International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association (ICLMA) News (blog)

SCAM Emails

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:59:37 GMT

Hello everyone!

I wanted to pass on this information I received from ICLMA Board Member Jackie Farley. There’s a scam email going around from a “Alex Fiks” and she wanted to share what happened when she contacted him…

The email came directly to my yahoo account and not thru my Wise Women website. That is odd but not unheard of.
He wanted unspecified services, was attending an unspecified conference in an unspecified location.
He was obviously from an unspecified country and his English language skills were odd.
Once I started asking for specifics, he started talking about needing a quick answer and payment. I asked for payment up front on his credit card and he wrote back that he would pay all my fees up front but he needed me to process his credit card for other travel involving another party.
I could have gone one more step which I think would have involved my bank account or credit card but decided to cut him off there.
Once I sent him a no, I received the same original email this morning as I am sure he is trying to scam other concierge.

Don't fall for these traps! At the end of the day, they're looking to get your bank account details, or scam you into buying merchandise for them (that you won't get paid for). Others are looking to steal your identity.

So stay safe everyone!

Katharine and Jackie

Voice Mail Pet Peeves

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:08:05 GMT

I received a voice mail from a client the other day, and she said her name and phone number so fast that I had to listen to it three times before I could get the number! Later, I received yet another voice mail and the gentleman must have been on his cell phone because the line cracked right as he was saying his name and number. Luckily I had called this particular client before so I was able to reach him.

In light of this, I thought I would offer you all a few telephone tips …

Please say your name and phone number twice! First at the beginning, and then again at the very end. Please do not assume that the person you are calling can recognize your voice! They may, and then again they may not. I’ve received dozens of calls where the caller just starts speaking and never tells me who they are.

Speak slowly … this is not a race! I know you’ve memorized your number and can rattle it off fast, but that doesn’t help me when I have to listen to the message a few times before I can get the number. Plus, if you left me a long message and gave the phone number at the end then I have to listen to that long message over and over again! Can’t tell you how annoying that is.

If you don’t hear back from the person within a reasonable amount of time, let’s say 24 to 48 hours, then call them back. It could be that they couldn’t understand your voice mail and were unable to return the call.

Return all telephone calls and emails within 24 hours or less! Good customer service is the number one way to grow your business.

Until next time everyone!

Katharine

Sometimes it's all about how you treat people.

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:42:48 GMT

A few years ago I was in Las Vegas on my way home from teaching a class. When I got to the airport, I found out that my flight had been delayed which caused a bunch of us to miss our connecting flights. Ah well! I tend to be calm about these sorts of things because there really is no use getting mad about it. In fact, I was cracking jokes to the woman in back of me to lighten the mood a bit.

The gentleman in front of me, however, was different. He was so mad that I could almost see steam coming out of his ears. He was yelling and screaming at this poor young girl behind the counter. It wasn't her fault that our flight was delayed, but he didn't seem to care about that. He spent about 10 minutes banging the counter with his hand and yelling at her in loud tones, and then stormed off. As I watched him go, I wondered why on earth would you yell at the person who has the power to get you home?

Since I was next in line, I walked up to her counter and immediately noticed that she was doing everything in her power to keep from breaking down in front of me. She was so distraught that her hands were shaking! My heart melted. So I put my bags down and looked her right in the eyes. I then told her to take as much time as she needed to get herself together because I was sure her supervisor wasn't going to let her go on a break. I then started to gently talk to her while she wiped her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

We chatted about the man and his situation for a few minutes until she had calmed down. I got her to laugh about it and she was able to move forward. She then put me on a flight and I headed towards my gate. As I walked, I looked down at the ticket and was stunned when I saw that had given me a seat in first class! Plus there was a certificate that bought me dinner in the airport.

As I've said many many times ... what you put out in this world, you'll get back. Treat people like you yourself would like to be treated. That's the true key to business.

Until next time!

Katharine

Here Comes The Sun

Elyse Coleman — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:16:53 GMT

Summer is coming! We already have dandelions in bloom here in Delaware. Here are some tips to help you carve out the max amount of time to enjoy the season. Please comment, suggest other topics, etc. We love to hear from you.

http://wecreatetime.com/2012/02/personal-assistant-summer-tips-delaware/

Answering emails slowly will cost you clients

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:45:00 GMT

I'd like to talk about emails this month. Many of you know how quick I am to answer emails, well it seems that I am not the norm. I've had to email dozens of people this week for various reasons and most have not emailed me back ... which drives me nuts.

