Today I'd like to talk about leverage. Although the term has a lot of different definitions in different contexts, in this case, I mean examining what you have with an eye toward getting more out of it.
Many of us have a tendency to overlook or take things for granted over time. Often instead of stopping and pondering what we already have, we seek out "the next great thing" that might just solve all our problems. That treadmill can be exhausting, so for a moment, I'd like you to stop and think about what you have right now. For example:
1. Online properties, such as your Web site, your email list, online store, or articles that you've written. How could you be using these assets more effectively? Could you put more products in the store? Put your newsletter articles on your Web site to encourage more visitors?
2. Tools or "stuff" you have hanging around. In my case, I have computer equipment, software, sewing machines, a garden, a tractor, wood chipper, audio recording stuff, and a video camera. What do you have? Make a list. Can you use any of these tools to create products or services? If you receive donated items, how can they be used or recombined into something else? For example, I know of a shelter that took a bunch of old step ladders and wood and turned them into fun walkways for their kitties. If someone donated a sewing machine could you make and sell simple kitty toys?
3. Skills you have. What are you giving away that you could charge for? Some shelters work with groomers or have them on staff and offer grooming services to the public to raise money. Do your volunteers have skills you don't know about? Talk to them. There could be a vast reservoir of untapped talent a lot closer than you think.
4. Old data on your hard disk or experiences you may have forgotten about. Did you write an unpublished mystery novel that features a dog named Sue? Could you publish that story as a "serial" in your newsletter? Or turn it into a book you could sell? Or maybe you spent a few years in your youth as one of the thousands of aspiring unemployed actors in New York City. Take that acting experience and put it to good use by putting on a fun talent show.
With a little creative brainstorming, you'll probably find a lot of things in your world that you could leverage. Here's a final example that I'm still pondering. A couple of weeks ago, my mom cleaned out her quilting "stash" and gave me 5 BOXES of fabric. (Egad!) Since then I've been busily trying to figure out what easy fabric items I could make for holiday gifts or even to sell.
I encourage you to do the same thing with all the donations and opportunities that come your way. Always be thinking "leverage." And as an aside, if you have any cool fabric patterns, please do let me know ;-)