I Don't Want To Make $100k Through Passive Income

Yes it's true.

In this age of Make Six Figures While You Sleep and Learn How I Make $10k p/w through Passive Income, I want to make very unpassive income.

I want to be so unpassive that my time is bursting with action.  I want to exchange my time for dollars. I want to be inefficient with my time. I want one-on-one.

I absolutely love the idea of making money in my sleep or raking in the moolah while I luxuriate elsewhere, don't get me wrong, but deep in my soul I love the thrill and satisfaction from working at one project at a time, with one client at a time.

Technology has liberated the world, enabled massive human-to-human connection to share ideas and knowledge on a level not previously enjoyed. It has unshackled many from the 9-5 grind of the Industrial Revolution work model. The barrier to entry for starting your own business is lower than ever before; you can take your expertise, start a business, build a website, learn how to DIY your marketing both on and offline, and run your business for very little financial outlay. For free if you're dedicated to frugality.

I am a big fan of the DIY, learn-as-you-go model of building your own business, as you all know! I've spent the best part of 5 years persistently learning, challenging my limits (sanity!) and creating products and services from my skill set.

Without the e-course and online training that I have paid for over the years, I would not be where I am today. I have learnt from the most incredible people who have spent years honing their craft and shaping their expertise into online courses and ebooks. They have packaged their knowledge into electronically delivered modules that they create once and sell to many.

On the tech side, I know people who write software or create apps to sell on a massive scale.

That is Passive Income.

And the temptation is to follow suit.

In my world, where I connect daily online with six figure passive income entrepreneurs, it is so enticing to try the same. You end up thinking that creating passive income is the only way to live the life you love. The over-riding message is to move away from one-on-one model and towards the one-to-many model.

It's so damn attractive, I tell you! I hear the siren song....

I have been toying with the idea of passive income for a while and brainstorming what I could e-package and sell. There surely must be something I know that will help others grow and enhance their businesses and lives. I played with the idea of an online art course or a How-To-Start-a-Product-Business-Online course. Or a motivation mindset course for newbie start-ups.

But nothing really lit me up.

Because what lights me up IS the one-on-one business model. I love speaking with a client, hearing about their business, understanding their individual needs and coming up with something truly unique.

And don't get me started on the HIGH I get when I gain the job and after I deliver the job. Now bottling and selling that feeling would be a great passive income product!

I don't mind what I do; chairs, fabrics, video backdrops or art and illustration.

The whole labour-intensivity of my work is so delightful. I can only go as fast as my brain ticks over and as fast as my hands move across the page or screen.

Each job is started from scratch. I repeat the steps for every client. Hours are spent thinking, mulling, designing, creating and producing.

It is the anti-thesis of Passive Income!

So "yeah but no but"...

I don't want to earn $100k through passive income. But I DO want to earn $100k through active income!

It might take me longer, in fact it will take me a year if my reverse-engineering is correct, but it'll be a year filled with joy, satisfaction and my own personal idea of luxury.

So take a good look at your business and marry it with what really, honestly lights you up. Is it passive income? Maybe it isn't....and that's Ok too. Do more of what makes you truly happy.

Emma
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What happens next in my studio ?

Why Putting On Weight Helped Grow My Business

I am 4 kg heavier than I was 6 months ago, and I am genuinely fine about it.

Last year I turned 40 and I was fit, lean and rocked my lycra. I was 67 kilos. Now I am 71 kilos. My mid section is more one pack than 6, my bottom wobbles alot when I jig around and my upper arms are floppy once more.

But I feel amazing and happy and fulfilled. Not because I am learning to accept my body or free from society's ideals - more that I have directed my focus and drive away from the gym and towards my bottom line. Excuse the pun.

I am naturally a happy person. Easily pleased and generally optomistic. I like people, people on the whole like me and I like me.

But I am competitive, especially with myself and especially at the gym. I like spin classes and I like weights. And I like doing them at 100%. It makes me feel great.

How does this relate to me growing my business?

You see, the gym not only helps me keep a healthy weight but also gives me the quick fix dopamine hit I love. The reward for doing so well on the spin bike or rowing machine is a large, satisfying dose of feel good hormones and chemicals. Endorphins rush through my veins as I drive home and get back to work.

I feel so darn satisfied that I don't feel like I need to succeed any more that day. My satisfaction quota has been met. There is nothing else that makes me feel as satisfied as a gym session.

Nothing...except the high I get from creating beautiful art and design work for my clients.

When I'm in the zone, in full flow with my pencil, paint and Photoshop I feel invincible. You name it; serotonin, dopamine, endorphins yada-yada I am a human hormone fest of joy.

But my keenness to be fit and healthy meant that my personal quota for satisfaction was being met by the gym and not by my success at work.

I have always worked hard. I love what I do with a passion and have achieved lots from absolute zero, all by myself. No corporation behind me or official job description. No previous career to kick-start my business. My 17 year career and life as a professional artist and designer has all been off my own back. So, yes I am an achiever in many ways, but in other ways I am easily satisfied.

And my brain doesn't care where that feeling of satisfaction comes from. Any trigger will do.

This is terrible if you need to earn money and make a living to help support your family. It's a hobbyist's mentality. I was determined not to continue this mentality in 2015.

At the end of 2014, after I returned from Silicon Valley I realised that I wasn't enjoying my original business model. But I still didn't make the link between the gym and my unsatisfying business progress.

Then in January 2015 I began changing how I think. I listened to my gut feelings more. I investigated the woo-woo notions of Manifestation, Gratitude and the Law of Attraction. I wanted to run my business more intuitively and femininely; not the metric hustling and number crunching that I had previously been exposed to.

