With quilt show season at its height, I thought I’d share some tips for shopping large shows, both wholesale and retail.

1. Pack comfortable clothes and shoes. You can easily be on your feet for eight hours or more. Take to heart the Quilts Inc. admonition, “Remember at Market, fashion stops at the knees!”

2. Take some healthy snacks with you, like fruits and nuts. All the booths will have snacks of the chocolate variety and while a bit is fine, you want to be sure to keep your stamina up. Once you start walking the floor, it’s hard to leave. Something new or an old friend catches your eye. That sugar rush just won’t sustain you. And, don’t forget to bring water or an empty water bottle to fill to keep hydrated.

3. Take advantage of the learning opportunities. Quilts Inc. has lectures and classes the day before Market opens and then the mornings and evenings when the vendor floor is closed. This is a wonderful opportunity to take back knowledge to share with your staff and customers and to build your business. At retail shows, you can often find wonderful classes that will teach you something to share with your customers. Even just bringing back knowledge of “what’s new” is important.

4. If you go to Quilt Market, don’t wait in line for Sample Spree. I always check the lines for Sample Spree and often find the same people at the front of the line every show. They recognize me coming now! Some of these attendees get in line at 2 pm for an event that starts at 8 pm. They miss half of the Schoolhouse Sessions and terrific learning opportunities. Once the doors open, most everyone in line gets in within five to 10 minutes. Even latecomers get in. Last I heard they weren’t giving a prize for first one in the door!

5. Don’t forget your business cards. You are going to meet shop owners and quilt business owners from around the world in addition to buying for your business. A good tip is to make a note or two on the back of the card as a memory jogger for when you get home. And, to make it easy for ordering, try printing the information on labels to make filling out forms easier.

6. Start with a plan to shop the floor. Spend time the night before going through the show program, marking those you must see. Set a schedule that includes any appointments you have with fabric companies or distributors. If you are shopping with a group, be sure everyone knows the schedule. Many shop owners walk the floor and collect literature during the first day, go over the material at night and then buy the second or third day. Other shop owners know what their shop needs and buy on the first walk through. Figure out the plan that will work best for you.

7. If you are traveling with a group, be sure you’ve got everyone’s phone numbers programmed in to your phones. Market is really big, and it’s easy to get separated from your group. Even keeping up with your group at a small show can be a problem.

8. Keep a journal so you can track what you see, need to follow up on, etc. I usually have a small 5″ by 8″ notebook where I make notes about what’s new, action I need to take when I get back, and secure business cards I collect. It’s fun to see what’s transpired over the years.

9. Look for ways to connect. Everyone has to have lunch and/or dinner. Look for someone at a table, go join them. You’ll probably pick up a business tip and be able to share one, too. And, likely you’ll make a new friend.

Please share your thoughts below.

It’s definitely Quilt Show Season! AQS/Paducah was last week, Quilt Festival/Cincinnati and MQX the week before, and Machine Quilters Showcase and Quilt Market are in a couple of weeks. That’s just the larger shows. I think you can find a local show almost any weekend now. This past weekend I enjoyed one of the local guild’s annual shows.

Vending at these shows can be draining and it’s key to keep your energy up if you are to have a good show. Here are eight tips to help you have your best show yet:

1. Set an intention or goal for the show. Is it to make a certain amount of sales, to get your patterns picked up by a distributor, to test a new product, to get rid of aging stock? When you are clear on your intent, you’ll be more focused, and your results will show that.

2. Establish eye contact with show visitors, smile and engage them in a conversation. Ask questions that will lead to an answer that is not yes or no. Share something of yourself and your product. Your customer is buying you as much as she is buying your product. And, I’m sure you’ve been to a show where the vendor sits on a chair in the corner of an empty booth. Of course it’s empty; no one feels welcome to enter! Get up and greet your customer.

3. Demo if you can. Nothing draws a crowd like a demonstration. Next time you are at a show as a visitor, take a look at the more crowded booths. Many will have a group watching a demo. This engages your customer and leads to more sales.

