Mother's Day Reflections. A Business and Marketing Comparison on Seeing Your Value.

Happy Two Days After Mother's Day!

A Beautiful Day. A Beautiful Celebration. A Beautiful Vision.

A Day We Celebrate the Wonderful Women, Who See Our Value, From the Very Beginning to the Very End.

….It should be acknowledged Every. Day. Of. The. Year

Value. Every creative, every business owner, every entrepreneur, and quite frankly, every person, should treat their value as if they were a baby. A magnificent, growing, baby that no one can see at first, but a baby, nonetheless. Very few, apart from the mother, even notice the little wee one in the beginning stages of its growth. To many, it is not real yet. There is no value to the world that this unseen baby brings.

The world does not see, it cannot see, what the mother sees.

But, to many a mother-to-be, not only does this unseen baby bring value to the world, this baby is her world. The mother does not appear to be pregnant yet, but she feels the pregnancy and has already begun to envision her baby’s future. Her baby’s value. To the mother, the baby has the potential to conquer the world!

Despite the fact, that at this point the mother does not appear to be pregnant and may not even have a positive test result for an (an at-home) pregnancy test, the value of the baby has already been embedded within her. Many mothers at this point have begun (should be) taking prenatal vitamins, they have probably cut down or completely given up their beloved cups of coffee and thrown out their coveted glasses of wine. Many have continued an exercise routine -or- begun taking really long naps, maybe both!

The naps are so needed! Um, so needed. I cannot say this enough!

Some are already touching their bellies, filled with nothing but happiness, while some mothers are struck with the uncertainty of what the future, the unknown brings. But, for many, it is a roller coaster of emotions.

That potential energy vs. kinetic energy.

All the potential, moving uphill, literally one moment of excitement, joy, and planning, switched very quickly with the downhill kinetic energy, a full g-force of fear, anxiety, and possibly, sadness. Regardless, the mother is still envisioning the baby, taking every moment with value. Every moment has value.

There are many things that the mother has prepared for, while a great majority of situations, the unknown or unexperienced, where she will, literally, just have to wing it.

Going with the flow, all while seeing the value of every moment, planned or unplanned.

But, how can I make such a bold declaration using an intrepid comparison?

A baby? A mother?

It makes sense for a Mother’s Day Blog or a website that is geared towards mothers and babies but for a marketing post. Well, hear me out. I feel that my bold declaration, which I do not believe to be so bold, is not farfetched.

In fact, for me, they are intertwined.

Tying motherhood -or- having a baby into business, marketing, branding, and yes, writing: Bottom line, mothers see the value.

And, as business owner, there will so many moments where you will just have to wing it, as in, go with the flow. There will also be so many moments, and I cannot stress this enough, where only you will see the value in the moments and opportunities that you are engaged in or seeking.

A mother nurtures her child, and fosters the value of the child, even when others do not see it, cannot see it, or refuse to see it. Just like this, a business owner, a creative, and every person should nurture their value, even when others do not. See, I said it again! Just as important as nurturing the baby’s value, a mother instills a value within the child for that child to then go out into the world, contribute value, and on the receiving end, appreciate the value of others.

To see one’s value often requires a person to see the potential in someone or something.

Sunday, was Mother’s Day. It was a beautiful and relaxed day for me. Super chill, planned by my husband and my children. We just soaked up the moments of the day. As I watched my children pick flowers off our trees to form gift bouquets for me and draw homemade cards with all sorts of décor glued to them, for what must have been the billionth time, I saw the value of my children and the value of their creations.

I saw their potential.

Full of imagination and creativity, with the urge to please me and see me happy, they poured their hearts out into helping my husband create the perfect backyard barbeque celebration. Filled with love and effort. Oh, and a whole lot of glue, crayons, and hugs. You could definitely tell what the little ones, who are the ages of 1, 3, and 6, had prepared versus what my oldest daughter, who is 12, and husband had done. But it did not diminish the value of what the little ones had to offer. In fact, it only made me see their potential more clearly. The little ones saw what my husband and older daughter had done, they, in turn, went scouring the yard- on their own, picking flowers, finding the right rocks, and making the perfect mud pies and sand cupcakes to gift to me.

Their products were different, but the value was the same!

Likewise, as a business owner or creative, you have value. Everyone has a different product to offer. It is your job to present the value of yours.

Like a mother, you have to see the value of what you have to offer, even when no one else does. You must nurture that value, even when no one else is willing to. And, like a mother, you have to protect that value while seeing all the future potential that is there to grow and flourish. I think the below graphic best illustrates the key points of my previous mother to creative/business owner/entrepreneur/person comparison. Lots of unnecessary forward slashes.

As a creative, business owner, entrepreneur, and above all, an individual, you have a value to offer that cannot be compared so long as you see it, respect it, and reciprocate the value of others.

Your time, your money, and your knowledge and skills, are the 3 currencies that the business world speaks in. Heck, the world in general, transacts in these 3 currencies. And they are all interrelated.

Time.

