Information Overload

For a number of weeks now I have been reading books, blogs, Tweets, and Facebook posts about business. In addition, I have been sitting in on webinars which are providing lots of good information. So many knowledgeable speakers on so many pertinent topics, but I have to admit I am suffering information overload. ETSY webinars, some great Laura Roeder webinars, and a Business Momentum series of presentations by 20 different speakers have given me much to think about, much to filter through to determine what applies to my business, and many great ideas that I would LOVE to try. I think I may be getting analysis paralysis so I am going to take a step back and try to digest all of it before making any decisions. The common threads running through almost all of them are: Have clarity of your vision; Believe it is possible and that you can do it; Focus; Have five things per day to do that take you closer to achieving your business goals and work on them first before doing busy work (emails, social media,etc.). I am a person who can get caught up in minutiae so that really applies to me. My advice to solopreneurs is to listen and learn but don't delay so long that you never get your business off the ground. I am psyched up to try some new approaches in my business, and I'll let you know how they work for us.

July 4th Celebrates Our Freedom Which Is Anything But Free

This morning in church the processional hymn was America The Beautiful. As the music swelled and the full congregation sang the words, I found myself getting tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Not only was I acutely aware of how much I have enjoyed growing up in America but also how drastically different things are today than they were when I brought my own children into the world. I thought of the thousands of men and women in the Armed Forces who bravely volunteer to protect those of us at home. They protect all of us even those who do not support them or their mission. I know of a young man who just went on his third tour of duty leaving behind his wife and four children for a year. The two older children are in middle school and high school, and they long for their father to come home and be with them. Telephone calls, emails, and SKYPE video calls help to ease their anguish about his safety and are certainly better than no contact at all. Yet it is hard being their ages and on a daily basis needing and wanting to tell their father about what is happening in their lives, to ask for his advice, to spend time with him, to get a reassuring hug from him and not being able to do any of these things. The two younger children are adorable little girls who are 5 and 3 years old. They adore their Daddy and can break your heart as they see him and hear him via SKYPE and plead with him to come home because they miss him. They cry and sob and don't understand why he went away and why he doesn't come home because they know he loves them. I cannot even imagine being a father trying to be strong and not allowing such heart-wrenching conversations with children to affect your ability to do the dangerous job you so selflessly volunteered to do. I cannot even imagine being his young wife trying to keep home and family going while having to deal with her own stress, loneliness and worry about her husband's safety. Think of what they all are missing in terms of their lives together. That scenario is repeated in thousands of families all across the nation. How can any of us not be grateful for the sacrifices entire families are making for those of us who are safe at home? How can we not be glad to live in this country that has allowed us incredible freedom, safety and opportunity? It is true that at the present time we are in the midst of political unrest with an ever-widening rift between the parties. However, we might all want to take a lesson from the young men and women risking their lives for us. They are all for one and one for all, trying to face their daily challenges, bravely taking life-threatening risks, and being loyal to each other and to America. They are not bickering, name calling, slandering, mud-slinging or behaving in self-serving ways. That would be our elected officials doing those things. I am convinced that if every elected official would decide to conduct himself/herself with integrity, maturity, professionalism, and determination to serve the public which they were elected to do that the problems we face would indeed be resolved. Except for earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes ALL of our problems are manmade. If we caused them then we can surely solve them, and we don't have to risk our lives daily to do so as our young men and women in the military are doing. As we celebrate with our backyard BBQ's, beach parties, and fireworks displays let us stop and remember exactly what it is we are celebrating and the supreme price that brave men and women paid and continue to pay so that we can be free.

Headbands For Babies

Sweet babies wearing sweet, delicate headbands look so adorable. We have just added headbands to our website www.malcolmfortots.com and our ETSY shop www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com We invite you to take a peek at them and give us your comments.

