April 2010 Vol 3, Issue 4
Creative Coaching Group
LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT
 the Creative Coaching Group newsletter

Greetings!

Jan CarleyI was recently in Portland, Oregon and was taken by my hosts to a place that has become a local must-visit, VOODOO DOUGHNUT.
 
On December 24, 2008, then-Portland mayor Tom Potter introduced a resolution to city council that would designate Voodoo Doughnut's Portland Creme as the "Official City Doughnut". The resolution went on to express Portlanders' "deepest gratitude for creating and naming a doughnut after our beloved city that leaves a lasting taste and fond memories on its customers near and far away."  Potter's successor, current mayor Sam Adams, went even further and proclaimed Voodoo Doughnut the "Official doughnut provider for the City of Portland."
 
I was curious. How could a tiny independent doughnut shop inspire such civic passion?  I delved further and discovered that this hole-in-the-wall doughnut shop has some positive ingredients for their success that we could all benefit from adding them to our lives. (see feature article below).
 
Here's to your spring successes!
 
jan signature
 
 
 
 
 
Jan Carley,
Certified Executive Coach and CEO of Creative Coaching Group
Feature Article: 4 Success Ingredients from Voodoo Doughnut
Voodoo doughnut signThe original location of Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland is a hole-in-the-wall storefront open 24 hours. One joins the happy shoulder-to-shoulder mobs inside, checks out available doughnut styles from a cramped display case in the corner, and orders from a somewhat disinterested (although interesting) counter clerk.  A pink sign with the Voodoo Doughnut slogan "The Magic is in the Hole" stares at you as your featured doughnut is wrapped to go.   

 

What could a retro-risky-unique-doughnut joint teach us about success? What could we learn from this crazy doughnut shop that tourists have been known to go directly to from the airport before they even check into their hotel?

 

Four Ingredients for Success I learned from Voodoo Doughnut

 

Take a Risk

Proprietors Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Tres Shannon were friends that wanted to start a business together.  They came up with the Voodoo Doughnut concept, with only one problem - they didn't know how to make doughnuts!  Did that stop them?  No way! Instead, they headed to California and learned from the ground up from doughnut masters and then returned to Portland to instill a new paradigm on the doughnut-making industry.
 
Is there anything stopping you from pursuing your dream? Could taking a risk open up new possibilities for your life or business?
 
Think outside the Box
Voodoo doughnut took a basic staple and created insanely creative topping options. As soon as you gaze at the myriad of bizarre doughnut toppings (cheerios, cocoa puffs, smarties, bacon), doughnut names like The Memphis Mafia, the Arnold Palmer and Grape Ape and shapes (I won't even go there...but think female stagette), your mind opens up to a myriad of other possibilities. 

 

How could you think outside the box for your life or business? What could you do to stimulate possibility thinking? What would happen if you pulled out some of your crazy ideas from the back-burner?
Bacon Maple Bar
 
Bacon Maple Bar

 

Try Anything  (once!)

Pogson said that they wanted to break the norm of the doughnut industry by trying something different.  They are willing to experiment using anything as a doughnut topping and often walk down supermarket aisles for inspiration.  Some of their ideas don't catch on (like the oyster doughnut or the wasabi doughnut) however, some of their unique pairings like the bacon maple bar (the rumored favorite of Brad Pitt) have become legendary. You just never know what might fly when you try!
 
What could open up for you if you were willing to try anything, and could simply accept that everything will not work out?  

Keep it Fun!
Injecting a sense of fun is always a big priority and adds to the allure and success of the Voodoo Doughnut menu. Take for instance, the doughnut Voodoo introduced as the perfect late night cure-all ; the "Nyquil-glazed and pepto bismol doughnut". Some pepto bismol to soothe the late night stomach and a Nyquil glaze to get you to sleep after your sugar rush.  
 
How could you consciously add fun to your life? How could a strong sense of fun contribute to your success?  

The Voodoo Doll doughnut
The Voodoo Doll Doughnut

Pop by if you are in Portland and taste success!

Voodoo Doughnut  22 SW 3rd Ave., Portland. Oregon

 

(sorry folks, the Nyquil-glazed and pepto bismol doughnuts are currently on hold pending clearance from the health authorities)  

 

Lightbulb of the Month
 blue bulb           
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do" - Bob Dylan
Harmony from the Inside Out  - Order it here!
 Harmony from the Inside Out - Book Fan Sarah WallaceCreating and Living your Performance Potential 
by Jan Carley
on sale now at www.harmonyfromtheinsideout.com 
 
The photo is of me with a lovely young woman, Sarah Wallace, who I had the pleasure of meeting recently in Portland. Sarah holds her copy of Harmony from the Inside Out showing over a dozen "flags" that she had attached to the book to ear-mark specific pages.  She said laughingly as I autographed her book, "I guess you can tell the book spoke to me". 
 
There can be no more gratifying moment for a writer than to know that their work has touched and affected someone in a positive way.  Thanks Sarah and good luck with your journey!
 
Coaching with Jan - Are you ready for success?  
Are you ready to really set up your future for success? Not 100% sure what  success would mean for you? Or are you pretty sure where you want to go but not sure how to go about getting there? Make your transition to business or life success with ease, humour and speed. Let Jan be the champion for your vision. Coaching with Jan will bring you clarity, direction and results.  Guaranteed.
 
My coaching experience with Jan has helped me to build a practical plan to achieve fantastic goals. She has challenged me to reconsider the limitiations I have accepted in the past, and as a result, to discover and reach toward a new world of possibility. And we had fun!" - Therese Antonini
 
*email Jan Carley to set up your complimentary phone consultation and see how coaching can leverage your personal success  [email protected] 
 
April is Parkinson's Awareness Month
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a movement disorder that is chronic and progressive with no known cause or cure.  It is estimated that over 1.5 million North Americans are affected by PD. My mom has been living with Parkinson's for 8 years and I have seen first-hand the progression of this debilitating disease.   Michael J Fox
 
Michael J. Fox is one of the most well-known celebrities living with PD and he has done tremendous work in raising awareness and in raising funds for research for a cure "in his lifetime" through his Michael J. Fox Foundation. Fox's foundation www.michaeljfox.org can now also give tax receipts to Canadian residents.
 
April is Parkinson's Awareness month. Find out more about Parkinson's Disease by visiting www.pdf.org or www.parkinson.ca
 
About Jan Carley

Jan is a leader, speaker and writer and a certified executive coach accredited with the International Coach Federation. Her com­pany, Creative Coaching Group, specializes in working with highly motivated individuals and high-achieving teams to expand their possibilities and focus their energies to achieve a leading edge of excellence. Jan's signature "Harmony from the Inside Out" approach has shifted perspectives, and opened up possibilities for hundreds of choral singers in North America. Jan's book, Harmony from the Inside Out, encourages readers to create and live their full performance potential. Her book is on sale at www.harmonyfromtheinsideout.com 

 

Jan lives in Vancouver, B.C., Canada and is available for individual coaching, group coaching, workshops and speaking engagements worldwide.

 

email: [email protected] 604 873-1763 www.creativecoachinggroup.com

 

 

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Quick Links
Jan's Coaching Company :  www.creativecoachinggroup.com
Jan's work with Barbershoppers:  www.innercoachofbarbershop.com
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