Believing in what you do to the exclusion of worrying about what other people think.

There are two daily blogs that I look forward to reading in my inbox each day... one from Seth Godin (touted as a "marketing guru" but I think he goes MUCH further than that, and the other from The Design Files. One stimulates me mentally and the other gets my creative juices flowing... could there be a better way to start the day? Today's post by Seth was particularly thought provoking - Seth's Blog: Initiators #1 . Well actually it was the guy that Seth wrote about, Sasha Dichter, and the manifesto that he wrote ostensibly about Fundraising (but I read it more as being about believing wholeheartedly in what you do). Whilst Sasha is writing about charitable fundraising, I found reading the manifesto interesting because on some level, as a small Australian manufacturer, I feel as if I am always trying to 'fundraise' to survive. Sure, you get an amazing product in return, but it still involves me essentially asking for money. And clearly, somewhere along the line I have picked up a belief that it is wrong to ask for money no matter how important or good the cause. And yes, for the record, I do think that supporting Australian beekeepers and being an Australian manufacturer are both good causes. What I realised in reading the manifesto is that have always felt 'guilty' about our pricing. Sure, as the person who does the books, I have a better understanding than anyone that our pricing is actually below where it needs to be, but still, on some level, I know that people are thinking that I must be absolutely raking in the profits and living in the lap of luxury when nothing could be further from the truth. I think part of my journey is to not worry so much about what other people think. That's what I got from Sasha's manifesto. And just incase the word "manifesto" is putting you off reading it, it is only 5 pages and will take 5 - 10 minutes to read (but much longer to ponder). I'm still working out what this blog is about... ie whether it should be exclusively about bees & candles or whether it is a broader theatre to share a little about what makes Queen B tick and what we stand for. At the moment I am erring on the side of the latter. If you have any thoughts on the types of posts you particularly enjoy reading, let me know. Cate xx

Queen B beeswax candles are made with 100% pure Australian beeswax a pure cotton wick and copious amounts of hand made love. We stock beautiful and stylish candle holders, personalised candles, votive candles and pillar candles that nourish the human spirit and our environment.