The Tin Shingle Blog

You're a small business owner, and you've got a particular set of skills. With precision and accuracy developed after years of successes and failures, trials and errors, you keep alive a business, your livelihood, and your passion.

Whenever I need to feel stealth, smart and pumped, I play the Liam Neeson soundbite from the movie "Taken" to help remind me of just how trained I am as a business owner, and how special that is. Play it by clicking below, and then we'll dive in to describe this awesome set of skills you have.

A BBC News article explored if entrepreneurs are born, or if they can be taught. The article's reporter, Sarah Treanor, spoke with entrepreneurs, professors of economics and entrepreneurship, a business coach and an investor to conclude...that maybe it's in the DNA. But it can also be trained. Fair enough - we just don't know (Sabina and I happen to be from families with entrepreneurial backgrounds). Here's what we do know: it takes a special set of skills to successfully start, grow and run a business. Is this you?

• Adaptive Thinking: From the article, Peter Ryding, a business coach and "turnaround specialist", identifies "adaptive thinking" as a core trait for an entrepreneur. Says Ryding: "A person with 'adaptive thinking' can spot a business need, decide what skills are needed to address it, and then apply them quickly and effectively. They can then do this again and again as new needs or requirements arise," he says."
• Seeing Reality with a Positive Spin: Ryding attributes the next key trait as being positive. "By 'seeing reality with a positive spin', what I mean is that entrepreneurs are better able to see if something is going wrong with a certain plan, and how to turn this into a positive by happily switching to something else."

In addition to these descriptions, here are my identifiers of an entrepreneur:

• Tenacity: Everyone has good ideas. Not everyone has the energy to execute them. But you do. You have the tenacity to execute your idea by diving into what it takes to make and market that idea.
• Works Well With Others: You may not agree with everything people say, but you know how to communicate what you want. You know how to encourage others to do great work for and with you. You know how to learn from others.
• Curiosity: You are insatiably curious. You want to know how something works. You can dream of a better way. You are curious about how other businesses are building success, and you tap into those methods.
• Focus: You may have ADD, but you know how to channel your love of everything into getting something done.
• Dedicated: Some describe this as "work-a-holic", and some describe it as dedicated. You know how to compartmentalize the time you put into your business into working hours and play hours. You're the boss - no one is threatening you with a pink-slip if you miss a deadline. It's all you.
• Looks Good in Many Hats: Like Dave in one of my favorite small business commercials from Staples, you wear many hats. You're involved in bookkeeping and social networking. You learned about manufacturing, and you learned about contracts. Oh, and now you're a blogger because some SEO-nut told you you need a lot of content on your website in order to market your website in search engines ;) (...was that me telling you that?)
• Trust: You work with others. You trust them to do great work for your business. You trust yourself that you can communicate clear directions to your team.

Have these traits helped grow your business?

When member Kalyn Johnson Chandler was little, her grandmother, who worked at a greeting card company, inspired her to fall in love with stationery and the idea of having her own personal supply for any occasion. Kalyn carried her paper obsession into adulthood and eventually founded her own stationery company, Effie's Paper which is named after, you guessed it, her grandmother Effie.

Effie's Paper is known for it's clean, modern designs and bold, eye catching colors and after Kalyn responded to one of our member's only PR Leads last Fall, those designs caught the eye of an editor at Ebony Magazine.

Read more of Kalyn's story below and find out how kissing a lot of frogs can lead to great press!

How often have you been working on your own PR?

2 years.

What press opportunity did you snag by replying to a PR Lead?

A product feature in one of their Editor's Picks pages.

How long did the entire process take?

The process took a couple of months.

Can you walk us through the process, from pitch to placement?

The query came out in November/December 2012. We got an immediate positive response requesting samples. I sent the samples out the next day or so and the editor let us know when she received the package. A week or so later, she let us know that she would be featuring Effie's Paper in the February 2013 issue of the magazine.

Did you learn anything through this process that you can share with other small business owners?

This may sound a little crazy, but this whole DIY-PR experience reminds me of the saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince. I say this because, so much of it seems to come down to what's going to be the best fit for a publication which means that you've got to cast a fairly wide net to yield positive results. I've learned that you have to be creative, consistent and determined with your pitching and follow-up is key. As an entrepreneur, if you don't have time to pitch consistently, the best advice I can give you is to hire an intern or an assistant to make sure you're pitching consistently.

Read more SNAGGED! stories like this by clicking here and don't forget, you can get access to PR Leads and unlock other exclusive Tin Shingle benefits by becoming a member.

Fourth of July is always one of my favorite times of year.  First of all, it's my birthday - oh yes I've always been a bit of a firecracker - which means I am basically guaranteed to be near those I love.  Secondly, who doesn't love a summer party? Warm weather, water is often nearby and the summer party food and drink spreads are always my favorites!  My passion for the holiday ramps up even more when I can party patriotically with delicious snacks and sips that fall into the #SmallBizSnacks category, AKA snacks created by genius entrepreneurs!

From S'mores to sassy southern cocktails, today's Small Biz Snacks post takes on a summer party feel as we reveal the items you'll not only want out at your parties next weekend, but that you'll want to include in your picnic basket all season long (and trust me, into the colder months as well).  Get ready to loosen your belt and get your small biz buzz on as we tempt you with our curated pics from mostly Tin Shingle members!