My children and my husband gave me their time. Time which they consistently give to me in all sorts of ways. Which, to me, is the most valuable out of these 3 currencies. Time is invaluable. You cannot make more of it, you cannot refund it and you cannot undo or redo what has or has not been done with it. You can move forward and create anew, but there is no erasing or recreating of time. Giving your clients, business partners, and associates your time is one the most valuable of assets you have to offer. More than time, the actual focus and attention that is needed at that moment, uninterrupted.

A mother gives her baby, her child, all the time that she has to give. Not neglecting herself, but filling the cup with as much as she can.

If you dedicate yourself, dedicate your time, to cultivating your art or trade, your skills, and the quality of your product, you will improve. Giving your time to others makes them feel valuable. Your clients need to see the value. Helping your clients achieve their goals is extremely valuable. As a mother, I invest every second of my time into my children. Even when I do not appear to be, I am always investing in them. When I improve myself, I have more to offer them. Even down to my career, when they see me working, studying, or honing my craft, it instills a work ethic in them. Like a mother to her child, as a business owner realizing that you may not be able to solve every problem that your client has or service every need, is a necessary trait. However, like a mother, you may still be able to guide them in the right direction. Which can be far more valuable than solving the issue for them. People take notice of that. And, your product is a result of you investing the time to improve your knowledge and skills, passing that on to your client. See, how they are all related.

Knowledge and Skills.

As with sharing your time, do not be afraid to share your knowledge and skills. As I was entering into my own motherhood, it was so valuable to me that other mothers were sharing their knowledge and skills. Mom hacks, recipes, schedules, shopping tips, cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers, all the knowledge that they flooded me with was appreciated. Now, that does not mean I agreed or liked everything they had to say nor did every piece of advice work for my children and me, nevertheless, I was appreciative because I also saw what did not work for my babies and me! And, in many cases, that saved me a lot of time.

Sometimes, what you cannot do or cannot provide for as a business owner to your client is just as, if not more valuable, than what you can do. You’ve invested time into perfecting your skillset, your niche, your product(s), and whatever it is that you have to offer, it is time to let them know what you don’t offer.

Don’t be afraid to do this.

In my home, we do not wear shoes in the house. My husband is Asian, and we have little crawlers that are literally doing everything on the floor except licking it…and we even find them doing that sometimes. So, I find shoes in the house super gross. Do you know what it is to host a birthday party or gathering at your home and have people needing to use the guest bathroom and you’re like “no shoes in the house.” It used to be a pain, but once I realized that setting the expectation of ‘no shoes in the house’ was, both for my guest and me, a benefit, I barely have to put forth any effort. My children and their friends will say to other guests “excuse me, please take your shoes off if you’re going into the house.” What is more of a pain for me, is letting people into my home, allowing them to wear their shoes, and then having to steam clean my carpet and floors at 2am in the morning, so that my toddlers aren’t eating grass and who knows what else as they roll around on the floor. We don’t wear shoes in our home.

In addition to not wearing shoes in my home, I also do not write copy, in any form, for law firms or medical establishments. The legal intricacies of those fields are not within my wheelhouse, and even if they were, I am not wanting to pursue them. Pretty much all my clients know that I do not provide copywriting services for medical or legal establishments. That is okay. Even though I do not provide those services, I might be able to offer some guidance to another provider. It is in the best interest of both me and any potential clients to know not only what I do, but what I do not do!

Money.

I may or may not be headed in the direction where you think I am with this. Investment.

Use money as an investment. That is a currency to invest in yourself and your potential clients. Your brand is a direct reflection of who and what you are as a company. Do not be afraid to invest in yourself or your brand using this currency. If you build a website, build a website! Add content, photography, videos, whatever is necessary to properly represent your brand and let people know, that you know, what you are doing.

As a mother, if my child is interested in swimming, I place them in swim classes. And, because I feel like swimming is a critical, life-saving skill, that will prevent them from drowning. (You can also insert ballet classes, martial arts, violin, math tutoring, take your pick) Swim classes cost money, or you need to obtain a scholarship, either way, money is the currency used, that I (you) need, to nurture and improve their skillset.

Do not be afraid to invest money into yourself. This is another key point that I cannot reiterate enough! Whether that is through classes to further your education or skillset, investing in building your brand image, purchasing quality materials to use for the products that you produce, or having people assist you because you need a team. Whatever it is, money is the currency that is needed, and investment is the mentality that your must nurture. You must see the value of investing in yourself even if others do not!

Like a mother nurtures her baby, every creative, every business owner, every entrepreneur, and quite frankly, every person should treat their value as if it were a baby. Am I repeating myself enough? It's a motherly trait.

To All of the Mothers and Mother Figures in the World. Thank you for nurturing your children to see their value. They are the future of the world!

To My Mother. Thank you for always seeing my value and encouraging me to be the best version of myself!

To My Children. Thank you for seeing my value as your mother. You have inspired me in a way that I do not believe anyone else can. As I watch you grow, I hope that I guide you to your own definition of greatness and that you forever see the value that I foster in you each and every day!

To My Current, Future, and Potential Clients. I hope you see my value.