A Word from Mary!
Over the bank holiday I had the chance to hear from none other than Mary Portas – Britain’s very own ‘Shop Girl’.
I count myself among the many who have both enjoyed and appreciated the focus that Mary has brought back onto the high street. Hearing her in person, I was immediately struck by her warmth, honesty and genuine enthusiasm for helping Britain’s businesses thrive. She generously tackled some big questions about the fate of BHS, the EU election, the growth of charity shops (her own chain included) as well as the launch of her new book ‘Shop Girl’ (which is actually what she was there to talk about!).
Below are a few sound-bites that I took away and thought you might enjoy …
On decision making… “When you are in the moment you feel it – you have to be instinctive and you have to have vision. If it feels like the right thing to do then trust that it is – once you do something from an instinctual place, it builds”.
On your vision … “you need to be visionary from the beginning”.
On getting noticed … “make fashion fun” and think about “how do I get this business talked about?”.
On ethics… “have a moral compass – what’s good for me is good for the world” … “my advice is think ethical and experience together … and think about your values”.
On towns … “Clone towns will change because we don’t need to live like we have in the past. People will be spending more on experiences, social spaces, creativity, connection, niche, mixed with health and wellbeing”.
On consumerism … “Greed and gain is moving to a more ethical society. People want experiences to feed their soul. We are going into a much better era!”. “We want tactile, physical experience that we can’t get online …”
On connectivity … “People are craving connectivity – the ones that have this at the heart of their business are the ones we will see in the future”.
On change … “it is very hard to make change happen unless you have people who understand what the end goal is …people then make the choice”. “It is better to look out than in – the greater good is people coming together to make change happen”.
In her own words … “The more you do it (talk openly), the more free you are” … “stay ahead by not thinking you know it all” … “be inspired by the people you work with” … “I have ‘no hierarchy in my business” … “Let people be who they are and they give you so much” …
By Stephanie Kerr
02 May 2016