Owner: Nibbles for the Kitchen Table Tycoon URL:http://kitchentabletycoon.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 03 May 2008 04:16:15 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Entertaining stories, ideas and tips to help Kitchen Table Tycoons turn their small business into a fabulous business. This blog is written to help women running small businesses and work-at-home-mums to build their best business. Site statistics:Click here
What Kitchen Table Tycoons can learn from Chanel 2008-05-01 06:26:00 The Chanel
label is nearly 100 years old. The man at the helm is the 70 –something Karl Lagerfeld and he has been there for some 25 years. Put like that it’s hard to imagine cashed-up gen-Y-ers loving the label. Yet they do. Passionately.The reason that he can design stuff so appealing to his young worshippers is in his choice of muses - Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse ,Irina Lazareanu, Cat Power and muse-to-be Frances Bean.His muses are cashed-up fashion-leading gen-Y-ers, and his market is cashed-up fashion-leading gen-Y-ers.So while the label may be old, and the leader long in the tooth, the source of his inspiration is still young and fresh.My nibble is this: all businesses need a muse.Your business needs a source of inspiration as much as an artist does. And like an artist your busin Read more:Kitchen
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Can’t afford employees? How about getting your customers to do the work for you? 2008-04-30 05:26:00 Threadless.com will sell over 1 million must-have too-cool t-shirts this year earning them something in the order of US$20 million in revenue.Guess how many staff they have?35Yep, that’s right. Just 35.As a very rough rule of thumb a business is doing pretty well if it employs just 5 people for every US$1million in revenue earned. Or, put another way, it’s a good business if every employee adds US$200,000 to the top line.Threadless.com employs just 1.75 people for every US$1million in revenue. Each employee adds a phenomenal US$571,000 to the top line.So how does Threadless out-do the best companies?They use their customers
to do the work for them.Customers submit t-shirt designs to the website, customers vote on the best design of the week and customers run a magnificent word-of-mouth Read more:afford
, employees
What does everyone know that I don’t? 2008-04-24 07:27:00 I recently discovered the Ozganics grocery line -yummy yummy organic foods and sauces - and the story behind the business.The founder Anni Brownjohn literally stumbled over a jar of American organic jam in her local Aussie supermarket. Because she thought it was complete madness that this stuff was being imported from half way round the globe she started a business producing an Australian version.It was a lot tougher than she thought.The ingredients were hard to find and extraordinarily expensive, and to top it off Australian’s weren’t even that bothered about buying organic food stuffs! (I should point out that Aussies aren’t complete philistines - this was a good ten years ago).Even though the business is now a great success Anni says that she wouldn’t have started the business i Read more:everyone
Are you too busy to exercise? 2008-04-23 06:04:00 What’s the first thing that you are too busy to do? For me it’s exercise. Or should I say for me it was exercise.After discovering “Brain Rules:12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home and school” by John Medina () I am now going to have to find something else to be too busy to do.Why?Because according to John exercise is the closest thing we have to a magic bullet for our brains and:we learn 20% faster immediately after exerciseexercise improves our brain’s higher-order functions (complex problem solving, reasoning etc)we are best at decision making when our heart rate is upwe get better outcomes from business meetings when we hold them while walking at 1.8 km per hour (sounds funny but I think it works –I feel much more eloquent when I walk about while using the
Lessons from the leg wax 2008-04-11 06:02:00 The other day I notched up my first one year anniversary with a beauty salon. While this might not sound like much of an achievement it has left me totally delighted.After two decades of growing body hair I have finally found a leg, bikini, and eyebrow defuzzer which I actually like.So while I was enduring last week’s leg wax I decided to work out what I liked so much about this particular Temple of Pain and Endurance. Here’s the list:· It’s clean· It’s convenient· The parking is ok· They stick to appointment times· The therapists are friendly in a low key way· The beauticians don’t indulge in inane conversation during treatments· You get an aroma therapy eye pack while having your legs and bikini done· It smells nice· They don’t try to sell products to youThe interest Read more:Lessons
Being discovered 2008-04-02 19:09:00 When I was growing up people got “discovered”. Kate Moss got “discovered” by a model agent at JFK airport. Naomi Campbell got “discovered” while window shopping in Covent Garden. The formerly voluptuous Sophie Dahl got “discovered” on a London street by the fashion maverick Isabella Blow.These three enormously successful models were also girls that didn’t fit the model mould – Kate was too short, Naomi to exotic and Sophie, well, too voluptuous.And they still got discovered; there was hope for all of us.Fast forward to today.If you are a jewellery designer/cake maker/ novelist you may get “discovered” by Oprah and unveiled on her showIf you are a dress designer you may get “discovered” by Nicole Kidman or Angelina Jolie and worn to the OscarsIf you are a shoemak
