Discovering Your Inner Samurai Blog

Abraham on the Power of Thoughts

I've been an Abe devotee for over 10 years. One of the earliest teaching on the power of thoughts that made a big impact on me is expressed in this 5 minute video.

When you find a thought of something wanted, and you hold that thought purely for as little as 17 seconds, another thought of the same vibrational equivalent joins it, and when these two thoughts come together, there is a powerful explosion.

17 seconds of thought = 2000 action hours.
34 seconds of thought = 20,000 action hours.
68 seconds = 200,000 action hours.

What do you think folks? Let us know!

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Tribute to the Olympics - Dara Torres

Today . . . I am thinking about what it takes to compete with men and women half or sometimes two-thirds your age at an Olympic event.

Don't put an age limit on your dreams.

The oldest male athlete competing in the Beijing Olympics is sixty-seven-year-old Hiroshi Hoketsu, a dressage rider for the Japanese equestrian team. Fifty-six-year-old Libby Callahan is the oldest female. A retired Washington D.C. police officer, she finished 25th in the 25-meter pistol.

American swimmer Dara Torres, forty-one-year-old mother to two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Tessa, is the oldest Olympic swimmer ever. Dara won three silver medals in the 2008 Games, missing gold by one one-hundredth of a second. And she's not done yet. Feeling as if she has "unfinished business," Dara hinted in an interview with CBS News that she's considering swimming at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.

What do Hiroshi, Libby, and Dara have to say to mom entrepreneurs? Don't put any limits on yourself. Dreams are ageless. Is there anything you're now doing that you thought you were too old to do?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Tribute to the Olympics - Women Entrepreneurs

The Olympics are much more than just a sporting event. They are a time when the whole world comes together to be inspired.

Today's spotlight: Women Entrepreneurs

Ambition is not a dirty word.

No woman handled it better than U.S. Beach volleyball superstars Keri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor (right) when in an interview Keri was criticized as being too competitive. Her response? "What's the problem with being too competitive when it comes to this level of competition?"

I love that response!

The 2008 Olympic women athletes are teaching us that it is perfectly all right to be ambitious, determined, and impressive on a grand-scale—to take what you do onto the world stage and compete with others to be your personal best.

What’s more, these athletes show us that being ambitious and competitive does not make you a bad wife, negligent mother, or bitch. On the contrary, the women Olympic athletes know that it's important to be strong, courageous, and willing to go after your dreams. They show us that honing your talent and making a contribution to the world means that you are honoring yourself as a woman. And that's good news for American women entrepreneurs.

Did you get to see the dynamic duo, Walsh and Treanor advance through to the gold? Weren't they just amazing? What do you think of Walsh's response to being called too competitive?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Tribute to the Olympics - Mom Entrepreneurs

The Olympics are over. It's been a thrilling Summer Olympics and I have enjoyed watching our women athletes compete.

This week is devoted to blogging about the Olympics. Each day I'll post a tribute applicable to women entrepreneurs.

First up: Mom Entrepreneurs.

You don't have to give up your aspirations to be a mother.

China's Xian Dongmei was the first mother to capture a gold medal at the Olympics in judo. Melanie Roach of the U.S., a 119-pound weightlifter, finished sixth. She is the mother of three and one of her children is autistic. Japanese judo icon Ryoko Tani has been at the Olympics five times and won medals each time, her last time as a mother.

The 2008 "mommy" athletes are showing women entrepreneurs worldwide that motherhood does not mean you have to give up on your entrepreneurial dreams, and telling daughters around the world that it's okay to keep growing, striving, and being who you are.

Have you been watching the Olympics? What has inspired you most as a mom? If you are a mom entrepreneur, we'd love to hear from you.

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Why Good People Do Bad Things

Debbie Ford is fearless when it comes to living an authentic life. She is relentless in her call to examine our shadow side . . . That part of us that we keep hidden from ourselves.

I just finished reading her new book, Why Good People Do Bad Things. If you've ever taken her Shadow Workshop, then you will easily connect to the content of this book. If you haven't then the insight she gives into the heart of the duality that unknowingly operates within each one of us will be enlightening.

