storm is Portugal. The accolades are well-deserved. Long known for Port, the dry red wines coming from the Douro, Dao and Alentejo taste they should cost 3X what you shelled out. If you're a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon, try wines that include the Touriga Nacional grape for a similar taste. Try the Esporao Reserve Red and be prepared for a wonderful evening.

3. In the same vein as Strategy #2, try lesser known grape varietals. SwirlSavvy's loves wines with the Mencia grape, commonly found in wines from Bierzo in Spain. It has all the complexity and spice Spanish reds are known for while revealing layer after layer of enticing aromas. Beyond it's gorgeous label, the Petalos from Bierzo, Spain will keep you coming back for more.

4. Don't pay the Chardonnay tax. We're all so comfortable ordering a Chardonnay at a restaurant. Owners know that and price accordingly. Skip the extra cost and try a more food-friendly white wine like a Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Gruner Veltiner, aka GruVee or Gruner, is hard to pronounce but big on taste. The crispness of granny smith apples is balanced by flinty minerality and a gorgeous nose. The racy acidity makes it a perfect accompaniment to summer salads and grilled veggies. Think of it as your picnic wine.

Comments

beth

Submitted on 10/05/09 | 8:51am

It is so important to celebrate along the way, it makes the journey much more enjoyable. I absolutely LOVE Prosecco, it is such a refreshing treat and so great to celebrate any entrepreneurial success. Thanks so much for the recommendations.

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Guest Blog: QVC - Getting on & Getting prepared. A True Business Story by Trae Bodge, Founder Three Custom Color Specialists

by Sabina Ptacin | 8/14/09 | 9:24pm

We're thrilled to announce that member Trae Bodge of Three Custom Color Specialists is on her way to QVC this month! Stay tuned, and read on to find out how Trae made the leap to QVC (and all the behind the scenes "need to know" stories) in her own words:

These days, with traditional retail struggling like it is, many entrepreneurs are looking for more effective ways to reach the consumer. I think a lot of us are having success with social marketing and marketing directly from our proprietary websites, but the challenge is effectively building your client base so people are actually reading the blogs and tweats you write and signing up for your e-mail blasts that you design.
So, how to reach new consumers in large numbers?

Television sales networks, like QVC, continue to have high viewership and sales despite the economic downturn. Sales have dipped a bit, but they are not feeling the economic crunch like many department stores and boutiques. And the cost to do business with them can be much lower than traditional retail and can require less staff. The downside is that in many categories, QVC is pure consignment, so if you can actually get on the network and don’t do well during your sell, all your meticulously packaged product comes sailing right back to you.
Worth the risk? It can be.

Ten years ago, QVC may not have been the ideal place for a makeup artist brand like ours, but over the years, QVC has really come into its own especially in beauty, featuring high-end brands like Prescriptives, YSL, Smashbox and Clinique and others (some of which have been resurrected from a slow death and are once again at the top of their game due to their QVC business).

My partners and have been watching the progression of QVC and became interested in approaching them a couple years ago. We were hesitant because we knew how competitive it was, so we wanted to wait for the right moment.

So how to get on?

Getting a meeting with a buyer at QVC is no easy task. They are bombarded with pitches so we chose to work with a Brand Strategist who was familiar with the inner workings of QVC and had a track record with bringing other brands like ours to the network. The buyers are very busy so even though the beauty buyer knew our brand strategist and had worked with her before, it took a couple months to secure a meeting for us – I say this merely to let you know that patience, in the case of QVC, is a virtue.

For our pitch meeting, my specialist created a Powerpoint presentation and we spent time together strategizing what products to show and the best way to introduce our brand to the buyer.

At the pitch meeting, we were fortunate enough to have a very enthusiastic reception from the buyer, but you should also expect the buyer to be more neutral. They might need time to consider if you and your product are appropriate for the network. Enthusiastic reception or not, it can then take a couple of months to get a concrete answer. If it’s a go, then you - or your brand strategist - have a lot of work to do (after you have a drink to celebrate!).

There is literally tons of paperwork to be filled out, you need to pass your product(s) through Quality Assurance, get your on-air claims approved, have any required product testing done (in our case, dermatological), select models, prepare host gifts…and the list goes on.

There are also classes that need to be taken. The Quality Assurance class is taken by the person who handles the logistical matters for your brand, and the Guest Excellence class is taken by the person you have chosen to represent your brand on-air (in this case, me). You will do mock “sells” with a host during your class and are given a DVD of your sell to study afterwards.

*Note – the Guest Excellence must be passed. Every person who goes on air must be approved by QVC to do so.

The buyer will place your Purchase Order and secure your air date. You can then prepare the order yourself or work with one of several companies who can do it for you for a fee.

Then it’s time to construct your “sell”. The brand strategist and I studied the DVD from my Guest Excellence class, prepared the sell and did mock timed run-throughs. One week before our airdate, we worked with our QVC “mentor” to fine tune. You have a very short time to be effective on air, so practice, practice, practice!

We go on air on Tuesday, August 18 during the Beauty Newsmakers show. The show is from 8-11 and we will be on during the last hour. Wish us luck!

