Rockstars, Angels and Me

There comes a time in every business when you have your very own "Donald Rumsfeld" moment.

"....there are things we know that we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns - things we don't know we don't know."

But now I have a secret weapon, my very own mentor; a business rockstar.

A mentor can help you see the wood for the trees, can offer objective opinions and lead you to 'light bulb moments.' They understand your vision, can help fast-track growth and steer you clear of pit-falls. They've been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

Who is my mentor? How did I find him? How does it work? What can we both expect from the mentoring process?

Brad Rosser is a true business rockstar - the brains behind the brains at Virgin; Richard Branson's right hand man. After Virgin, he joined Unilever before setting up his own "angel" and management business, The BSF Group (short for Better, Stronger, Faster)

I didn't actively seek out Brad. We were introduced via a charter member at Sydney TiE; the mentoring and entrepreneur association I joined some months ago. I have been attending their evening seminars and sat in on a pitching contest they held at PWC. (Read my blog post on it here)

This is absolutely a result of my constant meeting with people for coffees (even though I only drink tea), going to events, meet-ups, seminars and always talking about My Bespoke Chair. You never know who you may meet and who will resonate with your story. I believe that people matter - read my blog post on this here - and connecting at every opportunity is vital.

Brad and I met properly today at The Westin; we had previously met briefly at a talk he gave last week. I signed up months ago for his Launch & Grow Smart event, and totally co-incidentally our mentoring introduction was made the same week.

As his mentee, I will be able run ideas past him, bring questions and queries to the table. We will meet regularly and informally discuss the direction of My Bespoke Chair.

I am pinching myself. Is it unprofessional to dance a little jig of joy?!

The path will still be long and winding, and there is no magic bullet for success; I have always been willing to put the hard yards in. But mentors are key to so many businesses in their infancy. And to have Brad on my team is pure gold.

 I am certain that our working relationship will be as rewarding as it will be enjoyable. Today was a great start!



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Instant Love Instagram

Be still, my beating heart...

Last week I fell in love with Instagram. Finally.

Many people: "Emma, with your pretty chairs and everything, you really should be on Instagram."

Me: "But I don't have time. Besides, I'm loyal to Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter."

Many people: "Stop making excuses. It's a match made in heaven."

As with much of social media, when you're new to it, you wonder how on earth it works and how on earth is anyone going to find you, let alone follow you. And is it really worth it? But we all know that you just have to begin. Don't question why. Build it and they will come.

As an Instagram newbie, I thought I'd choose a gentle way to ease myself into the community; through a competition ran by Jen from Interiors Addict. 7 Vignettes is a photo-sharing competition with a different topic each day, for one week. You create an attractive still-life (vignette) that relates to the day's topic and post it on Instagram using #7vignettes. That way everyone can see what everyone is posting for the competition.

Simple. And in a space of a week, My Bespoke Chair gained 52 followers and over 314 likes. Plus I've 'met' many fellow Instagramers through the comments.

Here are my entries for 7 Vignettes:

Bedside

Elegant 

Emotional 

Handmade

Tea

Monochrome

Window

But..so what?  What are the benefits of being on Instagram for a business?

• Showcase your products, campaigns, services in a creative manner; we all like nice photos.
• Connect with customers and prospects directly. Everyone can comment and share.
• Share your company's latest updates.
• Offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes, off-topic glimpse of your company.
• Use the # to find a wide audience.
• Use the @ to directly contact specific people.
• Share your photos instantly on other social platforms. 
• It's the fun side of business!

I'm probably preaching to the choir in this blog post - but when you first fall in love, you just need to shout it from the roof tops!

Join me on Instagram - it's so much fun and we can hang out together through our photos!


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