Paradoxically, the less I worried about my business metrics and the less I cared about how much wattage I was pushing on the spin bike or kgs on the kettlebell, the more money I began making.

The more I journalled about the way I want my life and business to 'feel', the more clients I attracted. The less time I spent at the gym, the more I pushed myself to increase my work satisfaction.

I am now enjoying huge rushes and highs from gaining new clients, creating beautiful video backdrops, stunning illustrations and delivering chairs that delight my clients.

Today, my No1 source of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin comes from my work, my art and my daily competition with my creative-self to reach higher, go further and be better.

Don't be mistaken into thinking I have abandonned exercise and my health! I still go to double spin - and I'm still 100% focused when I'm sweating away in that noisy, dark room. But it now only takes up one morning a week.

And I don't want my muscles to atrophy so I do incidental weights at home; 30 bicep curls while waiting for the kettle to boil, or a plank while scanning drawings or 30 squats in the shower while my conditioner works in.

And I take brisk walks in nature while listening to inspiring podcasts and audio books.

But all this means my weight gain has snuck up on me. One day I'm sure I will be 67 kilos and rocking the lycra again, but for now this is where I am, exactly where I need to be and I am happy.

Where do you get your dopamine hits from? Is it from quick fixes like checking for Facebook likes, or social media interaction? Or maybe like me, the gym. Or do you limit these and find your highs in more meaningful places that will propel your business forward?


Want to see how we can work together and create something beautiful for your business or home? 
Check out:
I Love My Chair - upholstery & design services
Bespoke Backdrops - custom backdrops for videos, webinars and events.
or email me here. 
xx Emma

When The Honeymoon Is Over - Motivation & Mindset.

Keeping your eyes on the prize is relatively easy when starting out in business – you have fire in your belly, firm goals and dreams of success. Motivation is your middle name and your mindset could win prizes.

Everyone around you is excited and interested in your new business. You’re pumped and you inspire those around you.

If you’re jumping from the corporate ladder, you may be the envy of some. Parents may question your plans - but they love you and only want what’s best, even if you are 40 years old! Friends take an active, curious interest. You’re a bit of a celebrity. You’re taking on the world, baby.

This is the Honeymoon period. It’s an exciting period in an entrepreneur’s life.

And then it’s over. And you’re on your own. The excitement has settled, the newness isn’t quite so new, the conversations have moved on. Life goes on as usual. But you still need to make your business work. And you are still working on your business 24/7.

No clocking off at 5pm, or passing the buck to a colleague. No company systems to safely follow. No pay cheque unless you hustle it.  No well trodden path to follow. It’s just you and your ambitions.

At best, the highs are so intoxicating you can barely breathe for the thrill and the I-did-this-all-myself pride. At worst it can be disheartening and confusing. To say entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster is a cliché, but clichés are born from truth.

Which is why fostering a robust mindset and finding motivation are so vital.

I’m an artist and designer, and in 2010 I moved from my home studio in Geneva to a shop and online in Sydney; I was seriously stepping out of my comfort zone.

After the launch parties, after the shop had been filled with my fabulous wares, after my design-your-own chair website had gone live, after I gained some pretty cool press coverage, it hit me. I had no idea how to keep the momentum going.

My honeymoon was over.

Handling the stress of bootstrapping a business and trying to keep positive when feeling lost is a predictable recipe for mental and business disaster.

It becomes increasingly harder to stay focused and motivated. Shiny new objects attract your attention, a narrow mindset can creep in and you can easily get bogged down.

So, here are 3 things I do to foster a focused mindset and keep myself motivated:

1 )  Surround myself with people more knowledgeable than yourself but who are travelling the same journey. We must never stop learning – join a business group, either locally or online.

In 2013 I joined an online business course; an 8 week, live online business program that teaches business from the ground up. And through a closed Facebook page it gives me lifetime access to the greatest group of women (and a few men) I have ever met.  An army of thousands, all taking the same journey.

Magic happens here. We connect online everyday, discuss business, celebrate our wins and share our failures. These women make me laugh, wipe my tears, answer my dunderhead questions and generally keep me sane. Priceless.

2)   Vision-boarding is a powerful way to keep your eye on the prize.

What do you want to achieve in your business? Think about where you’d sell, what experiences you want, your ideal clients, events you’d like to attend, the things you’d spend your earnings on etc.

Then trawl magazines and the internet for images and quotes that reflect them. Only use pictures and words that genuinely feel good to you. Really listen to what your intuition says and not society’s dictated ideals of success.

You can create an e-board but I’m low-tech, so I reach for the scissors and glue. Keep your vision-board visible as a screen saver, or pinned above your desk; use it for inspiration and motivation. I create mine on the hardback covers of my business notebooks. No escaping it there!

3)   If I feel my mindset and motivation slipping, my instant fix is listening to a podcast, webinar or interview.

Seeing the world from another’s perspective is the ideal pep-talk.

Listening, as opposed to reading, is hugely impactful and convenient. I live on a waterfront nature reserve in Sydney and nothing lifts my spirits more than an hour’s walk listening to a podcast.

My current favourites are:

·       Andrew Warner is a master interviewer and brings out the best stories from top start-up founders. Listen to Mixergy here.

·      The Law of Attraction by Abraham Hicks www.abraham-hicks.com     – I believe that our minds are the most powerful tool we possess. And that the Universe has more to offer than meets the eye. Listen and be uplifted!

·      My absolute favourite TED Talks are Elizabeth Gilbert’s, author of Eat, Pray, Love.   https://www.ted.com/speakers/elizabeth_gilbert As a creative I really resonate with how she describes the creative process and overcoming her creative blocks. 