So I'll say it one more time for those of you who are new to my column here ... PLEASE email people back! Just a quick note will do. A quick "I got it, thanks" would suffice.

When I don't hear from someone, I often will have to send out a second email, and if that doesn't work, a third! I had that happen to me this week, but instead of sending the third email I simply picked up the phone and called them. Since it was about a speaking job they had hired me for, I was persistent and didn't give up on them.

Another client emailed me and asked if I could set up a telephone consultation with them. They went on and on about how urgent it was and how it couldn't wait. Then when I replied back to them lightening fast guess what happened? They took 3 days to answer me back. By then they were so desperate they wanted to chat with me the following morning. So again, I replied back fast, and again didn't hear from them for 2 days. We finally did connect, but the whole thing left a big impression on me, and it wasn't a good one. Will I refer them out to people? Not likely.

If they treated me this way, how were they treating their clients? What sort of impression do you think they're leaving?

See my point?

So please answer your emails as fast as possible. DON'T IGNORE THEM! If you tell people that by hiring you, you are actually giving them some time back ... then you must respect their time and call or email them back in a timely manner.

One of the keys to business success is to treat other people like you want to be treated.

Until next month!

Katharine

Second, third and tenth impressions are just as important as the first

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:29:16 GMT

Did you ever hear of the expression “there is no such thing as a second impression?”

While I agree with it, I also think your second impressions is just as important.

A number of years ago, my husband and I decided to update our dated backyard, so we interviewed a few landscapers. We found the first landscaper at a garden expo in Raleigh. We chatted with him for quite a while at the show and genuinely liked what he said to us. His brochure looked great so we thought he would do a great job. When he came to the house, however, he asked very few questions and wrote very little down. After a few weeks went by, he finally emailed his drawing, which a 10 year old could have done. He gave us absolutely no information on what plants he would plant or how much it would cost. Horrible. We never called him back.

The second landscaper also had an awesome brochure. He asked questions, wrote things down and suggested plants for our yard. We both loved him! It's been over 6 years now and we still have not heard back from him. Did we hire him? No.

Eventually we hired a company a friend recommended. They had a nice website and asked many questions like the first two companies, but they did something the others didn’t. They emailed us back and followed up! They sounded genuinely interested in us and were incredibly warm and friendly. Did we hire them? Absolutely.

Second impressions are just as important as the first one. If you promise to call someone back. Call them back in a timely manner. If you promise to meet someone at a specific time, then be there at that time. I can't tell you how important it is to your business! It can seriously make or break you. Follow up on all your proposals and follow through on all your promises, each and every time.

Your second, third and tenth impression should be just as awesome as the original one was.

Over the top customer service every time is the key to a successful business.

The Ten P’s of Success

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:50:53 GMT

Here are my ten "P's" of success!

Plan – Create a business and marketing plan

Publicity – print media, radio, television, direct marketing, networking and social media.

Persistence – Don’t give up!! Never ever give up your dream. Determination and persistence is the key. Did you know that General Foods started in 1929? If they have the guts to start in a depression, you can start yours now!

Passion in what you’re doing.

Product - know your product inside and out.

People - understand the people you are selling to! They’re not just clients, they’re real people and you can talk to them. No matter who you talk to, remember that they are a person first. Everyone on the planet puts their pants on one leg at a time.

Prioritize – don’t do too much at once. Pick 5-10 things and then do them. Don’t be so widespread - know what you’re going to do first. Also, focus on one or two niche markets when you are first starting out.

Places - Network, network, network! Go to every networking function that you can find. Build an army of people who heard about you through word-of-mouth.

Promote - Market for new clients even when you don’t need any. Sure this month you have more work than you can handle, but what happens if the client pool runs dry next month. Then what? NEVER stop marketing!!!

Plus! Always give them more than they expect … go the extra mile. Customer service should be your number one priority!!!

