Do Your Creative Hires Need to Be Experts In Your Industry?

Do Your Creative Hires Need to Be Experts In Your Industry?

Do Your Creative Hires Need to Be Experts In Your Industry?

When adding creative professionals to your team you might think you need to find candidates who are creative AND experts in your industry. While it would be amazing to be able to find the perfect creative thinker who also has expert level knowledge, that is not easily found and not necessary for success. Today we will discuss why finding the right creative is more important than finding an industry expert. In some cases it can be beneficial to bring on someone outside of your industry for fresh ideas and a fresh view of your challenges.

Make Sure They Want to Learn

Once you find someone whose work and expertise in their creative field is a good fit for your business the next step is to determine if they are interested in learning. You want to find someone who is willing to learn about your industry and your business in a deep and meaningful way. They need to be willing take in a lot of information at a rapid rate and possibly change the way they approach the work based on what you need. An avid learner will be excited for new ideas, challenges and solutions and will likely offer ideas that you may not have thought of yourself. Creative thinkers can change things for the better and take the company to newer heights.

Creatives Can Offer New Ideas and Solutions

As mentioned above creative professionals often look at problems and challenges through a different lens. If they also are working in a variety of industries they will have solutions that may not have been though of by an industry expert. By using their more diverse background of knowledge they are able to offer outside the box ideas and solutions and move you away from the industry norm. In areas such as web design, creative marketing and copywriting this may be the leg up your business needs to set yourself apart from the pack.

In the highly competitive business landscape that most industries face it is often a detriment to maintain the status quo. Customers are bombarded with options and if you are not standing out you are lost in the fray. While an industry expert may have the knowledge they also may come with the attitude that there is a way to do things. By bringing someone outside the industry in to do your creative work you open the door to new ideas and fresh perspective. Remember that a good creative professional who is invested in your businesses success will build their knowledge of your business and industry to better perform their job. While they may not start out as an industry expert, you could easily end up with an amazing creative who grows into the right expert for your needs.

Do Your Creative Hires Need to Be Experts In Your Industry?

about

Danielle LaFleur

Danielle has over 27+ years in Marketing, IT, and Network design, development, and workforce leadership training. She is the owner of Gray Lux, Inc. She understands the real needs every small businesses has in creating value online and in-person with their clients.

She is dedicated to creating successes for her team and her clients.

Danielle has helped hundreds of small businesses maximize extra revenue streams, and has created a process for extracting an ROI from an ROE in training and development which is currently being used in over 100+ corporations.

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3 Ways to Manage a Major Life Transitions

3 Ways to Manage a Major Life Transitions

3 Ways to Manage a Major Life Transitions

Major life transitions are inevitable. Sometimes they are exciting, weddings, moves, new babies and new jobs. Sometimes they are sad things like divorce or death. Whether they are happy or sad these transitions can be hard to navigate emotionally.

How to manage major life transitions?

Life never waits for anything and anyone. It is we who have to cope-up with the circumstances and learn to manage the major life transitions.There are ways to manage major transitions so that you can come out the other side healthy and balanced.

Practice Self-Care

Self care is the most important practice that helps us forego major life transitions. When we encounter major stress in our lives it is very easy to stop taking care of ourselves. We stop exercising, doing things we enjoy and practicing self-care. As women we tend to take on everything and put ourselves on the back burner. When dealing with major changes and stress make sure you keep your well-being on the to-do list. It not only maintains your routine which makes you feel in control. It also keeps your body and mind healthy and better able to manage your stress.

Take Charge of the Change

 People tend to feel especially stressed when they do not know what is coming. If there is a way to take some control in the situation it makes you feel like you have some say in what is happening in your life. When we prepare and know what to expect (as much as is possible) we feel like our hand is on the wheel. In some cases you cannot control everything, but by choosing something you can do to prepare, or learn about the situation you take back come control and put yourself in the driver’s seat of your life.