Why do good people do bad things? Why is there so much self-sabotaging going on? Here's what Debbie has to say:

Acts of self-sabotage are predictable. They arise from the repression of what I call our 'dark side,' the parts of ourselves and our lives that we find too inconvenient to admit; too embarrassing to accept. Regardless of how intently we try to hide, deny, or suppress them, every aspect of ourselves that we've deemed unacceptable or wrong will eventually make itself known - sometimes when we least expect it. When we are busy building a business, creating a family, or working hard to achieve some long-desired goal, these rejected or unwanted aspects of ourselves can pop up and destroy our lives, our reputations, and all of our hard work. This is what I call the Beach Ball Effect.

In her book, she goes into great detail about the Beach Ball Effect - the way our suppressed emotions eventually arise to the surface, revealing the origins of our self-destructive behavior. 

This is a wonderfully insightful book for women to read. If you are an Accidental Pren-her or entrepreneurial business woman, this book is a must read. Ford's descriptions of the masks we wear to protect ourselves will give you insight into why you do the things you do, but also insights into the workings of other people. 

If you've read Why Good People Do Bad Things let us know. Did you like it? Not so much? Find it useful?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Is Twitter for the Birds?

Today . . . I am reading a guest article on Jill Whalen's High Ranking Advisor. It's such a thorough article on Twitter that I thought I would post it, in it's entirety here.

I first blogged about Twitter in "I'm a Twitter, You're a Twitter, Wouldn't You Like to be a Twitter, Too?" in March and continue to be an avid fan.

Is Twitter for the Birds?
by Jim Spencer

I surely thought so after creating my Twitter account back in early 2007. As an entrepreneur, I find that time and resources need to be well targeted and purposeful. I could see no purpose as I stared at the blank screen. This was not a resource for me.

Today, I can confirm both customer and colleague relationships initiated through Twitter as well as many friendships and even money in the bank. Here is how that all changed, after a Twitter primer.

What is Twitter?

Twitter falls into the category of social media applications. This communication tool allows you to keep in touch through short messages that can be sent to many people instantly.

You can update three ways: to all subscribers, directed to one person, or sent privately to one person. Updates are 140 characters maximum. (As a reference, the text immediately preceding this parenthetical note is 139 characters long.)

When you first open your account you are missing the most important component of a useful Twitter account – people whom you follow and people who follow you.

How do you find people to follow?

Below are six suggestions for finding people to follow, but first a little business-focused contemplation. Think about your purpose and motive. This will help you focus on following the right kind of people. Two important business questions are:

Do you want to follow people with similar interests, in the same industry? Or, do you prefer to develop a group of followers who will benefit from your products or services and possibly hire you?

Most people tend to reciprocate followers, so keep the Golden Rule in mind. Follow the kind of people whom you want to be followed by.

• Follow a couple of people you know, such as the person who introduced you to Twitter. Follow me @fairminder.

• Follow their friends. Observe conversations and then choose new followers from among the people others are talking with.

• Upload your contact list to Twitter to find people on Twitter whom you already know. Follow #2 above again.

• Visit TwitterPacks. It lists all kinds of Twitter folks according to special interest.

• Search on Twitter for your city or town name along with the state, and review profiles to find new people to follow.

• Visit this TweetScan. It's a more advanced twitter search site.

Number 2 above is a successful method because it includes some measure of social validation as you move from friend to friend of friend, rather than guessing whom to follow. You know the old saying, "Birds of a feather flock together"? It really does apply here.

What should you say?

Twitter is a microcosm of life and has the potential for an equally wide range of subjects to be shared.

Feel free to jump in and send an update to someone in response to an update that you read. Or simply answer the question that Twitter poses: "What are you doing now?" Keep it interesting and related to the purpose and motive you established earlier. What you read on Twitter may inspire you to start a new conversation.

