Rebecca Harrison and me ready to talk ‘gratitude’.
Rebecca Harrison is the founder of a new promotional merchandise company Gifts Two Give based in Berkshire in the south of England. The company specialises in offering sustainable promotional merchandise for business owners, organisations and individuals across the world who believe giving gifts makes good business sense. Ten per cent of net profits go to the UK charity Young Minds which supports young people with mental health and wellbeing and their parents or guardians. Rebecca’s website is here - https://giftstwogive.co.uk
What does ‘Gratitude’ mean to Rebecca?
Gratitude means being thankful to the people who bring you joy and being thankful for the things you have in your life – and showing it. It’s also about thinking about being grateful yourself so that you concentrate on the positive side of life.
Three things I’m grateful for this year in my business are:
*Clients who had the faith to place orders with me early on and have continued to do so throughout the year.
*Suppliers who have been reliable and allowed me to reach tight deadlines and help my clients.
*The group of business owners I have met networking, who I know I can rely on when things get tough. They have helped me to get to where I am now, and I have no doubt they will help me in the future too.
What does ‘Gratitude’ mean to Fiona?
Gratitude means for me, having a glass half full attitude as often as possible. It’s not always easy of course but at least it’s worth making an effort to look for the good in any situation. I did start a gratitude journal in 2017 which lasted until March but then it drifted away from me.
Three things I’m grateful for this year in my business are:
*Clients who have stayed with me and kept the faith in the crazy world of PR.
*Associates who are key to my sanity and success so far – the small group of people who allow me to continue with my business when days are so busy there’s not time to breathe.
*The ideas which have come to me organically to change and grow which will hopefully help me work smarter.
How does Rebecca practice gratitude in her daily life?
I do actually take the time to practice gratitude most evenings by going through my day and thinking about what’s happened in the day that’s been good. I list off the positive things as a mental checklist and I always thank people every day for their business, large or small.
I was given a journal this Christmas which has a section for gratitude. I will fill it in at the end of each day. It only lasts for 12 weeks, so I will see at the end of the 12 weeks how it goes. As to whether I will think about what I am grateful for, or if I will continue to write them down, we will see in 12 weeks’ time.
How does Fiona practice gratitude in her daily life?
Frankly not enough. I know having a positive outlook will make a day really positive and I do tend to talk through my day with my husband when we take our daily walk in our neighbourhood. This is a very positive thing for me as it seems to validate my day.
What I’m not so great at is homing in on the positives if I’ve had a bad day (something which happens to all of us from time to time). I find a ‘bad’ thing can tie up my mind for hours. It’s something I’m going to work on in 2018 as I believe such amplification is not healthy and often unjustified.
One thing I do a lot though is say to thank you for many things, however small as I believe strongly in good manners. I appreciate being treated well and wish to treat others well too.
In business what should business owners be grateful for according to Rebecca?
Personally, I find I’m grateful for suppliers who deliver on time as that enriches the reputation of my business, for people who put orders with my company and for the people who help me in my business such as helping me to manage my social media. I’m also very grateful for those who refer me to others – through my networking groups.
I think it’s important to say thank you because a lot of businesses simply don’t do it. A business deal happens and that’s the end of it.
This means there’s a lot of communication upfront, during the transaction and then it’s a desert with no one making any contact at all. For me this is bad practice and poor sales.
Just a small thank you shows you’ve gone to extra effort and can make you stand out from the crowd.
I say thank you in many less obvious scenarios such as a thank you for sharing those details with me if we’ve met at a networking event, thank you for pushing to meet that almost impossible deadline, thank you for being helpful when I know you are super busy.
By saying thank you, suppliers and customers are more willing to come back, more willing to help and go the extra mile when there is a sense of urgency because they know any effort or order will be appreciated.
In business what should business owners be grateful for according to Fiona?
I agree with Rebecca – trusting those who are your team and who are part of your process is key to good business as it builds strong relationships. Be grateful to your team, even if your team are not employees, they may be fellow business people, contacts or referral buddies.
It’s also important to recognise a milestone in the life of a client and to say thank you or just to say ‘I’m thinking about you’ – it might be an office move, a big win, working with you for a sustained period of time, making a big effort to get something done which was unexpected or even a big birthday for a business owner. To show you’ve recognised the milestone and responded to that can create a strong bond.
It can also be a small ‘thank you’ such as – thank you for visiting my stand at a business show or for consistently sharing my social media posts or something as ‘ordinary’ as paying an invoice promptly, therefore understanding the fact that cash flow is critical for a small business.
How important are feelings in business according to Rebecca?
I think feelings are often underestimated. If you have a team and you thank your staff it makes for a much better work environment. Staff don’t respond well to a leader who only tells them when they’ve done wrong. It’s about value and appreciation and often gratitude doesn’t cost anything.
Good staff can be hard to find so valuing them when they go the extra mile, work that late shift, cover for you if you have to be away from the office, say sorry when you’ve made a mistake – all of these things add up to a happier work environment.
How people feel about the work environment will also reflect, on the whole feel of the business and the brand. A brand is not just about a logo and website, it goes much further into the feel of a business and what people say about it when you are not around.
How important are feelings in business according to Fiona?
When I started out in my career in the media 30 years ago there was a saying about ‘not bringing your home life into work’. Now that I’m older, I believe that is complete and utter tosh and you are asking people to do the impossible.
Feelings and emotions are central to most businesses – when a team or a business owner is feeling low or negative, things don’t get done, a spanner can be quietly put into the works by a disgruntled employee or supplier, inefficiency can creep in in small incremental ways.
If you have a reputation for treating people well, valuing them, thanking them, recognising their effort, giving good customer service – then that serves you well in times of difficulty.
Sometimes we have to make difficult business decisions, however if you do that with a grateful heart, from a reputation of being fair and being appreciative when things are going well, then these matters are much easier to deal with when they do arise. Then later when the dust has settled you can find that person or client or employee comes back to you to say he or she had not previously appreciated how good/kind/fair you were.
Rebecca’s final words on gratitude:
By being grateful in life for everything you have makes life better for you and for everybody else because it creates a positive outlook on life.
It can be a challenge at times, but is definitely worth the effort for your business and private life too.
Fiona’s final words on gratitude:
Being grateful affects how people feel about you and your business and brand. This makes both sound business sense and sound sense for your private life too.
Showing you care, you notice, you value, you appreciate is, I believe, central to happiness and shows a strong bond with your fellow human being.