Introducing Catey Hill, Author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less & Saving More

Here’s a smart girl, Catey Hill (Money Editor for New York Daily News Online and former Forbes Financial Marketing Manager) who knows what she wants (shoes mostly) but she’s wise enough to set limits and boundaries to keep her finances in check.  Luckily for the rest of us she’s written a book to share her strategies and tips to help other women in their 20’s-30’s take control too.  Catey covers spending, credit cards, student and auto loans, saving, investing, buying a home, and more. She teaches with a I’ve been there/big sister approach and offers exercises and worksheets to help her readers.

I recently met Catey on Twitter and was delighted to learn about her newly released book, with a catchy title “Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less & Saving More”. I thought many of our readers would resonate with the subject of Catey’s book, (it’s 0n my Amazon wishlist) and enjoy learning more about why and how she wrote her book.

Congratulations Catey for publishing your book and for her publisher for moving mountains to get it in the stores before Christmas too…way to go! Best wishes with your book launch and all the opportunities ahead.

Enjoy getting to know Startup Princess Catey Hill!

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Current Residence (City, State): New York, NY

Education:
- B.A. in Psychology, Business Minor from Tulane University
- M.A. in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin

Professional Background:
-Author, Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less & Saving More (Sterling Publishing, $14.95)
- 6 years of professional marketing experience, including working as the Financial Marketing Manager for Forbes
- 6 years of professional writing experience, including my current position as the Money Editor for the New York Daily News online

What you wanted to be when you grew up: A veterinarian (but as it turned out, I faint at the sight of blood!)

What you are: Writer (a pretty blood-free profession, so I’m doing OK).

Brief Summary of your Start Up: I’m an author and I’m pleased to share my first book, Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less & Saving More.

Company Website: www.ShooJimmyChoo.com

What inspired you? Watching other women go through what I did – spending to much, not saving enough, feeling intimidated by money management and investing – and realizing that there was not a personal finance book that truly spoke to women like me (those of us who know we’ll never give up gorgeous shoes or much-needed beach vacas but still want to get out of debt and save more).

How long have you been in business? 3 years

How did you fund it? Currently, I work as the Money Editor for the New York Daily News to supplement my income as an author (what can I say, I love new shoes, and I can’t afford them on my author salary alone!).

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? My girlfriends

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Association of Women in Communication, LinkedIn

Current Business Challenge? I’d like to help even more women manage their money in a savvier way.

What are you doing about it? I’m working with the New York Junior League on a free seminar series, and I hope to partners with other organizations to do something similar.

Favorite motivational quote: Just do it.  (OK, it’s a Nike tagline, not a quote, but I love it! It’s simple, concise and inspirational.)

Family? Jay Robert (partner);  Mouse, the cat (yes, she’s family!); Carey and William Hill, parents; Susie Hill, sister; my girlfriends.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I block out “no-work” zones on my calendar at least twice a week and go have drinks with the girls, see a movie with Jay, have brunch with an old friend, etc.

Favorite book? Anna Karenina

What do you do to relax? Reading, writing and wine (what can I say? A nice glass of Savingnon Blanc after a hard day of work works does the trick!)

What do you want to change most about your world? Time – I need more hours in the day.

What are you most proud of? My book, Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl’s Guide to Spending Less & Saving More, and my relationships with my boyfriend and friends.

What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses?
1)    Don’t be intimidated by managing your money!
You can spend less, get out of debt and save smartly.  Ladies, if I – the girl who can’t spend an hour without scouring the eBay for the latest Prada bag and who refuses to wash her hair with anything other than Kerastase – if I can do it, so can you!
2)    Start taking control of your finances today!
The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll have the money you need for your dreams.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Bankrate.com – when in doubt about almost any financial issue, they’ve probably got the answer.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Emeralds and diamonds.  Green is the color of money – and we all know I love money – and diamonds, in addition to being a girl’s best friend, are elegant and classic.

Thank you, Catey!