Here is a small sampling of what you may find or contribute on Twitter:

• Breaking news – News of the Chinese earthquakes hit Twitter long before traditional news outlets.
• Interesting links to a photo, audio, video, website, blog, forum post and more.
• Local meeting information – I enjoyed many meetings discovered on Twitter.
• Messages of encouragement – Tragic personal news can generate condolences from around the globe.
• Absolute rubbish – Not so interested that there are now three spiders on your wall.
• Tech help – Many have received answers to tech questions right away.
• Friendship – A listening ear, someone who will respond.
• Weather updates – Timely, accurate reports from far and near.
• Affinity groups – For example, fitness groups encouraging each other.
• Sports scores – We love those Red Sox.
• Reviews and recommendations – Comments on books, movies, products, etc.
• Directions – You are likely to get a helpful reply from a local.
• Polls – Simple polls that gather interesting information.
• Discounts and special offers – People and companies send out both.

So what happened with me?

I followed people, wrote updates, joined conversations, offered sports scores and website-related advice, asked for technology help and sought out talented people to help serve the needs of my clients. It was especially fun when I later met Twitter friends in real life. Now the Following and Followers numbers on my account are approaching 1,000.

What most people seem to be interested in is how money was made through Twitter. It began by sending a helpful update that was well received.

Shannon sent an update that said, "Hey, check out this website I just designed." I did and then sent along a few suggestions for improvement. Shannon said he really appreciated these suggestions. Keep in mind that his update was not directed at me and I didn't know him then. It simply went zipping by at a time when I was "on Twitter."

In fact, he asked me to be an advisor on his next project. I agreed and he was so pleased that he paid me 50% more than he had originally offered. He subsequently went so far as to write an unsolicited blog post recommending my services. Wow, all this born out of 140 characters.

As the conversation expands, it is not out of the ordinary for it to move from Twitter to email, IM, telephone and in-person meetings.

Initially Twitter did seem like it was for the birds. I understood Twitter no more than I can understand the birds outside my window right now. Friendly folk on Twitter and in real life showed me otherwise.

I hope that you will also learn that Twitter is not for the birds, but a valuable tool for your business and social tool box. Come join the conversation! I promise to reply.

Jim Spencer

Jim Spencer, founder of JBS Partners  – a website design and marketing firm in Winchester, MA, that serves small business and solo entrepreneurs. Jim goes by "Fairminder" on Twitter.

Oprah on the Law of Attraction

Oprah uses a personal example in this video to get across how the Law of Attraction works. Watch this short, just over 3 minute clip taken from an interview she did with Larry King about The Secret. Then tell me what you think. Does Oprah know her Inner Samurai, or what?

Interview with Accidental Pren-her Lisa Otto

Today's special guest on The Accidental Pren-her Show, Stories of the Unexpected is Accidental Pren-her Lisa Otto of Creative Writing Studios.   

In this quick-fire, 12-minute interview learn where the idea for Creative Writing Studios came from:

Well, I was a full-time eBay seller and I had been for six years. One day, a group of eBay friends of mine and I were talking online, and a couple of the gals were interested in moving away from eBay and starting their own websites, but they didn’t really know what to say on their websites. So they were kind of hitting me up to help with words, since they knew I was a writer. I ended up writing copy for about five websites in the first couple months, and I thought, “Oh, this is perfect!”

And her advice for women starting up their business:

First and foremost, don’t be so scared by the thought of doing it that you just don’t do it. Just take the steps that you need to investigate a little further. And base it on something that you’re passionate about.


Second, don’t give up before you’ve started. So many women will jump into a new business and they’ll give it six months or a year, and then they’ll want to quit because maybe it’s not quite where they want to be. But just keep forging ahead. Don’t give up early.

Download her interview and listen to it from your computer or ipod.

Read the transcript.

Enjoy!

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Today's special guest on The Accidental Pren-her Show, Stories of the Unexpected is Accidental Pren-her Lisa Otto of Creative Writing Studios.   

In this quick-fire, 12-minute interview learn where the idea for Creative Writing Studios came from:

Well, I was a full-time eBay seller and I had been for six years. One day, a group of eBay friends of mine and I were talking online, and a couple of the gals were interested in moving away from eBay and starting their own websites, but they didn’t really know what to say on their websites. So they were kind of hitting me up to help with words, since they knew I was a writer. I ended up writing copy for about five websites in the first couple months, and I thought, “Oh, this is perfect!”

