Help a Sick Child Have Fun

Why on earth have we been so quiet for so long? There's no excuse! Well, you're right about that.

We've been working on moving our blog and it has been accomplished, but we are not yet ready to move into our new home so we're hanging out here for now until we can. The thing is we have been super busy for our fantastic customers and today I felt a need to share that with you all. Some of the upcoming things you'll see or to know about:

1 - We know some of you love our Christmas cards and so do we. Well, Village Works is all about jigsaw puzzles and even though we create these cards in conjunction with Smalls Design Studio, we decided it was best to continue working with Smalls Design to create the cards, but she will be the main distributor. Have no fear! We'll still tell you when they are ready and how to get them. In time, you just won't see them on our site anymore. Think you want to get 'em while they are still available? Go here - http://www.vwepuzzles.com/greetingcards.

2 - We have been working with a new client who has an awesome fundraiser going on right now in support of Camp Firefly. Heard of it? It's very cool - http://www.campfirefly.com/. They are looking to raise funds to help this camp in their mission to give sick children and their families a place to relax and just connect. Think you want to help out? Well they are selling custom jigsaw puzzles! (Surprise, surprise) You can check it out here - www.vwepuzzles.com/campfirefly. The fundraiser ends on Nov. 15th so orders can get out in time for the holidays. It's a fantastic cause so help a child today.

3 - We're working on a new family tree puzzle. You can add up to 3 generations of family members and enjoy the puzzle with your child. Interested? Let us know so we can let you know when it's ready.

4 - Oh and remember Smalls Design Studio? Well she has calendars she designed and they are cool! Check it out! Niiiiice. Interested? You can visit her Etsy shop at any time!


5 - We're also working on a super cool art puzzle that I can't give any details on right now. But it's going to be great! More on that later.

6 - Don't forget our sale going on right now. Greeting card jigsaw puzzles are nearly 50% off until Friday and the numbers are dwindling so you want to get yours as soon as you can! Sale ends Friday, Oct 15th - http://www.vwepuzzles.com/page/397807816

7 - There are new sellers in our midst and we're always looking for more, so if you need to make extra money and think you can sell greeting card jigsaw puzzles because they are just plain fabulous, then you need to contact us! Check out the flyer:


That's it gang. We'll be talking about these thing on Twitter and on our Facebook page as well. You can always connect with us there to see new things, request special puzzles, whatever you need. And while we have also been working really hard on getting help in certain areas of our business because it's growing and we need to take people on, we will do way better about keeping you in the loop while the growing is going on. Now if you are already signed up to get our newsletters, then you'll know these things anyway, but if you aren't head on over to Facebook and click on the Get our Free e-Newsletter tab.

See you there!

Calling All Camps!

Are you running a camp? Need an end-of-camp gift or even a fundraiser? Got lots of camp photos of your child?

Have we got an offer for you.

Give us at least 1 photo to make at least 50 puzzles, and we'll do them for $25 a piece

• INCLUDING packaging
• WITH your single-color logo on the bag
• AND we'll add wording and your logo to the image as well.

Seriously, that's a lot for $25 per puzzle.

You can even give us 50 photos to make 50 puzzles. We are flexible!

11x17 puzzles are regularly priced $26.95 each. No fun pouch. That's right. You are getting A LOT more for just a little less.

Checkout the sample pouch over there. Cool, huh? Comes in 5 colors - blue, green, red, white and black.

Need more? Yeah, we offer even more discounted pricing. Contact us!

Offer lasts through Aug. 31st!

Hurry before camp - and summer - ends!

What's Going On?

A few things, my friends.

1 - Did you see the post about our Puzzler Program? It's our way of saying thank you just for being a part of our Village.

2 - Did you know there is a giveaway going on right now? You can find all sorts of freebies from some of my great business associates. Check it out while you can because the page is going down after July 9th.

3 - The blog is moving. I'm not sure when precisely, but the work is under way and we'll keep you in the loop!

In the meanwhile, go get your cool, free stuff! We'll talk soon!

A Letter to Friends, Followers, Fans and Guests

Dear Friend, Follower, Fan or Guest -

I can't tell you how much we are enjoying meeting you and talking to you on Twitter and Facebook, and via our blog too. We are honored that you chose to follow or fan or friend us. Maybe you're a guest who quietly peeps out what's going on and says not a word, just because you want to be in the loop. That's fine too! So many of you have openly supported us and bought from us and told others about us. And when we meet you, it's a thrill to learn that while many of you are mum online, you are quite vocal in person! It makes us feel good, like we aren't just speaking into a black hole.

So why the letter?

Well, if you don't already subscribe to our newsletter, then you may not have heard yet. (That's one of the perks of subscribing. You hear first!) We just wanted to let you know that we value your very presence. And to prove it, we want to give this greeting card jigsaw puzzle to the first 10 people to comment on this post telling us they want it. It says, "Best Wishes on Your Special Day!" You can write your own message on the back and it come with an envelope.
This way you get to test the product for yourself and IF YOU WANT, you can pop back online and review it for all the world to see. (Maybe you'll even subscribe to the newsletter to keep up with us? It's right over there to the right.)

*Honesty in your review is appreciated, but you know. Let's respect each other too, if you don't mind. ;-)

A Few Changes

As part of our continued effort to show you we appreciate you, we have been making a few changes. Well, maybe not changes, but it's all an extension of our growth. Many of you have been with us too long not to get perks for that. We had to think long and hard about how to do this because we want to make sure EVERYONE knows they are valued here. We also want to make sure you understand the different levels of value that we appreciate and want to give back to you for that. So just because you have taken the first step to follow us/subscribe to our newsletter and simply lend us your ear, you now graduate to a new level of relationship with us!

Congratulations, Bronze Puzzlers!

Our Twitter followers, Facebook fans, blog readers and newsletter subscribers are now instantly part of our Bronze Puzzler group. What does that mean to you? Just because you give us the time of day, we will give you something too. See? You don't have to do a thing more than you are already doing! But to find out what it is, you have to click here.

Congratulations, Silver Puzzlers!

Now some of you do more than follow us. Some of you have bought from us! We LOVE that because this is how you get the nitty gritty of what we do and when you buy, the wow factor really comes into play. You have something concrete that makes you wanna do more with it! Honest. We've had plenty of people tell us this. If you want to see some of them, just look here.

In dating terms, if following us is giving us the time of day, buying is like giving us your phone number - your REAL one - :-D - and for that we again say thanks. So what do we have for you?

Well, you too have to check it out!

Congratulations, VIP Gold Puzzlers!

Now last, but nowhere near least, are our VIPs - Very Important Puzzlers! You are a
really elite group because you decided dating us wasn't enough. You wanted a commitment, almost from the start! Wow! So you bought, and bought, and bought A LOT and/or often. You tell people about us. You support us and we KNOW it. We can FEEL it. For you? Well, I can't even say all of what we have for you because that's part of being a VIP - only YOU will find out all that you get! We can say that some of the stuff is so much fun and as we came across these items, we had to decide do we share this with the group or the elite? In some cases we decided to do smaller versions for the group. In some cases, it's part of being the elite, baby! Go see what it is!

And why are we doing this?

