The threads of good business

OMG he needs a suit. Really hon?

As I took a call from Thailand asking me to jump on Skype, my son, Edward wanted to run something past me. Is this the Skype that we were on yesterday? Where the audio is stuffed at your end and whenever I speak you ask me to keep it down so the whole resort of overweight Americans doesn't hear me? Yep! But we can type… so we start. He needs a suit, wait for it… for weddings and funerals (let’s hope there’s not too many of the latter) and he needs my advice (and some of my hard earned cash). “Of course it is much better to buy it in Thailand as it will fit PERFECTLY!” he types. “So style, Mum, what are your thoughts?”

“Check out the celebrity men at the Oscars,” I suggest. Up comes the link… Ouch, it’s Bradley Cooper. I fixate… “Love the fit of his suit,” I type back. “Really Mum... get a grip. We are looking at suit styles and I really need your help here, rather than your humour.” So a few minutes of serious trolling of the blokes on the red carpet and I am still keen on the Bradley suit style and I suggest it’s a goodie regardless. “But haven't you only got a day to go?” I ask. “How long does it take to make these suits?” “Oh they are an incredibly reputable business; the concierge said. They will send to New Zealand.” “Really? The concierge said they will send to NZ?” I fleetingly wonder how much skin he has in this game and then decide that the $300 price tag won’t break by bank and sanction the deal but not before suggesting that Hallensteins do an excellent suit; albeit not NZ made (I’ve just seen their last advert on the cover of the Sunday mag in the NZ Herald). “We can at least bring it home with us at point of sale,” I offer. “Na, won’t fit like this.” And the conversation is over.
Well he's home now with suit in tow and I am waiting for a picture… “Might need a few alterations,” he says. Perhaps a bit more time might have been a good thing I think. Yep, possibly would have been easier to make his virgin suit purchase locally; maybe even splurge on a Murray Crane edition and show we support the whole NZ made campaign and the local design industry… isn't that what I would want our customers to do???

Bradleys Suit

Edward Suit

So how important is NZ made? It certainly became a heated platform for Sam, my daughter and I the other night as we sat in Symths bar in Auckland enjoying a bevy before we attended the NZ Fashion Festival including a section with our label.
“Hon, I think I might have to take the Chameleon Dress offshore and look at another source of manufacture. I’m unsure that we can keep up with demand especially with the huge international expo season that we have ahead of us.” “Don't be ridiculous,” she said. “That dress is the golden egg in your collections. It is sooooo important that it is NZ made. I’m sure there are plenty of NZ manufacturing plants that you could give the work to. Think about it Mum. And what about those huge stickers you have across all of your retail store windows… 100% NZ made!”
Point taken… let’s move on and quickly. My daughter has suddenly become me… Ouch!
And whilst NZ Made it is a focus and an important part of our brand story I know from some of the research that we have done with our customer base that in so many cases price will come before country of manufacture. As one women said to me (and I guess this pretty much sums up how most people think) “Yep, I would always go for the NZ made product as long as it the same price as the Chinese version.” I mean, how the hell do we make sense of that!

I suppose it follows suit with the free range thing where so many will say, ‘Yep, I buy free range eggs’ but don't give a second thought to whether the muffin they have just gulped down used them. I guess I will just have to be grateful for baby steps and trust that my own crusade to see a world where all animals are farmed with integrity will someday pay off.

Failing that I can always take the Lucy Lawless approach and strap my self to the side of a henhouse. I wonder if I’d get as much media coverage…

Can we simply love some things to our detriment?

Can we simply love some things to our detriment? I suppose we can, especially in my case. In fact I think some of these loves have turned into obsessions and therefore create challenges.
Take my white boxer dog, Paris who I am so connected to. She has a life expectancy of 13 years max and yesterday had her 10th birthday… pretty amazing given she is white and expected to live for an even shorter duration. The challenge for me is that I have altered the way I live my life to accommodate her and this often creates a handbrake for me. It was one of my friends that said to me “The problem is that you need to be indifferent to her. Practice indifference and the handbrake will be removed”.  Impossible in my case, in that I can’t even contemplate having a cyst removed from her hip given her heart murmur. 

