Everyday brings more news of problems in the economy, and we’ve all been touched by this in someway. In the Winter issue of The Professional Quilter, financial writer David Nagle, wrote an article about surviving, and even thriving, in a down economy. Here’s an excerpt from his article.

Late last year our government officials and most economists concluded something we have known for some while – that our economy is in recession, and it appears to be headed for a prolonged period of contraction. Some of your businesses may be challenged in some way by the economic downturn. It’s important to maintain your composure, stay positive and focus on what is important to your business. While it is important for you to stay realistic about the state of the economy as it may affect you, I suggest you try to tune out the doom, gloom and naysaying that pervades our TV, Internet and newspaper medias.

First, assess how you react when the economy negatively affects your business? Do you:

• Remain optimistic, disregard the impact, assume it will improve, stay the course?
• Heed the bad news, assume the worst, panic, shut down (jump out windows)?
• Try anything, aimlessly run in circles, not knowing what to do?
• Procrastinate, hide from the issues, hope they go away?
• Find a shrink or visit yours more frequently, read self-improvement books?
• Meditate, do yoga, chant, pray more, become more spiritual?
• Increase consumption of your favorite substances (alcohol, nicotine, pain killers)?
• Combinations of the above?

Just to let you know, the list comes directly from my own personal experiences in past economic recessions (1973, 1980, 1990 and 2001). Each option has its pros and cons. If we reflect on our experiences from past recessions, hopefully we can put together a lessons-learned guide for handling the current economic situation. Each of our perspectives on handling an economic downturn will be different depending on our personalities, the unique characteristics of our businesses and our niche in the market. Since the success of our businesses is dependent on our customers, staying closely tuned to their needs will enhance our chance of survival.

My suggestions for weathering the current economic storm include the following:

• Determine and pursue your unique market niche, products and services,
• Assess customers’ needs,
• Develop a business plan,
• Plan your business finances,
• Streamline processes/cut costs/improve products and services,
• Improve skill sets and capabilities,
• Take care of ourselves (our most precious resources).

You can read more of the specifics of David’s suggestions in his article in Issue 106 of The Professional Quilter. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page.

Join us in the PQ Café on Thursday, March 12, when I talk to Jake Finch about writing to expand what she calls your “Quilt-fluence.” Jake birthed a new addiction when she began quilting 20 years ago. Five years later she plunged into teaching. Since then she’s written two books, Fast, Fun & Easy® Book Cover Art and Comfort Quilts From the Heart. She’s also a development editor for C&T Publishing and the managing editor for Mark Lipinski’s Quilter’s Home. Daily she finds herself answering questions on how the individual quilter can get her name known. Jake’s first response: Write something.

Join us when we’ll cover how to get started writing magazine articles or books, how to write a query, where to pitch your idea and more. And don’t be surprised if your quilting career really takes off as a result.

The teleclass is scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time. Registration includes both the teleclass and the MP3 downloadable recording, so if you can’t come to the class, you’ll get the recording to listen to at a time that works for you. Here are details.

Hope to see you then. And, if you have questions you want me to be sure to ask Jake, just drop me an e-mail or post a comment, and I’ll try to fit them in.

I’ve heard from several readers about how useful Your Best Year Yet! by Jenny S. Ditzler is for evaluating what you’ve accomplished and for setting goals for the coming year or years. The chapter on goals starts with the following, “People who have goals achieve more results in their lives.” But how do you go about setting good goals? For years people have used the SMART system. I can hear you now, “I used that when I worked in the corporate world, but now I’m a quilter.”

The system works no matter what you do because it provides a framework for your commitment. After all, goals are a commitment. Here’s a quick rundown of setting SMART goals.
 
Specific. The goal “work out with a personal trainer three times a week” is much more specific than “start exercising.”
 
Measurable. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. That does not mean that measures have to be in dollars. If your goal is not measurable, however, it’s actually an aspiration, a good idea or perhaps a hallucination. Years ago in the corporate world, I had a boss, who when reviewing generic, immeasurable goals, would ask, “So, how do I know when we can declare victory?”
 