Mindset and motivation are topics we all need to address on a daily basis. And by talking, sharing and opening up to each other, we can enjoy our businesses well after the honeymoon is over.

First printed in Violet Magazine 

Why I don't want to be a dot com Millionaire

My trip to Silicon Valley was epic and inspiring. It was also quiet and easy - no kids, no house. All me and My Bespoke Chair. It was amazing in every way. 4 weeks later, having written up my notes and had a good ruminate, I've come up with a plan; my "I Don't Want To Be A .com Millionaire' plan.

Briefly, I flew into LA and drove up the stunning west Pacific coast to San Francisco. I took 2 days, and enjoying some market research along the way. Lucky me, market research involves great interior design shops!

Visiting a Jonathan Adler showroom in LA 

My first meeting was in Palo Alto at WSGR law firm. WSGR represent some of Silicon Valley's top companies, many of which began as small start-ups like myself.

Instantly, as I sat in this monolith of a building, I understood the genius of Silicon Valley and why it dominates the global entrepreneurial scene - the Big Guys are happy to support the small guys. Meritocracy rules. If you hustle, show initiative, be bold and pitch well, you will be valued. It doesn't seem to matter that you are a nobody - because one day you may be a somebody. They're literally banking on it!

Of course, I met up with the wonderful Victor from Skillsapien, the expert-for-hire company who ran the pitch contest, sponsored my winner's trip and who have been advising me throughout this process. Victor showed me around his cool co-working space, Nest GSV in Redwood City. As expected, it was bursting with Silicon Valley necessities: 'slide not stairs', interactive robots and a communal cafe full of free food. Plus lots of entrepreneurs working in the massive open-spaces. You could feel the buzz of dedication and smell the scent of ambition. Disruption and corporate anarchy never looked so good!

Victor and I at NestGSV in Silicon Valley

The next 18 days were a whirlwind of meetings, informal catch ups, forums, conferences and lots of walking. I mixed business with pleasure and extracted the best from everything I did, everywhere I went and everyone I met. It was truly incredible. If I could, I would love to write a book on the whole experience; Silicon Valley through the eyes of a Mumpreneur!

But I don't have time (school pick up in an hour) and besides which, you're not here to read the minutiae of my adventures. You want to know why I have decided not to become a dot.com millionaire.

To put it bluntly, I just can't be bothered. Becoming a dot.com millionaire takes a lot more than I am willing to give. Don't misunderstand this - it's not because I am lazy. I abhor laziness in myself and others. Simply put, my desires and ambitions in life do not align with the efforts required to grow a multi-million dollar business online.

"But Emma," I hear you cry, "you've put so much effort and time and enthusiasm into this whole Silicon Valley business. You've spent months working towards it; learning, understanding and expanding. Why waste all of it? You've come too far to quit now. Frankly, you're an idiot."

But there is method in my madness. A method that I learnt directly from Silicon Valley. I have made this decision by using the techniques and lessons I have learnt over the past 9 months.

My Top 3 Lessons from Silicon Valley:

1) Product - you don't have to have the perfect product from the get-go. But you must have a compelling reason to build this product. A proper customer desire or problem. But be warned....what you first 'think' is the customers problem, may in fact not be true. But only through building and selling your imperfect product, a Minimum Viable Product, can you test your theories.

2) Data - which is where data comes in. Measure everything. And not just vanity metrics like site visits and time on site. Measure the stuff that makes you money; the conversions and stickiness of your site, the sales funnel path. Measure even if the numbers are small and a bit embarassing. Everyone starts somewhere and what you measure you can improve. What you ignore, stays crap!

3) Money - gawd, this was the one I heard and thought the most about. Everyone in Silicon Valley is chasing other people's $$. It's cut throat and exciting. But a few lone voices stood out in the crowd or on stage, and spoke directly to me, it seemed. "Just build as much as you can on your own. Do you really, truly need other peoples' money to build and grow a successful business?"

Hence, I've realised that I have to improve my product by looking at my data. I realise that investment is not the silver bullet for success either; money in itself is useless. Besides, without a decent product built on solid data and metrics, no-one's going to invest anyway.

So, what's next? In classic Silicon Valley speak, I am pivoting. A tweaking of my original offering to reflect the reality of my business in order for it to flourish and fully solve my clients' problems.

I am keeping my beloved My Bespoke Chair but repackaging my key services on a new website with a new name. (sneak peek here)

I am thinking small and niched - not everyone will be my customer.

I will constantly be talking to my customers and potential customers.

I am focusing on one city - not trying to sell to the whole country (yet).

I will test, iterate, discard, test, iterate, discard in a feedback loop.

I will collect my metrics and data and not be afraid of numbers, no matter how small.

I will set goals and not be afraid of them, no matter how high.

I will keep self funding. Debt, however you package investment funding, scares the life out of me!

And most importantly, I am going back to my zone of genius as a creator of beautiful things.

Some of the beautiful things I create - art, fabrics and chairs

Everything will revolve around creating beauty. This is what makes my soul sing and my heart flutter. If I am in total alignment with my desires and ambitions, I will grow a wonderful lifestyle business built from my authentic self.

And who knows where that will lead, and what wonderful adventures I'll enjoy and fascinating people I'll meet. And the $$ I'll earn by doing what my customers love me doing.



UPDATE June 2016

Since writing this I have launched and successfully grown a very niche design business; Bespoke Backdrops. And mostly I am sticking to the guidelines I set in this blog post.