BECAUSE THESE PUZZLES ARE JUST TOO DARN COOL! Ramona and I love them. We have fun with every new creation we get to make for someone. Every time we find a new way to do something, we get so excited and the recent discovery of some new stuff led us to doing what we are doing right now - making sure you all know YOU ARE APPRECIATED.

So if you want that free Special Day puzzle from above, you gotta leave your comment here saying so and make sure you give me a way to contact you. Doesn't have to be email. It can be your Twitter name so I can DM you, or your Facebook profile or to REALLY make it easy, if you haven't already, subscribe to the newsletter so the mailing info can go there and then just let me know you did that. The sign-up box is near the top of the blog in the righthand rail.

Thanks for hanging out with us. Without you, we'd fall to pieces!

What You May Not Know About VWE

It's not your fault. We are a small business run by 2 busy moms and even with the fantastic help of friends and family and soon a virtual assistant, we are still a small business run by 2 busy moms. So we don't always get everything out there the way we want to. Now when we are vending and we have the chance to talk to people face to face, the info really comes out and people start to imagine all the things they can do with a jigsaw puzzle. Really, there are just so many ways to use them and, amazingly, people never tire of them.

But I digress.

Recently I've been thinking about what I know about us that YOU all may not know or realize or even remember. So I thought I'd take a moment to let you get to know us as a business and get to know our motivations.

Some simple things you probably didn't know until we posted a few of these recently on our Facebook fan page:

1 - Our puzzles were first made in Canada as we looked for ways to get quality puzzles at a great price. That was a blessing because we made a friend there who we still count as a friend today. But now, we are proud to say that our puzzles are 100% MADE IN THE USA. That means the artists are here, the dies are created here and the puzzles are cut here. And oh yeah, VWE is here too. We intend to stay homegrown.

2 - We offer free shipping for purchases over $75 (that does not include shipping and tax). No, it's not on the site yet. But it will be.

3 - We currently have over 35 different stock puzzle designs as well as over 20 frame designs for your photo puzzles. We also offer 8 different puzzle sizes in 14 different piece counts and 2 different medium - traditional and magnetic. We will be adding 2 new sizes, 3 more piece counts and a new medium soon. Now, why can't you see all these on the site? Because some sizes we can't offer in small quantity. That's why if you don't immediately see what you want, you should contact us. We can do more than we are able to say. That new medium on the horizon is something I can't share yet, but our newsletter subscribers got a hint as to what it is.

FYI, Do YOU subscribe to our newsletter? Subscribers learn everything first. I'm telling you. Jigsaw puzzles are a fun, affordable product. You will want to know what we're doing first so get on the newsletter mailing list. Back to the current list!

4 -If you are a small business owner or event planner, we have separate pricing for you. You should contact us at shop@vwepuzzles.com to get the link to it.

5 - Our very first designer was my brother who did 4 greeting card puzzle designs for us and a 5th one he did in conjunction with a friend. All those designd remain popular today.

6 - We work with 7 artists and graphic designers and you'll meet some of them in time.

7 - Our name, Village Works Enterprises, is based on the African proverb that it takes a village to not only raise a child, but to help others achieve what they want to achieve. We seek to help smaller artists get their work out via our puzzles. We aspire to have a nonprofit one day that enables us to help others looking to accomplish some great, maybe even personal artist feat like publishing a book. We also want to help people get the educations they need t make their dreams come true, in whatever form that education comes.

8 - We are 100% woman owned and Christian. That means we do not produce or reproduce anything our children cannot see. After all, children are the heart of what we do. And speaking of children...

Our Mission

Maybe you know the story. Maybe you don't. But the long and the short of it is this:

In 1999, Ramona and I went looking for jigsaw puzzles to buy for the summer literacy program that was being held at our church and for which we volunteered (we were single and childless at the time). We saw lots of puzzles with animals and Disney characters and such, but none that actually built caracter the way we wanted for the kids in our program; nothing that spoke to their culture and heritage.

Ramona went down one aisle, I went down the other and yelled over to each other that we weren't finding anything. We got to the end of the aisle and said practically simultaneously - to this day we don't know who uttered the first syllable first - "We should make them!" Our idea was born.

We were excited by the notion of creating something the program could use. We realized that we had loved puzzles as children but darn if we knew what went into making them? So we called around and looked for local manufacturers. We discovered this would not be quick and easy, nor would it be cheap to order in the quantities they wanted.

Ramona attended a business workshop to begin to learn the ins and outs of running a business. It was during our time talking about her homework that I thought we should literally start small. That was when we created our first 5 greeting card jigsaw puzzles with the help of my graphic designing brother, such as the one at the right here.

One marriage and 3 childeren later, I too took the workshop as our concept grew and we perfected our manufacturing moving from the Canadian company that first manufactured our puzzles to the American company that still manufactures them today along with a few other American companies. In 2005 Village Works Enterprises becaame a Village Works Enterprises LLC and we've been growing ever since.

We love what we do. We love doing it for individuals, school, businesses, nonprofits...any group who want too do something in a unique way. Jigsaw puzzles are a great way to preserve memories. They connect people to each other just by merely luring them to come and put the pieces together. We haven't had a customer yet who has not loved them and gotten raves from the people who received them. So if you've been thinking about them, what's stopping you from trying them out? Read what one of our recent customers had to say about the photo puzzle he had us create for his fiancee:

When I first saw the puzzle, I said, "Wow, what's that?" "How did you do that? Can I have one?... It was around Mother's Day and I thought, "what a nice gift for my daughter to give her mother." When I saw the puzzle, my daughter and I had to give it to her right away. She really loved it! Then I was in my office, staring at our first date picture and I asked Ramona if she can make a puzzle out of that picture. She took the picture, scanned it and came back to me right away with extras, showing me frames and stuff. I ordered another puzzle of that picture. When I received it, I was so excited that I had to give that puzzle to her right away too. I went to her job. When I gave it to her, she had the biggest smile. One of her co-workers was very interested, asked for the information and said that she is going to order one too. The process is quick (less than 2 weeks), service was great and the puzzle is good quality. Now I'm thinking about doing another one."

- Bryant J., Bridgeport, CT

This could be you. Contact us today and let us get started creating for you.

Now That's Dedication

Want to know what really commitement looks like? Take a look at this article I found on a news site called One India. The picture came from a different, but less interesting, article written by Richard Smith of Mirror.com.uk. Take a read:

London, May 19 (ANI): A pensioner, who found that the 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle he had been working on for 7-years could not be completed because of one missing, was elated when the maker decided to provide the part.

Jack Harris, 86, was able to fit the final piece into the huge puzzle after its manufacturer Falcon Games LTD, the puzzle's manufacturer, decided to come to his rescue by having a replacement piece sent to his home.

The puzzle is no longer made but the firm agreed to find the original design and make the one missing piece.

"I was delighted to be able to finish the puzzle at last after all. It was such a disappointment that there was one piece missing," the Telegraph quoted Harris as saying after the piece was delivered to his home in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, by courier.

"The manufacturer has been very kind in supplying the final piece and it was a joyous moment for all of us," he said.

Eve, who is married to Jack's son Trevor, said it was a "joyous" moment for the family to finally see the monster jigsaw completed.

"Jack is very proud of the finished jigsaw. He is now either going to have it framed or we'll varnish it for him and put it on the side of the house," she said.

