176: Building a Mindset of Resilience in Your Business
Michele 00:00
Hello, my name is Michele, and you're listening to Profit is a Choice. I'm so excited to welcome Ceil DiGuglielmo of This Sew Much More podcast back to share this podcast with me, continuing a four-year tradition of reviewing our year and preparing for the next. Ceil is the owner of the Custom Drapery Workroom called Sew Much More a podcast by the same name, the owner of the Curtains and Soft Furnishings resource library, and the publisher of the Drapery and Design Digital Digest. Enjoy listening to us digging into the challenges and shifts that happened in 2021. And find out what books are on our holiday reading list.
Michele 00:45
Every day, empowered entrepreneurs are taking ownership of their company financial health, and enjoying the rewards of reduced stress and more creativity. With my background as a financial software developer, owner of multiple businesses in the interior design, industry, educator, and speaker. I coach women in the interior design industry to increase their profits, regain ownership of their bottom line and to have fun again in their business. Welcome to profit as a choice.
Michele 01:19
Hey, Ceil welcome to the joint podcast.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 01:23
Hey, Michele, welcome to the joint podcast. I love doing our year end wrap up. This is so much fun for me.
Michele 01:29
Me too. Who would have known that all the way back in 2018, you'd already been doing your podcast for a little bit. It was my first year and we decided to do it. And now every year we're like, I look forward to it.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 01:41
I do too. And it's so funny because I listened to our previous years in preparation for doing this. And of course, the last two years are just hilarious to listen to. Because, you know, when we wrapped up 2019 We had no idea what was coming our way and wrapping up the end of 2020 was even a little bit challenging. And yet here we are. Yeah, another year under our belts, another year older and neither one of us looks any different.
Michele 02:16
You know what's so crazy about all of this, though, is I was looking over even just the titles and it was funny in 2018. The title was like Yead End Review Looking Forward, right? 2019 Committed to the Pursuit. That was what I named it on my side. And in 2020 Hindsight Brings Clarity. And I've been sitting here thinking, what would we even name it this year? Right? Because it's been another interesting year, not one of these years has been like I've not seen any of the years that I could look back and go, Oh my gosh, that was like a repeat of another year. It's like something is coming.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 03:00
No normal year. There's been nothing, no
Michele 03:03
Like something's like come from outer space or break time. That's been odd.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 03:11
And we've both had so many changes in the years since we started our podcasts. And since we started doing the at these wrap ups, that I just keep thinking about resiliency. Yeah, and how I've talked with people within the our industry. And I originally I always ask, do you think you're resilient? And the fact of the matter was most of my guests, and many of your guests don't think they're resilient, but they are. And they say things will you just keep going? Well, everybody doesn't. And we've seen evidence of that. But we don't accept that for ourselves. And I do love that about so many of the people in our industry that we do just keep going. Okay, we got we got handed a curveball. Now let's pivot and let's figure something else out. Or I you and I both know people on our industry who have created products out of the work that they do in their workroom and saw a need and created something, whether it's education or product or something like that. And I think I feel like this past year resiliency has been important. And I think that the people who have been the most resilient are the ones who are still doing well. And not expecting a normal year. Just rolling with the punches as they go.
Michele 04:42
Yeah, you know, it's a couple of things that strike me about that. Number one is, I think that the non normal is the new normal, right? I don't think that things are ever going to go back. I made that comment last year and I know when I made it I had a few people who were kind of uncomfortable with that. But I do believe it to be true. So I think having the perseverance, the resilience, the tenacity, to hold on and to work through and you know, that's a lot of that's what I push and talk about at the beginning, too, is about making sure that that we are owning everything that we're being intentional that we're so that you don't get blindsided. But I have to laugh because my last two podcasts this month, I opened up the month of December with how to cope when being the boss sucks. That like, I've never done a podcast quite like that. But some of my clients kept saying it. And I'm like, it's true. There are pieces of this that just suck. And we've got to still do on. And then last, I think it was last week's podcast was how to end the year well for your business. And what does that mean? And it's interesting that you were talking about resilience, because I was looking back at how I had defined finishing well. And I wrote finishing well, for me means to complete items that were critical, and to define what critical means. And then to complete those critical items in the best way that I could not sloppy not have done fully done. And it means to be proud of the effort that was put in, because they're setting me up for a better future. And then I went on through it and made the comment. Sometimes it's about just being steady or still standing when it's all done. That's that resiliency, that's that perseverance, sometimes it's just getting through it. Yeah. And there's strength in that.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 06:37
There absolutely is Michele. And I think that sometimes we can't I hate to say this, because it's so sound so trite, but we can't see the forest for the trees. And we're so caught up in what's going on. And we can't get past this moment. But sometimes we have to be in this moment to be able to be standing on the other side. And I'm so impressed with so many of the people in our industry who have rolled with, you know, we shut down and people found ways to get work done. And then people were stuck in their home. So they were deciding that they needed window treatments and soft furnishings. And then we have the the whole we can't get goods, we can't get products, we can't get supplies to do the things that we need to do. There has been something of major there have been major hurdles for us, in this industry. Many other industries too. But I don't think too many people outside of our industry are listening to this podcast yet. We're still going and going strong and having healthy businesses. And I really do love the support that I see. I just saw Kate Grunkies I don't know whether it was her blog or a preview for her podcast about being prepared that things are going to shift again next year. And it's like, okay, there's that reminder again, like I'm here, and I got through this part, but I do have to look ahead. And so I love that the themes of our podcasts have covered what we've had to cover in general, these last couple years.
Michele 08:20
Agreed. And you know, even the big issue that we're all facing, I know, my work rooms, my designers, all of them is lead times and customer expectations and constantly resetting those expectations, because what they said the first time can't be met, and it's totally out of their control. You know, at the beginning, people were very kind and they were very understanding and I think people's ability to wait, is is becoming more difficult.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 08:52
Yes, it's been tested and stretched.
