resources

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Signature please

10.24.11

 

Last year when we were getting sponsors and speakers to join us for the ltd365 Expo (now called ltd365 LIVE) we were trying to find an efficient and organized way to get contracts signed. Faxing and scanning were so 10 years ago and we were looking for a 2011 answer to our dilemma.  We turned to technology for the answer and to our delight we found Echosign.  They were the perfect tool for 1) sending out a contract that needed to be signed, 2) tracking which contracts had yet to be signed, and 3) storing signed contract for easy reference.  We purchased the $14.95 package and were able to get an unlimited number of contracts signed every month. There are different pricing levels depending on your needs (multiple users, editing ability, logo inclusion, etc.), and if you’re only in the market for a handful of signatures it’s FREE.

image from Kate’s Paperie

 

Call me!

10.19.11

Make sure you leave your future clients with a little piece of you. Your business card is the easiest, and least awkward, way to accomplish this. Business cards communicate more than just where to reach you and the correct spelling of your name, they are chapter one in telling your story–they communicate who you are.

When your starting out and you don’t yet have a logo or haven’t flushed out all your ideas you still need to keep up the meeting, greeting and good impressions so  so don’t go anywhere without your printed digits. While a mega print company may seem like a money saving option, I say forego the pre-designed template and spend a little extra to tell your story!

Check out these little numbers I found from Made by Girl.

 

 

 

You’re big enough!

10.18.11

The title caught my eye, and content kept me interested.  I love how many people, women in particular, are stepping up to help re-define what it means to be an entrepreneur.  It’s not about a 100 page business plan. It’s not about raising venture capital and it’s not about an MBA.  This redefinition, along with the leaps and bounds in technology, have made being your boss and crafting your life a real possibility.

So why do so many fail or hold back from even trying?  Perhaps it’s because all entrepreneurs start their companies thinking it will give them freedom-freedom to work on their own terms, be their own bosses, and create a company that meets their needs. The problem is most end up working for the company they created, rather than the company working for them.

Enter The Big Enough Company which explores how to grow your enterprise in a way that sustains your own personal goals and needs. The authors, Lancaster and Abrams, share their best principles empowering entrepreneurs to “ignore popular “wisdom” and peer pressure to take charge of their businesses in a way that will help them succeed on their own terms.”

Thanks to Lancaster and Abrams for lending their expertise and their hand to women ready to take the plunge into their new, big enough, entrepreneurial life.

 

Cheers!

10.14.11

Hydrate with water. Celebrate with bubbly!

Here’s to a week of progress made and lessons learned.

PR 101

10.12.11

We know how it is, you’re low on cash and desperate to get the word out that you’re open and ready for business.  While sitting in a book store going through the mastheads creating a database of Market Editors may seem like a great way to save cash, it’s a waste of your precious time.  By the time you send that release many of those editors have moved on to another department, title or magazine.

Instead, check out Savor the Success, a network for women entrepreneurs that focuses on helping you get your public relations game on. I joined a few years ago when they launched their network and I paid the premium fee just so I could access their media lists immediately. In addition to the lists, premium members have access to the Savor the Success PR Academy video series created to educate you on the world of public relations.  And while you’re visiting the site, check out the free video tips from founder, Angela Jia Kim (that’s her pretty mug up top)–great advice from someone who is savoring her own success.

 

Need a kick start?

10.3.11

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how they could raise money for their venture I would be…well I guess only a thousand-aire, but you get the point.

It’s common for great ideas to end up as nothing more than potential because the mastermind doesn’t have the financial means to get things off the ground.  And getting a small business loan or finding investors among family and friends can get tricky, so what’s  girl with a bight-idea to do? Before you hang it up, take a look at this popular alternative–crowdfunding (noun: use of the web to get a group of people to finance a particular project).  There are several options out there, and depending on your needs one may be more appropriate than another.  Our crowdfunding pick for smaller ventures looking to raise around $10,000 is Kickstarter.  Don’t worry, you can raise lots more or a bit less, this is just their average amount.

Kickstarter is a large funding platform for creative projects.  Every week, tens of thousands of people like you submit their projects for funding and each month tons of people (over a million according to KS) visit the site to discover great projects. Once they like a project they see, they give money in return for something from the project raising the funds (not cashola).  I’ve seen money raisers give everything from signed art to the very product they are launching.

What’s your cost you ask? Nothing up front! When, and only when, your project is fully funded, Kickstarter collects a 5% fee.  Amazon (their payments processor) also charges credit card processing fees that generally work out to 3-5%.

Not only is the crowdfunding platform brilliant.  Even our Commander in Chief, President Obama, indulged in a little crowdfunding to get his campaign off to a running start!

And there you have it, how your project can get a kick start!

Above are a few of our favorite ideas that got funded.  Makes you wonder what you could do–huh?!?!

 

Got an issuu?

9.29.11

You’ve seen the digital magazines using this platform, maybe your business could benefit?  Check out how this retailer, Rice, used Issuu to create a vibrant digital catalogue for customers. Imagine, uploading, emailing a link and posting on your site and not a printing cost or postage fee in sight. One of my favorite perks–easy to edit typos or incorrect info. No need to loose big bucks to reprint, just log on, fix and re-upload–no Issuu!

And speaking of digimags that use Issuu–Happy one year anniversary to one of our favorites, Rue!  And a special “well done” to Crystal and Anne, your dream job has inspired our dream life!

Get your blog on!

