Taking Time To Make Ideas Better

Since my feet resettled at work after Jack settled, as much as a new baby settles, at home, the Floricane team has been working on hyperdrive. We're ending the year at a metaphorical sprint, and starting 2015 a bit daunted by the density of work that's already on the calendar.

We're busy. I get it. Obviously, we don't have time to plan, or brainstorm, or dream.

Except that sometimes taking time is easy.

I sat down next to Caroline's desk this afternoon and began to do that thing she probably dreads -- free associate about various half-formed projects stuck in assorted corners of my mind.

How much has she grown in her two years with our team? So much that she didn't nod along with my business-as-usual monologue.

In five minutes, she took one of our most popular initiatives -- a simple postcard bearing an iconic image, and a quote -- and she blew it up. She spoke up and turned an old idea into something that is so much more accessible and amazing. (Look for it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day next month.)

Undaunted, I turned my attention to our calendar of events for 2015. We have a lot of events already on the calendar -- 22 days with scheduled Floricane activities and workshops in just the first three months of 2015. "Something square maybe? A poster that people will hang on their walls?" I suggested.

"How about...?" Caroline picked up a pair of scissors, and cut a long strip of paper. She picked up a pen and added some flourish. She pulled up a website of an amazing letter press designer.  "...something like this instead?"

Exactly. And it was over in 20 minutes. Collaboration at its best -- simple, creative and fast.

Giving Tuesday!

After the craziness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I love that Giving Tuesday exists to kick off the holiday season with a little bit of philanthropy! 'Tis the season, right? One thing I love love love about Richmond is our community's commitment to local non-profits (oh, AND local small businesses, too-- Small Business Saturday in Carytown was so much fun). As evidenced by the amazing success that The Amazing Raise has every single year, RVA loves to support local causes. There's still time to donate and be a part of Giving Tuesday. Go to http://giverichmond.guidestar.org/ to donate to the charity of your choice, and for today only, get all those pesky credit card transaction fees covered by The Community Foundation. Happy Giving!

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Facilitating small business engagement in Henrico

Catalyst Henrico Floricane

Earlier in the fall, I was lured into a planning discussion about a new small business event taking shape in Henrico County. Catalyst was designed by the Henrico Economic Development Authority and the West Cary Group to help small, established businesses in the county connect, learn and explore ways to grow.

How quickly three hours turn into three months. And how quickly three months vanishes – and the day of the event suddenly arrives.

Dozens of small business owners convened in mid-October to hear keynote speaker Gail Johnson of Rainbow Station talk about more than two decades of building a dream; the economic hiccups that threatened its success; and what led her to pursue franchise centers in China, Indonesia and India.

After Gail spoke, I spent much of the day facilitating a series of conversations – starting with rapid-fire networking discussions between participants. But the real meat of the day came from expert presentations from small business leaders (including some great Floricane friends like Steve Rosser of Gelati Celeste and Rick Jarvis of One South Realty), and two financially focused forums. The afternoon was anchored by a facilitated set of small roundtable discussions – led by the Virginia Council of CEOs – to help individual business owners “workshop” a business issue.

Spending time in learning environments where relationships are key, and the learning is experiential and real, is important. Helping design and sustain a space where every participant can contribute their best ideas to a conversation is at the heart of Floricane’s work. Catalyst allowed those ideas to take the stage in a way that was impactful for everyone in the room.

A Day in Harrisonburg with the Arts Council of the Valley

ROOOOAD TRIIIIIIIIP! John and I spent Monday in Harrisonburg, VA with staff and board members from the Arts Council of the Valley, which included a tour of the Court Square Theater (pictured above). I had never been to Harrisonburg before-- and I've been missing out! The historic downtown is beautiful, the small town is overflowing with arts and culture, and the Arts Council of the Valley is right smack dab in the middle of it all.

Floricane is helping ACV transform a lengthy, broad strategic plan into a concise document full of realistic action items. This will mean a clearer vision for the next 18 months and a simpler plan for making positive changes. We hope the entire staff and board will be relieved and excited when they see the final product!

Capital One serves up a dose of our own medicine

Sometimes, a little whimsy is all you need. Whimsy, and discipline. 

It was certainly whimsy that led me to submit Floricane’s name for ScopeAthon, an event organized by the Taproot Foundation and Capital One to help small businesses strengthen their processes. Believe me when I say that the six hours that Caroline, Theran and I spent working with a small team of Capital One process experts was worth its weight in gold. Or whatever is in your wallet.

It was, quite honestly, a bit like what many of you have experienced when you’ve brought Floricane into your own organizations.

We had a lovely start to our session. Amy, Krystal and Natasha were intrigued by Floricane. We talked about the history of Floricane, and our areas of focus, and the talented team that has assembled in recent years. And then I stepped away to take an important phone call and look for coffee.

When I came back, Natasha leaned back into the conversation and said, “So, one of the common threads that keeps coming up for me is that John is the bottleneck.”

So much for the intrigue.

Saying Thank You...

Thank You From Floricane

Based on our purchase history of our patented Floricane orange envelopes and note cards, I’ve written more than 1,500 thank you notes since the business launched at the end of 2008. It’s a challenging practice to stay on top of – and I probably owe everyone who reads this post a card that hasn’t been written.

I’d like to blame my mom for this habit, but it’s really not her fault. No, Charles and Charlie Luck – the owners of Luck Companies – are to blame.

During my 12 years at Luck Stone, I probably received three dozen handwritten notes from Charles or Charlie – in fact, Charles has sent me two notes since I left Luck in 2008. Believe me, I was not the only employee to receive an old-fashioned thank you for a job well done, or a milestone achieved.

I know how much each of those notes meant to me when I opened and read them – less for the words written, and more for the intent behind the note itself. Each note meant that someone was paying attention to me as a person and to my work as an employee.

As I continue to grow Floricane, I never want our friends and clients to feel that we’re not paying attention to them – as people, and as partners.