Seed for Success | Empowering Women Entreprenuers

As this week wraps up the most challenging but rewarding time of my life, I don’t look at it as the end. No, this is just the beginning! Many thoughts and emotions have come across my mind as I think about this program ending. Here are just a few: sadness, relief, anxiety, worry, joy, peace and thankfulness. The one that sticks with me more than the others is THANKFULNESS. I began Head 2 Toe Publications right before the contest, but we were not a functioning company until we won the Seeds for Success grant. I know we would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the help of Yahoo! and fwm. I truly know of no other grant that actually helps businesses grow. I know Dana, Tamar and Abby also feel great appreciation for this grant. We all have accomplished great things because of this program, and I know all of us will continue to do great things because of what we have been given and taught.

The last couple of weeks have been a little stressful because of the voting, but all in all, I have learned to just focus on the business and not the polls. My brother called me recently and said, “Hey, don’t worry about the numbers, look at the great things that are before you.” I have received so many notes from old and new friends that have been faithful to vote every day. I believe what I have enjoyed the most from the voting process is the encouragement I have received. I have been given some great opportunities to keep moving forward after the program ends. I have been asked to be a member of the Early Head Start Advisory Council Board in Birmingham and I have been asked to write an article for a company called businessfromscratch.com. All 3 finalists will be on a podcast for Women Entrepreneur and Head 2 Toe will be featured in Southern Living magazine in February. We are excited about these opportunities to grow our business even more.

I would like to feature a company that I just learned about through the voting process. Someone forwarded their blog to me because they are recommending Head 2 Toe. In fact, they were supporting my company and what we stand for and asking their readers to vote for us. I had no idea who they were. Again, this was a great encouragement to me and Amy. After looking at their website, I was so impressed by who they are and what they are doing for babies through 5 years old. Their website is full of great information about products that are developmentally appropriate for ALL children including special needs children. I have already contacted them about working out a way to promote them at any of the conferences I attend and vice versa since we are not marketing to the same groups. I believe this will be the beginning of a great friendship. Please check out Wigglegigglelearn.com. I highly recommend them! The amazing thing is that they were also in the running for the Seeds for Success program. Unfortunately, they did not win, but I am so thankful that they encourage us to keep moving forward and I am encouraging them to keep moving forward also.

Here are few tips that I would give women and/or men on starting their own company:
1. Set goals-short and long term
2. Schedule your day
3. Work on your company every day
4. Focus on the small parts of the company (eg. marketing, accounting, legal, conferences, website, etc)
5. Surround yourself with those who are experts in the areas you need to make your business grow (attorney, accountant, marketing, etc)
6. Keep a 3 ring binder with tabs of all areas of company so that it is at your fingertips
7. Communicate, communicate, communicate

I hope this helps. These are just a few of the top bits of advice I received that helped me the most. I wish I could meet all of you who have voted for me. Even though the program ends, you can keep up with us long after. We will still have a blog and you should be seeing new things added to the website. Thanks again!! May God bless you and your endeavors!!

Blessings!
Karla and Amy

My church is currently going through a capital building campaign to raise money for new facilities for the children and youth areas. I am sure many people think, “Why do they get the new things? They are little. More kids can fit in their rooms than adults. Besides, the adults are paying for it.” All of this is true but I love the vision and passion that my pastor has for the “coming generation.” He believes in providing tools to help the next generation grow strong in their faith so they are ready to step up and take over when it is time. As I sat in the pew on Sunday, I couldn’t help but think of the mission for Head 2 Toe Publications. Head 2 Toe’s mission is to bring honor to God and help children with exceptional needs reach their full potential by providing developmentally appropriate learning tools that focus on skills in the following areas: communication, cognition and motor. It is all about the kids.

When I first started my career as a speech therapist, my mom, a children’s media specialist, introduced me to a book called “Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney. The story is about a little girl that was challenged by her grandfather to figure out a way to make the world more beautiful, so she did. Everywhere she went, she scattered lupine seeds. Over the years the seeds grew into beautiful blooming plants. If you have ever seen a lupine, then you know how beautiful they are. As I was reading this story to some of my 5th grade language delayed students, I asked them, “How would you make the world more beautiful?” That question hit me hard. Even though I was the one asking, I had never thought how I would answer that. I remember sitting for a moment and before I even knew I was speaking, I told my students, “I would do something to help them.” They sat there and looked at me like I was crazy. I thought, maybe I should have said, ‘World Peace or fix world hunger.’ But that wasn’t my heart. Yes, I would love those things; however, I want to help these kids that I work with everyday have a chance to make it in this great world.

