© Scarlett De Bease & Scarlett Image, All Rights Reserved

by Laura Smith, Chief Groovy Chick, The Breakup Lounge

I'm sure you're wondering ~ what the heck is Laura thinking?  A wet burrito? Really?  Yet, you are also perhaps intrigued by the aforementioned wet burrito so let me tell you a story.

As some of you may know, I like to get out in the local community and connect with others.  One of the ways that I do this is having an exhibitor's booth at community events.  I did just that on July 26.  To set the stage, this is an outdoor event called MarketFest.  It runs from 6 to 9 p.m.  The night began gloriously.  Not a cloud in the beautiful Minnesota sky.  It was a bit windy but I was going with the flow.  Around eight o'clock, the sky began to darken a bit.  Oh, well ~ I thought to myself ~ we're almost done.  It will be okay.

Guess what?  Right after that, the weather began to change rapidly.  My husband had just arrived to visit and he had to park our vehicle six blocks away because the Fest was so busy.  The wind began to howl.  Everyone scattered.  Next, I could hear LARGE droplets of rain start to pelt my tent.  I started to chuck all my materials, tablecloths, etc. into my bins.  The tent was in danger of being blown away so we had to try to get that down as quickly as possible.  Once we had everything ready to go...you guessed it...my husband had to run/walk six blocks to get our truck so we could load everything in it.  Luckily, I had brought an umbrella.  Also, right before this little adventure began, I had ducked out to grab a burrito at one of my favorite food trucks.  I had time to kill, a storm blowing through, my burrito and an umbrella.

My choices were:  Try to find cover, surrender my burrito and shrug my shoulders in defeat

OR

pull up a chair, enjoy my burrito and let nature take its course.

I went with the latter option.  I sat quietly at my table, soaking wet, my umbrella trying its best to keep me dry, savoring every bite of my yummy food ~ with a big smile on my face.  I knew I wasn't in real danger because it wasn't an electrical storm.  It was only wind and rain and some discomfort.  I tried to make the best of it. People around me thought I was nuts ~ I'm sure of that.

Why do I share this with you?  Because I know that dealing with a divorce or breakup is a similar situation.  You feel a little scared and out of control.  Nothing's in its place anymore.  You wonder when it will end.  It's uncomfortable.  It can be dark. You can feel alone.

Carlos Castaneda, a well-known spiritual author, said, "We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same."

So I ask you:  Next time you feel scared, uncomfortable or uncertain, what will you choose?  Are you going to be lost in the dark abyss or go WITH the flow and come out on the other side feeling stronger and more confident than ever?

Since I know how amazing you are, I know you'll choose to enjoy the burrito in the rain.

Shine On!

By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk

Some of the most successful ways to grow your Facebook fan base and gain insights on your customers is by running sweepstakes and contests promotions. Contests are considered the heart of social promotions today since they are a great way to create buzz, awareness and engage followers and fans.

In order to run a promotion on Facebook though, you must follow Facebook’s Promotional Guidelines and run it through an application and not directly on your Facebook page. We have been working with a few preferred Facebook application partners that enable us to offer this service to our clients. They all include sharing via the Facebook functionality which allow participants to easily share the promotion with their friends and help spread the word for you. Most applications will give participants the option to publish that they entered the promotion on their Facebook wall so all their friends will see it and have the chance to enter too. They can also choose to invite a few of their friends to participate as well.

When we first started running promotions on Facebook we utilized an application called Wildfire which turned out to become one of the most popular. In time Wildfire added more services and changed their core services from just a Promotion Builder app, to a full social marketing suite of services. They were acquired by Google toward the end of last year and then just a month ago Wildfire announced that as of June 30 they will no longer just provide their Basic, Standard and Premium Promotions but instead only offer it as part of their full suite of services.

For those that may be looking for a new resource for Facebook promotions, especially small businesses, I highly recommend the ShortStack Facebook Application. We have been utilizing this application in place of Wildfire for the past two years and I have been extremely impressed and happy with the results. Not only do I find the application flexible and user-friendly, but their customer service is one of the best experiences I have had from a provider.

How it works is the app gets installed on the sponsor’s Facebook page as a tab page. We upload images that include graphics and copy that describe the details of the promotion. The ShortStack promotion widget allows us to set the promotion up either as a sweepstakes or a contest.  The major benefits include the following:

• Able to include both fan and non-fan data, therefore inviting non-fans to first “like” the Sponsor’s Facebook page before they can access the app.