Gray Richmond, managing director at Jumbo Games, which manufactures the Falcon range, said they had also sent Jack some new jigsaws.

"It is a real challenge to complete a 5,000 piece puzzle. It requires a great deal of dedication and is a fantastic achievement that Mr Harris has finished the jigsaw after seven years," he said.

"When we heard that one piece was missing we wanted to do all we could to help put in place the final piece of the puzzle.

"As this jigsaw is no longer produced, we had the piece individually made by our expert puzzle designers.

"We are also sending Mr Harris a load of new puzzles from the range - although at 1,000 pieces some of these are slightly smaller," he added

I love how the company was as committed to making their customer happy as he was to completing the puzzle.

And so are we. We are continuing to grow in the variety of sizes we offer. We're faster than ever before and once you get a puzzle, you'll wonder how many more ways you can use them and for whom. So check us out! www.vwepuzzles.com

And the Winner Is...

Our April Jigsaw Puzzle Memory Contest netted us some interesting memories and even an epiphany or two for us as a company. (I can't share those but you'll see evidence of them soon enough.)

So who won? Why it was...

Theresa Foran!

Want to know what she said? Here it is:

As a young teen, going on vacation with my family and meeting up with other families that we knew was always exciting at first. Then, as the second week began, the excitement would wear off a bit. And if it began to rain, teenage angst would takeover. I remember many times sitting in a common livingroom with other vacationers and joining them in a jigsaw puzzle. Soon, all my friends would come and join. We would laugh and tell funny stories and a rainy day with nothing to do would turn out to be the best memory of the vacation.

Thank you, Theresa, and everyone who played along in our first annual contest. It was so much fun reading everyone's memories and recalling our own as we did so.

If you have a jigsaw puzzle memory, we'd still love to hear it and you can put your here. Or save it for next year wen we do this again!

Five Truths About Children Who Drown

I am all over the Internet looking for interesting things to learn about for myself and others. Did you know May features National Safe Kids Week. (At the moment, I dare you figure out exactly WHEN the week is. I will let you know when I find out, though.) So this discovery led me to the Safe Kids website and all sorts of interesting stats. Children were our inspiration for starting the business so we want you and us to always be in the know when it comes to them. It's getting warm and school will be over in another month. Now is a great time to think about swimming since now you can do something about any area you are falling short in before the swim suits come out. The Safe Kids site had this to say about drowning. Read on and make sure your little people are safe this summer.

You think that it could never happen to your family, but each year more than 800 children drown. These incidents are not only preventable but predictable. Here are the five truths about children who drown and what you can do to help keep your children safe around water.

TRUTH 1 - Weak or No Supervision
Children drown quickly and silently—in a matter of seconds. Adults who were present when a child drowns were often distracted in some way, by talking on the phone, chatting with other adults around the pool, or reading.

What you can do about it:

Actively supervise your children around water, and have a phone nearby to call for help in an emergency.

When there are several adults present and children are swimming, use a Water Watcher card to designate an adult as the Water Watcher to prevent gaps in supervision.

Download the Water Watcher Card.

TRUTH 2 - No Barriers
Curious children, especially those younger than 4 years old, can easily find and fall in to bodies of water like pools, tubs and buckets. Often they are discovered too late to save.

What you can do about it:

Never leave a child alone when in or near a body of water—even if it’s less than a few inches.

For pool owners, make sure your pool has four-sided fencing and a self-closing, self-latching gate.

Hot tubs should be covered and locked when not in use.

TRUTH 3 - Weak or no CPR skills
Drowning victims who are rescued from the water need CPR immediately—before the paramedics arrive. It can prevent brain damage and be the difference between life and death.

What you can do about it:

Get certified. There are plenty of CPR classes available to meet busy schedules.

Contact your local health department, hospital or visit their Web site to locate a local American Red Cross Chapter that offers courses year-round.

TRUTH 4 - Weak or No Swimming Ability
Children from non-swimming households are eight times more likely to be at-risk of drowning. Minority children have especially low rates of swimming ability and high rates of drowning.

What you can do about it:

Enroll your child in swimming lessons. If you do not how to swim either, enroll in a parent-child learn-to-swim class.

To find swimming lessons, contact your local parks and recreation department, an aquatics center or visit the YMCA Web site to find a YMCA near you.

TRUTH 5 - Lack of Life Jacket Use
Nearly 5,000 boating accidents occur each year in open waters (lakes, rivers and oceans) and more than 700 people drown. Of those who drown, nine out of 10 are not wearing a life jacket. Also, alcohol use is involved in up to one in five reported boating fatalities.

What you can do about it:

Have your child wear a life jacket every time you go boating or are on a dock.

Avoid or moderate your alcohol consumption when boating.

If you and your family boat frequently, consider taking a boating safety class through the U.S. Coast Guard.

This information is provided by Safe Kids USA. Visit their website, http://www.safekids.org/, for more information.

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Do you run an organization that focuses on children? We can help you make it more fun and/or educational with custom jigsaw puzzles! Use pictures of your group or educational materials to create something that can be used as a takeaway to remind parents and children of all you have taught them. Create a special shape (yes, we can do shapes too!) and make a fundraiser to solicit the needed money to keep your group going. Don't be limited by your imagination. We aren't! Contact us today to do something special for your group.

For Us, It's About Others

Reaching Out to You
It has been a hectic couple of weeks because we have been looking into some great opportunities and I have been preparing for a networking conference this week - Wednesday and Thursday to be precise.

It has been more and more important that we be as accessible as possible to all of our customers and fans. So we have been showing up more on Facebook and Twitter and in your mail boxes too. We have been loving the responses and we want more! More! More! We want to know what you like. We want to know what you don't like. If you've bought from us, we want to know what you thought. If you thought about buying from us and did not, we want to know why not. Hearing from you is important to us, so please know that you can do that however you like:

Via our Facebook page
Via out Twitter page
Via the blog comments on this page
Via our website
Via email - shop@vwepuzzles.com
Via phone call - 1-866-746-7893

Reaching Out to Others
When we started Village Works, we had kids in mind even though we didn't have kids of our own at the time. It was important that we encourage children, inspire them to reach beyond what society dictates that children of color or of a certain social standing should aspire to. We want to show them different aspects of their people, thus themselves.

If you don't know our beginnings, take a read right quick. That beginning yesterday is still our focus today - and then some. We are looking deeper into schools and organizations that have the same mission to enhance a child's cultural awareness. While we will continue to create fun puzzles anyone can use for all sorts of occasions, we are looking even more to explore the mission and to have it advance to helping all sorts of people to pursue the creative purposes they are unclear how to pursue for a variety of reasons. We want to help them clear the hurdles where we can.

Encouraging, inspiring, helping - it's been our heart from the start. We're looking forward to letting you know how it goes.

Multicultural Books For Children - Expanding Your Child's World Through Reading

We are huge believers in knowing and undestanding one's own cultural. Knowing yourself is the beginning of true wisdom. When you know you and accept you, you can love you and that love can translate to the rest of the world. So we promote multi-cultural understanding and I found a little more info out there to share with you all to that effect. Enjoy.

