Seed for Success | Empowering Women Entreprenuers

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

1 Comment » |

Posted by kduncan