Lastly, don’t let people tell you no! When they tell you “no” ask “why not?” Ask them why they are saying no … is the price too high? Do they already use a company for this service? ASK THEM!

Until next time,

Katharine Giovanni

10 Publicity Tips

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:31:42 GMT

This month I thought I would talk about publicity. Here are 10 tips ..

Be familiar with the show/publication. Your pitch should be about how your story will work for them.

Don't take "no" personally. Perhaps it’s just not right for them, or they just did a story on your topic. I suggest you ask them if they can suggest another publication/show that might be interested. You never know what contact name you might get!

Keep your email short and to the point. DON'T send any file attachments because they won’t open them, or they’ll be deleted as spam. Just include a link to your website.

They prefer email over fax. It’s fast and easy and can be forwarded. It is fast to review, and can be easily forwarded to several others.

Prepare a “sound bite” – What if they call you? Well, I know very few media people who have the time to listen to your entire story. What to do? Prepare a 30-second elevator speech that will capture their attention. In 30 seconds or less, tell them why your story will make their show the best it’s been in years.

Follow-up – Follow-up with everyone. No exceptions. Also return your emails and telephone calls within 24 hours or less. Again, no exceptions.

Believe – Believe in what you are doing! You can’t promote something if you don’t believe in it with all your heart. Speak with passion!!

Headlines – Make the headlines on your press releases attention grabbers … they should literally reach out and grab them and make them want to read the story. Should be short, no more than one line.

Word of Mouth – Tell everyone you know what you are doing!! Network, Network, Network!!! Bring your business cards with you absolutely everywhere because you never know who you are going to bump into.

KEEP TRYING! Never give up … if they say no just call again in a few months with a new angle or different story idea.

Until next month!

Katharine

Top three ways to reduce stress at work

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:28:06 GMT

Turn your email off.

Check your email when it fits your schedule and not the other way around. Read it at your own pace rather than the minute it arrives in your in-box.

Use your voice mail.

Let your voice mail answer the phone for a while. You can return the call later. This way you can finish that report your working on!

Take one thing at a time, one day at a time.

When you start to feel overwhelmed, try taking one thing at a time. Make a list of things you need to do and put the most urgent one at the top. Once you have completed it, cross it off and move on to the next one. Soon they’ll all be done!

That’s what I do … I run two companies and one association out of my office so to avoid getting overwhelmed by it all, I do one project at a time. Otherwise I would go nuts!!

Until next time everyone!

Katharine

Why Hire a Concierge?

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:24:23 GMT

Why Hire a Concierge?

By Katharine C. Giovanni

Why should you hire a concierge? I can think of a hundred reasons actually. Here are just a few ...

People around the world are trying to squeeze thirty-six hours into a twenty-four-hour day, and when you do that you don’t do it very well. If you continue to do it on a regular basis, then eventually your body will resent it and you’ll get sick. Concierge are here to give you your health back. They’re here to give you the extra hours that you have been craving and will do what has to be done, so that you can do want to do like spending more time with your children or spending a few extra hours at work.

Companies around the world are also getting into the act. They are not only starting to use concierge, but they are making them a part of their corporate benefit packages. They are reasoning correctly that the less time people spend running personal errands during the workday, the more time they can spend at their desks and, subsequently, with their families at night.

Still not sure you need a concierge? Here are a few more reasons why you need to hire us …

The average U.S. worker admits to frittering away more than 2.09 hours a day, not counting lunch, on personal business. This costs companies an estimated $759 billion a year.” - Salary.com and AOL Survey.
The average worker skips 24 minutes of his or her lunch break every day, the equivalent of approximately two weeks more holiday per year (figures from Data Monitor).
Since 1969, family time for a working couple has shrunk an average of 22 hours a week. U.S. Government
Workplace stress is costing the Australian economy $14.81 billion a year. Medibank-commissioned research
Stress related presenteeism and absenteeism are directly costing Australian employers $10.11 billion a year. Medibank-commissioned research
According to the Health and Safety Executive, 6.5 million sick days are taken every year as a result of stress -- costing £7m per week and £1.4m per working day.
Approximately 13.7 million working days are lost each year in the UK as a result of work-related illness at a cost of £28.3 billion per year – National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

When looking at these statistics, it is easy to see why time has become the commodity of the century and will be even more so in the decades to come. The popularity of concierge services stems from the fact that people are stressed out, overworked, and need help dealing with life so they can spend their free time nurturing themselves and their families. As good workers become harder to find, businesses are looking for concierge services to offer as perks to keep valuable employees happy.

