We were lucky to catch up with Paulette Ensign recently and have shared our conversation below.
Paulette, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
Little did I know in 2012 that developing my ability to communicate effectively would be a life-changing experience in every single aspect of my life. My emotional pain was over the top. Friends, family, and acquaintances backed away for reasons I could not identify; ideal business opportunities slipped through the cracks, nothing was working well, and how to fix any of this was a gigantic looming question mark for me everywhere I looked.
The day in 2012 that I was eligible for Medicare, I looked in their directory for a mental health therapist. Whittling down 100 people in that directory to 2, my journey of 10 years began with a therapist who raised the bar exponentially higher than any and all the previous mental health resources since fourth grade! And on top of all of that, the Medicare coverage I had paid every penny beyond the premiums!
I arrived, ready to address the history that was nothing short of searing emotional pain that could only be resolved by seeing and hearing through different filters than what I had at that point. Additional learning clarified what were missteps that I never realized were, in fact, missteps. I needed to learn new approaches that were not defensive, not sarcastic, and not judgemental, heartless ways of interacting with people I had learned so well from my parents. These were the beginning, crucial, basic steps to healthy, inviting, effective communication.
It was a long process of almost a decade, one new tool at a time, one new awareness, one new response of amazement and initially disbelief from my friends and family as I gradually installed new ways of interacting, one more step up the ladder in my business, and one more measure of self-confidence. Periodically, there was a backslide, always with the authentic encouragement from my therapist that yes, backslides do happen, and the greatest part of the backslide now was an awareness that it even happened!
Along the way, I discovered a large reservoir of generosity that had been covered over by all the
self-defense tools I thought were protecting me. The self-defense slowly morphed into self-confidence, and a lot of it. I began to notice my uniqueness as a plus rather than a minus and embraced it rather than seeing it as a negative. As the firstborn among three sisters, my uniqueness was my birthright. I was never intended to blend into anything, anywhere, and the healthier I became mentally, the more I owned and cherished my uniqueness. I was intended to blaze new trails and develop the resilience I had been given through many tests and opportunities along the way. My creativity is through ideas, seeing things differently. That is a thread winding its way through my adult careers, finding contexts that worked, that I liked, and ones I didn’t like and didn’t work.
The biggest, best, most reliable, and most powerful tool I acquired throughout this entire journey so far has been this: I learned that whenever I am unhappy or annoyed about a situation or the least bit stressed (which is now rarely), I instantly silently ask myself, “How is this happening FOR me or THROUGH me, not TO me? What’s the lesson here?” That instant reframe is the basis for not only my continuing optimism but also my productive, effective, and caring communication, which sometimes is silence!
More people enjoy knowing me (including me!). My business is doing better than ever with higher-level opportunities. I’ve become debt-free. I have a large measure of self-confidence in how I lead my life, and I’ve been known to say my goal is to become a female version of Colonel Sanders, who made most of his money and impact late in his life. I’ve got plenty of tread left on my tires, too!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Tips Products Publishing Agency is my third consecutive career as an adult. It was launched in 1991.
The two earlier ones, in this order, were teaching string instruments (violin, viola, ‘cello, and bass) in public elementary schools. It’s the only career I have “paper” for (bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education) and the only one where I was an employee—translates to “a caged animal.” I left that after 12 years. Loved the kids, didn’t love many of the adults or the salary. I no longer identify as a musician or own any instruments. That chapter was completed.
My next two careers were/are for-profit sole proprietor businesses. Very early in the professional organizing and productivity field (paper, time, and space in people’s homes and offices), I quickly climbed the volunteer leadership of the National Association of Professional Organizers, first as founding president of the Greater New York chapter (the first chapter outside California). The next step was to become a national board member and then national president. One of the most impactful initiatives I brought to the association was the start of corporate members who became sponsors and partners to the regular members. Before leaving the field of organizing, I wrote a tips booklet, “110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life,” which has become the longest career of my life. So far, it’s been 34 years!
Oh, and I personally sold over TWO MILLION copies of that booklet’s content in various languages and formats online and offline without spending a penny on advertising.
During my tenure as national president, I moved cross-country from New York to San Diego—without missing a beat in my business. Got on a plane with my cat on Saturday, back in business by Monday.
People wanted to know how I did what I did so they could bring their how-to tips expertise to similar opportunities. These tips were overlooked as monetizable content. Since I am a teacher by training and nature, it was a slam dunk to create classes and courses and offer consulting services. I also changed my business model from selling single copies of booklets directly to end users one at a time —-to ONLY bulk sales and content licensing to companies and associations who primarily use these tips for product promotion. That means positioning the tips product as a gift with purchase, opening a new account, welcoming a new member, or drip-a-tip once a week for 52 weeks to stay top of mind throughout the year. Those are only a few of the many ways companies and associations have used tips products, and in many different delivery formats online and offline.
Our earliest bulk sales buyer was at the end of the first year in business. Someone sent me a 4-digit check. I had no clue what he thought he was buying. Well, he first bought a single copy, loved it, and sent this check. I had to phone him to find out his intentions. He loved the booklet so much that he decided to buy 2500 copies of it to use at that year’s holiday greeting to all his personal and professional contacts. And by the way, he was an electrical manufacturer’s rep firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He had nothing to do with organizing. THAT was the catalyst to change my business model. We also got bulk sales from recipients of that distribution!
The current activities of Tips Products Publishing Agency include 1:1 consulting, a couple of large joint ventures with colleagues, and creating several self-guided programs on Licensing Your Content, Private Donor Sponsorship, and The Many Ways How-To Tips Can Increase Your Amazon Book Sales.
We are most definitely in a wonderful growth mode in the past two years and see continuing movement in that direction.
It’s a personal joy to bring disparate entities together to form a new way to do things for the greatest good of all concerned. It is the hallmark of my company’s success and my daily motivation. In over three decades, we have yet to find anyone whose core business mirrors ours, and we continue to be open to traveling the journey together.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Embracing my uniqueness after many years of seeing it as a negative differentiator
– Share the usefulness your approach has, using everyday words to explain that usefulness.
– Remember that your approach will not be of interest to everyone, no matter what.
– Find who it is that can most benefit from what you’ve got.
2. Creating structures, programs, and approaches that are new combinations or uses than previously
– There are people committed to staying stuck in how things have always been done. Let them.
– There are people who will eagerly add valuable bits to what you’re doing. Listen to them.
– There are people who will want to collaborate with you. Consider that possibility; vet them well.
3. Ask questions of people more knowledgeable than I am
– Questions indicate interest, connection, and ignorance, and not stupidity.
– You know many things other people don’t and vice versa, regardless of how simple or complex.
– People are often flattered when asked a question and are happy to respond—within reason.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes, I enjoy partnering and collaborating with people. When well-matched, the process is more enjoyable, and the outcome tends to be even greater than what my own mind, skills, gifts, talents, scope, reach, and all kinds of other things can manifest by myself.
Key qualities in a collaborator with me include:
– Impeccable integrity
– Above average intelligence
– Openness to exploring possibilities
– Rock solid expertise of their own
– Track record of success
– Excellent communicator
Contact:
https://TipsProducts.com
[email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TipsProducts.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulette.ensign/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauletteensign/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
