Glennette Clark’s LazySmart approach to business
I’ve always been a big fan of working smarter rather than working harder. I mean, it sounds so much better than just admitting I’m lazy! But Glennette Clark, who will be hosting Biznik’s first-ever event on the East Cost later this month in Washington, DC, has an even better way to sum up her approach to business: LazySmart. It’s the name she gave to her own business, LazySmart Designs. I interviewed Glennette recently, in particular to introduce those of you in the DC area to her in advance of the upcoming Biznik Happy Hour in Washington, DC (which I sincerely hope you can all attend). Chris Haddad also interviewed her for episode 5 of the Biznik Indie Business Podcast, which will be released Monday. So, let’s find out more about her…
Q: How’d you find out about Biznik, and how did you decide to host an event in DC?
I belong to a lot of different listservs and one day I saw a post about Biznik. It looked pretty interesting so, I decided to check it out. I liked the fact that it is all about “radical self-promotion.” That was the thing that really caught my eye.
Q: Do you know many of the other Biznik members in the DC area?
Not in person. A lot of the members in the DC area I know by name and we exchange information about new business ideas quite often. However, I am looking forward to putting a face with the names that I see almost every day.
Q: Tell me a bit about your business, LazySmart Designs.
LazySmart Designs is a full-service web strategy, marketing, and design firm. We teach people how to make money with their web sites. LazySmart Designs is almost 4 years old and we have a wide range of clients from small business owners to associations.
Our services include Internet strategy planning, web site design and development, marketing, branding, and graphic design.
Q: How did you come to put the words Lazy and Smart together in creating your business name?
About 8 years ago, I attended a web design conference in NYC. Bran Ferren, former Disney Imagineer, was speaking about the four types of people you could have in your organization. They are the busy-dumb, lazy-dumb, busy-smart, and lazy-smart. Of course, no one wants a lazy-dumb person because they would get no work done. You wouldn’t want a busy-dumb person because they would be busy doing the wrong things. You may want some busy-smart people because they are the worker-bees. They always get the job done-themselves. However, the lazy-smart person is who you want in charge. Because they are smart, they are constantly coming up with new ideas and projects, but, because they are lazy, they know how to delegate to get projects done.
Sometimes, we get so hell-bent on starting and finishing a project, that we don’t take the time to think it through and plan what needs to be done and the tasks that should get delegated to someone else. Entrepreneurs are famous for this. They try to do everything themselves. Sometimes it’s budgetary constraints, but, other times is just a matter of keeping control. However, what we (I am guilty of this as well) fail to realize is that it always costs us more to do it ourselves and oftentimes, the results are lackluster at best. It costs us more in lost time, maybe not hard dollars. We can always make more money, but, we can never make more time.
My company, LazySmart Designs, creates ecommerce and web design strategies for our clients, however, I am not a designer. I am a creative. I feel that designer is too limiting for what I love to do. I love to solve problems creatively. Sometimes it involves design, sometimes it just involves looking at your business differently. I just love to be creative.
Q: You have a quote in your sig line: ”Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” I find that is true of so many things in life, but particularly in business. A lot of us have a basic fear of success. Where do you think that comes from and how do you overcome it?
From very early in life, we are always taught not to brag about the things that we do well. So, we learn to be modest. Then, when someone else comes along that is “not-so-modest” we consider them to be arrogant and self-centered so we try to be the opposite of that. So, we get caught in this balancing act of being our best, being successful, and staying modest. There are not too many role models out there for us to look up to. The closest person to fitting that mold would be Oprah. She is “living her best life.”
Overcoming the fear of success and feeling your power is a process. You don’t just wake up one day and say, “I am powerful beyond measure.” It’s a process, that starts with first acknowledging yourself for just being who you are and recognizing and appreciating your unique talents. You have to build your confidence and it doesn’t happen overnight.
The next thing is to realize that there are people out there that need your talents. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, there is someone that needs you and can benefit from your talent. I am still a work in progress.
I use this philosophy with my clients when working with them to create their presence on the web. I let them know that every potential customer is not a match for them and that they should focus on what they want to offer to clients, rather than have clients dictate to them what they should offer. In the end, the client is never satisfied and you end up miserable.
Q: Tell me a bit about the venue you’ve chosen for your event, Le Pigalle, and what Biznik members in the DC area can expect to experience at your event.
Le Pigalle is one of my favorite places to eat, drink, and socialize. I have been a patron since it opened earlier this year. I love the atmosphere and the food is great. The staff is friendly and accommodating.
Biznik members can expect to have a great time in a fun atmosphere. My favorite bartender will be on working that night and he is a true mixologist. Just ask for Martin and say, “surprise me.”
Glennette’s website is www.lazysmart.com.