Welcome to The Simplifier, brought to you by…

In This Issue:

If this was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here:
http://projectsimplify.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=2
Unsubscribe instructions can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.
Check out our newsletter archive page for back issues.
Visit Project Simplify’s website at www.projectsimplify.com.

1. A Note From Shawn

You heard it here first: some big changes are a-brewin’ at HQ. I’ve decided to take the “home” out of my home office. Come November 1, I’ll move my workspace into a shared office down the street. I’ll still get to walk to the office (which I love!) and I’ll get to join several other chargin’ women doing their own awesome stuff. Two people who have worked in the space have said the synergy is just fantastic. I’ll turn my current office room into a creative space for experimental sewing projects, journal-making, and other satisfying endeavors.

Enough about my office—let’s talk about yours for a minute. How’s it looking? Want some help getting it under control? If so, check out the thank-goodness-it’s-no-longer-105-degrees-fall-organize-your-office special (for lack of a shorter name). I mean really! Who can stay organized when they are sweating profusely or running out the door to go on vacation? Seriously though, If it’s time to get your Natural Professional foundation dialed in, now’s a great time to do it—in person or on the phone. More info here.

Whether growing your business or desiring to simply work in integrity, you’ll enjoy our interview this issue. Gayle Greco is a sharp woman who has her eye on the prize while staying rooted in her heart. You’ll also find info on bringing the right people into your business, another aspect of the Slow Movement, and a green church! Need I say more? Read on…

Enjoy,

Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier

2. Our Featured Quote

“People first, then money, then things.”

-Suze Orman

3. Interview: Gayle Greco – Creating a Healthy Business

By Shawn Tuttle

About two years ago I was referred to Gayle Greco for a creative perspective on a business challenge I was having. I found her to be insightful, cheerful, and calming. I had the sense that she could apply a skilled and focused eye on the issue at hand (whatever it might be) while remaining solidly connected with the spirit of the heart. It was this experience with her that totally piqued my interest in how she would develop a business in our current climate that still places disproportionate value on the $ bottom line. I’m thrilled to offer the following interview as a window into that scenario. Her story is further proof that business can be done differently.

Gayle Greco
—

ST: Let’s start with a brief description of your business.

Gayle Greco: Our business is Universal Mold Solution. We founded the company a year and a half ago. We have a new technology that Tom [Gayle’s partner] developed that is a safe, environmental way to kill toxic mold in homes, buildings, and structures. The beauty of it is: number one, it is environmentally safe. Secondly, it rides on frequency waves so it goes through walls, sub-floors, and ceilings. In your typical mold removal or remediation situations, you hear these horror stories where people have their walls blown out , their toilets ripped out…with this technology, you don’t have to do any of that. The third benefit is that people don’t have to be displaced out of their homes. The last benefit is that we are allowing people to get healthy again. We are curing their environment. By doing that, they are able to go back and live, work, or play in a safe, healthy environment.

ST: What a wonderful service.

Greco: It is. Our goal is serving the people on the planet, and that’s really our intention. Yes, we are starting a business, and yes, it’s a for-profit business. The ultimate goal is the health, viability, and safety of the people on the planet. It’s a fun thing to be involved in.

ST: Since you are looking to grow it substantially, that means a lot of different resources and people to bring in and interact with. How have you been finding the right people to help you along the way?

Greco: That’s the perfect question, Shawn! This is the best part of this whole experience, because the people have found us. We’ve both been in business—I’ve been in corporate America a long time—28 years, and Tom has built businesses before so we have experiences being in the typical model in the business world.

We set the intention at the very beginning, verbally and in writing, about how we wanted to build this business. This business is being built with us, and intention, and spirit. As we set that platform, we really simply stated: this is what we intend to do for the people and the environment, and this is what we intend for ourselves as abundance and prosperity goals.

We also said these are the types of people we want to work with and for. It’s about integrity, it’s about ethics, it’s about maturity, it’s about simple. So we set the intention for that. Without a great deal of effort the perfect people started showing up at the perfect time for what we needed. The first thing we needed was when Tom was working on the technology, he needed a little more scientific help. He has scientific and engineering background to a degree but doesn’t have it fully. We asked, “what are we looking for?” and these people magically began showing up and, with a huge amount of integrity, began working with Tom on the technology.

At the same time. I was starting to work on the business plan and I did the same thing. I said, “OK, I need resources and people to support me in doing this.” I put a couple of feelers out with people I knew from my career and, same thing, perfect people, perfect timing. We started to recruit, if you will, in a different way. It was easy, effortless, and graceful.

ST: Did you have any people show up that didn’t quite fit and how did you discern between the two?

Greco: We had two times, one on the business side and one on the technology side where we began the process with them (people who had showed up) and, we probably began it more from a human ego mind stand point, than really standing in our own intuitiveness. There were telltale signs that these were not a good fit, and without us having to actually cut the ties, they did; the other people did. It was very gracefully how it all worked. It didn’t interrupt anything in the business, it didn’t take the business in a different direction, it didn’t do any harm. It allowed us to look at ourselves and say, maybe we were also out of step with our own intention.

ST: How are you staying in your intention? Is this something that you work on daily to remind yourselves to stay in? And how is that fitting in with the larger business world?

Greco: We don’t meet on that daily but we are pulled into it weekly. Whenever we have a meeting—whether it’s about investment or public relations or the science and technology or even our tax return—Tom and I go “OK, what happened within the framework of that meeting or that discussion? Is there something we’re feeling right, or not, about?” Then we go to our counsel, the people who have been pulled in as our advisory board and we may bounce something off of one or several of them. They are now trusted community around us. That’s how we’ve done it—independently, together, and then with the group.