I didn’t know how to do it but I knew that I had to help these kids learn at their developmental level so that they can grow and feel successful so that they continue to learn. They aren’t always going to have Miss Duncan around to help them. I had to help them know how to figure out their learning strategies. I had to try to reach these kids where no one else had time or understanding. If you know a child with autism or any other disability or learning challenge, then you know how difficult it is to reach them right where they are. But they should be given a chance. After changing my career to become a product development specialist for a wonderful special needs company, I knew this was “How Karla Duncan was going to make the world more beautiful.”

As I listen to the presidential candidates talk about the economic crisis, I get frustrated because no one is really looking very far down the road. Sure you might hear that we need to provide a better place for our kids but do they really mean it? All I see is a “quick fix” and a continued attitude of how is this going to help ME. Yes, I think about how this might affect Head 2 Toe but my first concern is helping children grow up to be successful individuals. Honestly, what are we doing to help our kids grow into adults who can make logical decisions and continue the work that needs to be carried on? Are we going to be ready to pass the baton when it is time? Are we teaching the children to think how they can make the world more beautiful?

I wish I could see some of my former students like George, Ubshelah, Jarvis, Travis, and Samantha and see what they are doing to make the world more beautiful today. I see this process as a race that is continuously going on and Head 2 Toe is teaching and training kids to get ready for it. As their family and friends sit in the stands cheering for them, they are going to hear their names announced over the loud speaker to line up at the starting line. The gun is going to go off and they better be ready to take off running. I know Amy and I are committed to helping them get ready for the race. And we are going to cheer for them like everyone else to GO! I can’t wait to be at the finish line to say, “Well done. You did it. Now go and start training your team.” I love watching the former Olympian medalists come home and start working with children to get them ready for future Olympics. That is what this life should be about-passing on skills that help the coming generation succeed and they will pass their skills on to the one behind them, and so and so….

I encourage you to think how you can make the world more beautiful. Will it help the coming generation?

Karla

Head 2 Toe has been established as a business for almost 6 months and the one thing that is essential for any company that is new or established is learning how to communicate. Since I am a speech therapist, I understand the importance of communication and I usually have no problem talking. You can ask my family. However, it is sometimes more difficult communicating effectively when you are busy. I have found this true in my own life. If I don’t learn to communicate effectively in my business, it is going to be more difficult learning this skill as my company grows. I have been advised to be clear, honest, and tactful and do not assume anything. It is also important to have things written out so that all parties are clear about expectations, job descriptions, and work responsibilities. Even though I have had conversations with people about responsibilities, issues become cloudy if you don’t have it written down and agreed upon by all responsible parties. Now I am working on job descriptions for me and Amy and other positions as we get ready to hire future employees. Since Amy is not a business partner, it is important that both of us know exactly what her job’s responsibilities are. Thanks to Cathy Greenburg for her insight in this situation. Amy and I are such great friends but we need to agree on her role with Head 2 Toe. If a problem ever occurs, then we need to have a “charter” set and we can look at it and see where things are falling through. This is just as important for me as for Amy. No one likes to work without an idea of what is expected and I can not talk to an employee or author or distributor about their roles, if I don’t have an idea of what they are.

Since communication is so important in a relationship or business, goals should also be set so that the people involved know exactly what they are working toward. This can only help with communication. Tonight I was reminded of Zig Ziglar’s 7 steps of goal setting in my entrepreneur class. Dr. Dale Callahan, an associate professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the leader of this class and I have learned so much since we started 6 weeks ago. Dr. Callahan is also an entrepreneur. He and and his wife developed a company for moms teaching their homeschool children high school math. They developed dvds teaching algebra and other maths. Check out askdrcallahan.com. I thought I would share some highlights of these 7 steps to goal setting.