Finding my Tribe (to put a valuation on my business)

You hear it all the time when starting any kind of business. Find your tribe. Who will want what you have to sell? Who believes in your vision? Surround yourself with like-minded people. You mustn't try to be all things to all people.

The same must apply when seeking out potential advisors and investors.

I am feeling this incredible wave of inspiration, creativity and hopefulness at the moment. The past few hours have seen me glimpse behind that heavy curtain of uncertainty. I am feeling clearer about my preparations for my Silicon Valley trip.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, describes in her TED talk how Ruth Stone, a 90 year old poet experiences creativity - something you feel coming towards you. You are not the source. You are the conduit. And you have to be receptive to it. It will pass through you and leave the creative result 'in you'; a book, a poem, a painting, a fully-formed idea or business strategy. You have to seize it or it disappears.

Writing this blog post before it vanishes is really important, so I have something to reflect on later.

Until today, I was feeling very confused and inadequate about my trip to Silicon Valley. But today was a great day.

Today I took matters into my own hands.

I feel as though I know the answers already, that they are about to barrel through me and I must seize the moment; who I need to speak to, the people in SV who see my vision, who think in the same commercial space as I do. The potential investors and advisors who have already invested in creative, disruptive start-ups. These people will be my tribe.

And action brings clarity.

All day I have been trawling Crunch Base to identify the home and interiors companies who have had $$$millions invested in recent years. Companies like One Kings Lane, Houzz and Custom Made. I will use these 3 as my bench marks. Their founders, investors and the people who orbit around these companies are the people I really ache to meet when I'm in SV. I have hand written every name, every investor, the size of their rounds (paying particular attention to the seed rounds because that is where I am at), HQ locations and snippets of info that may be of use.

From tracking the curve of their initial seed funds to the more recent C or D Rounds, I can begin to glimpse at the value and potential of My Bespoke Chair and my mass-customisation, co-designing dreams.

It is my conundrum of HAVING to put a valuation on my business before I get to SV that has seen me do this research. In the absence of any solid historical financial data for My Bespoke Chair, I need to see how comparable companies have grown. And where they started. How they were valued at the beginning, and their initial seed round investment. I am trying to find the balance between where I am, the potential size of my market and the precedence set by similar companies who have gone before me.

It is through this research that I can paint my valuation story and back it up with solid evidence.

So, my next step is finding ways to meet the founders, investors and advisors to these success stories. And warm introductions are the only way to do this. You cannot call them up and ask for a meeting. We all respond better when a trusted and valued colleague or friend recommend we meet someone. And these high-flyers simply do not have the time or inclination to meet everyone, so their inner circles become reliable filters.

So I am trawling my contacts, the people I know from coffee-meetings, online masterminds, friends of friends and people who I know would happily recommend me. LinkedIn is a platform I've been slow to grasp. About 3 months ago I employed a VA to help me set up my profile. It's not hard but it was one of those jobs I kept putting off. Paying $60 was good use of my time and money. The '6 degrees of separation' are openly highlighted in LinkedIn, so that is my focus.

I will hustle and call and make the best case I can in order to meet with my tribe for breakfast, lunch, coffee, a cocktail or even a bus ride. And I need to have something, even one little 5 minute meeting, arranged before I leave in October.


P.S If anyone knows Alison Gelb Pincus, I'd love an intro!

Resistance Training

The dust has settled. The excitement of winning the pitch contest is over. Time to get to work.

And I am facing new feelings of resistance; resistance to the whole idea of going to Silicon Valley to pitch my business to the US market.

From afar, the hurdle of preparing myself and My Bespoke Chair for the visit appeared totally manageable. Enticing even. But now that it is closer, it towers above me, and I have no idea how to jump it without falling flat on my face.

I feel totally inadequate. I have no team. I have no technical skills to develop my website and user experience. I have no budget for marketing strategies, Google Adwords or any kind of growth hack. I have no financial knowledge. I can't even 'speak' business. I have no-one to grow this business with. No-one else who wakes up every day excited about My Bespoke Chair like I do. I feel utterly alone and weak.

And I'm terrified that in Silicon Valley, my weakness will be magnified and I'll be torn up and spat out.

But I also know that action brings clarity. Feeling sorry for myself is useless and idleness just breeds more self-pity.

I believe in my business. I honestly feel it in my heart and soul that mass customisation will be mainstream for ever product and service online. And I love my beautiful chairs. But I mustn't let fear and resistance paralyse me. I simply need to make a start with one thing, a tiny step. Just one action that will lead to another and another and another.

I need to set achievable goals. And I need to work out the small actions that will incrementally get me there.

So what are my ultimate goals to reach before I step on that plane?

Goals to reach before 11th October:

1. To have a grasp on my financials; revenue, expenses, break-even point, 5 year projections and understanding of pricing both my product to the customer and the business to the investor. Including the language of finance.
2. A go-to-market strategy for the US; who are my customers? how will I find them? how will I get my product to them? what exactly is my proposition? how will I present it?  where will I sell it? 
3. Framework for acquiring a team and board of advisors. In lieu of actually having a firm team in place by October, which may be tricky and probably unadvisable to rush, I want to demonstrate the calibre of people I associate with, who my mentors are and how I will attract the right people to join My Bespoke Chair.

Clearly there are many more issues that need addressing in my business, but these are the most urgent.

Accountability is an awesome tool. Tell someone what you intend to do. Put it out there.

So this blog post is my way of 'putting it out there.'

Tomorrow my first small step is calling a particular financial advisor, a start-up business expert who comes highly recommended by a fellow Sydney-Silicon Valley entrepreneur I admire and respect.