Reading to our children is a great way to help them develop an understanding of their world. But, do we think about what we are reading to them and with them? Reading books about other cultures and races is a great way to introduce your child to their world.

Not sure how? Here are a few tips. First, select a book that includes images of people unlike your child. Why? Well, we do not live in a colorblind world, and reading books that show other races is one way to help our children respect and value people of all colors.

Second, ask your child questions. For instance, are there similarities between your child and the character in the book? Are there differences? If so, discuss the differences. Is the character's skin tone darker or lighter? If so, explain to your child that there are people of a variety of skin shades all around the world. Pull out a few Crayolas of different hues. Tell your child that he or she will encounter people of all different shades, and that it is important to appreciate and respect differences as well as celebrate similarities.

If you are reading a book that describes the lifestyle and culture of kids from other countries or even other continents, use it as an opportunity to immerse your child in this new culture. Are there certain dishes children eat in this region? Go online and print out a recipe you and your child can enjoy making together. Explain that children from the country described in the book eat meals such as this.

Most importantly, be creative. Children love new experiences, and opening a book is a great way to transport your child to a world unlike her own.

Here are a few great multicultural kids' books to get you started:

Babies (0-3)
Whose Knees are These- by Jabari Asim

Whose Toes are Those- by Jabari Asim

Ages 4-8
Abuelos- by Pat Mora

My Dad and Me- by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

My Black Me: A Beginning Book of Black Poetry- by Arnold Adoff

My Family Lives in America- by Susan Kuklin

Chato's Kitchen- by Gary Soto

Older Kids
Burn My Heart- by Beverley Naidoo

Does My Head Look Big in This? - by Randa Abdel-fattah

When My Name Was Keoko- by Linda Sue Park

Beneath My Mother's Feet- Amjed Qamar

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Harmon

Spring Break

Not for Village Works. For the kids in our lives. It's time to take a brief respite from school to sleep late, play outside at all hours of the morning, watch TV and maybe do a few things they don't normally get to do.

My son went to a skateboarding camp for the day. My daughter just found out she's going to get to play soccer. All outdoor activities, but the photo opps are priceless. And after you take those pictures, what are you going to do with them? Wouldn't they make great puzzles?

What are YOUR kids doing/going to do for spring break?

A Business Logo: The Sun in Your Customers Sky

From time to time I will have guest bloggers sharing with you all. Kristine Sheehan, of The Merry Bird Designs graciously agreed to post for me today. If you need a logo, hand-made greeting cards, or book cover art, among other things, Kristine is the one to talk to! For now, she's talking to you about your business logo. Enjoy!

Starting a new business or revitalizing an existing one is an exciting endeavor. And, there are many ways to get noticed to make a mark in the big business world online and off. An entrepreneur may start by having an extraordinary product/service to sell/offer but have no clue how to bring in the market buyers. Although I’m not a marketing expert and can’t advise you in marketing techniques, I can be of service by telling you that you should have a creative logo designed to represent your business. A properly marketed business needs a logo for customer recognition and retention of that business.

A logo in all its integrity is the “sun in your customers sky”, “the star in your customer’s galaxy” or in other words it will make your service/product get noticed and remembered.
A good designer will create a logo that is simply memorable. One view or many a creative logo will create instant recognition. Recognition and admiration is exactly what a business needs!

You may find a designer by recommendation or a search on the web. However you choose to find your designer you should know a few questions to ask her/him before you begin.

1. Does the designer work by contract? What the customer and designer expect and will ultimately receive at the end of the design job depends on the contract! Read fine print, ask about deadlines, ask about final cost, and revise where necessary. Agree, Sign off and begin!
2. How will I receive my design? File formats to ask for are .ai, pdf, eps, jpg, png. Know that you need a file that is 72dpi for online viewing and a file that is a minimum of 300dpi for printing purposes. Be sure the format you receive can be utilized in different ways. For example, can the logo design be reduced to fit on a keychain or enlarged to fit a billboard?
3. Does the designer need specific pantone colors or will you leave it up to the designer to choose them for you? Ultimately the designer should provide you with a logo design that can be converted from color to black and white. No matter what the color of the logo is, it should keep its strength and integrity for online view and in print format.

These few tips from The Merry Bird Designs should get you started with your research for a business logo design. Remember, for customer recognition and retention of your product and/or services be sure the Logo is Simply Memorable, the Logo can be converted to Black and White and the designer provided the Logo in a File Format that can be enlarged/reduced for future printing.

The sun in your customers sky is shining already!

Kristine Sheehan

TheMerryBird Designs

http://www.themerrybird.com

info@themerrybird.com

203-551-1155

Getting Back RSVPs

Planning a birthday party for your child, inviting their class and then waiting for RSVPs can be more stressful than awaiting test results. It’s like a personal round of American Idol. Will the children like your child enough to bug their parents to respond to the invite? How will it affect your child’s self-esteem if only a few come back or worse, none? I think the main thing is to make sure school is not the center of your child's social life. Church, the neighborhood, activities and of course your own family and children of friends will help make them well rounded in the social arena. But beyond that, I think this is a question for the psychologists out there. (Feel free to chime in!) My focus today is getting back those darned RSVPs!

Personally, I hate the whole process. I do it, however, for my kids. Do we invite the whole class knowing darned well we don’t want them all there? Can’t we just invite his or her friends? But if you do that, you can't send the invites in to school with them, lest someone see it and get their feelings hurt, like this Swedish parent some time back:

An eight-year-old boy has sparked an unlikely outcry in Sweden after failing to invite two of his classmates to his birthday party.

The boy's school says he has violated the children's rights and has complained to the Swedish Parliament.

The school, in Lund, southern Sweden, argues that if invitations are handed out on school premises then it must ensure there is no discrimination.

The boy's father has lodged a complaint with the parliamentary ombudsman.

He says the two children were left out because one did not invite his son to his own party and he had fallen out with the other one.

The boy handed out his birthday invitations during class-time and when the teacher spotted that two children had not received one the invitations were confiscated.

"My son has taken it pretty hard," the boy's father told the newspaper Sydsvenskan.

"No one has the right to confiscate someone's property in this way, it's like taking someone's post," he added.

A verdict on the matter is likely to be reached in September, in time for the next school year.

BBC News

Crazy.

My younger daughter, on the other hand, is still culling her little group. Problem is she is friends with EVERYONE. She’s a pied piper making friends everywhere she goes. Inviting the class isn’t far-fetched in her case, but I’m not down with paying for them all.

Still, we sent the invites and hoped we wouldn’t get them all back. We got a couple of calls instead and I prepared her the whole time for the possibility of no one showing because she has the misfortune (hate calling it that) of being born around Halloween. “We’ll have fun no matter what!” One school friend came. She still had fun.

Back to the RSVPs. I still don’t know how to get them back, at least most of them, every time. Why don’t people return them? My guess is we are living in an age of info overload and people are basically procrastinating coach potatoes. “Later” is the mantra of our society, really, so when you give them a date, they take all that time and sometimes more.

So to improve your chances, you need all possible ways to contact people – phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses if you can get them. One parent in my daughter’s class sent the invite once then a follow-up one the week of the event, which was smart because I hold on to the invites but don’t always remember to call. I’m sorry. It’s not intentional. It’s just that’s sometimes it’s hard to know if the scheduling will work or even if we’ll have money for someone else’s birthday gift that week if other stuff is going on.