 Focus on the Positive

 There is always a positive aspect to any major change. Even if it is just looking at it as a new chapter in your life. By focusing on the positive you see the hopefulness in every situation and it can make you feel better. If you dwell on the loss or the disappointment of a change you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and things seem unsurmountable. Positive thinking leads to positive feelings, so try to see the silver lining in the change when enduring major life transitions..

Every single human being will encounter major life changes and the way they are handled can create an environment that makes it easier or harder to handle. By managing the life changes and not letting them take over your life you will get through it with confidence and grace.

Also Read: 10 Ways To Simplify Your Life

Karen Rae

Karen Rae

Owner, Fave Lifestyles
www.FaveLifestyles.com

about

Karen Rae

I was becoming an empty nester, a woman of a more interesting age and in transition. Sound familiar? I was at that place where we question our purpose, value, and worth and what in the world are we going to do with the rest of our lives.

I noticed women have a huge hunger to belong to a community of women where they can feel safe, share openly from their heart and have other women to do life with! This is why I created my Fave Lifestyles.

Fave is for the woman who wants to call Fave her community of women who support, uplift, and make her feel better about herself. I want to create a place where we help her answer life's questions and just do life together!

Let's Do Life Together at Fave Lifestyles

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Conversation with Author Karen Koenig – Women On Top

Conversation with Author Karen Koenig – Women On Top

Conversation with Author, Karen Koenig of “Women On Top”.

Karen Koenig is a financial advisor and the author of Women on Top. Her career spans the military and the aerospace industry. She came up in her career in male dominated industries. She speaks about the challenges of being the only women in the position and how women have to continually prove themselves to be respected in roles other than support or caregivers.

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5 Things You Need to Build Your Empire

5 Things You Need to Build Your Empire

5 Things You Need to Build Your Empire

Are you a person who wants to grow your business into an empire? Do you have a vision of massive growth, huge success and international influence? When you are standing at the bottom of the mountain of empire building it can seem impossible to reach that goal. So, what do those who reach that level of success have in common? What are the traits of an empire builder? 

Passion and Optimism

 Starting a business is HARD. It is usually harder than expected and comes with a lot of bumps I the road. You have to have a strong passion for the business you are building to get you through those rough patches. You also have to have strong sense of optimism that your idea/product/service will be a success. Without passion and optimism the initial difficulty of growing your business will be too much to overcome. 

 Embrace Mistakes 

 No one likes to make mistakes but usually this is where you learn and grow the most. You cannot escape mistakes so you have to embrace them and investigate what went wrong. If you learn and pivot when you make a mistake you will reach your goal that much faster. If you ignore the mistake or distance yourself from it without taking a look at what happened then nothing is learned and it is just a lost opportunity for growth. 

 Lifelong Learner

 We live in a fast-paced world of new technology, changing trends and constant streams of information. You cannot learn everything but you need to keep current on things that impact your business, clients and industry. Being a lifelong learner is key to being an expert in your field and giving 

Find Your Role Models

 Sometimes as business owners it is easy to fall into the comparison trap. You see someone else who is successful and feel like you are not as successful so you are failing. Instead of comparing use these people as your role models. If you see another business that is killing it, don’t look at it as you are failing but as something to aspire too. By finding others to look up too you remove the weight of comparison and instead are inspired by these success.

 Set Goals

 Goals are so important to long term success. Without them there is no vision for the future and nothing to work toward 80 percent of the world’s richest people set goals, they inspire you, encourage you, reward you, and help you plan and execute your actions better and more quickly. Not only should you set goals, you should plan on how you will reach those goals. 

 There are many things you need to build a successful business that grows into an empire. It takes tenacity, hard work and an enthusiasm for what you are doing. Empire builders are the people who get up every day and  move forward no matter what. Those are the people who reach empire levels of success. 

5 Things You Need to Build Your Empire

about

Danielle LaFleur

Danielle has over 27+ years in Marketing, IT, and Network design, development, and workforce leadership training. She is the owner of Gray Lux, Inc. She understands the real needs every small businesses has in creating value online and in-person with their clients.

She is dedicated to creating successes for her team and her clients.

