Fake It Til You Make It

Hey Honey!

Can I talk to you for a second?

I just want to take a moment to let you know how proud of you I am. You've decided to turn your dream into a reality and that is HUGE!!

I know how hard it is to jump out there and do something that others are telling you not to. I just want to let you know that I believe in you and I support you.

May I offer you a small piece of advice?

I know that when you are just starting out you have visions of being a “major corporation” but you feel as if you are a “mom & pop” store.

FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT HONEY!

Come out the gate as if you are already where you want to be. In order for other people to take you seriously, you have to first take yourself seriously.

When someone contacts you about your business or service, even if they are family/friends, be professional.  

You know how loved ones can be. They always want something for the FREE.99

I’m not saying that you have to charge a million dollars, but don’t sell yourself short either. Your time is valuable.

They won’t treat your business as a business if you aren't treating your business as a business.

One last piece of advice before I let you go…

Invest in your business!! Get the proper tools needed to do what you do.

If you are a makeup artist, then invest in some great makeup brushes and eye shadow palettes.

If you are a hair dresser then get an amazing flat iron, blow dryer, and curling wand. Whatever tools you need to get the job done.

You may not be able to get everything you need at one time and that’s fine. Get something this paycheck. Ask for this item for your anniversary. Put this item on your Christmas wish list. Slow and steady wins the race!

Take a class or two to help you develop your craft. Stay up to date with the latest trends and techniques of your industry.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me and if I can help you in any way just let me know.

Team work makes the dream work.

-Stacie Stiletto

Tis The Season

I love this time of the year. Everyone is all happy and filled with cheer. All I see is smiling faces when I am out and about. The smell of warm apple cider, hazelnut coffee, and freshly baked goodies in the air just puts you in a great mood.

As we all are getting ready to spend the holidays with our families, I want you to keep in mind that there are others out there who are unable to do so.

This holiday season if you are able to do so, I would love for you to GIVE BACK!

If your co-worker/roommate is unable to go home for the holidays, invite them over for a meal.

Call your local nursing home and see if you and your children can adopt a grandparent. This time of the year is extremely difficult for the elderly. Some of them haven’t seen their families since they were dropped off at the nursing home years ago.

Put together a care package, write a letter, or send a card to a soldier overseas.

Go to your local Salvation Army/Chic-Fil-A and adopt an Angel off the tree. Each angel represents a child in need. Select the angel you want to adopt, shop for the item and return your new unwrapped gift to the same location.

You could contact your local homeless shelter and/or soup kitchen to see if you can come down and volunteer.

Your children have a room full of toys that they are no longer interested in playing with. Gather up all the toys that are still in good condition (no broken or missing parts) and donate them.

We all have so much to be thankful for. This year lets be a blessing to someone else.

-Stacie Stiletto

You Turned Your Daughter Into A Mommy

It’s the Christmas season and everywhere you go all you see is toys, toys, toys.

I was talking to a friend of mine and I asked her what she was getting her son (age 2) for Christmas because I did not want to get him the same thing.

I noticed how every time “Ashley” goes to the kitchen to cook, her son tags along and wants to help. “Ashley” is constantly telling him to get out of the kitchen.

I asked “Ashley” if it would be alright to get her son a play kitchen for Christmas. I told her that I would also get the food and the dishes that go with it. That way when “Ashley” goes in the kitchen to cook, her son can go in his own kitchen.

“Mike” (Ashley’s husband) heard our conversation and before “Ashley” had a chance to respond he said NO. I was then told that kitchens are for girls.

That made me start thinking about girl toys, boy toys, and the toys my sister and I had as children.

From an early age little girls want to be mommies. Parents unknowingly train their daughters to be housewives and mothers.

Little girls get baby dolls that cry, that wet themselves and need to be changed, the dolls come with a stroller, bassinets, high chairs, diapers, and a birth certificate. Your daughter is now an official mommy at the age of 3.

Then parents give their daughters the proper equipment needed to take care of a home:

Babies and baby items

Food and grocery carts

Kitchens

Pots and pans

Washer/dryers

Brooms/vacuums

As these girls grow and become young women parents “upgrade” their toys. Now they have to cook in the real kitchen for their family. Their dolls are replaced with their younger siblings and they are now required to do real laundry & keep the house clean.

It’s no wonder that a lot of young girls want to get married and have a family at an early age. They have been training for that their entire lives.

I don’t think that kitchens and other “house hold” toys should be gender specific.

If boys received the same lifelong “domestic” training that the girls receive then maybe the divorce rate wouldn’t be so high.

How about we give our daughters career related toys so that they can aspire to be more than a house wife?

(I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST HOUSEWIVES, I’M JUST SAYING…)

A lot of parents have stopped giving their young girls Barbies because they say that Barbie will lower the girls’ self-esteem. Let’s not talk about Barbie’s looks. Let’s focus on her careers. Barbie has had over 100 different careers.

I just want to give our children a fair shot at life. Boys shouldn't be the only ones receiving lifelong career training and girls shouldn't be the only ones receiving lifelong domestic training.

-Stacie Stiletto