Michele 08:54
Yeah, I think their kindness levels and empathy and understanding levels are starting to fray. And on both sides for us. And then I think everybody's just getting frustrated, you know, and it's not stopping anytime soon. And that's the challenge. Two things. My son sent me a note and he's in commercial construction. I've mentioned that before, but he sent me a note and he's like, Mom, I need to let you know, he said, and please let your people know, we're running into that we can't even get upgraded shingles for buildings, only builder grade shingles. And if you want anything that is above a builder grade shingles is 10 to 12 weeks from the time or 10 to 12 months from the time you put in the work. So if you want shingles for your house, like really nice shingles for your house, you have to plan a year in advance. So everybody, I'll tell you something else that I'm hearing scuttlebutt about this year, and that's about bringing manufacturing back into the United States. I'm hearing a lot of that because they're the recognition of the dependence on overseas markets and overseas transportations and container cost. And all of these things in the shipping and the handling. I have a client that I was talking to yesterday, she owns a custom work room that primarily does new upholstery. So creates new upholstery, frames the whole thing. And she made the comment, she's like, Oh, my gosh, Michele, like where I don't remember if she said 8-10, or 10-12 weeks out. And I'm like, that's nothing. But it is a constant. And I said to her, we need to look at your capacity. What else can we do? How many more can we take? Why don't we go push deeper in the US market? Because even if you told somebody 16 weeks, four months, that is nothing compared to the 10 to 12 months that they're waiting to ship it on a slow boat from anywhere outside of the US.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 10:57
Yes, you know, exactly.
Michele 10:59
And I think the light bulb went off, and she was like, Oh my gosh, and I'm just hearing more and more people talk about. And that's why having these drapery work rooms, the upholstery work rooms, the artisans that we have that are making and creating and doing these more bespoke things, their cabinetry, like all of these things, there's so much need for that. And here's the challenge, we don't have a lot, and we've talked about this for years and years. So we don't have those artisans coming in behind the artisans for losing. We don't have a deep bench on this. And so understanding and showing other people that they can use their hands, and their skills and their talents to create these things, and then us pricing them appropriately to be able to live in the United States to buy them. And now honestly, the cost of the shipping has made the cost of US base seem very reasonable. It's all moved into a very even playing field. And that's been a very interesting thing to watch. And I think that's going to be an area to focus on for 22 is to see some of the manufacturing of things move back into the US and some openings there.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 12:15
Yeah, I agree with you. And I also think that we're poised to allow for the appreciation of that work.
Michele 12:24
Yes. And the value of the work Yes, right.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 12:27
Now you have it, because as you just said, by the time it sits for three months on a shipping container, and all of the costs that have come along with shipping, it really does change the perspective of what customer costs here in the United States,
Michele 12:45
I think something else is going to do is I think you remember back in the day, you are old enough for over 45 Yeah, you just choke on a day or two older than 45. But I say that because I can remember my mom and dad having items in the home that were handed down from their parents and their grandparents. And these were well made solid wood constructed items. And then there's this age group, and some may be listening who are like in this younger age group right now, they don't want anything a mom or dad's that some of them have been really willing to go out and buy cheap IKEA stuff or cheap imports that are going to fall apart in three years. But I think that when we move back to more US based manufacturing, and we are really looking at the quality of what these crafts people are creating, and the price that we're paying for it, I think it could shift to the cheap import, which is no longer still cheap, in some cases. It from construction, but not from cost. And I think it could shift us back to quality pieces that have longevity in the home versus such a throwaway mentality. It's so cheap, I'll just go buy another one. And Amazon will dump it on my doorstep tomorrow. I really think that it could if we allow it to mean all of this if we allow it to. I do believe that we could shift into more quality value, not just in product and service and everything. And I think that could be a good thing.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 14:21
One of the things that I've really enjoyed watching over the past couple months is the growth within the upholstery industry and how education has really blossomed there. And it's great. Yeah, and connection because that was a that part of our industry had not quite caught up in the sharing and education part and they're catching up beautifully and I love seeing it being quite disconnected. Exactly. And I see it's so much better than it was but I'm also noticing what some of these brilliant upholsterers are taking older pieces and creating work. So far, and some of them are, I love it because I can look at certain things and say, well, that's not my taste. But man is that cool. And, and, of course, I'm still in shock when I hear mid century and realize that's from when I was born. But the look that people like just by changing the fabric, and taking a skirt off of a piece, they updated a really good quality piece of furniture that now can be enjoyed for years to come. And I love the designers that I see saying, Okay, what are we going to work with it you already have. Now, let's build around that as opposed to throwing everything out and starting all over again, most of us can't afford to do it. And it's too risky, because we don't know what we're going to be able to get to replace these things. So I love seeing that. And it doesn't even necessarily mean more traditional tastes. It just means taking what we have and working with it and taking advantage of the artisans that are available to do this work for us.
Michele 16:03
You know, there's the saying is that necessity is the mother of invention, right. And I know my mother told me a story that I think back in the early 70s, she had made me a little dress. And somehow the iron sat on it too long and burned a hole in it. And she called her mother, my grandmother, my whole family sewed except for me. And she's like, Mom, what do I do? And she's like, well, I guess you're going to have to work around it. And mom ended up coming out with like this applique and putting some things here to cover up the burn mark because she didn't have enough fabric or whatever. And it made it into an even more beautiful piece than it would have been without. And she talks about that sometimes. And I think that is a little bit of what is also happening now. I am seeing the antique market start to explode a little bit, right, where people are searching for these pieces that they can rework is interesting too. I've heard two different sides of it. I've heard some designers say nothing inspires me anymore. I'm just so uninspired. I think that's just because they're drained and they're tired. But then I hear other designers who say, I'm now looking at these things differently. I'm looking not just what is this piece, but what could this piece become? Right, right? Yes. And I think there's a new is it called? What is it? Is it grand traditional? The new traditional? I forgot what it is?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 17:36
Oh, yeah, I've seen it. I don't remember what it's called.
