Use Video and Take Your Online Marketing to the Next Level with Maria Andros’ Coaching Program that Launches TODAY

Last Spring the Startup Princess Academy at Disneyland featured Maria Andros, The Video Marketing Queen.  One of the reasons we wanted to feature her is because I wanted to know what all the hype was about, she has over 44,000 followers onTwitter, is in demand all over the world, and sells out of her coaching programs.  She’s an online rockstar!  When she opened her mouth at the event everyone was blown away by her message and strategies.  Many of our attendees said, “Maria was worth the entire price of my event ticket”.   Read more

Get to Know Chandra Clarke of Scribendi

Chandra Clarke is a woman who saw an opportunity in front of her and went after it. As an editor, she saw first-hand published works full of errors and knew there was a market out there for her if she struck out on her own. She founded Scribendi from her home office and began taking on freelance editing jobs. Before long, she realized the market for fast and professional editing services was huge, so she put systems in place to make editing easier not only for her, but also her clients. Her business is now internationally known and acclaimed, and continues to grow thanks to Chandra’s hard work and drive to create a successful business.

Hometown:

Thamesville, Ontario, Canada

Current Residence (City, State):

Chatham, Ontario, Canada

Education:

A double major in English and Psychology from Athabasca University and an MSc in Space Exploration Studies from the University of North Dakota.

Professional Background:

I started out in newspapers, first with my high school paper and then part-time at my hometown newspaper. While working my way through an undergraduate degree via distance studies, I was promoted to managing editor for a small weekly paper. After months of enduring the responsibility of producing a good publication while not having the ultimate decision-making authority over it, I decided it was time to strike out on my own.

I started taking in editing jobs, knowing that kind of work was available after having seen some atrocious press releases from police stations concerning “marjewana busts.” By the end of 1997, I knew there was a market for a fast, professional editing service; I began designing a system that would make the editing process easier, both for the writer and the editor.

With a lot of hard work and a little help from the Internet, Scribendi is now an international leader in the editing and proofreading industry. We’ve won numerous awards, including an Ontario Global Traders Award for Market Expansion – Service, and a Small Business Standard of Excellence award from the Web Marketing Association.

What you wanted to be when you grew up:

Ha – well, my dream job would still be science officer aboard the U.S.S Enterprise! I did seriously consider becoming an astronaut as a teenager, but could see even then that it was going to be some decades before the world’s space programs really got into gear again. Becoming an astronaut would have required thousands of hours of study, flying time, and so on, and even if I were to make the cut into the astronaut program, my chances of actually going up were quite slim — in the past 30 years, only eight Canadians have flown. So I’ve gone at this another way… into business to eventually make enough money to be a full-time philanthropist supporting scientific research, and I’ll eventually do a PhD in the public understanding of science.

What you are:

Founder, president, and co-owner of Scribendi Inc., a leading online editing and proofreading service.

Brief Summary of your Start Up:

Scribendi started in my family home. It consisted of me, my computer, the Internet, and a lot of coffee. Since I couldn’t afford outside help, I handled all aspects of the business, including programming the first version of EditorWorksTM (Scribendi’s proprietary workflow management software), editing the orders, and balancing the books. It took a while, but eventually I was able to start hiring telecommute editors, as well as a part-time bookkeeper. In 2003 I incorporated the company with the help of my husband, and the rest is history.

Company Website?
http://www.scribendi.com

What inspired you?

Aside from the horrendous spelling of press release authors, Scribendi was designed to help writers everywhere gain access to affordable professional English language editing. Services like Scribendi’s college application review help aspiring students get into the college of their dreams, while ESL academic services help researchers from non-English speaking countries share their discoveries in scholarly journals. Corporate organizations and government agencies also depend on Scribendi’s expertise by outsourcing the editing of manuals, presentations, and web site content. Helping people express themselves in a clear, concise manner is what inspires me, and inspires the more than 100 editors who are currently employed at Scribendi.

How long have you been in business?

Scribendi has been in business since 1997.

How did you fund it?

For more than 10 years, Scribendi was funded entirely by personal capital and profits.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)?

Not one person in particular, no. I read widely though, and have taken advice from a wide variety of sources.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups?

