The Tin Shingle Blog

When I first became an entrepreneur my father game me a sheet out of his desk calendar that read "Learn to say “no.” It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin." - (Charles H. Spurgeon)  I actually taped it to my mirror and looked at it every day for years.  The more years I've been in business for myself the more I've learned that the quote should be the mantra of anyone in business for themselves, if not for while in general!

The fact of the matter is, as an entrepreneur or small business owner you must learn to say no.  By learning to say no you're in fact giving yourself the ability to say yes to the things that are crucial to your company's success.  Too often we spend our time doing work that is either busy work or unnecessary work, which I equate to work that is not at all in line with our overall mission, priorities and goals.

Why do we do this?  I'd say the top reasons include:

Guilt: We feel guilty or uncomfortable not saying yes and doing the work, giving the advice or setting the boundaries we should set in order to avoid all these moments of "yes". These moments of weakness then find us feeling pressured and "guilted" into taking on tasks and work that are not in line with our personal and professional goals.

Feeling Rushed:  We often find ourselves giving quick answers to requests before thinking them throught and weighing whether or not they are in line with what we want to do and get out of life and work.

Unclear Misison & Goals:  Until you're sure what it is you want to do and the path you must take to get there, you may find yourself saying yes to things that you think will be helpful to you as you strive for success but in the long run end up just sucking away precious life and work minutes.  Don't be too hard on yourself if you've done this before, this is also part of the "growing up process" for business owners.  That said, as with anything, at some point you need to start making decisions as a mature business owner.  To do this you must first be very clear with yourself as to what the "end"  or final goals are for you, so all of your work is done with the end in mind.

Not Enough Practice Saying No:  The more you practice saying know in a professional and polite way, the easier it will become.  Like anything in life, it will be hard and perhaps even awkward the first time, but two of the keys to business success are time management and properly prioritizing and the key to being able to both is often learning when and how to say no.

GOOD NEWS! I'm going to help you begin that journey with a few tips.  I'm excited to share them with you because like many of you, I was very bad at saying no for a very long time.  I can count on my fingers and toes and my fiance's fingers and toes the times I've found myself working late at night or early in the morning or on weekends on things that I should have said no to. 

It was a struggle for me to master this work and life skill and I won't lie, at times it still is, but I forge ahead and keep trying, because the only option is going back to my days as a "yes girl" and let me tell you, being a "yes girl" is so last year.

How to Learn to Say No:

Though I have examples below of two ways I say no on a regular basis, I wanted to give you some thoughts to meditate on that will hopefully help you stay strong in your quest to learn to say no.

• Remember that you are saying no to something that is not in line with the success story that YOU are writing.  That means by saying no to someone you are saying YES to you.

• Learn to reject feelings of guilt in terms of saying no. Anyone who makes you feel bad or guilty about saying no to something that you do not want to do is not someone that will help you in the long or short term personally or professionally.

• Learn to deal with the short term uncomfortable feeling you get.  As my mom (and business mentor) always says: Short Term Pain = Long Term Gain.

• Get excited when opportunities to say no pop up!  Instead of seeing them as painful moments see them as chances to practice this new business skill!

• Be firm: firm is better with everything in life but cheese.  You want firm muscles, firm abs, firm relationships and you want to give firm responses!  Don't be wishy washy when saying no.  Just say it and don't feel the need to explain or give a "gray answer" in the hopes that it sounds better.  If you must explain, make it short and sweet.  For instance: simply state that no, you do not have the time in your schedule or no, you can't do a coffee date to give advice about XYZ because you do XYZ for a living and have to hold fast to only doing in-person meetings or phone calls with clients.

How Sabina Says No to Brainpicking & Free Work Requests:

Fact: I get requests for one type of business advice or another on a daily basis.  Another fact: I honestly wish I could help them all but not only do I work nearly every minute of the day but in my free time I've made a committment to my friends, family and fiance to be present and well, to actually have some free time every week.  Because of this outside of my closest friends and family I simply cannot be a free resource for business advice.  On top of that, it's what I do for a living, so I've had to get pretty good at saying no to people. 

