DO YOU TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY?

I met Carol when she moved in next door and we became fast friends.  Carol was fun, she was gorgeous and ambitious.  She was successful at everything she set her mind to.  Little did I know when she moved in that she was going to introduce me to my new career.  Carol had a Medical Transcription home based business and before long she had enlisted me to take classes and help her out so she could grow her business.  With her as my mentor I was able to start my own business and did very well though I marveled at how she was able to get the best clients and make top dollar year after year.  

After years of doing this Carol wanted a change and decided she was going to start selling candles at home parties.  I was dumbfounded that she would give up such a lucrative business to do home parties!  But before too long Carol was again top producer with a record number of sales people under her.  She received bonuses, earned free trips and was again making lots of money.  How did she do this?

I recently shared my story of how I was always putting everyone and everything before myself or my business.  A phone call or request to do something else would easily side track me from my intended goals for the day.  Carol's story is different.  I'd like to share what Carol did that put her at the top of her field.  Carol took her desire for accomplishment seriously and this is how she showed it:

• She set up a beautiful and professional office in her home with all the latest electronic equipment and office supplies.  She even bought a state-of-the-art office chair!
• She set office hours and made sure family, friends and neighbors knew what those were.
• She dressed for success - no working in her pj's.
• She continued her education by taking classes, seminars, buying books in her field.  She was not adverse to spending money as long as it meant it was furthering her goals.
• She always asked for the sale.  I hosted my first-ever home party for her because she asked!
• Follow-up, follow-up.  When it was "time" for me to host another party she would call to set the date.
• She had a mentor.  In each of her businesses she had someone who could guide her through her field and promote her within it.
• She was passionate about what she did.  She had no problem talking about her product and her business and could enthuse others with her passion.

Accomplishment is hard and on some level can be pretty selfish.  To really devote yourself to achieving something, becoming an artist, an entrepreneur, a writer, or selling candles, you have to really want it, have a vision of what you want and throw your whole weight behind it.

When you take yourself seriously and are passionate about what you do you will find others that share your passion.  When you do, you will find your community and that can be the greatest feeling in the world.

Come meet my community at 
The Los Angeles Mart Gift Show
wholesale trade show
January 23 - 28, 2013
9 am to 6 pm
Friday open til 8 pm
SHOWROOM # 310

How to display cake stands!

10 CREATIVE WAYS TO USE CAKE STANDS 

1. Stack, add a dome,

2.  A beautiful floral display,

3.  In the kitchen with oil, garlic,

4.  Valentine Hearts,

5.  Outdoor buffet display,

6.  Soaps, lotions,

7.  Wedding cupcakes,

8.  In the bedroom with perfume, pics,

9.  Cakes, of course,

10. And that fantastic work of art!

Brought to you by Mosser Glass cake plates
For wholesale ordering call or e-mail
lydiarep@yahoo.com
714-381-1661

1928 Vintage Inspired Jewelry

The words timeless & vintage immediately spring to mind when you hear the name 1928 Jewelry. For over 40 years, the 1928 Jewelry Company has drawn on a wealth of designs discovered in many unique, unexpected places. From the vaults of rich European capitals to the antique laden attics of old American estates, we’ve created modern replicas of the most beautiful, exquisite vintage jewelry ever made.

For an online catalog e:mail: www.lydiarep@yahoo.com or call 714-381-1661

A BRAND NEW LINE

ANNOUNCING THE ADDITION OF A WONDERFUL NEW LINE

OLD RIVER ROAD

Products are handcrafted by amazing artists who take great pride in their work.  Nothing is mass produced, each item has its own unique nuance, something that can only be obtained by the human hand and spirit.

From cookie cutters to cake plates with cloches, cutlery, serving pieces, trays, and much much more!  Take a look at just a few of their beautiful pieces.  

For an online wholesale catalog call or e-mail Lydia: 714-381-1661 or lydiarep@yahoo.com

Lulu LaRock Rocks!!!

MAGGIE McFARLAND DESIGN ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF HER NEW LINE OF CUSTOM ART NOTE CARDS AND COASTAL COASTERS UNDER THE BRAND NAME OF

 LULU LaROCK

Maggie, long known for her creative endeavors, is marketing her new lines for release.   With a design background, she has for years dabbled in art, and is known for her colorful work as well as landscape design skills, working with shape color and texture.  Maggie is also the former owner of Pink Lemonade Boutique once located in Corona del Mar, California where she resides.  It was known for both children’s and women’s clothing with a little bit of everything else thrown in. 

