Posts Tagged ‘gift’
Childrens Bedroom Furniture – Three Mothers Share Their Buying Habits
Just two months ago, a group of mothers from three generations (Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomer demographics) shared their buying habits with retailers and manufacturers on purchasing childrens bedroom furniture and baby products. This occurred at the fifth annual Kids Today conference in Bonita Springs Florida.
Author and entrepreneur Maria Bailey, an executive in the fields of publishing, marketing, and business development, was the keynote speaker at the conference and a moderator for the panel. Maria Bailey has worked for numerous companies, including Automation USA, AutoNation, Discovery Zone, The Miami Herald, Broward Community College, and McDonald’s. Her experience as an executive and the mother of four young children led her to specialize in assisting mothers in balancing their home and work lives. Bailey explained the importance of marketing to mothers of different ages.
Even though there were some differences there were also many similarities. One baby boomer said she found information from other mothers quite useful. She tried shopping for childrens beds and other bedroom sets for her boys baby nursery at a baby boutique or a shop for kid furniture and found it was above her budget. She registered for designer baby bedding at one baby boutique but this particular parent found that shopping at a consignment shop for her boys bedroom furniture was the way to go.
A Gen Y mom used hand-me-down bedroom furniture, rather than shopping at a furniture store for her baby and put the rest of the items that she needed on her gift registry. The items she did not receive as baby gifts she purchased at Target and Kmart. She did however find a lot of her ideas (such as themes for luxury baby bedding) at a boutique. She said she would purchase only bedroom accessories, baby bedding, other items that she thought were original at a boutique or baby shops.
Although most of the parents claimed that they mostly shopped at discount stores, they admittedly would make more extravagant purchases like luxury baby bedding or hard-to-find toys at baby boutiques if there was something they really wanted for there kid. A Gen X mom talked about children strollers. She paid $300 for a stroller because she liked the features. Then a Gen Y mom said she paid about $200 for a hard-to-find toy that retails normally for about $50. She said she bought the toy not only because her son wanted it, but because of the educational value. Parents are willing to spend more money on educational toys.
All moms stressed importance on bedroom furniture that would grow with their children. One baby boomer mom said she was in the process of looking for a bed that would take her toddler through high school. A Gen X mom said she would try to redecorate while keeping in mind that she wanted the décor and products to not be changed or updates until her daughter was at least 12.
I personally feel that this type of survey it tough to gauge?not only should they have to consider the age demographics but financial demographics as well.
I know that my friends and I are the same age but due to financial reasons we all have made very different choices on the bedroom sets, etc. we purchased for our kids. Take the changing table for instance. I chose one of those dressers with a built in changing table. When your child is older you flip the dresser over and it converts to a normal dresser top (which by the way I planned on using these dressers for a long while since I had purchased one of those convertible infant cribs).
My other friend decided to forego the changing table altogether, she would change her daughter directly on her crib mattress by using a waterproof disposable pad. While another friend bought an extremely fancy changing table and a bedroom set with armoires, hand carved dressers, etc.
I am sure someone like Brittney Spears would have very different buying habits than someone, the same age, but on a very modest income. So although I am sure the retailers and manufacturers were able to gather some useful information from this conference, hopefully they are considering all the demographics of the parents interviewed.
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Teresa Schahczinski is a frequent contributor to Best Baby Furniture. For more Articles and tips on Selecting
Childrens Furniture, Baby Cribs and Kids Furniture visit http://www.best-baby-furniture.com
10 Ways Entrepreneurs Shoot Themselves In The Foot
Entrepreneurs and their businesses have a tendency to ambush themselves when they aren’t looking. This affects how much revenue they can generate, how fast their business rises, and even if they survive after the first few years. If you feel there is a possibility you are getting in your way to success, review these elements to see if any of these items might apply.
1. Imagine investing time and money into a product or services, only to find that it isn’t selling. Or at least it doesn’t have the results that you expected. Now, I’m talking realistic here, and not some grandiose vision. It’s hard to give up something when you have invested your resources into something, more importantly, you have spout off to the world (okay, friends and family) that you were doing it.
Gluing yourself to an idea, product, or service that isn’t making any money or enough money to support the business isn’t smart. Ego and pride don’t make money. Getting hitched to any one idea, or even two, that isn’t profitable isn’t smart. Every product climbs and falls — even McDonalds drops a product when it doesn’t test strong. Ideas are the currency of entrepreneurs, make money with them or let them go.
