I realised that my 3 days R & R, isnt about taking a break from the business or taking some "me time"... the 2 are in fact 1.
I am the business and the business is me. I am the heart of tea. Now if you are Irish you could, with a nice lilt say T' heart of tea. I thought it even quite peculiar that the spelling the art of tea, by joining the letters, it created "he-art".
It got me thinking. Why is it that I run/manage/own a tea business? Is is because I love tea? Well Yes!
But it's MORE than that. I recently gave a presentation to my Women in Business network group, and in preparing my speech, I started to really think about "why". My presentation wasnt about my 100+ products it was, and is, about the expereince poeple have when they have a good quality cuppa.
One example I used is this; "if you were just diagnosed with cancer, you wouldnt hurry past a cafe and grab a take-away latte on your way back to work - would you? No. You are more likely to find yourself at home, or at your sister's, mum's, or girlfriends, with the kettle on for a nice cuppa tea."
It's this kind of experience that is important to me.
Its so important to me that this year I became the Tasmanian Cancer Councils Biggest Morning Tea State sponsor. Yes, its about the experience. Its about the heart of the matter. Its about the people. Its about the community, the sharing, the connections, and the health of the people. It about sitting down together over "a nice cuppa" and talking.
Health - the term, if not followed directly by "& Wellbeing" is often thought to encompass "wellbeing", a trendy word that covers "spiritual & emotional health". And right at the centre of this, is your heart.
So its your wellbeing, your emotional & spiritual health, as well as your physical health, that gets me out of bed in the morning (and Im not a morning person by nature).
Having a quality cup of tea or herbal infusion is one of the best ways to set the pendulum steady when things in life get topsy turvy.
Its simple.
But that is what is at the heart of it for me.
And I think in modern business, there ought be more of this "well-being". Get right to the heart of the matter. Ask yourself, is your heart in it or not? And what exactly is the heart of your business?
So, for all you tea lovers - "here's to you, me hearty friends".
Lovely read Sam. We feel similarly about our business and also how our product makes our customers feel, that's the best bit for us - as you say, the heart of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog post, Sam. Written straight from the heart. It is so authentic and that's what makes great writing and, I believe, great business. I completely agree that a pot of tea is what you want in so many situations - good or bad. And it's the pot of tea that's shared with a friend or a sister or mother, that really has the healing or bonding value. Keep blogging. It's a great read!
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