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CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE
CRAVE Phoenix on TV
Check out this great segment featuring our CRAVE Phoenix leader Shawna introducing CRAVE to the world:
Tic Toc What Are You Waiting For?
time's a tickin' / fail fast
Fail Fast-
It may sound like strange business advice, but I’ve invested a lot of money and years to learn this valuable lesson – so trust me.
If it seems harsh to propose failing fast, imagine the alternative of failing slowly – with the small heart attacks that never end year after year. Dare to fail fast.
Isn’t it true that everything we learn and know in life come from trial and error? From learning to walk, to starting a business, we fail in order to master. Sure, you should read all the “how to” business books and give thought to the business plan, but it will still be like learning how to swim by reading a book. It’s just not enough.
There’s been really fast (Wow Cookies-weekend) and really slow (Pike Place Market cafe-15 years) business failures in my life. My shelf life for ideas is now six months maximum. Whether I’m starting something new, or a project inside a current business, I get in, prototype, get it out there. Is it going to fly or not? The faster I know, the better.
I have no patience for perfectionists. When people tell me they are working on a business idea but waiting for the perfect time, location, or partner, my experience is that they will never launch. I don’t live in that world. You can have a Facebook page, twitter handle, and business card up today. You can design your book cover and put it out for comment before you even write the book. You can prototype a product/service and pretend you are in business before you actually take the real leaps. You can’t know what will happen (and I hope you succeed), but at the very worst your failure will be fast and you can take that idea back to the drawing board or simply pursue the next.
My two highest profit businesses as of today, were at one time certified failures. They later got reinvented, rethought, even “flipped” in an entirely new direction. They were fast failures of great value.
If you want to read more about the above businesses (and how I eventually made them work), check out my new book CRAVING SUCCESS.
CRAVE on TV!
CRAVE made the news! Watch this special segment all about the power of women entrepreneurs, straight off the heels of the CRAVE Denver guide launch!
What’s The Bravest Thing You’ve Ever Done?
Continuing our monthly theme of risk taking in life and business we would like to share with you this great post from Chris Guillebeau:
The Bravest Thing – I asked this question last week and was flooded with hundreds of great responses. Here are many of them, with links to the people who were brave enough to share.
ferolea: Quiting my job go around the world was easy. Coming back… that’s the bravest I’ve been.
avalonmel:  Agreed to teach uni computer science course to 130+ students when I was 22… and afraid of public speaking.
TylerLClark:Â Â I moved halfway across the country for an unpaid internship. At the end, they offered me a job. Glad I took the risk!
opheliaswebb:Â Â Called off my wedding. And killed a spider in the shower. Equally terrifying.
“My belief about fear and courage is that all of us are scared of all kinds of things, so the wrong approach is to pretend to be fearless. Instead, acknowledge your fears, but proceed anyway” (Chris Guillebeau).
Read more here and get started with taking your own life changing risks!
Image by NickNguyen
Video: CRAVE Women Speak Out On Risk
Over the course of this month, we’ve tackled risk from many angles – from no-nonsense strategic advice to more personal affirmations that risk can be very rewarding. What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your business? Maybe you’re thinking of taking that risk soon? If you’re craving a little adventure, stay tuned because we’ve got four fabulous CRAVE entreprenesses sharing their experiences with risk on video for your viewing pleasure! We encourage you to watch this video and explore this month’s blog posts as you develop your own risk-taking style. Enjoy!
To learn more about the CRAVE businesses featured in this video, check out their websites below.
Bloggers To Watch Out For: Career Coaches
Over the past few months, the number of people quitting their jobs was greater than the number of people losing their jobs. Savvy quitters build a support network before they take the plunge, and brilliant quitters enlist professional help. Enter: the Certified Career Coach. One part therapist. One part cheerleader. Two parts butt-kicking taskmaster.
Need a solid coach in your corner of the ring? Michelle Ward, Dyana Valentine and Chrissy Scivicque are at the top of their game.
Michelle Ward of When I Grow Up
whenigrowupcoach.com
I’ll admit it — I’m a tad biased in Michelle’s favor. She coached me out of my cubicle doldrums and into freelance bliss, so I owe her my firstborn child. A graduate of NYU / Tisch’s musical theater program and a certified life coach, Michelle brings theatrical flair and a “wagon full of enthusiasm” to every session. She recently raised her rates and is poised to explode, so book a free 30-minute consultation call while you still can.
For a weekly dose of self-exploration, bookmark Michelle’s ongoing blog feature: Tough Question Tuesday.
