100th Post

In celebration of my 100th post, I would like to reflect on a few posts. But, firstly I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this journey. I look forward to writing posts and the whole blogging process has been greatly beneficial.

1. My a-block-a-week project has been put on hold, due to us moving to the UK and wanting to take a little as possible with us, but as soon as we are settled I will be back to my obsessive knitting habits…
2. In June I made some birthday resolutions and this is how I have been doing…

• I have not been going to yoga and I feel terrible about it! I know that I should have been more strict on myself with this one… In England I will make a conserted effort to get back on track.
• I did not enrol in the magazine journalism course for a few reasons, but I will be doing a freelance writing course in London from 10 January 2009.
• I have dramatically increased my water intake and this was confirmed yesterday by my homeopath.
• I have worked on my Orangebloom brand as promised and plan to start a handmade range once settled in England.

So all in all I didn’t do very well, but at least it’s on my radar and I have a plan to get back on track.

3. My sewing machine is now fixed, I am giving it to my sister, as it is not practical to take it with me to.

4. Pay it forward, I still have 8 months to complete this task, so watch this space…

5. Handmade network – I did a few chalenges and then stopped, it wasn’t for me, I didn’t enjoy it…

• Photography – even though I have a keen interest and my Dad is a photographer, I just can’t seem to get my shots perfect. I have built a light box (note to self: do a post on this) and have really been trying!
• Etsy Shop – I would love to have a beautiful and successful Etsy shop. I have done some planning, but when we are settled in England, this will become a main focus area.

I have acheived quite a bit with this blog, but I have some big plans for the future, thank you for reading my ramblings…

Ps. I love to hear from you, so leave a comment, if you’d like…

Don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it…

Okay, for fear of sounding like a hypocrite. I am just going to come out and say it…

I TWITTER!!!!!

I was quite sceptical in a previous post, but I thought that I couldn’t knock it, until I’ve tried it.

But, I promise not to tweet about what I am having for lunch or my every move, it’s strictly for marketing purposes only.

So, if you’d like you can follow me, just click on the badge below:

Networking your small business (or, solution to “I’d rather be knitting”)

I have never been a social butterfly. The mere thought of having to go to functions, where everyone in attendance is dipping stale biscuits into bad coffee and filling the room with their schmoozing sales pitch, is definitely ‘cringe-worthy’. Oh, and don’t forget about the lame exercise of collecting business cards from companies that you’ll never use…

I’m sure the sign on my forehead that says “I’d rather be knitting”, must be a dead giveaway as to how much I enjoy ‘networking’ – which puts me in a predicament.

I am not a natural sales person and find it difficult to network, but I need to promote my new freelance copywriting business to gain contacts and potential business leads. Because after all, it’s not only what you know, it’s, more importantly, who you know, that makes the difference between success and failure.

So, maybe I am looking at this whole networking thing the wrong way? Where do I go to find answers? Google, of course! She knows everything, because after all only a woman could be that clever.

During my research I found that it seems that the secret to networking success is:

Engage in conversations that lead to mutually beneficial business relationships.

Okay, so now that I know the secret, how do I find unique ways to start conversations? Well, firstly I need a story. How did I get into copywriting? What lit the fire? How did my business start?

My Story

Without going into too much detail, here it goes:

Being curious (a polite word for nosey) in nature I read a lot. Anything from books to blogs will do. While studying and working in marketing, I was bestowed with the task of writing press releases and articles for the company I worked for. Soon I was proof reading for others and editing the internal magazine (for which I received an international award).

People were always asking, “Kerry, how do you spell…” “Kerry, what’s the best way to say…”

I then began writing for the web and I quickly learnt Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques that enhance a website’s ranking on search engines. During this process my personal blog was born. I write for Orangebloom almost daily and without even realising it, I found my passion. I love to write!

My husband and I decided to relocate to the UK. So, I took the opportunity to start freelancing and the journey began…

Starting Conversations

One of the best ways to engage in debate and get a conversation started is to blog. Content is king, so write valuable posts that people will want to read. Try to blog as often as possible, but make sure that it is valuable information that people will want to read.

Write articles that share your expertise and add value for the reader. Submit these articles to websites for publication, usually they offer a footer where you could display your contact details and website. Giving of your knowledge will definitely prove to be beneficial to you and the reader. It’s an excellent way to get your name ‘out there’ – so to speak.

Live your brand by telling everyone you know about what you do and how you could add value. You may be surprised by the way ‘word of mouth’ works. It’s the most trusted form of advertising and what’s best of all, it’s free. So, talk the talk.

Social networks can be great, if used correctly. So, get LinkedIn, start a Facebook page, Twitter, and many more. They can be great places to get your message across, but be careful not to spam people, it will cause more harm than good.

Conclusion

• I need to put a plan in place, which will help me find the right people to start conversations with. A plan will produce results more quickly.

• Networking is about systematically & patiently cultivating relationships that grow into business opportunities. It takes time.

Share your business networking ideas with me…

Etsy Christmas Wish List 2

Here are another 5 Etsy items I would love to have in my Christmas stocking…

This beautiful metal-lace ring is by christyannebestwick. It’s too gorgeous for words…

Reids Reserves makes the cutest hair accessories, this is my favourite.

Ssshhh, but I bought myself an early Christmas present. This stunning cosmetic bag, from The Wren Design. I have had my eye on this for a while, but the sold out quickly. This time when The Wren announced that they were in stock, I just couldn’t resist…

Cotton & Cloud is another England Etsy shop. I need a portable knitting bag, for taking my knitting on the tube and where ever else life may take me. This is my favourite knitting bag, but it is sold, so I may have to look for another one…

LAMdesigns has the cutest ‘I Love Tea’ tissue holder.

I may need this sooner rather than later… Going to cry a lot when we leave sunny South Africa…

My Etsy Christmas Wish List

Wow! I have seen so many things that I would like from Etsy.

Money is a little tight, what with the move (we fly on 3 Nov ‘08), so I will have to wait until Christmas time to purchase what I would like…

My favourite at the moment is this Bourbon Organic Coffee Sling Bag made by The Wren Design. If it wasn’t out of my price range at the moment, I would have already bought one…

This Love Letters (customised trinket box) is one of the most romantic gifts I have seen in a while. It is made by The Gift Shed.

Keep Calm ad Carry On in based in Surrey, UK (where I will soon be living). I love this Red Retro Flight Bag.

I just love this Christmas Luau SANTA Rubber Duck Glycerin SOAP by Ducky Soaps. It’s just too cute!

I need a holder for all my bamboo needles. So, a Oriental Gorgeous Knitting needle Roll CASE Green Bamboo, will be perfect. Is is made by 8 Season Knitting. Love it!

I will add another 5 items tomorrow…

Only Twits Twitter?

I still can’t understand the need to document every second of your life and follow every second of someone else’s. Also the ethics of Twitter should be questioned. I recently read about a journalist who twittered the death of a 3 year old before the memorial service and then twittered the funeral… Where do we draw the line?

I understand its relevance for business, where one could tweet a conference, but otherwise I don’t see the point yet?

Anything you tweet can and will be used against you…