That being said, below is a list of 20 ways you can use a concierge (the real list of what a concierge can do for you is endless)…

Obtaining tickets to concerts, special events and sporting events
Transportation Services – train, plane or automobiles … concierge can get it!
Travel and Vacation Planning
Business Referral Service – need a landscaper or a plumber?
Restaurant Recommendations and/or Reservations
Pet services
Internet Research – need research done and you don’t have the time to do it?
Personalized shopping and delivery
Dry cleaning pick-up and/or delivery
Grocery shopping
Senior care
Picking up or returning a gift
Bill paying
Auto Maintenance
Home Organization
Notary Services – many concierge area a traveling notary and can actually come to you.
Delivering a Meal - breakfast, lunch or dinner
Prescription Pick-up and delivery
Repair and Service Calls
Sick Care – sick in bed? Call a concierge and they’ll do your errands, arrange for dinner to be delivered and can be on hand to help your family out

So get your life back! Hire a concierge to do what has to be done so that you can do what you've always wanted to do.

If you are looking to hire a concierge, then I suggest you visit www.ICLMA.org and check out our international concierge directory. We have members from all over the world who can assist you.

Good Luck!

About the Author: Katharine is an award-winning author and the world’s leading concierge trainer and consultant as well as a Certified Concierge Specialist (CCS) and Speaker. She is one of the founders of Triangle Concierge and is the Chairman of the Board and Founder of the International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association (ICLMA) as well as the author of several business books including her award-winning book Going Above and Beyond and The Concierge Manual.

If you wish to re-print this article, that's fine. Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you!

Why isn’t my telephone ringing?

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:43:40 GMT

Believe it or not, I actually get asked this question a lot.

For those of you who have been in business for a long time, it might be time to go into a different niche to get that phone ringing again. Look at what services are working and throw away the ones that are not. Go back to the basics and look over your entire operation with fresh eyes.

For new business owners, remember that every new business takes time to start up, it takes time to get your name out there. I know you all would like the phone to start ringing the first week you are in business, but it will most likely take weeks to get the word out. Patience.

Marketing is the name of the game here! Market your service to absolutely everyone. Talk to everyone.

Go to all the networking functions that you can find and chat with as many people as you can while you are there.

Go online and live on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Get a Facebook fan page.

Send out a press release and see if you can get the media to do a story on you.

Market, market, market! Talk it up to everyone you know!!!

Patience and persistence is the key here!!! DON’T GIVE UP!!! I know you can do this.

Katharine Giovanni

Common Website Mistakes

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:04:42 GMT

I was doing a search on concierge companies the other day when I noticed something very odd. Most of the websites I found didn't give me any information about the owner of the company! The "about us" section was generic and had no names in it. There were no biographies, no list of staff, nothing.

I don't know about you, but I like to know who I am doing business with. I like to read about the history of a company, and when I call them, I also like to have a name to ask for.

I completely understand that many of you might wish to remain anonymous for security reasons. I get that. I also understand that security issues might be why I can't find where you are located anywhere on your website. At least give me the city and state!

Well, here's the good news and the bad news.

The good news is that hiding your name and location will indeed help keep you secure in today's world.

The bad news is that it might cause you to lose customers. Hiding your name and company location might cause people to wonder why you are doing this. They might suspect that you have no experience, or worse ... that you have a something to hide.

At the very least, I humbly suggest that you put your name and title on the website. You don't have to have a biography if you don't want to, just give us a contact name. You also don't need to list your full address, just give me the city/state where you are located!!! I might not know that 212 is New York City, so to find out where you are I'll have to do an internet search on your area code. I've done this search many times over the years, but your clients won't. They'll just click off and go to your competitor.

Until next time,

Katharine

No Kidding

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:03:08 GMT

Being able to work from home and be home with the kids is a dream come true for most, not all, but most moms. But working with kids around can be quite challenging. What do you do with them in the summer months when they're off from school? Do you take them on the errands with you (especially when you cannot afford day care/camp)? What's an entreprenurial mom to do?