Michele 17:39
For some reason in my brain won't even go there today. But in other words, taking some of these pieces and twisting and turning them a little bit and looking at what can you get your hands on? And what can we do. But I think it's also showing us as a world because I don't think we're the only ones struggling with this right in the US. I think it also shows us what patience has to look like. And I think I think the stress part is this. One of the stress points is we thought we had so evolved that we wouldn't have you know, we fixed all these issues. And now here we are struggling with them. And I think that has taken many of us and shaken our confidence. Just in the world. I would have never thought it would have happened to us. I would have thought the wind. You know, we're supposed to be Joan Jetson over here I don't be able to push a button sweet girl and have my dinner show up. And that's it to be on a on a cart though ships sunk in the middle of the ocean or hanging out in California coast
Ceil DiGuglielmo 18:42
Right.
Michele 18:43
And that's weird because they can't truck it across to us today.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 18:47
Because each time Oh, okay, well I got people to unload the ships. Okay, but there's nobody to drive it across the country.
Michele 18:53
Like, it has been the weirdest thing to go out to a restaurant in order to go oh, well, we're out of hamburger meat. Oh, we're at the other day. We were at the restaurant. They're like, Oh, we have one tomato slice left would you like to and I was thinking what? What do you mean, you have one tomato slice.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 19:07
I think we've become you mentioned you know, Amazon will drop it on my doorstep the next day. Well, if you have Amazon Prime, you are not getting things the next day anymore. It's really so the this we've become a society of immediate satisfaction. And I don't think on many levels. It's terrible. I think there are so many wonderful things that came out of the pandemic that taught us how to be resilient and how to pivot and all that.
Michele 19:35
And what was most important for families and taking that step back from the hurry pace. We heard so much of that last year right?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 19:43
And yet I feel like a lot of designers work rooms are now panic stroke because we're headed into the holidays as you and I are recording this. And I have to this and I have to have this and I've seen a couple of conversations on the forum in the library and as well as on Facebook groups. I stopped doing that years ago, where I adjusted my delivery dates. And I said, once we get to a certain point, no, it just is not going to happen. Because I just couldn't function well with the weight of the jobs hanging over my head and knowing I wasn't finished, and would I get it done on time. So I've moved my I move my dates up even more, but manage expectations by saying, if at all comes in, we will, but I can't guarantee that. But I feel like it is a new level of patience now and a new level of acceptance. We're having a little bit of work done in our house, and I ordered some new carpeting and the reaction between my husband and I was so funny, because he talked to the guy who came out to measure and he said, he thinks it'll be in in three weeks. And I went, Oh, crap, it's going to be that long. And he says, isn't that great? And I'm like, first of all, the fact that I'm the one who thought it was going to be in sooner. But you know, you have to have things all work together. And then I realized, oh, you know what, that really will be okay, if it's three weeks, because certain pieces are not coming until after that. But he was the one who was so unsurprised or was so pleasantly surprised that it would be in three weeks, and I'm thinking, three weeks, three weeks, that's longer than I expected. All right, well, I'll have to like, See, you're lucky it's coming in in three weeks.
Michele 21:23
You know, what else is interesting is that, and I really feel for the designers in the work rooms and the other people in the chain. It is that perhaps many of them, I know, my clients, they tried to plan so far in advance that they wouldn't have all these things stack up. But because of forces outside of their control, it kept pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing. So now it is stacking up. You know, there's this new I want to say idea, but our processes are being proactive, I'm going to give you a technical term lisco technical, smushed together. And that, like the designers that are doing whole house builds, they're still in the middle of figuring out the construction pieces, and they're having to specify furnishings to go in that house. Whereas before you would be, you know, maybe half the way two thirds of the way through before you would start finalizing thing prior and
Ceil DiGuglielmo 22:22
Yeah,
Michele 22:22
worrying. Yeah, worry about those things, because of the timing. But now they're almost so on top of each other, that when you take on a job, you're not just taking on, like the duration of this project over this long span of time, the timeline is now crunched for it's front loaded. And that means all the resources have to be on deck. Right then. I mean, it's just crazy. I'm we're constantly looking at capacity scheduling, and what can we do and how do we get this done, and everybody's in a hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, not because of their processes were built but because they're all having to be tweaked and changed to keep up with what we can get and what we cannot get and what was available when we started and not available. 20 seconds later, by the time we hit enter.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 23:09
Oh, my goodness. And also for people who have been working out of their homes is storage space, you know, you get one job finished or you get part of a job finish. And because I'm a one person work room 90% of my jobs, you know, so I start and I, I work through it, and I finish it, then I start the next job. I've got four or five jobs in the middle of things downstairs.
Michele 23:33
right and we would normally have never done that.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 23:37
this is in and I can work on this. Okay, well, that didn't come in, I'll set that aside. And yes, awesome juggler. And those are not my normal processes. So yeah, I've smashed a few things.
Michele 23:48
And then trying to make sure that we're not dropping any of the balls in the middle of it. And so, again, I think the resilience the sometimes like I said in my own podcast, it's just getting to the end and still standing, still being on the other side of it. But then looking back and saying what lessons did I learn? What can I now do? How can I improve on any of those things? But holding it ever so lightly, because it will shift again?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 24:14
Yes. And it's interesting, because in listening to some of the things that you and I talked about last year, and I do want to ask you some of those same questions, that holding it lightly was something that really stayed with me for this year. And I've joked around a little bit like I you know, some of it is part of the grace of aging. And part of it is that I have learned certain things, but I've tried to let things not bother me quite as much or, okay, this is what it is. Now, what can I What can I control and what can I do with it? And that is still a work in progress. But I think it's the most important lesson that we can get out of the last couple years is, is giving ourselves some graces you love to say, but also, okay, here's what it is right now. I don't know what's coming next. But I'll be, I'll be ready for whatever it is. So I'm curious, what are you most proud of this past year?
