It is the final day of my Big Omaha roundup! I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and taken some time to reflect on all the wonderful things the speakers shared!

Michael Karnjanaprakorn – Skillshare

Photo courtesy Malone & Co. and Big Omaha

“Education is the only true global religion because it’s something that everyone believes in.” What a powerful statement to start off Michael’s talk! Education is something I feel very strongly about (and have serious issues with) so I was excited to hear his perspective. This week Fast Company named Michael #18 on their “Top 100 Most Creative People in Business 2012” list. How cool is it that I just heard him speak last week? I feel quite lucky!

Stay curious. The future belongs to the curious.

I am a strong believer in lifelong learning. I think this comes from my innate curiosity. I want to learn about things I don’t know anything about. I want to experience things I’ve never experienced. That’s why I attend things like Big Omaha – I am not an expert in anything I learned about there and it is refreshing to expand your knowledge!

The problem with education today is that it is not centered on learning.

We really need to start considering how people learn and what the most effective teaching methods are and IMPLEMENTING them into our educational system. I think most people would agree that traditional teaching methods are outdated and need to be replaced with more innovative and cutting edge methods. If we have these opportunities at our fingertips and know they are more beneficial, why aren’t we using them?

Michael shared a list of attributes that make Skillshare ideal:

Everywhere classroom

Everyone teacher

Everyone student

Accessible

Affordable

Applicable Skills

No exams

Less Lecturing

Learn by doing

Learn by collaborating

Learn by failing

Learn creativity: we are taught to become less creative as we get older

Learn with community

Education is what someone tells you to do and learning is what you do for yourself.

Community is necessary for a good learning environment.

Collaboration is so important in the learning process. I’ll admit to despising group projects in college. But they were all the same – divide up the work and do a presentation. I don’t think the forced interaction fostered learning. Or maybe it was my lack of focus in those types of environments. In my career I have found that I enjoy “group projects” and it doesn’t seem forced at all, but rather an accelerator to what progress we can make and the things we can achieve. 

 

Mena Trott – The Sew Weekly

Photo courtesy Malone & Co. and Big Omaha

My favorite thing about Mena: she brought wine on stage with her. That’s my kind of lady. Enough said.

You can’t regret something that at the time you couldn’t know would be a mistake.

Every decision you make should be the best one possible given the information you have at hand. When you look back you have to trust that you made the best decision possible. If it wasn’t the best decision, figure out how to evolve and use it as a learning experience. Make a better decision next time!

Dating is like entrepreneurship:

They sell themselves

They tell their story

They get rejected

They make mistakes

Screw and get screwed

They do it over and over again

Mena’s tips:

Learn from everything

Evolve and grow

Be passionate

Do it for a reason

 

My overall reflections

Attending Big Omaha was an investment I’m glad I made in myself. Continually learning and growing will make me the best person (and businesswoman) I can be! I hope you enjoyed learning from the speakers as much as I did. And now for some fun photos of our time in Omaha! (Thanks to my friends for letting me use their instagram photos!)

Photobooth photos courtesy Malone & Co. and Big Omaha

Now you can follow my blog on Bloglovin’! 

This week I’ve put together a special edition of Style + Savor! I made a little trip to Anthropologie on Monday after a trip to Omaha to get a chair found on Craigslist. (For $3! You’ll be seeing it in my home office makeover ASAP!) Anyway, I picked up this fabulous book and I am excited to share it with you! Then I stopped by the mall on my way home and found this gem of a dress for a mere $25…worth it indeed! By now you should know that I love hosting and attending parties, especially in the summer. My typical Friday night generally consists of me inviting girlfriends over for a low key night with dinner and wine. And generally turns into a long night of fun. (Not complaining!) I think throughout the summer I’ll be trying lots of different drink recipes that are more refreshing than a yummy glass of wine. So let’s start here!

For the full recipes, pick up your copy of Porch Parties here or here!

Happy Friday, everyone! How excited are you about all the Big Omaha tidbits you’ve learned about this week? I’ve had so much fun going through my notes and pondering these ideas further!

 

Eddie Huang – Baohaus

One of the first thing’s Eddie told us was, “Don’t be afraid to offend people.” Good thing he warned us! Eddie was offensive alright, but totally hilarious from the beginning to the end of his presentation. It was a great way to keep the energy up after our lunch on day 2!

