Respect the Hustle

Let me introduce you to Ronnie. I met Ronnie at the CSOT conference. I was walking past her and she shoved an invitation in my hand. Carol Anderson by invitation trunk show. Ronnie was a conference attendee and is also on the Board of CSOT. But she was giving a trunk show later in the day in her hotel room. Needless to say, I was intrigued. So at the appointed time, I went to the show. There were several ladies in the room trying on clothes and spending money. So I waited around because I wanted to pick Ronnie’s brain. Ronnie has a full-time job, runs a bed and breakfast, and is now a CAbi consultant. Her current goal is to have 4 parties per month. She told me one of her biggest problems is approaching people about parties. Considering she came up with the idea to have a party in her hotel room during the conference, I think she is beginning to overcome that problem. What I noticed about Ronnie is that she has drive, ambition, and is determined to make this work for her. She is actively taking steps to direct her future, rather than letting life pass her by. So what can we learn from Ronnie?

1.       Set measurable goals. It’s not enough to say “I want to be rich, lose weight, get a promotion…” Give your goals a definition and a time frame. In Ronnie’s case, her goal is to have 4 parties each month until June 2013.

2.       Think outside of the box. Ronnie used the opportunity of going to the conference, in which she knew plenty of women would be there, and decided to have a trunk show.

3.       Take a risk. Ronnie had no idea if anyone other vendors would be at the conference or if anyone would show, but she took a chance and it paid off.

4.       Take action. Ronnie won’t reach her goal of 4 parties a month, unless she actually throws her parties.

So going forward: set measurable goals, think outside of the box, take a risk, take action, and most of all, respect the hustle.