Michele 25:16
I think one of the things I'm most proud of this past year is, I'm most proud of my clients, I, I am so blessed to work with some of the most amazing business owners in this industry who have businesses that are all sizes. And I'll tell you what makes my ideal client ideal and why I'm so proud of them. And this because they love their business. And I mean, they just love to design or love to make window treatments or love to upholster. But they love the entire business. And they're dedicated to the survival of that business into doing what it takes, even when it's hard. And I, oh, gosh, to even be able to stand beside them and support them and walk them through that and then see them achieve that success. I'm not talking necessarily grand success, I'm talking about success over a mindset that says I can't and now it says I can success over. Oh, my gosh, I look, I actually accomplished what I said I wanted to accomplish in XYZ timeframe. You know, it could be small gains, or large gains, but to see them take the information that I worked so hard to share and impart to them, and to have them use it and then come back and say, coaching with you is different than coaching in some other platforms in ways. Because you don't just tell us what to do you show us how to think through it, you show us how to critically approach it, you show us how to do that deep critical thinking. So that later if I'm not there, they can still figure it out. It's kind of like when you know, we raise our children. And if you think about the transition of your children, when they're little they do it they do because we tell them to do it. And then they go into the why why why why why base to try to understand, then when they understand if they think it's important, they do it. If they don't think it's important, they don't do it. So that our job is to continue to help them understand the why lay I don't really think it's important that I brush my teeth. But once every six months No, sweetie, it's more important than that. But we have to connect those dots. But when they get it and then they do it. They're doing it because they understand the criticality of it. Yes, it's not because we're telling them to do it, right. So now when they are thinking it through, they can use that same logic and apply it to something else to determine how critical is it? Do I need to do it? Do I need to do it now? Do I need to do it that way. So just being able to teach that framework of decision making, which I believe is also a lost art. Because we everything has been so handed to us step one, step two, step three that we don't know critically how to pull out and look at it. But I am most proud of being able to teach that to a group of business owners who want to be able to think critically about what they should do and shouldn't do and when they should and when they shouldn't and how they shouldn't, and then see their success. I mean, I am just like I'm cheering in the back. That's just the best to me that that outweighs everything else. How about you? What are you most proud of?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 28:33
I'm really excited that the new library website is open that has been a labor of love a labor of love and I found myself somedays having conversations about things that a year ago I didn't even know existed. And testing things out with a team that build, built the website, and also understanding that it would be like a living growing thing, like there were there's a date that it went live, but that was not the end, and I and it's not finished that and you know, years ago, you build a website, you were done. And that's not how any of this works anymore. But also there were times when I was looking at numbers or looking at ways that the website was working. And I realized like, couple years ago, I could never have even conceived of doing any of this. And I'm so proud of how much everyone embrace the new website. And it's changed. We've had a lot of change going on. But people figured it out. And if they didn't they ask for help, which is why I'm here in the first place. So I'm proud of the fact that it's up and running and that it gets better every day and that the more it gets used, the more information is available for people looking for it. And I kept going every day. There were a few setbacks, but Everything, everything is working most of the time, and I'm really proud of what the website is becoming,
Michele 30:07
Have you heard of the term CICD?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 30:11
I don't think so.
Michele 30:13
So it's a software development term. And it means continuous integration and continuous delivery or continuous deployment.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 30:20
Oh, that's perfect.
Michele 30:21
So in the past, what we used to do is we would create something which is called a waterfall environment, which means you create it, pretty much you dump it, you're done. Create a website, you walk what you create software, and you create, create, create, create, then you deliver. And now there is this idea of more of an iterative, approach your iteration, one iteration to sprint, one, Sprint, two, whatever. And so what you're really doing is you are saying, This is what I'm going to get here. And then you're continually improving it or integrating different pieces, and continually delivering it and developing it. And so while it's a software term, I do believe that it is a term that I mean, I know I use it, even in my online education, my education today looks very different than it did when I launched it back in 2016, 2015, doesn't even look the same. And I'm constantly adding more and more and more to it, I'm constantly improving it or integrating it and delivering it and developing it. And so I think that's part of when we understand that as a as like, the terminology and the application of it. It relieves us of having to do everything perfectly. And if you think about in the design world quite often, that's the way that they design spaces. Mm hmm. You know, they're not walking in sometimes. And in the initial design, rarely, I don't think I've ever really seen it, did they go all the way down to here is the absolute last accessory we're putting on the bookcase. They do it in a continual layer, and then an editing process or a changing process. So it is a continual loop and inner iterative approach. And I think that that's just part of where we all are right now. It's the way things are working. Yeah, I agree it is having to make peace with that. Because I've always been more of that, let's get it all done, put it on the shelf, walk away, go put my energy over here. Exactly. The first couple of times, you know, Kate does my website. And she helps me with things. And the first couple of times, either she or one of my coaches says we need to revisit that I was like, I don't want to please don't maybe do that again. And I'm glad that I feel that way. Because I require my people to you know, Mike, my clients, I'm like, I we need to go back and look at that process, because the process that got you here might not be the same process that gets you there. Like, well, I did I know you did that. And that got you here. Let's look and see. And so you really do have to have a mindset for that, or it can feel like it's derailing you or keeping you from what you have perceived to be more important. Yeah.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 33:08
So what was your biggest challenge this year?
