Last week marked a sad occasion: the passing of the legendary Maya Angelou, American author and poet. She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult. She was an actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. Maya was active in the Civil Rights movement, and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

I have always found Maya Angelou inspiring (and have quoted her a few times in this column!) because she consistently broke conventions and worked hard to rise beyond her difficult childhood and early adulthood. She became recognised and highly respected as a spokesperson for blacks and women, and provided the world with many profound and inspirational quotes.

So my tribute to Maya Angelou is to list some of her most inspiring quotes – enjoy!

• I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
• Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.
• One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
• I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.
• I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Maya Angelou is an author and poet who I greatly admire. One of her most famous quotes is this: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” While she meant this as a reflection on life in general, I think we can take heed of this advice in business as well.

Think about all the luxury car advertisements you see on television. While they may include some specifications about the car, the majority of the images you see, and the music and words that you hear, tell you very little about the mechanics of the car, but are instead designed to elicit a feeling. The car company wants you to feel good or excited or even envious when you view their advertisement. They want to convince you that you will be better off by purchasing their product.

Generally when we respond to advertisements, it is because of the way they make us feel. If the music is really annoying, we might remember it but we might not like it. If there is an overload of information, we might retain some of it, but long term the message is likely to be lost.

What does this mean for you in your business? It means you need to work hard at ensuring that every contact a customer (or potential customer) has with your business is positive. But more than that, you need to explore ways that you can make them feel exceptionally good about their relationship with your business – it will keep them coming back for more.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

It’s the end of the year. Most of us are winding down for a well earned break and hopefully a re-charge to start 2014 with a bang! I thought my column this week should include some lighter reading to help kick start the re-charge process. So here are some of my favourite quotes for motivation:

• “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most responsive to change” (Charles Darwin).
• “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect” (Adam Osborne).
• “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozey, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” (Billie Jean King)
• “Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.” (Julie Andrews).
• Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone whom I admire but have never met.” (Barbara Walters)

I can only speak for myself, but my motivations also run deeper than ‘business success’. The following two quotes are my all time favourites for remembering the really important things in life:

• “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou).
• “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” (Anne Frank).

And at this time of year, this quote is particularly pertinent for female business owners:

• “Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.” (Barbara De Angelis).

Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender