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From Guy Kawasaki over at How to Change the World:
I’m reading a book called “Small Giants”. As it states on the cover, it’s about “companies that choose to be great instead of big”.
One of the concepts that the companies highlighted in the book have in common is “a culture of intimacy”. Intimacy with employees, suppliers, community, and customers.
For Snoloha, there are two customer bases that are important to achieve this sense of intimacy with - retailers and the end-users. I hate that word “end-users”. I only use it to differentiate between the two types of customers.
Well, with the retailers, I can hop in my Jeep and make a road trip to meet with them, I can give them a ring, and I can shoot them an email. I know exactly who they are. I can make a very conscious and targeted effort to let them know I appreciate their business and support. And I can be sure they know they have my support.
However, the customers that are buying from the retailers, or from the website, are a bit more difficult to create that sense of intimacy with. I don’t know who all of them are. Hopefully connecting with the brand and what it stands for is a good start.
While at one of my favorite local eateries over the weekend, a friend pointed out a fellow patron wearing a Snoloha hat. How Cool! I stopped by her table to shake her hand and thank her for the business and the support. A sense of intimacy, indeed.
Then on the short walk home, we encountered a guy peddling by wearing a Snoloha visor. I stopped him, introduced myself, and thanked him for the business and the support. Another moment of intimacy.
It felt really, really good to be able to personally thank Snoloha customers for their support. It would be great to be able to meet them all, but I know it’s simply not possible. But little by little, and encounter by encounter, hopefully our customers will feel that sense of intimacy with the brand and the company. After all, the reason I started Snoloha wasn’t just to peddle t-shirts, it was to build a brand, a community, and to give-back and make a difference in this crazy world.
Again, it was Henry Ford who said, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”
I’ve been holding this one back for a few days because I’m conscious of becoming “too serious” with this blog. This blog is intended for communication with our customers, behind-the-scenes looks at Snoloha, and random photos, quotes and lyrics that capture the Snoloha lifestyle.
However, the more I thought about it, I realized this entry does capture what Snoloha stands for - which is enjoying life no matter what climates are thrown at us. In this case, it’s enjoying life. Period.
Just recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow small business owner who is battling Parkinson’s disease. Her spirits and drive are amazing, and she really is an inspiration. Shortly after meeting her, I read an article about a teenage girl who lost her feet on a ride at an amusement park. Then I’m reminded of a very good friend of mine and Snoloha’s (who also happens to be a fellow small business owner), and the obstacles he’s faced after losing his lovely young wife a few short years ago, and is now raising twins on his own, and yet he manages to run a business and be great dad. (That link goes to a nice story that The Traverse City Record-Eagle just ran on Father’s Day)
Although we already may realize it, I think it’s important that we are reminded of how fragile life really is. It’s easy to get stressed about things such as bills, work, houeshold chores, etc. But really, is it worth getting stressed out about? Sure, they are important aspects of everyday life that deserve our attention, but are they important enough to ruin a day, or an attitude? Those are the things that we have control over. We work a little harder, plan a little better, budget a little more, and suddenly the problem can be fixed.
There are certain things in life that we don’t have control over that we need to appreciate. And there are things in life that we do have control over that we need to appreciate. Really, it comes down to a very simple concept - Appreciating Life. Period.
I stumbled across this site that I thought was worth sharing. It is called “Pursue the Passion”. The team at Pursue the Passion travel across the country interviewing people “who are propelled by a love for their work”. “It’s our belief that everyone should be passionate about their profession. We have made it our mission to provide inspiration, guidance, and community support to help you find work you’ll love.”
The site is full of interviews with various people on tropics from Business and Art, to Entrepreneurship and Travel.
Here’s a snippet from JoAnne Pavin:
“Just like golf, interruptions in life and business will happen all the time, you just need to step back up to the ball and give it your best shot. So with whatever you are to make of your paths, remember: through the bunkers, hazards, vast undulating fairways along the way, there is always the 19th hole! Never take yourself, or golf too seriously!”
I’m not sure where exactly I’m heading with this, so bare with me…
As I mentioned previously, last night I joined the crew aboard The Illusion and the Wednesday night sailing race for the 2nd week in a row. When it comes to sailing, I’m a total novice still. Last summer I was fortunate to learn quite a bit from Captain Dave over at Bay Breeze Yacht Charters. But again, sailing a race boat during a race is much, much more intense than just “cruising”, as I have become very fond of. It is, however, still exciting and challenging. During our race last night, it occurred to me that the learning curve for racing is quite steep. I couldn’t imagine just buying one of those boats and jumping in head first. There has to be a learning period. Time on the water. Lessons. Books. You get the idea.
Now imagine jumping into a business that you have absolutely no background or experience in. No learning period. No classes. No “time on the water”. You get the idea.
It’s funny, when I started (or I should say when I started telling people about) Snoloha, I had a fair share of naysayers (probably always will, but that’s okay). I guess maybe anyone that has started a business has experienced this. Perhaps just the shear thought of the risk involved is enough for people to “naysay” and think you’re insane. You may even begin to think that yourself. Which is probably quite normal.
But if you have that time on the water experience. You’ve taken the classes. You’ve read the books. You know the industry. Then starting that business isn’t as insane as one may lead you to think. After all, it’s not like you’re buying a Tripp ‘36 (I hope I have that right) rigged with Quantum Sails, and suddenly need to learn a new language consisting of terms like Spinnakers, Puffs, Jibs, Genoas, Halyards, Tacks, and Jibes.