So let’s start with the basics. For those who don’t know and don’t want to admit they don’t know, RSVP means Respondez S'il Vous Plait. Translation – respond please! A brief history, according to How Stuff Works:

An Italian diplomat, Conte Baldassare Castiglione, wrote the first book about proper behavior among nobility in the 16th century. Many of the practices of Western etiquette, however, came from the French court of King Louis XIV in the late 17th and early 18th c­enturies. At Versailles, his palace, Louis XIV had the rules for court behavior written on what the French referred to as "tic­kets," or "étiquette." The tickets either were signs posted at Versailles or were the invitations issued to court events with the rules of behavior printed on the back; experts give different versions of the origin. And French was the language of refinement and high society through the 19th century in the United States. Judith Martin, the author of etiquette books and a syndicated newspaper columnist known as "Miss Manners," thinks that "R.S.V.P." came about as a polite way of reminding people of something that they should already know: If you receive an invitation, you should reply.

How do you get those replies? I found a few ways you can try:

If you ask guests to RSVP by a specific date, most parents will call! For the rest, you will need to get on the phone to find out who is coming. Just because a parent hasn’t responded, don’t assume their child isn’t coming to your party! And you really do need a head count for planning purposes, because you want to have enough food and party favors for every child who attends the party.

When making the call, you can say something like “Hello, this is Maggie Jones. Will your son Kevin be able to join us for the birthday party this weekend?” To keep track of responses as you speak to the parents, print a copy of our guest list sheet and keep it near the phone.

You should also be prepared to answer a common question from other parents, which is "what gift would your child like?" Responding with "it doesn't matter" won't help the other parent, so be ready with a few ideas. You can say something like "Thank you for asking. Jack really loves Legos, dinosaurs, and books about cars."

Birthday in a Box

Here’s a nifty tip from Diane Pollitt, Party Guide at PartyMerchant.com via About.com:

Mail your invitations on a Wednesday! Why Wednesday you ask? If an invitation is mailed on Wednesday it is more likely to arrive at its destination on Friday or Saturday, this is the objective. Receiving the invitation on the weekend, instead of a weekday, will give your guest time to read and return your RSVP more promptly….Your party-goers will have just a little more time to deal with their social calendar, coordinate dates, travel, babysitters and other incidental details. It becomes a coordinated effort on your part that your guests will appreciate.

So what do you think? Why don’t people RSVP and what can a party-planning parent do about it?

REMEMBER: Mother's Day is coming and our early bird special is ending this Saturday. And if you haven't entered our Jigsaw Puzzle Memory Contest, why the heck not?! It's a free puzzle people. Who doesn't like free? Read all about it just one post down. :-D

The Contest & The Early Bird Special

The Contest
We want to hear your jigsaw puzzle memories! Everyone has them - or at least I know that is true for those of us who didn't grow up with computers and Playstations at our disposal. So tell us your jigsaw puzzle memory here in this REALLY simple form and the best one wins a FREE 11x17 Custom
Jigsaw Puzzle. You send us the image and pick the piece count - 48 or 99 pieces.

And please feel free to pass this on. The more, the merrier!

Contest ends April 30, 2010. So get your jigsaw puzzle memory entry in today!

The Special

Easter has come and gone, so you know Mother's Day is not that far behind. It's the last week to get $4 off a special puzzle bouquet for the mother in your life. These are flowers you can give that will last a lifetime! Order our standard Mother's day Bouquet or customize one of our bouquets in your own unique way.

Get an 8x10 6-piece puzzle for $15.95 (regular price - $19.95) or 30-piece puzzle for $17.95 (regular price - $21.95).

Sale ends THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 10TH, so pick 'em while you can!

Holy Day Break

It is Friday. There would normally be a business-related blog post here. But it is not just any Friday. It is Good Friday. And so we pause to remember whose we are - children of God - and why this time is so important - the gift of eternal salvation was offered to us at this time. So bask in glory of knowing that God loves you so much, He made the ultimate sacrifice. We'll see you next week.

Fundraising Through Mobile Giving Initiatives

If you didn't know it before, you now know the power of the cell phone. After the earthquake in Haiti, there were texting options all over the place making it easy for people to donate. Have you considered using this same technology for your nonprofit organization? That includes you too, local schools! Instead of selling cookies or candles, this is a method even schools can utilize. I got this info through two sources this time. One was ezine articles where I get some inspiration from time to time. Another was a Twitter friend of mine from Atlanta, Greg Cornelius, also known as @smart_beam. The first part will tell you a bit about the companies working with the big guys. Maybe small ones too, if you qualify. Greg can work with the little guys, or at least fill you in on how this can work for you. Take a read.

Mobile Donations in the US

In the US, a mobile donor can make a $5 or $10 donation per text message. The amount is determined by the non profit charitable organization, so the donor can decide whether or not to make a donation but not how much to give. Pre-paid mobile plans can also be used to make donations.

The donor sends a text message to a short code with a keyword, like any other text message. For example, for the Haiti campaign, mobile donors sent the word HAITI to 90999 and a $10 donation was automatically added to their mobile phone bill.

Once the keyword has been sent to the short code (e.g., 'HAITI' to 90999), the donor receives a message back that asks her to confirm the donation with an OK or YES response. The donor confirms the donation and the next time the donor receives their mobile bill, the $10 donation will appear on the statement. There may be other messages sent to the donor, including opt-in marketing messages, etc.

Fees for Mobile Giving
The fees related to mobile fundraising can include one-time costs for set-up, recurring monthly costs which can also include other services like text message campaigns or extra keywords, and the actual transaction costs for the mobile donations.

There are some providers who charge fees as low as $99 and allow charitable organizations to begin mobile giving campaigns almost immediately.

Depending on your mobile giving volume and contractual agreement with a provider, you could be looking at a couple of thousand dollars or more each month as a cost base for a mobile giving initiative.

Service Providers

There are a couple of different players in the mobile giving chain. Trusted third parties sit between the mobile carriers and non profit fundraising organizations. Their job is to validate your organization so the mobile carrier knows it's a true tax-exempt, non profit organization.

The trusted third party receives the donation payments from the mobile carrier and then pays the fundraising organization. Two trusted third party organizations in the U.S. are the Mobile Giving Foundation and the mGive Foundation.

The charitable fundraising organization will work directly with what's called an application service provider (ASP). ASPs provide your organization with short codes and keywords that can be used to facilitate the mobile giving initiative (e.g., text the word 'HAITI' to 90999).

They may also offer CRM, e-mail marketing, and other tools your organization can use to further connect with donors. The ASP is the primary point of contact for the non profit fundraising organization and will arrange the contract with the trusted third party.

What About Security?

The mobile donation process is fast and secure. As I said above, the amount of the mobile donation is set by the organization at either $5 or $10 and the number of charitable donations that can be made in any given month is typically capped at 5 or less. This limits the exposure and risk of the donor and the fundraising organization.

The non profit charity fundraising organization also has limited information about the donor; the only information provided to the organization is the donor's mobile phone number. Donor's can opt-out of further communications by replying to a fundraiser's message with the words STOP or NO.

