Let Me Think About It

Cate, Mira, Liev and I got the chance to spend Sunday with the incredible Laura Novak and her husband, John.  Laura is responsible for the crazy good cover image on Cate's Blog,Tribeca Yummy Mummy (a must read for any parent with young kids).  We had lunch at Terrain At Home, Anthropologie's beta store for home garden and accessories (too cool), spent some time at Winterthur, the beautiful old Dupont estate, and then got a sneak peek at Laura's new studio (the grand opening is this weekend).

I am a HUGE fan of Laura's -- she is an enormously talented photographer, a super smart businesswoman and genuinely humble in her process of developing both.  What sets Laura apart though is that she first listens, then she questions, then she listens some more, then she thinks -- about the concept, whether it "fits" her current business model and how it would work in her current structure.  She leaves the decision as to whether to adopt the concept or strategy until after she has thought it all through.  And even after she has said "yes" she is not married to exactly what that "yes" is.

My gift is that I can see a future bigger than most creative business owners can see for themselves.  I love to question everything that the business does and why it is doing it.  I try to be "gentle" in my approach, but am not always successful.  It takes work to listen to me because my job is to make you uncomfortable.  I am just one person though and some of my ideas are good for you and your business, others not.

There are an infinite number of books, DVDs and instructors out there to educate you about Business 101.  You need them to develop your business plan and learn the abc's of how to run your business.  If you are a photographer, you should have Laura's DVD.  What you also need though is a me.  Someone that is going to push you to think about your business in a radically different way.  Who will challenge all that you are doing to make you better at stating what it is you are all about.  Whether you pay this person is irrelevant.  You need to trust him/her, believe they have something to offer and be willing to consider their insight.  You then need to do what Laura does, listen, think, think some more, and then decide.

"Stretching" makes your art better, it'll make your business better too.

Comments

[John Meyer]

Great post and valuable blog Sean.

Thanks for the visit and your continued friendship and guidance. You have a great family.

[laura]

Hi Sean it was so great to see your family and thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much. i wonder how this translates to myers briggs - I am an ENFJ so technically I should be saying "let me feel about it" which is usually what I mean. Let me imagine that change, sense how my customers would respond, picture how my staff would feel about it. I used to be more impulsive and now I try to take a step back and see if I can apply what I have learned in life to my future decisions. A lesson I learned from my wonderful husband! great conversation, great post.

much love to the entire family! laura

[Laura Cococcia]

Hi Sean - I just found your blog on my sister Danielle's blog roll. I hope you don't mind me adding it to yours - I think readers are going to find it extremely insightful - I know I did!

[Tracey Kumer-Moore]

Well, I do feel fortunate that we have "you" Sean and your great advice to follow here on your blog and in twitter.

I must say I am very blessed and grateful to have a friend like this here in Las Vegas in Andy Ebon.

Andy is one of those people who can look me in the eye, challenge me, make me feel uncomfortable (for my own good of course) and get me to think inside and outside and from every angle around the box.

I can always count on him to give me honest advice, solicited or otherwise and know he always has my best interests and that of my business at heart.

Whether I come up with decisions that he agrees with or not (there have been many he hasn't) he is someone who I trust that gets me to step back and "think about it".

I'm grateful to have such great teachers to learn and benefit from...on both coasts.