Isaac Bonan

When I came across Isaac Bonan's work, I instantly fell in love with his style of illustrations. The fluidity, the colors, the strokes of loose ends - all make for a very pleasing effect. But, who is Isaac Bonan, you may ask. Fair question, I reply.
Isaac is an up-and-coming freelance illustrator from Strasbourg, and only 24 years old. He does fashion and art illustrations, by hand using gouache and acrylic paint as well as color crayons and sharpies. Influenced by artistic movements such as Lyrical Abstraction, his works attempt to combine reality and fantasy, precision and expressivity, figuration and abstraction.  And below images speak of this very style that make me swoon...enjoy!




















Hugs!

Just saying that...

....I love writing with a blue ink pen
....I am scared of dark narrow alleys
....I sing like Kelly Clarkson  *ahem*...when I am cooking or cleaning
....I enjoy cartoon shows on Saturday mornings just as I enjoy Meet The Press on Sunday mornings
....I think Simon Baker is super hot
....I secretly dream of owning every piece of Hermes chinaware (and oh yes, their handbags and shoes and scarves too...)
....I love love
....I get turned off by bo, stupidity, and stupid politics by people with bo..heeehee
....I push myself to be a better person everyday
....I believe

Hugs!

{pic by awesome Ansel Adams}

The Banno Raani value proposition

Why should businesses exist? What should be the key word in their mission statement? What would make one set-up better than the other?
These are some of the questions that I always ponder over in order to justify what I am offering with Banno Raani. Questions like, Why should someone buy earrings from Banno Raani and not from any other vendor or jewelry house? What does Banno Raani offer that others' cannot offer at a better price? 
Well, I've been a reading a lot of business books (you know I breathe books - don't you?) in trying to understand the core of business, marketing and economy. And, I am more than willing to share this knowledge with you.
So, to answer the question - why Banno Raani, here's why:

• We provide value - we understand the hardwork behind every dollar you earn and want to make sure it goes into something that will make you happy, make you feel good and most of all make you feel pretty!
• We provide luxe experience - right from the display trays sparkling with Banno Raani goodies that take your breath away to the shopping bag with the Banno Raani goodies that you walk away with, we work hard to give you a fabulous buying experience (I am sure our current clients would agree with everything from our presentation to packaging)
• We differentiate on our products - we offer only unique and elegant styles that fit your trendy lifestyle
• We care about how you feel when you pick up that Meena Panna earring or when you try on our Mughal Charm masterpiece and shriek in delight. Yes, we sprinkle love over everything we do and sell

Hoping this declaration of our goals was helpful - and I am very comfortable  sharing such knowledge with all of you, if it helps in any capacity. So, next time someone asks you why they should do business with your or why pick your firm over another, well make sure you can tell them exactly why with one magic word - value!

And in the spirit of sharing, here's a look at one of our earrings that will make you go "oooh, now I want that" : )

Hugs!

Happy and Gorgeous

Just how adorable is this room? The crystal hanging lights, the mismatched furniture, the rug, the bouquet, the casual throw - all make for a happy happy pic :)

And, just how gorgeous and subtle is this room? The set up flows beautifully through all the furniture, and the wall color makes the overall vibe so soft and cozy.

Really, pics like these make me love Mondays so much more!

{image courtesy: stylemepretty.com and marieclaire)

How to ask the right questions and promote business

Ok, this is not a "10 steps to a smart business" or "7 ways you can earn more" type of high pitch article. And, no I am not selling you anything. Just yet.

When I last mentioned Oleg Mahkov, I didn't even know that I would ever get to speak to him. But, within a few days, I found myself talking to him for an hour discussing tools for better business promotion, how to make a positive difference in life and pretty much everything about the concept of "maximization". Our conversation opened new doors of perspectives for me and I am truly thankful to him for that enlightenment.
As you know, Banno Raani is a brand new experience for Shikha and I. Well, almost brand new. With the type of busy lives that we lead, we also need to stay committed to the growth and expansion of the boutique. While we are constantly looking for avenues and ways to promote, we only know so much. So, when I read about "free consultation" on Oleg's website, I immediately knew what I had to do next - Ask for the opportunity to be considered for the free consultation - and, that's exactly what I did. I then got a response back from him saying that I had snagged one of the five limited seats he had - and my day was made! We decided on a time and date to discuss the questions/challenges I was facing, and I knew things would never be the same again.

So, now that I am a richer person (ok, ok, intellectually only - but, so what) I would like to share with you some of the ways Oleg helped in tackling the issues and the suggestions he offered. So, if you already have a business and want to break the mold or are thinking about setting up a business and want to know more or are simply in the same boat as as me, then read on:
{Oh, and some of these can be applied to life in general -- I mean who doesn't have issues, right?}


HOW TO IDENTIFY REAL ISSUES vs."I THINK THESE MAY BE ISSUES"


 - The first step is to know what is that you are looking to gain out of your business. Is it profit, breaking even,  having more clients, having a web presence, etc. Not all can be gained at the same time because prioritizing is important. Therefore, truly understand what is your "immediate" must have and then accept that as your priority # 1; number them consequently until you know the order of your wish list. It may sound all cumbersome and boring, but trust me it is simple and important. Best way to get this list is by having a discussion with someone you can talk business with or simply can trust. Sit down with them and just have a debate. Chances are talking with them will allow you to truly have an "out of mind" type of experience and you will be able to look at your objective from a new angle - the perfect new angle :)
 - Once you know your priority # 1, figure out what's delaying you from getting there. What can you do differently to attain that? Example: For Banno Raani, having a social network and more presence is priority # 1 and what is holding Shikha and I back are our busy daily (yes, rather very social) lives. We just cannot shirk our normal workloads and family get-togethers to focus on growing Banno Raani. Not good. So, now, we will dedicate atleast one hour a week (hope to keep increasing that gradually) at PR and publicity efforts. We will find new avenues and forums to spread the word on Banno Raani

And, this is how you isolate the real issues from not so real or not so critical ones. Trust me, having an understanding of your priorities and your shortcomings will definitely make it very easy for you to work on them and eventually produce warm and fuzzy results. Always know that not everything can be a priority or else you will feel overwhelmed and will find it hard to focus on all of them - and you know what happens when you get a feeling like that, don't you?

Hope this little article helpful. Conversation with Oleg truly helped me, and if you want to talk to him as well, by all means reach out to him via his website or just click on his name above!

Hugs!