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Here are the Tweeter Sisters again with another giveaway. There will be two winners for a new purse: Laura Houlton-Nash and Katie Prall. (Please correct my spelling in the comments.)
Introducing Matt from the WDW Promotions team and MyMagicalDisneyVacation.com – using the Elf Yourself/JibJab technology. Getting a live demo on the video screens. Finished videos can be uploaded and shared across various social media applications.
And the Tweeter Sisters are back. They’re being told to stretch for time, so they told us to get up and stretch.
Introducing Kathy Ireland… who is the sweetest woman on Twitter, and has actually replied to my tweets before! Long introductory video with tons of media clips. She’s “the best friend for working mothers.”
Talking about balancing business and work with family. She always changed her mind, growing up, deciding what she wanted to be… but wanting to be a mom was a constant. Talking about how taking a shower can seem like a privilege and luxury.
“All moms work, whetehr we get paid or not. Nothing more challenging and important than raising children.” Because a paycheck is not attached, the career of being a mom is not appreciated enough. She calls this our heroic effort for being here today. (Thanks, Kathy!) “You are my heroes. Will you please give yoruself a round of applause?”
This conference is powerful. The world has changed since social media entered our lives. If people are aware of her at all, it’s often in a very fragmented way. A lot of people remember her as “that model” from the lasty century. Teaching us a “new pose” for giving yourself the illusion of a waistline by sucking it in, turning sideways, and getting a good photo retoucher. (LOL!)
She was occasionally seen and very seldom heard. She’s now grateful for that social message – criticism that told her she had a voice that could kill small animals. Now she’s not letting herself be silenced. Social messaging has always been around, but now it’s instant, interactive, 24/7, global, and forever.
She’s always been interested in design and business. As a kid, she sold painted rocks out of a wagon with her sister. She said they were multi-functional as paperweights or for self-defense. Then she had a paper route. She wrote a letter to the editor about “Are you the boy for the job?” ad for paper carriers about how she was the girl for the job. A man stood at the end of his driveway on her first day and yelled at her, saying she didn’t belong in a boy’s job. She didn’t let him see her cry, but she’s now grateful for his inspiration to do the job better.
Underpromise and overdeliver. (Good philosophy!)
She knows her strengths, and she’s painfully aware of her weaknesses. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s good to get help. Asking for help in areas that are not your strength… it’s better for your health. Teams bring balance. Teams do not need to cost money, just passion.
On a sock project, she got involved on every level and performed surprise inspections. She realized her job was not to shut up and pose. They got doors slammed in their faces. “You can’t start a line with a pair of socks. It’s never been done before.” Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done. She persevered despite rejection, much like Walt Disney when he was fired by a newspaper editor for having a “lack of ideas.”
She has now surpassed selling her 100 millionth pair of socks.
Her exclusive contract with a major retailer changed overnight when the retailer went bankrupt. One of her bankers told them that they were personally liable for the entire amount, and that they could have all of their homes taken away. But they pulled through without losing their homes or having to lose any of their employees.
We are all our own personal brand. Every experience with us is a lasting brand impression. What kind of a brand are you? Reliable? Innovative? Complicated? Punctual?
“You are engines that move forward, rather than anchors that weigh everything down.”
Make sure that the messages we are sending are the ones that we want received.
Social messaging has forever changed our lives. And it doesn’t cost a dime. It’s a wild new world out there. Corporate America doesn’t control brand perceptions anymore. Customers experience brands, businesses, and each other much differently now.
How do we connect? How do we remain relevant and communicate with people to promote awareness of our products and services without annoying or spamming people?
Kathy was late to the social media game, but she joined Twitter looking to connect with other moms and learn from them. Social messaging is real life. Cyber footprints never go away. We need to teach this to our children. Only put out there messages that we would be happy for the world to see.
Iconic brands like Disney continue to make the brand relevant through every age group. Nike, Starbucks, Coca-Cola…
Over 15,000 products sold in 27 countries for Kathy Ireland’s company. Ranked 28th in her industry, but none of the top businesses are celebrity brands.
