The Pinque, Inc. Diaries

Marketing Wednesday and so much more!

Today I received a really wonderful gift in the mail from Sita of www.silverspoonscraps.com. I thought it was really fitting that it arrived today because we all know it's MARKETING WEDNESDAY following the Tuesday Night Marketing Chat at www.makeminepink.com! First let me show you what she sent, then I'll tell you why it was so fitting.

My package arrived in a pretty white shipping box stamped with Sita's business name and website address! It was pretty obvious Sita is taking advantage of every opportunity to promote her business.
Inside the box, along with a gift of two lovely bars of soap were 3 hand-crafted cards by Sita. They're not only pretty, not only of the highest quality, they're BRANDED on the back of each card with the Silver Spoon Scraps stamp! So Thank you Sita for the thoughtful gift. I love all of it. But also KUDOS to you for great branding and promoting your business.

As I mentioned previously in this post, last night we held our weekly marketing chat at Make Mine Pink.com.  The topic was about giveaways and what impact they make on our customers. I've been noticing an increase in giveaways with items I purchase from various boutiques. Now don't get me wrong. I, like anyone else LOVE a gift! I've received Lady Jayne note cards, Mary Engelbreit sticky notes and magnets, tea bags, chocolates and various other really fun free gifts with purchase. The more I received, the more I started thinking about what impact these free gifts have made on me. Initially, they made a wonderful impression on me! I love pretty things and these were all very appealing, but after the initial excitement wears off, I'm not even sure I can remember who sent me what. Had the free gift I received been a branded gift, I wouldn't be able to forget who sent it. Imagine the impact your giveaway could could have if it was not only branded, but useful as well.
The more thought I gave to this concept, the more I realized that the large successful companies do just what I am suggesting. Recently I purchased a cosmetic from a high end company cosmetic company. They offered a free gift and guess what it was? A complimentary cosmetic by the same company! Well of course it was! What have I been thinking all this time? Why would they offer a product, or more precisely a gift.. advertising another company? Well the answer to that is simple.. they wouldn't!

It's time to step up branding ladies and promote your own business at every opportunity! Next time you include a free gift with purchase, think about who you are promoting! If it's not your own business, it's time to make a change!

MakeMinePink.com your premier shopping and networking site
CottageCollections.com Unique Feminine Web Design for Small Business

Special events you won't want to miss!

Romantic Homes Events:

MakeMinePink.com is pleased to announce that Romantic Homes and Cottages and Bungalows, two of our very favorite publications, will be hosting two upcoming special events.

Cottages & Bungalows will have a day to celebrate green living at the charming McCharles House gardens in Tustin, CA on April 12th, 2008 while Romantic Homes will celebrate their new book, Vintage Vavoom, with a Tea Party at the new Parisian tea salon in Old Towne Orange, CA, called Paris In a Cup on May 17th, 2008 

Please use the links below to view event details.

Cottages & Bungalows Green Living Event

Vintage Vavoom Tea Party

Market Your Business Like You Mean It!

As you have all come to know, Tuesday night is the MakeMinePink.com marketing chat! Last night we had open chat which just means we had no set marketing agenda. We did have exciting news to share about the upcoming "Getting Down To Business Retreat" We'll share this exciting news with you soon!

But lets talk about today! It's Wednesday and it's time to step up your marketing ladies!
I have been hearing less and less chatter about marketing and it gives me pause. Well, not pause for long, but pause nonetheless! You know I have to ask..Are YOU marketing your business like you really mean it?
I've been here reminding everyone that you have a commitment to market for 1 hour on Wednesday for quite some time now. But let me ask you a question... If you were in a relationship that was important to you, would a one hour a week commitment be enough to carry that relations through? Absolutely not! It's time to step up your commitments and make your business soar. Give this relationship the commitment you'd give any other important relationship in your life. We all know it takes devotion, loyalty, love, creativity, and commitment to make a relationship work. Your business is no different. We expect great things from our business but if we don't spend some time creating that relationship..keeping it new and fresh and exciting, it's just not going to remain strong!

