What are you doing this Saturday?

My friends who own and run The Gourmet Grape (an amazing wine store in Lakeview) are celebrating their store’s 5 year anniversary this Saturday, May 17th, from 2pm to 6pm. The celebration is also a fundraiser for Imerman Angels, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization that connects a person fighting cancer today (cancer fighter) with someone who has beaten the same type of cancer (cancer survivor).

I recommend that you and your friends stop by, check out their wonderful store, taste some wine and help out a great not-for-profit! A $20 donation will get you 20 tastes and 10% of all sales will be donated to Imerman Angels.

The Gourmet Grape is located at 3530 N Halsted St.

9 Tidbits of Business Advice

1. Avoid the naysayers. There will be a whole lot of people who will tell you what you can't do - don't listen to them! (Guy Morgan & Aaron Rasty of BlueStar Energy Services)

2. Make business decisions based on more than just financials, because a decision based solely on money will prove to be a bad decision. (Jack McClurg & Lou Hutchison of Health Trans LLC)

3. You can't sell anything if you can't sell yourself. If you do not believe in your business and your success, no one else will. And when you're putting all you have on the line, you'd better believe in what you're doing! (Hany Girgis of SGIS)

4. Always make decisions based on long-term effects, not short-term results. (Michael S. Eisenga of First American Funding Co.)

5. Listen to the customer and listen to the market. Mind share equals market share. (George Nediyakalayil of Gas Depot Inc.)

6. Think like your customer. Put yourself in their shoes. (Scott Sanfilippo & Joseph Palko of Solid Cactus Inc.)

7. Know your strengths. Stay focused on your core competencies. Don't try to tackle everything in one market. (Roger J. Hendrick of Hendrick Construction Inc.)

8. Plan your work and work your plan. (Tim Williams & Craig Woerz of Media Storm LLC)

9. Don't let your fear stop you. (Rob Hannah of TSG Real Estate)

All of the above tidbits of advice are from the May 2008 issue of Entrepreneur magazine. A publication that I read regularly and recommend that others read.

More on Leadership

I was at the GLAAD Media Awards last night in San Francisco. Judith Light (who currently stars in Ugly Betty!) presented an award and in her presentation she said something about leadership that I really liked. She said: "A good leader shows the way. A great leader becomes the way." I thought this was appropriate to post since I posted about leadership just yesterday.

Leadership

I was on the plane to San Francisco this morning and I read an article in the NWA World Traveler magazine on leadership. There was one thing that really stood out for me. The article stated that "the ability to find meaning and strength in adversity distinguishes leaders". I really believe this is just scratching the surface. An effective leader not only needs to be able to find meaning and strength in adversity, they need to be able to communicate those findings in a meaningful and useful way to those whom they are leading. A good leader finds meaning and strength while a great leader motivates, teaches and leads their team to greatness from those lessons.

A great leader is also able to assist the individuals on their team identify and grow their strengths. They do not force, they simply nudge them in the right direction toward self fulfillment and ultimately team success.

Here are 6 Tips for Leaders from the article:
• Don't assume anything about a situation; you'll likely be wrong if you rely on your first impression.
• Leaders need to ask questions as often as they give answers.
• Be aware of the lenses you bring to a situation; a leader needs to question himself or herself.
• Learn to rely on others; a leader needs to be able to trust other people.
• When you're new to a leadership situation, find common ground by telling stories and getting people to share theirs.
• Remember that sometimes events can conspire to make you a leader.

After writing those 6 tips I thought of another trait that makes a great leader and that is the ability to make decisions. A great leader can not be wishy washy when it comes to making decisions as this makes others doubt their abilities. They need to be able to make a firm decision based on the information they have available to them.

"Candyland Couture"

Chicago House is holding their 20th Annual Spring Brunch & Fashion Show this Sunday (5/4/08) at the Harold Washington Library from 11:30am to 3:00pm. I encourage all of you that would like to attend and benefit Chicago House reserve your spots soon! (www.chicagohouse.org/event_1.html) My friends and I will be there enjoying the food and checking out new fashion trends. Come join us!

Paper or Plastic... or Cloth?

I just read an email that my friend Mary K. forwarded to me about the dangers of using plastic shopping bags. The PowerPoint presentation that was included was quite informative and disturbing!

Consider the following facts:

• Between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.
• Plastic bags have been found floating north of the Arctic Circle and as far south as the Falkland Islands.
• Over time they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers which contaminate our soil and water.
• Plastic bags kill wildlife everyday.
• If we use a cloth bag we can save 6 bags a week, or 24 bags a month, or 288 bags a year, or 22,176 bags in an average life time.
• Many cities and countries are banning the use of plastic shopping bags.

I started using cloth shopping bags a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely love it! Plus, some of the grocery stores that sell them donate a portion of the proceeds to charity or another deserving cause (at least they do in Chicago). I urge you all to consider this and take action!