9.27.11

For those of you not quite ready launch but with an idea in mind, may I suggest you get your blog on!  I remember telling a friend who was in the middle of writing a children’s book to start blogging about her favorite children’s books. Make yourself an expert of children’s book and start gathering a following of people who will eventually trust and like your recommendations. When you’re finally ready to publish and release your book you will have ‘em lining up to purchase (something publisher’s look for by the way)!

Now the hard part is really knowing how to blog for today’s reader. With soooo many blogs to choose from how do you get anyones attention?!?! Gone are the days of wanna be bloggers simply logging in and ranting and raving! Those who are serious content creators and want to garner a real following should turn to an expert (or in this case, experts) for some thoughtful how-to advice.

Enter Holly Becker of Decor8 and Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint and Color Me Pretty. These two blogging gurus have created Blogging Your Way (BYW), the first online e-course sure to get you results.

Launched by American freelance writer, best selling author, pro blogger and interior design consultant Holly Becker, this self-paced interactive e-course will motivate and inspire you. Holly will share her own story of how blogging was instrumental in turning her dreams into reality, plus hundreds of important tips she picked up from being a pro blogger.

Whether you are new to blogging or been around the block, you’ll walk away filled with new-found blog knowledge.  BYW has a dedicated website accessible by students only, complete with podcasts, videos, plenty of reading materials and a forum where you can connect directly with Holly and Leslie.

The next Blogging Your Way class will run for four weeks. Class will begin on Friday, October 7th and end on Monday, November 7, 2011.

Topics include:
* Key things to include on your blog
* Finding your niche & your voice
* Writing from the heart
* Creative post ideas
* Overcoming fear & writer’s block
* Sourcing your content
* Photo copyright
* Community building
* Building your readership
* Handling negativity online
* Marketing
* Blog ads
* Social networking
* How to take better blog photos
* Adding borders, fonts and other elements to make your blog images stand out
* Styling for photography
* NEW: Breaking into book writing and other ideas for bloggers who want to take it to the next level!
* NEW: Using Pinterest to your blogging advantage
* NEW: Q&A with a few book publishers who can walk you through how to pitch a book idea
* NEW: Using mood boards and other creative ways to find your personal style
* NEW: Blogger’s Conferences: The best ones + reasons to go in the first place!
* NEW: iPhone apps to help you get creative as a blogger

 

Requirements:
* Either have a blog or intend to start one during this class
* Basic understanding of blogging (e.g. posting, uploading images, tags, etc.)
* Digital camera
* At least 3 hours a week to read through materials and participate in forum discussions with teachers and students

 

Don’t believe us? Check out these testimonials!

Happy Blogging!

 

 

 

Pin it!

9.15.11

My newest social media fixation is Pinterest! It’s a collection of digital images that you gather to create virtual dream boards of all that you fancy. While that alone is worthy of logging on, the real reason Pinterest won my heart; you can add, delete, categorize, search (and actually find), access remotely, and neatly keep ALL your inspired images together. So toss out that messy, cumbersome pile of tear sheets you’ve got stacked away hopelessly waiting to be filed – it ain’t gonna happen and now, it doesn’t need to!

Typical reasons to pin:

1) Gathering must-have wardrobe pieces

2) New office remodel ideas

3) DIY party projects for your next soiree

4) And since others can view your Pinterest page, it’s a great way to let your audience or customers get to know you or your brand a little bit better.

My Pinning pleasure:

1) Blog post inspiration

2) Motivating quotes for a less than inspired day

3) Checking out people I might want to work with, like a graphic designer to update my business card or a decorator for that home office I’ve been dreaming about. It’s like pre-screening to see if we are visually compatible or if their collection of images motivates me to call them.

4) Browsing through gorgeous images helps me relax before bed and ensures sweet dreams!

So if you’re a Pinterest junkie, let us know why you pin! If you’re not, be warned, you’re latest obsession awaits!

 

images from pinterest

 

Big dreams–small business

3.3.11

A Small Business Made to Seem Bigger

And speaking of YourLittleFilm (see earlier post), check out who’s in the New York Times!  Our viral video hero strikes again!

The first line of the article reads “People who run a business alone often want it to appear bigger than it really is — as if it has teams of employees and unlimited resources.”  But I would suggest it’s more than the appearance of being BIG, it’s about being productive and efficient when you’re a one person operation.

Below are some of the super powers that our hero Logan accessed to battle the evil Time and Resource Sucker (TRS) that most solopreneurs have been SMASHed BAMed and POWed by!

Batchbook is a customer relationship management software for small business that can integrate with MailChimp. You can pull up your contacts and find all your client’s information, including social media data.

Tungle.me is a free calendar-management tool. It allows you to create a calendar page that syncs with your calendar program and shows clients open times in your schedule without revealing information about other appointments. Once a meeting date and time is approved, the appointment appears on both parties’ calendars.

Google Voice automatically transcribes voice mail into e-mail creating a written, searchable record of messages.

Highrise to keep track of e-mails by sending a blind copy of the message to your Highrise account.

OmniFocus, a Web-based task management program with an iPhone app that allows you to capture your thoughts and turn them into actionable items.

Shoeboxed sends you a prepaid envelope and you shove everything in there and send it back. They digitize the contents and create a content management system for you, then send back the originals.

FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting software. It also integrates with Shoeboxed so that digitalized expense receipts can be turned into an invoice.

Regus enables you to find temporary office space worldwide.

Wanna read the whole article? Click New York Times and search for March 3, 2011 – By EILENE ZIMMERMAN – Business Day / Small Business and login.