And her advice for women starting up their business:

First and foremost, don’t be so scared by the thought of doing it that you just don’t do it. Just take the steps that you need to investigate a little further. And base it on something that you’re passionate about.


Second, don’t give up before you’ve started. So many women will jump into a new business and they’ll give it six months or a year, and then they’ll want to quit because maybe it’s not quite where they want to be. But just keep forging ahead. Don’t give up early.

Download her interview and listen to it from your computer or ipod.

Read the transcript.

Enjoy!

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Are You a Fan of Debbie Ford?

I am.

She is fearless when it comes to living an authentic life, and relentless in her call to examine our shadow side . . . That part of us that we keep hidden from ourselves.

I just finished reading her new book, Why Good People Do Bad Things. If you've ever taken her Shadow Workshop, then you will easily connect to the content of this book. If you haven't then the insight she gives into the heart of the duality that unknowingly operates within each one of us will be enlightening.

Why do good people do bad things? Why is there so much self-sabotaging going on? Here's what Debbie has to say:

Acts of self-sabotage are predictable. They arise from the repression of what I call our 'dark side,' the parts of ourselves and our lives that we find too inconvenient to admit; too embarrassing to accept. Regardless of how intently we try to hide, deny, or suppress them, every aspect of ourselves that we've deemed unacceptable or wrong will eventually make itself known - sometimes when we least expect it. When we are busy building a business, creating a family, or working hard to achieve some long-desired goal, these rejected or unwanted aspects of ourselves can pop up and destroy our lives, our reputations, and all of our hard work. This is what I call the Beach Ball Effect.

In her book, she goes into great detail about the Beach Ball Effect - the way our suppressed emotions eventually arise to the surface, revealing the origins of our self-destructive behavior. 

This is a wonderfully insightful book for women to read. If you are an Accidental Pren-her or entrepreneurial business woman, this book is a must read. Ford's descriptions of the masks we wear to protect ourselves will give you insight into why you do the things you do, but also insights into the workings of other people. 

If you've read Why Good People Do Bad Things let us know. Did you like it? Not so much? Find it useful?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Why Saying Positive Affirmations Can be a Business Liability

Today . . . I am wondering what's wrong with the touchy-feely advice that's so popular now-a-days telling people to stay positive, say affirmations, and just think good thoughts?

Positive thoughts and affirmations have hit the business world by storm. John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing Podcast interviewed John Assaraf of The Secret fame on this topic. Take a listen to the podcast to hear what works and doesn't work when it comes to positive affirmations. Then read this list that I've come up with and tell me what you think.

Guidelines for Using Positive Affirmations Correctly

1.    Stop looking for the one thing that will make the difference.

Positive affirmations are like the chocolate chips in a delicious chocolate chip cookie. If I asked you what made your chocolate chips cookies taste so good and you said, "Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips are the key," I would say, “ah-ha” and run right out and purchase those specific chips thinking they would be what I needed to make a delicious chocolate chip cookie.

This is one of the things people are doing wrong with affirmations. They are looking for the one thing that will make the difference to their business success. And by doing so, they focus on the one to the exclusion of the all.

2.  Don’t be so far out with your affirmations.

The mind does not value what it hasn’t invested in. Said another way, the mind does not invest in what it does not know. One of the common mistakes of saying positive affirmations is intending them too far ahead of your current business situation. Repeating, “I own a million-dollar business" isn't likely to create that business for you when you are barely making a profit. The difference between what the mind currently sees and the intended affirmation is just too great.

Instead, focus your intentions no farther than your mind registers as attainable.  Next, align your actions with the fulfillment of your vision and add positive affirmations in support of that direction. Then, your mind will register that as attainable and invest in it as known.

3.    Be on the look out for hidden hope.

Hope is just a nice way of saying that you’re not sure something is going to happen, but you sure wish is would. Affirmations that hold the energy of hope are really negative affirmations in disguise. Hope is not the same as knowing, without a doubt, that what you intend is going to happen. Fervently repeating affirmations that hold the energy of hidden hope will not help bring what you intend any closer, any sooner.