Michele 33:11
Hmm. You can tell we didn't practice these before. So it's probably as probably a good thing. Oh, gosh, I feel like this year went so fast. I think one of the biggest challenges for me was being nimble enough to recognize what was happening in industry surrounding us. And trying to either bring it to the attention of my clients and help them work around it and solve it. I got a lot more SOS calls this year. Not from a, my ship is sinking. But more of this is happening, and I need to respond quickly. And this is outside of what I've had happened before or done before. I think some of the challenges that I have had have been helping my people navigate this lack of people to work and people to hire, or people that don't show up. Or I can make more by staying home than working. You know, and it's a sad, it's a sad statement in general to say that we have jobs that we just cannot feel because people don't want to work. And because of the way that things shifted and change, some can't work anymore. You know, I'm not just I don't know that it's all just it's not I know that it's not just based on one thing, but just the idea that we have work to be done. We have sales in the pipeline. And that that's just been it's been a challenge for everybody. But because I'm such a let me help you fix it and do it get around it. It's felt even more challenging saying we are so what happens if we can't get that resource? How can we update the process? What else Can we do? How can we shift our resources. And so it's, I think it's more of having to just kind of be on the fly constantly able to stop and reimagine where each of them are. And I, I carry, I carry the weight of really trying to help them because it's important to me, like, I'm not here just trying to spout stuff out for 500 people in a group, that's, I work with a small set of people, and I go very deep. So their troubles are my troubles. Their challenges are my challenges. And I am constantly working to try to solve what is happening around them. So I think that has been hard for me because it's been hard for them.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 35:41
I think, again, the website, it's what I'm most proud of, but it was also my biggest challenge, understanding how people were using it. And also understanding that some of the parts of the library that were older, and actually were even a sub website couldn't necessarily just be translated. And then there was something called Picture trail that have held some information, it just disappeared.
Michele 36:07
Oh I remember, my picture trail.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 36:09
Just gone, just gone. And it had some helpful information on it. But it was also looking at analytics and saying, okay, but only two people looked at this particular part of in a whole year. And I know that that it's, quote, unquote, valuable, but not valuable enough for anybody to look at it. And so, you know, I still have the old forum accessible through the new library, and the new forum is doing really well. But, but trying to understand what, how to meet the needs of the members of the library, and how to have the information they needed readily available, because like you, I know what they're going through. And if someone's having a phone emergency, or they're having a lining emergency, they don't need an answer in a week, they need it now, and trying to be available. But setting up boundaries really was challenging with this library, because I am not available 24/7. But the library is open 24/7 And you can go in and look. And that just because somebody emails me a question at midnight does not mean I have to answer it. I am not looking at my email at midnight, I promise you. But it's that wanting to help but not needing to be available 24 hours a day. That part's very challenging for me.
Michele 37:31
Okay, still working on it. You're doing a good job. Thanks. I mean, I think we all have had to figure out our boundaries. I know, I've had to reset some of mine, but so have my clients. Because people are now it's almost like Monday, we are so available that that people send things when they think about it. Yes. And I try to if I do it, too, but I've tried to, but I try to write in there. Please do not answer this until Monday. Do I even sometimes write in the subject line? Do not open until Monday?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 38:02
I've done that too. Yeah. I've also said if it's an email, I've scheduled it to not go till Monday. If I if I remember to do it, sometimes I hit Send before I do. But I also recognize now I used to get very indignant about texts that came in at inappropriate times. And I just realized, it's what you said, people just send it when they think of it. They're not necessarily expecting a response. But it's very hard for me to step back and say, I'm not going to answer that right away. But I've had to, you know,
Michele 38:32
yeah, I've had to reset a few that says, pretty much when you if you have access to my phone and my email, my text, it's during business hours. And everybody's been really, really responsive. I mean, I just, I had somebody one time, say to me, you know, some of your clients have that information. And I said, Yeah, but my clients are respectful. So I don't really have a lot of pushback. I mean, once in a while, there may be a little something here and there. But I've never had to just I've never had to like go okay, we're getting ready to be done because I just had I don't have it. So I'm very blessed that way.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 39:11
No people within the library, very respectful. It's just if they happen to be looking for something at midnight, and I do wake up at three o'clock in the morning and look at it, I don't get out of bed to go find the answer for them. But I feel I feel like I want to help them. So again,
Michele 39:27
well you also have that offering that could be available. And many, many time zones. Right. So I do think that it could add a layer of complexity. Yeah. So alright, what's your next question?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 39:40
All right, my next question is what I know that you are more of a planner than I am and you're more organized in your planning. Do you have your goal set for next year yet?
Michele 39:51
Um, I do and I don't. Okay. So, I do have goals I have My three to five year strategic plan. But I also am in the process of launching something new in 2022. I'll be talking about that more on the podcast in the new year. And so now I am in the process of what I would call stress testing my Scarlet Thread Consulting goals, just to make sure that I keep everything in alignment as I move forward. And so you know, it's like anything, you add in a new anything. And you just want to make sure so as we get closer to the end of this year, and I'm revisiting the work that I did, I remember, I think it was back in March, I did the whole I took my business on vacation for a week. And so I'm already planning to do that again. And I set some pretty big goals at that point in time. But I've created even more goals since then, because I'd love to do that. And now I'm just kind of merging everything together. So yes, I have a roadmap. Yes, I have a plan. I'm just trying to make sure that it's still my plan. I honestly that CICD I do that with my goals. It does this still mattered to me, does it still matter to me now, within this time frame, that whole Critical Thinking piece, right? Because sometimes there's something that I still care about, I thought I cared about it in q1, but something else has raised up. But now thing that is so much more important. And q1, this can move to q2 or q3, right. But that's kind of what I'm working on now. Okay. And I need to go back through it again. But I do this a lot towards the end of the of a quarter or a year. And I turned turn to I'll be turning like this, honestly, probably through the end of December. And I can't remember if I've told you this before, I always take the first week, I take two weeks off, I take the when I say off, I just mean not necessarily client facing. I take a week off between Christmas and New Years. Brain rest, let it go read the book, take a nap, play the family games do what I want to do. But that very first week of January, I don't do client meetings. Number one, they're all getting back into the office. And they're all crazy and scattered trying to pick back up and I need to do the same. And so I found that if I give myself the gift of that, for my business, give it the gift of that first week of not having to answer the not to say if my elite clients, if they email me, I'm going to email them. We're doing all the normal day to day activities. But I'm not meeting the clients because I am I am working on my business. Because once I've done that, that second week of January, but I've got all my stuff scheduled out, I can just go right like I can just answer them, I'm not then trying to get my own business app in gear, I already have it in gear. So it's kind of that put your own face mask on first. And I learned by doing it in a way that didn't support my own business health and growth. It's putting everything the client wanted and needed. And I'll tell my clients, the first few days back to work, do not set up client appointments, ease your way back in, you've just had a week off, ease your way in, do what you need to do to get your business set up so that you can work in your strengths and not in your weakness and overwhelmed right and
Ceil DiGuglielmo 43:26
not start off at that at that nice start off already at
Michele 43:29
that pace. That's why when I go on a vacation or if I go somewhere, I always take that next day that I commit work. I don't I try my best not to schedule appointments so that I can catch up and breathe through. Like I've started realizing these are my pain points. Well, the only person who's going to manage my calendar to solve it is the only person I can complain to and say being the boss sucks is me.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 43:54
So I got to go do that. Right. You suck today, by the way,
Michele 43:58
right? And today you were awesome. All right, how about you
Ceil DiGuglielmo 44:03
so I do have a couple of goals set I cut back on the amount of window treatments that I was actually making quite a bit this year. But you know this time of the year is what it is I will be finished all of the jobs that I promised before the holidays shortly. And then the first week of December, I really want to focus on getting ready for next year and i There are some new things I want to bring into the library and some new things I want to do within the library so I'm going to take a week to work on them but I can have a one track mind and while I'm working on the fabrication end of it, that's where I need that's where my brain needs to be.
