Article by Sarah Shaw | Entreprenette
Sarah teaches people how to take their “big idea” and turn it into a bankable tangible product.

As funny as this may sound, it struck me today as I was drying my hair that we are our OWN best advocate.  I know this deep down inside but I often forget, or just don’t think about it. Note to self: Think about this every day all the time! We know our products best and should be talking about them, working them into conversations and GETTING them into the hands of potential users as often as possible.OK back to my hair – I have curly hair but really prefer straight (the grass is always greener right?) and drag out that blow dryer and products galore to get it that way.

So last weekend I held a seminar about the 10 simple steps to starting a product line and I was given a leave-in conditioner sample to try out by a woman there.  I have to say – I  was immediately suspicious when she said, “This is the best  detangler, static controller, frizz stopper you will ever try and on top of that, it has all kinds of vitamins and stuff to make your hair shiny.”  “Yeah right” I thought!  Anyhow, a week later when I realized I forgot to try it – I tried it today…… I am amazed!

IT WORKED!
IT WAS A MIRACLE

She was 100% correct.  I am hooked.  I wrote her the gushiest note ever and she now has a client forever!  She took the time to hand me a sample, follow up with an email and see where it got her?

IT WAS A MIRACLE

She was 100% correct.  I am hooked.  I wrote her the gushiest note ever and she now has a client forever!  She took the time to hand me a sample, follow up with an email and see where it got her?

Talking about your product (or idea if at that stage) will only help spread the word and attract new buyers.  You have the passion and commitment to make this happen more than anyone; more than your sales reps, more than your stores, more then your BFF, your significant other, and more than your mom.   If you want your hair to look as great as mine did (does?) then click here to buy her Vita Plexx.  This is a total shameless plug and she has no idea I am doing this!

Be BOLD, take action steps today to reach out to the people you are most afraid of.
Is it stores? The media?

Here are a few pointers to ATTRACT your next potential customer:

1.    Create a list of “dream stores” - Call them all and find out who the buyer is.                                        A few ways to find these stores are:

• Magazines (online and in person)   example: Luckymag
• Look at competitors websites and “borrow” their list.
• Google Google Google ex:  Boutiques Denver – you will see how many retail stores come up - then call call call.
• Trade lists with a friend in similar industry

2.    Make sure your catalogs are up to date and looking good.
3.    Stay on top of your current stores – call or email, check in from time to time to see how sales are going, make friends with the buyer.
4.    Reach out to the media.  If you don’t want to go sit in a bookstore and find the contacts yourself, you can join seeking designers.com for $20/month and they provide media lists and PR opps FREE with your membership + you get to build a little store on their website for more exposure. Awesome right?
5.    Join helpareporterout for FREE PR opps 3x  a day.
6.    Join some networking groups that cater to products or your demographic.  I like smartyla and savorthesuccess
7.    Twitter, Facebook, Linkden, etc……….
8.    Send email updates with specials from your website
9.    Offer an incentive to get them to sign up on your mailing list.  I offer 25% off on Simply Sarah
10.    TALK about it with as many people as possible all the time.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Interview with Amy Swift Crosby - founder of Smarty, a resource for women entrepreneurs to connect with other women to nurture and grow their business and community.

Q: What is your name? Amy Swift Crosby

Q: Company name and website? Smarty / smartyla.com

Q: We launched in: February 2009

Q: What is your business or what do you sell? We are a community and resource for entrepreneurial women. We provide information in the form of workshops and events that bring women together to share resources and to provide education on building a successful business.

Q: Who or what was the inspiration behind your company? I was a freelance writer who always struggled to find a community around being a free agent. There wasn’t much. I helped create many programs within Ladies Who Launch which inspired me to go deeper into serving entrepreneurial women.

Q: How did you get started? I co-wrote a book on women and launching and brought programs to LA from New York and got addicted to seeing peoples dreams come true.

Q: How long before your business was profitable, or when is it projected to become profitable? My business was profitable very quickly but my cash flow is always in question. The business requires human capital and venue costs - neither of which is inexpensive.

Q: What significant obstacles (if any) have you faced & how did you overcome them? There are always obstacles. One of them was trying to determine what I should be doing myself vs. what staff people should do and what I should hire. It’s always hard to give up control over your company, even though you know its what it needs to grow. You can’t do it all after a while. If you want your “baby” to grow big and strong, then it usually needs fuel from different areas and you can’t fill all those needs.

Q: Do you ever feel like giving up at times? If so, what keeps you going? I think sometimes because I work in customer service essentially I get taxed by all the human contact. It’s also what I love. But, as i said, it can be trying. When I send out an email and people write me back asking the very question I just answered it can make me feel like “do they even read it?” and so there are small moments when I feel like it’s a big pain. But mostly, I work with amazing, truly inspiring women who are committed to their dreams and ideas and that is very motivating.

Q: What qualities (i.e., family support, discipline, time management) do you think are necessary for a women entrepreneur? Women do very well in communities. Without them, they don’t always have the support and shared resources that women naturally give to one another. You also need ongoing education. Your evolution as an entrepreneur never, ever ends. You have to constantly innovate, learn, keep your finger on the pulse, figure things out. This is why I started my company; to be that resource.