Crafting With Toddlers

When I was a teenager and also when my children were small, I did some teaching in the nursery class during Sunday services at church. It is not too early to introduce toddlers to the fun of coloring, pasting, drawing, finger-painting, or using stickers to decorate their masterpieces. Scissors are too much for them to master so any cutting should be done beforehand (or by you during the crafting). They can use simple items like pipe cleaners in lots of colors that bend and twist so easily into decorative chains. Popsicle sticks in lots of colors can be used for building or making simple picture frames. Egg cartons and round oatmeal boxes can find new life in their hands. Not only will your toddler enjoy spending time with you and be proud of his/her creations, but it helps his/her dexterity, hand/eye coordination, and encourages him/her to be creative. Let them be free to make what they want as they want it. Although you can demonstrate to them how to use the materials, don't expect them to do it perfectly or to do it "your way" (just keep them safe from eating the paste or getting paint or crayon marks on the wrong places). Buying a couple of yards of oilcloth at your local fabric store will provide years of use as protection for your table, floor or whatever surface you opt to use for crafting. The Dollar Store is a great place to find inexpensive craft supplies. All kinds of simple craft ideas and instructions can be found on the Internet. You can also find coloring pages to download from various websites. If you save paper that has been printed on only one side you can be eco-friendly by printing the coloring pages on the remaining clean side. In this world that sometimes seems to be filled with bad news, I promise you that spending time with toddlers is refreshing and delightful. They are pure, they are innocent, they are funny, and they are smarter than you might think. Remember, they are just "short" people! Have a great time, and I would very much appreciate receiving comments about your experiences.

Summertime Lunches For Toddlers

Little children are usually delighted about anything fun or different when it comes to eating lunch. My own children loved to eat lunch on our patio regardless of summer heat or chilly days. Whether they were eating indoors or outside they loved it when I made sandwiches using their favorite cookie cutters. Such a simple thing to do and yet they reminisce about those lunches years later. Once your oldest child starts school and is no longer home for lunch, a younger sibling will be thrilled to have lunch served in his/her very own lunchbox. No matter if the lunchbox is new, used, homemade, or passed down from older siblings there is something about having a lunchbox that makes little ones feel special and more like a "big kid" and less like a baby. There are so many ways younger children try to emulate older siblings, and having a lunchbox is a good place to start. Sweet and simple memories are part of a happy childhood so enjoy creating them with your little one(s).

Do Employers Teach Today's Employees How To Serve Customers?

Sometimes I wonder if today's employers bother to train their employees to serve customers? I had the opportunity to spend 20 years working for Neiman Marcus during years when the customer was always right, the customer was always most important, and customer satisfaction and customer service were the hallmarks of the company. Employees were empowered to satisfy the customers. It was a marvelous experience and one that in truth spoiled me for dealing with other retailers and businesses. Today I went to a major office supply store. A young woman checked me out but gave me no greeting, no smile, and no thank you. Instead I greeted her, thanked her for handing me my purchases and told her to have a nice day. Then I walked next door to one of the supermarkets, filled up my cart, and headed to the checkout line. Again, I received no greeting, no smile, and no thank you. Once more I was the one who greeted her, thanked her for putting the bagged groceries in the cart, and told her to have a nice day. I will think twice about going back to either of those stores. In today's economy businesses are not in a position to turn away customers, and more than fifteen million people are out of work so every employee is replaceable. Wouldn't you think that common sense would suggest that customers need to be given a reason to return to a place of business? I have many choices for office supplies, groceries, pharmacies, etc. I want to shop where I feel my business is appreciated and where common courtesy is the coin of the realm. I would not blog about today's experience if it had just happened for the first time, but it has happened a number of times in both of these establishments. Like most customers I did not complain to management or to the checkers, but I made that silent decision to shop elsewhere (which is what 80% of customers do when they are unhappy with the service they receive or their shopping experience). For those of us who have online shops and stores, our potential and/or actual customers cannot see our smiles or hear our voices. It behooves us to do everything we can to enhance their transactions from making our websites truly user-friendly,selling quality products, packaging them nicely, shipping them promptly, having a clear return/exchange policy, and always remembering to follow up and thank the customers for shopping with us. They have literally thousands of other choices today via the Internet so we should be most appreciative that they opted to shop with us. and the employees who are fortunate enough to have jobs should be willing to work at keeping the customers returning or I feel certain some of the 15,000,000+ unemployed would be thrilled to replace them.

Gift for Baby Christening, Baby Shower, or New Baby

Are you are having your own baby christened? Are you looking for a gift for someone else's baby who is being christened? Do you want to give a gift at a baby shower or to a newborn that will be very special? Here is a suggestion for a gift that can become a family heirloom and be passed down for generations to come. Handknit of acrylic yarn, this 33" x 36" white basket-weave patterned blanket will keep baby warm, cozy and complement a christening dress or suit (or any outfit) for either a girl or a boy. It may just become the baby's favorite "blankie" which will be okay as the blanket is machine washable and dryable. The price is $75 + S&H. We have made only one of these blankets. To order it go to www.malcolmfortots.com or www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com