This tiny step, light-footed but sure, will lead to a bigger step that will lead to a confident stride, then to a jog, to a run and then ultimately a mighty leap over that damn hurdle.

Pitch Perfect

What's the best thing about pitching your business? The adrenalin of achievement when it's over.
What's the worst thing about pitching your business? The self-doubt, fear of failure and public humiliation.

My teen son asked me these questions after I recently won a Silicon Valley pitch contest in Sydney. I have experienced the joys and agonies of pitching 3 times this year. Each time, it was in front of a panel of investors and business angels with up to 100 spectators in the room.

The most challenging was the one I eventually won after a series of rounds; the Skillsapiens Silicon Valley Virtual Pitching series. Standing in front of a computer, projection screen and live audience, I pitched to a panel of top-tier investors via Skype.

This is me, mid-pitch with my slide deck up on the screen.

It's confronting, nerve-wracking but ultimately exhilarating stuff!

What exactly is a pitch? Can anyone pitch? And why? Where do you find pitch contests and who are the panel? How do you prepare for them?

A pitch is a fast and effective way of persuading others that your business idea is amazing. Typically you have just 5 minutes to tell a compelling story about your business, weave in facts and figures, and convince investors that their money has a bright future in your hands.

Anyone can pitch; you don't need to be established or have an already successful business. Often entrepreneurs simply have a concept backed with solid research and market validation.  As a rule of thumb, you'll find tech-based businesses at pitch contests; ideas, products or services that are scalable through the internet or software, that will disrupt the status quo of what's already out there, and can take advantage of huge market numbers globally. Pitchers truly believe their idea will change the world, or at the very least, tap into a huge global trend.

I believe that the future of online retail lies with mass customisation - the ability to allow customers to co-design a product before buying it. To help the customer get exactly what they want.

This is why I built My Bespoke Chair - to give design power to the people. To challenge traditional design environments. If Louis Vuitton, Motorola, Nike and other global brands are embracing mass customisation, or co-designing, then I am in the right arena. This is the vision I pitched.

Why pitch?

• Pitching is not always about raising capital, but the premise is that your pitch has an investment 'ask' - though gaining mentors and advisors is equally valuable. 
• The intense process of presenting a business idea, problem v. solution, go-to-market strategy, revenue model, scalability, competition, market validation and investment ask really focuses your mind. 
• It forces you to drill down on your 'why, what, how, when and who'. 
• It makes you view your business baby with cold, hard and insightful eyes, which will help you adjust and move forwards.

I started pitching as a means to escape my comfort zone and expand my knowledge of my business and business in general. I'm not interested in the old way of doing business; I am fascinated by how a disruptive, unconventional idea can become a great business. On the outside I am a pretty conventional person; a mum, wife and artist who loves interiors and a glass of wine while cooking.

But inside, I don't like to follow the crowd or do exactly what is expected of me. Before I took the plunge and pitched, I went along to a pitch contest in the audience. I was in awe of these brave souls, standing all alone on stage, opening their ideas and non-conformist strategies up to cold scrunity. It was electric. They were doing what no-one I knew was doing. And I wanted to try.

So where do you find pitch contest? I joined an international entrepreneur support group and regularly attend co-working space meet-ups. These places and organisations are the hub of the start-up community and often host contests. Living close to the CBD in Sydney, it was easy for me to attend their events, mentoring evenings and pitching workshops.

Just Google 'pitch contest in [your city]' and various organisations and events will pop up. Click through and find one that piques your interest. Go along and watch before you dive in. I highly recommend you join one of these organisations, as they will be able to offer you support and mentoring.

So who typically are the judging panel? Successful business owners who want to give expertise back, business angels who are keen to spot a rising star and invest their own cash, professional VCs (venture capitalists) and fellow entrepreneurs who run start-up incubator or accelerator programs (companies set up specifically to nurture, fund and grow promising start-up businesses)

In my case, the judges were seasoned Silicon Valley investors, venture capitalists, CEOs of their own businesses, board members for successful start-ups and professional pitch coaches, all keen to spot and nurture the next Big Thing.

Which might be me and My Bespoke Chair!

To be honest, I nearly fell off my chair when I discovered I'd actually won. Who, me? - me and my mass customisation dreams and pretty chairs, up against men with whizzy apps, Big Data solutions and globally significant ideas!

The sad fact is that men dominate this world of start-ups and big dreamers. A measly 3% of tech start-up founders are women. When I was pitching I was the only female. That's not to say that there aren't successful tech start-up business women, and Sydney is full of entrepreneurs of both genders, but the stereotypical image of a male entrepreneur holds strong.

Image credit: Start Up Book

The prize for winning the Silicon Valley pitch contest is a paid trip to 'the valley' to meet the judges, to network and be coached on how to take My Bespoke Chair and my mass customisation vision to the next level.

It will be intense; a very steep learning curve with many tears and doubts. I will be required to focus much of my attentions to the US market and in turn, spend a lot of time there. Luckily I have a supportive husband (who also happens to be an entrepreneur!)  and kids who are old enough to be proud of what Mum is doing.

It's funny, after I pitched, answered their questions and listened to the feedback, one of the judges said with a heavy heart, "I'm almost sorry to introduce you to the Valley. You seem so sweet, I'm afraid we'll corrupt you. You must realise every day will be a street fight."

But that's OK; I'll take it all in, learn from experts, meet fascinating people, experience the buzz of Silicon Valley, keep my chin up and stand my ground. Life is one big adventure.

Apart from self-doubt, public humiliation and failure, what's the worst that can happen?!



