You are in the Right Place, at the Right Time, in the Perfect Industry

Notes From My Soap Guild Talk on Economy Part 1

Failure is okay as long as you use the experience as a springboard and not as an anchor. 

      

The big what if -- what if I fail -- what if I'm not good enough?  What ifs - become the anchor that can hold you back from the potential of your own future.  At the Handcrafted Soapmakers Conference we heard from Erin Brockovich, who is the ultimate underdog, fighting for the ultimate loser case and yet today she is an inspiring story of success.  Her story was made into a movie; she continues to fight for people who are being made sick by their drinking water and is an inspirational speaker. 

Erin Brockovich was voted the Least Likely to succeed in HS.  What is it in you that holds you back?  What are you wearing around your neck to drag you down?  Is it something that you put there?  Or something that you allowed others to put around your neck and drag you down?  Are you listening to the nay-sayers or are you only hearing the roar of your own belief in your ability to succeed?

Whatever the case I want you to lift if off your neck right now -- get all the layers -- pull out all the ways that is plugged into you and drop it at your feet.  Now doesn't that feel good?  But the trick is - what about later when you walk out this door and you will feel the oppressive fear of the economy, fear of regulations, the weight of your to-do list, the tug and temptation to pick back up what you just laid at your feet and sling it back over your shoulders to carry it forward with you?  Can you resist the temptation? 

My challenge to you today is to get up and leave your anchor on the floor behind you -- don't look back, don't come back in this room for it, don't pick up a new one as a door prize.  The door prize today is freedom from self doubt and from worrying about what is you fail. 

How many of you are out there saying to yourself, but you don't know my worries, you haven't failed like me, you don't know that pain I know or struggle to balance the check book the way that I do?  How many are coming up with reasons that you are carrying around of why you can't succeed?  If you are hanging onto those thoughts than you are right and you can't possibly build something larger than you can imagine.  If you believe in your product, believe in yourself, believe in your business you can build something much larger than yourself. 

I'm not saying business isn't a whole lot of blood sweat and tears.  And I mean a whole lot of them, but if you stare at the blood sweat and tears you can't see your goals, you are stuck looking down and not up.  With that said let’s set it all aside and look at some ways that you can face this giant known as “the current economy” and the possibility of new regulations down the road. 

We all have a choice to make.  We can either see the economy as an obstacle in our way or we can see it as opportunity.  We can see the economy and panic and build an even bigger obstacle in our way.  We can construct more problems and more worries and build something nice, big and secure to wall ourselves in and hedge ourselves into a corner and then blame the economy or the FDA on our lack of movement or we use it all as a stepping stone to building our dreams.

The fact is that we are in the best place, at the best time, in the perfect industry to face a bad economy.  Even in a bad economy people wash themselves...right! Even in a bad economy people put lotion on, and make up, and they wash their hair.  Ever heard of the lipstick effect...soap falls in this category or things that make us feel good when the world is crumbling around us.  Calgon take me away....that mentality has not gone away...people want to escape the stresses of their lives into a luxurious bath experience.  Small luxuries become the priority over large luxuries. 

In this internet driven society your small business has the advantage.  You can tell your story and it is much more exciting than the story of the big brands.  Sure they have the advertising dollars but small businesses rule the internet. 

Looking at the economy as an opportunity removes the obstacles.  Now that the obstacle are out of the way we can talk about some practical ways that you can make changes in your business or get it started on the right foot.

And of the FDA regulations rest assured that of the 30 proposed bills to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, only 1 even mentions cosmetics. All of them are focused only on food and drug safety.  Below is the only one that even mentions cosmetics at all.  From the 2009 History of Bills Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]  H.R. 759--A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to improve the safety of food, drugs, devices, and cosmetics in the global market, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.  By Mr. DINGELL (for himself, Mr. Stupak, and Mr. Pallone), H778 [28JA]

Part 2 to come but in the mean time remember.  Leave behind your anchor – your fear of failure, fear of the economy, fear of regulations and fear in general.  Your fears might be a feather boa, a boa constrictor, a chain, rope, thoughts, beliefs or self talk but in any case it is strangling your potential.  You are the only one with the control to make the choice to leave behind your self constructed barriers.  If you need to physically drop them to the floor and step on them to hold them down...do it...and if you need a friend to hold them down while you exit the room...do it....just don't come back in here to collect them when no one is looking.  
 

Comments

[Terry]

Thank you for this pep talk, Kayla! It is just want I needed to hear today.

[PRIIA Cosmetics]

Fantastic post and so true! I really needed to read this today- thank you for the inspiration and encouragement!

[Carol]

What good advice! I never thought of it like that--people still need to wash themselves and we all love to pamper ourselves. I guess the economy isn't really an excuse. Thanks for the inspiration.