ICLMA 2011 Independent Concierge Industry Survey is LIVE

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:10:25 GMT

Each year, the ICLMA conducts a study of the independent concierge industry. In fact, I'm extremely proud to report that our association is still the only organization in the world currently providing statistics on this industry!

I know how busy you all are, but I do hope that you will take a few minutes to complete our short survey. The data that you provide is invaluable! Please make sure you answer as many questions as you can.

This is open to EVERYONE in the independent concierge industry regardless of whether or not you are an ICLMA member.

Here's the link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e3z8zpcwgod9n5o4/start

The survey will be closed out on August 1. The results will be published in September/October and placed in the Members library on the ICLMA web site at www.ICLMA.org.

Those not affiliated with ICLMA who take the survey will be emailed a copy of the results (please make sure you give that to us at the end of the survey).

Thank you again for your time and participation.

Warm regards,

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS
ICLMA Chairman of the Board

ICLMA Around the World

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:09:46 GMT

Hello Everyone!

I received a marvelous email from ICLMA Board Member Mariella MacLeod last week that I would like to share with you all. Mariella clearly explains why everyone should start an ICLMA networking circle in their city ...

--------------

Four ladies, three hours, two cups of coffee, one common bond: ICLMA. Well….actually it turned into more than two cups of coffee….we ended up enjoying lunch together!

The four ICLMA members in Scotland decided to meet up and form a circle….a circle of friendship, understanding, experience and knowledge. This is only one of the benefits of being an ICLMA member! Most of us are men and women who work on our own and it is such a relief to be able to sit down with fellow concierges to discuss the highs and lows of doing what we do. Every few minutes you could hear an exclamation from one of us saying “so, you’ve found that too!” or “oh, I feel like that too!”. What a relief!

Now, we did not really know one another before this so you can imagine how nervous we all were at meeting up with a) virtual strangers and b) competitors, but I cannot say it enough, it was such a pleasure! We learnt from one another, shared funny stories and realised that we really loved the fact that we could speak about what we do or moan about difficult clients (not that we have many of those, of course!).

I thought we would just have a coffee, make polite conversation and leave but after the second coffee we all looked at one another and decided to have a bite to eat. After we had run out of time…as we had to get back to our work and to our clients, we decided that it had been such a good experience that we should do this every quarter. So, our next meeting is going to be at the same place on the 21^st June.

Thank you Amanda (Edinburgh Girl Friday), Susan (Girl Monday), and Jane (Helping Hand Support Services) for an enjoyable few hours. I can’t wait for the next one!

Mariella MacLeod

Dickory Dock Lifestyle Management

Glasgow, Scotland

THANK YOU MARIELLA!!!

Your Staff - What Not To Do

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:01:39 GMT

A while back I had to mail out a package via express mail to Australia. No problem!! I've done many over the years and normally it's a piece of cake.

As I handed the package to my friend in the post office, he looked at it and quietly said that they don't do those anymore. Apparently upper management at the post office had decided the day before that only certain post office's were going to handle international express mail, and ours was not one of them. To make it worse, only certain countries would be affected! So my express mail to Greece went through, and my express to Australia did not. I ended up using Federal Express.

Unfortunately the staff, upper management neglected to give them any more information, so they were madly scrambling trying to find out how the new system worked, and to their credit they apologized about 50 times before I left.

A good example of what upper management should NOT to do to their staff.

The next day I tried to get an international money order for a client of mine (again in Australia). She earned some commissions from us and asked us if we could pay her with an international money order. Hey ... no problem! I'll just go to the bank and pick one right up.

Uh huh.

When I asked the teller at the bank for the money order, she looked at me like I was some sort of nut. Not only did she not know what an international money order was, but she had no idea where I could get one!

I shook my head and left.

When I got back to my office, I called up the bank and asked about it. The woman on the phone told me that they could easily order one for me with no problem. When I asked her why the tellers didn't have this information, she had no answers for me.

Unbelievable. You just can't make this stuff up.