Don’t be embarrassed to ask for money.

This can be a difficult part of starting a business. Many people don’t have the funds to just start a business whenever they choose. It takes time and finding the right outside investors. You have to give people the option to say “no” if you want them to even consider you – so don’t be afraid to ask!

Have a healthy disrespect for people. People will try to prevent you from having a good time so ruin it for them first.

His visual for this was great – it was a picture of him doing a cannonball into a pool where a woman was relaxing on her floating mat while “getting her tan on.” He ruined that for her. It was a funny analogy. I don’t think of myself as being disrespectful so I didn’t relate to this very well. However, I think the bottom line is to not let anyone drag you down!

If you don’t tell your story, no one will buy it.

You have to be genuinely you when telling the story of you and your brand. Otherwise no one will buy into it.

Use commerce to make a difference. You can do more for people if your product is commercially viable.

If the cause is big enough then it will never curb your enthusiasm.

If you are truly a believer in your product then you will continually be excited about it. You’ll want to keep evolving and staying on the cusp of what is new and what will improve your brand. If you don’t have that passion for your idea then you better consider leaving it behind.

Put your personality behind your product.

I love that my brand is consistent with my personality and I don’t think I would be nearly as successful if it didn’t align with my lifestyle. Embellish is a reflection of me and it is what keeps me passionate!

 

Nick Seguin – Kauffman Foundation

I’ll start by saying I feel pretty dumb about the fact I knew nothing about the Kauffman Foundation prior to Big Omaha. It is considered the world’s largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship and is headquartered in Kansas City. How did I miss this? After meeting a few people involved in their programs I am convinced the Kauffman Foundation and the people they work with are going to change the world. Next mission: to get my little sister as excited about it so she can take part in some of their awesome programs.

New firms are the ones that allow people to participate in society.

Motivations have to be authentic.

We’ve heard this general statement through and through this week. There must be something to it, huh? People can see right through you if your intentions aren’t in the right place. Set yourself up for success by being genuine in your motivations.

Entrepreneurs are the most civically involved people in a community.

I’m really beginning to see this hold true. By nature I like to be involved in extra projects that contribute to the greater good. Whether that be charity or community focused (or both!) I think it is important to get involved in more than just the business community. (Hint: getting involved in these ways often allows you to meet people with similar interests and values, relating back to that “network” we so often hear about.)

 

Kevin Hale – Wufoo

Here’s a pretty amazing fun fact for you: An average startup takes their initial investment and grows it 676%. Wufoo grew their $118K by 29,561%. Do that math – it is mind blowing! Kevin spoke about designing for relationships, which is how Wufoo created their product. He explained it as a “database application that looks like it was designed by Fischer Price.”

We were fanatical about creating meaningful relationships for our users.

He used this comparison: treat new users like you’re dating and existing users like you’re married. They took all the seemingly “little things” and thought about every detail and how it would make the user feel. It is a simple approach that makes so much sense!

Before you build a product, build an audience.

This was a useful tactic for me before I opened Embellish and before I launched my blog here at www.embellishlife.com. I tried to create a buzz so people had an awareness of my “product” before it was available. I encourage any business to do the same! Get your future customers hyped for what is to come.

Being customer intimate is the most valuable, no matter how big you get. Remind users over and over that you care about them.

Customers like to know they’re loved and appreciated. (Just like people in a relationship, right?) Let them know! Wufoo sent out handwritten thank you cards to their customers to let them know how much they care. How cool is that? 

 

All photos courtesy Silicon Prairie News via Flickr

Time for Day 4 of the Big Omaha roundup! There’s some really great advice here today. I’d love to hear what you think the most valuable piece of advice from today’s post is – comment below!

Brian Wong – Kiip

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Talk about a genius – this kid (yes, kid) skipped several grades in elementary and high school to start college at 14. I can’t imagine college being very fun at 14, but I’m guessing that wasn’t the point for this smarty pants. Now he is 21 and the founder and CEO of Kiip, “a rewards program for virtual achievements.” And let me just say, Brian was hilarious. His talk was a great way to kick off our speakers on day 2 and kept me laughing the entire time. But don’t worry, I learned a lot to. He discussed 9 ways to control your own luck.

#1 Start Playing – Stop asking questions, just go start.

