I’m always inspired and fascinated by learning about why and how successful people have achieved what they have. So below I have listed some motivational quotes that I hope inspire you to push things along further, as well as what we can learn from them. Find your own business heroes and mentors – look to industry leaders who have influenced the sector they operate in and read all about what they have done to become the success they have. I do this a lot it keeps me inspired and interested. I’ll constantly learn things that I’ll then put into practice with my own biz.
I cannot bang on enough about how true this is – for me at least. The money has never been a motivating factor for me, never. There are faster ways to make money than retail, trust me, so if you’re in it for that – jumpship quickly! It’s a long hard slog to get to that point. My most heated discussions with G always revolve around this – if everything is micromanaged to the bottom line and the upmost profit you will not have a business that tantalises, inspires, gets amazing press and is considered ahead of it’s game. That’s why I’ve had 4-metre high faux trees flown in from China (which couldn’t even make it on the plane as it was too big initially with all its packaging). It’s why life-size camel artworks have stood proudly in our store, why chandeliers sometimes hang perilously low, why walls are clad in faux ponyskin clads some walls and why we’re in the middle of creating amazing flower chandeliers. None of these are profitable! Rather it’s about creating an experience; it’s about putting in store and on line the most wondrous things that makes jaws hits floors. Then everything you sell is elevated, your business stands out, and as Mr. Branson says – if you’ve got it right, the money will come.
This is why we make money at all and why we continue to grow, but that all happened organically. I was bored of what was in the market place so I went out of my way to design and to search for stuff not seen all over. Homeware that elevate your home out of the stratosphere, beautiful pieces that make you never want to leave your house! That’s was my mission starting out and remains my mission to this day. Now we’re producing our own stuff I feel like I can do anything, but it’s never been about the money.