KATE PUTNAMKate Putnam: The Art of War
Kate PutnamTHE ART OF WAR JULY 17, 2017 KATE PUTNAM 3 COMMENTS For Women by Chin-ning Chu. Read it. You need it. And, you don’t even know what you’re missing. Kate Putnam recently saw somewhere that CEO’s read an average of 60 books a year. So, of course, yours truly just joined a couple of book clubs and realized that it was time to stop binge watching Netflix and get smart in my downtime. I’m working for a Chinese based company and.holy.cow. What a cultural wake up call. The East and the West are like Yin and Yang, the sun and the moon, black and white. Think of every polar opposite that you can and that’s what I’m working with. You can’t have one without the other, opposites attract, even Paula Abdulgot it down. You can learn something from your opposite. Just like I remember her. It became very clear, very quickly to Kate Putnam that things in China are run very differently than they are in America. Starting with; the method of communication, to the relationship structures, to the basic foundation of the culture within a company and family style. Put it this way, food and sleep are for the weak. Kate Putnam learned that American’s talk too much. We put in too much detail, about everything. American’s like conflict. The Chinese like to prepare. They like to plan and meticulously navigate through every decision in their life. They do show emotion. They don’t like to show weakness in any way. Women do not smile in pictures. And, when they tell you to do something, don’t say a word. Just do it. Do it their way. You are not an individual. You are part of the greater good. It is what’s best for the company, family, and country as a whole. We’re all part of a team. Your opinion is important when you’ve proven yourself, but, a nice side note is that the managers in China do it backwards. You are perfect until you prove them wrong, in America you have to prove yourself first. There has been zero touching, but you get the idea. So, as I said before, I decided that it was time to learn the Art of War (and I don’t mean in Mr. Timm’s AP English class at Hoppy High) this is different. Right on the cover it says, “it is not about war, it is about the art.” So, it was time for me to learn about the art of not being Western and tune into my chi, become one with myself. It was time to learn everything I could about myself before I could learn about my enemy or everyone else around me. Take a few minutes to meditate throughout the day. Starting with first thing in the morning. Feel your own breaths (Kate Putnam hasn’t gotten to the point where I’m doing that but that’s not what the book recommends). Trust your intuition. In other words, trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, step back and wait. Prepare, and wait, until it does feel right. Timing is everything. “Don’t become your own worst enemy. Use your instincts to determine when the time is right to set your plans in motion.” As Master Sun put it, you control your destiny so don’t get too excited too fast and make impulsive decisions. As in, don’t be too American. The best part of working for an international company is learning different cultural styles. Different ways of thinking and certainly different ways of operating. The Art of War for Women has taught me to slow down and process before speaking. It has taught me to think like a chess player, and to wait for the right time to present anything or submit something. Most importantly, it has taught Kate Putnam to trust herself, get to know me, for who I am, and accept and enjoy that woman, as opposed to battling with myself. Read it. You’ll thank me.
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How are we doing it? At Putnam Marketing we’re making it work.
Team work makes the dream work. At Putnam Marketing, we know that we can’t do this alone. To start, if you have an idea, you need to jump in, with both feet. Take a leap of faith. And, pray. A lot. To what ever God you believe in, because it’s scary, it’s fun, and you will learn something new every day. Then take it in steps and surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are, people who have more experience than you do and trust them. What we have learned at Putnam Marketing. Make lists. What do you like to do? What are your passions? What do you want to accomplish in your life through this company? 1. What are you going to do? Decide what your strengths are and where you can use your skills. 2. Do your research. Find out who your competition is, what are they good at, and then create a plan. Where do you fit into the market? What makes you different? Why would people want to pay for your services? 3. Register your name with the state. Create a mailing address. Hire a CPA. Get all of the legal licenses in order. 4. Financially, if you don’t have venture funding to plan your finances then you have to literally ask the people you are hiring to work for free on a 1099 for a short time or on a commission basis to start. 5. Kate Putnam is using Quick Books for our accounting system at Putnam Marketing, it’s quick and easy and accessible on your phone. You can track your milage and you can link your checking account to it so that every penny you spend can be tracked. 6. Market. Promote your company. Create social media sites; Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Yelp. Ask everyone you know to like the pages. Update them frequently and write blog posts weekly. 7. Pick an office space if it is necessary. Personally, Kate Putnam doesn't think that it is necessary and it is a good way to keep your overhead low. Kate Putnam is creating an entire company without meeting each other and it’s working just fine. At Putnam Marketing are having weekly team meetings and daily one on one meetings to be sure we’re on track. 8. Create a business plan and a marketing plan. Kate Putnam knows you will also need to have a operations plan. Check it regularly so that you can stay on track to meet your 30 day objectives. Make it a priority to stick to your plan. Plan your days to make your plan work. Review your goals and hold everyone including yourself accountable to achieve them. Be flexible. Be willing to learn. And, plan on changing your plan daily, weekly, and monthly. That’s the only way building your own company will work. At Putnam Marketing and Kate Putnam wish you the best of luck and will be giving updates as we learn them so that we can help you be successful too. Steve Jobs. What Kate Putnam learned for the Top Ten Rules for Success.
“Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around to fury and despair. His tail is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.” Walter Isaacson CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of the book: Steve Jobs. “Like many great men whose gifts are extraordinary, he’s not extraordinary in every realm. He doesn’t have the social graces, such as putting himself in other people’s shoes, but he cares deeply about empowering human kind, the advancement of human kind, and putting the right tools in their hands.” Laurene Powell If you haven’t read the book Steve Jobs, Kate Putnam highly recommends it. There is also a documentary that is based on the book, you may have heard of it. Ashton Kutcher plays Jobs. This man was literally a legend. You’ve heard of Apple. You are probably reading this blog post on one of their products. What Steve Jobs taught Kate Putnam. 1. You can control your life. You can change and mold your own life. 2. You must have passion for what you’re doing. If you don’t love what you’re doing you will give up. You can persevere if you love what you do. 3. Live below your means. Be humble. 4. Surround yourself with a great team. a. Have a vision and be able to articulate it with the others around you and include them on your team. They will be core to the success of your company. 5. Don’t settle. Don’t do it for the money. Do it because you want to create the best product or service possible. Be proud of what you create. Stay passionate. 6. Customer service is the most important factors after building a successful team. Learn to build everything around your customer. Listen to their feedback. Learn from what they say. 7. Be effective in creating change. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do it.” Steve Jobs 8. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. 9. Marketing is crucial. As a company, what do you want your customers to know about you? What creates a great brand? Nike is the best marketing brand in the world, they honor great athletes (think Michael Jordan) and great teams – with the slogan, “Just do it.” And, the final tip from one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. 10. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish” Side note. We highly recommend that you take the 15 minutes to watch the Stamford University commencement speech Steve Jobs gave in 2008. Steve Jobs is the man, the myth, and the legend. |
AuthorKate Putnam is a young professional from Concord, NH who started Putnam Marketing in June 2017. Kate Putnam, Concord, NHKate Putnam, Concord, New Hampshire, NH UA-97575865-1
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