4. Qualify your buyer, i.e., separate the browsers from the buyers. Quilt Market is filled with what I call “the entourage,” quilters who want to see what Market is all about. And, I love quilters who want to become involved in our industry; they keep our industry vital. However, while they may have some influence or be the buyer of the future, they are not the decision-maker today. I’m not saying to ignore them or be rude. You can engage them in a conversation, only find out who makes the buying decision and try to get to that person.

5. Have plenty of handouts and brochures. Not everyone is ready to make a decision when they first meet you. Some like to take materials back to the hotel room and compare before buying. Be sure to bring an original of your handouts in the event you need to get copies during the show.

6. Have a way for people to contact you later. I recently visited an artists cooperative, and while all the artists had business cards none included a web site on the card. Many times, I’d like to peruse the artist’s web site and see what other work she might have. Not all your buyers will purchase while they are in your booth or even at the show. Make it easy for them to see your product line.

7. Put your website, phone number, booth number on all your handouts and receipts. Buyers will share their finds with their friends and this will lead to more sales. At one of the first shows I vended in the 1990s, a friend stopped by the booth and showed me a new notion. She wanted to purchase another, only she didn’t know the name of the vendor or where he was located, and the receipt offered no help. Neither did I. (As it turned out, he was in my row!)

8. Keep up your energy. If you are doing multi-day shows, it’s easy to get run-down. Have healthy snacks and water in the booth. Try to stick to your regular sleeping routine, something I find hard to do at shows. If your energy is zapped, it will show in your results.

Hope these tips add to the success of your next show.

Please share your best vending tips below.

Does it seem like your time just slips away and that at the end of the day, you didn’t accomplish all you planned? Do you have dreams about what you want to do in your spare time, only you don’t have any?

For some people it’s not being clear on what you want from your day – or even your life. There’s that clarity thing again, but it really is the key to everything. One of the exercises I often hear suggested is to look at your life and decide what your days would be like if you were not limited by time or money. Once you do that, here are some additional steps.

1. Get clear about how you are really spending your time. To do this, you will need to track how you are actually spending your time, all of it. Keep a diary – kind of like when you keep track of what you eat – of what you do with all the time in your day. Start with when you get up and go through the end of the day. Do this for at least three days, preferably a week. I guarantee you will learn something unexpected.

2. Once you see how you really spend your time, review what you do that isn’t part of that ideal day. (If your ideal day was sitting by the water in the Caribbean with an umbrella drink, you might have a lot that doesn’t fit, but at least you know what you’re aiming for!) Look at what you are doing that could be done by someone else on your team. If you don’t have a team, look at what you could have someone do if you did, and consider moving in that direction.

3. Consider what you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing at all. If you find lots of those activities, learn how to say no. Look at those where you should be limiting your time, e.g., surfing the Internet. What you do should be using your skills and helping you pursue your goals.

4. Look at what activities you pursue that are really your passion. Try to spend more time there.

5. Review which activities are “putting out fires.” You may be familiar with Stephen Covey’s quadrants from his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Things are urgent and important; important and not urgent; not important and urgent; or not important and not urgent. Your goal should be to spend time in the important and not urgent quadrant. If you are spending time in the urgent and important quadrant, you are putting out fires. Likely, this is because you didn’t prioritize or you procrastinated. Many of us spend too much time in the not important or not urgent areas and then we end up with those fires to put out.

6. If you want to spend time appropriately, plan your day the night before. That way you decide your priorities and can get more accomplished.

Remember, how you spend your time is how you spend your life.

Do you have any tips on spending your time more appropriately? Please share your thoughts below.

As tax season is winding down, with less than a week left to file your 2011 returns or an extension in the United States, I thought about purging some of my old files. I tend to keep a lot that may not be necessary. Generally, you need to keep supporting records of income or deductions until the period of limitation set by the Internal Revenue Service runs out. This period is that in which you can amend your return to claim a credit or refund or the IRS can assess additional tax. Here are some guidelines, according to IRS Publication 583 (Starting a Business and Keeping Records).

