My greatest serendipity in being involved with jewelers success is the relationships I enjoy and I consider every one of them partners. So it’s not unusual for me to receive text messages about great ideas and books that help us all have better lives and businesses. Jim Woodard sent me this little diddy a few months back, The Gold Standard by Colin Cowie. It’s a fantastic read about Colin as he began his hospitality/event planning business. He started out as a waiter working for a catering company and is now the most sought after event planner in the world, catering to Oprah and all of the most prominent celebrities in the world.
What I love about books like this (also similar is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara) is that they’re about people who’ve built empires from literally the ground up. What a perfect tie in with so many jewelers who started with a bench and a case of jewelry purchased over the counter or memo given from a vendor. Colin gives incredible ideas for amazing hospitality and again, as in Unreasonable Hospitality, the highest impact ideas cost the least. The key is true interpersonal communication and a clear understanding of who you are as a business, what you do best, and what you don’t do.
As an independent jeweler, you need to constantly be aware of who you are and match that with who you want to be. This book is a fantastic read or listen to help you to think as BIG as you possibly can and also to sharpen your focus on the ideal business model for YOU. Whenever I’m feeling down or stuck, I just get in my Buick Enclave and go for a long drive with one of these books playing. The result is usually a long drive cut short because I have to get back and create a new training video on what just lit me up with ideas. My hope is that these books will do the same for you. I know they did for Jim Woodard.