This was another one of those topics that came up during several talks. It has become very apparent to me that successful entrepreneurs are doers and not just planners or thinkers. The execution portion is what sets you apart. So get out there and DO IT!

#2 Surround Yourself With Other Lucky People – Luck breeds luck. Identify people around you that are having success and make a point to be around them.

Maybe it has nothing to do with luck at all and it really just boils down to being a “doer.” I see myself doing this all the time. The people in the community that I have identified as people that are driven and make things happen have become close friends. Surround yourself by people that make you the best version of yourself. Chances are you will have plenty of personality traits in common and this will happen in a very organic way!

#3 Choose a really Big field. Don’t corner yourself. Position yourself to tackle anything within a broad area. De-focus in the beginning.

No matter how much research or planning you do ahead of time you still don’t know for sure what your consumer is going to respond to most. At Embellish I’ve done lots of experimenting with different lines, styles and price points to try and nail down the perfect fit. Having a broad area in the beginning allows you to fine-tune things and continue to evolve with trends.  

#4 Make a game with less players. Create positioning so that you’re the only one in the category. Make it so you don’t have direct competition.

To me this is a basic differentiation strategy. Embellish is located in downtown Lincoln and is certainly not the only popular clothing boutique. We are surrounded by other fantastic locally owned stores. The key is that none of us are the same and although we might be in indirect competition we all have very distinct aesthetics. This makes for a great downtown retail environment because we end up complimenting each other and adding to the appeal of shopping in a locally-owned downtown area.

#5 Remove unlucky from your vocabulary. When you fail you’ve had a very lucky learning experience.

This is a great way to ensure positivity in your company! I don’t believe in failing so when I come upon a challenge I approach it as just that: a learning experience. What can I take away from this to make it better next time? What is the lesson here?

#6 It is all about relative luck. Realize you are lucky and trick your own mind into knowing how lucky you are.

Although some days may prove to be challenging, remind yourself constantly how lucky you are. I do this daily on my walk to work. I say to myself, “You are so lucky. You get to live your life dream every single day.” I can’t even begin to express how blessed I am to be in the position I am now. I never could have imagined that I’d be in this here by the age of 25, but I am so thankful for that!

#7 Use what normally gets you lucky. Don’t fix your weakness, use your strengths!

Brian really cracked me up here and likened this to using your charm to attract someone in a bar. And it makes sense, right? It is usually those traits (or an abundance of beverages…) that get you what you want. So what traits do you have that make you a good business person? Use those to get lucky!

#8 Make people lucky. Give back – things come full circle. Ask for help – you need to tell people so they know they can help.

I am a very strong believer in helping others and giving back. Don’t always think about what someone can do for you – think about how you can help them! Sometime down the road they might be able to help you in a different way. And maybe not, but at least you know you are doing the right thing. And if you need help, refer to that network of friends Ted encouraged us to have and I can just about guarantee they will be more than willing to offer whatever help they can.

#9 Luck becomes serendipity.

Serendipity by definition is “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.” So after you’ve been lucky for so long you can act and perceive situations in order to identify opportunities. Then it just becomes a serendipitous cycle! 

Charles Best – Donorschoose.org

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Charles Best founded donorschoose.org during his time as a school teacher. The story of how the company began and gained publicity was quite interesting. If you haven’t heard of it you better go check it out and donate to a school in need – maybe there is one in your community! I found one of my friends has a project up to raise money for books in her junior high English class. I can’t wait to use the gift certificate Charles distributed to us to help her out! Want to help her project, too? Here’s the link!

Push decisions to the marketplace. When you push intelligence out to the edge your users start to see themselves as co-workers.

This works so well for DonorsChoose! Teachers are able to communicate directly  with the people that can give them money to fund their projects and everyone feels like an integral part of the process. On top of that, teachers that have had great success with funding their own DonorsChoose projects become reviewers to approve future projects that get put on the site. They have done a superb job of creating a community that rallies behind their cause.

Make users feel like co-workers. Never underestimate how much your users are willing to do.

They are able to cut their cost so much by having teachers volunteer to review and approve potential projects. This means more money can go towards the projects and funding the organization rather than paying a staff to do the same work. When you have a great cause people are willing to get behind, leverage that opportunity as much as possible! 

Sarah Prevette – BetaKit

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Sarah was quite a dynamic speaker. She was honest and up-front and I loved that about her!

