Pandora, a favorite work tool

Like many entrepreneurs, I spend many hours working solo and I need great music to keep me from throwing myself out the window...which would just leave me sprawled ridiculously on the lawn...so I rely on Pandora which allows me to create stations based on the music I like to inspire me.

One of the things I love most about Pandora is that it lets my inner dork have her own music sometimes. I have stations for Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Glee, and even the Ink Spots. Or I put on my Black Eyed Peas station when my kids aren't around and take on my 25-year-old-at-a club persona. They'd be horrified to know I can hit the precise beat for the lyrics "give that big bootie a smack!"

I've heard people say that Pandora stations can be quite repetitive and I agree so here's what I suggest. Make a station based a particular song, not just the artist. This way it will match the tempo as well as the style. Alone these stations can get old pretty fast so use the Custom Mix to join 4-8 stations to get variety.

Some of my favorites are station built on the following songs:

• Que Onda Quero by Beck
• Lucky by Jason Mraz
• Save me by Jem
• More and more of your Amour by Nat King Cole (Remix)
• In These Shoes by Kristie MacColl

Icicle Personality Test

I'm a big fan of personality tests but whether that qualifies me to create one is another question. But I've done it anyway...

Look at this picture of icicles hanging from a roof and rate your reaction.

A. Oooh Pretty.

B. That gutter needs fixing!

C. Both

Results:

A. You're an optimist.

B. You're a realist. (or my father-in-law)

C. You're a homeowner

Personally, I'm trying to make friends with both my inner realist and optimist -- or maybe get them to play nice together. Lisa Lauffer, a wonderful coach, introduced me to this as the "Both-And" concept as a substitute for Either/Or." These icicles are both beautiful and a home repair project.

Keeping my To Do list To-doable

To make a to do list, I used to get out a legal pad and list everything floating around in my head. It set off this cycle...

1. Worry about what has to be done.
2. Take action. Make a list. Feel a little better.
3. Keep adding to the list until my head is ready to pop.
4. Look at list in despair.
5. Stress response "She's out of control. We're taking the system down."
6. Camera zooms in on the closed eyes of our heroine collapsed on the couch.

Now I use an index card. Even if I write really tiny and all over the back, I still can't fit the 25 or more tasks I used to on the legal pad. The beauty is that what matters most floats to the top. Instant priorities!

Two Minutes of Creativity - Rose Petal Heart

It's easy to forget to be creative for no reason when you're trying to get a entire product line -- like my whiteboards -- on the market. But, inspiration struck when I couldn't stand to toss out the petals of a bouquet of roses I'd been given. I stole this idea from a coffee shop where they set out beans for the waiting customers to form into impromptu sculptures. My rose petal sculpture stayed on the counter for a couple of days, changing in density and tone as the petals dried. It delighted me so much that I'm sharing it in the hope that you'll be moved to join in and enjoy your own 2 minutes of creativity.

If my daughter only had 3 white dresses, I wouldn't need a custom closet!

People often ask what inspired me to design organizational products...if they are close friends they might be politely refraining from mentioning that I'm not the most organized person. It's true. The elementary school secretary had us on speed dial for late permission slips. But one day when I was drolling over a custom closet ad, I realized "If my daughter only wore 3 identical white dresses, I wouldn't need that beautiful closet." Whose child does? And would I want that?

I get positively misty-eyed when I picture all of you out there with your wonderfully messy lives -- mud-caked shoes, piano music, ticket stubs, stray socks, knitting needles, sketchbooks, snow boards, crossword puzzles -- all of these objects that hint at the inner world of your interests and passions. If my products -- whiteboards or future offerings -- help you spend a little more time on those favorite activities, I'd feel very satisfied indeed.

p.s. I still want that custom closet.

What a great independent sales rep looks like!

I hit the jackpot on one of my first attempts to hire a sales rep. Because I'm a new product with no track record, he offered to show it to a few of his stores. Today he spent a half hour on the phone with me, relating the objections and questions from the retailers he showed it to. This information is gold to me! If I don't know the reasons behind the "no" (or even maybe) I'm in the dark. But now I can make changes based on the information he passed on me.

Before I started looking for sales reps*, I thought all I'd want is someone who'd say "Yes. I'll represent your product!" My fantasy is that they'd go away and the orders would start pouring in without any further contact. It sounds kind of like my 8-year-old vision of dating based Barbie and Ken dolls. Now, I see that a rep who is willing to engage in the conversation about the obstacles to selling my product is the jackpot!

* An independent sales rep is the person who shows products to stores and gets orders, usually for a commission on the total cost of the order.

Mandatory Dance songs

If there's one thing I've learned as a designer/entrepreneur working alone is that when a good dance song comes on...you've got to drop what you're doing and dance to it. Here are some of my favorites (along with a link to play a sample in Pandora):

Secrets by One Republic http://www.pandora.com/music/song/onerepublic/secrets

Speak Up Mambo by The Tokens http://www.pandora.com/music/song/tokens/speak+up+mambo+cuentame

Tango by Jaci Velasquez http://www.pandora.com/music/song/jaci+velasquez/tango

New Year, new blog, new focus

I'm starting 2011 by stepping over the threshold from designing to selling my redesign of the common whiteboard. (Works like a whiteboard. Looks like art!) It has been more than 4 years since I made the first prototype of an acrylic whiteboard and as of Jan 1, 2011 I have over 17,000 units sitting in a warehouse, ready to be sold. So the new year brings a whole new set of skills, which I, um, don't have! So this blog, in addition to random quirky insights, aspires to share that journey. Selling my creations is a great chance for personal growth, so I think on my good days. On a bad day, I feel like that bumper sticker "Oh no, not another learning experience!" So I hope you'll laugh (and cry) along with me and, for those of you doing the same, let's keep each other company on this path.