The Tin Shingle Blog

It is very hard to think up a blog post that is pithy and clever in light of what is happening in Japan.  Our thoughts, support and prayers are with the people of Japan.  I have an old high school friend who lives there and through his facebook updates, he is keeping us posted on the tragic devastation of his Motherland.  Although it is in ruins, he seems positive and proud of his fellow citizens in that they are calm, focused and dedicated on rebuilding.  He is proud to say that there is no looting or crimes or chaos.

Speaking of chaos, sometimes trying to build a business is very chaotic.  Or it could be that is extra chaotic for two mothers of three with very busy children.  It seems like we are each juggling 5 lives a piece.  There is an old Southern saying  “I feel like a chicken with its head cut off” and that sums up our current states of mind.

Taxes, inventory issues, new designs, patterns, manufacturing and trying to build a brand all while running a household is a daunting task.  As we seem to fly by the seat of our pants, we are learning things and sometimes the hard way!  This being said, we are proud of our product, ourselves and we are learning something new everyday.  We know it takes a long time to build a business and have to remind ourselves of that often...at least my immediate gratification problem is learning a thing or two.  We are currently working on a cropped version of HYH and a lighter fabric for our hot, hot humid summers.  Flip flops, flats and haunches, we can’t wait!

On the PR campaign front, Sabina and gang at Red Branch PR, keep us off the ledge.  Really, they are a wonderful and positive upbeat group.  Sabina always has time for us and I am sure she gets sick of us and all our plethora of questions that we pelt at her constantly.  They keep us busy with leads and sending media kits all over the magazine, media nation.  She assures us that although O Magazine (yup, you heard me) requested five samples, don’t be discouraged when we haven’t heard from them in a day or two (and of course we bug her with just this question).  Our idiot selves fully expect Oprah (or Gayle) to give us a ringy ding ding.  So we keep on plugging along hoping to get a nibble here and there.  Keeps your haunches crossed for us!!

xoxoxo to those in Japan, and who have family there.
The Haunchos

Missed the Haunchos' diary entry from last week?  Read it HERE.
 

“Doing some work for a client.” No, that’s not what I’m doing right now. That was my first tweet on April 8, 2008 (by the way if you want to know what your first tweet was, visit http://myfirsttweet.com).

Back then I had NO idea what Twitter was, how I was supposed to use it or why anyone cared what I was doing, but Twitter grew on me fast – really fast! Soon tweeting for me was as easy as breathing and I was meeting bunch of great people in the process.

I quickly figured out that people were in fact, paying attention to me and I started to see this seemingly stupid little website as a powerful tool to build my new-at-the-time online business. I remember still being at a desk job and trying to grow my budding empire on the side and feeling so trapped. I would tweet about how I was working to escape the 9-5 and go out on my own. One of my first followers and someone who heard my cry for help was Tin Shingle’s very own Katie Hellmuth Martin (thank you Katie!) who happened to need some help at the time with her growing business. I’m happy to say we’ve been working together ever since.

As time went on I met even more amazing people like Katie and not only did I get more clients but people were looking to me as a Twitter expert. Being the attention hog that I am, I have to say it was all pretty cool.

After I took my business hiatus however, I lost my Twitter mojo. I was at a crossroads and rather than confuse people as to why I wasn’t doing what I was doing anymore I decided to bail. I didn’t delete my account. I just chose to ignore it. Big mistake!!! You see while I was busy turning my nose up at Twitter, it was growing exponentially and going on without me. This discovery was a blow to my delicate ego. I mean really, the nerve! Does Twitter not know who I am? I’m a Twitter expert for crying out loud! Ok me and like fifty million other people but whatever.

About six months ago I decided it was time to slowly start testing the Twitter waters again and trying to reconnect with people. I quickly came to the conclusion that this was not going to be an easy task. Like I said, Twitter had been growing like crazy since I left and it was feeling a little like trying to get someone’s attention across the room at a rock concert. For months I would tweet, retweet, post engaging content and all I heard was crickets. Nothing. Zip. Nada. No replies, no direct messages, just me screaming into a forest. I began to fear that people had forgotten all about me. But I didn’t give up. I knew eventually I would see signs of life.

At last, in the past couple of months I have started to get some conversations going again, some great people following me and yes, even the coveted retweet now and then. I’m getting my Twitter mojo back it’s twue (uh, sorry…true).

The lesson here is persistence and consistency. If you show up every day and be yourself, try to help someone and let others know you are listening, they will listen too, and relationships will follow.

On a side note: For anyone who’s been following me for the long haul, I’m so sorry I left you hanging for a bit but I’m back so tweet away! For those of you who are not following me please do (@JackieNees)!
 

This week Jackie shares a technique she uses to develop her business.  Missed Jackie's diary entry from last week?  Read it HERE

I recently incorporated a concept into my workweek that frankly scared the hell out of me on many levels at first, but now I find myself wondering what took me so long!  The concept?  Business Development Day.

For years I’ve heard of people talking about how they would set aside one day a week to focus only on building their business.  I honestly couldn’t understand how anyone could dare take a day away from clients and projects to do this but I had to admit, the idea sounded intriguing.

I neatly tucked away the idea in the back of my head for a day when I was uber successful and I had the luxury of “taking the day off” to brainstorm.  Then I started to realize I was thinking about it the wrong way.  I started getting overwhelmed really fast with all I had to do and began to wonder how I was ever going to move forward in my business if I was constantly too busy to think ahead.