A daily dose of goodness 2008-04-02 04:49:00 I can’t remember how I stumbled across this now, but I did, and I love it.It’s called the Daily Good and it’s a free email service that delivers a little bit of inspiring goodness straight into your in box.So every day I get to read a little story that leaves a big impact.It feels good. It revitalises me. And it reminds me about what’s really important.Check it out at www.dailygood.org
A midwife in every village 2008-03-29 21:53:00 How would you feel if you gave birth to a baby that had died because it’s head got stuck in the birth canal?How would you feel if that baby’s skull had rubbed a hole in your bladder or rectum giving you uncontrollable urinary and faecal incontinence?How you would feel if you were then abandoned by your family and cast out of your village because the incontinence made you dirty and smelly.......This happens to 9000 women a year in Ethiopa.The childbirth injury is called a fistula injury and it can be completely fixed.I have been looking for a charity to support with my book (it’s not too late to enter a story: email me at Julia@thebusinessbakery.com.au) and I have decided to support the Fistula Foundation 1959 Catherine Hamlin went to Ethiopia with her husband to set up a midwifery s Read more:every
It’s the little things that make an impact 2008-03-26 22:17:00 I love Jo Malone and as a natural extension I tend give Jo Malone stuff as gifts.So yesterday I popped in to buy a candle for a friend and they asked me if I wanted to join their mailing list. I often say no to mailing list requests but I do like their stuff so I dutifully obliged.Today the postman delivered a lovely handwritten card from the Jo Malone team inviting me in for a complimentary hand and arm massage.Now I know the massage is just good marketing to get me back through the front door. But because it was handwritten, personal (“I do hope you enjoy your new candle”) and quick (I gave them my address less than 24 hours ago). I’m taking them up on it. Tomorrow.And it also reminded me how easy it is to overlook the littlethings
which make the biggest impact
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Styling the hairdresser 2008-03-26 04:43:00 My hairdresser, George, is great at cutting and colouring hair but he is hopeless at training and managing staff. So hopeless in fact that except for a lone hairwasher-tea-maker-general–sweeper-upper he works alone in his salon.And he makes more profit than ever.How has he done that? By skilfully changing his business model.In the old days George made money in the traditional hairdresser sense by having a team of hairdressers working for him.Now he makes money by selling niche, luxury, hard-to-find skin care and cosmetics to his customers.Because George isn’t running around managing staff he can devote himself entirely to his clients which gives him ample opportunity to showcase his products and persuade his clients that they can’t possible live without Tracie Martyn cleanser and Eve
The smile train business model 2008-03-23 00:35:00 Put simply your business model
is the answer to the question “how does your business work?”So how does your business work?Puzzled? This question is so often greeted with bewilderment that I thought I would showcase some business models.My inspiration for this was a fabulous article on It’s a story about Smile Train, a charity that fixes children’s cleft lips. Initially the charity used the donations it raised to send a team of doctors to treat poor children in countries such as Vietnam and India. Frustrated by the relatively high cost of doing this and the low number of children they could treat, they changed the business model. Instead of sending American doctors to treat the children they used the donations to train local doctors. The result – same amount of dollars, many many
Would you like to feature in my book? 2008-03-22 20:55:00 I am writing a book. Well I’m editing it actually because it’s all written - I am just going through the making-it-better bit.The book is called The Art of Baking a Business: Recipes for the Kitchen Table Tycoon - and that’s exactly what it is - a collection of recipes and fun stuff for baking a business.As well as the “how to” recipes the book has lots of tasty tales - stories about successful former Kitchen Table Tycoons.I am also profiling a selection of Kitchen Table Tycoons who right this minute are starting or running their small business. But rather than just feature
women that I know I thought I would run a sort of competition to get the best stories from around the world.And so I am inviting you to be part of the book.All you have to do is email me: Julia@thebusinessbake