 Make sure the consumer knows the value of your service.

YOU know that your product or service is valuable, but if you customer doesn’t know it who is going to support it? You need to be clear and figure out how to communicate with your customer so they understand why they NEED your product.

You have limited resources. FOCUS. Don’t run to other shiny things to try and make it work.

Prioritizing is key. Figure out where you need to focus and spend your money there. Some things can wait. Figure out what those are and keep pushing forward.

Fall in love with the problem, not the solution. The product can keep changing.

Don’t lose sight of why you started your business. What problem did you set out to solve? You can continually evolve your product/business/service to solve that problem. In fact, I think it should evolve over time otherwise something is wrong. Keep questioning things that can be improved and work on them!

You have to be sales focused. Sell the vision.

As the foundation of your business you have to be the chief salesperson. If you can’t sell it, who can? If you believe in your vision strongly enough I think the sales portion comes very easily. I do not consider myself a strong salesperson, but I have a passion and belief in Embellish that people understand when they talk to me. Then they become passionate about it too!

Cash flow is everything. Manage closely.

I’ll be honest and say this is my least favorite part of owning a business. Managing the financial portion isn’t nearly as fun as being a buyer, working with customers or creating a marketing strategy. But it is a necessary evil that you need in order to allow all those things to happen.

Create a dashboard. Document, track and measure your goals.

I’ve decided I need to start writing these down. Writing goals down makes them more official and holds you accountable. Then make actionable lists for each goal with the steps it will take to achieve them. Breaking them down into attainable steps will make them seem more within reach! Time to create that dashboard…I think mine will go above my desk in my new home office!

Strive for success but prepare for failure.

This is kind of disheartening, isn’t it? I hate the thought of failure. So many of the other speakers said to not even consider it because once it is in your mind it becomes an option. I’d like to think it isn’t an option so I’ll continue to set myself up for success.

 

Photos by JamesAnn Photography

This Darling dress from Embellish is perfect. It seems to be appropriate for most occasions AND I have the option to have some fun accessorizing it to dress it down. I typically wear it with the wedges I wore here, but for this post I wanted to take Brad Gorseski’s advice and add a Pop of Color (POC)! I get so many compliments on these coral flats (now sold out online), and would you believe they are from Old Navy? Such a great bargain buy!

Today I will share my takeaways from Yael Cohen, Philip Rosedal and the panel discussion that took place at the end of Day 1 at Big Omaha. There are a variety of topics covered today – enjoy!

Yael Cohen – F Cancer

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Yael is one driven lady. She makes my accomplishments at the age of 25 seem so small – her initiative, F Cancer, is changing the approach from prevention instead of treatment and transitioning the focus of learning and putting the responsibility to talk about the “C word” on Gen Y.

• We teach our parents more in this generation than any other generation in the past.

I don’t know about you, but I think my parents would agree with this as well. In our society there has been so much technological advancement even over the past few years that our generation is having to teach our parents about how to use all these tools to keep up! It only makes sense that we also have the power to teach them about cancer prevention. F Cancer empowers us to use their tools and information to encourage early detection.

• We target our demographic with humor, wit and edge.

F Cancer certainly has a stance and has figured out how to tailor their content to make it relatable for our generation. This seems so simple, but they are really the first in the industry to do this. Why didn’t someone thing of it sooner? Businesses are constantly improving on ways to reach their customers. I’m glad someone has taken a stance and applied that to such a worthy cause.

• If it doesn’t fit into your overarching strategy it will dilute your message.

Learn to accept that it is ok to say “no” to certain opportunities. Stay strong in your message and make sure everything you are doing is consistent with that.

• Believe in what you’re doing. “If you don’t drink your kook-aid, no one else will.”

I see this as being especially important in the non-profit realm but I believe it holds true in other industries as well. If I didn’t believe in the Embellish brand or products, no one else would either and I wouldn’t sell a darn thing! Especially in non-profit, if you aren’t 100% behind your cause people will notice and not feel passionate about your cause either.

• Get ready to belong to what you’re doing.