Introducing Heather Barnard of Chickadee Prints

It’s always exciting when I get to know a Startup Princess pre-launch and get to follow their journey post-launch. Heather Barnard has been a pleasure to follow and watch in action, with lots of energy and enthusiasm. I was touched as I read Heather’s answers in her interview, she’s a tough chick, so it’s appropriate that her online stationary business is called Chickadee Prints! I also really like how they appeal to all the twitter users with their tagline “Sharing Your Tweetest Moments”. Be sure to check out the adorable selections, loving the mommy calling cards and great holiday choices!

Enjoy getting to know Heather Barnard of Chickadee Prints!

-Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess Founder

Hometown: Carmel, CA

Current Residence (City, State):  Draper, UT

Education: Master’s in Education

Professional Background: In my post graduate professional career, I’ve done two things: I was an elementary school teacher, teaching 2^nd and 6^th grades, and then an inspiring entrepreneur!

What you wanted to be when you grew up:  A mommy to a lot of kids!

What you are:  A mommy to 3 wonderful children ages 16 mos, 3.5 yrs., and 5 yrs., a wife, and a mompreneur

Brief Summary of your Start Up:  Chickadee Prints offers beautiful stationery for almost any occasion, printed on high quality cardstock which is FSC certified because we care about our environment.  Our site now allows our customers to take control by having live text editing and proofing, and soon to be, live photo editing.

Company Website? www.chickadeeprints.com

What inspired you? I was inspired by other mompreneurs!  I saw that they were achieving dreams they had, and knew that I could do it to.

How long have you been in business? I started under a different name three years ago on a VERY part-time basis, with me alone, and doing everything custom.  It wasn’t working.

How did you fund it? We didn’t have much to put down at once to build it all, so we slowly put what money came in towards it, and over a year, we finally have what we need.

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? I have so many people who have supported me, helped me, and stood by me.  Everyone from Julie Cole at Mabel’s Labels, to Allyson at Ladybugs and Lullabies, to my biggest fans…my step-mom and my husband.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Startup Princess

Current Business Challenge? Marketing

What are you doing about it? I have joined with a few PR companies to spread the word, and I am a social networking butterfly!  I am on Facebook and Twitter which has opened a lot of doors, even before opening!

Favorite motivational quote: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you will be the guy who’ll decide where you’ll go. Oh the places you’ll go.”  OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! Dr. Seuss

Family? Yes, I have 3 children.

If so, how do you balance family and business? It’s hard!  When I’m working from home, I feel guilty because I should be with my children.  When I playing with my children, I feel guilty because I should be working.  The best thing I’ve figured out is to have an actual office in the home, where the door can close during business hours.  And to set those hours firm, so that business can end, and family time can begin.  We have also made sure to have a bi-monthly date night set in stone, and weekly family night, also set in stone.  This helps me to make sure that neither the business nor the family falls short of the other.

Favorite book? Goodnight Gorilla

What do you do to relax? Right now, I haven’t found a lot of relaxing time…but we try to take family vacations to major decompressing at least twice a year.  On a smaller scale, for me, just getting out of the house to go grocery shopping is relaxing since I’m on my own, and not thinking about the business.

What do you want to change most about your world? I want my world to be filled with a more understanding and compassionate people.  I feel that there is still too much daily judgment on everything from religion to skin color to sexual choice to material items.  It creates a lot of stress.

What are you most proud of? I’m most proud of never giving up.  I lost both parents by the age of 17, I could have easily given up.  I’ve been through a miscarriage that could have been a roadblock for me, but I’ve overcome.  And most currently, I am most proud of getting through the tears and frustrations of trying to launch this business, and finally getting it up and running.

What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? Simply…don’t give up!  Have you seen the movie Meet the Robinson’s?  Just ‘keep moving forward’.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? The Internet!  As funny as that might sound, the Internet has been such a wonderful wand for me!  The resources I have found through networking, have been amazing, presenting lots of opportunities for me.

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? A Sapphire, an Emerald, an Alexandrite, and a Blue Topaz…the stone of my children.

Apology Not Accepted

Do you ever find yourself saying any of these phrases?

