April 2010 – Page 3

Kelly Cutrone On Marketing Fashion

Kelly Cutrone,
Founder of People’s Revolution,
talks about marketing fashion.

“Right now, everyone and everything is the brand.
Your diary is now your Facebook page.
That’s great.
But it’s like,
what do you have to say?
What’s your news?
If you’re a fashion designer and
you have a new collection,
well, so does everybody.
It’s like you’re making little rick-rack t-shirts.
You’re not going to be in Vogue.
You need to change your expectations
or change your products.”

What should designers do?

“Get 65,000 Facebook fans.
Make a one minute short film
and pop it up on Facebook
and just talk to 65,000 people.
Get it on the internet,
then the Wall Street Journal and
700 bloggers pick it up
and cut and paste it,
you have a global message
for very little money.”

Making Mistakes Quickly

I learn by doing.

A writing buddy and I
decided to try a new genre.
I read three stories in that genre
and then wrote my first story.
While that first story was being rejected,
I was writing my second story.

My buddy read over 20 stories
in the genre.
She took classes.

I now have 3 stories published
in that genre.
She is currently writing her first one.

If it doesn’t cost much to try,
I try.
I make my mistakes.
I learn from them.
I eventually succeed.

Josh James,
founder of Omniture,
has a similar outlook.

“I make mistakes faster than anybody.
I think, go, do.
That’s the Omniture mantra.
While you’re figuring out what to do,
we’ve tried two different things
and have figured out the right one.”

BTW…
the entire interview rocks it.
Definitely a recommended read.

College Rejections And Success

I squeaked into my university program.
The cut off average was 87%.
I had 87.5%.
When other students boasted
about their high school averages
during frosh orientation,
I kept quiet.

Then I went to that first day of class.
One of our profs made us all stand up.
“Look to your left,” he said.
“Look to your right.
Only one of you will be graduating.”

I was on full scholarship
(for volunteer work, not book smarts).
I knew I HAD to be that one person.
This was my chance
to break out of the circle of poverty.

It was the best thing
that could have happened to me.
I worked my ass off
I graduated.

I then continued to work my ass off.
I knew the world was full of
smarter, more gifted people than I was
and I’d have to work harder
to be successful.

My story is not unique.
Warren Buffet didn’t get into Harvard,
his first choice of schools.
“You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one.
In the end, it can be an opportunity.”
Because at Columbia,
he met Benjamin Graham
and the rest is investing history.

College rejections are being sent
right around now.
Share your own rejection stories.
Give these students hope.

Appoint A Leader

My current manager
likes to do group projects
where we all work together
but no one is in charge.

These don’t work.

Either someone ends up in charge
(usually me if the project is a priority)
or the projects fail.

Everyone can work on a project
but someone is needed
to co-ordinate all the pieces
and to do the filler tasks
that aren’t glamorous
but need to be done.

Assign ONE person
to be in charge
(assign two people
and each will assume the other person
is truly in charge).
You can rotate that responsibility
but please, do assign it.

Thanking Your Manager

We talk a lot here
about giving our employees feedback
and positive reinforcement
but what about our managers?
Don’t they need love too?

The answer is…
yes
and odds are,
if you pat your manager on her back,
you’ll likely be the only employee doing so.

We were working on a major project.
We had to all come in
on our day off.
My manager asked if she was needed.
She stated that she didn’t want to get in our way.

I was surprised.
Of course she was needed.
Of course she would add value.

But then I realized
that what was ‘of course’ for me,
was in question for her.

So at the end of that really, really long day,
I made a point of telling her
that we couldn’t have done it without her.
That was the truth
but not a truth that everyone knew.

Thank your manager.
If she does a great job at supporting you,
tell her she did
and that you appreciate it.

What Do You Think?

Great Leadership
has a wonderful series
of quick tips to make you a better leader.

My favorite tip
is to ask and LISTEN to feedback
by using four little words
“What do you think?”

What makes this a great question
is that it doesn’t intimidate.
You’re not asking people
to solve a tough problem
or figure out the solution to world peace.
You’re asking them
for their opinion.

Even if their opinion
doesn’t help with the problem at hand,
it will help you
to understand the answerer’s thought processes.
It also gives you feedback
on whether you’re communicating properly.

Try it.
Ask “What do you think?”
today and listen to the answers you receive.

Finding Time For The Start Up

One of the most common excuses
I hear from would-be entrepreneurs
is that they don’t have time
to launch that baby business.

Really?
I mean…
REALLY?

Then you’re not the average American
because according to Men’s Fitness
the average American watches 28 hours of television
every week.
That’s over a DAY of tv a WEEK.

One of the first steps
Yaro Starak took
on his road to success
was to kick the tv habit.
We all know how that worked for him.

The way I see it,
you have a choice…
You can watch successful people on tv
OR
You can BE one of those successful people on tv.
I’ve made my choice.

Caring Is Everything

A buddy and I were talking about
great employees we have managed
(or worked with).

Their personalities,
intelligence levels,
education,
job experiences
were diverse.

There was only one thing
they all had in common.

They cared.

Give me an employee
who cares about her job
and I’ll happily manage her.

If an employee cares,
any repeated failure she has
is likely due to me as her manager.
Perhaps I have her in the wrong role
or I’m not explaining duties
in a way that she understands.

Employees who care
are, unfortunately, rare.
If you are lucky enough
to manage one,
feel fortunate.

Product Development And Sales

One of my publishers
regularly sends out emails
giving updates on what sells
and what doesn’t sell.

If I have a choice
between two stories,
I’ll write the story
that will likely sell more first.

THAT is why
your sales team
and your product developers
should be in constant communication.

Product developers have the same choices.
They often have to make decisions
on which type of product
to focus on.

These decisions can be made
based on third party research
which may or may not be reliable
OR
it could be based on your actual sales.

I’d vote for the latter.

Working Unusual Hours

My manager gets into the office
at 9:30 am every morning.
She stays until 9 pm.

I, personally, like to
work the same hours but earlier.
However, I know that part of my job
is to support my manager.
I work the same hours she does.

My coworker insists on working the early hours.
She is seen as a slacker.
Her coworkers are forced to cover for her,
completing those last minute requests
all managers have.
Because I’m there to answer questions
about her role
and she isn’t,
I am, like it or not, gradually becoming her boss.

If you care about progressing in your career
(and I don’t think my coworker does),
work the same hours as your boss.