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I want better stuff

Do you want better stuff? I do. But what I think is better, might not be your idea of what is better. So how can we get what's better for everyone?

Traditionally, the internet has given us what we want, when we want it. We can buy a book at 3am. We book a flight at 10pm. We can connect with friends on social media 24/7.

But there is a growing online trend in getting things HOW we want them.

I don't want the muesli with toasted oats and plump raisins; I'd prefer dried apricots and rye. I want a pink peep-toe shoe with lime green heels. I want a cool Barcelona chair but with my choice of fabrics, not the boring, standard white leather everyone has. And I want to find them from the comfort of my own home. I don't want to be schlepping around for that niche shop.

All of the above are available online. Having it your way.

In recent years, online retail has seen a shift away from mass production to mass customisation. Global brands such as Hallmark, Louis Vuitton, Nike and Motorola offer an online framework for the customer to alter the product to their liking before purchasing.

But the furniture market has been slow to adopt this growing trend. Visit a standard online furniture retailer and it's all dull drop-down menus, wordy instructions and a complicated interface. At best, all you can specify is one fabric for the whole chair or a change of leg shape. Dull and boring.

But things are slowly changing and My Bespoke Chair is ahead of the curve. We offer an exciting user experience; fun and intuitive. Technology has democratised design. At the click of a mouse, you can design something that no-one else has, without needing a fancy diploma. You can now say “I designed this.”

My Bespoke Chair is perfectly positioned to ride this upward wave of mass customisation. Three market factors are in play here:

Firstly, online furniture sales is a growth market.  The market in the US is worth $9b and growing approximately 10% per annum. People are feeling more confident in buying big ticket items online due to great returns policies, free samples, free or low-cost shipping and general consumer 'techno-ease'.

Secondly, current digital experiences are shaping consumer expectations. We are being exposed to more enjoyable and tailored online shopping experiences. According to a Forrester report in 2011, once consumers get a taste for mass customisation, they are hooked.  35% of Americans surveyed said that they would buy a product if they could specify features themselves.

Thirdly, mass customisation doesn’t require huge investment for inventory. Standard components can be mass produced abroad and can be assembled locally, as the orders arrive. This is great for the local economy and brings jobs onshore. It's not an entirely new idea; Michael Dell offered PC upgrades and add-ons as early as the 1980s. Standard computer components made overseas but assembled in the US, giving the customer exactly the features they wanted.

But in recent years, manufacturing has been out-sourced. Manufacturing industries in the West have been decimated by the low wages, low raw material costs and quick production in China. However, with China's growing economy, wage increases, quality issues and the long shipping processes, many big players such as GE and Whirlpool are bringing manufacture, or at the very least assembly, back onshore.

Why can't that happen for the furniture market? That is what I dream about. Disrupting the status quo. Making custom furniture, employing local workshops using globally sourced materials, selling at high-street showroom prices. Everyone's happy. 

And you get better stuff.

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What's your 'House Personality' type?

Which answer best describes you:

a) I don't think about how my home looks. It's just a place for me to live.

b) I consult with an interior designer every time I make a home-wares, furniture or redecorating decision.

c) I can envision my perfect, dream home, but the reality is a little different.

Most people are probably a c).

We lust after what we see in interior design magazines; we trawl Pinterest with a longing eye or keep "For My Dream Home" files of magazine tear-outs. Everything we'd love our perfect, future home to be.

But the reality is a little different. We work with what we've got and what we can afford. We do actually love our real homes; we create them to be comfortable, practical and hope they reflect an element of taste and style.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to be invited into many homes through my work as an artist and designer. From Geneva to Sydney and everywhere in between, the one thread which links all of my clients is their pride in the 'personal stuff'. How they helped design the master suit layout, or the story behind treasures collected on world trips, or how they met the artist behind their favourite painting, or what they created with their own hands.

And when people design their own chairs online with My Bespoke Chair, there is always a reason why. For the nursery, to celebrate a milestone birthday, a new home-office chair for a new business venture...

Everyone has a story to tell.

And stories are what give our homes personality. And personality is very important when making your house a home. Your home should tell the story of you.

So this year, I have declared 2014 The Year of You & Your Beautiful Home.

What does this mean in terms of my plans for marketing and growing My Bespoke Chair?

It means that every piece of content I create in 2014, from my newsletter to my social media, will have the underlying theme of helping people make their homes personal, creative and beautiful - whatever their individual perception of beautiful is.

And I am launching a new range of cushions, all made from the fabrics I designed for My Bespoke Chair and all made-to-order in Australia. A custom cushion at a high street price. The launch is also part of The Year of You & Your Beautiful Home theme - something special, hand-made and made-to-order but at a lower price point.

Whether redecorating, renovating, moving, starting a new phase in life or simply indulging, I want to show that creating a personal, interesting and beautiful home is perfectly possible. Hunting, collecting, fossiking, making, creating and co-designing are all great ways to add personality to your home.




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Going 'cold turkey' on technology this Christmas

I am having a hard time imagining the next fortnight away from my Mac. Christmas is nearly here, my suppliers are closing down for the holiday season and other soloprenuers are joyfully announcing "2 weeks of disconnected bliss.'

But I just can't imagine not going onto FB, writing my newsletters, posting to my lovely Instagram community and building my fledgling Pinterest account. What about the press releases that need to go out as soon as the editors hit their desks again in early Jan? And the event I'm co-hosting in February? Or the article I want to write?

My brain has totally been rewired to think constantly about My Bespoke Chair and how I can grow it, improve it and get the results I want and, damn-it, deserve.

Cold Turkey seems impossible to me.