This is something every young entrepreneur needs to hear. The moment you decide to take on a business (or cause) it becomes your entire life. Everything you do revolves around it. If you aren’t ready for that then you may not be passionate enough about it and I would encourage you to re-think your strategy. My life revolves around Embellish. Time with my friends is planned around meetings. Seeing my family depends on when I travel to market or have in-store events. It takes balance at times, but if you truly are 100% committed to your cause it doesn’t seem like such a challenge. I’ve been in jobs before that I didn’t feel tied to and it made balancing these things so much more difficult than they seem now!

• We have “sickcare”, not healthcare.

Our healthcare system in America has some serious flaws. I think everyone is aware of this. We have so much research at our fingertips telling us that prevention is key and how important living a healthy lifestyle is. Why can’t our healthcare system revolve around that?  I wish I had the answer on how to fix such a huge issue, but I don’t. I hope someone smarter than me figures this out soon…

 

Philip Rosedale – Coffee & Power

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

I’m going to be honest here and just say Philip is a genius. A lot of what he talked about in relation to his startups boggled my mind and frankly flew right above my head. Luckily he seems to be a really great manager and had some great ideas to share in regards to that. My other favorite thing about Philip was his wardrobe choices. He certainly stood out in the crowd and every time I saw him at the networking events he seemed to be working the crowd (he chatted with us for a bit, too) and having a wonderful time. And I can really appreciate that in a person!

•  Conduct an anonymous management survey.

                Send out a link to an anonymous SurveyMoney survey and have all your employees rate you. It is a good way to gain feedback and learn areas you can improve on. I’m not sure how well that would work in a business as small as mine, but I would still like to think my employees would answer honestly so I can improve! I think I’ll be trying this at our 1-year review coming up.

• Decentralize

At his company he decentralizes the bonus structure so that all the employees are “given” a hypothetical amount of money and are asked to divide that money up among everyone else on the staff (besides themselves). They can divide it evenly among everyone or choose to award it to people by their own merits. It is only after compiling the data of this that the bonuses are awarded. Isn’t that a great idea? It gives you a good indication of how people are working together and what others’ perceptions are. He expressed that often the outcome is as he would imagine, but it is still a good check and balance system that also empowers his employees to feel like they are involved in decision-making processes. I’m filing this one away for the day when I have a multi-location retail empire. (We shall see about that…a girl can dream!)

 

Panel Discussion – Yael, Ben, Philip and Jim, moderated by Antonio Neves

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

These four speakers re-visited the stage Thursday night to answer questions from the audience. There was a range of topics covered and some of the answers were just as valuable (if not more!) than items learned during their talks.

 Fostering successful collaboration and encouraging employees.

Ben: “Happier people are more effective people.”

Yael: “You are a value add. You are here because you do something better than me and are not afraid to tell me what we should be doing.”

As I mentioned before I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself in the workplace with A+ employees (a common theme from previous talks.) I think Yael expressed it perfectly in her statement. I also put a high emphasis on workplace satisfaction. I want my employees to be happy to they perform well. To achieve this I try and implement fun activities or rewards into our schedule. Sometimes it is as simple as telling your employees “thank you” so they know they are appreciated. Never lose sight of how important your employees are!

 What are some interview questions you like to use in the hiring process?

Philip: “Take me on a trip through your front door.” The things people point out are the things they value – this will you a lot about them as a person and give you a good indication on whether they are a good fit for your company or not.

Jim: “If I gave you $3,000 to better the company how would you spend it?” This is a creative one! I like how it gives you an idea of how they think and also is an indicator on if they did their homework on your company prior to the interview – very important!

 On workplace happiness:

Ben: “When I offer someone a job I try to talk them out of it. It is a disclaimer for later.” It is better to share with them what is expected and how their life will change with this job. Being honest and up-front is always the best policy.

Philip: “After they’ve worked for one month, offer them two months’ salary to quit.” Interesting, right? But what better way to ensure you have happy employees that are in it for the long haul? In my opinion, this guy is a managerial genius.

Yael: “Sell the bad side” If they are there during the bad times they are on board through the good.”

 An audience asked the panel about challenges they had faced that we wouldn’t have learned about if we Googled them. This yielded a very shocking answer from Yael, but it was hilarious and definitely got the crowd roaring with laugher. It was regarding a poor hiring decision of a woman that ended up not representing her company very well.

 Yael: “Sometimes the ones that sparkle the most are sluts.” This has now become a regularly used phrase in my vocabulary and I still think it is hilarious every time I say it. Good thing my friends have a sense of humor…

 One thing that has made you successful:

Ben: “Not hoping. Don’t wait for something to happen. Take what you control to the max.”

