Seed for Success | Empowering Women Entreprenuers

How funny that I titled this blog “Don’t get overwhelmed.” After writing my blog, I tried to save it and lost all of it because my server was down due to a thunderstorm. I could get frustrated but decided it’s not worth it. Maybe it’s time that I learn from my own advice. It’s hard to believe that 2 weeks has passed since my last blog. Time really flies whether you are having fun or not. I must say that I am having a blast! There is not a day that goes by that I haven’t learned something new about running my business. In fact, if it is close to midnight and I feel like I haven’t encountered something new, I panic that I must have not done anything that day. So I jump on my computer and research a topic that I need to learn, whether it is about branding, emailing questions to manufacturers in China, or researching my competitors. Even though I am working full-time and working on Head 2 Toe Publications full time, I can’t let it get to me. Most days when I am not working my speech therapy job, I sit behind the computer for at least 14 hours working on H2T. Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I get tired, but that’s when have to get up and go for a drive to the store or grab a coffee or my favorite iced tea from Starbucks or Milo’s. Recently my cousin emailed me after watching my video, “Karla, remember to take for you.” Thanks, Pam, for the sweet reminder.

As the 4th of July approaches, thoughts of one of my great mentors comes to mind. Every 4th of July, her family has a big get together at the beach. She is the Owner/President of the publishing company where I worked as the product development/marketing specialist. Even though I wrote 11 products, I really loved the marketing side of the business. I guess that is why I am where I am today. She had a great vision for her company and definitely had the passion to make sure that her dream came true. Shortly after she hired me, I traveled with her and 3 other ladies to her beach house for a marketing weekend. After that weekend, she took me under her wing and taught me so much. She taught me the basic essentials for running a successful small business-provide excellent customer service, create high quality products for your targeted audience and most importantly set yourself apart from your competition. I have great respect for this woman because she believed that she could make something of herself and she did. I am driven to make Head 2 Toe successful based on my belief that I can make a difference in the lives of children with special needs.

One way to find out from therapists, parents and other professionals about the types of products they need to work with children is contact local groups or organizations or foundations that focus on special needs children. Recently I partnered with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham and one of their child care facilities will be testing some of our products and we will be a link on their website. Easter Seals of North Georgia also agreed to partner with H2T. We are currently deciding what type of partnership but this is a great opportunity for Amy and I to hear from a wide range of professionals. The key is listen to your customers

Great news! www.head2toepub.com will be up by the end of June. Eric Yonge of EY Studios sent me the first proof my landing page and it looks fantastic! I am so excited. He did a great job at making it POP! This is just my landing page so I can’t wait to see the website. There is a place on the landing page for customers to sign up for emails and regular mailings. Please sign up because you don’t want to miss any of our updates and we will be mailing out a special promotion. I will make an announce that the landing page is live as soon as I get the green light from Eric. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the look for Head 2 Toe.

It has been fun looking back (even though you should really never look back) at how far H2T has come in 2 months. I talked to one of my advisors, Jeannette Peten, today about it. When the finalists were announced on April 28th, I had just become incorporated. Now our first product, Vocab U Grab, is with the illustrator. It will be ready for printing on August 7. Vocab U Grab is a Farm themed 16″ x 20″ activity book. It includes mother/baby animal figures pair, animal photo cards and animal static clings to be used throughout the book. It all comes in a easy to carry bag. Head 2 Toe is unique because we are creating products that are developmentally appropriate. Most companies make products based on a child’s chronological age but the skills targeted may be too hard or too easy for the “suggested” age on the product. Many times children are pushed to work on a certain task, but the child may not be able to complete it because they are just not developmentally ready. This is so true of special needs children. For example, a child is 3 years old but working at a 10 month level. The therapist and parent must start at that 10 month level and teach the developmentally appropriate skills to help the child reach their chronological age. This is just one way Head 2 Toe will be unique from competitors. Also, we will NOT put ages on the products. We will only have icons that represent the developmental ages. I have found from years of selling early childhood materials, parents and teachers do not purchase products that have ages printed on them if it’s younger than the student(s) who could use it. Social Stigma! My goal is to take that away.

Next time I will share how my negotiating skills have developed since dealing with China. Speaking of, I have a Chinese manufacturer calling me on Skype to discuss the bags. I am also not going to bed until I write my branding statement. Remember to take time for yourself and enjoy the simple pleasures in life and don’t get overwhelmed!

Have a safe 4th of July!