• “I’m sorry, but I think…”

• “I’m sorry you have to do this, but…”

• “I’m sorry to bother you with…”

• “I’m sorry, this might not be exactly what you wanted…”

It’s a fact that women apologize more frequently than men. Many times we do it just to be polite. But is it diminishing our credibility? Our power? Yes. Read more

Learn from Maria Andros “Video Marketing Queen” and TOP Marketing Experts April 17-18! Register 2 for $400 for Startup Princess Academy, Disneyland

There’s still time to Register for April 17-18th Startup Princess Academy, “Marketing to Women Online” at Disneyland. We’re offering registration for just $225 or 2 for $400 NOW through April 10. Top Experts, Ciaran Blumenfeld, Maria Andros, Alexis Neely, and more will be at the event to teach you their marketing strategies for how to create an effective online campaign to reach female consumers more effectively. Here’s the AGENDA

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 Startup Princess Amber Passey, Because Babies Grow Up attended the November Startup Princess Academy and shares her experience.

Don’t Miss Out on this exciting opportunity to learn, connect with other women entrepreneurs, and share ideas of your own! We have attendees registered from Canada, Chicago, Utah, and California. Disneyland discounts are available for just $38 for Twilight 4pm-Midnight tickets! Other options available. Bring your friends or your family and make it a weekend!

 

Use 15 Minutes Every Day to Grow Your Business

Fairy Godmother Erika Wilde of highly successful drop-shipping floormat business (featured in Real Simple last year!) Stop Dirt, writes: As a kind-of early New Years resolution to myself, I started last fall to dedicate 15 minutes a day to “pro-active” work on my business.

I spend hours every day taking care of the business “must do’s” that are time sensitive. With the demands of kids, church and the lure of my other hobbies, I found myself working only “in the business” and not working “on the business.” I was not spending enough time proactively growing my business.

So I committed myself to 15 minutes a day, dedicated solely to proactive work on my business. Not re-active work like answering emails, processing orders, or making price quotes. But proactive work on new projects that will expanding my existing business.

Many days my 15 minutes turn into an hour. But other days, when my patience and energy is thin, I tell myself, “It’s only 15 minutes.”

Here’s how I’ve made it work:

1.    Throw every plan, task, dream or scheme into a master list. And I mean everything. If an idea pops into your mind, add it to the list.
2.    Break each item on the master list into manageable 15 minutes jobs.
3.    Each day, pull up your list and choose a project.
4.    Let a larger task remain unfinished. There is always 15 minutes tomorrow.
5.    Don’t go to sleep until the 15 minutes are done.

Here is an example pro-active tasks I’ve done on 15 minutes a day:

1.    Research one competitor’s web site and product line.
2.    Make one extra phone call.
3.    Look at the day’s web analytics and compare to the previous week.
4.    Write one more “FAQ” or short article for my website.
5.    Update or “freshen up” one page on my website.
6.    Edit one photograph to make it work better online.
7.    Email one supplier with a quick thank you note.
8.    Solicit a couple of repeat customers for product reviews.
9.    Search online for one related product to add to my line.
10.  Start work on a press release.
11.  Add internal web links on keywords in one article.

Then there are the really big items on my to-do list like, “Make new color chart for Classic Carpet mats” and “Re-build Grand Impressions logo mat page,” which will take at least an hour. So I tackle that project on a night when I have more than 15 minutes to devote.

It’s been amazing what a big dent I’ve made in my very, very long to-do list with only 15 minutes a day. With just 15 minutes a day, I find myself being more inventive, more motivated and more receptive to flashes of business inspiration.

Identify What You “Avoid” in Business and Get Over It Now for 2009

 

 

Awesome Prize Package for Elevator Pitch Competition! Epson Printer, $1000 in Mentoring, and Marketing Retreat Ticket!

A lot of Startup Princesses often ask me how to get funding for their startups. No matter if you are going to pitch your idea to your spouse, the bank, a relative, or an angel investor… you need a really good 2 minute “Elevator Pitch”…you need to CONVINCE them that your idea will work, that it will be profitable, and that you’re just the right person to execute the idea. So, here’s your chance to practice!!