Keep in mind it could take 90 days or more before your charity receives the funds from donations. Currently, donations are filtered to the fundraising organization from the mobile carriers via one of two trusted third parties: The Mobile Giving Foundation and the mGive Foundation.

Mobile giving can be a great addition to your integrated marketing campaigns. More information about setting up an account and getting started is available at the links above.

Gene De Libero helps people and companies innovate, compete and succeed. Find out more at http://www.genedelibero.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gene_De_Libero

Now here is what Greg has to say about what SMS technology can do for you smaller entities, including schools. PTA presidents! Take note!

Schools can use SMS technology for two basic purposes.

Emergency Notification - This is where the school has a database of opt-in parent subscribers who want to be able to be reached immediately if there is a school or individual emercy situation, or if there is just pertinent information that needs to communicated. The syatem can send out broadcast messages to all subscribers or individual messages based on the need.

Fund Raising - This allows the school to encourage giving to support fundraising efforts by providing the opportunity to donate $5 or $10 dollars by texting a keyword like "give" to a short code (for ex. To Donate $5 text "give" to"64842"). The amount is added to the givers mobile phone bill for a minimal fee from the carrier.

A relatively new technology is text-to-screen or text-to-pledge giving. This used best for special fundraising events like banquets or dinners. It allows attendees to text a pledge live that is displaed on a big screen at the front of the room for everyone to see. Used with visual enhancements like videos describing what the organization has done and the work they are planning to do. This has a viral effect as people see others giving they are challenged to give as well! Any amount can be pledged and there is software to help in the collection process.

For more information, email Greg at smart_beam@yahoo.com or visit his site, http://smartbeamtechnologies.ning.com/.

Happy fund raising!

Puzzled By Mother's Day? Try a Bouquet!

Does the mother in your life have a love of flowers and puzzles? Combine her interests in a puzzle bouquet! We are having an early bird special from now unntil April 10th!

Get an 8x10 6-piece puzzle for $15.95 (regular price - $19.95) or 30-piece puzzle for $17.95 (regular price - $21.95.

All puzzle bouquets are also customizable. Put your special message on the basket for a floral gift that never fades away! Check them out today!

Business Blog Post Interlude

Today I usually post something business related. Something hopefully helpful and informative. Something with a great picture. At the time of writing this I haven't picked one out yet. I hope it's a good one!

Today I take a mini timeout to let you business owners know that VWE hasn't forgotten you. If you all could see what we have planned and are working on! No, I wanted to let you know that we know businesses small and medium, and hopefully large too, want to use our puzzles to help promote their businesses and we love that. So we are working on something for you.

Not sure how long it will take, but it is something being worked on as I type so hopefully not long. In the meanwhile, we'd love to hear from those businesses who want to know when we have our little something something ready so we can contact you directly. So feel free to reply to this post or, if you're seeing this via our Facebook fan page, comment there.

It won't be long!

Wedding Insurance - Cover Your Wedding Plans

This is a new one for me. But I suppose it makes perfect sense given how much people tend to invest in these hopefully once-in-a-lifetime events. Getting married? Be sure you are covered. Read on.



Wedding insurance is as essential to your wedding planning as the dress. Consider how much you spent on your car, was it less than the sum you are about to invest in your wedding? Would you even consider not having adequate car insurance? No? Then why wouldn't you insure your wedding - when the average cost these days can fall between two and three times the cost of an average family car?

A wedding insurance policy is comparatively cheap for insurance which covers a wide range of different parts of your wedding day. Cover can be arranged that gives you reassurance about the largest disasters (cancellation) through to some parts that may give minor disruption but not devastating consequences (cars not arriving, for example).

Before deciding on the items that you need insurance cover for, and the value of cover that you will need, it will be worth investigating a couple of other sources of cover that may be available to you. If you have sufficient limits on your household insurance policy, you may find that items such as the wedding gifts, rings and wedding dress/attire are covered whilst in your home. A call to the insurance broker should be able to confirm this and/or give you a quote for the extension of cover required to the household insurance.

Items purchased or booked for your wedding and paid by credit card will often carry a level of insurance cover from the credit card provider. In these cases, a wedding insurance policy may be duplicating cover that you already have. For example, if the florist went out of business before your wedding day, your credit card supplier would most likely cover the refund of any deposit or payment made by the card.

When you have considered each of the alternative insurance options available to you, if you decide that a more comprehensive wedding insurance policy better serves your needs, start shopping for it as early as possible. Most wedding insurances offer cover on a fixed scale of fees, providing cover until 24 hours after your wedding date. The sooner you arrange insurance cover the more reassured you can be about issuing deposit payments to the various suppliers, etc., so make wedding insurance one of the priorities when you're making the planning list of items.

When assessing the level of cover you may need, take into account the various items that come together to make your wedding day:

Wedding Cars / Transport Cover

If the transport fails to show or they go out of business before your wedding day, the wedding insurance will cover a refund of your costs, enabling you to make alternative arrangements without incurring additional costs on the budget.

Wedding Rings Cover

The age-old 'joke' of the best man losing the rings - it can happen, and it's not funny! It's also possible for theft or loss of the wedding rings to happen any time up to your marriage service. Check that the amount specified in the wedding insurance policy is adequate to cover the total value of both the bride and groom's wedding rings.

Wedding Flowers Cover

If the florist goes out of business before the wedding day or doesn't arrive with the floral decorations or buttonholes on the day, although the wedding insurance won't replace these, it should cover the cost that you have outlaid to the florist supplier. It means that your last minute replacements won't be an additional cost to your special day.

Wedding Dress / Attire Cover

Accidental damage to the wedding dress ranks amongst the highest of claims made against wedding insurance policies. Imagine the loss and devastation that you would feel if a burst water pipe or fire or other unexpected event was to cause loss or damage to your beautiful gown. Most wedding insurance policies will cover the wedding dress and the outfits of the main bridal party, but where suits, etc. are to be hired, check who's responsibility it is for insurance, the supplier or the hirer (most will be the responsibility of the hirer, but some suppliers will offer their own additional insurance cover).

Wedding Caterer Cover

If the chosen caterer goes out of business or - even worse - fails to show up at your reception venue on the date, adequate wedding insurance will cover a refund of the large sum that you have paid to them, leaving you to be able to make emergency alternative arrangements without suffering the additional inconvenience of extra costs to your budget.

Wedding Reception Venue Insurance Cover

If a last-minute disaster prevented you from using the reception venue that you had booked, fire or flood for example, wedding insurance would cover the last minute alternative that you had been forced to arrange. If your chosen reception venue were to close or go out of business the wedding insurance policy would reimburse the payments you had make, allowing you to choose a different reception venue location without suffering a financial loss.

Wedding Cake Cover

The extravagant creation of your masterpiece wedding cake will be finished and then transported to the reception venue. In almost every case this is done by experienced people and it is successful, but disasters can happen! If your wedding cake isn't delivered, or anything causes it to be damaged, the wedding insurance policy will cover the cost.

Wedding Photographer and Photography Insurance Cover

A lot of things can happen surrounding your plans and wedding day that are totally beyond the couple's control; the photographer not turning up, the photographs not being able to be processed because of technical problems, etc. Adequate protection from wedding insurance will help alleviate the cost should these difficulties occur. If your photographs don't turn out, then you have the opportunity to have the bridal party and many of the guests reassembled and have them re-taken, thanks to your wisdom of having your wedding day adequately insured against such mishaps.