Her line is a symbol of everything she holds dear; nature, children, sea life.  Also breaking into the children’s illustration world, Maggie is painting many of her illustrations from a child’s perspective, or the child in all of us. 

I recently had the opportunity to interview Maggie.

1.     How did you get the idea for Lulu LaRock?

Lulu was inspired by an illustration of a mermaid I painted, she was sitting on the rocks.  I just thought it would be a cute name.

 Is this your first business? 

No, besides always doing something creative, I had a small boutique named “Pink Lemonade” which carried women’s and children’s items as well as gift items.

3.     How did you finance your business?

Fortunately, because it is art based, it has mainly been cost of materials.

4.     Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from nature as well as anything I might notice from a photograph, magazine, etc.

5.     Do you work full time or part time? What does a typical workday look like? 

I work part time for my school district.  After work I try to make time for my art, dogs, housecleaning, and getting to school as I am in a graduate program right now.

  

 What are the crucial things you've done to grow your business?

I try really hard to network on social media, get my items in the shops, and give my art as gifts.  It is hard though without a lot of time or money to pursue it.

  

7.     Do you have any plans for expansion?

If things pick up, I would love it.  I have made it easy to get things done quickly and efficiently to get the product out there.

8.     What has been your most effective marketing strategy?

It has probably been word of mouth.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give entrepreneurs starting out right now?

Don’t quit, love what you do, and have confidence in your product or service.

New Luray Hankies Tea Towels

You will love these vintage look tea towels, runners and napkins.  They all come with a cute ruffled edge in pink, green and white.  To get more information e-mail me at:   lydiarep@yahoo.com

                                             

This is a very informative article from Entrepreneur Magazine.

4 Tips for Using Pinterest to Market Your Startup

Just because you ditched email for Facebook long ago or you were one of the first tweeters around doesn't mean you're not perplexed by Pinterest. You know what it is -- a social network that acts as an online bulletin board for your favorite images -- and maybe you already use it personally. But are you using it properly -- to promote your startup, that is?

Using Pinterest as a marketing tool for businesses that sell products and services is a great way to boost traffic to a website and, more importantly, convert that traffic to sales. Despite that potential business bonanza, the various ways of using Pinterest for business aren't all effective to the same degree.

Here are four tips for using Pinterest for your business:

1. Consider your options.As mentioned, not all marketing strategies for using Pinterest are as effective. Here are three ways companies use the social tool:

• Mavens -- use images that are not their own and pin from elsewhere on the web.
• Connectors -- don't use their own materials but insist on re-pinning images from others on Pinterest.
• Showcasers -- post their own images from their websites or blogs.

2. Customize your chosen strategy.From these options, the “mavens” tend to receive the most clicks and re-pins and the best overall results, while the showcasers received the fewest, according to a June study conducted by Pinsights, a Pinterest analytics provider.

Does this mean that showcasers should start using the other people's images? Not necessarily. But it does show that instead of showing your company name and its wares, you might try to pin more than just your offerings alone.

That's what big-brand mavens like Kate Spade do, according to Pinsights. On average, they pin over 50 images to two dozen different categories a week. Out of all of these pins, only 30 percent of the images belong to the brand.

3. Be efficient.
Many brands who have been successful in Pinterest have also decided to integrate Twitter into their social profiles. When they pin something to Pinterest, they can send out a Tweet at the same time, therefore making the most of their time and maximizing their exposure.

4. Pin all-around likeable images.Because it's image-based, Pinterest has different rules of marketing than other social networks, which is why the maven strategy works best. Users think of re-pinning as identifying themselves with that photo, video, image, or infographic. It's not the same as re-tweeting through Twitter or liking something on Facebook. Consumers are more careful with being identified with images that are not what they believe in.

This means that any company that wants a presence on Pinterest must use graphics that their customers can relate to. It's not about getting the products out there; it's about pinning something for others to identify with. If that can be achieved then more clicks and re-pins will follow.

How are you using Pinterest for marketing your company? Let us know in the comments section below.

This story originally appeared on Young Entrepreneur.