  

Paris and Jam Jam at Hahei Beach

I have become incredibly passionate about great food and wine and this love has possibly become to my detriment. Yesterday we went to Whitianga excited about having the day ahead planned: a quick visit to one of our retail stores and then a long lunch in our favourite restaurant... perfect. Especially as a promised fine weekend had turned overcast but much to our dismay the restaurant was closed for lunch on Saturday.
No problem; there’s at least 10 or more establishments that were open. Yep but they are not options for us as they are not at the calibre that we like to eat and drink. We became agitated with the moment and the loss of what we would consider to be the only option for us in this town. A well planned and anticipated day was ruined all given our benchmarks around food and wine.

And we can definitely extend this into business. It was Annette Presley that said to me, “You can never be a workaholic as long as you love what you do”… and I truly believe that given that I find it hard to differentiate between work and play as I simply love what I do (even after 20 years of doing it).
I often have my senior team say to me… “How do you cope with all the people-drama that comes with running this company?”… And believe me there is drama most days especially with 180 women on the team. To me people are no different to the other operations of my business; they simply need to be put into perspective. The departure of a great employee, if for the right reasons, is simply part of the business process; no matter how difficult and costly.

Recruitment is an ongoing challenge for us, and given the high level of connection and passion that so many of my retail team have for the brand, the recruitment process is always about breaking through new glass ceilings.

The constant stream of emails and Facebook posts that we get on the team (and these were never as recurrent five years ago) show just how many of our customers have developed huge relationships with the retail girls which mean that when we have a capable retail team member depart, the replacement has to be carefully selected; so we can see a huge number of candidates before we make a final decision.
In fact, the high benchmarks that so many of my retail girls have created are problematic in the recruitment process and I often have to work alongside a frustrated senior team when they are seeing possible candidates to enthuse them as to the fact that we will get there. The key to this whole process is to never compromise as those great girls are out there. We have, in fact, created a problem for ourselves, given that we will and can never be indifferent to employment; just as I have with food and wine.

So when does a benchmark just become too high? We experienced this the other day when two senior managers disagreed over the recruitment of a part timer. One said no, the other yes… ouch!!
The verdict? We hired. The problem for the first senior: “I just wanted a 9/10” so as much as I agreed I asked her to reference other part time members that were ‘9/10s’ that were in our employ. The examples she gave were all products of our training and nurturing and had not been at this level on recruitment.
Admirable that she had wanted this but knowing that we have the right systems and processes to get a girl that is a great fit for the brand to these levels is also just as important. Pity I am not able to do this in regards to some of the external factors that come into play in my life everyday…

Some recent feedback on some of my great girls in my team:

“Your Hamilton team made my whole experience such a pleasure. The attention to detail, colours, body shape and creating a complete look was fabulous and made such a big difference for me. Don’t change a thing ladies you are wonderful!”

“Danelle made me feel a million dollars! She was absolutely spot on the mark with her advice and professionalism and was able to change the dress with a few rosettes carefully whipped up in the back in no time. I will highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for the perfect outfit and the wonderful experience.”

“I have been lusting after a Chameleon dress for years, and finally decided I really should try one on. Shona greeted us and got involved straight away selecting colours and sizes for me. She was helpful, entertaining and honest, without being at all pushy. Her enthusiasm and lovely personality really made my Chameleon shopping trip wonderful.”

“It is so refreshing to have the help and expertise of a sales person who understands a woman's curves, shape and colour preferences. I came out of your shop feeling 10 feet tall, all due to Annette's help!”

Mrs. Fix It

When did I suddenly become Mrs Fix It??? In the last ten days I have been approached by a myriad of people from all different walks of life with their questions and challenges and I have endeavoured to assist. I suppose the question one might ask is…why? Perhaps I should just ignore the emails, phone calls and Facebook approaches? I mean, I would have the best excuse in the world as I truly am seen as a busy person! But then, isn't it the old adage ‘Give something to a busy person if you want it done’???
I suppose you get to a point when you simply have to make a call and start to prioritize your own work. I know the stuff that makes us money and keeps my large team gainfully employed has priority but it does get harder as each approach has merit and if I know the answer, why not share it and perhaps halve their journey to finding a solution?
 

