Loved meeting the brilliant (and VERY funny) Vera Bradley co-founder Barbara Bradley Baekgaard as she kicked off Spark & Hustle Chicago!
Her friend and partner were delayed at the Atlanta Airport and realized that women had ugly luggage — and they got the idea to create something beautiful for women. That was 29 years ago. They each contributed $250 and started Vera Bradley from Barbara’s basement. All of the money was used to buy beautiful fabrics. LESSON: You don’t need a lot of money to start; just use what you have to buy only what you absolutely need. And get hustling.
Even though Barbara could sew, she was better at sales, so they hired a sewer (and then more and more). The gals started selling from Day One — asking everyone they knew to bring bags into stores to ask for orders. LESSON: There’s no business until you have sales. Sell, sell, sell.
When orders were placed, they didn’t have a plan for how they’d get all the bags made….instead they figured it out when the order came in. LESSON: Forget lengthy plans. You’ll scare yourself with a long plan. Just figure it out as you go, especially in the early days. Barbara said a Harvard MBA would be terrified to discover how they launched without a plan.
Even though the company is named after her mom, Barbara left us advice from her dad, Ed Bradley: sell yourself first, then your company, then your product. There’s no shortage of competitive products, so someone will buy yours because they believe in you and/or your company. LESSON: It’s all about relationships.
Starting planning now what you’re determined to accomplish this week. Will you commit to a “no barriers—just results” week ahead?
My mom went to the Tumblr offices today! She met the founder and he gave her a little present on the way out.
I LOVE TUMBLR!
Driving sales on a Square!
Check out Spark & Hustle attendees using Square, a mobile payment device that pops into an iPhone or Android allowing them to take payments on the go.
We love SurePayroll, sponsor of the Spark & Hustle National Tour. Even before they partnered with us on the conferences, Women For Hire has been a very satisfied SurePayroll customer. Listen to advice from SurePayroll CEO Michael Alter.
My mom went to the Tumblr offices today! She met the founder and he gave her a little present on the way out.
I LOVE TUMBLR!
And I love me some Emma Johnson!
Spent the afternoon shooting segments at Tumblr headquarters with hot shot founder David Karp. A year ago there were less than 4 million blogs on the site. Today there are more than 16 million. Are you here?
Double Duty
In the midst of Spark & Hustle Dallas, I took time out to shoot a segment for Good Morning America - and then woke up extra early for the live portion. This was a special treat for me for several reasons. It’s the first time I worked with my new pal Melissa Rycroft…and even though I’ve never watched The Bachelor, I’ve been a fan of her GMA segments.
And, our piece was about saving and making money — my favorite topic. We profiled a JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS sale near Dallas. The twice-annual consignment conventions are like shopping on steroids for moms looking for big bargains on maternity, baby and kids stuff. Toys, books, clothing, strollers and more at steep discounts ranging from 50 to 90% off retail. The franchise system now boasts more than 100+ owners — and I’d jump at the chance to be one of them if my workload wasn’t already packed. It’s a brilliant business model that’s helping thousands of families to bring in the cash on their unwanted and gently-used items, and helping thousands more to save on necessities that normally cost a fortune when raising kids.