Scribendi is a member of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Current Business Challenge?

I’m hesitant to refer to it as a struggle, considering the current condition of the global economy; however, Scribendi’s rapid growth is currently my main focus. Right now we’re in the middle of a five-year expansion plan, which includes a complete overhaul of our web site, increased marketing efforts, and an international hiring push. And that’s just the start! There are so many things we want to do at Scribendi and it just seems like there’s never enough time or manpower to get it all done.

What are you doing about it?

Our Human Resource Manager is currently interviewing for an additional full-time in-house editor, as well as recruiting candidates for telecommute positions. The editors and staff are also giving 110% in order to ensure that the new web site launch goes off without a hitch.

Favorite motivational quote:

Be the change you want to see in the world – Gandhi.

Family?

I’m happily married to my husband, Terence. We have three beautiful boys: Tiernan, who is five; Egan, who is three; and Rhodri, who just turned six months.

If so, how do you balance family and business?

Well, if you’ve ever been to Canada, you’ll be familiar with a place called Tim Horton’s. I highly recommend their coffee, especially when you’re working late!

Seriously though, I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I do if it weren’t for the help of my husband. Terence is the Vice-President of Scribendi, as well as a loving father and exceptional husband. In order to balance work with family, we’ve arranged to split all our duties 50/50 — this way, we’re there for both our boys and our business. It also helps that we have fantastic people working for us; Scribendi employs some of the finest editors in the world, as well as a dedicated internal staff.

Favorite book?

I’m not sure I could pick just one favorite because I like different books for different reasons. I am a big Terry Pratchett fan, and recently enjoyed his Nation. Right now, I’m reading Nudge, a book about public policy.

What do you do to relax?

I’ve had very little time to relax recently, what with big changes at work, and of course, three kids with widely different needs. I enjoy walks with them, either in our neighborhood or at nearby provincial parks. When squeezing in a day trip isn’t an option, I read, or play computer games.

What do you want to change most about your world?

So many pressing issues… obviously, the environment is a big one, as if we don’t get that sorted out, everything else is moot. The economy is closely tied to the environment; we truly need to find a way to implement sustainable development, so that economies can continue to grow or improve without trashing the planet.

What are you most proud of?

My kids. We homeschool, so we have the privilege of seeing their horizons expand on a near-daily basis; they’re doing very well in their studies.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses?

Plan, plan, and plan some more. Have clear goals and objectives for each day, each week, each month, and each year. This will help keep you on track and pointed in the right direction.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)?

My laptop and increasingly, my Blackberry; both keep me connected whether I’m working from my office desk or at home on the kitchen table.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use?

Rubies, if only because they’re my birthstone.

Would you be interested in being a Fairy Godmother and writing articles or speaking at Startup Princess events?

In a few months time, possibly, yes. Currently have rather a lot on my plate!

What business subjects would you feel comfortable mentoring in?

Planning, e-commerce and Internet related subjects, management issues.

Mom Entrepreneur Success Strategies

A recent article we ran across at the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur featured suggestions from mom entrepreneurs on how they make it all work – clients, kids and everything in between. There are 107 tips in all, including:

‘Mom entrepreneurs who are busy juggling the priority of a family and the intrigue of growing a business will balance both better with clear boundaries. Read more

Join us for *FREE* Startup Princess Event in Orange County August 4th

Let’s face it… times are a just a *bit* tougher these days. And trying to run a business (especially a startup) can be a little discouraging. But never fear, Startup Princess is here!

Please join the Orange County Chapter of Startup Princess on Tuesday, August 4th for that end-of-summer pep talk you’ve been needing to hear! The inspiring Shay Olivarria (www.biggerthanyourblock.com) will be speaking & working with us on goal setting & motivation… teaching you to “Think Bigger Than Your Block.” Come ready to be motivated & uplifted as Shay, a long-time professional speaker, encourages us “to believe in yourself and take the time always to put your best foot forward.”

It’s been six months since our last *FREE* event & we thought it was time to offer another…and as a thank you to all of loyal members who have attended our events throughout the year. We hope to encourage a few “new” Startup Princesses to join the fun! Don’t miss out because we’ll have time for networking and awesome giveaways including a free ticket to Touchpoint in SLC, our Startup Princess annual conference Sept. 11!

