Sunday Muse – Today I will be working at Eric Henderson’s Mansfield MBS Show. I have worked with Eric for over eight years and enjoy every moment. Being the other side of the table is lovely. Over the weekend I meet many friends and customers. I do not attend the show to make money. The objective is to reach customers and remind them of The LizianShop.
I’m never far away from selling to the public. The LizianShop at Nottingham’s Victoria indoor market is a busy enterprise. Our very first customer still buys her incense from us, and many of our customers have become loyal and trusted friends. I cannot remember a day which has not been a pleasure. This is a fantastic thought year of work without a day’s regret or unhappiness.
It is my belief when we do something we love the probability is it will be a success. I also believe that our thoughts are part of success. We cannot be all things to all humankind. Some will like our ways, and others will detest them. However, it is the people who align with us which matter. We must be true to our identity, or all is lost. The few who do not like the method are not the ones who earn our living.
It is not the things we get wrong which make us a success! It is the things we get right. I think one of our great achievements is the ability to make the right choices, not the ones which seem to be the right way. I choose to work with the best suppliers, not the cheapest. The suppliers have to be dependable and fulfil the obligation to deliver on time. Nothing is worse than a customer expecting a box of incense, and I have to say: “Sorry, it has not arrived or sorry, it was not in stock”. Therefore it is quality over price every time.
And I think this is the reason LizianShop has prospered: along with customer service. A few weeks ago a customer returned to the market with a purchase. “My wife does not like the crystal, could I change it?” My reply was “I refund your money, and she can come and select her crystal”. Ian and I have never refused a refund or exchange, not a once!
We must never rest on our laurels or take anything for granted. Opposite to The LizianShop is a haberdashery stall my friend Jill owns it. She is the last of the family to be trading from The Victoria Market. Jill’s family has traded in Nottingham and Derby for ninety-nine years. Last week she announced the business is to close at the end of April.
“Primark can sell a jacket for the price of zip Liz! People do not repair clothes. Once the stall enjoyed a continuous stream of customers. Now there are insufficient to cover the overheads”.
This is the way of progress many benefits from cheap imports and others suffer. The direction of the world? The style of life, there’s no doubting this reality. The question is can we survive the changes imposed by big business? Jill could have harnessed years of experience and thousands of pounds worth of stock and entered the realms of internet trading. If she were twenty-five, not seventy-five this option would have been profitable and successful. We have to move and evolve and to do this we need stamina, knowledge and drive. For my dear friend, this is no option.
The question is can we survive the changes imposed by big business? My answer is without YES! Although we have to be savvy, tough and enlightened. Resting on laurels and copying other peoples ideas will not work in the long term. It is not a case of pasting tens of hashtags and using Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. There has to be a complete understating of how your work will become a success.
Sometimes there is an answer to a situation is like Jill’s. However, in this instance there is not enough time. We have to anticipate the future and makeshifts, allowances and changes. Evolution is the key to future, and people see the progression, they notice the subtle differences with making the difference.
When I look at the lists of Community Members booked for our shows this year: I see the faith people are putting in our work. Over eighty Community Members already scheduled for the Lincolnshire Well Being Show and there are four months to run before the doors open. Newark Shows are following the same path, and the new Nottingham Well Being Show has forty Community Members booked. The Community has built an excellent reputation and Visitors are supporting them.
The feeling is like a bright spring morning: fresh, vibrant and instilling feelings of awakening and something special about to happen. If you wish for success: my advice is to instil the sense of rebirth and success in your heart, soul and mind.
All is a mindset and inner security. People feel the well being; they instinctively know if something is right. In the same way, they see through malice and cruel words and thoughts. A smile can never hide the truth, and people ‘just know’ the reality.
My morning drive to Mansfield will have the same feeling of anticipation. One of success and enjoyment, looking forward to the day ahead. If you are reading this article after ten on this Sunday (seventh day of April 2019) morning, you can be sure my day is going well. And when we finish trading this evening we will be satisfied with the weekend: nothing is more certain!
Today I wish you well, whatever you are doing. Wherever you choose to enjoy your day, think about your happiness, love and prosperity. Live your life to be happy and secure. Follow your journey in goodness. Have no fear of saying no or making the right choice no matter how others see your actions. Be who you are, be your truth and fear no-one.
Today, this week, this month, this year, find happiness: follow your path, and you will be successful.
Liz Clark
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