IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)

Those of you who know me, know that I'm never short of an opinion.  I'm a strong believer in solutions and vary rarely will cite a problem without suggesting a solution.  But sometimes, I just have opinions and for fear of being misunderstood, I'm going to share with you my thoughts on a few "hot convention topics" within the gift basket industry right now.  And as the title of my blog and forthcoming book, "Turning Points", I find myself going through a significant turning point that I'll share with you too.

"Attendees and vendors are deciding not to go to any convention because they don't want to have to choose or disappoint the other two conventions."

While I know of one attendee that made the decision not to attend for this reason, the majority of the attendees and vendors who are choosing not to go is because they can't afford to do so.  It's really that simple.  I've spoken to over 50 of both attendees and vendors and they'd love to participate but they're still struggling to bounce back from this economy.  If they could afford to be there, they would in a heartbeat. 

"Can't all three conventions become one?"

This is a tough one and if you're a business person, you know this isn't possible.  I'll tell you that its been my priority since I started GBA in 2009, to "uplift the industry in the spirit of support and collaboration.  Support and collaboration....not starting another convention to compete with an existing one.  Let's remember that I was asked to take over the National Gift Basket Convention and after pushes and shoves by a variety of people citing it "necessary", I accepted.  And now, am nervous as all heck to live up to the expectations of Tom & Pam Newell as well as the industry.  I didn't start GBA and then start a convention.  I respected the convention that was out there and jumped on board and asked how I could help.

But let 's get to the point...asking all conventions to become one means that two groups of people are no longer in a "convention owner" position.  And, as a businesswoman, I know better than to partner with others when it comes to large sums of money.  If I fail, its my business; if I succeed its mine to share with others.  I am smart enough, however, to collaborate with trusted advisers who are successful, care and do things for the right reasons.

That is worth repeating.

Trusted advisers are people who have demonstrated a level of success in their personal and professional lives that are to be commended.  They care about what they do, how they do it and foster relationships that are meaningful and long lasting.  Last and certainly not least, they make decisions for the right reasons; not out of spite. They're willing to step up, volunteer and be a part of something without any expectations in return.

Am I open to working with other convention owners?  Yes (some) but I will not share financial risk and I will choose how to share the reward.  Is everyone invited to participate and be a part of what we're doing?  Absolutely!

"No one can make money doing a convention anyway."

There is no way that I am going to take over a convention if I'm not going to be able to make money.  The amount of time, money, effort, sweat and tears that goes into an event of this size and importance is unbelievable.  Now, if I choose to give my profits or add more give-aways so our attendees are overjoyed, that's my business but I'll tell you that there is no way that I'm going to owe money at the end of a convention or not make any money.  I deserve to make some money, this is a ton of work!

Smart event planners have a budget and they stick to it to the penny leaving some room for the unexpected.  It's just like a small business - you have investments and all of the typical expenses.  Just to give you an idea - it costs $4000 to rent the projector screen and projector in the main room for three days.  So I went on eBay, bought the screen for $98, spent $499 on a project and I'm done - for years to come. 

But let me make one more point.  It's not always about the money.  Sometimes people like me do things for the betterment of the cause.  And as my husband would say, "the money is the reward for the effort and emotion you put into what you do."

"How do I make the decision which convention to go to? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

This is your personal preference and anyone who judges you on your decision doesn't care about your personal interest or future anyway.  My advice is to look at the faculty and their track record.  Visit their websites, read their biographies and education and see who is going to be giving you information about how to run your business - its important that you know you're going to be learning from people who know what they're talking about; not someone who thinks they'd make a good instructor.  Second, make a list of what you need to up-level your company and cross reference that with the classes being offered.  Lastly, pay attention to where the vendors are placing their support - that might be a good indicator that they have the confidence to spend thousands of dollars to be involved.  And know this....you won't hurt my feelings.  I respect your decision to go wherever you feel is the right place to be :).

---------------

My turning point through this entire process is that I have to stay focused on the mission.  There is plenty of drama around me; people saying this people saying that - the bottom line is to stay focused.  Wayne Dyer said, "When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." While its easy to get caught up in the gossip and negativity, I have to stay 110% focused on my mission.  Even writing this blog is steering me off my course but just for a few minutes :).

My #1 mission is that the attendees genuinely get the education and inspiration they need to work to their full potential.  We all created our companies to become successful; not to struggle and wonder what to do next.  My opening speech is called, "Reveal Your Potential" and it talks about having the confidence and a sincere desire to use your full potential - for real.  There are a lot of people that will tell you to chase your dreams, I say - choose your path, lay down some dynamite and blow it up!   Don't be the person that sits back and waits - go get it.  

And yes, that's what we have done for this years convention.  

Join us.

Debbie Quintana encourages your feedback, comments and questions; publicly or privately.  Privately to debbie@debbiequintana.com and publicly here on her blog.

Doing It All Is Possible

The first 4 years that I owned Gourmet Gifts, I was able to manage it myself.  Even though I worked a full time job, was raising kids and getting my degree, I was able to start Gourmet Gifts and become relatively successful with it after my second year.  It took two years to say that I was "successful".  But as GG got more busy and the phones were ringing more regularly, I realized the need to hire.  And so I did and I have to admit, I was scared to put someone on payroll primarily because I realized that her paycheck is important.  I wanted to grow GG big enough to be able to keep her very busy.  Then came an office manager, a personal assistant, a house manager and so on.  Up until August of last year, I had three virtual assistants, two program managers, a house manager and a manager for Gourmet Gifts.  But in August of last year, I was laid off from my corporate job and decided to hit the reset button.  I let my personal assistant go as well as one virtual assistants.  I wanted to see how much I could handle on my own, after all, I'm going to have at least a year off and can decide if I want to go back to corporate or not (and I do!).  (And, I was able to save some money - I was unemployed for the first time in my life and completely out of my comfort zone but that's a whole other story!)

My turning point through this process was so incredible.  I realized that so much more automation can be employed.  For six weeks, I studied everything that needed to get done for all of our seven companies.  I sat down at the end of the six weeks and made a whole new staffing plan, started using more apps and automation and most important, allowed more time in my schedule for good quality conversations.  I quadrupled my time speaking to those in the gift basket industry, took on more consulting clients and set time in my schedule each week to reflect.  I'm finding, now, that I am 110% focused, more confident and am able to spend more time helping others.

My turning point is that I can do it all but I don't want to do every little thing.  I want to have a solid staff that can take credit for our successes.  So, Angela, Oralia, Amy, Lisa, Twila and Ellen, hats off to you for helping me achieve my dreams of success.  It's because of you that I can say I'm truly living my dream.