Winning Strategies

A Stellar Gift Idea

Life gets busy and I consistently work to find out-of-the box ideas to save time and still maintain my personal motto - 'put people and their needs ahead of work needs'.

A few years ago I discovered a company called Conrad Creative. Jenny Conrad created a personalized gift basket design and delivery service that puts the 'I care' back into gifts of all types. She wanted to create a business that gave her flexibility to be a mom and still create a revenue stream.

Her breast cancer kit is a big hit with cancer patients. Designed by breast cancer survivors, it has a heartfelt message delivered with a smile "Be Brave and Fight Like a Girl". When others are sending flowers- send a gift that touches their heart.

Jenny creates custom baskets to fit the receivers individual taste and situation. Life has gotten to busy for everyone. I love brightening someone's day. Think about calling Jenny when you have a gifting need.

You can find her on the web at : http://www.conradcreative.com/

The Dina Bar-EL Fashion Empire

I had the opportunity to spend 2 days in Los Angeles, consulting for Dina Bar-EL of the Dina Bar-EL Fashion Empire.  She is an amazingly brilliant designer that gained significant popularity in 2004 and 2005 when Kate Hudson wore one of her dress designs in the movie, 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'.  Since  Kate graced the movie set in the stunning yellow satin dress, Dina has been blessed with a growing business, and a brand that is now known world-wide  www.DinaBarEL.com. Her and I became friends after a chance encounter in the first class cabin on American airlines from LAX to Dallas in 2007. 

While I was in LA, we worked on a business plan and further refining her brand.  It is always refreshing to step across varying verticals, realizing the proliferation of similiarities that varying industries possess.

From my desk I could see beautiful dresses, recently designed by  Dina Bar-EL.  Her dresses are known for their fit, the elegant fabrics that she uses to create them, and the beautiful designs.

The dresses are breathtaking. You've surely seen one of her dresses, as Hollywood has a love affair with the Dina Bar-El dresses.  

Her dresses have been worn by Fergi, Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, Byonce', the Pussy Cat Dolls, Rihanna, Tara Reid, Geena Davis, Holly Robinson Peete, Tyra Banks, Penelope Cruz, Carmen Electra, Mary J Blige- - and the list goes on and on and on. 

We started the second day out with breakfast with Won-G (www.won-g.com).  Won-G is a Haitian  born rapper, entrepeneuer, businesman and philanthropist.  He is a breath of fresh air, very different from most of the stars that you may meet in Beverly Hills.  He has started a blue jean company called Sovage Jeans (www.sovagedenim.com) that has kicked off to a superb start. 

 
Michael Williams, Bethany Willams, Won-G, and Dina Bar-EL

Here the 'breakfast club' (grin) meets to strategize over egg whites and toast.  God is good.

Touching Your Creativity Mindset

I love to write.  It takes a certain 'mood'.  I have to find my creative 'space'.  One must be in a specific mental mindset  that allows creativity. 

I think the same is true of work.  We must have a moment to create...a moment to allow our creativity to rise to the surface...to see things from a different perspective and to find out-of-the box solutions to problems and operational issues that we've seen time and time again.  We need to suddenly see them anew.

We are losing the ability to be creative, to think outside the box, and truly make things different.  We rush to and fro busy with busy-work, keeping our creative minds at bay and not fulfilling our life's mission and passion.  Where is your creativity space?  What setting makes your creative juices flow?  When was the last time you tapped into that creativity of yours?

Make it a point to find your creative genious and think through and solve a problem that has been weighing you or your company down for WAY too LONG. 

Take time this week to let your creative juices flow.  Get in a mindset of

Junior Achievement- a Way to Give Back to the Kids in the Dallas Community

Today I spent the day in a Kindergarten class at Rice Elementary (no- I wasn't being held back for all you comedic executives that like to poke fun at me).  I was volunteering for Junior Achievement. 

Junior Achievement was founded in 1919, and is the country's oldest and largest provider of economic education for youth. Our nations children's ability to succeed in a global marketplace will be critical to sustaining the US free enterprise system and as a result, Junior Achievement programs are now offered in traditional classrooms and in after school settings. "JA" is now a solution to an imperative issue: Preparing the future business leaders of tomorrow, our youth.

Since 1954, JA of Dallas has been partnering with businesses and school districts throughout north Texas. Since 1990 Junior Achievement has increased the number of area classes by nearly 195% through partnerships with hundreds of companies and thousands of community volunteers. Although this represents significant growth, the request for JA programs continues to surpass their existing resources.  Consider Volunteering for them.  You will be amazed at the fun that you can have by impacting the youth in our community.

The Junior Achievement programs offer a wide variety of business people the opportunity to apply their expertise to the educational needs of our communities' students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, in an effective and fun way.

Check them out on the web at :  http://www.jadallas.org/     Consider signing up and changing a life.

Depressed and Downtrodden

Are you feeling depressed and downtrodden?  I try to be a sounding board to executives that find themselves 'down and out'.  It happens more than you'd realize.  Someone says something, a deal falls through, you are personally let down in some way, or something else has happened to shake you up and as a result, your spirits fall.  It is normal to feel down and out at times.  Your goal is to try to keep that period to a minimum.  Depression is like a deep hole in the ground.  If you step into it, before you know it, you are walking deeper and deeper into the darkness and you don't even realize the direction that you are heading.

You are the solution to your own dilemma.  We have to try to learn to 'pick ourselves up'.  The easiest way to do this is to tap into our hidden 'battery power'.  Everyone has something that they do that energizes them.  You have a gift, that when that gift is used, you feel energized and excited.  If you learn this gift well (hear Marcus explain it  on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TZnqiSpmYk)  - you can 'tap' into it.  It will provide you the power to move past this event. 

For me, it is encouraging and helping others.  When I'm feeling down and out, I dial up mentees and encouarge them.  Encouraging them then gives me the strength to 'power up' and helps to catapult me out of the hole that I may have fallen into (or dug for myself).  Speaking to groups is another way that I 'power up'.  I get a 'charge' out of presenting.  It is something that I feel that I was born to do.  It is my battery power.

If you can find your hidden 'battery power', then you can recharge yourself when you are downtrodden.  I talk to hundreds of people.  Many haven't even seen their battery in 10 or 20 years.  So- start there.  Try to remember what you LOVED to do eons ago.  Find your power.  Use it to dig yourself out of the hole that you are walking into.

I hope you can find your 'battery power'.   If this message moved you....email me...it will 'power me up' (smile).

Finding your Passion

I spend time talking to many people, encouraging them to find their passion in life.  I recently heard Marcus Buckingham speak on his new book, "The Truth about You".  His new book is geared towards a younger generation, encouraging them to find what they love and figure out a way to incorporate it into their lives.

I talk about it, I encourage others to do it, BUT, I have to admit that I've done little if any towards practicing my passion in the last few weeks.  Kids events come up, things around the house break, things don't go exactly as you'd expect them to at work and WHALA- you have a perfect storm- - - - that is- - - - - an inability to concentrate or spend time on what YOU LOVE TO DO.

For me it is speaking and writing.  These are my passions.  I love people and I REALLY love to write and speak.  I've been so busy that I haven't blogged, I haven't written on my www.bethanywilliams.org web site, and have had little time to plan speaking events.

What do you love to do?  What is it that you are 'setting aside' while life passes you by?  Grab it by the reins and don't let it get away.  You are not getting any younger.  MAKE it HAPPEN.  Make it happen in your life.

Stop being just BUSY, and start DOING what you love to do.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  Promise to live TODAY!