The lesson here? These are both classic examples of what NOT to do to your staff! Always keep them informed about your services, policies and procedures. Never assume that they know something! Tell them! Provide them with full training and a full briefing on anything new you intend to provide. Even if that means you have to call a staff meeting before your office opens for the day. This could literally make or break your business.

I don't blame the post office employee, nor do I blame the poor teller. They didn't know. I blame upper management for not providing their employees with the right information and for keeping their staff in the dark. They also kept their direct managers in the dark who absolutely need to make sure that their people know what they are doing everyday.

Until next time,

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS

Do you want fries with that?

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:21:23 GMT

"I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'" – Jay Leno

I think Jay Leno is onto something with the above statement. People just don't listen anymore. Why is that? You order one thing and get another. You call a company and ask for a certain person, and you get an entirely different extension. Not a good way to run a business!

I was chatting with a client of mine recently and we were both wondering where customer service has gone. I defended it and told her that certainly it wasn't gone, sleeping perhaps, but certainly not gone.

Is it gone? Are we so into ourselves that we have all forgotten about the other person? Are we rushing through life so fast that we don't see who we are stepping on in our race to get wherever we're going?

I think we all need to take a step back for a moment and take a look around. Look at your company. Are you providing the best possible customer service to your clients and staff? I'm not just talking about external customer service, but internal customer service as well. How you treat your staff is just as important as how you treat your clients.

Good customer service is really easy. If you treat your customers and staff well, then you will be treated well back. If you would like people to give you kindness and respect, then treat someone else with kindness and respect.

Treating others like you want to be treated is the key to business. So treat your clients, employees and even your competitors with honesty, integrity, warmth and love and watch your business soar to the top!

Until next time!

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS

Why do people need a concierge?

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:34:09 GMT

Why do people need a concierge?

Here's just one reason ...

"The average worker admits to frittering away more than 2.09 hours a day, not counting lunch, on personal business. This costs companies an estimated $759 billion a year.” - Salary.com and AOL Survey, 2005.

The key to service? Answering people back

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:22:35 GMT

You all know how quick I am to answer emails? Well, it seems that some companies have a different customer service ethic ...

For various reasons, I've had to email dozens of people this week. Most have not emailed me back. So I'll say it one more time for those of you who are new to my blogs ... PLEASE email people back! Just a quick note will do. In fact, even a quick "I got it, thanks" would suffice.

When I don't hear from someone, I often send out a second email, and if that doesn't work, a third! I had that happen to me just last week. However, instead of sending the third email, I simply picked up the phone and called them.

Another client emailed me and asked if I could set up a telephone consultation with them. They went on and on about how urgent it was and how it couldn't wait. When I replied back to them lightening fast guess what happened? They took 3 days to answer me back. By then they were so desperate they wanted to chat with me the following morning. So again, I replied back fast and again didn't hear from them for 2 days. We finally did connect, but the whole thing left a big impression on me ... and it wasn't good.

If they treated me this way, how were they treating their clients?

So please answer your emails, DON'T IGNORE THEM! If you tell people that by hiring you, you are actually giving them some time back ... then you must respect their time and call or email them back in a timely manner.

Treat other people like you want to be treated.

Until next time,

Katharine

Never Give Up ... Hershey Chocolate will tell you why

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:28:36 GMT

Did you know that Mr. Hershey of Hershey chocolate went bankrupt twice before he made it big?

Apparently, this incredible visionary started out making caramels. He was on the verge of going bankrupt a third time when a rich aunt bailed him out. Soon afterwards, he received a huge order from Europe requesting he ship a bunch of caramel over to them. He soon found out that they were covering his caramels with something called chocolate. He then went over to Europe to study the chocolate making technique and brought it back to the United States with him. He bought some land near a dairy farm and the rest is history.

Mr. Hershey's story is inspiring ... especially as he really took care of his employees and their kids. He created a town for his staff, schools and even took care of the orphans by finding homes for them. A wonderful altruistic man with a truly amazing story.

Now why am I telling you this?

Because it's the perfect example of why you should not give up your dream.

If you are thinking about starting up a concierge business, or you have a business and you've hit a wall, please don't give up. You can do this.

Thanks Mr. Hershey. You have my deepest respect and admiration.

Until next time.

Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS