The Tin Shingle Blog

The most important thing you can do as a business owner is to make what you dream. Dream it. Make it! Execution is key, and gets you ahead of the competition.

Entrepreneurship is in my blood.  Both of my parents are business owners and I grew up doing my homework in quiet corners of their offices,  eventually working for each of them during the summer until I graduated from college.  My mom owned a catering company which grew to include an upscale restaurant, which became a second home to me during my formative years, and though I didn't know it at the time, I was learning some business lessons via observation and "immersion" that I still use today . 

As many chefs are, my mother is and was a perfectionist.  Not only did the food have to taste amazing, but the presentation had to be just right - impeccable -  because it was all part of the experience.  This was easy enough to do when my mom was the one cooking and plating each meal, along with a small and trusted team.  That said, like many an entrepreneur, as her business grew so did her team, and that meant that she had to take herself out of the kitchen/presentation process more and more and trust others to do these things while she managed her burgeoning business and team. 

If you've ever let someone else take care of your business that you worked on solo for so long, or take over a role you once did on your own, you know how scary this can be.  Sure, you've picked out a team that you trust and who are enthused about and clear on your company's style and mission, but it's still hard to let go and let them do what they need to do!  As I've been an entrepreneur for nearly a decade, I've been in this situation before and fortunately could turn to my mom for advice.  Her advice?  "You have to tell them where to put the parsely!"  HUH?  Let my mom explain: 

When I was plating some of our entrees, I would tell someone on the line "now garnish the plate with parsley and sauce".  When the plate came back to me it was nothing like I expected or wanted.  Parsley and sauce were scattered here and there and I was upset beacuse it wasn't my style and what I expected.  I wanted the parsely around the edge "just so".  I wanted the sauce to go in a specific place. I wanted the rest of the white plate to be cleaned with a napkin so that the presentation was perfect.  When it didn't look like what my perfect was I got upset, but then I realized, "I hadn't told them where to put the parsely, I just told them to do it".  How could anyone know how, what or where I wanted it done without me showing and telling them specifically."  Without giving them the specifics more time (not to mention plates) was wasted than was necessary.

Ah yes, the parsley.  What is your parsley?  What are you telling your employees or freelancers or interns to do?  Are you giving them feedback and guidance in a "rushed entrepreneur style", not giving ample time or directions?  Are you aware this will cause you more stress and waste more time in the long run?  Or maybe you're taking the time to give them directions, but not the best or most complete set.  Just like my mom learned that her employees aren't mind readers and that even those who perform at the highest level still need to be equipped with the proper tools and guidelines. 

Another bonus in terms of establishing clear instructions, directions and rules?  Each decision you make and every set of guidelines you share that is executed by your team the correct way helps to create your company culture and the overall customer experience.  Pretty major stuff!  Not things that should be taking lightly or rushed through. 

In order to help you ensure your "parsley always falls in the right place", we've got a list of musts you should commit to memory when giving instructions (whether in person or virutally) to your team.

How to Give Directions at Work the Right Way

Be Specific:  Simply saying "Save the document at the end of the day and we'll work on it again tomorrow." isn't enough.  You need to tell them the where's, how's, etc.  "Save the smoothie recipe e-book we're working on when you leave at the end of the day.  Save it as 'Summer Smoothies Recipes Version 1' inside the 'Smoothie Projects' folder which you can find on your computer's desktop".

Don't Assume:  You know the saying, "When you assume you make an ass out of you and me."  There, I said it.  I don't think anyone is an ass in this situation, but I do think it's dangerous (and time consuming) to assume people will just "get what you mean" when you introduce any new task or idea without a discussion about what the project is and what exactly you want done so that the outcome will be up to your standards.

Give Directions with Eye Contact in a Focused Conversation: If you are giving someone directions and you're in the same room with them, don't expect them to absorb them fully if either of you is typing up an email, texting, Instagramming or is focused on another project.  Instead, set specific times of the day or week to stop everything else you're doing an go through the directions and expectations for a new project.  This also lets them prepare any question about said project and bring the to the meeting.  Employees or team members work remotely?  No worries!  Tap into software like Goto Meeting and you'll be able to speak with anyone, anywhere and hold your meeting face-to-face via the Internet.

Don't Just Give Directions, Share the Project Fits into the Bigger Picture:
What is the mission that these directions are trying to accomplish?  Simply saying "Do A, B and then C" isn't always enough when telling someone on your team what they need to get done.  I also like to share with them why we are doing something because it helps make what they are doing more real and less like a random puzzle piece.  Giving them the full picture helps show them where their piece fits into the puzzle as a whole. "We're having you link the content in our blog to podcasts with similar subjects, resources and past blogs so that the reader can access more information that pertains to what they are reading about, thus learning more.  It will also help them discover more and more of our brand's offerings and content."  Not only does this result in a job done more efficiently, but it could even get you new insight into what you are trying to accomplish.

Don't Just Say...Show
Whether you are showing someone how to write an email, pack a delivery box, order a shipment of office supplies or post tweets to your company's Hootsuite account, if a picture is worth a thousand words a demonstration is worth ten thousand! Do it once with them watching you, bonus points if you have them then do it back in front of you.  This way you can work out the kinds and be a model of what to do and what not to do!  This will not only save all parties time in the future but will help your employee feel more confident and move more quickly when they do it on their own.

Anticipate & Discuss Challenges & Hiccups
Even the best laid and strategized plans can go awry.  As someone who has been doing many of your company's tasks for years you have seen and experienced the big and small challenges that pop up from time to time.  You're able to anticipate what speed bumps one may encounter along the way.  Think about those before you give your directions and discuss them with your employees before they begin a project.