But my family needs me to shut off from the Mac. I try very hard to balance being a great full-time mum, with working from home on a business I created myself. My beautiful, sometimes difficult 3rd child. But my even more beautiful and incredibly wonderful, loving and fun real children need me too. And I need them.

During school term, balance is easily achieved. I have a set time-schedule and we all fall into a nice, easy routine. See this blog post about A Day in My Life.

But holiday times feel boundary-less. Free and lacking in discipline. My routine of work and play go out of the window. I sneak into my office area when I should be taking the kids to the park, or baking, or sunning ourselves on the beach. I am a terrible mother.

It's the FOMO that I promised myself here I would avoid in 2014.

Solution?

I have put the parental control lock on MYSELF!

• One hour per day only.
• Forbidden use between 10am and 5pm.

Not quite cold turkey. More like luke-warm turkey. But boundaries have been set and I'm happy.

It's Christmas and it's an easy holiday to shut the business down through. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

So here it goes..........goodbye, sayonara, ciao, aufweidersehen, farewell, daag, au revoir and zaijian.

(Just one more thing - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)

Video Montage - The Perfect Christmas Dream

The Perfect Christmas Dream

Click on the pink link above to view.

This is a whimsical, cute video I created in my 'spare time' with a fab new service called Animoto. Create your own 30 second video - simple to use and great fun. And free!



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My Promises for 2014

Just like magazines and fashion, I need to work a few months ahead of myself. Plan, prepare and then flop around for the holidays! So here's what I'm planning for next year. Nothing beats keeping promises made in public...

In 2014, I promise to:

• do less and think more.
• to stop, smell the roses and let my mind drift.
• to get out of the office and hang around cool places. 
• not listen to everyone's advice.
• have less goals.

I bet you're thinking, "Wow, she's given up. What a loser-list of promises."

But in fact, it's the total opposite. I plan 2014 to be my best, most successful yet. To grow my list of happy clients with gorgeous chairs.

My first year running My Bespoke Chair has been a wild roller-coaster; I've lost count of the times I've cried in frustration one minute only to score a fantastic victory the next. Worked like a mad-woman only to hit a brick wall, then bask in glorious 'how did I do that?' achievement.

If you still think I'm taking the road to Loserville with my promises for 2014, let me reframe them.

In 2014, I promise to:

• plan my actions and develop a carefully considered strategy.
• come up with inventive ways to promote, improve, sell and grow.
• to change my working environment so that inspiration flows towards me.
• choose only 1 or 2 industry leaders/programs to follow and implement their lessons.
• specify 3 goals for the year and reach them.

What am I trying to avoid in 2014?

• the scatter-gun approach to business. Of course, as an e-commerce novice, it was vital I tried out as many approaches as possible. It was the only way to discover what to do and how to do it.
• hearing opposing and confusing messages. There are so many experts and luminaries to take advice from and it can be overwhelming; newsletters, blog posts, seminars, webinars, online programs etc. It just becomes noise. So I'm tuning into a couple of my favourites only. People who have actually succeeded in the goals I'm setting myself. 
• FOMO. By setting only 3 goals, my focus will be on measurable efforts and results; not on sickening feelings of "I'm missing out if I don't do this, speak to this person, get into this magazine, go to this event, follow this program."

What are your promises to yourself in 2014?

*FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out

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Video - Creative Christmas

Episode 2 of My Bespoke Chair on YouTube.

There is NO excuse for boring Christmas gifts - or any type of gift to be honest. The internet is brimming with great gift ideas....

Just use your imagination. And if you find that a bit tricky, watch this instead!

Click HERE to view

My First Video

I have been learning about the power of YouTube and the leverage of video marketing in general.

Did you know that YouTube is the No2 search engine globally? From it's roots as an entertainment platform, it has grown into a serious research tool. If we want to know how to do something, or want to discover something or be entertained, video is an easy medium to digest. It's instant gratification and often being shown something is more powerful than reading about it.

So it's no surprise that people are using YouTube to get their message across. In addition, YouTube is now owned by Google, the No1 search engine globally. So they compliment each other; if you have a solid, consistent presence on one, it will help you rank better on the other.

That is why I published my first Welcome To My Bespoke Chair video. As an advocate for making your home truly yours, making your home tell the story of you, I wanted to share with you who I am, what I do and how I can help you. And you get to sneak a peak into my home (which we all find fascinating!)

Click on the link below and see you on the other side.....subscribe and get more tips, advice, info and sneak peaks.

Click here to view

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Business Books & Resources I Love

It's funny - I know many people think that running an online business is a simple affair. Create a product or service, design the site, get someone to do the techy stuff, plan a launch day and switch the site on. After the initial fanfare, watch the orders roll in, field endless media calls and try to keep everything up-to-date. Heck, and working from home....easy life!

Sit back and relax - it's an online business!

Umm...no.

The day you switch your site to "live" is the day your education begins. Here is a list of some things you will need to become an expert in:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Website optimisation
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Content creation (written, graphic, audio and video)
• Analytics
• Sales funnels
• Selling
• Customer service
• Manufacturing/product or service creation
• Supply chains
• Market conditions
• PR
• Networking
• Time and stress management
• ......and the list goes on.

Recently I've been talking to other people about where they find their most useful information; books, webinar series, online resources etc.

