 |
|
Daydreams... What is YOUR Dream?
|
|
|
Nearly every entrepreneur shares the same dream -- to create a product or service that becomes a hot commodity. One that becomes so popular, it becomes the new 'IT' thing that everyone wants and has to have.
Enter fidget spinners or fidget fingers or whatever you want to call these little spinning devices -- ah, here is something unique and wonderful and weird all at the same time! Are you familiar with them? How could you not be?!? They are everywhere! On May 2 of this year, fidget spinners were listed on Amazon's Top 20 Best Sellers list!
To me, it seemed like they came out of literally nowhere. When I asked my granddaughter, 8, what she wanted for her birthday, she said 'fidget fingers'. So clueless was I about this new little miracle that I had her repeat herself three times; then SPELL it so I could attempt to grasp what she was saying.
Even then I had no idea what it was and had to look it up. Yep, Amazon had them and they were sold out. By the time I got one, it was two weeks past her birthday but after ordering them -- and like all things brought into our consciousness -- it was literally hours before I saw them popping up everywhere -- at grocery store checkouts, online articles, even all the little souvenir stores in Hollywood had them by the register. (I was there this weekend!)
What makes fidget spinners extraordinary is they blasted onto the scene with no warning and have become all the rage with grade school aged children everywhere (and some not so school aged either, ahem!). Think about this: Already, schools in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Illinois have banned fidget spinners in their classrooms; deeming them a 'distraction'.
Like I said, as an entrepreneur, we all fantasize about having a great idea; so first and foremost I was in awe of fidget spinners seemingly instant, overnight success. But then I wondered, where did they come from?
There are at least two people who claim to have invented fidget spinners, but from what I can discern, a woman named Catherine Hettigener designed and patented the little finger apparatus in the 1980's. In 1997 she tried to sell them to Hasbro but was rejected.
It wasn't until after her patent expired earlier this year that they became popular. And if you don't know, once a patent expires, anyone can fabricate whatever was previously patented without having to pay the inventor anything - and by the way, yes; Hasbro is now selling the fidget spinners!
Despite the history of fidget spinners, their nearly instant popularity is a testament to a great idea, properly marketed and keenly targeted to the proper demographic. I love it! Hopefully you don't have to think like an entrepreneur to fully appreciate this phenomenon.
In my heart, I hope someone compensates Ms. Hettigener but they probably never will unless she tries to force them. From all accounts, she seems okay with the way things are.
I have accomplished much in my short life, but I am still wracking my brain for an amazing idea like the fidget spinner so I can realize yet one more dream. To create a 'must have' fad! Wouldn't that be great?!?!? So much to think about.....
|
|
|
Vacation Dreaming!
Have you been dreaming about a vacation? I have been too but this year, due to the remodeling of our landscape, we've decided to do weekend getaways instead. But where to go? And what to do?
Here are a few of the locations we've recently enjoyed:
--Kernville CA - not too far away and if you enjoy water sports, hiking and shopping, this is a wonderful and relaxing place. It is also at the entrance to Sequoia National Park and only a short drive to 100 Giants, a lovely hike through some of our gorgeous Giant Sequoias.
http://www.gotokernville.com/
--Peterson Auto Museum - in Los Angeles, if you enjoy old cars and the history behind them, this is a wonderful day trip. We spent about four hours here, including The Vault tour which is well worth the extra fee.
https://petersen.org/
--The Original Farmer's Market
- In Los Angeles at 3rd & La Brea, wow, has this place changed! I hadn't been there in at least 30 years, but it was a blast! The actual Farmer's Market is full of wonderful meats, fish, produce and fun little stores. Outside, there is an open air mall called The Grove. We actually spent over 3 hours there and if we had avoided The Container Store, we probably wouldn't have spent as much money (that Container Store is dangerous - so many great things!)
http://www.farmersmarketla.com/
--Julian CA
- gosh, so close and so much history! We love Julian. Lots of shops, the California Wolf Center and the Julian Mining Company (pan for gold, anyone?). Plus there are great restaurants, the famous Julian apple pie and an interesting museum about the area. This is one of my favorite day trips.
http://www.visitjulian.com/
--Riley's Farm
- a working orchard and historical landmark with all sorts of day trips, a bakery, music and shopping. You can pick your own apples and learn about Colonial Life, the Civil War and the Revolutionary War.
http://rileysfarm.com/
--Newport CA
- If you like whale watching, the beach, unique, one-of-a-kind shops, great seafood, and maybe a sunset cruise - this is a perfect place for the day!
http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/
I could go on and on! We here in California are so blessed to live so close to the mountains, the ocean and the desert -- all of which have their own lovely and interesting activities and history.