1. For most tax returns filed on time with tax paid, keep supporting records for three years after the filing deadline, the extension deadline or the actual filing date, whichever is later.

2. If you had income that you should have reported (but did not) that was 25% in excess of your gross income, keep records for six years after your final payment was made.

3. If you have employees, keep all employment tax records for four years after the employment tax became due or was paid, whichever is later.

4. Keep records to support any deduction for bad debt loss for seven years.

5. In cases of someone required to file a return (and does not) or in the case of fraudulent returns, the IRS requires records be kept indefinitely.

6. Keep records relating to property until the period of limitations expires for the year in which you dispose of the property in a taxable disposition. You must keep these records to figure any depreciation, amortization, or depletion deduction, and to figure your basis for computing gain or loss when you sell or otherwise dispose of the property.

Those are IRS requirements. You may have other reasons for keeping records longer, e.g., insurance or business valuation. If you do, it would be a good idea to make copies of your records and returns and keep them on a CD (or DVD) and store them offsite.

Do you have any tips for keeping records? Please share your thoughts below.

One of the things we talked about during the Creative Arts Business Summit was building a support team for your business. Teams are one way to leverage your business to grow. When I think of professionals in the quilt and fiber arts industry who do this, I first think of pattern designers. They know that they cannot possibly stuff all those patterns into plastic bags themselves. It’s not long before they’ve enlisted every family member and friend in that task. At some point it becomes so unwieldy, they look for additional help, often at the local sheltered workshop.

So, who do you put on your team? I like to look at the team as three legs on your company stool. You have your advisory team, your work team and your support team. And, of course, some people may be on more than one team.

Your advisory team might include your accountant, your lawyer, your banker and your insurance agent. They are people who help your business stay legal and in the black. You might talk them to once a year or once a month or as the need arises.

Your work team helps you on a more day-to-day basis or project basis to get your work out into the world. It might include the pattern stuffers and testers, your virtual assistant, your bookkeeper, your web designer and web tech person, your photographer, your sales reps.

Your support team might add your spouse, your networking group or mastermind partners, your coach. It might include your housekeeper or day care provider so you can focus on your business.

Where do you find these people to help you so that you can work on your business? Friends and colleagues are good place to start for a recommendation. Your guild or other groups you frequent are another source. You can also try Craig’s list or look online. A google search may be just what you need. I have one client who is successful using odesk.com. Another uses elance.com. Your IAPQ member benefits are another source. You can use our IP attorney if that need arises. And, if you are looking to add a virtual assistant to your team, Suzanne Moore can help you identify what your needs are.

I believe that once you add support in the way of team members you will begin to see your business grow in ways you just didn’t expect. And, it’s a wonderful change.

Who do you have on your team and when did you realize that you needed to add to your team? Please share your thoughts below.

One of my favorite business tools is the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. After completing your SWOT analysis, you should be able to set goals and make plans that let you capitalize on on your opportunities and minimizing any potential threats, all while keeping your business strengths and weaknesses in mind.

So how do you actually do the SWOT analysis? Easy. Just get out a piece of paper or your journal and draw four columns. Label them S-W-O-T and start brainstorming. Consider internal factors, i.e., those within your control, and external factors, i.e., those outside your control. Look at competitive factors, environmental factors, technological factors, economic factors, sociological factors and political factors as they affect your SWOT.

When is a SWOT analsyis helpful? I like doing one each year when I review my goals. It’s also a helpful tool whenever you are considering a new product or big change to your business.

Do use use a SWOT analysis now? If not, what is your favorite business planning tool? Please share your thoughts below.

