Self Employed Success

Sometimes a helping of “de-motivating humor” can really cheer up your day.

Yesterday, I received a catalog (a real one!) from Despair, Inc. Despair’s premise is that motivation only comes from within and all those motivation speakers and posters do diddly-squat to motivate employees and small business owners. So they’ve come up with their own line of posters and notecards which are hilarious!

They have ones like:

“CHANGE: When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial things can turn into deadly projectiles.”

and

“ACHIEVEMENT: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor.”

Some of these are so funny, I was laughing out loud in the waiting room of the car repair center, reading the catalog. It helps, sometimes, to see the darkly humorous side of the motivation industry! As a small business coach, I can definitely appreciate a laugh at my own expense.

Their website is www.despair.com. Go have a giggle on me.

Call me anti-Grinch.

I love when I receive holiday cards from vendors, colleagues and other business contacts. What I hate, though, is never receiving any other communication from them all year, and then when they finally do send a holiday card, there’s a promotion for a sale or a discount coupon. Really people, get a clue!

I received a holiday card today from a vendor that I haven’t heard from all year. Inside was a coupon for a discount on her service. So, she ignores me all year, doesn’t keep up with major changes in my business (like a new address), then tries to sell me something in her holiday card. Yuck.

The card went right into the trash.

Don’t these folks understand that sending the holiday card from the business, without any other marketing message, is a great way to market? It builds rapport and trust. It’s a subtle way to say:

“I believe in the power of abundance and relationships so much, that I don’t need to send you marketing messages at the end-of-year holiday season. Instead, I simply wish you joy, happiness and success in the New Year.”

Whatever happened to creating friendships with our clients, customers, vendors and other business colleagues? A holiday card is a chance to connnect, a chance to build rapport, and a chance to share warm wishes with another human being. Don’t smear it with crass commercialism. (Wait until AFTER New Years, then send them your offer!)

I’ll get off my soap box now.

Merry-Whatever-You-Celebrate!