I know I talk a good talk. But do I walk the walk? If I am completely honest, I'd have to say maybe not by someone else's standards. Is my business important to me? Absolutely! It's the most important thing in my life aside from family and friends. So why is it that I don't give that relationship all it deserves? I wish I had the magic answer.But I will say this.. I may not give it all it needs, but I do, without a doubt, give it all I am capable of. This is what will matter in the end. The fact that I sincerely give it my best. That's really all anyone can expect from you.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that YOU need to decide what you want out of your business. This a call that only you can make. If your business is a hobby, then perhaps it's OK to treat it as a casual relationship or an occasional lunch meeting with a friend. But if your business is a much more committed relationship, then it requires much more care and attention. Only you can decide what you hope to get out of this relationship with your business. I may be here nudging and supporting you every step of the way, but remember, you hold the map to this journey you're on. I'm just a passenger, along for the ride.

Isn't it exciting to know that our thoughts and then actions can bring about such contentment and yes, even success!

LEAP out of your comfort zone.. it's Marketing Wednesday!

Good Morning Everyone! You know what today is. It's Marketing Wednesday.. which follows the MakeMinePink.com Tuesday night marketing chat! It was a super charged chat last night, so if you missed it, I'll try and recap for you!

We talked a little about keeping morale up amongst fellow members. I'd been noticing a few phrases being tossed around like "My Big Girl Job" or "My real Job" in reference to jobs other than our own business. Unfortunately at the same time I started to see more and more business owners questioning and comparing themselves and their business. Can a simple phrase like that decrease confidence? And why? It's hard to imagine that a simple phrase like "my real job" could be demoralizing to women that are struggling to make a go of their own business but it clearly does effect how we view ourselves and what we do. My job is to be the voice of reason.. and remind everyone that as business owners our jobs/businesses are very much our "real and very adult jobs." Keeping confidence steady is something we all need to be very mindful of and something we need to do for ourselves. This goes hand in hand with surrounding yourself with other positive people and "Tooting Your Own Horn!" Something we seem to have some difficulty getting comfortable with.

I hear how amazingly supportive everyone is with each other. But when it comes to ourselves.. where does that self support and confidence go? It's time to get it back!

We also talked a bit about stepping out of our comfort zone and taking that leap of faith. I for one have found it difficult at times to take that leap of faith, not even recognizing that is what I was doing. I am a master excuse maker. Or should I say, an ex- master excuse maker! I found just recently that making a commitment to others.. just putting a voice to something that I have been uncomfortable about LEAPING for, has taken away that fear and has given me a resolve to make it happen. Who knew it would be that easy! I took a huge personal and business leap this past week and found that fear has been replaced with excitement.
So make your list of all the things that will help take your business to the next level and act on one at a time. Share that list with someone.. give it a voice and the commitment will follow.

What will you be doing this marketing Wednesday? I hope taking a Leap towards your success!

Tooting your own horn...It's a MMP Thing!

It's marketing Wednesday... following the infamous Make Mine Pink marketing chat on Tuesday evening!  You missed a great chat if you weren't with us but I'll be happy to recap and help you do a little tooting of your own!

Our topic of the day was Confidence in business. Do YOU have what it takes?

Well the answer to that question in ABSOLUTELY YES! Look how far you’ve come already! Look where you are today! In business.. and loving it.

Sure.. There are days that we all have doubts. Am I doing the right thing? Can I make this business a success?

Again.. The answer is yes! Look at the opportunities that we’ve been given? It doesn’t get much better than this. Will we have obstacles to over come, sure… we’ll probably have many. But as Winston Churchill once said,

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

We have to look at every difficulty or roadblock we encounter as an opportunity. It just takes a little creative vision. If we’re anything around here at MMP.. It’s creative!

I know we’ve talked about this before but by now you know that we always explore things more than once and from more than one angle.

We’ve been working hard at establishing ourselves as experts in our field but now I think that we all need a reminder that if we were not already an expert at what we’re doing, we would not have even attempted to do it.
So now it’s time to toot our own horn! In other words.. Self promote! I think this has probably been one of the hardest things that I personally have had to face in business. I can promote anyone that I believe in.. But have a harder time prompting myself. While we’re waiting for others to spread the word about our business..who better than us to spread the word? By not self promoting our own business, what message are we giving? Not a very good one!

My suggestion to you is to make a list of all the things that you have done or currently do that you are proud of.

Example: "We are proud to announce the only purse of it’s kind that changes it’s color and personality at a moments notice."

Add your accomplishment to your signature when you sign blogs and on your email. SING YOUR OWN PRAISES LOUDLY. Start spreading the word about what you’re proud of and soon others will be singing your praise as well!

