How Creative Events Solve Personal and Business Problems

Shirley George Frazier — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:25:31 +0000

One event that I search for online, in local newspapers, and at trade or consumer shows is demonstrations on how to add personal touches onto gift items.

Although I know and practice many techniques, if there’s a chance to learn something new, I’ll spend time watching and taking notes.

This may not be something that’s part of your life. However, taking time to see a demonstration or being an active participant at an event has many benefits.

It’s calming and lessens stress if you’re overwhelmed.
It’s exciting to see something new and different.
It helps you to unlock problems that seemingly have no solution.

That’s just three ideas, and there’s a good chance that a different benefit will occur for you.

Such a benefit happened to an executive who participated in one of my Creative Business Building workshops. He experienced a light bulb moment while creating a gift basket during the two-hour event, recognizing what was missing from a scientific formula that had failed for months. The problem was solved days after the workshop.

Whether you watch or participate, creative events have the potential to solve problems for individuals or within groups. This is why I’m excited to see what other people bring to the gift table so I can share it with you in an atmosphere that reveals the right formula for your success.

Watching 100 executives and support staff make gift baskets as a team-building exercise will always be one of the highlights of my career.

It was delightful, insightful, and it was also loud as shred and cellophane were pulled, tugged, and gathered into place within and around each gift basket.

The results were above each person’s expectations as everyone reviewed their creations while I provided more ideas and information on how to continue the momentum in their offices.

If you’re ready to bring this team-building experience to your staff, call me at 973-279-2799 or click here to complete the online form. My summer calendar is filling up now, so don’t wait long.

Here are some results you’ll realize — employees will increase their productivity, they’ll be more open to sharing ideas, and your clients will recognize the change and re-commit to a long and rewarding relationship with you.

This year I criss-crossed the world traveling to retail stores and corporate offices to bring fun and exciting learning experiences through gift basket making to individuals, staff members, and executives.

The goal of unleashing one’s inner creativity so a grander vision of building businesses was achieved.

I could almost see light bulbs illuminating above each person’s head as problems were solved through planning, kneading, tying, and wrapping. It’s been a fabulous year.

My calendar is filling quickly with new opportunities to reach thousands of new customers and many returning clients. All of them want to inspire more employees to see challenges differently so they achieve success quickly and efficiently.

Contacting me to schedule this productivity-raising program is easy. Just click this link to request information, and my assistant will provide the details.

Here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday season.

The moment my speaking engagement in Washington, DC ended, I boarded a shuttle bus to the airport to catch a plane bound for San Francisco, and one day later I’d be on my way to Los Angeles.

That’s what happens in my business at least one summer each year. Criss-crossing from Atlanta to Dallas to Los Angeles and back to the New York City area can be exhausting if you’re not prepared for such a schedule. However, if you plan free time in-between what you do for a living, you’ll arrive at each destination with a smile on your face.

The above picture depicts some rest and relaxation with my good friend, Dr. Flora Morris Brown, after speaking at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We got together in an upstairs lounge after eating lunch.

It was not only a terrific location for catching up on personal changes but also a great place for starting new relationships that, for me, secured three more engagements later in the year.

Do some research about the place you’ll visit before you get there so you know where to unwind before or after the reason for traveling. Here’s a sample of what is available during your free time:

See a play
Visit a museum
Check out the Apple Store
Attend a Chamber of Commerce meeting
Browse a street bazaar or antique shop
Enjoy the view from a rooftop cafe
Get together with friends that live close by

Excitement is waiting whether you’re on the road for one day or one week. Try to schedule free time so you enjoy a well-rounded trip to wherever the destination takes you.

It’s easy to let one little thing stop you from achieving great things in your life and in other lives, too.

I think back to a time before I wrote my first book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, and remember the negative words said to me by an uncle who didn’t think my book would amount to anything.

Had I allowed his words to derail me, the book would not exist today as the industry’s No. 1 best seller, allowing thousands of lives worldwide to be changed for the better.

Some people may listen to your dreams and then pronounce, without thinking, that you will not accomplish your goals. This is the point when dreams either take root inside you or die on the spot.

If your sights are set on starting a gift basket business or a business in any industry, try your best to find and share that dream with a fair-minded person who will encourage you to research every step as you move forward with confidence.

I’m on your side, so let me be the first to share how to proceed.

Learn everything possible about the industry or profession in which you’ll participate.
Uncover the areas within the industry that are underserved and the people to whom you’ll market.
Create a blueprint so you focus diligently on every area of the exciting potential that awaits you.

I’ve spoken to many groups on this subject, from students to business owners, and it’s an honor to share my experience with your group that I’ll deliver specifically for them. Click this link to contact me so we can create a great experience at your event.

Anyone who decides to start a business immediately goes into overdrive.

Your head begins to swell with a laundry list of tasks and plans. It’s as if everything that must be done to achieve this goal is due at the same time.

That’s when overwhelm happens, and the idea of starting a business begins to diminish. It’s all too exhausting to achieve. Or is it?

Overwhelm is a feeling that happens frequently for many of us in this fast-paced world. As an example it occurs for me every week as I prepare to go to the supermarket, a seemingly easy task but one that’s not so simple if you’re not in the mood.