2. Be proud of being an entrepreneur. DFor some reason, the title entrepreneur seems to have caught a disease, but that shouldn’t be the case. Be proud of being an entrepreneur. when someone asks you, don’t mumble, and don’t call it by another name, as if being an entrepreneur was somehow unprofessional. The same applies to the title of independent professional — which is another name for entrepreneur. Stand tall and proud.
When I ask people at networking events if they’re an entrepreneur, they often respond with strange body language. Some shift their stance uncomfortably, sometimes their hand goes over their mouth and they let out a barely audible, “yes,” and sometimes they even correct me, using some other title.
3. No bologna (or b.s.). Entrepreneurs can be naturally excited and optimistic about what they are doing. Don’t let the excitement sound like hype. Because of this people don’t trust you. Don’t just tell the pros, add the cons. Let people know, who is the best person for this service ? not everyone, or what circumstances are best for the product. People aren’t stupid but if they have to figure the cons of the product or service, you will most likely lose the sale.
4. Being in denial of your cash position. Not balancing the checkbook, not knowing what your accounts receivables, payables, or what the break even cost is for a product or service, isn’t smart business. If you don’t know what it is, get a book on the topic or talk to an accountant. Denial creates fear, and fear creates denial. It’s a vicious circle that creates stress and ulcers. Short term projects turn around short term dollars. Long term projects never turn around short term dollars. Be realistic with all your resources.
5. Accepting weak any bodies. Whether its weak staff, weak clients, weak strategic alliances, or anyone else in your support realm. If you are attracting weak people, you are giving weak signals. Change your signals and you will change what you attract. To attract strong people, you need strong signals.
6. Confusing possibility with reality. One of the main characteristics of an entrepreneur, and this could be one of the reasons people may not like using the name, is their gift to see everything in possibilities, yet spend money in the world of reality. Money is always reality.
7. Selling or trying too hard to explain what you sell. If you find yourself pushing what you’re product or service does, it is time to change your “success formula.” Common causes are: (1) You are trying to sell to someone who isn’t your target, or (2) If you have the right target and you don’t know what you are selling. You can only handle this in two ways, know what the customers are buying, or know the benefits of what you are selling. Benefits in the terms customers need to hear and understand, not what you choose to say.
8. Lack of any or adequate support structures. If it takes a village to raise a child, what do you think it takes to raise a business. Surely, not a lone ranger. Work with others to help handle your many business and personal needs. Entrepreneurs need support, even if it’s only a feeling. Arrange to have a support structure for every part of your business. Keep in mind tip number five above for this as well.
9. Over or under delegating. It is so hard for entrepreneurs to begin to delegate. Yet once they do they seem to swing the pendulum completely to the opposite side and over delegate. Over delegating is “dumping” on people. Even paid people, don’t like being dumped on. Feeling in control is a need of most people, entrepreneurs aren’t any different. They look at it as a money or trust issue, when in actuality it’s usually a control issue. Delegate appropriately and with people that think you can trust. Let the trust build over time.
10. Stop giving up so easily. Successful entrepreneurs don’t see failure. They see learning lessons. They pick themselves up, dust themselves off, change and adjust, and keep moving. Being an entrepreneur, during the early years of a business — that is under five years for most professionals, takes more work than being an employee. Even if you are a graduate with an MBA in business. Don’t include your learning curve time in with the rest of your time. Everyone has a learning curve of some kind.
Catherine Franz, a Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
Six Keys To Build Vision – Point Two
2. Recognize the source and purpose of vision
· It’s purpose is to be shared with all those around us
Living life based purely on our own personal needs is really living life at the most primitive level. It makes no allowance for the wonder of investing into our fellow humans beings and the generations yet to come. The inheritance we leave behind is the materials that another generation will build upon. One of the reasons I love writing, is it is my personal investment to those who find my life helpful to theirs. The thought that someone one hundred years from now may glimpse my life and evaluate my thoughts, both excites me and empowers me to write more. A selfless life is committed to investing beyond our own needs and into the needs of another.
· Not wishful thinking or a good idea it is “supernatural”
If everyone planned their life as a result of their vision for it, we would call that common sense or just the natural process of living. The truth is, not everyone lives their life according to the ultimate purpose for which life is lived. Most people live life from one circumstance to another and plan in the midst of this process.