Step 1: Identify the goal
Step 2: Set a Deadline–If you can not measure then you can not manage.
Step 3: Identify the obstacles
Step 4: Know what people you need to work with
Step 5: Identify what skills you need
Step 6: Develop a written plan of action
Step 7: Know why you want to achieve this goal

Do you know that only 3% of the population sets goals? That means 97% doesn’t. That 3% achieves far more than anyone who does not set goals. Wow!! When I heard this tonight, I was excited because I do have goals for Head 2 Toe. If I work on these 7 steps, then I am far ahead of the other 97%. The way I have to think of it is, “Every ship has a captain and that captain has to have a chart of where he is steering the ship. He knows he needs certain people to help him get there but it is clear where they are going before they leave the dock.” Head 2 Toe has left the dock and we are on the move to our first goal-make 50 sales by Dec. 31, 2008.

This week the organizations that agreed to test our products will be receiving them. One of the companies, Autism Solutions Center, sent me a message today that they loved the kit and they can’t wait to start using it. I was thrilled at their initial response. I can’t wait to share what the others are saying. Go to our website www.head2toepub.com for updates on customer feedback.

Take time and write your goals for your life, business, finances, etc. Then go to Step 2. Before you know it, you are on your way to accomplishing your goals. Goals will help make your message clear for you and everyone involved.

Get out your pen and paper or iPhone or Blackberry or a paper napkin and start writing. You’ll be glad you did.

Karla

It has been one week since Head 2 Toe opened for business and it has been a great week. We have made our first few sales and we are getting a lot of interest. When selling to therapists, teachers and parents, it is all about seeing the product or knowing someone who has seen it or used themselves before they feel comfortable about buying from a “new” company. This is why I have been concentrating on networking with the right people to get the word out. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have reached out to organizations that have a mailing list that would help drive business to my website. I have found a few groups that will be testing my products and they will be sending out their feedback to their contacts. I had a great accomplishment this week, I contacted the Dan Marino Center in Miami, FL about testing my products. Dan Marino, the great former Miami Dolphin quarterback, founded the center after his son was diagnosed with autism. The Dan Marino Center has a great reputation around the country for the therapy services children receive there. They have agreed to work with Head 2 Toe Publications! I am thrilled to be working with them.

This weekend I have concentrated on my marketing campaigns to drive more business to my website. I have created campaigns using Yahoo! Adwords and Google Adwords. The greatest website to help create email marketing campaigns has been Constant Contact. it stores your email address list and makes it so easy to send out your campaigns and it gives you reports of how many people visited your site through the email. Great information! I am glad Scott Smigler sent me to that website.

Tomorrow morning I am speaking with Cathy Greenburg as a follow up conversation about how to have a happy company. I can’t wait to hear what she says about my inventory I took. My goal is that I keep calm and focused every day so that Head 2 Toe grows and moves in the right direction. It is so important for me to work well with Amy so that she continues to feel a part of the company even though she lives far away from the action. Good communication is essential for Amy and I to work together. I have to be clear about my expectations from her as well as she has to be honest about her responsibilities. Thankfully Amy and I are friends but we are also committed to make this company grow. As I told Amy, Head 2 Toe is not about me or Amy. It is about serving God first by providing products that will help children reach their full potential. Our happiness is true joy because we are helping others.

The last two weeks I have been using Head 2 Toe’s first product, Vocab U Grab Farm Kit. I thought it was bad to brag on myself but others have told me that I should share my results since I am still a practicing speech therapist. I work with children ages 0-3 years through the week and I thought this was a great time for me to see how our first product actually worked. I must say that I have been shocked by the great results. I had a Down’s Syndrome little boy, imitate his first words and an autistic boy imitate his first words. I am not saying that this is a miracle product, but Vocab U Grab provides components that start where the child’s developmental skills start. I have also had almost 2 year olds say the names of animals and the animal sounds, while the parents sit in shock that they spoke. Children are matching the animals to the pictures and then they recognize the animals in the book. It is so great to see the progression they make. The best thing is that I have 2 year old that sit for 45 minutes playing with all components of Vocab U Grab. Yes, they are playing but they are learning! If you would like to read more about Vocab U Grab, check out www.head2toepub.com. We are offering 15% off and free shipping until Oct.15. Coupon code is h2t15.

I don’t like bragging on my company but I am a believer in how the product works. There is so much you can do with it. I told Amy a few months ago when we were deciding which product to develop, I said, “Amy, I believe in what it teaches and it will be a product that will reach more children than just focusing on a certain skill.” The great idea goes to Amy and together we were able to create a fun learning tool for children with and without special needs. We hope you like it!!

Let me know your thoughts.

Karla