Any piece of email or us mail that you have going out should be tooting your horn! Or telling as much as possible about your business! Does your envelope just have an address label? Try adding your web url and your catch phrase or slogan to your address.

Don’t miss one single opportunity to promote your business. If you are

The Best ……

The fastest……

A leader in customer service…

Then Toot… Toot that horn and tell the world how amazing you are!

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

1001 Ways To Romance Your Business!

You can run but you can't hide from me on Marketing Wednesday! As most of you know by now, MakeMinePink.com hosts a members marketing chat on Tuesday nights. It's a place for boutique owners to come together to discuss creative marketing ideas and get motivated to move into the next week of promoting your business. Then bright and early on Wednesday I am here to remind our members that it's time to market your business like your life depends on it. If you think about it, it basically does. The life of your business depends on it. If you think of your business like any other relationship in your life, you'll perhaps understand a little better. If you don't nurture a friendship, if you don't take time to do something special for that friend every now and then, or be there to listen when she has a problem, it would be a pretty one sided relationship that could eventually end badly. You need to take your business relationship just as seriously. If you spend time thinking of ways to creatively nurture your business, your business will start giving back in ways you can't even imagine. The bolder the idea, the more buzz you'll create. Your relationship with your business needs to be as important as any other relationship you have.

Years ago, I bought a series of books called 1001 ways to be romantic. It talked about the importance of always creating in your relationship to keep it fresh and interesting. I was just starting a new relationship and thought I'd give the theory a try. The results were amazing! My relationship started out fun.. exciting.. interesting and 11 years later is still as amazing as it was in the beginning! I take the time to nurture my personal relationships because they're important to me. Over the years and especially these past 3-4 years, I've come to realize that you need to apply these same principles to your business. If you don't think your business is "All That" Who will? You need to develop a loyal, creative and DEVOTED relationship with your business. You need to commit to that relationship as you do to other relationships in your life. Make it the envy of all business owners!
Have you ever looked at a couple and thought how happy they look? Or looked at a business and thought wow, they are so successful! Just look at that ad campaign? Look at that creative branding.. I wish my business could be like that. Well it can! Absolutely, positively, hands down CAN. The more time you spend focusing on the positive aspects of a relationship, the more positive the relationship becomes. It's inevitable. If you are excited about your business.. you can't help but create excitement in others. It's the law of attraction at work. Remember "Like attracts Like". Your successful and exciting business should be on your vision board and in your gratitude journal. The more time you spend reflecting positively on your business, the more ideas you'll get.
I find that I can't even relax in a bubble-bath anymore with out a pad of paper and a pen! The ideas flow ALL the time. My husband calls me an idea machine! I'm convinced that it's because I never lose focus of how important it is to nurture my business and I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to have this wonderful business. So as valentines days draws near and you start thinking about doing a little something special for the ones you love, Remember.. your business needs a little love and romance too!

Until next week.. please join us at MakeMinePink.com where we we're all busy minding our business!

Membership opportunities available.

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

Dressing Your Business for Success!

Anybody.. that's anybody.. knows what today is! It's Marketing Wednesday! Which just happens to follow the Make Mine Pink Tuesday night marketing chat!

Our topic this week was creating a professional business Identity or Dressing your business for success!

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve talked about setting small measurable goals…setting a time frame and actually feeling the success of meeting our goals.
I hope you have been setting and meeting goals each week! Keep setting small ones until you’re comfortable making larger goals.

Then last week we discussed finding or creating your niche. I’ve seen so much energy and excitement around this topic. It’s really refreshing to see everyone taking this so seriously. It’s an important topic and one we’ll visit often.
Has anyone had any luck identifying their niche this week?

Now this week… our topic is Dressing your business for success!

Once  we get all the little business technicalities out of the way,it’s time to have some fun and create our brand. But first..
Have you named your Business?
Have you registered your business locally?
Do you have a business license and a tax ID number.
Have you written your Mission Statement ?

Now with that behind us..it’s time to let your creativity SHINE through. You’ve set your business goals, you’ve found your niche.. Now it’s time DRESS your business for success.

