Going Off the Beaten Path to Find a Road of Success and Satisfaction

I came across this youtube video and was excited about sharing it with everyone here. The idea is creative marketing. I love the way the Terry Prince is so passionate about his work. He dispels conventional marketing practices and seems to earn a really good salary from his part-time gig. I was shocked to learn how many CD's he's sold in just one year by not following conventional methods of marketing. He follows his heart and is rewarded for doing so.

As artist and designers we have to be open to explore unconventional ways to market our product. Let me know what you think about this video. I am sure it will put a smile on your face and maybe even inspire you.

Enjoy!

Specialty Items Rein Supreme in Down Ecomony

Today's economy is the perfect time for us designers who specialize in specialty items instead of apparel collections to gain more sales. Items such as accessories, t-shirts jewelry and skirts are fun and easy buys for consumers. The more unique and also salable the better.

Today's issue of WWD posted an article on this subject titled, "Buyers Wait Longer, Scour Harder for Special Items". The article indicates that store buyers shopped at the recent trade shows the way customers shop in stores, very cautiously. This means that the more unique your product, the the more people will notice it. Think about yourself as a shopper, are you purchasing single items or are you buying spring/summer clothes like you normally would in an upbeat economy?

This is the perfect opportunity for designers to showcase their unique items by doing trunk shows at local boutiques. This eliminates the risk for retailers as you would pay them a commission for your total sales for the event. Everyone wins in a trunk show event. You and the retailer make money from sales. You get to test your product and if you get a lot of interest, the retailer may want to place a wholesale order for your items that did well!

So, start making your phone calls to your local boutiques and schedule a few trunk shows for this summer. After all, everyone loves fun and unique summer tees, jewelry and bags!

*Pictured above: The Jenny bag from the Kali Collection. Click here for more details!

A Follow Up Interview Tip that Will Get You Noticed

Everyone knows that thank you cards are a must, right? They show that you really appreciate your interviewer's time and that you have a real interest in the position that you have interviewed for.

Here's the tip:
Buy your thank you card immediately after the interview rather than buying a generic box of cards. When you buy cards individually you get to choose the card based on the company's culture and the feeling that you received from the person who interviewed you. You will be able to pick up on whether the person is conservative or artsy. Buy your card and have a cup of coffee and write your draft. Highlight key points that your interviewer stressed. Also reconfirm the reason why you would make the perfect candidate. Keep your card brief and upbeat!

Forget about snail mail. Now that your card is finished. Go back to the company where you interviewed and drop it off with the receptionist.

Your interviewer will most likely appreciate this quick and immediate attention. In this competitive environment where there are so many people applying for jobs, tips like this can set you apart from your competition.

Is Being a Do-It-Yourselfer Holding You Back from Blossoming?

If you are an entreprenuer who runs the entire show yourself you could be faced with the, "I must do everything myself" syndrome. This in fact could possibly be holding you back from achieving more sales and focusing on the tasks that you are skilled in.

I've had to evaluate my workload and learn how to delegate work out to either freelancers or interns. I've also just found out about virtual assistants whom you can hire from various online companies. You can hire a virtual assistant from different countries not just within where you live. I have not hired a VA yet but, when I do I will let you know how it works out!

If you're an artist, you truly care about presentation online and offline but, try not to do all of the artistic work yourself. Delegate small projects out like creating logos, flyers and catalogs. You can also have them build up your social network pages. This can save you tons of time, even though you may be skilled at doing these tasks yourself. You will now have the time to focus on the more important tasks like designing you product and selling it. The sooner we delegate or outsource work the more time we will have to do the things that we truly want or need to do.

There's always a way to get affordable assistance. Try one of the ways that I listed above (freelancers, interns, VA's) and let me know how it works for you.

Do you already have assistants in your business? What was the tipping point that made you realize that you can't do everything yourself?