Living life with purpose and intent, or according to our destiny is supernatural. It goes beyond the natural approach to living, by taking responsibility for the decisions we are to make ahead of time. At this level of living we move beyond the norm and venture into the supernatural. Wishful thinking is really living life in a knee jerk fashion. Vision is all about purposeful living. Fashioning our daily lives according to the blue print, which we have seen ahead of time. Visionaries do not live their life by “chance”, they live their life out of purposeful action.
· Vision is not contrary to our creators will
Regardless of our spiritual persuasion, we need to accept that we are designed for greatness. Heaven and earth conspire to create a quality of life, which goes beyond temporal living. Living life at its poorest form is ignorance and at its greatest level, enlightenment. Life lived at a quality of total awareness, is a life lived with extreme potential. Vision is available to every person on earth. Poverty of imagination is poverty at it’s worst. As our mind begins to dream of potential, our will begins to change towards the probabilities of what can be.
As we each take up our personal responsibility to dream on a level beyond the natural, we enter in to a dimension of creativity. Creativity is the gift that we were all born with, but circumstances conspire to rob us of the initiative to birth the seed of creativity. The will of our creator is to empower each one of us with the same creative capacity.
· Not based on abilities and talents, though we may use them positively or negatively
Poverty of spirit is the main reason why many of us live it what could have been, rather than what can be. When we excuse our lack of achievement on our lack of provision, we exclude ourselves from the power of creativity. One only needs to travel into less affluent Nations to recognize the creative genius that appears as a result of need. Resources may well be in poor supply, but invention and creativity is never an orphan.
Starting where we are at is a fundamental philosophy to success. If we are waiting for all we need before we start we will never start. The hidden inertia that compels vision forward is initiative. Resources and provision are drawn to those who live by vision, and the momentum that gathers as a result of initiative is fair reward to those bold enough to act upon it.
Tony Mckeown is a personal life coach and director of coaching 4 life New Zealand. He has a passion for empowering people to find their life mission and purpose.
He has authored training manuals, motivational rticles,numerous e-books and regularly hosts international tele-classes and conferences on vision. His practical approach to spirituality and leadership development are key qualities organisations seek him to impart. His clients are world-wide and can be contacted online.
His free monthly newsletter “get a life”,is by subscription and provides free motivational downloads from his coaching site: http://www.coaching4life.net.nz
Creative Christmas Gifts
Christmas is always the time of year we consider to be the best opportunity to give something special to someone and show how much we appreciate him or her. The mall is full of wonderful, shiny and delicious gifts and the Internet offers countless items that we can send to someone without ever seeing the product in person. But sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be the perfect idea for one or two individuals. That’s probably when you need to become creative with your Christmas gift ideas.
Purchase a small pine tree. It can be living (usually costs around $6.00 for a small potted one it a nursery) or an artificial one. Consider who the gift is intended for when deciding which type of pine to purchase. Decorate the tree appropriately for the intended recipient. If there is an individual who loves a certain type of dog, decorate the tree with that type of dog as the focus. If they don’t have a particular interest that you feel you can decorate around, hand make your own ornaments and use them to hang on the tree. Present this very personal gift to make a special memory for someone.
If you know someone who loves to cook, is starting out on his or her own or is a newlywed, consider creating a cookbook from your own personal recipe collection. Over the years, we’ve all had favorite dishes and desserts that were requested over and over again. Share your ’secrets’ with someone special. You might even want to make a small sampler of appropriate items to give as a part of this gift. It is truly a personal and touching gift.
Create a scrapbook including photos that will mean something to your intended recipient. Scrapbooking is quickly becoming a popular way to arrange one’s photos. A visit to your local craft store will give you some very simple yet decorative ideas on how to put even the smallest scrapbook together. Imaging the fun of sitting down and reliving the memories with a loved one!
Personal Christmas gifts are becoming more and more popular each year. The reaction and way these gifts are treasured is a testament to how much yours will be appreciated.
This article appears in the Christmas 2004 issue of ‘Celebrating Christmas PDF Magazine’. To read the complete article and to download a FREE copy of the entire magazine, go to http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/magazine.shtml
Packed with illustrated articles on holiday recipes, crafts, home decor, party planning tips, gift ideas and family fun activities for Christmas, ‘Celebrating Christmas’ magazine is the ultimate combination of a ‘Home and Lifestyle’ and ‘Holiday’ magazine and is aimed to help you celebrate a better, merrier and stress-free Christmas.
