Desiring to be treated well, is not you having “high standards.”
Audience: Everybody
Being aware of someones disregard or disrespect for you and deciding to remove yourself from a situation or just not tolerating that behavior is not you having high standards. This applies to your mother, father, guardian, sibling, cousin, childhood friend, neighbor, all of em.
Sometimes it is just simply you recognizing that certain things are not that complicated and you are not willing to exist in the company of people who don’t know how to treat you or want to treat you the same way they want to be treated. That’s not having high standards.
The bare minimum is not having high standards or having high expectations either. So don’t let people convince you of that, because if being treated like a decent human is having a high standard than what does that say about the collective as a whole? And what does that say about somebody’s inability to show up that way? And frankly, why would you want to exist with somebody like that?
Just something to think about as we all struggle to witness genocide in Palestine, practice Thanksgiving and get prepared for holidays. I recognize - and I encourage you lot to do the same - that not everyone is going home to love, nor will they be surrounded by it. Which by default, means the conversations and treatment are going to be, interesting to say the least.
Andre 3000 is right.
Audience: Everybody
I recently sat through an Andre 3000 interview where he touched on his album “New Blue Sun”, anxiety, cultural norms, his bias on narratives around music creation, transformation, peace of mind, his feelings and the matters of fact in his life.
It’s not a very long bit, but it was enough time to observe the shift in a star we exalt as a pillar in hip-hop. Someone who, as a super fan, has been built up into an idea in mind - after all, his music has essentially raised me. And it is from that lens that I admire the most important “matter of fact” he makes us all sit with.
Our society does not view celebrities as human, there’s an illusion that they’re more. It’s so important to appreciate how Andre shatters that illusion and is encouraging us to accept his humanity - and in a way our own.
It makes, us fans, interrogate what authenticity means for us. To honor that, to live it out, without consideration to anything else. Purity? It begs the question: How much of the world is being deprived of incredible things, because we are forfeiting our purity, our uniqueness? I don’t think we can escape the weight of expectations (capitalism, cultural norms, implicit bias, etc.), but who said we needed to carry it in the first place?
We all want to figure out what freedom feels and looks like for us individually. I think Andre 3000 is being unapologetically himself, by honoring his moment. The same moment we’re all experiencing now in our everyday lives - even now as you read this entry. In some ways he’s giving us permission to do that. To change however we need to, at any time, centering around what ever is necessary to maintain our well-being.
And if that was his message, he’s right.
Growth does not occur in a vacuum.
Audience: Businesses & Freelancers
You are competing against other companies and if you want to capture the most value then you need IDEAS that are both right and contrarian.
If you’re doing what all of your competitors are doing then you have no competitive advantage by definition. Even if the idea is right.
Contrarian ideas are the most profitable ideas.
You must find your own proprietary way of creating solutions.
The DNA of your work matters.
Audience: Freelancers
You may feel that your service, ability or works are limitless but there’s something that should be said about having an understanding of what you’re good at. In my case, my focus is set on markets that I have spent many years diving into and learning inside and out.
The consistency of that work is what begins to develop that core of what I myself and you mean to prospect clients. “If she’s helped 1-5 retail start-ups meet their goals, she should be able to do the same for us!” It’s rather practical math but we do hinder that discovery for clients by not showcasing appropriately.
Here are some positives when you’ve identified the things you’re good at when interacting with clients:
You can speak with confidence when discussing with clients or collaborators.
Prospect clients or collaborators can trust your expertise saving time and money for both parties.
The perception of who you are matches with the truth of you ability.
In the same breathe it’s important to give yourself space to identify what your DNA actually is and explore what fascinates you. As a freelancer you’re coming across experiences with clients and industries that may give you new insight. Find a practical way to show those new findings with case studies or blogs to better position your interests.
Collaboration is not a threat, it’s key.
Audience: Businesses & Freelancers
There’s no denying collaboration produces fascinating results when the goals, the organizations or team and empathy are all aligned out respect for the end result.
The return on investment is clear whether you are a brewery looking to partner with another, a freelancer looking to learn from an agency employee or even two completely different markets looking to capture a specific demographic.
Much of the following comes of great collaboration with businesses & individuals:
Competencies are covered making for speedy failure and quicker success.
Alternative view points end up stimulating innovation. B to B, ya hear that!
Encourages individual development through shared learning.
Develops trust.
Aiming for trust and valuable insight are a baseline, anything after that is secondary.
You need to be YOU.
Audience: Businesses & Freelancers
Venture capitalist and founder of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton spoke on her podcast “Your First Million” back in 2019 and made one of the most profound statements i’ve heard in my life.
“You have to be you so the people looking for you can acutally see who you are.”
It’s a statement (redundant, yes) that can both present fear and solice, for some.
Over time I’ve realized two things are hard to come by in business: the first being trust and the second profit. Before either of those things happen individuals and companies are making observations of who you are and what you stand for.
Be very clear about your motives, beliefs and principals as an individual and organization. Make sure that all those details are aligned with everything you broadcast.
When done correctly, your reputation, your perception and even your misunderstandings will lead to the truths you set for the world to hold you accountable for.
Time to open a retail site!
Audience: Businesses
Opening a retail concept is scary, even for veteran operators. It is in fact simple but, it sure as hell is not easy.