To offer you a little peek into my world I'm going to give you an example of two emails I send to people when they ask for free help/advice/phonecalls/meetings/etc.  Note that at times I do give them a tidbit of advice (I can't help it, it flows from my brain at times) but I do make it clear that I'm saying no to the larger request.

#1 The Long Version

Hi XXX,

I'm so flattered that you've reached out to me for advice/work/etc.  It sounds like you're embarking on quite an exciting new venture and I applaud you for it! I'm actually working as a business coach on a daily basis and help my clients through these same issues and questions, and I'm also the co-founder at Tin Shingle that helps people through these needs on a much larger level.  So while I can't help you one-on-one with your questions via a phone call or email I can point you in the direction of those two options.  Also, if I were you I'd (fill in the blank):

• check out XYZ/I'd be sure you
  
• use social media to get some buzz for your sail
  
• get a membership to IMDB and take to Twitter to hunt celebrities
  
• check out all the amazing benefits of Tin Shingle as I think we can help solve a lot of these issues and answer questions that way

If you'd like to set up a business coaching call let me know!

Have a great day,
Sabina

#2 The Short Version

Hi XXX,

It's Sabina, thanks for the kind email and good for you for pursuing XYZ.  Unfortunately I'm unable to do XYZ but I wish you luck with it all and will stay tuned for your updates on Facebook and your website!

Sincerely,
Sabina

Now go forth and say no! Practice it in small ways and then use it in big ways to help ensure your future success (and sanity)!

If you’d told me a little over a year and a half ago that I’d be planning a wedding in August of 2013 I’d have "side-eyed" you and proclaimed you were crazy.  At the time I was only married to my job, and quite happily so.  That said, a rainy night, a last minute client cancellation and a charming stranger all crossed my path eighteen months ago and as they say, the rest is history...
 

Why, you may be wondering, is Sabina writing about her wedding on a website that is dedicated to all things entrepreneurship and small business?  The moment I began planning what I now refer to (even on social media) as the #BestDayEver I decided I would do all I could to make it a small business wedding.  Call me the anti-Star Jones if you will, because I decided I was going to support (and pay) entrepreneurial companies while we were selecting everything from our cake and flowers to my bridesmaids' jewelry.  I was even lucky enough to have a fiancé who knows my crush on all things from the world of small business style and who picked out the ring that started it all at an independent boutique I’ve loved since the moment they came into our lives.

As we began to get to know our vendors and connect with them virtually and in person something even cooler than the feeling of supporting independent businesses began to occur: I became educated by each and every vendor we worked with in business skills I (and all you) can apply to our companies.  From service skills I’d love to adopt to tech tools they’ve introduced me to, from best-practice business moves I’m going to adopt to learning how to gracefully deal with customer service failures, I’ve seen it all in the past seven months.  From the first “oh I have to share this information” moment I began documenting these lessons because I knew if I could benefit from them many of you would as well.  

Now, with only five or so weeks left until the #BestDayEver arrives (ohmygosh) I figured, why not add a little more to my plate and share these lessons with you?  With that I welcome you to our Small Business Wedding series.  Within it I’ll be introducing you to the vendors we’ve had the pleasure to work with and the valuable lessons each of them has taught me.  From the service failure that turned into an amazing recovery experience we had with Minted to the business tools I discovered thanks to Pollen floral designers in Chicago, to how  Slack Photography inspired me to give back to others via my business, each vendor has inspired their own post and own business lesson.

Below you’ll find a mini-introduction to them, and in the weeks to come I’ll share their stories and lessons!  

• Greenwich Jewelers
  
• Pollen Florists
  
• Epoch Hair & Makeup
  
• Minted
  
• Amy Beck Cake Design
  
• Coordinator for a Day (or try months…)
• Slack Photography

And more to come!