A sample of my last week looks like this…

- I have assisted, both through encouragement and funding, both team and family members on the track to a healthier lifestyle.

- I have given up to two hours of my time (each session) with at least five small businesses that have either lost their way or are in start-up phase and need my help.

- I have worked to further a request from a charity (Torenzo’s visit).

- I have assisted my son get through a small altercation in India.

- I have taken at least five calls from business owners and people that I collaborate with to talk them through a business challenge… often these have been in the evening - All these exist alongside the nurture projects that I am involved in as well as my core business of fashion and publishing.
 

The big question that I get asked from all of them is how to I work to select who I will help and who I turn down. It is very difficult to give an answer and it seems the more I do, the more requests I get.
Yesterday I spent the full day helping others… commendable one might think but possibly not from a hungry team’s point of view; especially as they are also looking for my answers. The advent of Facebook and our ongoing activity in the social media space has given easy access to someone like myself.
So it simply becomes another management time challenge for me. I know that these people get so many ‘no’s’ from so many of the people that they pursue for help, so it becomes a lot harder to turn, especially the relevant requests away.

And speaking of social media… we have entered a new space this week! Yes, there is always something new is this arena... pinterest.com. Have a look… a simple idea as so many of them are that enables some wonderful visuals to be placed... loving what this is!

View my pinterest by clicking here

Well only a few more sleeps and the Indian travellers return. They will be spending their last few days in a small resort (yep I don't know where these poor students got their money from either) in Phuket, Thailand to be exact and they the arrive home on the 27th Feb to start their uni year. Although I have not had as many emails as the other mothers (I guess he didn't want to use up too many of his 1500 daily words on me) I know they have had beyond an excellent time. I too hope to get to India late October… all going well. Now there’s just the small matter of the vaccinations as I have never been great with needles ARGHHHHHH
 

Exciting times for the company ahead as we have been invited to show at Galway, Ireland as part of the Volvo Ocean Yacht challenge finale in late June. This is another market that our label has traditionally done very well in when sold via a distributor almost five years ago. 

Our international expo season is in full swing with our first bridal show in Brisbane last weekend being a huge success and there are so many more to come. Watch out for us… we may just make your town given that we are going to some very obscure areas!

The well practiced art of never forgiving

One of my goals is to teach people how to move on and stop wasting the valuable life that they have been given and always look for the opportunities in a challenge.

Last week I took a call from one of my senior mangers, urgent it said, as I glanced at my phone at the start of a busy day. She had arrived at one of our retail sites where we had just employed a new manager… to be handed a resignation!!! Arghhhhhh. Given that she had a personal interest in putting this girl up for the role it was even more of a challenge for her to have to report the departure to me.

There are two ways that any employer can deal with this type of moment which will occur in all businesses…
One: we can lock down, air our frustrations and shut the employee out of any process going forward. I mean, aren't we entitled as there has been considerable time and money invested in her recruitment and training? Or two: we can accept that people’s lives change, that people make mistakes and that there is, at the very least, an opportunity that can be salvaged from this.

Fact: before the team member joined our ranks she was a customer and loved our brand. She is also a woman that has, as most women do, an extensive range of networks, friends and contacts. Surely it is better to create a positive space around the departure and protect the brand. A departing employee that has had a good experience in exit is a lot more likely to continue her initial advocacy and that, to me, simply just makes great business sense. Yep, cut out the emotion and look for the business opportunities in every challenge that arises and never close any doors (we have had so many capable people rejoin our ranks). This departure is not a personal stick-it-to-us moment; it is simply a woman who has changed her mind or had a circumstance change. This stuff happens and possibly happens a lot more with the number of women that we employ (180 on the payroll last time I looked)!!! Next time you are presented with a challenge, take this approach: depersonalize and look for the opportunities and determining the outcome that you want to achieve. Not only will you save yourself time but you will nearly always come up with a better result than you had originally.

Business is not personal… a departing employee is not the same as your man telling you he's having an affair and moving out so react accordingly... Good luck!