Now trust me when I say this.. And I mean this in the nicest way possible… Being artistic does not always mean we have the best judgment. I speak from first hand experience. I have made my own stickers and labels.. changed my logo several times.. changed my website design..wrapped packages in vintage wallpaper, used images that are not uniform is size on my web site. I’ve done it all over the years in an attempt to learn my way into business. There’s no shame in it.. After all.. we ARE creative souls. But now we need to be objective creative souls with our eyes on the small details. We need to see our business through the eyes of our customers and clients.

Our first order of business this week is to Brand or DRESS OUR BUSINESS for the success we all desire and deserve! Branding is about creating your celebrity!

What would you consider is your brand?

If you’re thinking your logo, well you’d be partly right. Your logo is part of your brand …but it’s also so much more. Your brand is your complete identity. But remember, it’s all about perception!
I’ll give you an example… I found a book I loved at high end Dept. Store for 95.00 and I guarantee you they sold many of them! At a discount on-line retailer they sold the same book for less than 20.00.
Each of these companies has a distinct brand. Yet one is able to sell the same product for 5x the amount. It’s all about perception and branding. Some people will only shop at the high end Dept. Store because them have come to trust in their “brand.” It doesn't matter if they pay more. They want to be comfortable with who they're doing business with.

The main reason for branding your business is to make you stand apart from your competition by building a memorable image and identity.

Your BRAND should be a visual expression of your business. From Logos to business cards…. Your brand should tell the story about your business.
Once you’ve settled on your Brand and implemented your brand into all aspects of your business.. You still have a really important final step.

Just as you never get a second chance to make a first impression.. Your final presentation is also your “last chance” to make a long lasting impression.
Equally as important as your niche and your product..is your brand.. The final packaging is all part of branding. 

Do you think your business is dressed for success?

Do you have a Logo? A Look? A Color?
Is it recognizable when seen? 
Branding is about having a “unique” identity. Using clip-art that is available for free or for a licensing fee, means others are also using your identity, causing confusion with your customers.

YOUR logo.. YOUR brand.. should only be about YOU and your business. It needs to become recognizable as YOU. Once you’ve settled on your brand you need to develop that brand in every marketing way that you can. From Business cards to product packaging…. Each little piece makes up the entire package.
If you buy an expensive new red dress, you wouldn’t even consider wearing it with sport socks and tennis shoes. Why would you care any less about how your business is dressed?

Remember…standing out in a crowd is about more than having a niche.. Or even having a great product. A STRONG brand.. Will give us the credibility that we all need to be successful.

I know I have given you all a lot to think out these past few weeks. But 2008 is our year for success. In order to realize our full potential.. We need to be ready. Are you ready to find success this year?

Don't miss another Make Mine Pink Marketing Chat! Join Make Mine Pink today! Enrollment is now open.

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

Minding your business.. How to find your niche.

Good Morning fellow marketeers! Last night we held our weekly marketing chat at Make Mine Pink and had quite a lively discussion. If you remember, last week we talked about setting attainable goals in your business. This week we spent the first part of chat discussing and congratulating all that set and met their goals. Remember.. set small goals.. attainable goals.. just make them measurable and give them a deadline. Feel the success of reaching your goals!

Then moving on.. our topic of the week was.. Finding YOUR niche. I've discussed this in chat before and will undoubtedly discuss it again. It bears re-visiting often. Especially when we get a group of ultra creative and talented women together in one place. It's easy to want to have your hands in everything!

Remember back in the day of small town shops? It wasn’t as critical to find your niche the. A general store that carried a variety of merchandise did really well. But remember, there wasn’t a tremendous amount of competition in that small town setting. Having an Internet business is another matter completely. You are competing with millions of other “web stores” and having a niche and targeting a niche market can be critical to you success.

Personally I think that just being a part of Make Mine Pink is defining us in one sense. Clearly we’re not a sporting good center, or a place to buy medical products. But even within the folds of Make Mine Pink, we need individual identities. Finding that identity is our challenge for this week!

We discussed how some people sell a large variety of products and want to continue doing so, and for some, that's ok. But everyone has some aspect of their business that they particularly love. What interests you the most about what you do? Where is your passion? Where is your knowledge?
I think if you start making a list starting with the things you love to do the most and work your way down you'll be really surprised. Then make a list of what sells the best? Do you see any relationship in what you love to do and what sells the best? I bet you will! A passion is hard to hide.