• Ability to not have any application branding on the page

• Complete ownership of all the data collected

• Graphics can be easily added as jpeg files and additional customization using CSS is available.

• Contests may include a voting widget that enables voting in a gallery for photos, videos and essay submissions

• Entries can be viewed and downloaded at any time during the promotional period.

• Mobile devices can access the application via a “Smart” link to use in FB status updates and other online messages.

• A fairly new feature is the ability to embed the promotion as an iFrame on a website to enable entries from both locations into one database

Promotions also need to have Official Rules that should be posted in the app and accessible prior to anyone entering. We have created what we refer to as a Social Sweeps package that combines us setting up the ShortStack Facebook app along with our promotional marketing legal expertise that includes a set of official rules. This package has enabled many of our customers to get these types of social promotions up and running very quickly and cost-efficiently.

Here’s one example of a sweepstakes that we set-up and are administering for Design Within Reach that is currently running on their Facebook page. The DWR Eames Foundation Sweepstakes offers a chance to win a weekend trip to Los Angeles for winner and guest to experience an afternoon at the Eames House on Members’ Appreciation Day hosted by the Eames Foundation taking place on June 22.  This sweepstakes is open till May 30.

You can also check out these two contest promotions that we are currently running for Rail Europe on their Facebook page that both utilize the ShortStack App.

The Rail Europe Picture Perfect Contest invites participants to submit a photo they took while visiting Europe and then encourages them to share with their friends and family to gain votes. Rail Europe is selecting 5 weekly winners who will receive a t-shirt and the 3 photos at the end of the month with the most votes receive a 7-day Global Eurail pass.

The Rail Europe Culture Shock Contest has been running since late 2011 and restarts a new round every two weeks. This contest also is offering participants a chance to win a 7-day Global Eurail pass by submitting an entry that describes an interesting, awkward or inspiring European cultural experience.  Participants also have the option of uploading a photo. The submission with the most votes at the end of each round is the grand prize winner.

These promotions are great examples of how they help to reinforce the brand. If you decide to run a contest, be prepared to receive fewer entries versus just running a sweepstakes since you are asking people to do some work. The quantity will be lower, but the quality and engagement will be higher. Therefore, I usually recommend that if you are trying to build a fan base and add to your database, start with a sweepstakes. Once you've established a following, contests are a great way to engage with your fans and get them to help spread the word for you.

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like more information about running promotions on Facebook as well as the Shortstack App. If you want to try out Shortstack they do offer a free version, but of course it doesn’t include all the option that we have in our paid account.

There are so many wardrobe styling and fashion experts on TV telling you, complete strangers, what to wear that you don’t really need my advice anymore. Or, do you?

Do you know that when the wardrobe styling personalities on TV make their recommendations as to what the must haves are for the season, they typically are representing the stores that carry the merchandise they are plugging? Their job is to stimulate sales and not to make sure that you are wearing clothes which show off your best features, and hide the ones you like the least.

Just think back to whenever you might have seen the Ambush Makeover segment on the fourth hour of The Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Women anxiously wait outside for hours, hoping to be chosen for a clothes, hair and makeup makeover. They show up in sweat pants or mom jeans, and walk out with a great hair style and makeup, wobbling in high heels often wearing a cocktail dress.

Many times they cannot see how they look in the mirror until they put their eye-glasses back on, while struggling to walk in shoes that throw them off balance or possibly cause them nose bleeds due to their footwear imposed high altitudes.

Now I love the new makeup and hairstyles the Ambush Makeover candidates receive, but I am not impressed with their wardrobe makeovers. Why not style these makeover winners in clothes that they can use for their real world lives? Perhaps pants that can be dressed up or down along with shoes that are comfortable yet good looking? By the way, those type of shoes do exist and I always get a thrill out of the reaction of women when they try them on for the first time.

Recently I was watching a fashion segment on the CBS show, The Talk. I was so aghast at how most of the hosts were styled, that my daughter sneakily took a photo of me. The look of horror on my face was hysterical and gave us a great laugh, but ake a look at the video and see if you agree with me.

These  before and afters makeovers are of a few of my clients, and notice how not only do they look younger, thinner and taller but also confident, successful and professional.

