November 29, 2011 | 11:02 am

Showing Appreciation: Don’t Forget To!

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

Showing appreciation is so important. There isn’t a single human being that does not enjoy feeling appreciated. Sometimes, out of their awareness, people forget to show appreciation no matter how wonderful their intentions.

As a business owner, it is vital to your brand and livelihood to ensure you are communicating appreciation to your clients. One fundamental expression that transcends all cultural barriers and makes people stop and be in the moment is gift giving. This year at Bellacures we are going to run a report of our top loyal clients: people who either have been coming to Bellacures for the longest amount of time or spend the most amount of money. We are going to make sure that we say THANK YOU, as loud as we can.

No matter if you are in business or not, take a moment to think about who contributes the most to your livelihood and do something to show thanks!

November 21, 2011 | 5:31 pm

Seth Godin’s Wisdom

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

Every entrepreneur needs to follow someone they admire. Why? To get inspired. To have someone to shadow, mentally. I have several people that I admire. One of them is Seth Godin, marketing genius, writer and entrepreneur. In today’s blog post he asks, “what is your competitive advantage?”

Are you going to succeed because you return emails a few minutes faster, tweet a bit more often and stay at work an hour longer than anyone else?

I think that’s unlikely. When you push to turn intellectual work into factory work (which means more showing up and more following instructions) you’re racing to the bottom.

It seems to me that you will succeed because you confronted and overcame anxiety and the lizard brain better than anyone else. Perhaps because you overcame inertia and actually got significantly better at your craft, even when it was uncomfortable because you were risking failure. When you increase your discernment, maximize your awareness of the available options and then go ahead and ship work that scares others… that’s when you succeed.

More time on the problem isn’t the way. More guts is. When you expose yourself to the opportunities that scare you, you create something scarce, something others won’t do.

Seth Godin: Your competitive advantage

It got me thinking, what IS my competitive advantage? I have built Bellacures, a chain of nail salons, from scratch and after six years of being in business I now engage in more administrative and maintenance tasks than ever before. I miss the days of creating and building. If I want Bellacures to stay on top, according to Seth Godin, it is unlikely that my company will improve from my efforts of answering my emails back quickly and performing flawless damage control. As 2011 starts to close out, I am going to compile a list of ways to re-create and create more for Bellacures. I urge you to do the same for your company! There is no better way to start off 2012 than with an inspiring strategy.

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November 17, 2011 | 1:26 am

5 Things to Know When Setting Goals

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

When setting goals use the SMART rule. Make sure that your goals are SMART!

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time bound (create a deadline)

It’s not only important to set goals that meet the SMART rule, it’s important to know that you need to ask for help. Communicate your needs to your peers, staff, family, etc. If your goals are not specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound… most likely the people around you won’t be able to really help you because your goals will be difficult to understand. If you have a list of goals, check to make sure they meet the SMART rule. If you don’t have one, as an avid list maker, I urge you to create a list of goals to accomplish by year end… something to close 2011 with.

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November 14, 2011 | 11:57 am

The Closed Door Syndrome

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

Recently I came across a quote by Helen Keller…

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens: but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

I started thinking about all the ways I tend to stand there and stare at a closed door, analyzing how I can get it unlocked again in my life. I compared it to times that I was able to quickly walk away from one closed door looking for an open one. In thinking I became pretty sure that we all have areas of our lives that the ‘closed door syndrome’ affects us in adverse ways. For me, in my personal life, I tend to have a harder time walking away from a closed door because I am more emotionally invested, but in business I move on fast. How?

In business sometimes management strategies get old, marketing tactics become less interesting and operational policies become stale. Throughout the past six years of running Bellacures, the nail salon chain I founded in 2006, one of the best skills I have developed is to chuck old strategies quickly before they cause trauma and put in place new ones that may or may not* work better. Here’s what I ask myself:
1. Is this strategy bringing the results I need?
2. Is there room for improvement?
3. Is the strategy easy to follow?
4. Is there a chance that continuing the use of this strategy will have a negative long term effect?

They say if it is not broken, don’t fix it. But I believe in order to grow, it is more effective to look for flaws than wait for a catastrophe to fix something. If I see that there is room for improvement I come up with a new strategy. Sometimes it is easier to change strategies than to try to make the one you have work for you. This week, ask yourself if there are any strategies in your business [or life] that you can change to bring better results and ease.
*Remember that you need to have courage to take on new ways… because they may not work better and you have to look for new ones again. The key is to realize there are other doors; and most of the time getting a door unlocked is a lot more difficult and time consuming than spending time finding a door that is already open for you.

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November 11, 2011 | 9:12 am

What is time anyway?

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

One of the first responses I get when I tell people that I am now blogging for JewishJournal.com is “how do you have so much time?” I always just giggle instead of providing an answer. One reason that I may have more time is because I am strong believer in moving forward to the next step… even if the next step is a misstep. As a result, I make decisions fast and all day long. I think that a majority of people think through things a lot longer, taking up more time. I’m sure there are a variety of other variables of why it seems like I may have more time, but this morning I read in a newsletter…

“People who achieve amazing things have the same amount of time as people who don’t.”

Wow. I read that a few times. It’s beautiful.
Maybe there is no methodology for how I accomplish so much in a short time period.
Maybe it is just a mindset.

The newsletter continued to explain that there’s no difference between me, you, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Donald Trump, Howard Schultz, or Richard Branson. We all have the same amount of time; we need to stop thinking that we don’t have enough time. So I invite you to ask yourself this weekend: how can you shift your perspective to realize you really do have an ample amount of time to accomplish and experience anything you desire. Why make time an excuse? Come face to face with your reason and tell it to go away.

