I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about two concepts – gratitude and learning. I don’t think we usually put these two topics together, but I have realised that we can’t have one without the other.

This is a photo from a family picnic we were at last weekend. It was a fabulous day, but it wasn’t until I looked at my happy snaps that I felt grateful for the time together. You see, my morning before the picnic was full of grumbles, I was rushing to get the food prepared, concerned about the clothes my boys had chosen to wear for the day, anxious that my husband was late picking up my mother and aunt (and this meant we would be late getting there) and, to top it off, secretly annoyed that attending gathering meant I had less time to get my house work completed. Oh how foolish I was!

I’m grateful not only for being given the gift of time with my wonderful family, but I am also grateful for the opportunity to learn more about myself. I learnt that on that day, I forgot what was really important. It’s not keeping drinks cold, or kids in old tshirts, or being 15 minutes late.  It certainly isn’t housework!! It’s about a connection with others, a chance to experience nature, and a realisation that we really only ever have the moment in time we are currently experiencing. That’s it – right here, right now. It takes courage to learn this.

I don’t think I could see the learning in this experience without also acknowledging the pain that is associated with it. It takes a brave person to admit I was more concerned with vacuuming than spending time with my sister. It was a painful reminder of how I view my life at the moment – living through the day rather than spending the day truly living.

Back in the 90′s I was fortunate enough to complete a course with Stephanie Burns called Training to Train. That course changed my thinking forever. One thing Stephanie told us is that often, learning isn’t easy. I think we forget that. Knowing is easy, learning isn’t.

This is the first horse I ever owned – Danny. Riding him was fun, learning to ride him wasn’t. I spent many hours chasing him around the paddock, or falling off during lessons. i was often winded, bruised and exhausted. It’s interesting how quickly I forgot these times once I had improved my horsemanship. Although not as literal as my Danny experience, my current life learning is the same. If I am willing to acknowledge that learning about myself might be hard at times, I have the beginnings of being a better person.

Most people know the Billie Goat story. I started making soap in the kitchen for my son Liam to help soothe his eczema. Over time, and after making many many terrible bars of soap – I finally developed a recipe that seemed to help Liam, and Billie Goat was born. I would spend my spare time in my kitchen making soap, and I would enlist the help of my family to get it ready for sale. My husband would help with the raw ingredients needed (especially milking goats!), my father would spend hours cutting out printed ingredient lists and stickers for paper bags, and my mum would sit at our kitchen table to complete my product packaging.

Once a month I would take my soap to Wyong Town Centre Markets. John would drive me there, help me set up my table and I’d stand there all day talking to people about my soap and my goats. I loved it. I had a pencil case that held my cash, and at the end of the day after my costs were accounted for I would spend my tiny profit on a pizza for the family. It was a very simple sales process and it was very satisfying.

When the decision was made to focus my business efforts just on Billie Goat, once again I was out talking to people about soap and goats. I love selling. I feel like a leopard out chasing their next meal – each soap sold meant my business could grow. All the time though my sense of satisfaction came from talking to people – even the retailers who said no. It was all incredibly rewarding.

Over the years though, as the business has grown, something very old-fashioned was lost. It was my chance to really talk to people. We stopped doing markets because the sales model no longer fits the business size, I stopped packing soap into the boot of my car and door knocking on retailers because we had other more time efficient ways of reaching retailers all over the country.Conversations with people happenned over the phone, via email, sending a fax or via proxy through someone else. I had moved into the techno world and didn’t realise the price I had paid to be there. I have been conned into thinking that talking online, tweeting, running webinars or emailing is enough. It isn’t.

Australia is experiencing a shift in the way we do business. People are looking for connection. There’s a rationalisation going on in the retail sector because we don’t feel invested in the shopping experience any more. Recently, my saving grace has been our facebook site. I feel like I am back talking to people again. I’m having conversations and all that is missing is a big kettle and lots of chats over a real hot coffee! It’s a start. But I miss the faces. I miss the non-verbal communication. I miss the laughs in real time! I’ll be at the Sydney Baby & Toddler Expo next week. Unfortunately I am moving house the same weekend, so I can only get there on Sunday, however, I can’t wait to spend my time just talking and connecting. If you are there, drop by and say hi.

I was reading a website from the UK yesterday where the business consultant was offering courses to train business owners to have passion about their business.   Seems to me, this is the one area that you cannot train people to be successful at. Passion has to be in your blood, and you can’t train someone to go from one blood type to another. It’s in our DNA.

Our ability to be passionate can show up in all areas, about all things. I look at the examples of others to see how their passion drives them – and you will find experiences in the most unusual places!

