Bring your best sparkle to the table
You can do a lot at your kitchen table when nobody else is watching.
Tinker, experiment, pull things apart, put them back together. Shine, buff and polish weathered chains and dusty rocks until they begin to glitter in a way that makes Mom and Dad light up with pride.
That's how Rachel began her entrepreneurial journey; crafting and shaping original jewelry all by her lonesome in a Regina kitchen. Head down. Laser-focused. She felt no need or compulsion to incessantly post the minutiae of what she was working on. Those platforms didn't exist back then as the inquisitive teenager with the prairie work ethic concentrated on perfecting her craft.
"True magic is conceived in solitude. Can you shut off the noise and make art without an audience?"
Since discovering how making jewelry for fun could turn into a profitable business, Rachel's creations have been displayed by some of the world's most notable women, including Celine Dion, Barbara Walters and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her company, Hillberg & Berk was founded with two goals in mind:
1. Create beautiful, high-quality jewelry for women at an affordable price.
2. Use H&B as a force for social good, advocating women's empowerment.
With the worldwide release of "Big Little Legends," Rachel Mielke's logic-defying story is now introduced to a broader audience. Folks who are sincerely curious about how you can create magic from anywhere. Even if you are a busy mother of three, juggling a vibrant marriage and demands of a rapidly growing business as you battle through a struggle with cervical cancer.
Watch how to walk softly, wear jewelry that matters and Bring Your Best Sparkle to the Table on Leaders & Legends.
"The jewelry business is a very, very tough business - tougher than the computer business. You truly have to understand how to take care of your customers." GUY KAWASAKIp.s… In Rachel Mielke's view, "Sparkle is about inspiring women to tap into their unique skills and passions and to share those with the world." Like many other stories in "Big Little Legends," Rachel demonstrates why it's good to dream big but start small. Grand vision begins when you plant rock-solid roots filled with many private victories before public ones. The surest way to know if your game-changing idea has real merit is to test your disruptive concept on any small group of like-minded people. For Rachel, it was a three-day nurses convention in Regina, Saskatchewan, where attendees purchased her entire inventory. Unless real people open their wallets or swipe a credit card, your idea is either essentially worthless or still needs some work.
One month since the global release of a big little book, viability is one of the core themes driving an entirely new set of questions that few business leaders are asking these days. It's one of the reasons why Vancouver-based Jesse Finkelstein believes Big Little Legends serves a grander and more significant purpose. From her vantage point as co-founder of Page Two Publishing, Jesse explains why the book challenges readers with an unexpected literary journey that speaks to something more meaningful often buried inside of us. Watch here.
Another Jesse nodding in agreement weighs in from historic Grayson Stadium. His small but mighty company in Georgia offers a metaphorical blueprint for any organization anxious to compete in the Attention Economy. With limited financial resources but an abundance of initiative and imagination, Jesse Cole and The Savannah Bananas reflect the spirit of Big Little Legends and why this book might matter to you and the people you lead. Watch here.
Once you Discover, Tell & Live a story that can only be yours, it packs the unlimited potential to become an endless source of fascination and make the competition irrelevant. "Big Little Legends" is a 12-chapter odyssey that begins in Paris with a riveting tale about a 1911 theft from the Louvre. It starts with deeply knowing who you are – beyond your products, services or expertise. The final chapter has you crossing the iconic Swilcan Bridge at The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. In between, you identify timeless, universal secrets that have always created irresistible brands. Each chapter offers three strategic and practical takeaways; 36 enduring ideas with the power to positively impact any business, brand, community or career. For more, visit www.biglittlelegends.com.
p.p.s… This post marks the final entry for Leaders & Legends in 2021. Our bi-weekly series returns to your inbox on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, as we aim to connect with a growing number of curiosity-driven people with courage, vision and initiative keenly interested in creating modern-day legacy. Kudos to Dana Zilic, Jesseca Parlee, Darrell Nevers and the hard-working team from Defiant Astronaut Media who make the real magic happen. On behalf of everyone from our family to yours, have a happy and safe holiday season.