Efficient to be Effective
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Last weekend, I drove 7.5 hours to attend my 20th high school reunion in Ocala, FL, which gave me plenty of time to think about my company, my work as a speech therapist, and what I hope to accomplish in the next 20 years. I wish I had a tape recorder, because I did some great brainstorming during my journey and now I can only remember the two adjectives that I want to describe me as a speech therapist and a businesswoman. Of course there are a few more like honest, respectful, friendly, but I hope that whatever work I am doing that I am always effective and efficient.
As I drove, I thought about the children that I am diligently trying to help increase their communication skills so that they will not be delayed as they reach school, but so many days I come home and feel like I have not been an effective therapist that day. I usually call Amy and ask if she ever feels like she is not performing “miracles” and she always agrees wholeheartedly. If you are a therapist or parent or teacher, do you ever have those days? We believe that most therapists have moments when they don’t feel like they are helping their client and that is why we want Head 2 Toe be a resource to not only provide materials to help children succeed but also help therapists and parents be successful facilitators or teachers. It’s great to have products that are attractive, fun to use, and well written, but if it does not allow the “teacher” to be efficient then they will not be effective. So many times we only have a short amount of time to work with someone so it is essential that we are efficient. In Amy’s case and mine we serve children until they reach the age of 3 years and then they move on to either a private or school-based therapist, so we put great expectations on ourselves to make sure that child has improved. This is why it is so important to me that Head 2 Toe helps therapists be effective and efficient with the right products.
After speaking to Carol Frohlinger regarding negotiations, these two words kept popping up as my key terms when I am negotiating. Carol gave me such great tips on how to be a better negotiator as I deal with manufacturers in China, new authors, freelance artists and future employees. I am quickly learning that I don’t have a lot of time to draw out negotiations when I have deadlines to meet. This is where I am learning to be efficient so that I can be effective. Carol and I discussed that as individuals approach me and Amy about creating products for Head 2 Toe, I need to have a nondisclosure agreement signed by the authors if we decide to talk further with them about their ideas. Next, she suggested that I create a “How Head 2 Toe does business with authors” term sheet. This is just an explanation of what the procedure is to publish with Head 2 Toe in layman’s terms so that everyone understands what is going to take place before any royalty agreement is signed. Then if the author chooses to work with H2T based on the terms sheet, then the legal royalty agreement is presented and signed. This keeps Head 2 Toe in the driver seat and in control of the negotiation. There’s no going back and forth and that’s how to keep your company going forward as efficient and effective.
I spend most of my time negotiating with manufacturers in China. These are my Goliaths (as Carol referred to them in her blog). I am in the midst of negotiating pricing with my printer and bag maker. It is NOT easy! I don’t like chewing people down on prices because I am use paying what people tell me to pay. However, that is NOT how you do business in China. Rosemary Coates has graciously helped and encouraged me to “stay strong” and don’t give in. She says that they see it as a game and that they will respect me more for not being easy. Well, it’s hard when you find the company that makes the products you like but they won’t cooperate on the price. In fact, after a couple of weeks of working with these different manufacturers, they have chosen to go silent on me. The communication gap has been a big barrier for me. I feel like they are mad at me because I want a lower price. It’s been a few days and I have not heard from either company. I am feeling sick because they are making the essential parts for my first product. This is where Carol helped me. She advised that I always have a “B” and a “C” plan to fall back on. Thank goodness I have done that but it is still not easy to start over after you get this far down the road. My deadline is August 7 to have everything in place so that I can have all products in the US ready to sell by the first of September. I feel very confident that I will meet this goal. Rosemary advised me to go ahead and tell them my final price and that I am ready to wire the money to them. We’ll see if they take the bait. You will be able to see it on our new website in the next couple of weeks. Don’t forget to sign up for our email updates at www.head2toepub.com.
As frustrating or stressful as all of this sounds, it is so rewarding to me. Everything I am doing now for Head 2 Toe is the structure of how things will run for years to come. It is crucial for me to concentrate on the all details so that I have an efficient and effective company. When I return to my 40th high school reunion, I want to proudly say that Head 2 Toe Publications is thriving on the same core beliefs it started with in 2008, which is “Enable therapists, educators and parents to be efficient and effective teachers who help special needs children succeed while using the developmentally appropriate materials created by Head 2 Toe Publications.”
Keep striving for efficiency and effectiveness!
Karla