So here's my personal Top Ten Business Books and Resources

1. The Purple Cow by Seth Godin - how to create a unique product or service
2. 22 Michaels - business blog of Michael Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey. Start in 2009 and work up. Fascinating.
3. Marie Forleo's free videos and B School - her kick ass online business course. 
4. Better, Stronger, Faster by Brad Rosser - Simple, actionable methods to launch, build and exit.
5. To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink - the art and science of selling, debunking a few myths!
6. Email Marketing Blueprint by Steve Scott - how to create email relationships than convert.
7. Derek Halpern's Social Triggers website, videos and emails - marketing guru (shouts alot!)
8. Australian Businesswomen's Network - excellent webinars and interviews. 
9. Quicksprout - Neil Patel's blog. From SEO, website optimisation, data analysis and beyond, he's succeeded. Great articles and How Tos.
10. The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris - slightly obvious choice but it holds some great ideas and gives you permission to be a bit nuts.

Naturally, this list could go on....I discover so many wonderful, inspiring and informative people , books and resources on a regular basis. But, whether you are currently in business or thinking about it, this Top Ten will set you up nicely. Make it happen!

If there is another book, blog or resource you think I'd love, or influenced you positively, tell me in the comments box below.

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I Gave My Baby a Facelift

This is not a headline from the latest Kardashian saga.....(though, with that vacuous lot, nothing would surprise me!)

No. This week I treated my 'other baby', my precious website, to a much needed nip and tuck.

Last year my developers and I spend months designing and engineering the My Bespoke Chair website. For regular readers, you will know what a mammoth task that was. A path less trodden; where can you buy a mass-customisation site 'out of the box'? Nowhere. Templates....no chance. My ideas, thoughts and instructions were painstakingly translated into code by 2 clever people.

But, as with anything, with age come wrinkles, sagging bits and areas that just aren't up to the job anymore. To keep my site youthful, useful and alive I needed to research how the site was being used, what could be improved and how to improve it.

When I built the site back in 2012, it was all theory and ideas. I had no actual knowledge of running an online business. I did the best with what I knew. I learnt from the information at my disposal and I executed things by trail and error.

Most people would agree that you continue to learn by trail and error; I have learnt some interesting and valuable stuff through making mistakes in the last 12 months. Again, regular readers will know that I read, listen and network a lot. I read and learn and write notes about everything I don't know. Which, again, is a lot.

One thing I began to realise was that the home page was not working efficiently. In November 2012, it looked attractive, creative and intriguing. Homespun meets C21st e-commerce. I loved it - as did many people, given how much great press and attention the business was receiving.

Except, the layout was messy, the colours too many, the CTA (call to action) a little lost and it wasn't fully optimised to convert visitors into paying clients.

So I decided to redesign it. To give it a facelift. I left the other pages alone because a) they function well and look good. The actual design-you-own chair pages work like a super-charged dream! b) it was too expensive to redesign each website page.

The home-page is crucial. What you do here decides whether a person stays or leaves. Whether they trust and like you/your company/brand. Whether you sell what they are looking to buy.

This is some of what I changed on the home-page and why:

• All the CTA buttons are one colour. For me that's hot pink. Your eye is always drawn to block colours and on a website, we instinctively search for the action button. Start or Buy or Go or Submit etc.
• You can now start designing your chair or buy a ready-made one from the home page. No need to click through to another page. Don't make people work too hard. One click less is one click closer to conversion.
• Again, in the new side-bar boxes, you can see content from the Why Us and Testimonials pages. People can click through to read more, but they don't have to. Credibility is established on the home-page.
• Added a horizontal image carousel to showcase the chairs and value propositions (free delivery, free design service etc) Use the prime real estate on your site to sell what you do, your value propositions, CTA, newsletter sign ups etc. The prime real estate refers to the part of the page that people see on their screens without having to scroll down. It differs for all screen and device sizes, but you can estimate. 

I'm delighted with how it looks, works and feels.

Contemporary and clear, yet it retains a creative feel. The My Bespoke Chair character remains fully recognisable - just with a smoother complexion and rejuvenated smile!

The bandages are off, so do pop over for a visit www.mybespokechair.com!



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Why I love Mondays

Yes, I really do!

Mondays = the start of a freshly laundered week; crisp and clean; full of hope and promise.

Mondays say "Yoo-hoo, I'm here. Let's create some more loveliness. Let's get stuff planned. Let's start getting it done. Isn't this exciting?!"

Tuesdays say "Ok, Monday, you did a good job. Nice set-up for me. I'll take it from here."

Wednesdays say "Right, we've got some half-finished stuff here. Let's take it up a notch and make the ride to the weekend smooth."

Thursdays say "Last day of full action. People are still working strong. We need to get these projects finished. Hustle, hustle before slow Friday saunters in."

Friday says "I'll put you in a great mood if you've worked hard this week. If not, I'll leave you feeling frustrated."

What I've noticed about other small business owners, entrepreneurs and work-a-holics*, is that we don't see our weeks or days as chopped up into regular chunks. It's 24/7. No clocking in or clocking off. We feel frustration when we can't get something done or speak to someone simply because it's weekend.

In our minds, Monday is no different from Saturday; though that doesn't mean we don't take downtime. I make pancakes for the family on Saturday mornings, which is a tradition now. And I'll enjoy a lie-in. Plus, the kids are home, so we'll go out together or have friends over. But in my head, all days are created equal. If something needs doing, I won't wait for the traditional working week to start.

Sometimes we feel very envious of people with regular hours and regular pay checks. But doing what we do is in our DNA. If I stopped My Bespoke Chair tomorrow, what would I do? I'd probably be doing something like painting, designing, surfing the web and trying to make money from my love of interior design....hmm, sounds very similar to My Bespoke Chair to me...!!

So here we are - Monday again. Enjoy! Grab the day with both hands - it's the best day of the week. This week is YOUR week, and it's only just begun.


* I'm not one!

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