Michele 44:46
Okay, so you and I are recording this and I just an hour before this recorded my other December podcast. So there's no way you could have heard it because they're all happening the same day. But for you, and for those listening, when that December podcast comes out, I think it comes out like the 20th is how to end the year well, and I know, you also get my newsletters and I started sending out in September. Here are things to do to end your well. So if you happen to save those, you can go back. And it's step by step talking you through some of the things you're mentioning, needing to if I happen to save them, of course, I say, Well, I didn't even realize how much I talked about it until I was pulling together things for the podcast. And then I was like, Oh, my gosh, I've got like five emails that I've sent out that told exactly what I was doing and what I suggested they do. And I was like, Good night, I forgot. I mean, I did it. And I knew it was planned. But you know, you don't even sometimes realize until you're on the other side of it, how well that works out.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 45:57
I do think that, for me having my nose so close, and so focused on getting the new website up. And then you know, no sooner getting it up and going, Okay, I am with some window treatments to get done before the end of the year. That's what I'm looking forward to. And I can just, I can really focus on how I want next year to go and what I want the library to look like now that the new website is up and running. So that's frequently I feel stressed about not doing that preparation, but knowing it's on my calendar is okay. I don't have to think about it right now. And then I'll go for it.
Michele 46:36
So yeah, yeah.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 46:37
So a couple years ago, we did a podcast on reviewing some books. And we decided that since we were doing the wrap up, we'd also talk about one or two books that had mattered for us this past year. So I'm curious, is there a any one particular book that you read this year that was impactful for you? I mean, we don't do this by video, but you are sitting in front of stacks and stacks of books and liner right next to me, so but is there anything in particular this year that made a difference for you?
Michele 47:09
Um, yeah. And then remind me after that, I want to tell you about a new piece of technology that has been huge for me this year. I know, you love to ask that question on your podcast. And so I have a piece of technology I want to share. I would say that there are two books this year that I have really enjoyed. And it is because my clients are those that are scaling and growing. You know, I've kind of niche down to niched niche. I never know but well, it's both Yeah, lifted up. Okay. And I can't say niches in the rich, right? And or say niches in the niches. That sounds really weird. So anyway, I have narrowed down my focus, how about that. And so that I'm really working with because this my sweet spot companies that are trying to grow, and to scale in some way not, they're not all scaling in a cookie cutter way. But trying to help them understand what it looks like to build a strategy, what it looks like to manage to that strategy to create metrics, and KPIs key performance indicators, how to manage to those things, so that they can intentionally grow the business that they want to grow. And so with that comes people and teens, and, you know, some contracts some short term, some long term again, not a cookie cutter. But the two of the great books that I've really enjoyed reading. One of them is called, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager. I think Cynthia Bliss Gottschalk may have put this one out there, and I got it. You can see I've got it all marked up. It's by Scott Miller. And it's really been good. It's actually it says it is from the leadership experts at Franklin Covey, who brought you Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which I love. Yeah, exactly. But it's, it's very actionable. I've really enjoyed it. I've got stickies and stuff everywhere on it. But we all do deserve a great manager. You've probably heard me say on the podcast before that, I don't believe people leave bad companies. They leave bad managers. I had heard that before and I've seen that play out. The second one that I have personally enjoyed is the Vision Driven Leader.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 49:23
Oh, I love Michael Hyatt. Yeah,
Michele 49:25
yes. Okay, so this one is really good. You know, we've talked about and I think everybody hears it so much now that they don't even know where they heard it the first time that find your why living your why where you lie in it is it's so darn important. So important. But this talks about being the vision I see this as almost like taking E Myth revisited that CEO visionary and saying now here's what you do as that visionary, right. So they talked about it and E-Myth and it gave you some but this one is even going further. Remember when I said that we will do things when we understand why we should do them and we really connect them. This helps you do that. And so it's just been really an insightful read to understand. So those are two of my most favorites that have read. I'll tell you three more that are on my reading list for the holidays. For this time that we're going through. One of them is Mike Michalowicz wits has a new book out called get different. Oh, yeah, I saw that. Yeah. And it's about marketing. I don't know if you know anything about the savannah bananas. I don't eat down. Okay, so they are a baseball team that really brings a whole lot of fun into what they're doing, but they've got a different way of doing it. And Jesse, the guy that started Savannah or that own Savannah, bananas, he and Mike are friends. But this is part of just that whole being different. Like when you so blend in, nobody knows who you are, but get different doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be wild and crazy. Like that's not me. You know, I watch some of the flashy stuff that's happening. We all here get visible, get visible, be visible, but I have to do it and I would dare to say all of us need to do it in a way that resonates with who we are and how we're made.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 49:25
Yeah, you have to be genuine. Otherwise, I think people see that
Michele 49:32
I don't I just I don't know. Sometimes some of it feels so salesy and slick and ick that I would just almost be like I just hope that my ideal client finds me and shows and I mean we all know that's not how it works but this this we should we'll see how different I get who knows Yeah, Mike?
