Lillian Vernon built a kitchen-table business that eventually grew into a $235 million-dollar, publicly traded mail-order company with a catalog circulation of more then 140 million. At one point in her long career, she shared these 10 tips for success in work and life:
- Make time for yourself and your family.
- Surround yourself with the best people possible.
- Be open to new ideas and better ways to do things. Communicate!
- Be prepared to take risks.
- Like what you do and like what you sell.
- Don’t dwell on your mistakes or setbacks — learn and grow from them and then move on. Never let your mistakes defeat and discourage you. Never take criticism personally.
- Don’t try to do it all — delegate!
- Don’t grow too fast without the proper systems and people in place to handle the growth of your business.
- Don’t be afraid of new technology that can help make your business more efficient.
- Keep your debt manageable.
Be open to new ideas. Be prepared to take risks. Don’t dwell on your mistakes. Don’t be afraid of new technology — all these gems of wisdom are as helpful now to us as writers as they were when Lillian first shared them. Why not pick one tip that speaks to you and make it yours? Who knows where it might take you! Write on!