Who hasn't stood in front of their full closet and frustratingly declared, "I have NOTHING to wear?!!" Or struggled with fitting all the necessary garments needed for a business trip, or that once-in-a lifetime-getaway, into their carry on? That's pretty much how it all began for Sarah Yonover, owner and creator of Hipknoties, the multi-way convertible garment that can be worn 30 different ways.

Hipknoties is perfect for every woman on any occasion.  With her previous fashion experience, and optimistic, hard working personality, Yonover managed to turn a need into a success within just two years!  She sold 200 garments in the first month, now ships over seas, and has landed segments on national TV including Wendy Williams and the Today Show.

Yonover has shared with us some of her entrepreneurial tips in this weeks #SmallBizSpotlight.  After reading, make sure you check out Sarah's how to videos, and other hip ideas on her facebook page, such as how to use the Hipknoties to rock Gwen Stefani's chic style.

What inspired you to get started?
As a former Director of Sales for Michael Kors and Assistant Buyer for Bergdorf Goodman, one thing I know to be true is that all women love versatility and want to look and feel fabulous.

Faced with a dilemma of how to pack for a three-week trip to the Hamptons, Washington, D.C. and New York City in a carry on bag, and still look and feel fabulous, got me thinking. Knowing there was nothing on the market that would meet my sophisticated sense of style, I grabbed my infinity scarf and began to twist and tie it using rubber bands. Almost effortlessly, I was able to create a one-shoulder dress, a halter top, a wrap, a vest, a maxi skirt and more. Inspired, I ran to the fabric store and within an hour was sitting at the kitchen table learning to sew.

What do Charlotte's Patisserie and Horman's Best Pickles have in common?  Well for starters, they have spectacular #SmallBizSnacks Seriously, you have not experienced pure pickle bliss until you've had a jalapeno or horesradish pickle, and you are missing out if you have yet to gaze upon the handmade desserts at Charlotte's pastry counter.  What I'm going to share about them today, however, is more business related: they actively encourage their customers, whether first-timers or regulars (I'm at Charlotte's every morning) to keep coming back for more. 

Repeat customers are essential.  In fact, studies show that it's actually less expensive to bring back existing customers than to hunt down and land new ones.  To me, that is commandment every business must obey: any transaction (whether in person or virtual) should always be just the beginning of an ongoing relationship with them.  Whether you deliver a package to their door, coffee into their hands or a podcast into their inbox, that transaction moment should always encourage them to come back to you for more, whatever that more may be!

To get your creative juices flowing I've got some ideas you can include on your retail and marketing checklist to ensure you're doing everything you can to keep customers in your door and on your website, and money in your pocket!

ENCOURAGE FREQUENT CUSTOMERS BY DOING THIS...

• Reward loyalty. Use frequent shopper cards (like Charlotte's & Horman's do) for your brick & mortar (or farmers market, or trunk show...) shoppers.  Give them a freebie or useful bonus to them after they make a specific amount of purchases (keep it to no more than ten purchases to ensure it's attainable).

• Encourage a return stop to your website or store with each transaction whether it's a discount on their next purchase, free shipping or something personalized to your product or service.

• If you sell podcasts, classes or other downloadables, always include a link to more of these items (and a discount code for them to purchase more) within each post-transaction email.

• Entice them to spread they love by including a promotional gift or discount they can pass along to a friend (this can be done with a physical or virtual promotion card or note).

• Lure them in with free samples! Okay this is more of a pre-sale action but I'll tell you, whether it's an audio teaser or a sample pickled-onion (again, what lured me in) letting people sample your wares is often the fastest way to convert them into a loyal customer.

• Be sure your actions encourage repeat customers just as your products or services do: have a friendly staff, an enticing website and excellent customer service.  This also means you must keep it personal: remember what people purchase, know their favorite drink or snack, call them by name if you are in person with them often...The little things are often actually the big things.

• Snag their emails.  Whether you're online or in-person in terms of your business, capture emails so that you can invite them to upcoming events, share exclusive deals, fill them in on your business news and make them feel like they're a part of your business "family".

Have a strategy your business uses to encourage repeat customers?  Share it in the comments!