The point of this rant, you ask?
I guess the point goes back to that Mark Twain quote that I love so much:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”
What are you waiting for? Are you looking at buying a racing sail boat with no experience? Or has your time on the water prepared you to purchase and sail that boat of your own?
(Pictured is America’s Cup BMW ORACLE Racing Team)
This is one of the great quotes from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Rob, over at BusinessPundit.com has a great post on what this movie can teach you about entrepreneurship.
Here’s a snippet, but I recommend reading the entire post: “Overnight successes aren’t really overnight successes. They only seem that way. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne spends 19 years digging a tunnel to escape prison. The result is binary. He’s either in prison, or he isn’t. For 19 years, he’s making progress, but he’s still in prison. Then one day he is free. It seems like a huge jump, but it wasn’t. This happens a lot to entrepreneurs. They go years without reaching the level of success they seek, and when they find it, it often comes in the form of a discontinuity. You go through each day, working hard, not knowing if you will ever see the payoff you hope for, but taking satisfaction in the process of building something. Then one day you are acquired, or go public, or get to the point that you don’t have to be involved every day. All of the sudden it’s different. Many people in Andy’s position would have tried to break out of Shawshank like this: 1. Get a rock hammer and start digging. The result is that you would spend your life in Shawshank. So the lesson of Andy Dufresne is to keep plugging away. Do whatever you can. It’s all about forward progress. Overnight successes tend to happen to people that have put in years of paying their dues.”
2. Realize it’s going to take a long time.
3. Give up. Or possibly…
4. Get a bigger hammer that gets you caught, and lose any hope of breaking out because the guards keep a better eye on your activities.
5. Start trying again, every time the place really gets to you, but always give up after a few weeks because it’s hard and progress is slow.
I traveled down to Ann Arbor yesterday to see and hear Seth Godin speak about business, marketing, and his new book, “The Dip”.
If you are at a point in your career or with your business where “frustration” is a word that you use on a regular basis, or perhaps you’ve found yourself listening to The Boat Drunks “Callin’ in Gone” over and over again,
then I’d recommend checking out Seth’s latest book. It really gets you thinking outside the box about business today and what it takes to be “the best in the world”.
Thinking of starting a business? Perhaps you’ve already started. Ever feel a bit stressed-out and overwhelmed?
This article from Entrepreneur.com is worth the read. Don’t let relaxation become an item on your “to-do” list. Easier said than done, but very important, afterall “Success comes from attaining your goals-and relaxation has to be one of them.”
Somewhere between the war in Iraq, Anna Nicole-Smith, and Democrats versus Bush, hopefully you have heard of the passing of the former Grambling State head football coach, Eddie Robinson. He was an amazing human-being who touched many in his life and I thought this short editorial from the Chicago Tribune needed to be shared. Though sad that he has passed, his passion for life and how he’ll be remembered is uplifting.
“A partial list of those who addressed the Notre Dame football team during Bob Davie’s tenure as head coach (1997-2001) includes newsman Ted Koppel, basketball coach Rick Pitino, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and former President Gerald Ford. But not even the former commander-in-chief commanded the attention of the young men in quite the same way as Eddie Robinson, the former Grambling State University coach who died Tuesday at 88.
When Robinson addressed the Notre Dame team in 1999, the day before they started their season by playing in the Eddie Robinson Classic, he acted as though the honor was all his.
“He was humble beyond humble. It was an honor for him to get up and talk to those players,” Davie recalled. “It really was all about the players. There was a unique bond.”
The soft-spoken Robinson held them spellbound. And when he finished they clamored to shake his hand.
Robinson won 408 games in a 57-year college career that began in 1941 at the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute, the school that became Grambling. He squired young black men into college at a time when they were unwelcome elsewhere. He sent the first player from an all-black college to the NFL. He tutored future Hall of Famers and a future Super Bowl MVP.
And yet, for all that, when he met someone for the first time, he believed the honor was all his.
It’s a fine way to go through life.”
It’s a fine way to go through life. Did you find yourself smiling as you read that last line?
From Part 1 of a series by Patty Vogan. This is a great story about chasing an entrepreneurial dream, and is well worth the read.
If the opening paragraph doesn’t get your attention:
As Jimmy Buffett would say, “Have you ever dreamed of escaping from your dull existence to a new life on a tropical island?” My guess is many of you have had that thought once or twice. Well, back in 1991, I did just that. Only once I was there, I didn’t relax; I became an entrepreneur.
Maybe this will:
Sailing around the idyllic islands with warm winds and diving in 200-foot visibility was a true piece of heaven. One day, after diving, we joined a group of salty dogs sitting in the sand bar discussing life. Thomas, the manager of Moorings Yacht Charter Company, where we rented our floating home, then asked: “If you could do what you really wanted to do in life what would it be?”
After being put on the spot, I told him that I’d always wanted to have a scuba diving shop in the tropics, where it’s warm. “Well why don’t you do that here and do it now?” was his response. I mumbled something back about being the next in line for VP of marketing. “Oh I get it,” he said. “You are just one of those people that talk about your dreams and never make them come true.”
Check it out on Entrepreneur.com.