Wedding Present Insurance

A good wedding insurance policy will reimburse the cost/value up to a specified sum for damage to, or theft of, wedding presents. One of the higher number of claims relating to wedding insurance policies is the collapse of tables holding the gifts at the reception, or accidental damage of more delicate presents such as glass or crystal items.

Wedding Guest Liability Cover

Most wedding insurance policies give a level of liability insurance if someone is injured at your wedding. The level of cover often has an option to increase the amount should you need to do so. Some of your suppliers (marriage location, reception venue, etc.) will carry their own liability insurance, so it may be prudent to check this out before extending the level of inclusive cover.

Wedding Cancellation Cover

If the bride or groom change their mind or run for the hills, this won't be covered by wedding insurance! However, if an event beyond your control, such as the death of a close family member or illness in the family (or of the bride or groom), that causes your wedding to be canceled or postponed, then the insurance will cover a refund of your expenditure up to a stated amount. If extreme weather conditions cause cancellation due to the guests being unable to attend, or the venue being adversely affected, then the wedding insurance will apply. However, if you are unfortunate enough to have bad weather on the day it is unlikely that the insurance would cover such circumstances (you may wish to try a bookmaker!).

Marquee Cover

Most wedding insurers offer marquee cover as an optional extra. Not all weddings will need this and those using a marquee should check with the hire company if an additional level of insurance cover is needed before adding it to the policy.

The months before your wedding day can be quite stressful, while you're trying to get everything organized and perfectly timed. No one wants to think of things going wrong, but wedding insurance will give you the peace of mind that your deposits and outlay to the various suppliers are insured and will be refunded in the event that anything did go amiss in the period leading to your big day. Wedding insurance will take away some of the worries that you may have and is a good investment to make.

Article by Steve Shaw, of wedding services and information. The website http://www.weddingservices.eclectic-choice.co.uk offers advice and information on organizing and arranging your wedding insurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Shaw


Puzzles for a wedding invitation? Oh yeah. We do them. You can use a predesigned theme like this one or let us create a unique one just for you. Check it out!

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

We are growing and looking for help - blogging help. We make fun, fast and unforgettable jigsaw puzzles so YOU can make memories! We write about things related to that.

Do you write about:

• education/how we learn
• children
• family activities/events
• business marketing
• event planning
• meeting planning

Then email us at shop@vwepuzzles.com and let's talk!

I write as well so if you think I might be a good fit for you, let me know that as well. Here are some articles you can take a look at to show you what I can do.

Thanks for reading. More is on the way!

The Importance of Developing Multi-Cultural Awareness at an Early Age

One of the reasons my business partner and I started Village Works is because we saw a lacking of puzzles that taught about cultural awareness. It has taken many years, but we were able to start developing children's puzzles and we continue to work on new ones. This article begins to explain that importance we were thinking of in terms of the adoption community. In light of recent catastrpphic events in faraway lands where many children are or will be brought into the adoption system, I thought this piece was particularly interesting. Please read on.


Sara poked her head into the playroom to check in on Lilly. She saw her daughter happily playing with her Asian dolls. Like so many days, Lilly was having a tea party with her imaginary friends, complete with Asian dinnerware, cookies, and homemade place mats. She was lost in her play time and it brought a smile to the face of her mother.

Several years ago when Sara adopted Lily from China it was the happiest day of her life. As they boarded the plane for the flight back to America, she thought of all the wonderful opportunities Lilly would have in the States. Yet Sara was very mindful of how important it would be for Lilly to love and respect her birth culture. Many adoptive parents share this very important perspective. Creating a multi-cultural awareness in the home is not only important for adoptive families but for all families. There are a few simple practices that families can incorporate into their lives to increase multi-cultural appreciation and awareness.

1. Begin teaching your children about other cultures at the earliest possible age. Young minds soak up information like none other. Use some of the plentiful resources that are at hand. For example, there are many great books for children that introduce multi-cultural material. Visit your local library or head to your favorite bookstore to check them out. There are also an abundance of internet sites available for children that provide a multi-cultural experience.

2. Make sure you as a parent are aware of any cultural holidays or significant traditions from the birth country of your child. Find ways to celebrate these holidays or take part in these traditions. This will mean a lot to your child, particularly as he or she grows.

3. Keep an open dialogue and welcome questions regarding cultural practices or differences. The mind of a child is often filled with questions. Children are inquisitive by nature and need to feel free to ask questions when they do not understand what they are taking in with their senses.

4. Celebrate the differences that exist between various cultures. Sometimes the misconception exists that different equals bad. This can be particularly true for children as they often do not understand what they do not experience. By celebrating cultural differences a child can learn that different is not wrong or scary.

5. Remember that you are the primary influence for your young child. As a parent, you have an amazing opportunity and responsibility to teach your child and to shape his or her view of the world.

Sara knew that as the parent in a multi-cultural family she had the responsibility to educate her small daughter. Teaching her daughter to love and respect the culture in which she was born was so very important. Whether or not you are a multi-cultural family or whether you simply feel a responsibility to teach your children the wonderful rich heritage of the many cultures of the world, there is much you can do to celebrate the diversity of the world.

Connor R. Sullivan is very pleased with the Asian dolls he and his wife chose online. His wife loved her new Asian dinnerware she recently purchased.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connor_R_Sullivan


Part of the start of our mission to help develop a child's awareness of his or her own culture was the development of this puzzle inspired by our historical American election. With this puzzle a parent or teacher can bring up the political topic to talk about with their child. They can dicuss the basics about what it takes to be president. And they can discuss what they too can do to help bring about change in their world. This is just the start. More "Yes, I Can..." puzzles are in the works. But if you want to see something specific, just let us know.

Changed Our Minds!

We are moving back. Had to try it. Had to see if we could consolidate. We LOVE our website and it's overall functionality but they just don't have this blogging platform down yet. So we are coming back home and I doubt we'll leave any time soon. I'll be packing up the old-new blog and bringing everything back here to STAY! Please bear with us while we unpack then we'll get to work on freshening things up a bit.

And if you are reading via our Facebook page, you can feel free to comment here or there, everywhere! Thanks for your patience and your support.

10 Essential Criteria For Choosing Your Target Market

As business owners, we are always concerned about our target market. You want to be sure the customers you seek are in fact receptive to your business idea. But what I don't think we always consider is does your target market fit YOU? That's what this article made me think of. I like how it gave me a slightly different perspective. Enjoy.


A specific group of people you will focus on selling your services to is your target market. This is not to be confused with the problem you will be solving for this group.

Why choose a target market? You need to decide exactly who your audience is before you sell your services. Deciding on your target market lays a critical foundation for your business. When you get clear about who your target market is, you will:

* know where to focus your selling and marketing efforts.

* know where to focus your research efforts. You want to intimately understand your market: the problems they have and the language they speak. The greater your level of understanding the more magnetic you will become.

Your target market will determine your income and success. Choose the wrong one and you will waste a lot of time and money with very little results.