Ceil DiGuglielmo 51:36
Well, I like Mike Michalowicz's writing
Michele 51:39
oh, gosh, he cracks me up.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 51:40
He's very funny and very well you
Michele 51:42
know that that brings up the point that he actually just did a video teaching sales and reading of Profit First, with like slide decks that come across with him teaching it he's so Mikey. So funny.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 52:00
I did see that he was doing that isn't supposed to do
Michele 52:04
kind of technology kind of thing. But our new way of doing it's kind of a mix between audible and webinar, which is interesting.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 52:12
Yeah, I set aside the email that I got about that a minute about this.
Michele 52:17
Yeah. One more Michael Hyatt free to focus because who doesn't want to focus when like, everything's gone crazy. And so it's really helping you think about how to reduce your task list, slay distractions and free yourself from interruptions. So that sounded good to me.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 52:36
I'm adding that one to my list.
Michele 52:37
Right, Miss procrastinate working. And then this one was one that was just recommended to me by another strategic business coach, he is working in, like fortune 500 fortune 100 companies. So he has a different clientele than I do. But the four disciplines of execution, I have not heard about this. And yeah, he's like, Michele, if you do strategic plans, you're going to love it. This is by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. So the four disciplines of execution. So that's again, it's a Franklin Covey book. So that's what I'm going to be binging Okay, during the holidays
Ceil DiGuglielmo 53:26
Our nerd idea of good late reading?
Michele 53:29
I know I know. But you know, being able to read it when I'm not under the gun to figure it out, is relaxing and enjoyable to me.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 53:37
So that's interesting, because one of the books that I read this year, is getting things done by David Allen.
Michele 53:45
Oh, so good. It's a great book
Ceil DiGuglielmo 53:47
and what you said earlier at once,
Michele 53:50
right? Deal with it once you touch it once, don't keep bringing it back up.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 53:54
And what I love is that there's a an Evernote specialist. Her name is Stacy Harmon. And she teaches how to use Evernote in the Getting Things Done philosophy. And the problem for me has been because I'm working multiple businesses is to not have one area where I can focus and say, well, this goes here, this goes here. So I got a little bit distracted and a little bit disorganized. So this is not fully in place yet. This is a work in progress. But that touching it once thing and having an inbox and emptying it. I think for me my inbox was often it's not done. So it has to stay in the inbox, where I love the one of the things that that he says is your brain is not the place to store these things. And I was using my brain and it was not storing well. And I was not remembering certain things. So I was not taking care of things on time. So it's again, it's work in progress, but it's really been impactful in terms of Oh, okay. So if I keep one master list and but in Evernote, I can link to different lists. That's where I was falling apart before. So
Michele 55:14
I use Asana that way. So in my Asana, I have all the different projects are the different tasks. And it's kind of like my table of contents, that's a great way to think. And it links out to everything. And then I can look in my email, I can assign it, put my name on it, put a date on it, get it out of that immediate inbox, so that I work to keep my inbox between I don't know, two to three, five things, max, that I'm in the middle of processing and working on or that I need to do within the next day. Otherwise, I get it out and try to get it as close to zero as I can. One time I think it was at the end of last year, I must have hit some button, or Outlook did whatever it did it archived. Every email I had, I started freaking out. Joel comes down to and he's like, What is wrong with you? Like, all of my emails just went into an archive folder. And he's like, okay, they're still there. I'm like, but they're not in my inbox. My inbox was, I don't know, 1000 things that I just couldn't figure out what to do with. And then he's like, why don't you just use it as a clean slate? Because they're there, you can go get them and I went, haha. Okay, I'll leave them. I don't even think I've gone back to them. I think they're all still there. And now I just weren't down to have it. But I'm telling you what, it cleared my brain. It cleared the weight, the perceived weight of having to deal with it. And so now you could just about delete them all because I don't go into them. I don't care. So I just work through my immediate and move into the slot. But I'm with you.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 56:47
Yeah, that I found that it is a really good book. And then the other one is atomic habits. by James
Michele 56:54
clear, haha, that was my last year.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 56:58
Absolutely love his thought processes and love the idea of, of habit stacking. And if you're trying to do something differently added on to something you're already doing and also what you shouldn't be doing. So actually, both of those books I have read and listened to, because there was so much to absorb, and really felt like they all had they both had a lot to offer. But I I would say probably looking because the book is over there. I would say probably atomic habits. I used more or implemented more than getting things done. I'm still in the process of that one. But I get James clears newsletter. And he's just he's brilliant. It's so good. So good. It's concise. It's to the point. And I just don't feel like
Michele 57:54
and it's provocative. Yes.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 57:55
I love that about him. I love that about him. And right now I don't really have I was just looking at my Amazon wish list. I don't have
Michele 58:04
you have an Amazon wish list. I'm impressed. I have an Amazon by now. But I I literally just I'm like, Oh, that was a good book by I should probably put a Morrow.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 58:18
Okay, so here's why I do it. I do it. Two things, two reasons. I put them on there because I can be impulsive and overbuy on when it comes to books. I also will sometimes I know it's I know that's hard to tell that there is such a thing, but whatever. But I say I sometimes will, we'll get too easily distracted by a new book. So if it's on my wish list, one I might completely forget about it. And that means it really isn't what I need to be reading. But to I will also try to get it. I use Cloud Library with my local library and get a lot of ebooks that way.