There’s so much pressure on people, on women, to do it all, to have it all. She spoke on a panel with Maya Angelou and Barbara Walters. Barbara Walters said she doesn’t think we can have it all. Kathy believes we can have it all, but not all at once. We have different seasons in our lives where we have different priorities. Figure out what’s important to us, what we value, and then put strong boundaries in place to protect those priorities. Her priorities are faith, family, and helping other families. Getting these priorities unbalanced causes stress in our lives.
Kathy doesn’t have the answers to work-life balance anymore than we do. Frequently, moms are the CEOs of our households. She brings her mom skills to work with her.
Find out what works for you. In her business, flex time, maternity leave, family leave, counseling are important.
Seek the support of others. Too much negativity, people who will shoot down our dreams, telling us that things are impossible. When someone says no, ask why. When someone says yes, ask how.
Metaphor from her flight here, putting on your oxygen mask first before helping others. Don’t forget that you are part of your family. Please take care of yourself.
“I have that all that you give is all that you get, so give it all you’ve got. here’s to life and all the joy it brings…” I couldn’t type fast enough for the entire quote. “Thank you so much, and God bless you.”
Q&A
Miss Lori is asking about lessons Kathy has taught her children about what to do when they fall. The thing that defines our character is how we respond to bad situations. “Life is messy.” Be open and honest with our kids, let them share in what we’ve learned through our experiences. There’s a vast cavern between imagination and implementation – our dreams can make common sense go out the window. Don’t be afraid of rejection, don’t let it define you. Don’t give your children false expectations that everything will go smoothly. She has her kids find their passions and tell them why they should be paid for them.
“How do you keep the romance in your relationship and show your children the right way to have a relationship?” Celebrating their 22nd anniversary this August. All relationships are work. Fights were more dramatic and drawn out before they have kids. “I’m always right.” Laughter. Having kids put things into perspective. Let your kids know that you’re a team. Don’t blow up in front of your kids. Don’t threaten to leave. Kids are watching and experiencing your relationship. Don’t let them see you running away whenever something goes wrong. Love is a verb, an action, not a feeling. We don’t always feel like loving our spouse. Her faith helps her and teaches her that love is not a choice, it’s a command. That’s what gets her through.
Scott asks “Do you ever have to justify the ROI of social media?” He’s heard said of social media, “It’s alright for women.” Collective intake of breath and tsking. Kathy replies. On a corporate level, it’s been an unexpected surprise. She doesn’t have followers, she has friends in this global neighborhood. The results, on a business level, speak for themselves. She asks people what sort of finish people want on a little girls’ bedroom set. They get last minute decisions by asking their customers, and it shows in the sales. People are honest. People don’t have time to share something they don’t actually want.
Sarah asks, “How do you show your kids why you work and how it’s good for them?” It’s difficult to get kids to understand when you work at home that you can’t always focus on them. Set boundaries with time. She and her husband make time to spend one hour a week together without the kids to just talk and be together. She also makes dates with her kids for 1:1 time. Try to include your children in your business. Have them contribute, maybe interview their friends for your blog. (What a cute idea!) Get your kids to participate. Find activities that they can do while you’re doing your work.
Tamara from MomRN has already interviewed Kathy on her radio show. She asked, “When did your new come out?” It just came out, and it’s a devotional. Real Solutions for Busy Moms.
How do you find financial stability when you’re out of the traditional workforce? Network with people who can help you put a plan together. Have a goal, a timetable, a plan, and commitment to make it happen. Put something away every month, even if it’s just a dollar. She suggests saving for your retirement over saving for your child’s education, because there are loans and grants that will help kids go to college. If you don’t save for your retirement, you will become a burden on your kids. She believes in living beneath our means, not keeping up with the Joneses. Then we will always have something for those inevitable periods of financial difficulty. This can be a good lesson for our kids.
And…time.
Disclosure: I paid $350 to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in Walt Disney World. Included in my conference fee: our room at the Polynesian Resort, Park Hopper tickets, the conference sessions, most of our meals, and a few little extra surprises. That being said, my opinions are my own, and my blogs posts about the experience are my honest opinion.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
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