Celebrate the Season & Add These Drinks to your Cooler:

(Clockwise from Left to Right):

Vixen Vodka: It's perfect in summer cocktails and Bloody Marys, it's smooth and it won't burn your throat because it's distilled 5x in one of only a few glass stills in the world, Vixen Vodka is also figure friendly and gluten free.  The product is perfect for cool cocktails like their Sassy Southern Vixen (score the recipe on their website) and the southern entrepreneurs behind the brand are a force to be reckoned with (aren't most southern ladies?) who busted open the centuries old "boys club" of the vodka business world with the launch of Vixen Enterprises in 2010. 

Wine-a-Rita: Frozen wine cocktails that are as easy to make as they are to drink in large quantity   Whether you go for a Peach Bellini, CosmoRita, Blueberry Pomegrante of any of their other flavors, all you need is ice, your favorite wine and a blender.  I personally may declare these a must during our Friday Tin Shingle video conferences.

Drink Chia:  Summertime drinking can't be all naughty. That said I'm not going to lie - my first thought when I began writing about these chia drinks was, "can I add Vixen Vodka to the Honeysuckle Pear Chia drink?  Make a naughty but nice cocktail perhaps?  That said I've decided these thirst quenching and healthy drinks would be best suited for chugging to cool down after beach games or to have on hand in a cooler while laying in the sun.  They're also going to be just as important for "The Morning After" you let loose at a BBQ.  PS - each bottle is only 50 calories!

Chow Time! Click to Buy for your Next Barbeque Today!

(From Clockwise from Left)

Pimento Cheese Spread from Palmetto Cheese: One of our Tin Shingle team members recently described Palmetto Cheese like this: "I don't even know what is but I don't care, it's amazing."  Yes it is amazing.  Her confusion stems from her Midwestern roots.  You see, Pimento Cheese is a southern staple but us Midwesterners were only recently exposed to it when Palmetto Cheese joined the Tin Shingle community.  It was love at first bite (sorry, I had to).  Their devotees are now in the thousands and they sell nationally (and online).  Trust me, you'll want to put this on EVERYTHING from burgers to chips to crackers to just a plain old spoon.

Barry's Tempeh: Health food Sabina? Really?  Here's the deal, Barry's Tempeh doesn't taste healthy, it tastes amazing.  You'll want to cook it up at your next summer party and put it in everything - salads, wraps, on a stick with dipping sauces...Since I discovered him at Smorgarsburg last year, I've looked forward to his booth at every Brooklyn food event I go to.  Lucky for all of you he sells online as well AND he now sells Tempeh Tamales too.  Check out Barry in action creating his tempeh temptations in this video!

Nutty Steph's Chocolate: Growing up on a lake in the country, I've known how amazing S'mores are since I was young.  When I moved to New York City years ago I even attempted to make them on my stove in my first, tiny Brooklyn apartment.  I still love S'mores and make them whenever I return to Michigan in the summer, and this year I'll be making them even better!  How, you ask, can a S'more get even better?  When you replace regular, old, boring Hersey's chocolate with Nutty Steph's Maple Walnut Milk Chocolate or dark chocolate flavors like Lemon Ginger Pecan!  I'm going to call this creation a Sophisticated S'more.

Lady Fortune Cookies Presents Chocolate Covered Oreos: I'm going to do it for our country! I'm going to order these red, white and blue style chocolate-covered Oreos.  I'm not doing it for me I'm doing it for our country.  Firstly: they cost less than some convenience store candies, second of all: they use Belgian chocolates, and most importantly: you're supporting  a brand created by an entrepreneur.  That is definitely a patriotic thing to do.  If that doesn't convince you, just think about milk chocolate covered Oreos.  Enough said!

ComfortSeat: So what do you plop into after you've stuffed your face with all these scrumptious Small Biz Snacks and drinks?  Why the one piece of furniture you will want to cart along to every beach BBQ or summer party: the ComfortSeat.  They're beyond comfy (I take mine to the park on weekends), they're easy to transport, they're basically indestructible and they are mess-proof!  I'd say they are as important as food at your summer parties (and if you bring them with you you're always guaranteed a seat)!

Now go forth and have a safe summer while eating, drinking and lounging in all things Small Biz Snacks!

I'll admit it: I do nearly all my #SmallBizStyle shopping online, and a large majority of it is influenced and inspired by two things: blogs and Pinterest.  Now discussions on online conversion rates (in terms of blog reviews leading to online purchases) is no new concept, but my own realization a few months ago that I'm making more and more online purchases based on items I've pinned to my Pinterest boards was a notable discovery.  What's even more notable?  I'm part of a large number - over 48 million users, 80% of which are women - who are already part of the Pinterest community.  From this moment onward I want you to think of those people as potential or current customers and brand ambassadors your business MUST connect with!

Your business needs them.  No matter what you are selling or creating, there are people on Pinterest who need to know about what you do, and there are customers you already have who should be sharing you and your products via their own Pinterest boards (if they aren't already).  Pinterest can be POWERFUL, and to make sure you're taking advantage of it in terms of engaging online shoppers (like me), this edition of Pinterest Power will give you a checklist of tips you want to use to be sure your businesses usage of this social community is strategic and really promoting your products.

CLICK HERE for Pinterest Power: Strategic Product Promotion Checklist