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November 8, 2011 | 7:18 pm

Why tzedakah should not be mistaken for charity.

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

iPhone Application: Tzedakah Calculator.
Because that which you measure you achieve.

Tzedakah, for many, has become another word for charity. Charity is about giving out of the kindness in your heart, generally when it is convenient. Tzedakah is not. It is about giving, consistently to those in need what is theirs, because it is an obligation on your part as a fellow member of humanity.

Rabbi Wayne D. Dosick reminds us…

The concept of tzedakah has its roots in the Torah, which teaches, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your vineyard, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger.” (Leviticus 10:0-10) An owner of a field, a landlord, is only a temporary guardian of the land. The real owner is Lord of all land, [God]... The poor do not have to come to you begging for a handout or asking for your generosity, because the produce of the corners is not yours. It is theirs.

Take that in for a moment… the corners of the crops are actually not yours but for the less fortunate, you are just a temporary guardian. A small reminder really shifts your perspective and changes your relationship to tzedakah, doesn’t it?

Simply put: tzedakah should not be mistaken for charity because sooner or later if we only rely on good times and convenience to help those in need, it simply won’t be enough.

Use this moment to see how you can manage your budget for a better business and lifestyle too. When you raise your standard, everything else rises with it. Raise your standard today and see how your perspective and actions will shift dramatically.

A few hints as to where you can possibly shift your perspective:
—If you’re the type to label eating out, vacationing and personal pampering as an “extra” expense category and only allocate money when it’s convenient… remember that you’re not doing yourself a favor by engaging in such activities… you are doing what is necessary to live a happy and fulfilling life. It is an obligatory category. Don’t short change yourself, just like you wouldn’t short change the needy.
—If you’re the type to never have enough money to buy presents for celebrations, revise your method and put away money in a gift category… because it should be your obligation to have money to spend on loved ones, especially on special occasions.
—If your business has chipped paint on the walls, a loose door knob amongst other items that need fixing and you’ve been putting it off because it’s an “extra” expense… remember that it is an obligation to keep things fresh and up to date and create an environment that your employees want to work in.
—If you don’t regularly give to those in need, revise your method now, don’t wait till it’s convenient.

If you find you can shift your perspective and actions in other areas of your life, share it with me!

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November 3, 2011 | 12:48 pm

Reading List for the Curious Entrepreneur

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

I have a policy - when you don’t know what to do, read. Reading helps give me new perspective and insight that will often strike an ‘aha’ moment where I come up with an effective strategy. Whether you want to start a business, already have one up and running or want to change businesses, these books are all useful! They are all business reading classics!

The Purple Cow

The Dip

The Richest Man in Babylon

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

The Tipping Point

Made to Stick

Outliers

The Secrets of the Young and Successful

The E-Myth Revisited

The Four Hour Work Week

Now, Discover Your Strengths

Top Grading

The Creative Habit

Buy-ology

For business plan writing: Pick up any book that has an actual guide with sections to complete to so you can follow it easily.

For inspiration: List a few business people you admire and read their biographies. For example, Richard Branson, Howard Schultz, Steve Jobs, etc.

Creating a learning environment on your own is extremely rewarding, don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn something every month!

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November 1, 2011 | 6:44 pm

To-Do or Not To-Do Lists?

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

To-Do List

Often people argue about the value of to-do lists. I hope my post gives you clarity on the importance of organization and creating proper to-do lists.

Some people think…
To-Do Lists = Waste of Time.
To-Do Lists = More Important Than Brushing My Teeth.
To-Do Lists? Wish I Could Be Good At That Sort of Thing.

Personally, my to-do list makes me a better manager, business woman, friend, partner, daughter, and now blogger (I already have a list of topics I want to share with the world).  I’m here to convince you to get your act together. Here is my perspective:

1. Your focus is not equipped to consider your daily actions (micro) and your big picture goals (macro) at the same time. Do yourself a favor and write down how your daily actions will get you to your big picture goals and just follow!
2. Your emotions will often get the best of your focus. There will be days that you feel lazy or tired, amongst a variety of other emotions. If you have a list, you can follow it and take action, despite whatever else might be going on.
3. Sometimes people wait to be ‘motivated’ to do certain things and become intimidated by their own to do lists. Create an internal rule:  I must complete my to-do list despite my motivations and devotion. Often you need to take action to allow yourself to even discover the motivation you were waiting around for. One of my favorite Jewish concepts: Out of keva (structure of prayer) comes kavanah (intention, devotion, sincerity). Just like the sages worried that if a person did not regularly experience the kavanah, he or she might stop trying to connect with God all together… as a To-Do List Enthusiast, I worry that if you don’t create and regularly follow your to-do list you might not do as much as you are capable of in life.

My personal tips for creating and managing your to-do list:

-Create a quarterly macro list of intentions
-Based on your macro intentions, see what you can do monthly/ weekly/ daily
-Take inventory every night before you sleep so you know what your day will consist of in the morning. It’s easier to wake up and do than to wake up and think.
-Since you are committed to check off most of your to-do list each week, if you find yourself tired/ weak one day… check off the items that don’t require too much brain power.

Do you have your own thoughts and tips on to-do lists? Share them with me! samira[@]bellacures.com
For more tips on being effective check out an article I was quoted in: http://www.ehow.com/feature_12101525_7-habits-highly-effective-women.html

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