Darlene Martin, of site sponsor Bijouxbead, recently had a fascinating opportunity for any entrepreneur, and she generously shares her story here.

I recently had the good fortune of attending a one week amazing marketing course at Queen’s Executive Development Centre.  This was a full scholarship awarded to me after being featured on the CBC’s entrepreneurial program Fortune Hunters.  I was one of ten people in the course, and the only one with her own business.  To say I was intimidated  was an understatement, and it took me over a year to commit to going.

Once I was able to get past the language I was completely unfamiliar with, like CRM, value propositions, market segmentation and brand positioning, I started to realize that marketing was really common sense, but with a very important caveat;  that in order for a business to really be successful, you need a strategic plan backed up by metrics.  Once I understood this, my mind started racing so incredibly fast that I really couldn’t help myself.  I know the people around me saw it too.

Which brings me to the other very important eureka moment I had while there.  A subtle yet consistent understory throughout the week was the idea of lifestyle balance.  We all know how important it is to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but it really does help to have it spelled out.  I took full advantage of a lifestyle consultation, where we spoke frankly about my stress level and how to best manage it.  I also took part in several fun fitness activities, such as rock climbing (awesome), hot yoga (crazy), and I spent an hour with a personal trainer at Queen’s new state of the art Athletics and Recreation Centre.  My biggest take away was that I really only needed to do minor things to get the ball rolling with regards to some major stress relief.

Lastly,  I made a significant discovery with regards to how my brain was wired through participating in the Herman Brain Dominance Instrument, which explained the way I think, learn, communicate and make decisions.  It explained a lot, and the notion that by allowing yourself to consciously develop the most dominant part of your brain rather than trying to work on the parts that you naturally tend to avoid could potentially allow for world class thinking was very appealing to me.

What this week translated into for me and my business is a strategic approach to the business side of creating jewellery, and a more balanced life which has already translated  into more thoughtful and inspired creative time.  I believe the product, the process, and the passion have all benefited greatly.  The professors at Queen’s repeatedly said that they hoped the participants would come away with just one or two new ideas that would benefit their organization.  It is no exaggeration that I came away with much more than that.

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