It‘s almost midnight and I just had to share a few experiences with you. I just got back from four days in Venice with my mum (a late birthday present for her) and we had the best time together in one of the most amazing cities in the world (I think I‘ve said that about a few cities already…. Sydney, Capetown, New York and Granada in Spain).
Colourful Murano
In the 12th century, Venice was one of the world‘s most famous commercial centres, a flourishing trade centre between Eastern and Western Europe and the rest of the world. The famous silk road opening up to the far East attracted even more wealth and people from all over the world.
Marco Polo was one of the first famous Venetian merchant and adventurer, travelling the silk road, only to return back to Venice 24 years later.
Laundry across the channel
Giacomo Casanova, another Venetian icon was famous for being a womaniser. He was an expert in the art of seduction. The name ‘Casanova‘ is still used nowadays for men who are successful (sometimes unsuccessful) in seducing women.
There are hundreds of other famous Venetians far more important than Casanova (such as Jacopo Tintoretto, Veronese, and Giovanni Bellini), but I thought you might have heard of Casanova.
Venice wouldn‘t be the same without their colourful masks. You might know them from masquerade balls. They originated in Venice and were first used in the 12th century for celebrations.
The masks allowed wearers to hide their identity and social status, permitting them to act more freely. Prominent social figures used them to mingle amongst society without being noticed and nuns managed to have hot love affairs without being found out (I didn‘t make this one up!).
Today they are still used on masquerade balls everywhere in the world.
So what‘s this got to do with business? Not much, but I thought it‘s worth sharing and there are three things we can learn from the above:
– Discover: Just like Marco Polo, be curious about things, take action and sometimes you need to take risks to enrich your business and mind.
– Seduce: Just like Casanova, seduce your prospects, in a positive way of course. Find ways to make your business attractive and irresistible to your target market.
– Celebrate: Just like the masks were a symbol of celebration, make sure you take time to celebrate your milestones achieved. Aussies are usually quite good at this one!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!