March 9th 2010
Business lessons from preschool crafts
(If you’re reading this post from your inbox, you’ll get more out of it by clicking here to view photos!)
My 4 year old daughter came home from preschool last week with a picture of a penguin that she had drawn.
I still can’t see a penguin in that picture no matter how many different ways I look at it.
The thing is, my daughter is very talented when it comes to drawing. At the age of four, she’s actually better to draw than I am, so I knew there was something going on when I saw that picture.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not crazy parents putting pressure on the child to be the best artist in her class, but this was obviously not my daughter’s style.
I was looking at it and going, “Look, Daddy, Casey drew this beautiful penguin at school today.”
Then Casey said, “I copied off of Jane.” (I’ve changed the name to protect the innocent.)
Aaaaaahhhh. That made sense.
I told Casey I would rather see a penguin that she drew by herself without copying off of anyone.
She quickly churned out this photo:
See the difference?
I had to try to explain to my daughter that she could do a better job if she did her drawings on her own, without copying off of anyone else. As I was explaining this to her, I realized that lots of adults still don’t get this.
If you’re marketing your business in the way that everyone else in your industry markets their businesses, just because you think that’s how you should be promoting yourself, did you ever stop and think you’re basically being a copycat?
There’s an excellent chance that if you’re trying to be someone you’re not, you’re stifling something great inside by doing so. Like my daughter’s own penguin drawing.
Market with your own personality. Be authentic. Be yourself. Make your own unique, individual mark on the world and be proud of it.
You’ll attract better clients, you’ll do better work and you’ll have a happier existence.
It’s true what they say, you know, you learned everything you needed to know about life before you finished kindergarten. Think about it. Would your teacher let you get away with copying off your neighbor?
Didn’t think so.
8 Comments »
Terry Green on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:01 pm #
Excellent post Jaime!! Sometimes it may seem a lot easier to take the cookie-cutter approach and copy someone else’s marketing strategies, but it’s definitely not best. While our marketing strategies may be similar to what someone else is doing, we need to incorporate strategies into our marketing plan that presents our businesses in a way that reflects who we really are as individual business owners if we are going to stand out from the rest and be noticed.
Sherry on 10 Mar 2010 at 12:29 pm #
Jaime, have you been reading my mind! Your post certainly is advice we all need to think about, then have the courage to do.
Becki Noles on 10 Mar 2010 at 1:08 pm #
Awesome post Jaime! What a message to a 4 year-old and to a…ahem…34 year-old. Be authentic, be original and be you. You can’t go wrong!
Penguins & Pre-schoolers: A lesson for business owners | In The Worx on 10 Mar 2010 at 1:47 pm #
[...] of a penguin she drew, or so Jaime thought. You’ll have to read the whole story over at Jaime’s blog, but the morale of the story involves copying off of someone else. Something that happens way too [...]
Jaime Mann on 10 Mar 2010 at 2:05 pm #
Ladies, thank you for taking the time to comment.
I have experienced first hand what a difference it makes when you break free from the casing and strut your own authentic stuff. The results are amazing and it’s something I try to encourage my clients to do. First thing I’m always looking for when I write for someone new is their differentiator. It’s key to me and I try to base the content and marketing message around that factor.
Where Can I Get Great Preschool Crafts? on 14 Mar 2010 at 7:03 pm #
[...] Business lessons from preschool crafts | Mann Made Blog [...]
preschool – Preschool Crafts – The Mighty Letter "M" on 17 Mar 2010 at 6:01 am #
[...] Business lessons from preschool crafts | Mann Made Blog [...]
Alex Dropshipping on 24 May 2010 at 2:54 am #
Sometimes children have ideas that you will never think of. This is a great article since people would realize that you can actually pick up something from preschool craft. The good thing about this is that the idea of kids are really original and unique. It may seem not to be that sensible to other people but if they would realize the great mind of kids they would realize that some things are not yet discovered until a kid accidentally or intentionally placed it in their own craft.
Great Idea! and very Inspiring! Thank you!
Alex