Whatever target market -TM- you choose, check to see that it meets the following 10 essential criteria:

1. Your TM has a big problem. They think about it all the time, it keeps them awake at night.

2. Your TM wants the problem solved. The impact and cost of the problem is big enough that they will act to solve it (some people have problems they are quite happy to live with!).

3. You can easily find your TM. Do they belong to associations? Are there conferences for this target market? Are there publications? Where do they hangout? If it's not easy to find your target market, it will cost you a lot of money to find them.

4. Your TM has money to spend. No point having a terrific service if your target market hasn't the money to pay for it. I know this sounds basic but it's often overlooked.

5. Your TM has a history of paying to have this problem solved. You want to focus on a target market where there is a proven track record of problems and people paying to solve them. A good sign is if your competitors are selling similar services to the target market.

6. There's enough of your TM out there to sustain a business. How many people or businesses are in your target market? Realistically how many will become your clients and what will that be worth to you? Is that enough?

7. You enjoy working with your TM. Think about what types of people are in your target market and visualize being with them day in and day out. How does that feel? Will you feel energized or drained at the end of the day? Remember, you are also in business to enjoy yourself so make sure you will enjoy working with this target market.

8. You have a passion for helping and serving this TM. Passion is an essential ingredient for selling your services.

9. You have valuable expertise and experience you can offer. Your target market will want to buy from people who are experts in their field. Think about what specific expertise and experience you can offer your target market.

10. Your TM fits with your ultimate lifestyle package. What hours do you want to work? Where do you want to work? How do you want to work? Does this fit in with your target market? Ensure that working with your target market will enable you to live the kind of life you want to live.

Once you have found your target market, the next step is to refine it even further. Decide on the profile of your ideal client. What sort of person are they? Decide on their demographics and psychographics. Demographics are the basic facts like age, gender, income, location, etc. Psychographics are their characteristics, values etc. This will enable you to focus even more.

The clearer you are about who you want to do business with, the more you will attract exactly the clientele you're looking for. You will then need your Sales Conversation skills to convert them to clients.

(c) Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation Pty Ltd. 2005

Tessa Stowe teaches coaches, service professionals and recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up now at http://www.salesconversation.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tessa_Stowe


This little beauty is a 2x2, 4-piece puzzle that just says hi. Interested? They start at $1.75 per puzzle for a minimum of 500. Check it out!

How To Host a Successful Home Business Expo

You don't have to wait for the next vending event or expo to get your business out there. You can plan your own! Get together with some other businesses - preferably ones that don't compete with you - plan an expo and get out there! Don't know how? Maybe this can give you some ideas. Enjoy!


Are you in direct sales or network marketing?

No doubt you're currently having parties, luncheons, meetings or other events to showcase your business opportunity and products.

But have you ever thought of hosting a larger event that is open to the public? If you're building your business mostly on the Internet, you may shy away from offline activities, but I hope to convince you of the many perks of hosting a Home Business Expo.

The advantages of planning a large offline event are:

You can potentially get a LOT of targeted leads for your business opportunity or product.

You will be seen as the "go-to" person in your community for work at home information.

If you work it right, you will get lots of media attention.

You're providing a service in the community that benefits people.

The believability level is higher when people are meeting you face-to-face.

I strongly urge you to include other Moms in business when you plan your event. After all, your business is not right for everyone! Inviting other work at home Moms means that you'll make a lot of new friends, expand your network, and even make some money too, which will more than cover your advertising and other associated costs.

Ok, so we've covered the "why", let's work on the "how".

Choose a Venue

I've hosted business expos in public libraries, and these are great for a couple of reasons: They're free to reserve and most people in the community will know where they're located.

The disadvantages: You may not be able to serve refreshments which may not be a big deal to you, but may make it more difficult for the Pampered Chef lady you invited to sell her product. However, this may not be a strong consideration if the event is designed more as a lead generation tool for recruiting. Hotels have nice conference rooms but often carry a hefty price tag, although in some towns you may only pay $50-$75 for the room. The advantage of booking a room in a hotel is that you'll usually be able to serve food and also post signs outside the venue. Local gyms and recreation centers are good too.

Choose a Theme

Since space is limited and you can't include everyone, it's a good idea to choose a theme for your business expo. For instance, you may want to limit your vendors to Moms in Direct Sales, or you may want to choose Homeschooling parents in business. A friend of mine hosted a Natural Moms expo, and invited women who made herbal products, midwives, yoga instructors, massage therapists and the like. Having a theme also makes your advertising efforts easier since it clarifies what your event is "all about".

Other Planning Tips

At my events, I always asked each vendor to be responsible for her own table. (Most Moms in business have one so this wasn't an imposition.) That way I wouldn't have to worry about whether the venue had enough.

Encourage your vendors to have plenty of information about their business on hand-- printouts, catalogs, business cards, etc. It's also a good idea for them to have a small door prize as a way of collecting the names and numbers of people who look at their business.

Decide how much you're going to charge vendors. I always kept my vendor fee very low, since I wasn't so much interested in making a huge profit as I was exposing my own business to the community and helping Moms get legitimate information about working from home.

I've attended events that I did not plan and was very disappointed at the turnout when I had paid a nice fee in order to participate. You don't want your vendors getting resentful. If you decide to host another Expo, you'll have a lot of people who want to take part again and even assist you if the first one is a success. So keep those things in mind when deciding how much to charge your vendors. I also strongly suggest keeping the event free to the public.

Start Advertising Early

I'm a big believer in press releases because they work! Local media will likely call you to ask questions about your event, especially if you live in a smaller town. A few tips regarding press releases:

1) Emphasize how your event will help the public. Are you going to be educating women on how to avoid work at home scams? Will there be free information and samples available? Giveaways and door prizes? Are children welcome? Etc.

2) Be sure to post your press release online (Do a Google search for "submit press release") ,as well as faxing or emailing it to local newspapers.

3) Call the newspaper first to see how they prefer to receive your release and always follow up to be sure they got it!

You may be able to advertise your business expo for free online at some of the work at home websites, as well as local interest websites. Do an Internet search for "submit event", with the name of your town in the search. That should give you quite a few places to submit your event to. You'll likely find that as a few women find out about the event, you'll have no trouble getting vendors! Especially if you keep the cost for inclusion low. In order to keep in touch with your vendors for updates and communication, consider starting an online newsletter list just for this purpose. Otherwise you'll find yourself answering phone calls and emails and saying the same things over and over.

Getting Lots of Attendees

If your press release gets picked up by a few local newspapers you'll probably have lots of people show up for your event, but it's also a good idea to diversify your advertising. Take out a small ad in a community events paper if there is one in your area (but be sure to send your press release first to see if they'll give you free advertising!). Post about your event in forums online that allow you to do so. Encourage your vendors to invite their customers (it's great if they can have some product on hand to retail, thus saving their customers shipping costs) and warm market. Post flyers at local businesses, always asking permission first (I almost never had anyone say no!). And be sure to have large, well placed signs pointing to your event, like you would if you were having a yard sale.

Well that's about it! I hope you plan a business expo that brings you tons of new customers and prospects, and establishes you as THE work at home Mom in your area!

Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4. If she can earn money online, so can you! Get her free "No Fluff" marketing tips plus free subscriber gifts at http://www.Carrielauth.com

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