Over the years I’ve wrestled with saying “no” to many requests. When I was two years old, I’m sure I didn’t have that problem. Just ask my family! As I grew up, I think the people pleaser in me showed up, and “no” seldom found its way into my vocabulary. As an adult, I have a distinct memory about learning how to say “no.” I was doing volunteer work at a local museum for a major fund-raising event. I was responsible getting volunteers for my committee. I still remember the woman I asked who instead of just saying “no” said, “No, I can’t help you now, but when the event takes place I’ll be glad to work.” Gosh, that no really didn’t sound so much like a no.

Yes can be the right answer many times, but none of us has unlimited time available to say yes to everything. It’s knowing when to say yes or no and then how to say it that makes the difference.

Here are seven ideas to help you say “no.”

1. Does the request move you closer to your goals? If it does, that’s great. Commit the time needed. If it doesn’t, it should be easy to say no.

2. How does the time commitment for a “yes” affect your priorities? Sometimes we might like to say yes, but the time away from our stated priorities is a sacrifice that we aren’t willing to make. One example might be that your priority for family time requires you to say no to requests that interfere with that. And, don’t forget that commitments to yourself count as priorities; don’t give up time you need to rejuvenate or “fill the well.”

3. It’s OK to think about the request. You can tell the person you’ll give some thought to their request and then get back to them. This gives you time to consider the request, see how it fits into your goals, priorities and commitments.

4. Don’t apologize for saying “no.” Often people will say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t because….” It’s not necessary to give a reason why you can’t. It’s your time you are guarding. If you feel the need to explain, a simple “I can’t at this time” should work.

5. Offer an option. If you want to be involved in an activity that will take too much of your time, think of how you can do something small that will be less stressful. That’s what the woman who taught me how to say “no” did. For example, if you’re asked to be responsible for arranging for snacks for your child’s soccer team for the season, offer to bring snacks for one game. When my quilt guild was in need of volunteers for its show, I offered to design the brochure and advertising materials, something I could do on my own time.

6. Try to be aware of when someone is going to ask you for something. If you are on a committee or part of a group, it’s much easier to let the chair/group know ahead of time that you are already committed and can’t take on something else.

7. Practice saying no. Try it when you are asked for personal information when you shop. Try it with telemarketers.

And, once you’ve said no, just move on. In all likelihood, you’ll feel better and much less stressed, and the person who asked just moves onto the next name on her list.

How good are you at saying, “no”? Please share your thoughts below.

Give up Perfectionism. No way, you say! Everything must be just so, the best, perfect. After all, it’s probably served you well in the past, and perfect has its place. Besides, what will happen if it’s not perfect?

This is something some of my clients wrestle with. And, I’m going to come clean and include myself there. Actually I never really thought I was squarely in that boat, or at least that it wasn’t that obvious to others. This past Sunday after church, I had a conversation with our priest, and she said to me, “You need to give up having to be perfect.” Whoa! Back to working on imperfect!

Truth be told, I had already realized this about myself and thought I’d been making progress to move from this. And, I have. I know where my perfectionism comes from and when it crops up. I know what needs to be perfect and what doesn’t, though I do struggle with it on occasion. Perfectionism has its good points. It can also become a dead end. Here are some things it can lead to:
1. Procrastination and/or indecision. If you need everything to be perfect, you wait for the best solution or the right time. You don’t want to miss it, so you wait and wait.

2. Missing the big picture because you are focusing on the details. It’s like missing the forest for all the trees.

3. Loss of creativity. I think this one is tied into procrastination, because you want perfect results so you put it off. You don’t have “failed creative efforts.” And, of course if you did, they could lead to growth. (Ironically, growth is one of the reasons people want to be perfect.)

4. Perfectionism in the extreme can lead to depression and alienation of relationships.

So how do you work on becoming a recovering perfectionist? Here are some tips to try:

1. Be aware of why you are a perfectionist and recognize when it rears its head. Know whether it’s good perfectionism or obsessive perfectionism. I think that’s often half the battle.

2. Ask yourself, “What will happen if it’s not perfect?” or even, “What will happen if I don’t have to do it perfectly?”

3. Aim for good enough. I have two signs in my office. One says “Good enough is good enough.” The other says, “Progress, not perfection.” It’s not license to slack off, it’s license to finish.