As always, please, feel free to pass this invite along to any women you feel might be interested in participating in our OC Startup Princess Chapter.
Don’t forget to bring along pleny of business cards to pass along!

Flintridge Village Clubhouse
28112 Roanoke Drive
Ladera Ranch, CA 92694 US
Tuesday, August 4, 7:00PM

evite: http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/KLKCDKPFKPLZOCGZLFIB/august

What Questions to Ask Before You Start Manufacturing Your Product

“I have this great idea for a product, how do I find someone to manufacture it?”

This is the number one question I get from new business owners. Four manufacturers and thousands of dollars in costly mistakes later, and I can finally say I feel comfortable sharing an answer.

A little background my name is Jamie Bird and when I developed my product, Wet Happened? wet bag demand far surpassed how many I could sew on my own. I thought I might eventually like to sleep again; so finding someone to manufacture the wet bags was my 6-month goal. Little did I realize, it would take two full years to find “the one”.

Trying to stay out of debt, I could only afford small quantity manufacturing runs at first. Because I had so many styles, over 20, I could not afford more than 50-75 of each style. Very few sewing contractors would quote me a price for that quantity. I finally found someone out of California, but I did not know the first thing about what went into cutting and sewing in volume. Little hints that raised red flags- 10% in damaged goods, smaller yields, longer lead times- were explained away as the difference between manufacturing in volume and sewing out of my basement. Looking back, I believe she knew I was inexperienced and ripe for being taken advantage of. I won’t go into all the details, just the highlights: bolts of stolen fabric, incredibly small yields, goods arriving three months after they were promised, having to hire a lawyer to release $10,000 worth of raw materials back to me.

I am not alone. I often hear stories of fellow designers running an entire production and receiving the product, only to find none of it sellable. I wish I could tell you this never happens, that my case was an anomaly. Finding a reliable manufacturer has been the biggest challenge I’ve faced, and one that many others have had a problem with as well.

Following are a few questions to think about when researching a sewing contractor/manufacturer:

1. Price per piece. One contractor quoted me $13.24 to sew the Wet Happened? bag. I can sew one in less than 15 minutes. It retails for $17.95. Obviously price is one of the first things to be discussed, but not the only important question to ask.

2. What is included in the price? Two new projects I am working on have required patterns and multiple prototypes. Some manufacturers do not include cutting or thread. It is necessary to know the TOTAL cost per piece, with each element included.

3. What is their average lead-time? If you are thinking 2 weeks, and they cannot fit you into production until November, that’s an issue.

4. What is their loss percentage and how do they rectify un-sellable goods? Do they issue a credit; do they need to be sent back for fixing? Will they pay the return shipping?

5. How is payment expected? Do they want 50% down and 50% when goods arrive, the entire balance before they ship, 30 days?

6. How many days do you get to sort through merchandise to make sure it is sellable?

7. Is there any way to get price breaks for larger manufacturing runs?

8. How many pieces can they produce each week? If you need 2000 pieces, and they only have one part-time seamstress…it will be a problem. I also like to ask what types of sewing machines they use, since some garment seams are serged. You would assume that all seamstresses utilize a serger, but that is not the case.

Once you have done a test run, finding out yields and total cost per piece is the next step towards bring your idea to market.

Even though it can be tough to find a manufacturer, being prepared and asking the right questions could prevent a bad working relationship and lost revenue down the road.

Jamie Bird is the creator of Mini Me BabyGear, LLC, and Wet Happened? Designer Wet Bags.