Karla

My parents often reminded us kids, “When you grow up, you will have plenty of decisions to make so don’t rush them.”   SO true.   I no longer make the “fun” or “easy”  decisions like where do I go for spring break;  instead, my “easy” decisions are ones like choosing computers for Amy and me.  Will it be Mac or PC? I chose Mac for me and an HP for Amy. Then there are the hard decisions which usually cause me a lot of stress and sleepless nights. As a business woman, I am constantly asking myself, “Am I making the RIGHT decision?” No longer am I making decisions that will affect only me.  Now I must consider how my choices will affect my company now and down the road.  It’s NOT all about ME. There are times when one knows what to do because of that gut feeling, but other times, one must stop, take a step back, think through a situation before any decision is made. This happened to me last weekend.  My sister and I were talking about a situation which was one of those hard decisions for me.  Although my sister is not a business woman, her advice was practical—just sleep on it before doing anything.   Even though my gut was telling me that I had come to the best decision for Head 2 Toe, at that moment, I was making that decision for Karla Duncan. DANGER ZONE.  I found that the situation was clearer the next day, and it took care of itself. I also have found that I need to write out what outcome I desire and then figure out the steps to achieve that outcome. It would be easy to constantly ask other people’s opinions, especially those whom I know agree with me, but I can’t do that as a head of a company. I have learned that I need to know what I want for my company and think for myself and stand confidently behind my decisions. However, there are times that I must seek guidance or feedback from wise counselors.  Many times you need another person’s perspective or objectivity to help you grow and strengthen you as a leader. Before seeking advice from others, I pray for God’s direction, again something I learned to do from my parents when I was a child.  Tough decisions may be hard for a reason. They stretch you, or as my dad used to say,  “They build your character.”

This week was a week of decisions for Head 2 Toe Publications, and they weren’t as easy as  “where should I open up my business bank account.” They were decisions that will brand my company. After much prayer, negotiating, dialogue and thought, I hired an illustrator and book designer for our first project.. Gayle McNeil of Bookmakers Ltd. has been fabulous to work with Amy and me. After we presented her with the manuscript for the activity book, she gave me an excellent quote that included her work as the designer and also the illustrator’s work. Gayle knew my funds were limited so she allowed me to negotiate a lower price on this first project. She understands that we are helping children and families with disabilities.  After choosing the illustrator on Bookmakers’ website, I was informed that he is a Disney illustrator.  I can’t believe that I have a Disney illustrator working on our first project. You may think that was an easy decision, but it was actually a very hard one. I had planned to use Amy’s brother, but after talking with him, he advised me to go with the more experienced illustrator. I must hand it to Kevin for being so practical.  He agrees that our first product can make or break us, and i want this product to make potential customers take notice and say, “Wow!”  I am happy to say that work on the book should start this week.

Then there’s the matter with China…For weeks, I have been dealing with a Chinese company which makes promotional bags, and they told me that they could custom design anything. After many “broken English” emails, I sent them sample fabrics and sketches with exact instructions and emailed photos of similar bags to help give a visual and fill in the gaps where the emails were not helping. It’s not cheap to send an envelope by UPS to China, so you definitely want to be talking to the right company. To make a long story short, I had to move on to another company yesterday because the first company wanted to charge me a sample fee. This is one of those times when I had to seek wise counsel. Rosemary Coates advised me not to pay anyone for a sample. It is common to pay for the shipping but never pay for a sample. So now I have to start the process over, but at least I know what I am doing now. I am going to ask up front if they charge for samples to save both of us time and save me some money. All of the other Chinese manufacturers I have dealt with have sent free samples. In fact, I have found a company to make the static clings that we need for our book,  and they are also willing to print the book for us. Overall, dealing with China is time-consuming, but I have set goals that I am determined to accomplish. Because of the time difference between China (13 hours) and Alabama,  I try to not go to bed until I have all of my emails sent to the manufacturers so that they are working on them while I’m sleeping. Thus far, this has worked out well.

I am also excited to say that Eric Yonge is very close to having Head 2 Toe’s landing page up for viewers. On the landing page will be a statement which explains who Head 2 Toe is and what we are about. Eric has been busy creating mascots for my web page that will be used throughout the website. I have seen the line drawings, and they are the cutest kids. I may be a little biased because one of the kids is my 9 year-old nephew, Will,  and the little girl is Amy’s daughter, Kiersten. There will be place for people to sign up for emails and regular mail, so please bookmark www.head2toepub.com . I’ll let you know when the page is ready.  Eric has guaranteed that it will be up by the end of June. In creating a web page it is so important to have a web designer who shares or grasps your vision for your company. Again, a great stress reliever!  I have that in Eric and his team.  I’m not so sure I don’t create stress for them, because I ask Eric’s assistant, Whitney, a million questions a week; however, she is always so gracious and willing to help. Communication is key!

 I also can’t say enough about the advice that I have received from my business advisors. I spoke with Nina Kaufman of www.askthebusinesslawyer.com this week re: contracts, trademarks, intellectual property, and compensation. She is such a great resource and her website and blog are so informative. Weekly,  I speak with my main advisor, Jeannette Peten of BigAustin,  and every week I hang up the phone with a clearer vision and fewer obstacles to overcome. A few months ago, I read a business tip from Carolyn Kepcher on Finding What Matters’ website to form an advisory board. I discussed the idea with Jeannette and she agreed that I should form one. I am in the process of forming a small group which will consist of pediatric speech therapists, a physical therapist, and a occupational therapist, and possibly a parent to help discuss ideas and trends, and give feedback on products. I believe this group will make a great impact on Head 2 Toe and our customers.

