Think Small To Grow Big

Forgive me Mr. Lincoln for taking the liberty with one of your quotes when I say, “you cannot please all of the people all of the time”.  I learned this lesson the hard way.  I tried to please every customer who came into my shop.

Consumers today are accustom to having unlimited choices.  Just walk down the cereal or candy isle in any supermarket.  There have to be 50 different “cola” drinks and hundreds of different “chocolate” candies.  A small shop can’t compete and I decided that I wasn’t going to continue to try.

I’m not saying you should ignore your customers’ requests.   After all, they are the reason you are in business but, there are times when it makes more sense to forgo the sale.

Instead of expanding my business to capture more clients, like a big box store, I chose to become more specialized, like a boutique. I work more with a select group of individuals and busy professionals who appreciate the quality and convenience that my service provides and have come to trust me and rely on my expertise. Now my clients get even more personalized service and better pricing than before.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is … grow it your way.

Marie

You Can Do It!

You are what you eat.  Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world it is hard to believe that many of us are suffering from malnutrition.  It’s not that we don’t have enough to eat; it’s just that we are eating the wrong foods.

Diets high in fats, sugars and refined carbohydrates don’t give the body what it needs to work properly. A steady diet of these foods can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, list is long.

The same goes for your mind.  You are what you think.  Diets high in negative self talk can lead to exhaustion, increased stress, depression, and so much more.

The way to get healthy is very simple.  Choose your food and your thoughts carefully.  Simple but it’s not necessarily easy. It takes work but being physically and emotionally healthy is definitely worth the effort.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is … live long and prosper.

Marie

What Do You Say?

If you've been in the workforce for any length of time, you've probably had more than one job.  For example, once upon a time I was a real estate paralegal and once upon another time I work in a recruiting firm.

Because of my background working in law firms, I was hired as a recruiter specializing in office support personnel. One day a client called.  They needed help finding a real estate paralegal. This was a MAJOR area law firm and the paralegal would report to one of the senior partners in the firm.  Part of the unofficial job description was, "they need to walk on water".

In my search, I contacted everyone I knew in the field and when I came up empty, extended my search to law firms outside of the city.  I finally found one legal secretary who said she knew just the person.

She said the person she was thinking of had one of the best reputations in the field. She went on and on about this person and how there was no one better suited for the job I described.

She said she the individual had left the legal field a few months before and although she didn't know where she had gone or what she was doing, she did know that she could get in touch with her mother who worked at the Registry of Deeds.

I thanked her for her time, gave her my number and hung up the phone.  Then I sat there stunned.  The woman was talking about me.

That phone call made a huge impression on me.  It taught me several things including to always do and be your best because you don't know who is noticing.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is -- actions speak volumes.

Marie

Minding Your Peas and Carrots

I read everything.  Well almost everything.  I have a difficult time reading the multi page, small print stuff the credit card and phone companies send daily.

I pay particular attention to labels on foods that I buy.  I am not only concerned about what my family is consuming but also what we are putting in the gift baskets we sell.

We have many clients that prefer foods that are sugar free, organic, or gluten free.  So we choose our products carefully.

That's why I was shocked when I opened a can of peas and carrots last night and caught sight of the ingredients.  Right there along side the words peas and carrots was the word "sugar".  I didn't realize sweet peas needed sugar.

For the record, we rarely eat canned veggies, especially in the summer when we have access to fresh produce from local farms, but the dog was chomping grass and we didn't have any fresh carrots in the house.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is .... remember the details.

Marie