Wednesday Wisdom: Time to Transform
Wednesday Wisdom and inspiration for women entrepreneurs, female business owners, small businesses
New York State Dairy Princess Melanie Hector Adams era 1960s
I caught a quick glimpse of the butter sculpture for the 2018 New York State Fair beginning today. The media loves disclosing the image before thousands of people arrive to witness it themselves. They do it because everyone knows there will be a butter sculpture because it’s an iconic brand image of the annual event. Commercials leading up to the NYS Fair show cows, chocolate milk, horses, cotton candy, swirling rides, and so much more. They have done a great job branding the fair for years so people know exactly what they’ll get when they arrive.
Did you know, the New York State Fair was inaugurated on September 29, 1841? It is the oldest and one of the largest state fairs in the United States with nearly one million visitors annually. I suppose any entity can brand itself well after 177 years. Although the NYS Fair has been situated on the same acreage since 1890, when it found a permanent location in Syracuse, it has gone through transformation like many other entities when improvement was needed, to catch up with the times, or when emergencies occurred. For example between the years of 1942 and 1947, the fairgrounds were used as a military base during World War II and no fair was held.
So what does today’s wisdom on the New York State Fair have to do with you and your business? Transformation happens to women entrepreneurs just like it does for events like the NYS Fair. It also happens to long running organizations and sturdy structures. When women start their companies, they may construct a 3, 5 or 10 year business plan hoping the document will stand the test of time. As we know, nothing remains the same in life and business so we better be prepared with a Plan B or a transformational outlook to stay on track.
This fall as I return to work actively with Women TIES, I will be creating some events to help me learn what has transformed for New York State women entrepreneurs the past few years. I can’t depend on my old business plan to tell me what is happening in the marketplace and what services are needed most by women entrepreneurs 14 years after I started my company or even half a year from direct contact with my members due to my medical sabbatical. I need to know how they have been transformed by changes in their lives, business lives and marketplace impact.
As I re-enter the marketplace, I have been transformed from a healthy full head of hair and confident businesswomen to slightly less confident one with a lot less hair. The only thing that has not changed is my passion to help women. My feminist spirit has not changed course either so if there is any noticeable transformation about me besides my appearance, is my stronger pink heart and voice to raise women in all areas of life not just business. The outlets of support for women entrepreneurs have expanded greatly since 1995 when I started supporting women owned businesses. It’s okay to realize when change has happened and the need to transform to meet more or less marketplace demand.
Today’s Wednesday Wisdom should motivate you to think of ways you have transformed as an entrepreneur or how your company has transformed. Were the transformations difficult? Are you glad you made the transitions you needed? Are you still in the process of transformation and need help to move forward? We can’t do everything on our own even if we are intelligent and passionate; sometimes we need the guidance of other experts or time to ourselves to help in the change process. Their words and actions can illuminate the path we know lies before us.
Women TIES 