Jim: “Learning to act with imperfect information.”

Philip: “Being happy.”

Yael: “Being an asshole. If something can be better, do it. Don’t wait for permission.”

Today I’m sharing roundups from 3 speakers with you: Sahil Lavingia, Jim McKelvey and Seth Goldstein. These three guys had very different speaking styles, but were all entertaining in their own right. Let’s dive in!

 

Sahil Lavingia – Gumroad

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Sahil was the youngest speaker (only 19!) at Big Omaha and worked for Pinterest and Turntable before starting his own company, Gumroad. I actually read about him shortly before Big Omaha in an article here and was immediately fascinated and excited to hear his story in person.

• Money is exciting but not as exciting as turning it into something valuable

That’s really saying something coming from someone who has raised $8 million for his startup. My takeaway from this statement is that you can’t be satisfied just because your product is making money – you have to see it is valuable to the people that are using it and continue to evolve it so it holds that value.

• If you get too comfortable you will develop assumptions and become closed-minded.

Sahil moved all over the world throughout his childhood and he credits his open-mindedness to that. When you don’t have time to develop assumptions about cultures and your surroundings you are bound to be more open minded and create better ideas I have always been a believer in the importance of travel and learning about other cultures. I haven’t had the opportunity to do as much of that as I would like, but I am making it a goal to do it more often. Time to start planning some learncations! (Yes, I’m making that a word – a vacation focused on learning.)

• Build products that improve my life and hire people that make me smarter.

Sahil admitted that he is selfishly motivated to create things that directly improve his life. In addition, he improves himself by surrounding himself with people that make him better and creates a company that he wants to work for. And shouldn’t we all do that? Everyone has different strengths and if we can bring people that are strong in many different areas together, the end result will be so much better than if you try and do it yourself. I strive to make Embellish that place for myself – the place I want to work every day and continually learn from the people that are there with me.

• One fascinating thing Sahil expressed was wanting the ability to look at anything and be able to make it by himself. This is what drove his learning at such a young age.

This is incredible. I wish I had that kind of drive or vision. I tend to think on a lot smaller scale so I have immense respect for those that can look at a much larger problem and have the foresight to know how to make it happen.

• Making things simple is incredibly complicated.

So much of what we see in technology is extremely complicated behind the scenes so it can be easy and user-friendly to people like me. That seems like a pretty elementary statement but when you really think about it, it makes total sense. Apply this to your life: so many people stress the importance of simplifying your life. It is supposed to make you a better person and give you the ability to make things happen. But getting to that point is complicated, right? Decided what things have true value and what things you can part with or remove your involvement from. Find that balance is quite complicated but worth it when you’re at a state when you’re maximizing your productivity.

 

Jim McKelvey – Square

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Hearing Jim speak was such a treat. And yet he barely even touched on the idea of Square. He referred more to his hobby of glassblowing and drew conclusions based on that. He was so insightful!

• What is the secret to success? To not be mediocre but be GOOD at something.

There are plenty of people doing mediocre things in this world. If we could get more people interested in being more than that we could do pretty big things. Find what you’re awesome at and DO IT! You will be so much more satisfied than if you’re doing something you’re aren’t as good at. And chances are you will be passionate about it!

• The time is now! Permission is unnecessary. Communication is free. Ideas are plentiful.

Do what you love and do it now! There is nothing holding you back but yourself.

• Don’t look for opportunities, look for problems.

This was another major theme of the conference. Look for a problem and try to solve it. If you can’t, find someone to collaborate with that can help you! As Sahil said, ”I find people that don’t suck at the things I suck at.”

 

Seth Goldstein – turntable.fm

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

Seth’s talk was structured so smartly – 10 tweets for Startups. Isn’t that clever?

• Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. Don’t wait for the right moment or when you think you can do it well. Do it now!

I can completely identify with this. I knew I always wanted a store. I did not think it would be at the age of 24. But I saw an opportunity and knew the timing in the market was right, so even if I didn’t think I was totally ready I took the plunge! I truly believe if I had waited even one year the time for Embellish in it’s perfect location and time in the market would have passed.  Sometimes you just have to jump and figure some things out as you go! You will never be as prepared as you think you should be.