Attainable (or Actionable). When you begin setting goals, you learn a
lot about goal setting and about yourself. Goals that seem like they “stretch” you too much initially seem perfectly reasonable shortly thereafter. Stretch goals engender commitment, activate energetic responses, stimulate the generation of creative action steps and “close the exit doors” on excuses. Make sure that “attainable” becomes more challenging over time.
 
Realistic. This is the first cousin of “attainable.” It’s not realistic to expect to win Best of Show in Houston this year when you’ve only just learned to quilt.
 
Timely or (my preference) time-bound. By when are you going to achieve your goal?  Without a target date, it’s an illusion.

Here are three examples of SMART goals:

• Obtain representation in three new galleries by 10/21/09.
• Produce $250,000 in new business from my online presence by 12/31/09.
• Build longarm quilting business to $5,000 gross per month by 7/15/09.

The Winter issue of The Professional Quilter includes an article on goal setting using the SMART method. If your subscription is not current and you need to renew, or you want to start a new subscription, here’s a link to our order page.

A few weeks ago I noted that I wanted to get a head start on business planning for 2009. I’ll mention again the resource I like to use, a small book called Your Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler. It offers an easy framework to define your personal values, identify the various roles you play and create goals for those roles. I particularly like the emphasis on evaluating all the good things before you look at setting new goals. I always get a number of comments from readers about how helpful the book is. Here’s a link to Amazon if you are interested in learning more about the book.

Here are six more ideas to consider as you plan for next year:

1. Start with a feeling of gratitude. I think this does more for you than just about anything to bring a sense of joy to your life. Why not start or end each day with a list of just three things that you are grateful for? You’ll be surprised by the change. Here’s a wonderful quote on gratitude from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book Simple Abundance:

   “You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”

2. Invest in your own well-being. Go on a retreat. Eat healthfully. Get exercise. Take a yoga class. Get a massage. Relax in a bubble bath. It’s easy to get bogged down in our everyday lives and commitments and neglect our own self-care.
3. Set aside time each quarter for a personal business retreat. Review your goals, celebrate your successes and make necessary adjustments.
4. Set aside time each day for centering, daily creative time, a mini-mini-retreat, whatever you want to call it. This is time just for you, when you can step out of your life and find calm. It’s wonderful for renewing your energy and spirit. For me this can take the form of an artist date, lunch with an old friend, a cup of tea and a good book, drawing in my journal or personal sewing.
5. Join or start a MasterMind group. This is different from a large networking group. It’s usually two to six people all of whom have your best interest in mind. Set up expectations for yourselves and commit to personal and professional development. Give more than you get. Together you will catapult your businesses.
6. Create a vision board to represent the life, both business and personal, that you want. Start with a large sheet of poster board and add pictures and words that express what you want your life to be. You can use magazines to find photos or use your computer to create words/slogans. This gives power and energy to your dreams.

I’m still on a cloud after our teleclass on Tuesday evening. One of our listeners asked, “How do I type a standing ovation?” Thanks, Allison! It was our first of what I hope is a long series of teleclasses geared to serious or business quilters. Our first class featured a Q&A format with Gloria Hansen. Gloria’s latest book, Digital Essentials: The Quilt Maker’s Must-Have Guide to Images, Files and More, was just published in late September. The book is a wealth of valuable information and she shared lots of information on the importance of resolution, printing on fabric, working with images for slide shows, copyright protection of your images on the Web and more. I think our conversation is a great compliment to her book. We taped the conversation and it will be available next week as either an audio download or a physical CD. I’ll also have copies in Houston. And, thanks to everyone who stuck with us despite the technical difficulties. I know you’ll agree it was definitely worth it. And, thanks to Gloria for helping us kick off the series.

To bring you up-to-date on the legislation, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill (S 2913) onto the full Senate floor and it is on the Senate Legislative Calendar. The bill has passed the majority party (Democrats) with unanimous consent and the minority party (Republicans) is still considering it.
In the house, the bill (HR 889) is still in the House Judiciary Committee, which is considering amendments.
You can still get involved in this issue. It’s important for quilters to make their voices heard.
To learn more, here are some links:
Text of HR 5889: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.05889:
Text of S 2913: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02913:
OrphanWorks.net – contains testimony on both sides of the issue before Congress.
Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters: http://www.owoh.org
Illustrators’ Partnership – http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00261
Here’s a link for you to make your opinion know to your Congress
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11442621

Remember you need to act promptly and encourage fellow quilt artists to take a stand.