We’re having a competition!! With AWESOME PRIZES!

Our September 26th annual event, Touchpoint will feature our FIRST Elevator Pitch Competition. This will be an incredible opportunity to receive mentoring, feedback, and refine your presentation skills…and WIN some great prizes too, valued at over $2000!

Here’s how it will work: Five finalists will be selected (you apply by uploading a 1 page pitch document when you register for Touchpoint). These five finalists will compete with a 2 minute “pitch” in front of a panel of top entrepreneurs and mentors, plus the conference attendees will also be able to vote their pick.

Once the Five Finalists are selected they will receive one-on-one mentoring before the competition courtesy of Brock Blake, CEO/Founder of Funding Universe (who hosts regular pitching events for investors), then they will compete at the competition (3pm) in front of the conference attendees and a panel of judges. They will be scored on delivery, potential success of their product/service, ability to execute, and overall passion for their business.

The winner of the competition will receive:

$1000 prize package of in kind services and mentoring from Funding Universe!

A Complimentary Ticket to The Startup Princess November 7-8 Retreat in Park City, The Magic of Marketing to Women Online with speakers Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom and co-founder of Kirtsy and Holly Buchanan, The Soccer Mom Myth Co-Author, and Janet Meiners, Internet Marketing Expert

Epson Printer, valued at $300 with $100 in ink!

plus, more prizes and giveaways to be announced soon!

Deadline to compete will be Sept 20. Register here.

Becoming Sincerely Happy for Someone Else

Have you ever competed for something you really wanted to win? Over the years I’ve competed for many things when there was a clear “winner” such as business plan competitions, elections, sports, media opportunities, Read more

How to Sell Your Product in Target Stores

I love Target, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to sell to them? If you have the resources to produce 9,000+ units, then you should consider it! Fairy Godmother, Margie Zable Fisher of Zable Fisher PR writes the following article about how to get your foot in the door with Target. She writes:

Can I share a secret with you?
It’s not all that hard to get Target interested in selling your products. Why would you want to sell to Target? Well, each of the 1,500 Target stores usually orders at least a half dozen products from each vendor — that’s at least 9,000 sales right out of the gate! Sounds like a pretty good reason, right? Plus, Target is the place to sell any high design products “Tar-jay”, as it is sometimes called, has a certain cache.

So how can you get a Target buyer interested in your product? Here are some ways that a Target buyer I spoke with finds new products:

1. Attending trade shows. Do you skip exhibiting at trade shows because you think they’re a waste of time and money? Think again. Many Target buyers find new products at trade shows. It’s a great way for the buyers to see many products at one time.
2. Publicity. For product companies, publicity provides a double-win: not only do you attract consumers willing to buy your product, but you also attract the attention of retailers who might want to sell your product. My Target buyer source tells me that reading about a great new product in a magazine or newspaper, seeing it on a TV show, or reading a favorable review about a new product online is a great way to get her attention.
3. Sales Reps. Large retailers like Target often work with professional sales companies that show them products that would work for them. All these sales companies do is sell to large retailers, so they have access to many buyers.
But there’s a LOT more to it…
What criteria does Target look for in a product?
What financials do you need to know before approaching Target?
Will you manufacture or license your product?
When can you expect to be paid by Target?
How long is the process?
WHERE do you start?

To learn MY step-by-step formula for getting your products on the shelves of Target and skyrocketing your sales, see my Special Report, “How to Get Your Product on the Shelves at Target, available here: http://zfpr.com/target.htm.

Margie Zable Fisher is president of Zable Fisher Public Relations, the leader in small business public relations. She publishes the ˜PRactical P.R.’ weekly ezine with thousands of subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your business through low-cost and free public relations and publicity techniques, get your FREE tips now at http://www.zfpr.com.

Now it’s your turn: I want to know if any of you have already tried to get a product into Target, what was your experience?? How did you get your product noticed? What recommendations do YOU have for other Startup Princesses who want to sell to Target?