Q: What is the one thing (book, website, coach, mentor, tool, blog, service, etc) that you value and can say has contributed to your success? One person I always think of is this restaurant owner in New York City. He’s a cantankerous, opinionated ex-hippie with great taste in food and low tolerance for special requests. The way he runs his restaurant and the point of view he shares in his cook book “eat me” by Kenny Shopsin has been really inspiring to me. It sounds crazy because they guy isn’t a good business owner in the professional sense of the word, but he’s my muse because he’s doing what he loves exactly how he wants to do it. I love that.

Q: What was the worst advice someone gave you? You have to have a business plan or you can’ t be successful and you don’t build businesses one person at a time. The truth is a business plan can be great but it isn’t always a must, and you do build business one person at a time at the beginning.

Q: What are your business or personal goals for the next year? I’d like to bring my membership to 800 and then 1,000 women in LA and Orange County in the next year.

Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in business or thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship? Get connected to a great, supportive, smart community and be a sponge for everything you can learn. Spend time with people who have businesses you admire. Ask them a ton of questions. Listen. Listen. Listen. Don’t talk. Listen. Then you can talk (:

Q: is there anything else you wish I had asked? I think you covered it!

Popularity: 7% [?]

This interview is with Sally Sampson, cookbook writer, food critic, gardener, loyal friend, unbelievably wonderful mother and a darn good cook!

Q: What is your name? Sally Sampson

Q: Company name and website? sallysampson.com

Q: We launched the website in: August, 2008

Q: What is your business or what do you sell?
I am a cookbook and magazine writer and recipe consultant.

Q: Who or what was the inspiration behind your company?
When I was in my early 20’s I used to get very late night phone calls from a childhood friend who was deeply conflicted about the career and life choices he had made. Newly divorced, he had been a teacher and dreamed of going back to teaching but had succumbed to the external pressure and lure of being a Hollywood talent agent.  In the meantime I dreamed of owning my own business but figured I would do it later, whatever that meant. When he died a few years later, I decided there would never be any waiting for me: that if I wanted to pursue something I would. I opened a little take out shop which I owned for 10 years. My first cookbook was written at the end of those 10 years, when I realized I preferred writing cookbooks to running a business.

Q: How did you get started?
I had a small take out café where I became well known for my soups. I wrote a soup cookbook and found that I loved being at home, cooking and writing, rather than interacting with customers all day.

Q: How long before your business was profitable, or when is it projected to become profitable?
My shop was slightly profitable right away, in the sense that I was able to support myself. Same thing with cookbook writing. However, I live in line with the amount of money I make: when I am earning little, I live carefully and when I am making a lot, I spend and save more. Either way, I don’t sweat it too much.

Q: Do you ever feel like giving up at times? If so, what keeps you going?
I often feel like there are too many cookbooks out there and that I never want to write another one. As soon as I say that, somehow someone comes to me with an idea or I have an idea and then I just write another one. Plus, it’s really fun.

Q: What qualities (i.e., family support, discipline, time management) do you think are necessary for a women entrepreneur? I think they are probably the same for men and women: focus, discipline, independence, resilience, a good idea (s), the support of family and friends.

Q: What is the one thing (book, website, coach, mentor, tool, blog, service, etc) that you value and can say has contributed to your success? Great parents.

Q: What was the worst advice someone gave you?
I am sure I have been given lots of bad advice but I quickly blocked it out!

Q: What are your business or personal goals for the next year?
Have my 100 Calorie Snack Cookbook be really successful. Get my anti-obesity project up and running. Fall in love. Lose 10 pounds. Plant a lilac bush.

Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in business or thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship? Be really honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.

Q: is there anything else you wish I had asked? No, you’re brilliant!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Sally has known me since I was born and is an amazing woman, mother and cook.  Our fathers were BFF’s as she is with my older sister Lizzy.  Sally has written over 20 cookbooks and has just launched the one we all need to know about immediately!   Her other cookbooks include hearty meals, $50 dinner parties, wonderful pizzas, ice cream, party dips, nuts and more.  Be sure to check out her website Sally Sampson for the whole scoop!  Sally has generously provided us with one of her favorite recipes from the new 100 Calorie Snack Cookbook that was released on April 28th, 2009.

Recipe for Chocolate Matchsticks

Sally says, “My childhood friend Cynthia Stuart introduced me to this quintessential salty-sweet combination many years ago but I have to admit I consider this rendition pure genius! Just see how cool they look!”

Serves 1

15 pretzel thins (about [1/2] ounce)

2 teaspoons semisweet chocolate morsels

Place the chocolate morsels on a small plate and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving until the chocolate has melted, about 40 seconds. Take 1 pretzel stick and dip the end in the chocolate. Dip again. Continue with all the pretzels. If there is any chocolate remaining, keep dipping the pretzels until the chocolate has been used up and the tips are well coated. Serve immediately or set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 100; Calories from Fat: 27; Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1.7g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 192mg; Carbohydrates: 17.2g; Dietary Fiber: 1.1g; Protein: 2.1g

Popularity: 10% [?]