Comments

katiedanziger

Submitted on 8/14/09 | 9:50pm

Wow, this is very exciting. It certainly is a long process, and very involved. Congratulations on QVC! I look forward to hearing about all your successes!

stefanyd

Submitted on 8/14/09 | 11:11pm

awesome! Congrats!:)

traebodge

Submitted on 8/24/09 | 11:48am

Thanks! Our segment went fairly well, which was fortunate for me because I was mind-numbingly nervous. We had a lot of competition that night with another brand with a similar looking product, so our sales were not as strong as we would have liked, but, the good news is that we were invited back! I'll be going on again Sept. 15 between 10-11. Fingers crossed!

Lessons learned: A popular Webvet viral video drives traffic to Youtube; and how it was produced by McCann Erickson for free!

by Hope Schultz | 7/27/09 | 9:18am

We set out to create a viral video series to drive traffic and brand awareness. With our first video, Little Dog, Big Surprise, we made it to Jimmy Fallon’s home page, Guy Kawasaki tweeted about us, and the Japanese love us!

The truth is that is was effective in driving short-term traffic, but where I think the real brand value is driving awareness over time. Another lesson learned was that while it can live on Youtube, we should be linking people to our site to view via Youtube, rather than sending them directly to Youtube. We’ve had about 67,000 views in two weeks and if we’d done that, we would have had major traffic spikes.

These spots were created and executed by McCann Erickson NYC. While they cost us nothing, they were developed and produced gratis, in my experience these would have cost at least $500K. McCann, the director, special effects guy and production company all donated their time and even ate some costs. Honestly, it’s because they liked the creative freedom we gave them and are now free to enter them into the major creative awards shows, including Cannes. So, they look at this as business development costs.

That said, this just might be the stimulus for a user generated video competition about pet problems that need vet answers. We’re still noodling this, but will hopefully have the solution soon. The lessons here are threefold:

1.    While certain initiatives will build brand awareness, they cannot be relied upon to drive sustainable traffic
2.    Leverage relationships . . . call in favors, capitalize on other peoples’ needs such as wanting work they can enter in major creative competitions
3.    Always drive people back to your site versus to other viewing points – WebVet versus Youtube

To see the 30 second video Little Dog, Big Surprise, click here>

Comments

katie

Submitted on 7/27/09 | 10:02am

That is a great ad, and oh no! You have more pet videos on the page!! Too cute.

Michelle Madhok

Submitted on 7/28/09 | 8:09am

great job Hope!

How'd you hook up with McCann Erickson?

johna

Submitted on 1/08/10 | 3:53pm

I just wanna thank you to author who written this article which you share with us. I completely read the article and now I need to read new ones. I watched similar article on youtube before and really did like it. Also this article is unique on the blog.

See you on new article...

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Guest Blog: Jill Frechtman, Pretzel Designer and Founder of Fretzels, shares her first experience showing at the Fancy Food Show

by Jill Frechtman | 7/14/09 | 3:01pm

I had a great experience doing the Fancy Food Show...I got off to a bit of a rough start, but ended up a very positive experience. I only applied for the show (for the New Member Candidate Program) about 2 weeks before the show!! I really had no idea what to expect when I got there and wasn’t quite as ready as I should probably have been in terms of my wholesale products, packaging, and especially pricing! I changed my pricing 3 times before, during, and after the show. And, in typical Jill fashion, the night before the show, I changed the packaging on one of my newer products because I wasn’t happy with what I had come up with.

But, like I said, overall it was a great experience. I left the show with a book of about 200 contacts – and even got two orders on the spot at the show. And, I received an email from a large fashion retailer/dept store with interest in Fretzels doing private label for them. In addition, I got interviewed from USA Today and met a producer from The View. I learned a lot about the Specialty food industry and got a burst of enthusiasm again for my brand. I can’t wait to debut all the new products/packaging — right now, they are only available for wholesale, but I will eventually offer them in some way through my website.

And to answer your questions, yes I did pay to go. I did it through their New Member Candidate Program, so it was only $1500 for a table (approx. 5 ft long) in a special section at the back of the aisles, titled “New Brands on the Shelf Pavilion”. A regular booth for a NASFT full-member is more than double the price I paid. There were other expenses, including sampling, display items, and printing –a 2pg marketing flyer, as well as my bio, and price sheet/order forms cost me quite a bit to print. I also had a new 4 ft long Fretzels banner printed for the front of the table.

Yes, I would definitely do this again. As part of the New Member Candidate Program, I think I am allowed to exhibit 2 times as part of the new brands, however, I think that I would like to try to become a full member and get a full booth next year. I also was told by a few people at the show that I should look in to exhibiting at the Atlanta Gift Show, which happens in January and July. (I just missed this July, so I’m aiming for next year.)

Comments

Rachel Franco

Submitted on 7/16/09 | 2:39pm

Hi Jill....thanks for this very helpful recap. I was really debating whether to do similar-type of shows in my industry (jewelry/fashion) - either in New York or in Atlanta. It's so expensive to do (even more than the one you did, I believe) and I'm not sure if those in my industry have a new member program like yours - which is a *great* idea! Still thinking on it, but your recap was very helpful.

~ Rachel

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Collective-E is a worldwide collective of women entrepreneurs who have come together to achieve faster movement, exponential increase in resources and abundant support. We (and by "we", we mean founders Katie, Sabina and Beth) blog about tips in the four principals that drive Collective-E: business strategy, pr strategy, online strategy, and community. Plus, we have special guest bloggers share their wisdom.