• Leaders believe it before they see it; managers need to see before they believe. The role of a leader is vision.

Is this your personality? It is mine! I didn’t have to see a copy of a business plan to be convinced Embellish was the right thing to do…I just knew. Plenty of other people needed that information before they got involved. And that’s ok. I just don’t want to be one of those people. Part of the reward is knowing you took a risk and seeing your hard work pay off!

• Dress British, think Yiddish. Look conventional but think unconventionally.

This one got a good laugh from the crowd, but I think he has a valid point. Establishing your credibility is crucial and your appearance is no exception. Presenting yourself in a professional and put-together way can mean everything! Don’t limit this to your appearance, though. Your brand should be polished. He said, “You can’t spend a lot to brand your company but you need to have a good brand.” Strong branding isn’t necessarily about design, but more about strategy and your message.

• Scale a single social gesture. Features are becoming products. Products are becoming companies.

• Hire slow, fire fast.

Again we visit the importance of surrounding yourself with A+ employees. Sometimes that means waiting for the right person to hire. It is worth the wait to achieve the right fit!

• Have difficult conversations. Stay connected through conflict. Don’t wait to have tough conversations – it will never be convenient.

I can’t relate to this as much since I am the only owner of my company and have no one to report to. But I imagine as my business grows this will be an increasing issue and a lesson I will be glad to have been exposed to prior to having to deal with this.

• What is going up and to the right? Find the metric that is growing and leverage that. What metric is most important for your business?

This was a really interesting point to me. It seems in the retail industry that revenue would be the main thing that you would want to focus on trending in this way. But it made me think of what other parts of my business I should track and try to improve.

• Raise money when you can, not when you have to.

To me, this is definitely geared more towards the startup community. But I did find it to be an interesting point. He mentioned how “fashionable” it is to be in the startup community right now, so if you have investors knocking at your door to leverage that relationship. Six months down the road, you might need that money and there may not be anyone there to give it to you.

• It is hard to bring and investor in. It is 10 times harder to get them out. Don’t focus on the firm, focus on the person.

In general terms , this goes back to a main theme of surrounding yourself with people that make you better and that you want to be around. Be patient when choosing people to work with – it can be the difference in the success of your company.

• It’s not about the money, it’s about the money. Don’t be too proud for a profit. Keep perspective.

If you’re interesting in hearing his entire talk, visit his site and watch here!

In addition to my regular content, this week I will be doing a series of roundups and reflections on speakers I heard and experiences I had at Big Omaha last week. Each day will include reflections on 2-3 of the talks to keep the content at a manageable level and for you to take the time to reflect each day. Read on to learn more about the conference and I hope you find the information valuable!

 

Many of you are probably not familiar with Big Omaha, an event I attended last week. It has been coined “the nation’s most interconnected conference on innovation and entrepreneurship” and is put on by the fine folks at Silicon Prairie News. Now you might be wondering why a small retail entrepreneur would be interested in attending a conference so focused on startups with global ideas and with such a heavy tech-focus. Here’s my theory: I can learn from people that are doing bigger, better and different things from me. And even though some things don’t relate to my industry I feel I have several great takeaways from each speaker that will ultimately help make me a better business person and help me expand my line of thinking. Let me start by saying each and every speaker blew me away – each one in a different way. These people are some of the smartest I’ve ever encountered and have so much passion for what they do. That in itself was a huge inspiration and validation that I am certainly in the right industry because I feel I have that level of passion for what I’m doing at Embellish and beyond. It has also been really fun to research these companies, many of which I hadn’t heard of before this conference. It is amazing to me how many great ideas are being developed all the time and I would encourage you to check them all out! Here I will go through the speaking lineup and share with you the wisdom that was shared with me and offer some reflection for each point. Enjoy!

 

Ted Rheingold – SAY Media

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

• Don’t work with stupid.

I am so glad someone had the guts to say this. Honestly, stupid people have been my life-long pet peeve. I just don’t deal with them well – I don’t have the patience. Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you and they will make you better!

• Be Present. If the phone rings and you aren’t there to answer it, you’ve lost business.

One challenge as an entrepreneur is that you have to dedicate SO MUCH TIME to your “baby.” If you aren’t present at every moment in the game you run the risk of failure.

• On idea generation and execution: Find an idea you can execute on with the resources you have RIGHT NOW.