What has been your experience with saying positive affirmations. Have they worked for you? If so, please share with us what you did to insure their success!

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™
Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Joe Vitale Talking About the Secret for Productivity

Many people ask my how it is that I get so much done. They marvel about it as if it is something out of the ordinary. Unusual. As if I must have more time in the day than they. My response has always been, " It's all about choice. I choose to focus on what I love to do and get a lot done because I enjoy doing it."

Here are some of the things Joe Vitale has to say about productivity:

• When an idea comes to me, I believe it comes to several people on the planet at the very same time.
• When the idea comes, I don't second guess it, doubt it, or question it. If it feels right to me, I jump, I take action.
• When the idea comes, it is your responsibility to act on it.

Joe knows his Inner Samurai. He knows how to listen to his inner voice and take immediate, aligned action.
Watch this short, just over 2 minute video to discover Joe's secret to productivity.

Five Reasons to Consider Virtual Office Space for Your Business

Is virtual office space right for you?

It very well could be if you are:

• An Accidental Pren-her whose business is bursting at the seams.
• An entrepreneurial woman wanting to live and work anywhere in the world.
• A home-based business owner wanting to create a more professional image.

Here are five compelling reasons to consider virtual office space for your business:

1.    You want to expand your business without increasing your overhead.

Virtual office space is a low-risk alternative to renting a conventional office. Not only that, they come fully equipped with meeting rooms and private office time. You no longer have to worry about missed calls or missed opportunities. Your virtual office becomes a seamless extension of your home business with dedicated administrative support services.

2.    You want to protect the privacy of your home and personal phone numbers.

Having your home address and telephone number on your business cards when you were just starting up was okay. Now, your business is expanding and your home needs to be safeguarded. Your virtual offices comes with its own contact number and a high-profile business address that protects your personal privacy while making it easy for your clients to do business with you.

3.    You're tired of being distracted by calls and administrative tasks.

When you were just starting out, you needed to do it all. Now, you can't do it all. It's time to streamline your efficiency and increase productivity by turning over your administrative tasks to someone else.
Virtual offices come equipped with a professional, full-time receptionist, trained to answer calls, screen them, and forward them to you. In addition to phone reception, your virtual office assistant can do data entry, copying, printing, and faxing. He or she can also handle your scheduling, take reservations, order fulfillment, and collect your mail and forward it to you.

4.    It's important to you to project a professional image to your clients.

Virtual office space is a great option if you are a home-based business owner preferring to work at home while maintaining a business identity at a professional business address. A virtual office is an easy, cost-effective way to enhance your business image and make an impact at a fraction of the cost of renting office space.

5.    You want the to be able to live and work anywhere in the world, cost effectively.

Most virtual office providers are located in major cities around the world, giving you the maximum amount of freedom and flexibility to do business just about anywhere.
Services vary depending on which plan you choose. Costs range from between $100 and $350 per month for a standard package to $10 per hour for a la cart services. For the home-based business owner needing or wanting to have a global base of operation, look for yearly specials for as low as $350 for the year, in select major cities.

For more information, check out Regus Virtual Offices, Intelligent Office, and Office Suites Plus. Then let me know what you think. Are you ready for a virtual office space?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Technorati Profile

Technorati Profile

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

How do you approach marketing when you are a professional service business? Like coaching or consulting?

Compared to services, products are an easy sell. After all, you can touch a product. People can actually hold it in their hands, turn it over, and see it with their eyes.

A service is a whole 'nuther beast.

So, just how do you sell to the invisible?

One of the best books I've read on this subject is Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith.

In this book, Beckwith systematically takes you through how marketing works and how prospects think about services. The best part is the hundreds of quick, easy-to-understand strategies he includes.

In this book, you'll learn:

• What works and what doesn't.
• The most important emotion that influences your prospects.
• The value in saying less.
• How to save your marketing dollars.
• The importance of guarantees.