© Scarlett De Bease & Scarlett Image, All Rights Reserved

by Yvonne DiVita

It's 2:00 a.m. and you're up pacing the floor, mind racing with thoughts of this, that and the other thing. You can't sleep, there's far too much going on in the business to sleep! You have orders to fill, or clients to call, or blog posts to write, or any number of other things that keep popping into your head like little soap bubbles... clinging, the way soap does, to your brain cells, preventing you from sleeping.

Does pacing help? Does braving the still, cold night... disturbing the cat despite your best efforts to be quiet... work? Are you now in control of those nagging thoughts or...are they just multiplying, even as you struggle to tame them?

Being a small business owner is hard. Yes, it is! Generally, if it's your business, you're in charge and regardless of how many employees you have, or contract workers, or even volunteers... the buck stops with you and if orders don't go out, or if they're mangled somehow, or if someone on staff has words with a client or if orders are down this month and payroll is up and... you get the drift. IF anything happens that causes angst, it's your fault, it's your responsiblity, and you'd better fix it!

When things go right - sometimes you get the credit, but generally, you need to give credit where credit is due and applaud those employees who deserve the hand. 

At any given time, that's me... above. I'm stumbling along as best I can. I remind myself of the words of a favorite song from long ago, "I never promised you a rose garden." No one ever promised me a rose garden. Not even a lawn full of dandelions, which I think is better than nothing. In reality, the world doesn't owe me anything. But, I owe... I owe myself and my staff... someone who can take charge and who is forward thinking.

To that end, I don't mind the occasional night pacing the floor. Truth is, I seldom pace. I brave the cold of the night air to come down and play on the computer. Sometimes I read blog posts I haven't had time to read. Sometimes I look at cute cat pictures (awww.... look at that one!). Sometimes I scroll through Facebook and reacquaint myself with my family. And, after a few minutes (can be 10, can be 30, seldom more than that), I'm refreshed, I feel better, and I go back to bed. To sleep.

Small businesses stumble along on a daily basis, from time to time. There is no right way to grow, and no wrong way to make progress. Your best bet is to tap into the talent at your fingertips (your own and that of your employees or whomever is in this with you). Don't be afraid to ask for advice (I have relied on my mentor, Bruce Peters, more times than I can remember!). Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know." What you don't know can inspire you to learn something new, and come back with better answers, better suggestions, better results. 

Even the best sprinter stumbles now and then. Even the most successful business person can tell you horror stories of business deals gone bad, at one time or another. Even the strongest supporter can admit moments of doubt. In the end, being human means ... stumbling right along, as you go.

The most important thing to remember is... that stumbling can force balance. It moves you forward. Even if you fall, getting back up, brushing off the dirt, prepares you for the next time... and shows the world you won't be defeated. 

Here I am, stumbling right along... at this moment. Tomorrow, I'll be sailing along, because I kept going, because I made it my job to learn something from the events that led to my stumble. 

by Laura Smith, Chief Groovy Chick, The Breakup Lounge

One of my favorite quotes is from Anais Nin.  It's about pain and the beauty held within it.  

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

You might be saying to yourself, "What? Beauty in pain? Have you lost your marbles, Laura?"

I don't blame you for thinking this way. I would have thought like this too ~ until I lived this quote.

You see, I was in an unhappy marriage. If I'm honest, I had been unhappy for years. In fact, for the majority of years.

However, I wouldn't let that in too much. It hurt. In fact, just the thought of that pain seemed overwhelming.

So I did what any good wife does and just fake-smiled and busied my way through life.

Something happened, though, that made that even more difficult. I found out about a four-years-long affair that my husband had been having.

Ouch is an understatement. Wow. That was REALLY painful.  It almost felt like every cell of my body was experiencing emotional pain ~ if that makes sense.

The months following that were some of the darkest of my life. It seemed that the rug had been pulled out from underneath me.

He wanted to "work it out."

I was frightened of the prospect of being alone ~ my daughter without her family unit intact ~ being labeled twice divorced ~ not having someone to spend national holidays with ~ you get my drift.

So we "worked on it." I soon found out that working on it meant me understanding his need to go to nightclubs on the weekends and never bringing up my feelings again.

Sounds ideal, right?

So there I was. Back to square one. Trying to manage my feelings ~ alone. Trying to shield my young daughter from the sadness and hurt I was feeling inside.

This little scenario played out for two whole years. Yuck. Seriously...ish! It was the least fun I've had in a long time ~ let me tell you.

