February 28, 2012 | 4:13 pm

Success: A Very Curvy Path

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

When I was first started working, I constantly doubted myself. I had this belief that there was a way to do business, a skill that I simply did not have and needed to find, like a lost hair brush in my house. I thought that if I read enough books, go to enough workshops, network with enough people I would find the “business skill.” Over the past few years, I did all those things… I read, I practiced, I implemented, I networked, I changed and grew and grew only to learn the most valuable lesson of all:

There is no one skill. It is not a straight path. It is curvy. I won’t know what lays ahead, but I can use my knowledge to present a tentative path to a tentative target. I may land on the target, I may land on one that I didn’t even anticipate or I may fall short. But along the path, there will be curves and I now know I have the ability to problem solve and grow at each point, without some special magical skill. There is no tangible skill that will make the path straighter. It only feels straighter when you stop trying to make it straight.

February 22, 2012 | 1:15 am

To Make [or Not to Make] The Most of It?

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

If an employee gives me their resignation and says they will stay for another two weeks, I usually do not want them even working in my company any more.

Often, if I know someone is leaving, I also feel that they are probably not putting in the kind of effort at work that they should be during their last two weeks. I want them out of there pronto! But sometimes, if I have the smallest amount of respect or value for the person, I want to make the most of their last two weeks. I want them to stay every minute and do the kind of work I have appreciated for the duration of their time with me. I may even want them to train their own replacement.

So the question is: when do you want to make the most of it and when do you just want the person out? A new rule of thumb should be… when you are evaluating your operation and your staff’s performance, imagine they were to give you their two weeks notice, would you have them stay the two weeks or would you tell them no thank you and show them the door? If your answer is the latter… then maybe you should consider replacing them now. Why wait?

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February 14, 2012 | 12:05 am

What Happens to Kids Who are Exposed to Entrepreneurship?

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

What happens to kids who are exposed to entrepreneurship?
Well, the hope is that there will be a permanent curiosity and a shift in perspective. The hope is that as kids they can start to look at the businesses they interact with daily and be curious as to how they operate, how they market themselves, what their profit margins are, etc.

For the past four weeks I had the honor of doing a workshop with a group of 12 kids, ages 10 to 16. They broke out into groups of three and came up with business ideas and put together business plans.

The kids and the business ideas:
Kyle Baric, Nicholas Baric and Max Jenkins: “A Step Out of Time,” a steampunk and LARP (live action role play) retail store that sells latex weaponry for LARP as well as steampunk costumes and accessories, amongst a variety of other goods catered to this niche market.
Avremy Rav-Noy, Simcha Freidman and Eytan Rosenman: “Prometheus,” a high end electronic store that caters to tech savvy shoppers and offers excellent customer service.
Shiffy Rav-Noy, Aliza Zavdi and Tehilla Zamanzadeh: “Back in the Day Cafe,” a 50’s themed cafe where a younger demographic, such as teenagers, could experience an authentic 50’s style restaurant experience.
Chana Rav-Noy, Sarah Wintner and Talya Tessler: “Cake It,” a bakery that offers baked goods and cakes for affordable prices to the local community.

The groups learned a different aspect of putting together their business plan during each week of the four week workshop. The end result, a session of awesome presentations that blew me away. This was my first time teaching kids and I was so impressed with the questions they came up with throughout the experience. I saw their minds expand and it was a fulfilling month. I congratulate them on their work and ideas. I encouraged a few of the groups to pursue their ideas and start researching now to gain the exposure and experience.

This was a fun workshop! I encourage you to think of workshops you can put together for your community to teach and grow. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me: samira@bellacures.com

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February 9, 2012 | 2:14 am

Are You Out of Your Mind?

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

When someone asks you “are you out of your mind?” it generally implies that you are crazy for the actions you are taking or thinking about taking. As an entrepreneur I highly encourage you to strive to be out of your mind, literally.

Out of your mind.
In the playing field taking actions.
In your imagination.
Running through your tunnel, if you are tunnel visioned.
In conversation with people who can help you reach your goals.
In a meeting.
In a physical activity.
In the conference room.
In lust with your business idea.
In a seminar or workshop.
In the middle of a lease signing.
In the process of something… anything…
Anywhere, but IN your mind.

What happens in the early stages of starting a business is that if you are in your mind for too long you can develop analysis paralysis. You can potentially rationalize ways in which things become impossible. You can rationalize why your idea is not good enough, why you are not good enough, why your experience, energy, skill-set is simply not good enough to reach your vision. It is out of your mind, literally, where visions become reality. If you stay in your mind, your vision will remain a vision.

Think of ways in which you limit yourself by staying in your mind for too long. Step out and see what’s there and when someone asks you “are you out of your mind?” YOUR ANSWER: “Yes I am! Thank you for noticing!”

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February 7, 2012 | 1:53 am

The Truth About Giving

Posted by Samira Asemanfar

Giving is part of our lives. We give our work, our hearts, intellect, advice, money, gifts, time… the list goes on. Learning why we give, can give us insight into ourselves and help us grow. Be careful not to miss forms of giving that you may not be attuned to, such as giving the right to someone to speak a certain way or giving your employee a day off when you know you need them. Many times you may find that you are giving out of fear, a desire to control or manipulate, or out of desperation.

Ask yourself before you give:
1. Why am I giving?
2. And am I giving or giving back?

A good rule to implement in most cases is to not give unless you are giving back. There is a reason why charitable organizations market that term “give back this holiday season.” It is because you shouldn’t be giving if you don’t have any for yourself first. Whatever it may be - time, love, money, charity, intellect. Like they instruct during emergency procedures, you must take care of your own needs before you can save another.

Be cognizant of how this may apply in your work environment. As a business-owner you should ensure your company is taken care of before the needs of your staff or customers. Without the company you wouldn’t be able to provide a job to your staff or a service to your customer.

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