If you wait until you think all the conditions are right to pursue your ideas it is too late! Part of the battle to success is making things work as you go and allowing it to be a learning experience.

• Being an entrepreneur is like riding a rollercoaster. There are great days and crushing days. There is so much emotion on the line and you have no one to feel it with.

Isn’t this the truth? It is vital that as an entrepreneur you have a network of other people in like situations that you can sift through problems with. Whether it is just venting and being there for each other or offering advice it can make all the difference in your sanity.

• We are all moving up together.

Collaboration and community seemed to be a common theme throughout all the talks. Greater things can happen when we all work together and understand there’s room for everyone at the top!

• Talk about challenges and offer favors. Learning what works for others can be helpful to you.

I am a strong believer in helping people out. The business environment is so much more pleasant when we all participate in a positive manner and genuinely want to see others succeed.

• Learn how to create a public persona. Learn how to tell people “it’s great” even if it isn’t. Share your issues with your networked friends and not your investors and employees.

This is why a group of business friends is so important. It is absolutely crucial to have someone you can share challenges and successes with and it needs to be the appropriate audience. AS a leader you need to try and remain as even-keel as possible even through the rollercoaster ride.

• Don’t think that you should have to have it all figured out. NO ONE DOES. Everyone is faking it.

I think this is my favorite line from Ted because it is so true! Sometimes you do just have to fake it. People want to believe you’re an expert and let them! Work your best to continue learning and figuring things out, but understand that it is ok if there are things you don’t know. I learn things every day and it only makes me better at what I do!

• If you are going to pursue an idea you have to do it 100% so you know if it is really going to work. If you only go 80% you will never truly know if it would have worked.

This seems like such a simple concept but there are so many people that don’t follow the general rule. If you are truly passionate about something then you will want to go for it 100%. If you don’t have that desire then it probably isn’t the right idea.

• Keep “A+” people and don’t spend time helping “B” people.

This might seem harsh or insensitive but it can be the key to the success of your business (or life for that matter…good thing my friends are A+ ladies!)I’m a strong believer in hiring people that I trust to make the same decision I would in any given situation. I constantly tell my employees, “I hired you because I believe you are capable of being great. Don’t hesitate to do things and do them well. And you are! So keep going!

 

Ben Lerer – Thrillist Media Group

Photo courtesy Silicon Prairie News

• What Thrillist has really done is created a platform for reaching men.

As a woman focused on women’s retail I openly admit I know NOTHING about the men’s market even though it is something that intrigues me. Studying their business model and site further will hopefully help me better understand what marketing to men looks like.

• The future of the media company is to not have just one kind of revenue stream. You have to monetize every stream, both content and commerce.

First of all, let me say that Ben shared that each stream (content and commerce) generates eight figures. Holy moly! I can’t even imagine dealing with a business on that level, but clearly there are some lessons to be learned from this guy! One of the biggest takeaways for me from Ben’s talk is to think about how to make everything you do generate money. It makes you think more strategically about every aspect of your business and can only improve it. Clearly this model does not only apply to media companies, but many types of businesses.

• There’s no shame in failing, there’s only shame in not trying.

I don’t ever want to look back on my life and say, “I wonder what would have happened if…” Go for it! If you have an idea you’re passionate and have reasonable belief that it is viable in the market, just do it! And like Ted said, do it 100% so you know for certain if it works or doesn’t..

• Ben expressed being forever obsessed with the light at the end of the tunnel and how to get to the next level. It took some time but he discovered it is ONLY about the tunnel. If you aren’t proud of your work and love it every day, then STOP! Don’t work for the day you have enough money to do what you want. Do whatever you want and do it now!

This is so true! When you are pursuing your passion it shouldn’t be a means to an end. It should be your journey and living your dream every day. And isn’t that the appeal of doing what you love? Enjoy every minute of it!

My friends and I have wanted to start a “brunch club” of sorts for awhile now but we have yet to execute. I’m starting to get antsy because I keep finding fun dishes and themes I want to do! I think this summer is the time to get this tradition started. Today I’m calling dibs on a French-themed soiree so I can wear this Aryn K skirt we got this week at Embellish. I think it would look so cute with this JCrew Factory tee I saw recently. And what better to pair this outfit with than bite-size French toast? I’m convinced anything bite-sized is superior to all other foods. Don’t you agree?