Blog of James R. Cooper January 08, 2007 A Yard of SilkFolks one of the beautiful things about what I do is the wonderful people I get to meet. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Sugar McMillian. Yes, Sugar is his birth name. Sugar needed a ride to an entrepreneurial event we were attending. As we pulled up to meet him, he came towards us with a Santa Claus sized black bag. After the formal greetings, I asked Sugar what’s with the bag? He explained that it held his products, which were pillows. At this point, let me digress. Sugar is a former military fireman. He’s 6’3”, and trust me when I tell you, he does not in any way give you the impression he is a pillow designer!!! I asked him how did he decide to make pillows for women. Sugar explained that he was on a flight overseas, and there was a couple on the plane seated near him. He observed how upset the wife was. Her husband wasn’t happy, the passenger in the same row with the couple was not happy, and the Flight Attendant assigned to that section certainly wasn’t happy!!! This woman was unhappy because she was traveling overseas, and had to keep her expensive hairstyle intact. This meant she had to fly the whole flight without resting her head against the back of her seat!!! It doesn’t sound that tough, but try to ride as a passenger in a car for several hours without resting your head against the headrest, just to get a brief idea of this woman’s pain. While watching all of this, Sugar had the idea of creating a pillow for women that would allow them to rest comfortably, without damaging their expensive hairstyles. I asked Sugar if he had any experience with fashion design, or sewing in general. Not only has he never had any formal sewing education or experience, he had practically never held a needle before!!! When he got to his destination, he asked a person who was going Stateside to bring him back a yard of silk. The man thought it was a strange request, but when he came back, he brought exactly 1 YARD OF SILK!!! Sugar took this, and started to make his first masterpiece. In his own words, it was horrible!!! But her persevered; he continued to hone his craft, continued to work; making each pillow a little better. Now Sugar has a product that I believe will be one of the hottest beauty/fashion products of 2007. Let’s quickly explore the "principles of success" Sugar followed to achieve his results in such a relatively short amount of time. I believe we can all find our own “Yard of Silk”: 1. VISION: Sugar dreamed of making a product that could provide a service, before he made a single stitch. Remember, everything, no matter how big or small, is made twice. Once in your mind, and then again in the physical world. 2. Belief in Himself: Sugar didn’t know how he was going to make these pillows. He did not have any formal education, or experience. But he had something much more important. He had a belief in himself. He believed that not only could he make pillows, he could make pillows that were unique, attractive, and something that every woman will want. 3. A Commitment to Excellence: Sugar continues to strive to make the best. He has a passion for providing the highest quality product. He continues to look for different ways to improve, and because he has such a drive for Excellence, he can’t help but turn out greatness!!! 4. Determination: Sugar will not be denied. He has a laser focus on achieving his success, through any and all challenges he has, or will experience. While he has many setbacks along the way, he continues to overcome any and everything in his path. And I have every reason to believe he will continue to knock down all barriers before him. 5. A Plan: Sugar has a plan that he continues to work. Regardless of who agrees, or believes, he keeps working his plan, step by step. One of his first steps was to create his company, Pillow Pleasures. I’ve told him to let me know when it will go public. I want to be one of the first people in line to by his stock!!! Folks, Sugar McMillian is an awesome example of how a person, with passion, purpose, and persistence can accomplish the impossible. He has taken a simple thought, and turned it into a growing, thriving business. So tell me, what will be your Yard of Silk? Until next time, keep Maximizing you Potential!!! ------ Would you like to see a specific topic discussed in James' blog? Contact Us. Copyright © 2010 Maximizing Potential - All Rights Reserved Site map web site by BizMarquee.com |