I've read this book and found it both helpful and useful. For more information, the Newfangled Web Factory wrote a detailed review that you can read.

If you have read this book, we'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment and tell us what you thought. We're his ideas helpful? Was there one, in particular, that really worked for you?

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Award-winning author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Pre-expansion Checklist for the Home-Based Business Owner

Today, I am . . . thinking about a question one of our readers asked: "How do you make the jump from a boutique business to a larger business?"

Reader X has been in business for several years. Her company is doing very well. Problem: She's getting in more orders than she could handle.

Is it time for her to expand? If she can check off everything on this list, then yes!

Pre-expansion Checklist for the Home-Based Business Owner

• Determine if this is a growth spurt or sustained growth. If you have been in business less than three years, what you may be experiencing is a growth spurt. Growth spurts are surges of activity indicating an interest for your product. Don't make the mistake of thinking a spurt is an indicator for future growth. Make sure you are showing steady, increased growth over the past two years.

• Check your bottom-line profit numbers for the past three years. Has your business shown a consistent, steady growth?

• Look at the trends, both economic and consumer. Are there strong indications that your product has staying power? Especially in our current economic market.

• Do you already have in place the necessary administrative and management systems to support your expansion? The last thing you want to do is expand at the same time you're putting them in place. Instead, put them in place beforehand to keep your business running smoothly during the expansion.

• Do a new business plan. Not just an update. You're new business plan will help you determine when it's time to expand, what you need to have in place to make it happen, and how you'll accomplish it.

• Obtain financing. You'll need financing for an expansion. Don't depend on there being an increase in sales during your expansion. More likely, the opposite will be true. Just like when you started up, it will take more time and money than you think to grow, and sales will take time to match your expansion.

• Make sure your website is ready to handle the expansion. Besides having all the necessities for handling increased sales, make sure your product landing pages, home page, and navigation links are all optimized for the search engines and your clients. Your website has to be ready to play with the big boys and girls and must have a professional look and feel to it. Consider hiring a SEO expert to review your site and a copywriter to write great copy for key pages.

• Rev-up your sales to existing customers. Before you expand, boost you revenue by selling more to the customers you already have. You can do this through volume discounts, buy-two-get-one-free offers, and expanding your product line to include complimentary products. This will not only build in excitement and generate income; it will also get you used to handling more.

Have a burning business question you'd like to ask? I'll be glad to answer or find someone who can.

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Inner Samurai Quotations from Shunryu Suzuki

Shunryu Suzuki was a 20th century Soto Zen priest born who was born in Japan and spent a lot of time in the U.S.

Here are five of his Inner Samurai quotations for you to ponder today:

• Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity.

• Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want to have a good harvest, the most important thing is to make the soil rich and cultivate it well.

• So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always yourself, without sticking to an old self.

• In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

• As soon as you see something, you already start to intellectualize it. As soon as you intellectualize something, it is no longer what you saw.

What do you think of Suzuki's thoughts? Do you know of any others? If so, leave a comment and share them with us.

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success

Interview with Accidental Pren-her Gwen Austin

Today's special guest on The Accidental Pren-her Show, Stories of the Unexpected is Accidental Pren-her Gwen Austin of RC Art Toys.   

In this quick-fire, 10-minute interview we're going to hear all about the Color Bug:

The Color Bug is a ladybug-shaped remote controlled toy that draws on surfaces using washable markers. Children simply snap the marker into the toy, they place it on the drawing surface, and with the remote control the kids are able to create art.

Gwen discovered her passion for designing toys 10 years ago. Even though it took her almost a decade to get back around to her passion, she never lost sight of what it was she wanted to do:

I was in industrial design school 10 years ago. As I went through the school, I discovered that my strength was really designing for children – all of my best designs were always geared towards children, but not intentionally. By the time I got to the “toy design” class, I found what I had been searching for. My first assignment was to create a toy that moved 12 inches, and that’s where the concept of radio-controlled art was born.

Download her interview and listen to it from your computer or ipod.

Read the transcript.

Enjoy!

 

Susan L. Reid
The original Accidental Pren-her™

Author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success