A little more than 4 months left in this stage of the grant. It is so exciting for me to see how far Head 2 Toe has come since the announcement of the finalists. One thing I have to tell myself is the small steps you take equal out to be big steps. If a baby learning to walk tries to take big steps, they become unsteady and usually fall. They do better making small steps until they grow a little bigger. That is exactly what new businesses have to do until they are a little bigger and stronger. Walk at a steady pace and you will be amazed at how big your steps become as time passes.

Have a great week and keep stepping!!

Karla

Wednesday, May 28…

I’m sitting in the Cincinnati airport on my way to Chicago and thought I better do some work while I have down time. Originally this was going to be a vacation but I figured out a way to also pull work into it. Thank goodness for computers and cell phones or I would be so far behind when I return. Months ago I was searching for a graphic illustrator’s portfolio online and found a guy in Chicago that is perfect! His name is Shawn Finley and I am going to meet with him on Friday to discuss upcoming projects. His work is EXACTLY what I want to use for my products. Check him out at shawnfinley.com. Portfolios.com is a great website if you are looking for illustrators. When I started talking to him and other illustrators in February 2008, they quoted me then on some projects and I was amazed at how expensive freelance graphic illustrators are. One clue is they aren’t cheap if they have an agent. However, it is so important to find the right illustrators for our products and this is one area that I don’t believe in compromising because it is what “grabs” the customer at the first glance and makes them return. It is so important to make the best first impression. I can’t wait to meet him finally and hear what he has to tell me about illustrating.

Monday, June 2…

I am now home in front of my computer emailing China and reviewing samples I have received so far. My meeting with Shawn was such a great learning experience. I have good and bad news. First the bad-he is not going to be able to do any work for me for quite some time and maybe never. He has landed 2 great jobs with BIG corporations, Burger King and Ferrari. I definitely can’t compete with them. I am sad but ecstatic that he has these jobs. His work is so good that I am glad he is going to get national and international recognition. Now the good news-he gave me some great advice about self publishing in the US and places to go to find other illustrators. He told me to look at a great website called lulu.com for designing, publishing and printing at a low price. He also encouraged me to NOT compromise on the kind of illustrations I want. Thank goodness Amy and I usually agree on the type of illustrations we want. Even though Shawn is not available, Amy’s brother, Kevin in Texas, is helping us with our first product called Vocab U Grab, a farm themed activity book for children with a developmental age of 2-5 years. I just wish I could afford to hire a graphic illustrator so we didn’t have to pay per job and he/she was local. This is one thing I am going to discuss with my business advisor, Jeannette Peten of BigAustin.

Overall it’s been a great week! I have finally made some head way with the Chinese manufacturers. The advice Rosemary Coates gave me has helped immensely. The funny thing is I have started writing like they talk-.very short sentences, no articles and no contractions. I am planning a trip to China sometime this summer or early Fall to meet and develop business relationships with some manufacturers to learn what they can do for me and they can learn what I want. Rosemary suggested that I read the book China Now by Lam and Graham before I go. It just arrived and I’m sure I am going to learn so much about conducting business in China.

I had the pleasure to talk to David Vinjamuri, President of ThirdWay Brand Trainers. Within one hour, I learned that I need to decide how I am going to brand my company. David shared that I need to brand by CORE which is the specific type of customer or CONTEXT, in Head2Toe’s case that means the developmental issue like speech, language or physical disability. He also encouraged me to create a shareable story for my customers. This should be 4 sentences or less because customers need to know exactly what you are about so that can pass it on. It’s the “elevator pitch.” What great information!! The funny thing is that I was so afraid that I would be “branded” as a company that makes products for children ages 0-3 or products only speech therapists use but that is EXACTLY what David is telling me to decide. It is essential to be an expert for one thing and be known for that so that you are credible and customers will be attracted to it and they will keep coming back as the business grows. Even if I develop products for older kids and for different markets, the customers will buy because I have already established Head2Toe as a company that is different from anyone else. Wow!! Thanks, David for your advice.

In previous blogs I wrote that I have changed jobs and tomorrow I will be back to work as a speech therapist. I am so excited because I start earning a paycheck again but I am most excited about working with special needs children and their parents. God has been so good to me through this whole process. He has provided every step and even the last two weeks has allowed me to spend time working with manufacturers and my advisors. When people ask me why I am so calm and not stressed about working full time as a speech therapist and building my company, I just reply, “It is obvious that I am not in charge and I am not going to stand in His way.” Some days I do ask, how I am going to do both jobs but it’s one step at a time, stay organized, and work on one area of the company every day. We’ll see how well I do. Now is the time to learn these steps before my company gets bigger and busier.

Let me leave you with one bit of advice I learned a few weeks while I watched a special on business tycoon, Warren Buffett. His grandson said his grandfather told him, “Surround yourself with people smarter than you because you will begin to create the same characteristics.” So true! You can’t be good in everything so make sure you have people around you that are experts so you can learn from them. That is exactly what has happened to me. Amy and I have the best business advisors to help us grow Head2Toe Publications and every day we are so thankful for this opportunity.

Next time we’ll tell you about how our products are coming along.

Karla