Women in Business, This Ones For You in 2010!

As another year comes to a close, we make resolutions or promises to reach new goals or to renew ourselves in business. 2010 can be a great year ahead but there is only one way to make it happen.......

Open the doors to experienced business women willing to give their expertise to guide you and your business. Women Business Owners is a fantastic group of educated and empowered women willing to give away some secrets to running into success!

Check us out at www.womenbizowners.org

Join us for the 2010 WBO Annual Convention in Napa Valley, CA. Read our online magazine for more information:

www.wbomagazine.com

Wishing you a happy, healthy and successful holiday and New Year Ahead! The Merry Bird Designs, Kristine Sheehan

Pointers for Business Savings

Every business big or small has seen customers gone MIA. Due to less consumer spending business owners are forced to learn how to hold down the fort. With a few adjustments to the mother ship, the mother load can be made lighter during the economy recession.

Simple changes can make small businesses (and large ones!) save a few dollars throughout the year and relieve monthly pressures. Contact your electric service provider and take on a new one. Find a service provider that offers cheaper provision costs. One phone call and a switch in electric service provider can save you several hundred dollars per year. Let’s keep the change in your pocket…Why not? It’s easy enough!

Travel less and have online video/phone conferences more. Your business won’t
miss luggage charges or/and lost luggage hassles. By traveling less business expenses and high fees for plane and train tickets will be eliminated. And there won’t be any delays or “waiting” to get where you want to go.

Slash your ad budget and step up your internet presence. With the loss of customer spending selecting the best place to advertise to entice your customers is paramount. For print ads – popular newspapers and magazines are still key – but be choosy – take on only the most successful papers and magazines for your business. Big and small businesses alike know where their customer base is and how to reach them. By scaling back printed ads and utilizing FREE social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc. can open new doors near and far while exposing the business brand as much as possible.

Taking on a new view of your product and its worth may help sales. For example luxury product producers are now down playing their logos and focusing on the ”Quality” of their items vs. the old consumer thought “let’s purchase an item for the FUN of it ". Another way to tap into your customers thoughts is to use Amazon.com Community Reviews which tells us about consumer desires/opinions. It’s now the top source of product reviews.

If there’s a will there’s a way. Find it and keep up the good work. We need businesses to stay afloat in this economy especially if we business owners plan on winning the recession war.

Kristine Sheehan
TheMerryBird.com
“Your Stationery in Flight”

New Wedding Stationery Rules for 2010

Times are a changin’! So long white and ecru wedding papers! The stationery industry is moving forward by utilizing its staple Wedding Invitations to create a stir. Today’s brides are requesting hot colors and bold styles that reflect a personal destination.

Top stationery designer Anna Griffin clarifies that texture is hotter than ever. The Merry Bird can attest to this style as Merry Bird stippling is a texture that is unique and everlasting in black/white or bold colors. Look for jewel tones, navy for winter themes, tangerine and aqua for spring. Get the point? Stipple!

Brides will find pocket invitations are still on the forefront as each piece of Wedding Day information has its own card and a place to keep. “Tribal prints, outdoor chic, and seasonal styled” invitations are what makes today’s bride tick.

Wedding invitations are now expected to be delivered in/on the unexpected. Invitations mounted onto wine bottles or cigar boxes make a memorable statement…. the fee is, well, worth it!

Ref: Joanne Fink, Design Drive, Wedding Invitations Nov/Dec 2009

Kristine Sheehan

TheMerryBird.com

"Your Stationery in Flight"

Festive times approach!

Even though today's slower economy keeps many peoples spending at bay, local festivals are still active. I consider festivals the best place to shop and find an interesting gift!

Recently working at the Plasko Farm Festival, CT (Oct. 12th to be exact )- in my cozy tent, (of course!) the farm fresh air set the mood for pumpkin picking and corn maze walking. Many vendors set up and were eager to sell their wares to the many families that ploughed through the trail. Families seemed just as eager to take part in the 25-30 vendor event.

Smaller venues are not a bad idea when the economy holds products hostage for the season. Exposure for business is great and word of mouth - "that old fashioned grass root marketing" helps!

This season TheMerryBird was able to create an addition to its product line and display holiday tags in new wall pouches which make it easier for customers to view and choose the right tag. Two walls, soon to be three and four!

It's only $7.50 for an 8 pack of gift tags! These high quality, sturdy, gloss stock of Gift tags can be placed not only on boxed items but tied around bags of cookies, wine bottles, written with a special note can be hung as an ornament for the tree, or kept as a momento from that special gift giver. I like to let my customers know that CUSTOM images can be illustrated, created or printed exclusively for them if they wish!

As Festive Times Approach - remember to recognize that holiday spirit and love is in the air.

Let the festivities begin!

Kristine Sheehan
http://www.themerrybird.com/

Art Festival Success!

September is the perfect time of year for an Arts Festival! The sun was shining, a cool wind was blowing and people were ready for fun!

Early as 7am TheMerryBird Tent was set up and ready for business! By 10am, the hustle and bustle of people walking through the tent lined yard of the town green and the scent of sweet popcorn were floating in the air. Giggling children and creative adults that were looking for that "special" gift or momento had all vendors on their toes!

Next door to me, a fine watercolor artist had his easels up with lovely landscape art, across the way another fine artist had paintings and collage type works ready to hang. As we round the bend of the town green craft artists and music lured people to explore the magic of ART!

I'm happy to report that TheMerryBird had an exceptional day for Pet Portrait requests and notecards! 10% of Festival earnings and earnings up until Oct. 31, 2009 will be donated the JDRF - now customers know they are contributing to not only a happy feeling for themselves but to the research of Juvenile Diabetes.

With the future in mind - and business concepts in development, new images will appear on cards, holiday wrapping and tags will be on the forefront! See you next festival!

Keep in touch and fly in soon to support the JDRF!

Walk in Newburgh NY on Sept. 27, 2009 with "Christians Crusade"!

Kristine Sheehan

TheMerryBird.com

"Your Stationery in Flight"

2009 summer season flew by!

Today, business is in full swing again starting with AD design for WBO Magazine and its upcoming Convention in October 2009. Below are some recent Ad designs created by TheMerryBird. No Doubt climbing the ladder of success through WBO networking group!

Look for other Merry Bird AD design in the WBO Magazine and WBO Convention Booklet this October 2009!

Grass Root Marketing Gone Wild! (a.k.a. Social Media)

By now the words "Social Media" are in your vocabulary and you are aware of the hype and worth of it to you and your business. It truly is a wonderful thing that has happened to small businesses across the globe. Here are a few reasons why it's so powerful and why you should take part:

1: Social Media Creates a larger COMMUNITY from the roots up! It allows portals of contact all over the globe to open. These portals allow businesses (big and small) to learn from one another at a faster rate, while virtually marketing for FREE.

2: Businesses become more ACCOUNTABLE for the products and services they offer. One mistake could be deadly to a campaign or products future. Social Media forces businesses to face the music or makes them worthy of more customers - vital to the company's existence.

3: The availability of custom items are more readily available and easily attained via social media - Grass Roots Gone Wild! Artists, custom manufacturers have a greater, wider audience then ever

4: Where grass root marketing once would move a campaign slowly from location to location - businesses can market by word of mouth in virtually one day!

Check out Twitter.com, Facebook.com, Wiki, tons of smaller niche groups can be found easily via google search! Open those portals and let Grass Root Marketing Go Wild for your business today!

Kristine Sheehan

TheMerryBird.com

"Your Stationery in Flight"