Tag Archives: clients

My Other Mission in Life

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For those of you who know me in real life (read: not from the inter-webs) you’ll know that I’m not the only busy B in my family!

KBB_blogging_sistersThat’s L. my little sister. She’s got a hot little fashion blog that she started back in 2010. I’m so excited to share that after a brief (but heartbreaking) hiatus, Mission Fashionable is back and it’s better than ever!

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This blog is a great outlet for me to share the things that make running my business, my home and my life easier. Fashion isn’t something I talk about often, and dressing myself in a way that suited my personality and body type was something with which I always struggled.

It wasn’t until I started working at a small women’s fashion boutique in the east end of Toronto that I became familiar with the satisfaction that comes with helping other people (in this case, mainly women) feel good. Selling clothing became not so much about the color of the piece or whom it was designed by, but how much it did for the buyer’s complexion, figure and self-esteem. Women of all shapes and sizes would torment themselves isolating faults as small as the faintest knee dimple, and even the most beautiful, smartly-dressed women had issues with their bodies that the rest of us mortals would not be able to understand. It was easier to relate to other people and build selling relationships the more apparent it was that we suffered from the same issues.

Mission Fashionable is not a blog about telling you what the trends are, or how they are supposed to be worn. It’s about finding creative ways to cultivate your own sense of style, whether you have the budget to shop every day and experiment with trends, or if you’re simply looking to freshen up your wardrobe with a few key pieces. Most of what I know about dressing myself comes from my experience shopping with sister. L. has personally helped me through so many style crises that I’d recommend her blog for anyone who wears clothes- from the most experienced, stylish dresser to the nerdiest yearbook editor who can’t get out of her jeans-and-sweater rut (yes, that was me circa 2004).

Of course while you’re checking out her blog you’ll also have to check out my awesome photography skills, pictured here:

hpim00351I mean, I know my sister is stunning, but it’s my photography that makes the difference, right? Right?

Check out Mission Fashionable (I highly recommend Bloglovin if you’re interested in a good system for organizing all your blog feeds) and see why I’m making such a big fuss. You can also follow L on Twitter and Facebook for more style and shopping tips. Maybe if you say pretty please she’ll be willing to do a style consultation for you.

Don’t believe in the awesome powers of L? She made me look like this, people. Like this. This is my glamour shot.

IMG_5263I think I should go into modeling. Seriously. Especially seeing as this was supposed to be a very serious corporate headshot photo shoot. Then again, maybe I should stick to my day job.

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Have you visited L’s site yet? Do it now! Got the clothes and just need the organizing? I talk about some of my closet organizing solutions here.

Do Unto Yourself What You Would Unto Others

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That seems a little backwards, doesn’t it? People who read the above may conclude one of the following about me:

1) I’ve either gotten my sayings really mixed up or;

2) I wrote this during happy hour.

Neither, I’m glad to say, is true. I think most of old adages offer some good advice, no matter what their origin. Unless you haven’t guessed already, the adage here I’m referring to is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s a philosophy that I hope we all live by.

But what about the way you treat yourself? Do you really treat yourself the way that would treat others?

We make so many allowances for the way others act and sometimes bend over backwards to make accommodations for a late invoice, or work late to get out that report for a demanding client. Does this sound familiar?

We all want to do well in our businesses and make a good impression on who we work with, but that also means taking a good look at areas where you can treat yourself a little better. Are you putting an extraordinary amount of pressure on yourself to put out a new tweet about your business on the hour every hour? Have you been ignoring your filing or doing your taxes in favor of other work?

The problem with ignoring your own wants and needs, both personally and professionally, is that we often become frustrated at setting ourselves unrealistic goals or deadlines. This can become reflected in the quality of work that you do, or how well you treat a client. That’s ironic, considering you were going out of your way to treat them how you would want to be treated. Instead, you’re treating yourself and them in a way you would never want to be treated in the first place.

Hiring a consultant to help you manage your time and reflect on the processes that aren’t working for you may point you in the right direction. There’s no need to feel embarrassed- running a small business is hard! A good consultant will remain non-judgmental about what hasn’t been working for you, and might be able to offer suggestions as to what can help. This doesn’t have to be a painful process to put more pressure on yourself. It could be as relaxing as spending an afternoon airing your grievances out over coffee. It’s definitely a way to start becoming kinder to yourself.

Still worried about what a consultant might say about learning how to treat yourself better? Keep in mind they may have heard an old adage or two about that themselves.

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What are some of the ways that you’ve treated yourself kindly lately? Comment below and tell me how it makes you feel. No, really. We could all use some pointers sometimes. Don’t forget to check out the business section of the blog for more common-sense-advice-that-you-knew-already-you-just-needed-someone-else-to-tell-you-it-type articles. But of course, you knew that already. You’re so smart.