Global Women - Out on the town in Nelson

Today is Sunday and I am in Sunny Nelson at a Global Women Retreat. Yep, it really is sunny for all you sun starved Aucklanders. I hear that you are not even having to water your vege gardens as you have so much rain. So I guess that's a positive in some ways. The retreat has been excellent and a wonderful time to extend my pattern of thought and continue to meet so many women from such diverse backgrounds and all with huge levels of capability. Sure I already know a lot of these women but the surprises have come from the new connections that I have made both with and without a glass of Jane Hunter’s Pinot in my hand...

I have yet to hear from my travelling son. His last email simply insisted that I stopped worrying and trusted that he was having a great time so I guess I have to hear that message.

And whilst there has been a huge requirement to focus on the content of our well organized days at the retreat I have a had a few lapses which have resulted in the design of our WOW entry and the development of a menu for the new Birds Wine Bar environment (our first one in Barton Street, Hamilton). It’s amazing what ideas a new space can generate and I still have an hour plane flight to go!!

Resolve to Evolve

‘Resolve to Evolve’… my new mantra… it’s not a matter of being thwarted by the daily challenges that life throws at you; it’s about looking at what you can do and remembering that it is not and will never be always about me.

So how do I pay it forward? Sharing all this knowledge and ability that I have acquired over my 20 years of running this wonderful company and ensuring that others do as well; and not just the team that grace my payroll but also those that I network and work alongside.

I’m back at work in NZ and the common catch cry is, “Bet it’s great to be back, Annah”. Well, yes and no given that technology pretty much enables me to achieve most of my daily tasks and decisions. But then there’s nothing like the face of my white boxer Paris, the one that only a mother can love apparently, to really set my heart racing; especially on Valentine’s Day.  And in reference to this day there is certainly not enough love being displayed in our Head Office in that I didn't see one bouquet arrive so I hope so many of you did feel and reciprocate the love that attaches to this day!!

I know there are many ways to show this love and for me, Valentine’s Day aside, we had the pleasure of hosting a 7-year-old autistic boy, Torenzo that has some huge skills around design and a burning desire to enter a wearable arts competition. So my role in the visit (he and his Dad flew from Nelson) was to enable this. What a powerful space it is when you can give credence to someone else's dream and vision when, without expectation, you can add to someone’s life. And all it took was my time. I have quickly come to learn that my time is possibly the most valuable thing that I have to give whether to my partner, my children or the team and other businesses that I support. So it is so important that I prioritize this well so that I never become time poor and that I never waste time as so many do. I guess that’s why I am sitting here at 4am typing this.

Torenzo with Annah and her team at the Head Office

Why are there so few of us that are not prepared to say yes to opportunities like this (and I know this, as to further my support for Torenzo I will have to enlist others with their skills and abilities and I know I will get ten no’s... before I get a yes). So much of my focus is around how I can drive the dreams and visions of others and how I can implement change for the better in people’s lives. This can be as small as tackling health issues within the team to as big as getting another person’s business back on its feet. In any given day it is important that at least 20% of my time is allocated to this agenda as it is the stuff that puts the balance in my life and I believe into the environment. Success in any instance is the only reward that I seek and nothing that I do is not without learning and extension for me. Torenzo’s visit involved the whole team from design to operations. They got involved with a huge passion and energy although they knew they had a mountain of tasks that had to be completed in that day for us as well.

Surely this also will encourage them to get involved in their own initiatives that have a pay-it-forward flavour in that we can only take from the environment that we work and play in. My challenge to all of you is to look for one way every day that you can pay it forward to another. Where you willingly give your time to solve someone else's challenges, take the focus off your orbit and see the differences you can make. And I’d love to hear about these… 

Read more on Annah and Torenzo on Stuff

The update as to the Indian adventure… well I arrived at work yesterday and to my excitement as I scanned my emails there was an email from the boy!!! I opened it quickly; excited that he'd made contact... “Hi Mum… here’s a list of what we have been doing if you want to include it in your blog ...

(Looked a bit like a travel itinerary on speed) “too busy to email or Skype... I love you xxx”

Yep, I have waited for almost 5 days to receive the contact but hey, he's alive and appears to be having the best time. And isn't that what life is all about? Make sure that you always drive the outcomes.

