Lessons From The Street

To all the friends and family of Affirmagy, we are grateful for the letters and emails you've shared about how this little company impacted your life. Nothing inspires me more. Thank you.

As I transform from being "the blanket lady" I am inspired to share some of the wisdom from my journey simply because the thing that made it possible for Affirmagy to live in the first place is the fact that I am an entrepreneur. And I believe that one of the greatest gifts I am here to give is to inspire others to listen to their heart, and follow their dreams.

I think entrepreneurs are visionaries who like to create things. And boy did I love creating Affirmagy. Every piece of it was a joy. I am proud of what we accomplished and the lives that we've touched. What I will take with me are the lessons I've learned.

Here are a few:

1. Knowing when to stop is as important as knowing when to start
2. Follow your passion, but don't get attached it what it looks like
3. Sometimes the greatest gift are unanswered prayers
4. No one. No one. No one cares about your company more than you do
5. Sell sell sell sell sell sell sell. No amount of structure, marketing, PR, JV's, partnerships, speaking, writing, or networking replaces sales.
6. Cash hides many flaws. Lack of cash magnifies them.
7. At great product accounts for about 20% of the equation when building a successful company.
8. If the President of a potential vendor partner comes to the first meeting, their company is in serious financial trouble.
9. Trust your gut
10. Only work with people you would enjoy a meal with
11. PR has a place but it ain't driving cash to your door.
12. It's better to run out of inventory and disappoint others than have a ton of inventory and have a disappointing bottom line.
13. Get a banker who sees what you are capable of and arm them with the facts
14. Be a pit bull about your numbers
15. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and listen to the ones who disagree with your direction.