What makes you/your business interesting? What’s your hook? Your appeal?
(example) You sell vintage linens.. You also collect them. You know everything there is to know about vintage tablecloths! That passion and love for what you collect along with your knowledge is what will make you stand out. ANYONE can sell a vintage tablecloth. Being established as an expert is what is going to bring people back to you. Now add that to spectacular customer service.. And you can’t be beat.
What things do you know the most about.. No matter how trivial, that information is of interest to someone. (your niche market)

I know I’m repeating myself… but you MUST do what you LOVE.. You MUST Do what you KNOW …Become and expert.. If you have a passion for something, you are already far ahead of your competition. Add knowledge to that.. And you have the market cornered. Once you know what your niche is, you just need to get the message out there to everyone else!
This year.. As we establish our niche.. And find our confidence and apply our knowledge, we’re going to see unbelievable changes. I already see it happening with several members. The transformation is pretty amazing.

I truly believe that we are as successful as we want to be. And that most.. if not all the blocks we face are blocks that we have put there in our own path. There’s absolutely no room for doubt when you have your own business.
I’ve always said.. Having your own business is not for the faint of heart. We take chances, make mistakes, but that’s ok. We are also strong, passionate, knowledgeable and have something to share with the world. I have absolutely no guilt about making money while doing what I love. So.. What do YOU love?

This week… dig deep. Make your lists.. Find your passion.. Your area of expertise. I’m not saying don’t sell other products.. But focus on one specialized area.

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

Mind your own business! And that means YOU!

Good Morning ladies! (and gents of course!) We may have a bit of a feminine focus on design but we don't discriminate! We welcome anyone with the dream of owning their own business. Our Goal this year is to make that easier for you through weekly marketing chats that will focus on various aspects of getting started and staying in business. So...Welcome to our new weekly MIND YOUR BUSINESS FEATURE. If you're a member of makeminepink.com you know that we have a weekly marketing chat. This year the focus is going to be much more task oriented. We'll be discussing very real and helpful things that will help to kickstart your business into 2008!

Last nights chat topic was...Setting Goals for your business... do you?
It was an interesting chat and gave me a much clearer perspective on how people perceive goals and setting goals. if you're a member of MMP, please check the archives and read the chat. I think it will be very helpful for you. If you're just visiting our blog and would like some pointers, I'll outline the chat for you here!

The Topic for Mind Your Business marketing Chat on January 8th 2008 is Setting Goals for your business.

Our first question of  the evening was to ask How many of you have come here tonight knowing you want to set goals, and have a vague idea of some of the goals you want to achieve, but do NOT have specific goals?

I find that it’s easier when you’re first starting to measure your success with goals, if you keep them simple and at a minimum. Maybe even one at a time.

First and foremost you should be able to define the reasons why you are in business. Writing a simple mission statement will help you. Once you know what your mission is.. You’ll find it easier to make goals that are specific to you and your business.

Remember…Goals must be specific to be successful. If you don’t understand them.. You can’t possibly achieve them.

When you set your goals…. Make them realistic and attainable.

What is your goal?

How will you achieve this goal? - take clear and concise steps.

When will you achieve this Goal? Remember, a goal without a deadline is simply a wish or a dream. I’m sure you can relate to that. I have had many of these myself over the years!
Also remember that your goals don’t have to be big goals to be considered a success.

You first Goal May be as simple as….
“To complete my vision Board.”
I will design my Vision Board and post one new goal or visual aid on my board each day for one week. Then I will hang it in my work area and spend 5 minutes a day visualizing my dreams/aspirations/goals.

Goal: :To have an organized office or work space in 2 weeks.”
I will spend 15 minutes each day organizing my office/work space for 2 weeks. I will maintain this space by ending each day with a 15 minute organizing session.

Keep your goals positive. Don’t say I want to complete this goal. Say “I Will” complete this goal!  Repeat this often… add your goal to your vision board if it will help to see it every single day. Your subconscious will think that you have already achieved this goal and make your success a sure thing! Remember the BELIEVE aspect of “The Secret?” You have to feel the success.. Before you achieve it.

Remember to also put your goal/s in writing! Make it real.. Make yourself accountable. Make yourself a success!

Setting goals and measuring actual performance of these goals can and will  improve the performance of your business.

So for this week… set a goal!

And if you aren’t a member of Make Mine Pink yet, open enrollment starts January 21st! Don’t be left behind in 2008! Join MMP