Thursday, February 28, 2013

People Who Do Great Jobs


If you have an online business and are not yet acquainted with the work that a number of young women and men are doing, stop what you are doing and check out their websites now.  Not tomorrow.  Now.

There are numerous successful people on line, but I find that I continually read, watch, learn and enjoy 7 of them in particular.  They teach, they share, they are bright, they are funny, they are living proof of the success you can enjoy if you follow their advice and work hard.  They are:

April Bowles Olin - Blacksburg Belle

Andreea Ayers - Launch Grow Joy

Derek Halpern - Social Triggers

Marie Forleo - Marie Forleo

Mayi Carles - Heartmade

Megan Auman - Crafting an MBA

Rena Tom -  Rena Tom

Each of these gifted young persons brings his/her own experience, personality and perspective to their businesses.  While I am very much older than any of them are,  they make me wish I were young, healthy and just starting out in  business.  Things are SO different today than when I was their ages.  I have had a very successful career and a wonderful life, but I would love to try some of the things they are doing and espousing.

Give each of them a chance to entertain you, enlighten you, impress you, and help you.  I think you won't be disappointed, so let me know what you think.






Monday, February 11, 2013

Malcolm For Tots Is Opening Another Shop

After giving lots of thought and attention to various venues, we have opted to open a goodsmith's shop and will soon have it stocked with a variety of upscale handmade clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers bearing the Malcolm Mousekowitz label.  Their shops are attractive, clean, crisp and easy to navigate.  We will keep our ETSY shop www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com because we also like doing business the ETSY way.  After four years with Volusion we decided to close that website effective February 16.  Since many people and businesses are using, liking and talking about Word Press websites, blogs, and plug-ins we are going to consider building a new website using Word Press because it seems very user friendly.............you don't have to know html code or any of the more technical computer lingo which makes it very appealing (not that you have to know those things to use Volusion). 

There are so many options for doing business today but not enough hours in the day to try all of them or even to educate oneself about them.  The entire way of doing business has changed and will continue to change.  Websites, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, surveys, and blogs accompanied by lots of apps on Smart Phones, iPhones, iPads, and even Kindles are allowing consumers to shop the world's marketplaces without ever entering a brick and mortar shop unless they choose to do so.  Although I enjoy the ease of on-line shopping myself and Malcolm For Tots is strictly an Internet business at this time, there is much to be said about actually seeing the merchandise, touching it, or trying it on before buying it.  Hopefully, there will always remain a combination of both online and brick and mortar stores for all customers.  Things are changing rapidly though so we will just have to wait and see what the future holds.    

Monday, February 4, 2013

SuperBowl Was Super

In truth I am not much of a sports fan, primarily because I don't actually understand all the rules which govern the various sports.  However, each year I do watch the Super Bowl; and back in the '80's I actually attended the Super Bowl in San Diego, California.  We had great seats on the 50 yard line and not too many rows up from the players themselves.  Of course, people who knew my lack of interest in and understanding of football agreed with me that it was pretty much a waste of a ticket and a great seat. 

It was part of my job that year to take a number of customers to the Super Bowl, and all of my staff members volunteered to go in my place.  Unfortunately, I had to go myself, but I would have loved to give my ticket to one of them (I had a wonderful staff of young people).  It turned out to not be a very exciting game that year, but still there was something about being at such an event that made it a  memorable occasion for me.

Yesterday I was not feeling well which meant no Superbowl party for me.  Nevertheless, I opted to watch the game because I do understand enough to keep up with which team is winning.    I cannot claim to be a genuine fan of any sports team so I decide which team I want to win by other selective information which has little or nothing to do with the skills and talents of the players and coaches.  I decided yesterday I wanted the Baltimore Ravens to win because one of their players is Michael Oher, the young man whose life story was told in the movie The Blindside.  I thought it would be a wonderful thing for this young man and the Tuohy family who adopted him to experience a Superbowl win.  The Tuohy family did a great thing by giving Michael to chances in life which would otherwise never have been available to him. 

During the first half of the game I was sure the Ravens would win with no problem, but I had forgotten just how quickly things can change.  The last quarter of the game was a nail biter for sure, but the Ravens held on to the win.  Not only was it an exciting game (the power blackout was a bit scary), but the two Harbaugh
brothers coaching the teams were also interesting to watch.  These two men add an additional dimension to the word "professionals" as that is how they behaved toward each other.  It warmed my heart to see the winning brother John immediately make his way across the field to tell his brother Jim he loved him and for John to sincerely congratulate Jim despite his bitter disappointment at losing the game.

The Tuohy family's ability to adopt and love a boy of a different race and background, and the love and respect the Coaches Harbaugh  displayed for each other and their parents exemplify what our world could be like.  We need to all just get over ourselves and make the decision to work together to make this world a wonderful and better place for all of us. 

Who in their right mind would not want to live in a better world?

Friday, February 1, 2013

Are You A Positive Thinker?

During the course of my life I have tried to be a positive thinker and an optimistic person in general.  My children continue to refer to me as "Polly" as in Pollyanna, but I am not oblivious to the negative things that happen in my life or around me.  I just choose to think that my glass is half-full rather than half-empty.

Because these times in which we are living are so troubled, I was pleased to find a way to use a list of positive thoughts, actions, and feelings for two Christmas gifts. The list originated with a man Leo Quinn who has various Internet enterprises and on whose mailing list I am.  I printed out the list for myself.  Then as the holidays came closer for my daughter and my cousin I photocopied the list and cut each word out.  Having at least 365 strips of paper I put each set in an opaque plastic bowl with a red cover (not very elegant but I needed something large enough to hold all the slips of paper).  I told both recipients that I hoped each morning during 2013 they would draw out one piece of paper and focus on that word throughout the day.  Whether they actually will follow through or not I don't know, but I believe if they do that they will benefit from focusing on the positive.  I also gave them other gifts.

Are you a positive or negative individual?  If you are positive, please leave your comments as to how you maintain your positive attitude?  If you are a negative person, what would it take to change your attitude from pessimistic to optimistic?  Share your comments, please.  You never know when what you write will help a person on the other side of your town or on the other side of the world.