It's better to standout, than not to be noticed at all
The founder of MIKOL built the company based on working with a material (Real Natural Marble) he loves and developing a product that was truly different (Real marble iphone case, Ipad case, macbook cover and notebook journal).
And this can be applied in all fields in life, work and maybe...family.... It is always hard to go against the current, as there will be so many people discouraging you, giving their deep sincere advice why it won't work. It's not that they are lying to you, it's because they are scared and don't know better themselves.
That is why so many success stories tell you to find your passion, cause only then will you fight against the current until you succeed and reach the other side.
Being Different Is To Be Alive
This might sound a little dramatic but it is totally true or else you will just blend it like the rest of the crowd. If you are doing what everyone else is doing, you will stay the same as everyone. And out of frustration, boredom or whatever the reason is, you will fail and give up most of the time.
If, on the other hand, you know why you are fantastic and you work hard at creating what you believe is true, other people will eventually see how you are different. By this time you will notice some small successes.
These small successes are extremely important! This is what keeps your energy and passion levels high!!!
When we built MIKOL, we invested a lot of time, money and hard work while everyone thought we were crazy to want to sell iphone cases when the market is already so saturated. Plus, a price point of USD 99.00 was insane to many of our friends and family. People were telling us no one would buy a marble iPhone case, it's too heavy or the nicer comments were I'm not big on marble so I'm not really your target audience.
We were in Germany for a convention when our first iPhone case order came in! Then the next day an order from London for a marble notebook journal! This was our initial small success and validation!
From here we felt validated and all the hard work was paid for! Of course, this hardly made us rich. As a matter of fact, we were still in debt. But the reward was far greater than what money could offer.
As we slowly grew MIKOL with the marble iphone cases, marble notebbooks and other marble accessories there became little more recognition. By then, the nay sayers that once told us it wouldn't work or said they weren't our target group came back asking if they could have our products with enthusiasm.
I hope this article helps you think about what you truly love and how you can be different with it!
First step of beginning a conversation is to make the other person comfortable. But first you must be relaxed and comfortable yourself. Don't go off of scripts or try to think of things to say. Don't even stress about it because no matter how well you plan your words, you will never be able to control how the other person receives the message.
But be prepared and know what to achieve, what information you want to translate and most importantly what fits you as the "messenger" to maximize each opportunity of communicate.
Here are five keys to making your message count:
Preparation does not mean having a script, but to be very knowledgable in what you will be discussing. Think about a topic you are extremely passionate about whether it's sports, fashion, wine, etc. You don't need to practice or rehearse what to say to a stranger. It comes naturally, the excitement oozes out of you and you can answer almost any questions thrown at you with ease! With topics you aren't that interested in, develop an outline and important facts that you can review. Roleplaying with someone works will honing these skills.
You don't want to bore the other person to death with something that only you care about. Observe their body language, is their body positioned away from you or are they leaning in towards you for more? Do you see excitement in their eyes or are their eyes wandering? As you are speaking, pick up cues on what makes the other person react. You must have a balanced approach to not be too one sided in supporting yourself and not thinking about the other person's position.
Your goal should not be to debate someone, but rather to convince. Take the criticism well and how use it to your advantage. Increase your chances that a conversation goes well by anticipating negative or questioning replies. This lessens the likelihood that you’ll be caught off guard. Ask questions! How would they do it, get their opinion. Don't forget, people love to talk, just give them the right reason where they want to share. I've come across people where they did most of the talking and I only asked a few questions but were really happy of "our conversation".
Don't ramble or build up your story too long, you will lose people's interest. Imagine every person with ADD and you have few sentences to build up the excitement and then send them home with a grand slam.
It's always easier when the other person initiates conversation. So help them, give them a reason to talk about something. Whether it's a nice timepiece you have for those watch lovers, or trendy purse, happy socks, real marble iPhone case, fancy mont blanc pen, luxury MIKOL marble notebook when you are taking notes. So many things you can use to your advantage and get their attention.
The industry is demanding ever thinner, yet sturdy, transparent materials. At MIKOL we have one clear objective: developing marble products that is considerably higher quality which means thinner and stronger!
Even after thousands of years, our fetish for marble doesn’t seem to be fading; as a matter of fact, we still love to be in that “Precious Stone Age”. Since the classical age through the medieval era, marble has been part and parcel of our artistic renditions; in the modern days, the stone has made its way into many things of aesthetic and functional value.
An article by The Eye Travels
This gorgeous and fascinating stone is no longer limited to bathroom floors and kitchen counters—enter your new favorite go-to accessory: Marble.
Seeing a glimpse of how we evolved is absolutely mind blowing! Not just with stone processing, but fashion, food, technology, etc. Especially in recent years, it seems that our world has had a quick shot of steroids!
Marble fashion and interior design has inspired timeless yet modern developments with each piece. It is present in our lives since ancient times and still much appreciated today.
In the 21st century, we see much more imitation work with the innovations we have.
Here are 3 simple examples of how marble made it's way into lifestyle fashion:
1. Nails - Simple do it yourself methods at home if you have the skills!
installation at alexander wang’s soho flagship store features five marble surfboards
all images courtesy haydenshapes
Marble is a luxurious material to be used. But because it is quite soft and porous, marble can easily be stained, scratched, and chipped. To help prevent staining, MIKOL marble surfaces are coated with protective sealers.
Unfortunately, these coatings need to be re-applied every few months and can be purchased at any local marble shop.
We love hearing other people's opinion of us and Catalogmagzine understands the roots of our creation. Finding true beauty in what nature has to offer usually takes a very special eye to capture. MIKOL's design team tries very hard to take this beauty and magnify it with our modern designs very everyone to appreciate. We believe it will be a slow process, but am dedicated to seek out the community that appreciates this type of material and natural characteristics.
Marble is a natural product, which inherently will have its flaws. But our community of marble fashion lovers know these flaws are what makes the product so beautiful, so original! Every piece will carry its own style, its own personality and its own interpretation.
The article can be found below along with other cool products!
http://www.catalogmagazine.com/marvelling-at-marble-2572