What can be seen in Agyness Dean 2008-03-22 20:03:00 The other day I was reading an article about the English model and style supremo Agyness Deyn. It is pretty well known that she started life with a much more ordinary name (Laura Hollins) but there is a bit of controversy over whether she was “discovered” working in a fish and chip shop in the bleak North of England or whether, in fact, she skilfully engineered the launch of her astonishingly successful career.The article I read put it well. While I can’t remember the exact words it went sort of like this. “Isn’t it better to be architect of your career rather than the passive participant?”Hollywood movies roll out the passive participant story with impressive regularity. The best feel good movies have the nice-girl-just-going-along-doing-her-thing-wins-the-competition theme. W
Nothing compares to U 2008-03-22 19:26:00 More on the theme of things that worked 10/15/20 years ago but don't work now.I saw a picture of Sinead O'Connor in the paper today. About 15 years ago, maybe more, I wished I had her sort of face that could look awesome with short hair -my face was too moonlike to do anything other than long.Sinead still has the same hair cut but the 15 extra years don't do it justice.It's hard to update yourself - I no doubt have some wardrobe shockers -but it's easy to update others.Maybe there is an opportunity for you to update a business idea that's in need of renovation. Read more:Nothing
Tupperware 2008-03-21 06:36:00 For the life of me I can't understand why Tupperware don't sell their stuff on the internet.50 years ago, 20 years ago, even 10 years ago it was probably fun to go to a Tupperware party and stock up on plastic containers. But surely today most people just want to buy the wretched stuff with one click of a button.The other day I tried to order some Tupperware:I phoned the Head Office and asked how I could buy some tupperware without going to, or hosting, a party. The friendly receptionist suggested that I call the Regional Office and added that she spent much of her day fielding calls from potential customers wanting to buy on-line......The Regional Office said they would contact my local distributor.My local distributor called me 2 days later and gave me her address so that I could send he
getting things done 2008-03-21 05:29:00 I've just discovered Getting Things Done by David Allen. His website www.davidco.com is worth a look. There's great free stuff. Just got to find time to read it.... Read more:things
web developers 2008-03-21 05:16:00 You may have noticed that my website isn't up and running at the moment. 3 girlfriends and I shared a coffee and a lot of laughs the other day. They had all given me website-set-up advice and guess who hadn't followed it. Long story short. You get what you pay for.
Shopping trolleys 2008-03-21 05:11:00 My fave grocer has just installed those pay-to-borrow shopping trolleys. So what did I do? Used a basket instead and bought less. Read more:Shopping
When is BIG too big? 2008-05-05 06:13:00 I have been reading Cathie Black’s book “Basic Black”. Cathie is the president of Hearst Magazines and the book is really just a collection of career lessons. I don’t agree with all of it – in fact I felt quite irritated when she wrote about dressing for work and stated “when in doubt wear black” – but some of the stuff is great, especially the stories.One of the most illuminating tales is Cathie’s take on the rise and fall of Talk Magazine.If you aren’t familiar with Talk; it was a magazine launched by Hearst in 1999 amidst a buzz of enormous expectation and dribbled to a close just over two years later.Cathie mentions a number of reasons that Talk failed but one in particular stands out:The first edition of the magazine carried an interview with Hillary Clinton in whi
Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Tiffany's 2008-05-07 22:59:00 There was a time when a Tiffany
Celebration ring would have been more than enough.Nestled in an eggshell-blue box tied up with a white bow, a platinum band sprinkled with diamonds was the once-in-a lifetime gift to celebrate a most important moment.And then Tiffany came along and told us we had got it all wrong.We weren’t celebrating enough.There are lots of times to celebrate; they said “Maybe there's a baby. Maybe it's your anniversary. Maybe just because. Capture your life's important moments. For all time” “Good point” we thought, “we can’t let life’s important moments pass by unrecognized” but what should we do, we couldn’t mark them with a Tiffany Celebration Ring because we already had one.“Build a stack” they suggested.“A stack?” We replied“Yes, a stac Read more:Breakfast
Paper planes 2008-05-16 06:23:00 I have been making lots and lots of paper planes
.My middle son got a paper plane kit for his birthday. Well it’s probably a complete exaggeration to call it a kit – it’s actually just 40 pieces of same-sized coloured paper and a how-to-make-paper-planes booklet.But it is brilliant.You see, somehow I had managed to get to this point in my life without mastering the how-to turn-paper-rectangle
Exposing your hidden talents 2008-07-03 21:16:00 The other day I stumbled across a short paragraph that someone had written about me when nominating me for an award. The nomination was a fantastic surprise but I nearly fell over when I read what the person wrote. It turns out my nominator thought I had an amazing ability to do ‘something’….a ‘something’ that I didn’t even realise I did!I felt quite chuffed with my new found ability
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