Just like the blood pumping through your body, passion is inescapable. If you have it. If you don’t have it and you are in business, the days may be a struggle. Steven Covey, in 7 Habits outlines his first habit as “Be Proactive” and I think this is a good indicator for business passion too. Part of this habit is about taking responsibility, and with all the passionate people I have met in business, this is definately their key habit. They believe in what they do, and take responsibility for their actions in both the good and bad times because they their passion is pumping through their veins. What is your blood type?

After visiting my parent’s home on the weekend, I pinched a bunch of daisies from mum’s garden to plant at my own place. I’ve had them in a vase in the kitchen ever since, and am fascinated by them. I watch them open themselves up to the sunlight, welcoming the warmth, and I see them close up in the dark, seemingly protecting their petals from the darkness.

Sometimes I think human behaviour is just like my daisies – open to the warmth of good news, closed and protective during bad news. The Sensis Business Index Report was released this morning and it found that profit levels for small/medium businesses are currently at an all time low in Australia. Most SME’s (small / medium enterprises) are expecting more profit falls over the next 12 months, and business confidence is at the third lowest result ever since the start of the index in February 1995.  Over 90% of businesses in Australia are SME’s, and we provide about 4.8 million jobs in Australia. I’d guess that many of us are losing sleep each night at the moment.

I can relate to that. I have lost a lot of sleep myself these past twelve months. That’s why I want to use today’s blog to talk about two very important events that are happenning these coming  weeks. One in five Australian’s will battle depression at some stage in their life. Considering the tough econcomic times many small businesses are facing today, situational  depression may not be too unusual for business owners at present. The black dog certainly nipped my heels a few months ago.

This Saturday, 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. This important day highlights the need to reach out to each other, recognise the symptoms of depression and learn how to reach out to someone. The second is R U OK Day. Thursday 15th September is a day where we can all take time out to ask someone about how they are feeling. Your question might make all the difference. R U OK Day gives all of us an excuse to check on those around us.  Small to medium business owners need a platform to talk about their concerns now more than ever before. It is a way to  legitimately encourage others to not close their petals in the dark. Lets get talking Australia.

I love doing presentations because it allows me to connect with everyone in the room on a personal level whether there are 500 people present or only 10. I have noticed lately that when I am invited to do a public presentation, the parts of my talk people find most interesting are the stories about my business struggles. Despite my best efforts to captivate my audience the whole time, it’s the punches everyone wants to hear more about.

I get a feeling that people love hearing about Billie Goat’s beginnings, but everyone seems to lean in and a real hush falls over the room the minute I talk about the hard times. I think this is because we all need reassurance that we’re not alone, and we’re not abnormal. This is the first step to acknowledging we all have to face the punches that come our way in business (and our personal life for that matter).Learning how to roll with the punches related to work has been my biggest struggle, and presently, my biggest personal growth area.

I had always felt compelled to bravely stand in front of my audience, recite some of my business challenges and then declare that I was able to work through them and come out triumphant. The audience loved that. There was hope for all of us in those stories. However, I have now learnt it is better for me to really ‘fess up about my struggles. More about that in another post later. Suffice to say, here are some of the learnings I have embraced that have helped me to recover from the punches:

1. You are not your business. This is a tough one, especially if you own a very small business you have created from scratch. Remember that your personal values and attitudes can’t be stripped by the business  – only you can chose to surrender them.
2. You are not alone. This was a HUGE realisation for me. If I am currently having cash flow problems, production headaches, sales struggles,  there is a pretty good chance that other business owners  having similar experiences. We just don’t talk about it enough.
3. I know this statement is overused, but that’s probably because it is true…”It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do with it that counts”. It’s ok to fail. I realise now that failure is a gift, an opportunity to learn more about myself and the changes I will make from the failure experience. JK Rowling sums it up nicely in this article.

I have recently discovered Dr Brene Brown, and her work around human vunerability. Although she talks about her research and findings for the general population, I think there are some areas that are particularly pertinent to SME’s. If nothing else, take 20 minutes out of your day to hear her speak via Youtube. In summary, she talks about “wholehearted living” and our fear of not being “good enough” to be accepted by others. If we can overcome this fear, we can learn how to roll with the punches. I totally agree.

In my former corporate life, I held several senior postions working for organisations in Human Resources. Nobody has heard the corporate line “people are our most valuable resource” more than I have! However, now that I am a small business owner, I understand that it takes more than words to really make this statement true. In fact, I don’t think it’s about people being important, but rather our connections to each other that are the most valuable.

