Napoleon was forced

to retreat from Russia

Do what you do best
Pamela Geer knows the frustration of growing a business.
She writes that she often looks for the grandiose strategy.
When that becomes overwhelming, no real action is taken.
She now follows Food Network star Paula Deen’s example:
Start where you are and start with what you know best.
That’s powerfully simple advice, she writes.
“I plan to do it right now in the next steps I take.”
Thanks, Pamela. You are a role model for the rest of us.
We live in desperate times. Don’t count on a fast recovery.
We tend to think these times call for desperate measures.
That only make us look desperate to clients and colleagues.
Napoleon’s invasion of Russia is a classic example.
He had not counted on the Russian winter or the Russians.
The Russians burned everything as they retreated.
They left nothing for the French Army to forage.
Then the winter set in and the invasion failed.
Assess your strengths. At what do you excel?
Like Paula Deen and her sandwiches, do what you do best.
Next, assess your weaknesses. What don’t you like to do?
What do you feel uncomfortable doing? Do not do well?
Find someone with those strengths to work with you.
They may be a partner, friend, relative or employee.
We can’t be all things to our friends or our clients.
Do what we excel at and find others to do the rest.

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The man who revolutionized marketing

Yesterday we talked about a geeky idea that became a big hit.
Today we’ll talk about a man who turned a liability into a success.
Josiah Wedgwood was born into a family of English potters.
As a child, he survived smallpox. It left his legs weakened.
Because he could not kick a potter’s wheel, he worked on designs.
He created the designs and his potters made them.
His lines of china caught the eyes of Queen Charlotte of England.
He convinced her to lend her name to his marketing campaigns.
All the aristocrats wanted china services like the queen’s.
Catherine the Great bought two different services from him.
This gave him an international reputation, which he exploited.
You can see one of Catherine’s services in the Hermitage in Russia.
He was big on quality and smashed any piece short of his standards.
"That will not do for Josiah Wedgwood," he would exclaim.
Wedgwood china is still considered among the world's best today.
His son-in-law Charles Darwin became even better known.
We will talk about Darwin’s exploits in a future blog.
But for smallpox, Wedgwood might have been just another potter.
But he turned a weakness into a strength. He used his creativity.
Here’s my challenge to you: Don’t obsess on your weaknesses.
Find your strengths, as Wedgwood did, and make the most of them.
Write that in your journal today: "My strengths are . . ."
Then think about how you can put them to their greatest use.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about capturing the fruits of the season.
For more about capturing your dreams, click here.

TGIF: Eating with the Mongol nomads

The Mongols are colorful, tribal and nomadic.
They inhabit Mongolia, China and Russia.
Their restless lifestyle helped create a distinctive cuisine.
One of our favorite dishes is Mongolian beef.
It’s made with flank or top round steak.
But it’s also great with leftover beef, chicken or pork.
Just slice the leftovers and substitute for the steak.
Mongolian Beef (for 4)
1 lb flank or top round steak
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 green onions chopped
Some butchers label this cut "London broil". It’s actually flank or top round. Thin slice the steak against the grain. Dip slices in cornstarch to coat and set aside.
In a sauce pan, warm 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, water, Hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Boil sauce to thicken it, then remove from heat.
Heat remaining olive oil in wok over medium heat and saute beef lightly, turning once to brown both sides. Drain excess oil and pour thickened sauce over beef in wok. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve with white or fried rice, iced tea and a small cucumber and greens salad dressed in oil and vinegar.
I hope you're planning a great Mother's Day weekend.
Please tell Mom we said "hello".
Next week: Max your association membership.
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