About a month ago I revisited the Business Development Day idea knowing that I had to do something to regain control of my business and my life.  I decided Friday would be the day that I would set aside for developmental types of activities and proceeded to schedule it on my Outlook calendar.  Instead of scheduling one day though, I created a weekly standing appointment because it somehow made it more official in my mind.

After I had my little private panic attack about it, I realized it would be easier than I thought to stick with this plan.  My week is, for the most part, flexible as far as projects go.  I generally have client phone calls on Mondays (another great way to lump similar activities into one day), and I usually know in advance what I’m going to be working on for the week, so if I played my cards right I could make Friday available each week.  As it turns out, I was right.  I have to say this was also a great motivator to stick to deadlines and get my work done by the end of the day Thursday so I could breeze into Friday completely guilt free.

I’ve got to tell you that the “day off” I initially talked about earlier, is no day off by any stretch!  Some of the hardest work I do all week happens on Friday when I’m molding and shaping my business into what I want it to be.

So what do I do on these sacred days of business development?  Any number of things that keep me thinking and moving forward.  Sometimes it’s market research or networking online, other times it’s reading a personal development book or brainstorming new ideas on my white board with colorful markers.  Oftentimes I’m writing, planning new services and future products or updating my website.  It’s my day to dream, scribble, doodle and play with possibilities.  For me there is no right or wrong way to do it as long as I show up with an open mind and a willing spirit.  I’m so glad I came back around to this idea especially since so much good has already come from it, including the idea for my brand new business which I mentioned last week.

Speaking of Business Development Day, it’ll be here before I know it so I’d better get back to work!
Have a great week!

Happy Monday entrepreneurs!  If you’re like me you’re gearing up for a week that will require energy, creative strategy, great ideas and support from your team as well as peers who understand what you’re going through as a small business owner.  Those are often the things that I believe are pivotal to your success – you definitely need to be educated in proven business strategies. but you also need to be around others who have been where you are now and supported by those who know what you’re going through! 

If you’re in New York City this weekend (or several other cities in the country later this spring/summer), you have a chance to do just that at the Spark & Hustle Tour with Good Morning America’s Tory Johnson.  They are bringing their small business success program to eight cities (from Dallas to Atlanta – see HERE for all the cities) and it’s going to include what I like to call “the meat” of what you need to know about running a successful business, and none of the fluff.  I personally am excited for many reasons…. 

First of all, I get to speak on how to generate press as a small business, and you all know I love talking about how to DIY public relations….Secondly, as an attendee the rest of the weekend, I’m really psyched to hear other great panelists talk, both the experts they have on deck as well as the successful entrepreneurs I’ll be able to learn from.  Some of the panelists on my listening wish list?  Liz Lange (of the fashion empire) who will be talking about the power of personal branding, Nell Merlino (Make Mine a Million) talking about business plans, Lisa Price (the founder of Carol’s Daughter), Ted Rubin (e.l.f. cosmetics) talking social media and the author of Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuck, who always leaves me feeling energized after he speaks!

There are several other reasons I think Spark & Hustle is an opportunity you don’t want to miss and I don’t have enough room for them all here, but I couldn’t leave some of them out, so here they are below, just a few more reasons I hope to see you at Spark & Hustle in NYC, or hear you report back from how it went in Tulsa, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles or the other cities on the tour…..

• The Tin Shingle Discount: All members get a killer discount package, which they can check out HERE
  
• The No Fluff Zone:  This conference has an environment unlike any other conference...no glitz/glamour — it’s all about making more money.  As founder Tory Johnson points out,  instead of focus on making friends (BFFs), it’s really about BBFs:  business best friends.  These are the people who’ll champion your business. 
   
• Several Opportunities to Toot Your Own Horn: The opportunities to score press about your business are endless – not only are attendees being featured on the Spark & Hustle Dreamer into Doer editorial features, but many are turning into stories used by Tory and her team at Good Morning America, Job Club and NOW she’s pulling stories for Fox Business News to feature and inspire the nation.  Do you know where she’s finding these stories?  The conferences!  Come ready to brag!
   
• There's something about Tory:  This leads me to another part of the conference I’m excited about, and that’s Tory Johnson.  I’ve been privileged to know and work with Tory for years and I know that small business, entrepreneurs and workplace success are not only what she talks about, covers and researches all day, but the success of others in these areas are what makes her happy!  She’s an entrepreneur herself and knows what we need, and champions all of us as much as she can!  Come meet Tory!

• The Best Teachers: Amazing speaker line-up —There are over 40 speakers who are bringing it this year, from top experts in their fields to inspiring & successful entrepreneurs.
   
• I love a great party: Party for attendees on Thurs night at Scribble Press on West 84th where they will feature a brand new retail experience store with a partner from highly-acclaimed ALKeMi Partners who will share the inspiring story of Scribble Press from concept to execution.
   
• I love a Friday party as well: The party Friday night for attendees also welcomes them to sell or share samples of their products with other attendees.  Need a booth?  Collecitve-E members will get them for free.  Beyond getting to check out other brands this is a great place to NETWORK!  I'm guessing you'll walk away with new contacts, business friends and ideas!

  If you have any questions or need help with your member discounts, just email us at info@tinshingle.com and we'll help you out and put you in touch with the Spark & Hustle team!