Martha Rules!

I am a big Martha Stewart fan.  There I said it!  I know that she is not everyone’s cup of tea so to speak but I enjoy her on many levels.  I am nothing like her, but there is a part of me that wants to be.  I love her approach to home, decorating, cooking and gardening and weddings/events  and if I can bring 1% of Martha’s style into my home it makes me happy.  But that is just one layer of Martha and is actually the biggest indicator of how switched on this woman is.  She has turned her own ‘life’ into business and she uses it to draw us in.  Martha is authentic but she is in the business of selling a belief that you can do what she does.  Most of us never do, we just love to believe that we could and if we buy into her show or products we are on our way.
So, whether you like Martha’s style or not, she is worthy of study just for her business success.  Any woman who can go to jail, with grace and style and have a business to return to is worthy of respect in my book – and one who can create a masterpiece out of a cup cake – even better!�
Being in business gives me a new reason to delve into Martha the woman and I recently discovered her book; “The Martha Rules – 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as you Start, Grow, or Manage a Business”.  Love her or hate her I highly recommend that budding entrepreneurs like me pick up a copy of this book (Amazon is a great online bookstore and they ship to Australia).�
Here are three of my favourite tips from the book:

• Rule No. 1 – Build your business around something that you love – something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you.  This is not an easy task but if you are going to spend the hours needed to make your business successful, you better love what you are doing!
• Rule No. 4 – By sharing your knowledge about your product or service with your customers, you create a deep connection that will help you learn how best to build and manage your business.  I do this every day.  Social Networking Tools have greatly enhanced our ability to build good relationships with our customers and potential customers.  Never underestimate the power of positive communication; regardless of the form it takes.
• Rule No. 9 – In business, there’s a difference between a risk and chance. A well-calculated risk may very well end up as an investment in your business. A careless chance can cause it to crumble. And when an opportunity presents itself, never assume it will be your last.  This is one of the most insightful chapters in the book!