The Best of Times

What a week. Lots of new and wonderful foodie experiences… so a little bit more to get off the tummy when home… arghhhhhh. Lots of opportunities in retail that we are now negotiating to cement and all from the beautiful Australian city of Adelaide!
As a side, places to eat here: Press… brilliant. fermentAsian… fantastic in the Barrossa Valley although I don't know that I am so enamored with the Barrossa. We NZers are so spoilt with our wine and the supporting regions! The Barrossa has an old world feel to it with its roots stepped in German history. Just look at the labeling on some of the bottles. Although the wine is excellent we have been extremely conscious of the old saying ‘When in Rome’.... so it’s been many Aussie Shirazs’ for me (and have I picked some great ones)!

fermentAsian - Barossa Valley

The Night Patrol in Adelaide

The Press - My Favourite Adelaide Restaurant

This trip has not been without event at home and it has been a wonderful testimony to the team that I have employed and empowered as to the way that they have coped so well. Who would have thought that after all that has gone on in Christchurch they would suddenly decide to red-sticker our Rangiora store. So with 24 hours’ notice we were asked to vacate. A public meeting identified the building was at risk then set the time frames for departure. Rather than dwell on the ongoing issues that this will present, as so many of the others did, Angela, one of our senior managers, simply rallied the troops and a van and started to gut the store. Yep, lights, racking, mirrors and exterior signage to boot… amazing and all with no fuss and a barrage of humorous texts as she effected the destruction of Tony’s handiwork completed a year earlier. I love the capability of this woman and so many that I employ as it knows no bounds. The old face of the company would have seen an early return home by us to effect this task but not so today. So many of my team will happily get in boots and all and make the very necessary wheels turn. This has got to be the ultimate for me to have created this absolute self-belief in these women and I intend to raise this bar so much higher. It was Tony that said to me as we discussed the stores demise last night and the focus going forward, “Surely you can’t think that everyone that you employ seeks to be extended and empowered and offered opportunities to do so”… Yep I do. I’d like to think that everyone in my employ wants this. That they want to test the previous limits that they thought they had and see how far they can push themselves as to just what levels of success they can achieve within my environment with me right beside them mentoring and encouraging them every step of the way.

And still no word from the Indian travelers. They have made it to Thailand I hope so there can’t be a shortage of internet cafes in this country surely! I will just have to wait hoping that no news is good news as they, just as I am, are likely to be having the best of times.
The last day of our break today will see us having lunch in The Adelaide Hills (yumm) and making a decision on a site in Norwood, Adelaide which seems to be the best location for us.

Terrific Tasmania

I’m definitely rating Tasmania as a place to visit. In fact, I’m giving it a high eight out of ten (they only lost marks because of the weather… it’s freezing down here and it’s only the start of February. Give me land locked Hamilton every time). We've had to do some homework to discover the best bits, especially given our love of food and wine… they will always feature heavily in any of my breaks for work or pleasure. We have discovered some great restaurants, travelled to their wine regions and I have a new love... the Tasy Shiraz; big and full bodied and perfect for this weather. Global warming certainly hasn't made it to this island and the biggest bonus… I think this place will be perfect for an Annah Stretton store… maybe even two! Launceston and Hobart. Now I just need to find that amazing girl(s)… so if you are reading this and know her, you know where to send her… or perhaps you feel like a change… Now’s the time. I’m hoping to have some great opportunities available here so let’s hope this will get some sales superstar wanting to make the journey.
I’ve loaded some images so you can see the beauty of this place although I’m not sure re. the castle… this was a home that someone had built and was proudly living in just outside of Launceston… perhaps in celebration of the old Aussie movie classic? Who would know... Aussies aye??

Castle

The time away hasn't been without incident but then, I have come to expect that. The white boxer dog has had a fainting spell. Not great to hear when you are this far away and she's almost ten. I’ve had the 4.a.m skype call from India... “Mum, I’m sooooo sick”… yep he's finally caught Deli Belly so badly that he choose to stay behind in Goa for another day and let the team travel on to Mumbai. Not a great thing for a mother to hear. Here’s hoping he's on that flight now and back to join the group. It will be a good day for me when he flies home in late February.