Just as my mom has always stressed the importance of "knowing where to put the parsley", she's also been a big proponent of educating oneself as an entrepreneur about business and employee management success strategies.  No matter what your prior professional background, there is no excuse for not taking the time to learn how to run your business well!  After all, the rules in business are very similar to those in life, and one of the biggies in each is "clear and open communication".  Use the strategies above to make managing your team, delegating and giving instructions easier and more productive. 

Have any other tips for giving great directions? Share them in the comments below!

When the baker gave two weeks notice for his retirement at All You Knead Bakery in Beacon, NY, store-owner Simone Williams couldn't just hire another baker. The baker was her business partner, and he was the one with the recipes in his head and the kneading knowledge in his fingers.

Processing the information, Simone did what every successful business owner does: thinks up a backup plan for survival. When your main supplier of your product tells you he's going to stop making that product in the next two weeks, you've got to act fast, and that's what Simone did.

Simone did much of the marketing for the bread company, ran the day to day operations and dealt with press inquiries like for this story in the New York Times. She was the one who pushed for their bread company to move out of their former headquarters at a former high school in Beacon, which is where several other small businesses and artists had set up shops. Simone scouted a storefront location on Beacon's Main Street, and they moved operations. Simone's husband does the marketing, delivery and participation at farmers markets.

Simone had no experience as a baker, yet undertook the most crucial understudy role a person can take in two weeks. She watched her soon-to-be former partner bake each loaf, and studied every recipe for his techniques. She had him write out each recipe for her official cookbook, which has grown since then with her own recipes, like Samosa, as I discovered. As many small businesses can attest, the one experienced in an area of the business may not have a system written out, should they need to be unavailable for a length of time. These systems are crucial to a business's survival.

Simone learned to be a baker in two weeks time. She learned about the steaming of the bread, the kneading it, and the other secrets that were soon to live in her head. The bakery is thriving in Beacon, supplying many establishments with special order breads, including Adams Fairacre Farms. They have a fan following at farmers markets. And now their foot traffic is picking up in the store as Simone cooks up new recipes and aligns with other local businesses on the street.

I'm not sure I could have done it - taken my own course in baking in two weeks, and turning around to fill the orders that kept my business afloat. It reminds me of a profile story we did on chocolatier Nutty Steph's, who needed to scrounge up investment money to buy their chocolate factory from the man who made their chocolate who had been struck with cancer and could no longer make the chocolate. Add Simone's story to this list of Business Survival Stories, as she is an inspiration to us all!

I’m always on the lookout for a unique opportunity to promote my jewelry, Peggy Li Creations, and last year I set my sights on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. You might think, “well, it’s just bathing suits” but it really is more than that. SI Swim is a yearly event with some of the hottest supermodels and, even better, they accessorize with those bathing suits, usually in dainty, delicate jewelry, which is my look.  So I felt like I already had a good fit with the aesthetic of the issue, which in my mind, gives me a better chance of being noticed by the editors. I also already knew from looking at previous issues that they use designers of all sizes (not just big fashion brands), so I suspected they were open to any pitch.
 
The next step was to find a contact to pitch to! I Googled for “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor”, the SI masthead, and visited the SI.com website looking for contact information and an editorial calendar for info. Even though the issue releases in February each year, they take almost an entire YEAR to create the issue. This meant pitching in April/May. When I got a name, MJ Day, I immediately looked for her LinkedIn profile and other social media handles, like her Twitter @MJ_Day. In her Tweet history were mentions of SI Swim, so I knew I was in the right place!  I don’t quite remember the sequence of events here, but I would guess I tweeted to her first, then connected over LinkedIn.
 
I didn’t turn up a direct email, however. So more sleuthing was required – I scouted the SI website and the profiles of other SI writers (on Twitter, on LinkedIn) to see what the email conventions were. I could have also contacted her via LinkedIn, but I preferred being able to send an email. After scouting Sports Illustrated info,  I pieced together what the email address would likely be and crafted my pitch. I also submitted my pitch to the Tin Shingle Pitch Whisperer Program for an additional polish (for tips, visit the Tin Shingle guide on How to Pitch the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition by Sabina.
 
I sent the email and almost immediately received an email from an editorial assistant for additional contact information. About a month later, the magazine sent out a “cattle call” email, an email request for items with information about the theme of the shoot. It’s a huge issue that shoots throughout the summer, so there were at least 2-3 shoots available to submit product to. Timeliness in sending samples I always think is an edge, so I did my best to turn around product within a day or two to the appropriate shoots, following the instructions in the email. I also followed up at various times during the summer (with no response), but I suspected that was no reason to panic. It was in January I received an email request for credit information, which is always a good sign that product has been shot/used, but even a credit request is no guarantee the images will appear in the final print.  So it was with my fingers crossed I picked up an issue the day it hit the newsstands!
 
In the meantime, back in May, MJ Day herself Tweeted an all-call for items in her Twitter feed (you can see this in the Tin Shingle article) with a specific email for submissions!  So there was a way to pitch to the issue without a ton of sleuthing work required.

The SI Swim 2014 edition turned out to be their 50th anniversary issue, which was amazing because they put a ton of PR resources behind the launch of the magazine. SI (and sports in general) are also working very hard to use current social media, so there was lots of activity on Twitter, Instagram and dedicated apps for the magazine issue. While the editors have not responded in social media to my shout-outs (it is perhaps too well-oiled of a machine for that and is more about the girls than the goods), which is a shame because I’d love to build those relationships, it certainly was a thrill to be a part of!