Michele 58:55
Yeah, I am a my business books. I'm as you saw put tags and mark them up. But my fiction and enjoyment now do the cloud through the library and download them to my Kindle and read it on my Kindle. And I have a couple of books on my Kindle. But I'm not so great at highlighting there and pulling it out. I know that either I want to flip through the book and get to what I want to get to and move on. Because I remember where it is in the book. My brain sees it in the book.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 59:25
If it's a business book or a I don't want to say a how to book but if it's a book that requires action, I ended up buying it. Yeah, for that same reason I remember where it is I can highlight things I can stick a, you know, a posted sticky note in it. So but sometimes I'll get partway
Michele 59:43
they have a free version on Kindle or $1 version. I'm going to go buy it. And then if I think Oh, that's awesome. I think I'll get to that's
Ceil DiGuglielmo 59:50
frequently what happens or I'll get partway through a book. I go yeah, this really isn't for me, and then I haven't purchased it. Well, that's
Michele 59:57
smart.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 59:58
I do have I'm just looking I do Have two books that I'm thinking about sparked discover your unique imprint for work that makes you come alive. It's by Jonathan fields. He has a podcast called The Good Life, and then get a grip how to get everything you want from your entrepreneurial business. So I may take a look at them.
Michele 1:00:22
I think I have Get a grip. Oh, yeah, I've read that one. There's that one that is
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:00:26
by Gino Wickman. And Mike Patton.
Michele 1:00:29
Yes. That's good that that one. He's the same guy that wrote Traction. And all of that is part of that series. Yeah, I liked it. All right, then I'll definitely get that one. I can't can recommend
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:00:41
it, then I'll definitely get it.
Michele 1:00:43
Girl, I got a whole nother list of recommendations, we'll have to do another a whole nother podcast for that. Okay, so I want to share the piece of technology that has really, really, really helped me. And it's the ReMarkable2, so I have the iPad Pro with the pen. So don't become an iPad Pro. I really not you but you know, okay, and I love my iPad Pro. However it doesn't, it's thicker. And it doesn't feel like I am writing the same way. On the apps, the remarkable two, I can write on it, I've got the stylus, which is very similar to an Apple pen, it has a thinner point on it to me. But I can pull in PDFs I can write. So I have mine set up where I keep it open on my desk like I would a notebook. And I have a folder set up for every client, I've got pieces of paper with all of my notes from everything, it automatically syncs in the cloud, I can then pull it into their files and do so it's just so automatic for me. But it has, I am just about paperless because of that. And I don't know why. And so you know, those that are have been able to find this level of success with the iPad kudos, I could not, it just did not feel like I was writing on paper. The remarkable you can go in and change the backgrounds, I can put layers where it looks like college rolled or where it looks like checklist or, and it's just a touch of a button that creates all of this for me. I don't know, it just it has it's changed everything for me.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:02:27
So I'm a big believer in you find what works for you. I use, I use good notes very much like you just said, I keep my iPad open on my desk, you and I are talking I'm writing on the but I purchase something called paper like and it is a film that goes over the top of my iPad. So when I am writing, it feels like a pen and paper. And I use good notes the same way I can take quick notes on something I can upload a PDF, your two day workshop this year, I wasn't able to do an attendance but I uploaded the PDF that you send and all the notes are taken right in there. And same thing it's uploaded to the cloud, I can look at it on my computer, I can look at it on my phone. So I think anything that helps you do a better job, go for it. And I've heard a couple people mentioned in fact, one of my designers just told me that she bought the remarkable and she really loves it. She likes drawing on it. She said
Michele 1:03:26
yes, a lot of my designers are doing this, they're drawing it and then they're actually bringing it into their iPad and putting it into procreate and doing other things with it and then loading it to the next place. So I think it really just comes down to what feels right in your IP, I tried on my iPad, and it just felt too big and clunky. And there's something about the remarkable pen, it's smaller than the iPad pen. And it's got ridges, it's got certain ways for your hand to hold it. I don't know, it just feels differently to me. And that feeling means I'm actually going to use it versus I have the other end don't use it. But I knew you'd be happy for me.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:04:02
Absolutely! Iit doesn't have to be what I use. It's working for you.
Michele 1:04:07
Right but it's the idea of not having all that paper and all that paper and now I can go back and find things because I have my system of how to date it. Yes and how to categorize it so I can find everything. So
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:04:18
finding it the most important thing
Michele 1:04:22
and we'll say what thank you so much for having just another year in review where we are focused on resiliency ending Well, still standing here we are and being able to have that continuous improvement and continuous development, even on ourselves as business owners.
Ceil DiGuglielmo 1:04:42
This has been a lot of fun. Michele, I look forward to when this goes on my calendar. I really look forward to it.
Michele 1:04:47
Same, same same. Well, you have an awesome end of the year you to Michele and I'm sure that we'll be touching base again in the new year. Absolutely. Thanks so much. All right. Bye.
Michele 1:05:01
Ceil, it's always such a pleasure to talk with you and especially to recap our year. And this just something I who were able to do for a long time to come. If you're a drapery workroom, I cannot recommend the curtains and soft furnishings resource library enough in its original form. It's the resource that I found when googling after midnight one night back in 2002, to help me save and to build my business, if not for this wonderful resource and the talented people associated with it at the time. And even today, I think I might have given up my dream to build a creative business, and I would have gone back to corporate. So I'm just forever thankful for all who have had a hand in building and preserving this resource for the workroom industry. And thank you to Ceil for all she does for this industry today.
Michele 1:05:50
If you're interested in learning more about my strategic coaching and the methodology that I use, check out my work with me page on the website scarletthreadconsulting.com, it would be my pleasure to coach you or to support you with the financial courses that I have to build a foundation for your business success and profitability. Choose each day to be profitable because profit doesn't happen by accident. Profit is a Choice is proud to be part of the designnetwork.org where you can discover more design media reaching creative listeners. Thanks for listening, and stay creative and business minded.