Teaching Children to Develop Confidence and Business Skills

When I was in 4^th grade I heard some of my friends were going to the YMCA Summer Camp in the mountains a few hours away, it sounded like a fantastic adventure- I had to go.  I envisoned my parents paying for camp and I’d just hop on the bus. Lucky for me, my parents DIDN’T pay for it.  They encouraged me to sell peanuts Read more

Introducing Ashley Judge of Tra Tutti

I have enjoyed the emails I have exchanged with Tra Tutti owner, Ashley Judge. She is a very conscious and dedicated business owner, with a special view of how to run a business that I admire.  One thing she has done to make Tra Tutti stand apart from the many shops online is her dedication to giving back. Tra Tutti donates a substantial portion of their profit to charities. With people and businesses cutting back so much these days, and charities really beginning to feel the pinch, seeing that Tra Tutti donates 20% of their profit is huge. I admire Ashley for her philanthropy and her encouragement of others to do the same – she is a great example to follow! -Mary Havlicek, Startup Princess Blog Manager

Hometown: Sharon, MA

Current Residence (City, State): Medford, MA

Education: Graduated from UMass Amherst, studied Psychology and Political Science

Professional Background: Nonprofit – fundraising and events

What you wanted to be when you grew up: Something new every week – but the only consistency was that I wanted to be the boss in every job!

What you are: Business owner, Tra Tutti

Brief Summary of your Start Up: Tra Tutti is a one-of-a kind online consignment shop, carrying high-end and vintage designer brands, with a socially responsible twist. Tra Tutti’s consignors receive 40% of the sale of their items, an industry standard; however Tra Tutti only keeps 40% of the profit, donating the remaining 20% to charities that reflect the values of Tra Tutti and our customers. We donate 20% of all sales to AIDS Action, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Dress for Success Boston, The Home for Little Wanderers, MSPCA-Angell, and Rosie’s Place.

Tra Tutti’s rewards are fiscal, philanthropic, and green. Shoppers can purchase designer apparel for a fraction of the price; consignors can re-sell their unworn duds for cash; and all can support charitable organizations, which have seen a significant decline in contributions in these tough times. Tra Tutti is green too – customers and consignors do their part for the environment by re-using and recycling beautiful garments and accessories. See, you can have it all -

Company Website? www.TraTutti.com

What inspired you? Tra Tutti gave me an opportunity to bring together four things that drive me: fashion, a great bargain, a concern for the environment, and a passion for philanthropy. Tra Tutti is part of a new wave of businesses being created all over the country: social enterprises. The term can mean slightly different things, but ultimately a social enterprise is a business that seeks to make the world a better place: a “business for the common good”.

How long have you been in business? Since April 2009

How did you fund it? I collected inventory for nearly 2 years from friends, family, incredible bargain shopping, searching the internet far and wide, fashion stylists, and other sources. On top of inventory, all of my start-up costs were self-funded.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Absolutely. I think it’s particularly important for women to support other women!

Current Business Challenge? Sleeping! I think about Tra Tutti day and night! Additionally, connecting with a large enough audience, given that I don’t have a brick and mortar location to stumble upon. (In today’s world of social networking sites – no pun intended!)

What are you doing about it? I have wonderful relationships with other organizations as well as the charities I support. I partner with other women-owned businesses for events. This, paired with a fairly aggressive PR strategy, has helped me reach a large range of women fairly quickly.

Favorite motivational quote: “No one has ever become poor by giving” – quite fitting for the mission of Tra Tutti.

Favorite book? While I’ve read my fair share of fascinating nonfiction (such as Van Jones’ Green Collar Economy), I love getting swept up in a light summer series. My favorite series to date are Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse vampire books!

What do you do to relax? I love to entertain. I enjoy the prep work almost as much as the time with my friends, and I could spend hours surfing Food and Wine magazine online for new recipes.

What do you want to change most about your world? I wish that every single person had the same sense of mission and passion to change the world that a very special few have. I want the lines between for-profit and non-profit to be blurred so that every organization feels a sense of responsibility to help and empower those around them. It’s not all about what is and is not tax deductible or how much fun a charity golf tournament is. There are too many needs and the causes are so innumerable that it is unacceptable to not find something that touches your heart and aggressively strive to make an impact.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud that Tra Tutti “is”. It’s magical to see something take shape that spent so many years in your mind shifting, changing, and sparking excitement.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses?

Arm yourself with the right tools, and go for it! I took a fabulous course with the Center for Women & Enterprise – a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women start and grow their own businesses. This course allowed me to take a calculated risk.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? I have had tremendous support from women in the form of friends, graphic designers, fashion stylists, PR experts, peers, etc. They have served as my sounding board, my cheer leaders, and my experts.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Although my boyfriend the scientist would not classify this as a precious stone, I love pearls. I think there is nothing lovelier.