I am a member of a book club, and last month we read Salvation Creek by Susan Duncan. This book is not a murder mystery, not full of wizardry and not even a love story. Yet the discussion at book club was lively and passionate. Why? Because Susan Duncan wrote a beautiful story about people being connected to one another. Once we understand that we are all connected to each other we begin to see how our actions can enrich our own lives, touch the people around us, and contribute to our business success. I see this more and more in the work we do at Bille Goat.

For me, it’s not just about making a great soap,but rather it has been about the connection I have to everyone that makes the business possible. For example, I truly want our soap makers to have a great day at work because I know my care for them shows in their care for their job, and in turn the wonderful bars they produce. I care about our sales team and I know this helps them to better care for our customers. Our connections to one another are, in fact, our greatest resource.

I love owning a SME because it proves that you don’t need a lot of money to develop a connection to people. We don’t need flashy campaigns or catchy slogans, we just need to take an interest in one another. Take the time to really listen instead of waiting for a turn to speak. I believe that people genuinely behave the best way they know how at any given point in time. Even if that behaviour has upset or offended me, I am sure they come from a place they feel is best for them. Accepting this has been my  first step in building a connection with other people. I’m learning, and definately a work in progress! In the grander scheme of things I believe this is called unconditional love.

Think of your experiences as an employee or customer. When did you feel connected to others? Do you have a manager that you like spending time with? Why? Do you use the same hairdresser each visit? Why? My guess would be because you feel a connection to these people. These people have a manner about them that treats others with positive regard. They respect and care about others’ self esteem, and they seem to draw out the good in people. Usually, these are the people who are quickly promoted, poached to other businesses or always busy with clients etc.  These people:

• don’t start their day feeling defensive
• believe  in the positive FIRST and then consider other options when situations don’t work out as expected
• ask after others because they genuinely want to know how they are
• accept that all humans (including themselves) make mistakes and this is ok
• appear calm, peaceful and open to the opinions of others

Successful businesses are the ones who say “connections are our greatest resource” and they go out there and touch the lives of their employees and customers. Surely this makes business worthwhile?

Hi All,

Today I wanted to talk about passion. Not the steamy kind that would probably make me blush, but rather the business kind that keeps you going when times are tough. I often have people tell me that when I talk about Billie Goat they can hear the passion in my voice. They are right – I have always held a belief that Billie Goat has an important role to play in people’s lives. Lately I have been “noticing myself”, trying to figure out exactly what it is that sparks the excitement in my voice or urge to share with people. I have finally figured it out… I completely and unequivocally believe in our USP – Unique Selling Point. The passion in me doesn’t come from soap, or moisturiser…the passion comes from me believing in the benefits of goat’s milk and how it can help people. Strange to say, but goat’s milk gets my blood pumping.

When I meet a customer and they ask me why Billie Goat products are so special I can articulate a very good answer because I believe in my USP. I am congruent with what I am selling and I think people can see that. Just like you can sense when someone is having a bad day, people can usually sense when someone honestly believes what they say. That’s passion.

I am not always one to be influenced by grand entrepreneurs, but I do like to keep my eye on Sir Richard Branson from time to time. Read any of his musings about business and you will find that it always comes back to passion for him. The question is, how do you get passion? What makes you passionate? This brings me back to loving your USP. Not the stale kind of Unique Selling Point that you would learn in a Business 101 class, but rather embracing the very reason you see your business as different from all the rest. Why do you bother to be in business? Articulate this and you will be sharing your passion.

Attitude is infectious. Share your USP with everyone you meet and you will also inspire them with your passion!

Enjoy,

Leanne xx

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my new blog! I am often asked about my experience building Billie Goat Soap, and I thought a blog was the best way to share my story so far. I’ve often followed blogs of entrepreneurs only to be bombarded with product promotion and blatant marketing attempts. I promise not to do that here! I want to give you an honest account of my business experiences, and I have to say, it won’t always be pretty. In fact, some of it will be down right painful. That’s honesty for you!

Anyone who has seen me speak publicly knows that my whole business focus is around what I like to call the “Three P’s” – Passion, People and Punches. I believe it takes all three to grow a business, and I will use this blog to expand on each of these themes from time to time. You simply can’t have one without the other two. Passion alone won’t grow a business, for example. You also need other people, and a good deal of resiliance to be able to roll with the punches.

I plan to post here every week, and more often if I have the energy. I hope I can help others by sharing my thoughts. In the meantime, I want to share with you a link to someone I follow on Twitter – someone who has given me lots to think about these past few weeks in particular, Wayne Dyer.

Enjoy!

Leanne xx