And don't forget, whether you're gone for the weekend or the whole summer, your home needs to be checked! We offer vacation absentee home checks as well as seasonal services and with no monthly minimums, we truly are affordable! Contact us for more information today. Call 760.898.9604 or send us an email.
|
|
Daydreams versus Sleep Dreaming
No dreams are real. If you are asleep, some scientific sleep studies posit that your dreams are psychological manifestations of your desires or some subconscious attempt to work through some type of emotional conundrum. Personally, I think they are rarely literal and are more likely symbols that need to be interpreted.
Day dreams, on the other hand, are also not real and are stories we tell ourselves about how we want things to be or 'what ifs' or other fantasy scenarios. One of my favorite day dreams is 'what would I do if I won the lottery'? Not original, but hey, lots of fun!
In both cases, we can make our dreams come true if we are willing to work for them. The best way to do that is to create an Action Plan that identifies the steps we need to take to reach our goal(s).
As an example, once upon a time, I wanted to attain a professional certification in Operations Management. But I didn't just want the certification, which could be achieved by taking six courses and passing the exams. No, I wanted to be certified at the Fellow Level.
To become certified at the Fellow Level, you still had to take and pass all six course exams, but you also had to speak about Operations Management in some public forum, you had to teach Operations Management classes and, and this proved to be the hardest one, you had to get published in an Operations Management industry approved professional journal.
It took two full years, but I did achieve the Fellow Level accreditation. In addition to the six courses, I became instructor-certified and taught evening classes for two and a half years at Cal State Northridge and I was a breakout speaker at an Operations Management conference held at the Disneyland hotel.
It took several articles and multiple submissions but I finally got published in an Operations Management professional journal -- not once but three times!
According to all the scientists and despite forever trying to understand dreams, the bottom line is no one knows why we dream or what the dreams mean.
When you have a dream, all you have to do to make it a reality is to work for it. Identifying the steps to achieving your dream makes it manageable and measurable. That is half the battle. One foot in front of the other... (And still I'm trying to figure out how to come up with a 'fidget spinner' idea of my own!)...
|
|
X's & O's on Wednesday!
Don't forget my Facebook Live broadcast on Wednesday, June 7th at 3pm PST. It is broadcast on our Concierge Business Solutions
® Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/conciergebusinesssolutions/
This week's topic is "Our Top 4 Factors to Build Your Business Faster".
If you dream of being a successful small business owner, this presentation will tell you the four factors that helped Executive Errands
® be self-supporting in its first year in business!
That's quite an accomplishment! And one you can achieve too, if you create an Action Plan and work it diligently! Join us for
X's & O's, The Game of Small Business this Wednesday and every Wednesday, 3pm PST!
And if you would like business coaching, assistance creating Action Plans, documentation, policies or procedures - or if you need software to help manage the data collection for your company, please
Contact us!
|
|
In my short lifetime, I have witnessed several 'fad' products. A fad typically has a short product lifecycle; blazing up and making a ton of money and garnering much press coverage; then fizzling out to near obscurity. Some products, toys especially, may continue to be produced and purchased but fail to ever achieve the status of 'must have' they once enjoyed.
Do you remember pet rocks? Cabbage Patch Dolls? Hula Hoops? Krispy Kreme donuts? Most of these had a flash of frenzy where they were so desired it was impossible to obtain them. In others, they spawned crazes and in some cases actually changed our society in some way.
All of these products are still available today. Where we once had Krispy Kreme stores (and I can recall long lines waiting to get in), and occasionally still see one, most of the time you can pick up these bakery treats at gas stations and some grocery stores rather than an actual dedicated donut store.
In the case of cabbage patch dolls, I was lucky enough to see what was happening in 1983 and to buy one for each of my daughters before the public went crazy and supplies were depleted. There were even customer riots and outbursts over lack of supply for these dolls. I often wished I'd had the foresight to buy a bunch for resale! Boy that was a hot product!
Did you know that in the case of hula hoops, 25 MILLION were sold
w
i
thin
the first four months when they were released in July 1958 and for a modest $1.98 each? Do you even need me to do the math? Wow! Even if the material cost was half (which it surely wasn't) that is still an unbelievable product launch!
I do dream about coming up with a fad idea. The biggest problem is me. I sometimes have an idea, then dismiss it only to find out someone else took the same idea and ran with it, achieving my dream on their own.
But that's what happens. You must have enough confidence or lack of fear to 'just do it'. Nobody ever achieved anything great without working for it or taking a chance. Today it is finger spinners.... Tomorrow it will be ????............
Until next time, dream big and I hope all your dreams come true!
|
|
Leslie Spoor
Executive Errands®
CL#944447
|
|
For a list of our most popular services, please see our brochure here:
Last year, after traveling to Cuba (another beautiful country!), I wrote a travel guide! To download our
American in Cuba e-book travel guide, please
click here.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