I actually prayed to God for a sign that I should leave. I didn't know what it was but knowing myself, I knew that I could tolerate pain for much longer than I should. It wasn't a badge of honor. Just the way I was.

However, a glorious day arrived!

At 5:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning in June, I could hear the garage door open. I was accustomed to him getting home at 2 or 3 a.m. but 5:15 was way beyond my comfort level. (Really?  Looking back, why was 2 or 3 a.m. okay?)

Anyhoo, I tore down the steps and asked for an explanation. No. I DEMANDED an explanation. I also asked where his wedding ring was as I noticed it was not on his finger.

What followed was one lame excuse too many.

After he passed out, I quietly looked at his email. Not violating his privacy in this fashion was one way I was "working on" building trust. However, all bets were off.

As I began reading the email exchanges between him and his latest lady love, I understood the quote from Anais Nin.

Despite the terror, pain and intense sadness I felt in that moment, I woke him up and asked for a divorce right then and there.

And then I realized...I was finally ready to blossom.

By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk

Mother's Day is just a few days away. I personally will have a unique way of celebrating the day this year. But before I get to that, I wanted to first share this promotion we have been administering for Lane Bryant.

The Mom and Me Love LB Photo Contest kicked off back on April 22 and invited their Facebook fans to submit a photo of themselves with their mom, or with a woman who has been a mother figure to them, wearing some Lane Bryant styles.

Then starting on May 4 the contest moved into its voting phase where participants now (up until Friday) are encouraged to share their photo and invite their friends and family to like their submission. The three photos with the most likes will move on to the judges who will then determine the final winners based on the creativity, uniqueness and expression of passion in the photo.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a trip to Full Fashion Week in New York City for two including airfare, hotel accommodations and two $500 Lane Bryant Gift Cards. The first runner up will also receive two $500 Lane Bryant gift cards and the second runner up will receive two $100 Lane Bryant Gift Cards. You can view all the photos here on this Facebook tab page and vote for your favorite. There are a total of 179 photos display in the photo gallery that have been submitted to the contest.

So now for sharing my personal story regarding this year's Mother's Day. I will be spending the day attending the graduation of my youngest daughter, Alex, from the University of Buffalo. My other daughter, Kelsey, who graduated last year from New York University, will be coming up from NY to also attend. We haven't all been together since Christmas, so it will be a special day. Not only is Alex graduating with a degree in biology, but she has been accepted into vet school. This year she will start attending the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine located in St. Kitts,

We are all so very proud of her. I keep saying that we're now going to have a doctor in the family for the first time. I wish my mom was here to share this with, but I know she will be smiling down at us from heaven. This is the third Mother's Day that she is gone and it continues to be such as bittersweet day. My mom gave me, along with both my daughters, the will and determination to accomplish anything that we set our minds to. Alex, congratulations, you did it! Thanks again Mom.

You’re invited to a formal affair, and you ask yourself, pantyhose or bare legs? Some have told you that wearing pantyhose is old fashioned and not in style. But, what if you don’t feel comfortable being bare legged? Perhaps you have spots, veins, or just hate the idea of not having pantyhose on your legs.

I get that, because I often feel the same way, and have found the solution; Donna Karan
In The Nudes stockings, look and feel like you are not wearing pantyhose, yet give you all the benefits while making your legs look flawless.

Have you gotten your copy of my Free Guide:

Click here  →5 Style Tips To Instantly Make You Look younger, Thinner & Taller?

Attention ‘Likers’: If you are on Facebook, please join my fun & informative Scarlett Image page by clicking on LIKE.

© Scarlett De Bease & Scarlett Image, All Rights Reserved

by Katie Parsons

It’s Sunday which means I’m headed to the grocery store with my clipped coupons and sales ads, a strict budget in mind. I double check that I have my smartphone before I head in because I have several digital coupon codes on there too. I unbuckle my four-year-old daughter and we head in to stock our fridge and shelves for the upcoming week. We stop for a cookie and then start meticulously checking off our list as we go.

It would probably be easier to do the shopping alone but these Sunday trips are part of a bigger family plan: teaching my daughters about financial matters. The one with me today may only be a preschooler, but she understands that mommy only has so much money to spend on groceries and that she makes that money by working for it. Occasionally she is rewarded for her good behavior by picking out a non-list item that is on sale; sometimes there is simply not enough budgeted to make that happen.