Dyana Valentine
dyanavalentine.com
Generous. Ambitious. A master of personal marketing. Dyana leads by example, and her clients feel the heat. By her own admission, Ms. Valentine’s coaching style is “not for the weak of heart.” She prides herself on helping self-starters finish what they started, using Community Psychology principles to light the way. As one client put it, “if I had to be shipwrecked on a desert island, I’d want Dyana with me.”
For a no-holds-barred explanation of the power of “no,” check out Dyana’s article on “No-gotiation.”
Chrissy Scivicque of Eat Your Career
eatyourcareer.com
Chrissy serves up a powerhouse combo platter — she’s a certified nutritionist AND an experienced career coach. Yum. As the creator of Office Arrow — a popular resource for administrative professionals — Chrissy has a firsthand grasp on the challenges of running an online business. She’s a clear communicator with a nourishing perspective on life, love and work — and all the snacks in between.
For a trio of tasty coaching treats, download Chrissy Scivicque’s free workbooks on stress management, time management and career reinvention.
ALEXANDRA FRANZEN is a writer + editor + organization freak. She designs rockstar resumes, leads personal branding jam sessions, writes marketing copy and teaches wallflowers how to hustle like a gangsta’. You can find her blogging up a storm at Unicorns for Socialism and tweeting away @alex_franzen.
Celebrate Bastille Day at the Corner of Selby and Snelling!
Grab a baguette, a beret and your girlfriends and hit the shops. Vive La France!
When: Saturday, July 17th, 12:00pm to 5:00pm (rain or shine)
Where: Shops at the at the Corner of Selby and Snelling
Participating shops include:
Allee. metro chic
A Michele
Everyday People
Flirt Boutique
Heddy Freddy
Initially Yours
LULA
Patina
Tennis on Selby
The Drawbridge
Two Smart Cookies
Pick up a ‘Bastille Day’ postcard at any of the shops in the coming weeks or on the day of the event and collect stamps by visiting all eleven boutiques. Turn in your card with your best contact info, and enter to win a $500.00 shopping spree on the corner!
…look for French goodies, alley vendors and afternoon fun! See you there!
CRAVE Book Featured on the Small Screen
Click on picture to view video
Just in time for Mother’s Day, our CRAVE guides were featured on Twin Cities Live as the perfect gift for stylish moms everywhere! Watch the clip here and see our lovely books take center-stage!
Do It Yourself Design Inspirations We CRAVE
Spring is finally just around the corner. We are gearing up to do all our regular spring cleaning tasks – flip mattresses, wash curtains, and finally organize our junk drawers. One of the highlights of spring is rebirth and getting a new lease on life . Well, how about doing the same for your home or an old piece of furniture? Small changes are sure to make a large difference in any home! We love to turn to designspongeonline.com for inspiration and really love the before & after posts. Check out some of our favorite makeovers:
- From gloomy kitchen to apple green colored charmer
- From boring and granny-like rocking chair to modern rockin’ chic
- From an apartment that belongs in a Golden Girls flashback to a place that Carrie Bradshaw can call home!
Do you have any home DIYs plans for spring?
The Best Movies to Watch with Your Girlfriends
What would we do without our girlfriends? They keep us sane when things get crazy, offer a shoulder to cry on when things get tough, encourage us to buy those shoes we just can’t live without, pig out on junk food with us after a bad breakup, and always, always make us laugh. One of our favorite things to do with our best gal pals is to pile onto the couch with plenty of buttered popcorn and indulge in a chick-flick movie-fest. Check out our picks for the movies to watch with your best girlfriends and start planning your next girl’s night in!
Beaches
Grab your tissues for this one. Its a tear-jerker but its also the story of a friendship that lasts a lifetime – CC and Hilary were totally BFF.
Thelma and Louise
Two best friends on a wild adventure, together until the end, and Brad Pitt? Sign us up!
Steel Magnolias
This one is another sob-story, but we love the story of this group of women who are there for each other through all of life’s ups and downs.
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Because Bridget’s kooky antics make us laugh every time and remind us everyone does silly things from time to time.
Fried Green Tomatoes
A testament to the strength of a woman and what she’ll do for her friends.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Because we all love Audrey Hepburn and we all have a little bit of Miss Holly Golightly in us.
Grease
A true guilty pleasure that we love to sing along to with our girls – a definite pick-me-up.
Sixteen Candles
Because we swoon over Jake Ryan and every girl’s high-school fantasy come true, every time we see it.
Dirty Dancing
Another guilty pleasure and classic that we know by heart and can watch with our girlfriends, time and time again.
Mean Girls
It may not be might not be your typical girl-power, female bonding kind of movie, but we all learn a lesson in the end – to support the women in our lives. Plus, its hilarious.
We could go on and on, but we’ll stop here and let you start planning which flicks to view at your next girl’s night. Hooray for girlfriends!