So what will it be like to do business in these cities and yes. they are both cities. and just how do we go about selecting sites? Believe me, we have looked at a few. I guess we have developed some very good site EQ; if you can call it that. It’s simply about doing the hard yards… looking, walking, talking, driving, sitting, eating, shopping, getting a feel for the demographic and the area, assessing the fit to our brand, having conversations with women that look like a fit for the brand (i.e they would buy the clothes), talking to the existing database (gathered from consumer expos in these areas) and asking where do they see us fitting in their home cities and looking for areas that clone the successful areas at home (NZ). Hobart, unbelievably has a Pukekohe feel and, as this store works so well, so should one here. 

Population of Hobart is around 200k (Franklin 33k)… an easy size to build a brand and the population of Launceston 100k. If we put in two stores the brand gets a stronger presence and it is a lot faster and easier to get ourselves known than battling away in a 4 million population city as Sydney or Melbourne.

So logic and the discoveries of the visit, which has been over four days, would say we are heading in the right direction. We have visited and revisited each area we are considering and we have looked at all options. It’s about making a good decision… one based on outcomes - not costs!
Today is our last day in Hobart and there will be yet another day of site investigation and some decisions that need to be made. But it’s not all work as it will be punctuated by a visit to the wine region just outside of Hobart… enjoy your working Wednesday!

Getting Serious RE Frocking the Ockers

So I have  finally made it to Hobart .. logic tells me that Tasmania may just be the next place in Australia to set up an Annah Stretton store. After a quick whistle stop in Canberra, with thoughts that this city may also be another retail option, the jury is still out given the capital constitution of this city may find the colour and frivolity of our clothes a little overwhelming.

I did however warm to a location called Manuka but given there where no obvious empty tenancies I haven't let my self get too excited. With 350K as the population it certainly will make a better entry for us than Sydney or Melbourne ever will and I have to report that the food here needs work as well as the retail .. two night meals in Canberra where less than inspiring one was positively horrid, not great when these places where recommended and it is after all the nations capital!

Canberra Japanese on speed - Tempura Sushi didn't quite work

Yesterday we flew into Hobart and after a fantastic lunch at Smolt in the Salamanca area, possibly some of the best food I have eaten in a while, we spent a wet afternoon at Port Arthur ...  an extensive tourist attraction and vital piece of history of the Van Demon Lands (the old name for Tasmania) .. Given I am a bit of a Lesley Pearce fan when looking for a trashy novel to take on holiday I had some good insight into this place through the eyes of her book characters and definitely wasn't disappointed by the afternoons excursion.

Port Arthur

I suppose the worst thing about being away for me is all the ideas that flow .. and given the company is 20 years old on April the 14th 2012 I guess its been a potpourri of very successful ideas in the past .. so not only am I contemplating what our twentieth celebration will look like but I am also setting up a vision for the next twenty years... so being in new environments presents a myriad of new opportunities .. its also great to benchmark yourself against other similar operations and what better way to do this than on a global stage.

The original team

Have had my first Skype call from India .. the boy is in Goa and very pleased with the cost of everything, absolutely enthralled by its customs and cultures given that hes from a dairy farm in the Waikato, the cows that grace the beach beside him all in the name of sacredness are an amusement at least and the accommodation that ranges from $2.50 to $7.50 a night another wonderful benefit for a student on holiday.

Interesting moment  in our conversation when he discussed their boat day trip to do some fishing, down onto the sand they went to negotiate the carrier for the day obviously the advances from boat operators where many and furious ... so how the hell does one pick? .. I suppose it becomes the loudest and most insistent and obviously the best price but given these are the traits of all the operators it was Edward who pointed out  ... that all one of them needed was a point of difference and it could have been as simple as placing a shade cover on the boat, sure the others would eventually catch up, but for a while that operator would have an advantage ... business 101 is alive and well in India ????  Not yet !

Edward handing kites to young boys in India. They went crazy sprinting around and screaming with joy! The rest of that day he had about 50 indian
boys, aged maybe 5 to 10, never more than a metre away!

Today we head to Launceston .. I feel this little island of Australia is such a nice fit for the brand that if we look at setting up one store may as well consider two ...