I don’t remember really understanding finances as a kid. I had no idea how to balance a checkbook when I went to college or the dangers of signing up for five credit cards in exchange for free T-shirts. I always worked but had no idea how to budget my earnings. I took out student loans that I probably could’ve passed up because it seemed like free money at the time. Now eight years as a college graduate, I am still at least a decade away from paying off that giveaway money.

I don’t fault my parents for my financial deficiencies. They were both busy working to keep me and my brothers alive, fed and clothed. They also came from a time when kids were not a part of the family financial discussion. Why worry little ones with money matters?

Thankfully, times have changed. If our kids stand even a fighting chance of avoiding our financial faux pas, they need to be in the know early in life. If money really is power, our daughters need our financial guidance to excel as independent adults. Consider this:

Women still make less than men. The wage gap is closing, but women in 2013 make just 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. I wonder how much of this is outright discrimination, and how much is simply ignorance on the part of women. How many working women today were taught to research what they deserve in the way of a wage before agreeing to a position? How many learned that it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a raise when it is warranted?

Debt is rising. Despite the recent recession, people are still spending beyond their means. Mortgage debt has fallen since 2008, mainly due to foreclosures, but student loan debt has risen by $317 billion. More credit cards are in default and car repossessions also continue to rise. The bigger is better mentality that seems to haunt American culture is still alive and well. If our daughters grow up watching us buy homes, cars and electronics that we plan to “pay for later” they will have a distorted concept of living within our means.

Money doesn’t buy happiness. Wealth seems to be the ultimate goal for most Americans and a lack of it leads to dissatisfaction with life. The assumption then is that an overabundance of money will bring contentment. Instead of teaching our girls to be wealthy, we should teach them to make the most of the money they earn, avoid unnecessary debt and prioritize spending.  This is all done through teaching them ways to organize their finances.  Women who are slaves to money cannot ever be truly liberated in their career, family or love lives.

The little girls riding in our shopping carts today have the potential to lead the economy in a few decades. The financial knowledge they need to excel starts at home though.

How detailed are you when you talk to your kids about money?

(Photo Source)

Katie Parsons is a part-time writer for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes in business news affecting major markets in the U.S. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. She is also the administrator for a community blog for moms.

By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk

Last week I wrote about some new research on how moms are using their mobile devices for shopping. Here's some other new insights that find that moms are 20% more likely to use social media across all devices than the general population.

BabyCenter, with comScore, revealed this new data that states 91% of moms now use social media regularly, a 20% increase since 2010. And, 22% of moms say that if friends or family don’t participate in social media, they are not as much a part of their lives. Mike Fogarty at BabyCenter, says “... before mom clicks to buy, she’s posted, pinned, tweeted, and shared... so much a part of a her life... (she checks) social platforms... before first cup of coffee... now fundamental to... moms’... lives...”

Here's another new promotion that we're involved in that is targeted to these moms. The Huggies Little Hands, Big Plans Contest invites participants to write an essay about the big plans they have for their child. Two lucky winners a month for five months will each reach $5,000 to help them make their dream come true. This contest is sponsored by Huggies' parent company, Kimberly Clark, Corp., in conjunction with DollarGeneral.com.

We are again working with Triad Retail Media who specialize in creating and managing online media programs for major retail e-commerce websites such as Dollar General as well as Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS and Toys R Us. They create custom digital ad campaigns for a variety of national brands to help them reach their customers and engage with shoppers while they’re doing researching and making final purchasing decisions.

The entry form for this contest asks participants to provide their mobile phone number and then invites them to sign up for DG Mobile Text alerts to receive text messages about Dollar General's events and coupons. This is one initiative Dollar General is using to grow their mobile phone message list in order to reach these key customers. Last week's survey stated that SMS was the only category that a majority (52%) of moms said they used to incorporate mobile into their shopping experience.

A panel of judges will be reviewing all the contest submissions and twice a month pick the top two winners based on the following criteria: Creativity/Originality (25%); Quality of Submission (25%); and Fit to Contest Theme (50%). There are already 60 entries from the first week of the contest. It will be interesting to see the number of entries and how many new mobile text alert subscribers Dollar General gains. Contest ends September 30, 2013.

This appears to be the year that retail e-commerce marketers are definitely focused on mobile marketing, especially mobile marketing to women!