Welcome!
I'm Tami Parks, fourth-generation entrepreneur and small business person. I love small business and consider it the heartbeat of America's marketplace. My family has been involved in real estate, service, and retail; we're just regular people who have a passion for serving others and being our own bosses.
My husband and I have made a committment to run our business, Great Lakes Wedding Gown Specialists, LLC, as a debt-free business. This blog is our accountability partner!
I love to read; I have ever since I learned to string letters into words. I have a son who is just like me in that way. You will never find either one of us without at least one book very close by, no matter what we are doing.
In the next few weeks, I'll be posting some reviews of books that I've been reading pertaining to Small Business; perhaps you'll find your next read!
For now, I want to GIVE AWAY the MOST influential book to our personal and business finances, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
Here are the rules: comment on this post and leave the name and author of a good business book that you think I should read and review. The winner will be chosen by a random pick, so everyone has a chance to win this awesome book. You may post more than once if you have a few books to recommend, and thereby increase your chances of winning. (only one comment per book, please) The contest will close at 8 am EDT on Thursday, July 2.
I can't wait to read your recommendations AND give away a life-changing book.
Sometimes, the best way to find out the right way to do something is to do something the wrong way first. Don't let your mistakes become failures; let them become lessons.
I have to secretly giggle when someone comments on "how glamourous" it must be to own my own business. Sure, there are some glam moments, like when perfectly cleaned and pressed designer clothes are handed back to their owner at the drycleaners; or I see one of our brides ready to walk down the aisle on her wedding day.
But, most days are like today. Over the weekend, our area had some significant flooding. Due to that, the cleaners has been very busy with water-damaged household articles. Right now I have two drapes in my bathtub from which I am trying to remove dried raw sewage - gross! Later today, I have 12 wedding gowns to press for this weekend; I'll be pressing them in 95 degree heat and 100% humidity. NOT so glam.
But, I don't do what I do for the glamour. I do it because this is what God has gifted me with; the ability to clean difficult items; to serve customers well; and to enjoy completed product.
It is the satisfaction of a job well-done and a happy customer that keeps me going; not any glamour moments I might enjoy.
Enjoy your work today; do your best to please your customers; and find joy in a job well done, whatever it is. Good for you, you're a small business person!
Through one of my "Daily Reads", The Small Business Idea Generator blog, I found a new service called
Blogger LinkUp.What a great concept, especially for those of us whose blogs are not about our businesses, but just a way to share ideas and encourage others with similiar interests and businesses.
With Blogger LinkUp, you can network with other bloggers by offering your expertise to their blogs, and by requesting guest bloggers for your site.
How could you use this in a business environment, however? I have signed up with this service as an expert in clothing care and special ocassion wear, citing my experience as a drycleaner and bridal store owner. I expect to be contacted by other bloggers who are looking for an expert in these areas for various reasons. This will give my businesses greater exposure, too!
Plus...it just sounds fun!!!
Check it out for yourself by clicking one of the links above.
Having been in the clothing care industry for most of my life, I have seen the business-wear trends swing from suits to khakis and golf shirts. Right now, we seem to be settling in the middle.
My best advice :: Look around your industry and see what others are wearing to work and to meet their clients, then step it up a notch. If you are a photographer and you see your colleagues working in jeans and polos, think about dressing more fashion forward...your potential clients will notice! In our family business, most customer service reps wear casual pants and a simple top. Our best CSR, and the customer's favorite, dresses up a little more, though. She almost always wears a skirt and jewelry, just to handle other people's dirty clothes! But...she also commands respect and our customers feel that she is to be trusted with their expensive clothing.
Clothes don't make the man...but they can say alot about you!
"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are."
Max De Pree - former chairman, chief executive officer Herman Miller, Inc.
Photo by JK PhotographyIt's been said that "no man is an island". In small business & entrepreneurship, this is entirely true! You need to network and build relationships to grow your customer base and gain referrals. Plus, it's just fun to meet others and make friends!
The photo above is of me, providing Couture Service to a bride who purchased her gown at my bridal salon, September's Bride. The photo was taken by a fabulous photographer who I met through the loose network of bridal professionals in the West Michigan area.
My family has owned a drycleaners for over 30 years. We network with local clothing stores, tailors, and shoe repair professionals.
These relationships allow a business to exchange customer referrals, skills, and advice. For example, when a drycleaning customer has an important event and realizes that not only is their suit rumpled, but their dress shoes are scuffed, we can refer them to another local business. The customer's needs are met, another business gains a customer, and we are the hero!
What other businesses can you network with? Perhaps you will gain more customers, and some new friends for sure.
In previous posts, I've talked about having a vision for your business and a Mission Statement. I don't want to be a company that stops there, though.
It is important to me to continue to inspire my employees and to share my passion with them. After all, they probably interact with my customers more than I do. In fact, they ARE the company to my customers. If I do not adequately share my vision, passion, and ideas with my employees, those very important parts of "who" my business is never make it to my customer. What a shame!
Most businesses have some type of "staff- or team-meeting". This is the traditional place to share your vision. I would love to hear from readers who have some ideas for making these meetings fun, interactive, and profitable.
Lately, I have been choosing a few of the books that have shaped my business values and gifting them to my employees. The books are not boring business books, but short, easy-read, "life" books. The response has been overwhelming from my team!
What can you share this week?
In any area of our lives, but especially in small business and entrepreneurship, change is constant and necessary.
Yes, for the past few weeks I have been in a nice schedule of managing, blogging, working, and taking care of my family. This week, however, my sons started Summer Vacation and my husband was ill at home for six days. I think it's time for a new schedule!
How do you adapt to change? Does it frustrate you or do you thrive on looking at things in a new way?
With that introduction...here is this weekend's "Weekend Wisdom" ::
Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.
Gilda Radner
Someone once told me, "Be slow to hire and quick to fire"
What do you think??
Don't you just love getting a fresh start? Well, today is "Fresh-Start Day". It's a Monday AND the first day of a month. At our house, it is also the first day of Summer Vacation.
So, I am spending this morning thinking about the day, week, and month ahead; what do I want to accomplish? "If you aim at nothing, you'll reach it every time!"
Here is one of my goals at my business this month :: Compliment at least one employee each day for a specific task that they performed well. Will you accept this challenge and join me? If so, please comment on this post and share your e-mail address. We can share tips and progress along the way. At the end of the month, we are all going to have more profitable and loyal "team-members"!
