Innovation Is In My Blood—Qs 4-10

This is installment #2, questions 4-10 re: Gaia Greetings business philosophy and introspection, inspired by Seth Godin's blog titled, "16 questions for free agents." For answers to questions 1-3, see my previous blog post.

Question 4: Is it important to add new customers or increase your interactions with existing customers?

Well, since I don’t actually have *any* customers at this point, it is important to do both. Generally, I subscribe to the modern day way of doing business—which, to me, means building relationships. That translates to focusing on and building mutually beneficial relationships—this includes vendors, subcontractors, distributors, and customers.

Q5: Do you want a team? How big?

Since Gaia Greetings is a start-up, it’s important for me to use my resources wisely in the beginning. I am working with a multitude of freelance designers, artists, accountants, marketers, social media, and business folk. I hope, one day, those relationships blossom into an opportunity to employ a small tribe of super talented people who share the Gaia Greetings vision.

Q6: Would you rather have an open-ended project that’s never done or would you rather reach end points?

Regarding the growth of Gaia Greetings in general... I hope to be around for a while. As for our product offerings, the business is structured with limits. I’m not interested in buying the rights to our artists work. Our contracts and products will be offered for a limited time because it’s important for me not only to keep it fresh, but also to support our artists in their big picture endeavors.

Q7: Are you prepared to actively sell your stuff, or are you expecting that buyers will walk in the door and ask for it?

In my humble opinion, word of mouth marketing is the best possible marketing strategy. I can’t expect my customers to promote Gaia Greetings if I am not engaged with and involved in promoting it myself. I will be there every step of the way, as the authentic voice of this company, actively selling our products and services, for the benefit of our customers.

Q8: Which—to invent a category or to be just like Bob/Sue but better?

Innovation is in my blood. I am incredibly fulfilled by creating and introducing new ideas. One of our business goals is to get people to rethink connection by offering them novel ways to do so.

Q9: If you take someone’s investment, are you prepared to sell out to pay it back?

No. To fulfill my grandiose plans, I considered an investment when I first began planning this business. Over time, however, my goals morphed, as did my perspective. This was an important turning point for me. I decided that I needed to use my ideas, be resourceful, figure out a way to start small, and fund this labor of love on my own.

Q10: Are you done personally growing, or is this project going to force you to change and develop yourself?

I’ll refer to my original Tribe profile on this question: "In process… constantly in process." There’s no doubt I will continually reckon with growth, change, and development—and I’m excited about that challenge.

More to come! Stay posted!
xoxo LOVE xoxo b

Feeling Purposeful: Qs 1-3

I’ve been drawn to author Seth Godin lately. Through his e-newsletter, I get a brief and succinct dose of Seth daily. His words of encouragement motivate and inspire me to THINK and ACT on my passions. I consider myself lucky to have found him at this point in my journey.

One of his recent blog posts, 16 questions for free agents, put me in an introspective place. Since I AM starting out as an entrepreneur, I challenged myself to answer his questions.

Here’s the first installment:

Q1: Who are you trying to please?

Such a simple question, and stumped already. The easy answer is me, but it’s deeper than that. I’m not doing this to impress anyone. I’m doing it because I have to. It’s critical for me to take a risk in an effort to create the life I envision for my son and I.

Q2: Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?

The truth is, I’m trying to do all three.

My Legacy: Right now, I believe the opportunity is ripe to work hard and follow my dreams. It is IMPERATIVE for me to LIVE that example for my son.

Making A Difference: Gaia Greetings is built on the philosophy that ALL IS ONE. The root of our mission is based on connection. I want to touch people and be a ripple of positivity that extends far and wide.

Making a Living: It’s more about CREATING a LIFE that is fulfilling for me. While I am currently blessed with fortune in employment, I know for sure that my life will be limited if I live under the umbrella of someone else’s aspirations.

Q3: How will the world be different when you’ve succeeded?

This question makes me smile. The difference will be measured by the effect our reach has on personal relationships. People will smile, they’ll feel loved, supported, appreciated, closer bonds will be formed, there will be stories to tell, and those lives will be fuller as a result. It’s not tangible, it’s emotional.

Gaia Greetings—MISSION POSSIBLE!

I'm currently reading Tribes—We Need You to Lead Us (by Seth Godin) for the second time. Once again, I'm feeling inspired. My life has been unfolding so smoothly, and the more I commit to moving forward and releasing fear, the more the universe provides exactly what I need at the right time.

I'm looking forward to leading this tribe—aptly titled Gaia Greetings (hello, we're all connected!)—because I am truly beginning to understand the power in passion and the joy in belonging to a group of people who are like minded.

I was equally inspired by a meeting I had with Jasmine Fitzwilliam—a sweetheart of a person, a dear friend, an uber talented individual—who just happens to be Gaia Greeting's brand identity designer.

It was the third or fourth time the topic of letter writing had come up in conversation in recent weeks. Jas had actually saved up to buy an old school typewriter (check out her photo on her flickr site) because—in her words (or close to them)—writing on a typewriter takes care and deliberation and thought.

I love that. It completely resonated with me.

And because I know in my own life, I have not been as avid a letter writer as I used to, and because I worry that technology will rule my son's life in the future, and that he will lose a lot of important cultural skills, I have decided that THAT is my mission for Gaia Greetings.

To make annual holiday cards and family letters a more regular occurrence.

Because let's face it, sometimes a brief email just doesn't cut it.