Danielle has helped hundreds of small businesses maximize extra revenue streams, and has created a process for extracting an ROI from an ROE in training and development which is currently being used in over 100+ corporations.

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Our Five Favorite Summer Cocktails

Our Five Favorite Summer Cocktails

Our Five Favorite Summer Cocktails

Summer has arrived in the Pacific Northwest and it is warm and beautiful! No matter where you live there is something so refreshing about sitting outside and sipping a delicious cocktail while soaking up the sun. In honor of the summer season we wanted to share five cocktails that we are enjoying this season! 

 Paloma

 The Paloma is a delicious and refreshing tequila and grapefruit drink. It is similar to a margarita, but simpler to make. Here is a recipe for a simple Paloma. 

 Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 TB simple syrup
  • 1 cup Blanco (silver) tequila
  • 1 cup club soda

 Directions

  • Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup and tequila. Stir to incorporate well. Keep chilled until ready to serve. 

 Basil Gimlet

 A gimlet is not a drink you see on the menu every day, but this basil and gin cocktail is simple, refreshing and perfect for summer! 

 Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large bunch basil, coarsely chopped
  • Ice
  • 6 tablespoons gin
  • 4 tablespoons lime juice
  • Basil sprigs, for garnish (optional)

 Directions

  • Make basil syrup: In a large microwave-safe measuring cup, combine sugar, 3/4 cup water, and basil.
  • Microwave on high until sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Let basil steep in syrup 20 to 30 minutes, then strain (you’ll have enough syrup for 4 drinks).
  • Fill 2 highball glasses with ice. Into each glass, pour 3 tbsp. gin, 4 tbsp. basil syrup, and 2 tbsp. lime juice. Stir and serve, garnished with basil sprigs.

Moscow Mule      

 Is there anything more refreshing than a frosty copper mug filled with a delicious Moscow Mule? It is the epitome of summer and never gets old! Even if you do not have the copper mugs, this is just as delicious served in a glass. 

 INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ounces vodka (I recommend Tito’s brand)
  • ½ ounce fresh lime juice (about ½ medium lime)
  • 4 ounces ginger beer (I recommend Fever-Tree brand)
  • Lime wedge, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Fill a copper mug or similarly sized glass with ice. Pour in the vodka and lime juice. Fill the glass with ginger beer and gently swirl it with a spoon once to mix.
  • Garnish with a lime wedge, and enjoy!

Sangria

 Sangria is such a lovely summer cocktail. You can make it with red or white wine and it is a great drink to make in large quantities for parties. There are lots of variations of sangria, but this is the best recipe we have found. 

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red or white  wine
  • 1/2 cup triple sec
  • 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
  • 1 orange, sliced into rounds
  • 1 lime, sliced into rounds
  • 1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
  • 2 cups carbonated water (optional)

Directions

  • In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

Aperol Spritz

The Aperol spritz was once very popular and seems to be making a comeback. It is extremely simple and very refreshing on a hot day. You can also customize this drink by swapping out the club soda for blood orange or other citrus soda to make it a bit sweeter. 

Ingredients

  • Sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Cava
  • shot Aperol
  • 1shot club soda
  • 1slice orange

Directions

  • Mix together in a wine class and garnish with an orange

 We love all five of these cocktails because they are refreshing and delicious! They are also easy to make and do not have a huge number of ingredients. They can easily be made at home and in large quantities if you are hosting a party. We hope you are able to give them a try and find them as yummy as we do.

 Summer Cocktails
Karen Rae

Karen Rae

Owner, Fave Lifestyles
www.FaveLifestyles.com

about

Karen Rae

I was becoming an empty nester, a woman of a more interesting age and in transition. Sound familiar? I was at that place where we question our purpose, value, and worth and what in the world are we going to do with the rest of our lives.

I noticed women have a huge hunger to belong to a community of women where they can feel safe, share openly from their heart and have other women to do life with! This is why I created my Fave Lifestyles.

Fave is for the woman who wants to call Fave her community of women who support, uplift, and make her feel better about herself. I want to create a place where we help her answer life's questions and just do life together!

Let's Do Life Together at Fave Lifestyles

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