So many questions and even more money goes into figuring out the best way to execute accordingly. Here are some initial questions that have helped both myself, past clients and current clients alike:
Understand overhead and drive sales: What’s the rent, insurance, cost of goods, staffing, accounting, taxes, competitors. Are you driving a percentage of your sales physically, wholesale, digitally or through collaborations? How long does it take to see financial impact when you make new decisions and pivot?
These questions become a great point of reference when getting started and can put you well ahead of your peers when done well.
Authentic interactions are non-negotiable: This is where customer service is leveraged. How well do you know your target market? What makes them tick? What makes them conclude you’re in fact an authority on what you sell? You must know who it is you’re communicating with.
Be of service to your customers: How you arrange seating, how you decided to deliver your tacos or ceramic? The effectiveness in turn around with completing a sale becomes key when addressing and setting up the idea of “expectations”- remember the business is suppose to be solving a consumer problem.
Curate your space according to demographics: Prospect customers have 90% of the work in sale completion, while the final 10% is up to you. The experience with your organizations employees, the “vibe” of your space and the tone of the transaction all become relevant components. This means watching your attitude and managing mental expectations.
Create clear and versatile goals: If you’re opening a company it’s clear you want to make money delivering a service, so we’ll skip the obvious.
What you should be thinking about are the number of customers you’d like to serve in a day or the amount of items you’d like to move in a week. Attempt to make sense of the data by composing your information in to bite size bits and moving up from there.
Customize your team: Having an idea is great. Having an idea with the right team to help bring it to life is even better. Start to consider both what the business needs along with tasks that get in the way of you completing what you’re good at.
This is where being honest with yourself becomes very important. There are very few people who are good at every touch point of running and operating a business. Know your role and hire with that in mind.
Understand lifestyle consequences: I once had a conversation with one of the best mixologist in the world Jim Meehan. During that conversation he made a statement that has given me great perspective when opening retail concepts. “Consider the effects of meeting your business margins. If you develop your business a certain way, what does that consequently mean for your life outside of the business?”
You may find yourself engulfed in the “hustle” that you forget your priorities outside of the business. Pay attention to them (marriage, kids, the other job) and make sure they are accounted for.
Understand historic foot traffic: From morning, noon, afternoon and evening it’s your job to understand the facts about how your target markets buy. Maybe folks don’t interact with you product until Monday at 11am. It’s possible they don’t enjoy interacting with you from 7am-6pm. These micro and macro details dictate facts about what you’re truly capable of accomplishing with your specific site.
Pay attention to your businesses limits: Your business can do only so much. It would be a mistake to overexert and claim you’re able to maneuver, twist and turn to every single liking known to mankind.
Understand the problem you’re attempting to solve as a brand, plus the financially realities of operating your company, coupled with your psychographics. This should give you a peak into what your opportunities are and what it is not wise to do.
Much attention goes into getting started when opening a retail location but when it’s said and done there is a great deal of adjusting that goes into keeping things afloat. When the tough gets going just remember
“The key to being in business, is staying in business.”
And the best way to stay in business, is to pay attention.
Relevancy, the oxygen of business.
Audience: Businesses & Freelancers
In 2010 I had a very perceptive instructor who during a class made such an incredibly insightful statement that has stuck with me for sometime:
“A customer does not care about you or whether you succeed. What they care about is if you are relevant in their life.”
When you think about it that sounds practical, right!? Especially when you put it into terms of people who are actively a part of your life. It certainly must be due to the fact that they are of value to you? The relationship is likely sustained by earned trust, empathy, mutual respect, understanding, personal history, romance even, growth and transparency to name a few. So the real question becomes, how do we siphon those relational aspects to a business?
Here are some ways my past clients were able to successfully to do so:
They understood their customer and made sure to communicate all of their marketing specifically to them.
They paid attention to how the market interacted with their product and/or service. Prompting innovation or doubling down on current efforts.
They utilized specific technology and executed media based on the context of where their customers attention is held.
Relevancy should not be seen as an after thought. Whether it’s a business you inherited or a start up you dreamed of, to be connected is to be in business.
Listen 1st, Test 2nd.
Audience: Businesses
Maybe sales are down? Maybe you have a random idea after watching that one movie? Maybe you heard something being said a bit too loud at the bookstore that’s directly related to your market? Maybe your team isn’t motivated in what you’re saying anymore?
No matter the case, it’s important to know how to engage a theory and thoroughly test it. Many people and companies alike have an auditing period where they question and inspect how and why they do things in an effort to maximize productivity and results.
When attempting to listen consider the following:
Listen to have an understanding, not to justify.
Understand what you want to verify.
When you’re ready to take data and test it, consider the following:
What components can you learn from and develop upon to innovate promptly?
What are the specific data points needed to move forward and move on with confidence?
Understand your personal/business goals first, ask questions second and adjust accordingly.
Creating value.
Audience: Businesses
By definition business is only created when value is delivered in the form of a service, item or information. It’s an equal give and take - create and deliver.
A few of the key ways to deliver are as follows:
Find out what drives value for a customer by talking and observe as many of their actions.
What value have you created for them personally?
Identify the range of different customers and adjust to those psychographics.
Focus on the customer you can best serve.
Customers and clients are foundational to your business. They create profit and are essential to future growth. Taking time to understanding how to appropriaetly explore your customers will indoubtly give you great bearings to develop further.