All the anticipated aisles, products, and choices before me, and don’t mention the stress of staying within budget. When it’s over, I still have to load and unload the groceries in the car and put everything away when I get home.

It seems that the main problem with overwhelm happens when all the moving parts are assigned to you. As a solo entrepreneur, a business is a lot to manage, and if something’s not done right, you have no one to blame except yourself. That’s enough to send some entrepreneurs back to full-time employment.

Thankfully, there’s a solution, one that always settles my anxiousness. It starts with identifying the main goal and then listing the tasks for that goal into a structure that let’s me recognize and celebrate completing each objective.

This is a topic that I’ve delivered to audiences at numerous events hosted by non-profit organizations, trade shows, and private businesses. I often hear a collective sigh of relief when everyone sees how to master the anxiety.

If you’re thinking of starting a business, the first thing to realize is that you’re not alone. There is lots of help available to aid your success. Most of all, your goals are achievable, and that’s when the feeling of overdrive takes a positive spin as you decide who to assist with your new-found ability to help others reach their goals.

One of the most-elegant gift basket designs I’ve taught in my many gift basket classes is the tea basket.

There are variations on this theme according to the class size, type of audience, and preference stated to me by conference planners.

Small groups create this design with a china cup and saucer filled with items to give for joy or comfort.

Medium-sized groups make their designs with an over-sized, dark straw cup that has the saucer woven into the cup’s bottom. This container accommodates enough snacks and gifts for a family or office department.

Large groups at conferences receive a huge, deluxe basket or gorgeous container and lots of items to make these gigantic designs. The noise level in the room often becomes loud and the frenzy is often chaotic as participants laugh and compare what neighbors are making with the same items.

These three scenarios are what you can expect when I share gift basket trade secrets with your staff or group. It brings out team spirit and camaraderie at an event they will always remember.

Click this link for more information to bring this fun experience to your next event.

One goal I’m sure to achieve during each of my presentations is adding a generous portion of visual interest and a pinch of humor.

Although I’m not speaking about medical or science topics (both of which benefit from these additions), I find that these points help the audience to retain key information to increase their personal or professional productivity.

Here’s an example (in the photograph) of me on stage showing a gift basket demonstration to retailers at the California Gift Show. I not only create a gorgeous design from the bottom to the bow, I also explain design mistakes during the process.

Those points always tickle the funny bone.

The audience recalls their own design mishaps or recognizes what would have occurred had they not examined the problem and solution. I can see the satisfaction in their faces and, of course, there are lots of questions during Q&A and after the presentation.

Gift baskets may not be your profession. However, the art of gift basket designing can be compared to other endeavors such as building a new enterprise, broadening the creative spirit, and helping teams work together more effectively.

This dynamic and unique presentation is always customized to benefit your employees, group, or conference. Complete this form to contact my assistant who will explain everything so that you easily pinpoint the benefits this presentation will bring to your business or organization.

Whether leading tens or hundreds of students in a hands-on gift basket class or providing a demonstration to students who want to learn all about gift basket design (as shared in the above video), one thing is clear: gift basket making delivers a multitude of benefits to everyone who creates and receives them.

The art of gift basket design:

Promotes good health, as it lowers stress levels and keeps blood pressure under control
Generates strong brain cells, as this art form challenges the mind to think clearly and creatively
Inspires imagination, challenging us to think beyond the norm in order to produce something new
Provides comfort, specifically during times of heartbreak, sorrow, or recovery
Produces laughter, especially when celebrating holidays, special events, and random thoughtfulness

You may not be able, in the video, to see the faces of students attending the Washington, DC seminar that I recently hosted, but you can feel their positive energy, inspiration, and curiosity.

At the end, students were prepared to begin a life of making gift baskets or continuing their profession of creating stylish masterpieces for friends, family members, and customers.

My mission is to inspire individuals, employees, and teams to unlock their personal and professional potential through the art of gift basket making, because it’s not just about adding products to a basket; it’s an art that allows us to expand on the very best we have to share with everyone in our circle. That’s the outcome I’m most proud of that occurs at every event.

Meeting and speaking with attendees after your presentation rewards you and them in many ways.

Their like-and-trust meter rises during the conversation.

They’re more likely to recommend your services to colleagues.

You learn about their post-presentation needs to develop new programs.

Your mingling helps you identify what to do to increase your value.

Most of all, if you bring your camera, as many of us own as an independent product or within our cell phones, the memory of the great event and who you met will be captured for all eternity. Your photographs are added to your website or blog and shared through online photo services and social media programs.

I learned many years ago to purchase a separate camera for this purpose. The secondary unit is given to a person associated with the event or someone in the audience.

My preference is the latter, and that person receives an autographed copy of my book when the camera is returned (we also take a picture together).

Like my identification, my camera accompanies me everywhere so a picture-taking moment is never missed. This practice ensures that no matter who I meet, from individuals at my events to well-known personalities, the moment is captured forever.

When we meet after my presentation at your event (contact me through this link to schedule a keynote or seminar), be sure to request that we take a photograph together.