4. Look at the big picture, i.e., look at the forest not the trees. Prioritize to figure out if all the trees, aka tasks, are necessary to fill in the big picture. If not, get rid of that tree.

5. Learn how to delegate. Once you do this and begin to have faith in other people’s abilities, it becomes easier to delegate. You don’t have to do it all to be perfect. And, it may not be perfect to your way of thinking, but it will be done.

6. Just once, set a goal to do something poorly. What a concept! This is really freeing. Imagine being perfectly imperfect!

7. Celebrate. My clients know I like to have a weekly Success and Strategies Summit. If you’ve managed to let go of some of your perfectionist tendencies, celebrate it as a success.

I love quotes and searched for the perfect (!) quote on perfectionism. In the end, I decided to share the words from one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, from her book Bird by Bird:

Are you a perfectionist or a recovering perfectionist? Please share your thoughts below.

In the Winter 2012 issue of The Professional Quilter, Sue Tucker, Chief Financial Officer of Studio 180 Design and our financial columnist, wrote about seven resolutions you won’t want to break. One of them was “Look at Your Financial Numbers on a Monthly Basis.” Now that we are at the end of month two, how are you doing on this resolution? I know that lots of creative types just aren’t that interested in numbers. And, that’s great if you’ve got someone to input your data, but you still need to look at the numbers on a regular basis. Here’s an excerpt of the Winter issue with Sue’s article on this resolution:

How do you know if you’re making money and reaching your goals? How do you know if you need to change an approach that’s not working or cut back on expenses to make up for a shortfall in revenue? If you aren’t looking at your financial numbers on a monthly basis, you don’t. Some people look at their bank balance when the statement comes, and if there’s money there they think they’re OK. But let’s say they’ve started a slow slide. How many months will it take for that slow slide to wipe out everything in their account, at which point they’ll realize they aren’t OK? If they’d been looking at monthly numbers they would have seen the problem right at the start and been able to take action before their bank account ran out of money.

If you don’t know how you’re doing month-to-month, you can’t be making the right decisions as quickly as you should be to keep your business strong and growing. At the least you should be looking at your revenue and expenses for the month and year-to-date. That will tell you if you are making money. But in addition, many of you should be looking at month-to-month changes, annual growth, receivables and your balance sheet. Your accountant can help you identify what you should be looking at based on your business situation and help you plan the best way to get the numbers you need.

Please share how you’re doing with tracking your financials below.

During the Creative Arts Business Training Series I did a couple of weeks ago, I talked about clarity in a number of areas. One of those areas is getting clear on what your “Big Why” is. That’s the term that both of my coaches have used. I look at your Big Why as the piece behind the vision for your business and how it fits into your life, why you do what you do.

For years I never really gave it much thought. I was working to add income to our family coffers. When I first started my business, it was actually at my accountant’s suggestion. He saw I loved quilting and thought I could turn it into a business on the side. That was great, though I never really gave it much more thought. As the years went by, the business grew and changed. I earned a graduate degree in journalism and thought how wonderful it would be to combine the quilting and journalism together, which I did. Again, not really giving it a huge amount of thought. The past couple of years, I decide to actually put real thought into the process and can now articulate what I do and why. I can tell you that knowing this absolutely makes a difference. Once you figure our your “big why,” you complete your tasks, reach your goals, lifve your life with so much more ease.

OK, so how do you figure out your Big Why? Here are a couple ideas.

1. If you are having a hard time asking yourself why, instead complete the sentence: “I am doing this because ….”  or “I’m doing this so that….”

2. Take a look at your top passions and try to see what they have in common. That can lead you to your why.

3. What gets you out of bed in the morning and drives you to take inspired action.

4. Remember that the why is the driving force behind our actions. We need strong, or Big, Whys to keep going.

5. Our Big Whys can change over time so it’s a good exercise to look at yours on a yearly basis.

Please share your Big Why below.