“Your passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside.”
Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture
As I sit here on the eve of the last day I ever spent with my Dad alive, to say I am in a space of reflection is an understatement. Everyday for the last 5 weeks, I have replayed every moment. If you have lost a loved one, I know you can totally relate.
From the rainy Monday morning in early last November when I first got the call, to the long drive to the hospital that morning, the three week vigil at his bedside praying that he would wake up, to these last two weeks, when he was awake, and we were promised he would be home by Christmas.
It was Thursday, December 8th 2011, the last day I spent with him, just he and I. I brought him an Americano from Starbucks, we talked, watched a movie (As Good As It Gets), did his physical therapy together, I gave him a manicure, we played Skee-Ball on my iPad, and even wrote a love note to each other on it, this is the note.
I had no idea, as we never do, that four days later, I would get a call, on another rainy Monday morning, telling me it was time to say goodbye.
The Last Lecture is one of my favorite books. The year it came out I read it and gave it to everyone on my list. This book and video helped me realize that we have a choice of what we do with our limited time on this planet.
If you have not seen the video, or read the book, I really recommend you do. While it’s a tearjerker, they are also filled with inspiration and are well worth the tears.
In this first video, Randy speaks about passion. I just love his simple yet profound wisdom. Here are some of his wise words.
Find your passion and follow it.
Don’t give up on finding your passion.
You will not find it in things or money.
Passion must come from what fuels you from the inside.
Passion is grounded in people and the relationships you have with people.
Be sure to set aside some time and check out The Last Lecture. It’s worth it, and may just be the spark you need to help move you towards living the life of your dreams, with no regrets.
Lastly, while it may sound cliche, be sure the people in your life know how much you love them. Pick up the phone and call them. You just never know when it will be your last opportunity to do so.
(shared with LOVE and dedicated to my Dad, from your passionista Nina)
“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”
Walt Disney Company
We all know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words, and on your social pages, a picture can be worth a thousand likes, comments and shares. This is a pretty simple one. Images evoke the highest engagement on social platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest and of course Instagram. But what is important to take away from this super cool infographic is the types of images and the context in which we post them that makes all the difference.
Self-promotion and hard selling is NOT what the social web is about. What it is about is creating value, engaging, listening, sharing, two-way communication and building relationships. So instead of posting an image of a product you have for sale, think about posting a super cool hair image created with the product or client or team member using the product. See the difference?
Understanding these simple “rules of engagement” can transform your content on your social pages and dramatically increase engagement with your community. Awesome.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise.”
Howard Schultz, CEO Starbucks
Gordon & I probably talk about coffee, espresso and Starbucks way more than most people, but hey, when you love something so much, you feel compelled to share it with the world. Oh yea, it’s called customer loyalty, happiness and word of mouth. Sound familiar?
I felt compelled to write on this topic after an experience I had at “my Starbucks” last week. I call it my Starbucks as its my main spot I have been going to, nearly every day, for the last decade. Do you have a “my Starbucks”?
It’s All In A Name
They know my drink (talk about creature of habit), they know my name, they know my sister, my Mom and my brother. They even know when someone comes in and orders my drink, almost always asking, “Is this for Nina?” Talk about customer care. I have a bond with them, a relationship, a trust that is priceless.
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone?
They know when I have not been in for a while, they know my business, my hours, when I have gotten a new tattoo. When I moved away from LA for over a year and came back in, they welcomed me home. They remembered me, and my drink, even after a year had passed. They missed me, and I felt it, in my heart.
Please Don’t Go
So last week, I made my daily visit to my happy place, where the baristas make me smile. One of my fave baristas told me he was moving to the East Coast for a new opportunity. My heart sank. I could not even believe that I would not be seeing his kind smile, genuine interest in how I was doing or enjoy the perfect Venti Black Ice Tea in a Trenta Cup Extra Ice Unsweetened drink he has made me thousands of times. I grabbed my drink, hugged him, wished him the best, told the gang to have a great day, and walked out the door. And cried. Yep, that actually happened.
So I began to think about other companies I do business with, and began to wonder if I would cry if one of the team members left, or worse yet, if the business closed down. I am not saying that having customers cry is a good thing, but what I am saying is if they do, it says a lot about the depth of your relationship with them and how much they care about your people and your business.
So now let’s talk about you. How much time and energy are you putting into building relationships with your clients, both online and off? Can they “feel” how much you care? Will they cry when you are gone? Some very important things to consider when evaluating your team, your systems and your customer care.
(shared with LOVE from your Starbucks loving passionista Nina)
PS: If you are ever in LA, be sure to visit the BEST Starbucks on the planet located at 7122 Beverly Blvd.
“Life without you is like; Facebook without friends, YouTube without videos, and Google with no results…”
Unknown
YouTube is changing the way we view and consume media, for better for for worse. And beauty and YouTube go together like peas & carrots, peanut butter & jelly or hairdressers & coffee. You get our drift. Over 1 million results come up when searching beauty, hair and hair how-to, is one of those search results your channel?
If you have a YouTube channel for your brand or salon, there is one really important step you must take to ensure all of your social channels are connected, which is a big part of discovery on the social + digital web. Meaning, where else can people engage with you.
Here is a simple How-To. Enjoy.
Step One
Log onto your YouTube channel, go to your “home page” and click Edit on the right hand side of the screen.
Step Two
A box will appear at the bottom of this area. Type in the social or digital platform name you want to add. Then type in the URL (web address) where you want the link to take people. (be sure it’s your unique URL address i.e. www.facebook.com/passionsquared, not just www.facebook.com)
Step Three
Once you have added the Name and URL, simply click Apply. It’s always good to test the links just to be sure you are connecting everything to the right place. And if it got messed up, no biggie, just click on Edit, delete it and begin again.
Congratulations! You now are officially more connected. It’s time to get busy liking, favoriting, and creating video content for your fans & followers.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“Build it, and they will come” only works in the movies. Social Media is a “build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.”
Seth Godin
Happy Giving Tuesday, yes, that is the new term being used after the shopping frenzy’s known as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday and a day dedicated to giving back to those in need through charitable donations. Very important indeed.
Today we wanted to focus on Cyber Monday as we see a huge opportunity for salons to become part of the estimated $1.42 billion dollars spent yesterday. How you ask? Well let’s first take a look at the stats in this awesome infographic.
Now lets talk about how you can be part of this online shopping frenzy, not only to increase revenue but more importantly to offer value, convenience and options for your clients.
One of the coolest trends we see is the shift towards gifting experiences over “things”. And what better gift is there than an experience in your salon or spa?
So we gotta ask…
1. Do you offer Online Appointment Booking?
2. Do you offer Gift Cards (that are able to be purchased online?)
3. Do you offer Series or Packages of your services (that are able to be purchased online?)
There are several ways you can begin to engage in the online sales world, not just for Cyber Monday, but 365 days a year to increase engagement, traffic and ultimately sales.
One small business we work with offers packages to their clients, available for purchase online, and ran a special between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and sold $8000 in packages. Yes, you read that right. Wow.
Did you offer any Cyber Monday specials? Are you considering offering online sales in the future? Two very important questions to ask yourself as we move into 2013.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