This all sounds glowy, easy, and fun—and it is. And it’s really churning, difficult, intense and even chaotic at moments. Some of the challenges we’ve had, some of the interesting ones, have been around funding. Because truthfully, this business could have been brought to market around March of this year and we’re now sitting here in August because of our choice to not take the money. And that was a really good decision, but it was a tough decision. If we would have said yes to a couple of these investor situations, we’d be a different company. What we saw being put on the table looked much more like greed than we wanted to participate in. We are being asked to walk the talk of allowing and the right person or people will show up at the right time with the right investment to make this happen.

ST: So you are having a lot of trust in timing.

Greco: Yes.

ST: One of the words that keeps coming up for me when thinking about the different aspects of creating a business framework is patience.

Greco: Yes. In huge amounts and it’s a humbling experience, because also when you have the expertise to do this, it’s hard to not just charge down the path and get it done. Tom and I are both “get it done” kind of people, so to sit in that place of patience and allowing is a lesson for us. It’s a good one, and at the same time it’s like, “O.K.… when’s this really going to happen?!”

ST: Any final thoughts to share?

Greco: The people are so much healthier and lighter when we are done with the treatment. So even though we are dealing with the dense, physical structure, it always comes back to the people. There’s such a humble reward watching people continue on with their lives without having things destroyed. It’s huge. There’s not much of a price tag you can put on it when you see that.
—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

You can reach Gayle Creco by phone (530-265-6182), by email (gaylegreco@hotmail.com) or on the web at www.universalmoldsolutions.com.

4. Your Simplification Tip

by Shawn Tuttle

Recognizing the right people for your business

Developing relationships is time-consuming. Collaborating with people, whether as consultants, (sub)contractors, mentors, employees, etc. can be just the thing to take your business to the next level—or can be a source of frustration and an energy drain you need to disengage from. Give the situation a greater chance of success by filling the role with the right person.

What you can do is write down your expectations, wants and requirements. (This is different than a job description which should be more comprehensive and which might include responsibilities, areas of accountability, qualifications, attributes, and duties.) These informal guidelines can help you either recognize the right person to take the next step with, or catch the red flags that indicate those to avoid.

Say you are looking for a graphic designer. You’ve seen three people’s work that you like and have set up interviews with each of them. Here’s a partial “wish list” to get the juices flowing:

Professional:  Arrives at meeting on time; Brings portfolio/samples/references of work; Conversation stays in relevant territory

Listens: Responds to my comments; Asks questions

Compatibility:  Conversation flows;  Enjoyable personality; Expresses interest in my service

The keys are clarity and patience. Making your list in quiet time moments is the best way to practice clarity. You’ll want to nail what’s important to you—this is your business after all! Practicing patience can be tougher, but it is crucial for reaping the benefits of your evaluation. One of the ways to cultivate patience is by sticking to a process: take in all the info from your interview, sleep on it a night, then compare your notes with your list. Refrain from on-the-spot decisions.

Some people seem to have a natural talent for spotting the right person for the job. Maybe they do have a gift. But then again, maybe they’ve internalized a method that’s based on years of trial and error. So write down what you want and let it happen!

—————————————————————————————————————-
Share simplicity with your friends and colleagues – forward The Simplifier!
—————————————————————————————————————-

5. In the News

Compiled by Lance Brown

Add Organization – Subtract Stress (SheKnows.com)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/3musxm
Take it from one who knows all too well: less clutter = more mental calm. More mess = less peace of mind. (Also, a² + b² = c². In case you forgot that one.)

Slow movement gains pace as architects inject soul into affordable new homes (The Observer – U.K.)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/4alngv
That’s right: slow homes. For those who find a traditional stationary home to be a little too fast, I suppose. Seriously, though – while you may not be in the market for an actual “Slo Home” from this architectural firm in England, the concepts behind “slow” home building are ones that anyone can work to incorporate into their living environment.

Church(es) practice environmental stewardship (East Valley Tribune – Phoenix, AZ)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/3u9cvk
We try our best to stay away from the two topics that are supposedly verboten in polite conversation: religion and politics. But rules of politeness notwithstanding, there’s no way to get around the fact that in my biweekly search for news items, I see lots of stories about various church officials at all levels extolling the virtues of simple living, “green living” practices, and environmental stewardship. Perhaps this story about one church that was built with sustainable practices in mind can politely stand in to represent the many religious-minded groups who play a part in the overall simplicity movement.

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

New on the Blog

Workshop stories
Shawn contemplates the impact of her presentations on people of various mind-sidedness.

2 Minute timers
You only get about 18 million 2-minute periods in a lifetime. Here are some tools to help you make the most of them.

Project brain dumping
You know…it precedes project brain recycling…

Doors opening and closing
Shawn is on a train pulling out of the station. All aboard!

A gazillion and one habits of highly productive people
Brian Tracy cribs from Stephen Covey, and Shawn cribs from Brian Tracy. Now, you crib from Shawn…it’s the circle of life, baby.

7. Keep Smiling

Introduced by Lance Brown

This Makes Me Laugh, dot com

Life is funny – and sometimes the best humor is just right there in real life (rather than in the funny papers or on Comedy Central). This Makes Me Laugh is a website that gathers funny user-submitted photos, in categories like Signs, Food, Graffiti, and of course, that perennial Simplifier favorite – Animals.

Lance’s favorite picks:

• • Deep fried vegetarian
  • Pot Head Compartment

…and Shawn’s:

• • Bartender Job Description
  • It looked like it would fit… (I think Shawn probably picked this due to personal experience. ;-))

Here’s the URL: http://thismakesmelaugh.com/

——-

Thanks for reading!

Publication Information
————————————————————————–
The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: newsletter@projectsimplify.com