Would you be interested in being a Fairy Godmother and writing articles or speaking at Startup Princess events? Absolutely!

What business subjects would you feel comfortable mentoring in?

My start-up experience, PR and design on a budget, feeling my way through the dark. Also – if it’s helpful, I facilitate etiquette workshops for anybody who like a refresher course!

Save $25 with Early Bird Registration for Touchpoint – (Until August 1)

Startup Princess is pleased to announce that our  third annual “Touchpoint” conference is September 11th in SLC, Utah at Noah’s in South Jordan. This is a MUST ATTEND Event for Women Entrepreneurs! It’s by far the biggest event we produce and we put every effort to make sure that the classes, speakers, and networking is first-rate. You’ll leave recharged with strategy, connections, inspiration, and ideas to take your startup to the next level. Early Bird Registration is now available, so take advantage of the $25 discount. Read more

SEO Tips by Seth Jenks: Keywords are Queen

SEO Guru and friend, Seth Jenks recently taught mom entrerpeneurs at the Moms Who Make it Conference how to kick up their SEO with his  class called, “Keywords are Queen”.  How can we NOT publish a summary of his presentation on Startup Princess with a title like that?

30 Billion searches a month on Google…what are people searching for exactly?  How do you get them to go to YOUR site?

You can do a lot with really niche sites and you can “own” traffic for your niche.

MarketSamurai.com Seth’s favorite product, it’s $150 product, but you can use the Trial and keyword search is free

Google does not rank pages, they rank relevance

Ask your website: What am I?  Pool of words centered around what you do–then start testing keywords that get searched

You want to have as many pages indexed by Google as possible

Relevance, if you have “cupcakes” on a page the make sure you have cupcakes discussed

Niche pages, makes a bigger net

Google loves content producers, so if you have a blog or a lot of pages on your site your site will do well

Relevance- is the keyword relevant to what you do?

Traffic- is your word searched often?

Competition-how hard will it be to rank for?

Commerciality-will people buy using your word?

“baby gifts” has a higher commerciality than “baby blankets”, you want people who are actually searching to purchase a baby gift, not just search for baby blanket patterns or ideas

If your blog has high traffic for a certain keyword then that will be more attractive to your advertisers (if you’re a blogger)

If you’re using Java Script it’s not good for google

It’s great to have photos you need to label it when you upload the photo put the name of the item into the code

Good help for ranking a page: decide a keyword, should be in the picture, 3-4 times in the post, and bold one time

Bold people’s names and link!

Keyword should be in the header and in the H1 tag (header/title) for example, Seth’s post, “The Best Twitter Advice Ever” searched on google shows that post

knowem.com * created content on ALL of these sites!! you can find out if your username is being used on another site

you want to rank top 3, 60% first one listed is clicked the most, try to be listed at the top.

trust and authority * relevance

Google page rank – SEObook (to see what your page rank is)

get more links from others sites that have higher  rank than you, to increase your page rank (comment on other sites with a higher page rank)

all links are not the same! don’t “swap” links, it won’t help your rank

HTML site mapping available now on Google!  start doing that

Things you can do to increase your page rank:

Submit your Blog to 25 Directories

Get 5 inbound links on the page!

Submit articles to Digg, Kirtsy, MomFaves, Alltop

(Sorry if my notes aren’t clear here, I’m learning too… ask @sethjenks on Twitter for more details and tips or clarification)

Thanks, Seth! We appreciate all of your great SEO wisdom. -Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess Founder

Being Patient with Progress in Business when Life Needs You

My 5 yr old just completed an intense two week-long struggle with health issues. She slept little, ate less, cried a lot and we spent many hours trying to figure out what she needed to get better. It turned out to be a kidney infection and she’s doing fine now, but both my husband and I are still wiped out physically and emotionally from tending to her 24/7. Now that she’s doing better, I can get back to attending what I missed during that time. The “To Do’s” on my iphone are glaring at me and I’m a bit overwhelmed about what’s ahead Read more

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