Can you believe it’s almost June? May has been cool and rainy in my area, but it has resulted in beautiful, showy peonies in my yard.

I got back last week from Quilt Market in Portland. I love seeing what’s new, catching up with old friends and making new ones. The color trend I saw was orange, whether that was orange as in the fruit or a softer shade, more like orange sherbet. Of course, orange is one of my favorite colors, so maybe I was more attuned to it. I liked the larger prints in clear colors, and most fabric companies were showing black and white lines. I saw creative packaging ideas and lots of “jelly rolls.”

I’ve included some important information on pending legislation that will affect quilters. Please take time to research the Orphan Works issue and make your opinion known.

I am a big fan of personal and professional development. Next weekend my husband and I are going to an event that promises to be great on both fronts. David Neagle, known as the Million Dollar Acceleration Coach, is stopping in Baltimore as part of his “X-Country Tour.” David talks about shifting your mindset to create the life you love, effortlessly and easily. The event requires a $99 deposit, but when you register in person at the event, you get $99 back (yes, real money back). If any of you go, please look for me. You can reserve your seat here. Like David says, Success does NOT have to be hard!

Protect Your Images on the Web

In the Summer issue of The Professional Quilter, Gloria Hansen shared her experience when she discovered that some of the images from her Web site had been taken without her permission and were being offered for sale on customized merchandise. This was an obvious infringement of her copyright. After she contacted both sites involved, the items/images were removed. But she, like the rest of us, still has to be diligent, as we are all susceptible to our copyright being violated. In addition to formally registering your copyright with the U.S. Copyright office, Gloria also suggests applying a watermark to your images.

To read more of Gloria’s experience and learn about options for embedding watermarks into your Web images, you can purchase Issue 103 or can start a subscription here.

Orphan Works Legislation

Last month, bills were introduced in the U.S. House (HR 5889) and U.S. Senate (S 2913) that seek to change the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act. The intent is to provide a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright infringement cases involving orphan works. Orphan works refer to copyrighted works whose owners cannot be found after a “diligent” effort. Among other things, the bill requires artists to register every work in a private certified database, a database that currently does not exist, which presumably would be used for the “diligent” search. The current legislation, which went into effect in 1978, provides copyright protection to all work, with or without registration. This will have a significant impact on visual artists.
The full Senate and full House Judiciary Committee are expected to vote on their versions of the legislation in June. So, act now to get your opinion known to your members of Congress. I personally have written to my Congressional representatives expressing my opposition to both bills.

To learn more, here are some links:
Text of HR 5889: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.05889:
Text of S 2913: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02913:
OrphanWorks.net – contains testimony on both sides of the issue before Congress. Particularly interesting is that from the National Textile Association.
Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters: http://www.owoh.org http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/05/prweb911944.htm
Illustrators’ Partnership – http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00261
Here’s a link for you to make your opinion known to your Congressional representatives – http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/
Remember you need to act promptly, and encourage fellow quilt artists to take a stand.

Upcoming Show Entry Deadlines

Here are some opportunities with entry deadlines within the next 45 days:

Quilts Inc. seeks entries for its annual Quilts: A World of Beauty juried and judged competition. $101,250 in prize money will be awarded. Deadline: June 12. Details: Quilts Inc., 7660 Woodway, Ste. 550, Houston, TX 77063; www.quilts.com.

American Quilt Study Group invites submissions of 4,500 to 9,000 word papers representing original, unpublished research pertaining to the history of quilts, quiltmaking, quiltmakers, associated textiles and related topics for presentation at its 29th seminar to be held in 2009 in San Jose, Calif., and for publication in Uncoverings 2009. Deadline: July 1. Details: AQSG, PO Box 4737, Lincoln, NE 68504; 402-472-5361; www.americanquiltstudygroup.org.

More than $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Exposition to be held September 4-7 in Harrisburg, Pa. Deadline: July 1. Details: Mancuso Show Management, PO Box 667, New Hope, PA 18939; www.quiltfest.com.