Marketing your Small Business, "Don't hate Wal-Mart....."

I would like to start this blog off by saying I am in no means an expert on anything when it comes to business,,,,there has been many trial and errors a long our way but I thought I would share a few tips that have been very beneficial to our small home based business.

Vinyl Lettering, an affordable way to advertise your business!

 

 

This is new for us, but I do believe this is one of the best advertisements you can have.  Everywhere you go you are marketing.....getting your name out in the public is vital to having a successful business.  So how do you do this?  I have found Facebook to be a GREAT way to get your name out there!  We run giveaways and have had a great success.  We have over 2,000 likes now, I never dreamed our little home based business would have this many likes (the town we live in only has 1,023 population!) Do I push it, YES sometimes I do.  Are we BUSY yes we are BUT it is because I stay consistent in posting and getting our name out there.  Don't feel as if you are going to bother people, they have hit like because they like your page.  Facebook has changed their policy with how many of your fans get to see your post (it's not very many)  So more than likely not even a fourth of your fans will see your post,,,,,so post away!  It's the only way for your fans to see what you have!

 

(1900 like giveaway done at RiOak)

Tip: Make your giveaways good this way people will share, the more people who share the more people see your post!

 

Tell PEOPLE!!  Do you know everywhere I go I leave a business card?  I love those places (farm stores, restaurants etc.) that have those bulletin boards by the bathrooms....you know the ones I am talking about?  I leave them everywhere!  On a number of occasions when I am in the check out line and buying supplies (paint, brushes, fabric and so on, AND so on)  more times than I can count I have had cashiers ask about what project I am doing.  Here is what I say...Marketing one on one,,,,short and sweet.  "Oh I am sign painter, I paint custom wood signs for people, are you on facebook?"  If they say yes, I hand them a business card and tell them, "Here check us out sometime, I have a variety of projects I have done for people."  If they say no, I still hand them a business card and say, "Our pictures of most of work is on facebook BUT if you need any type of custom gift for a wedding or baby shower we enjoy creating and even do free consultations."  Then I smile load my cart and walk off.  People don't care to hear about every detail, (I was a marketing director for a very short time...BUT what I learned was you have about 30 seconds to impress someone, if you don't capture them in the first 15 seconds you have lost them...make every second count).

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE.....the customer is always right!  Keep your customer's informed.  I have to admit with everything I have going on I sometimes don't communicate the best, but I strive to make happy customers, THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT IS WORD OF MOUTH!  I had a customer call me and order a sign because someone had brought one of my signs into WalMart and they had seen it.....asked for the business card on the sign and then she called me...WOW there's those business cards again. 

 

MAKE A GOOD PRODUCT.  This will help the word of mouth.  People are willing to pay for good craftsmanship, AMERICAN made products.  Famous words of my husband, "If your going to do it, do it right."  We have improved our signs and improved our signs.  We always are looking for more ways to make a better quality sign and a sign that will last a lifetime (or at least as long as the person wants it in their home).  I love the words from customers, "It's better than I could have imagined."  I know when I have heard this statement it was a job well done.

 

 

It seems pretty simple....maybe easier said than done.

1. Let people know about you.

2. Social Media is great -Facebook, Pinterest, AND blogging.  GET OUT THERE

3. Great customer service.

4. A great product.

 

If you can do all four of these I believe you will have a successful business.  Keep in mind if you don't someone else will.  This is by no way the "Correct Formula" or everything it takes to have a great business but this is what has helped us so far.

 

 I think it is great to help promote other small home businesses but let's face it business is competitive and really it is cut throat.  You know why?  Money is involved.  I mean I seriously doubt K-Mart and Wal Mart share their ideas or "know how" with one another.  I realize this is on a big scale but I think we can learn from it.  I will leave you with a quote from one of my favorite speakers, Dave Ramsey, "Don't hate Wal-Mart, Learn from them, they are marketing geniuses."  

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed some sunshine as me and my family did today, the Vitamin D was much needed!

Are you blankety, blank, blank- kidding me?

As I sit down to write this evening, it's been one of those days where I have had to really "count my blessings."  I have tried to go back to my last post and count my blessings, but it's been hard today.  Let me walk you through my last two days.

Yesterday I woke up with a migraine at 3:30 in the morning, my throat was raw and my nose was stuffy.  I took some medicine and tried to go back to bed but my head felt as if it was going to pop off.  I called into work at 5:30 in the morning, stayed up so my kids could sleep in a little bit, got them dressed and took them to daycare (because you know the hubby had to sleep in as late as possible and he would be late if he took them).  A mom's job is never done.  I came back home and laid on the couch for a while feeling non human, my hair all over my head, coffee brewing and thinking, am I going to live?  As a wife and a mother I have this overwhelming feeling of guilt if I am at home and not working.  I feel like I have to do something, I can't relax.  Why is that?  I should not feel guilt, but I do.  I managed to get myself off of the couch, fix a cup of coffee and put on a load of clothes, fold two loads that were on the couch and put them away.  Laid back down, got up unloaded and reloaded the dish washer, laid back down.  Posted on facebook for RiOak and made a promotion and watched my likes go up...laid back down, got up swept and did another load of laundry.  Finally I ate around 1:00 and laid back down.  Then I got up and finally made my bed for the day and cleaned our bathroom.  You see how the day went?  I had a sign delivery at 5:00 so I thought I needed to make myself a little presentable, got dressed, sprayed my hair and left to do the delivery.  Stopped by the store and then picked the girls up from daycare.  Came home only to YES you guessed, cook dinner.  Dinner and then painting was it in order.  Hit the hay about 10:00 which is rare for me.  You see as a mom you are NEVER done!  No matter how bad you feel there is ALWAYS laundry and food to be fixed for everyone, I know, I know, ENJOY IT WHY YOU CAN. I feel blessed was not the feeling I was having but yes I know I am , I am blessed, enjoy this....I kept telling myself this.

Back up at 6:30am to start on laundry and the girls woke up to move their mountains at about 6:45.  Okay so I still don't feel the best but I am determined today has to be a more productive day.  I started painting on a sign, then breakfast, then clean up breakfast, then more painting.  I get everyone dressed for the day and hubby heads out to the shop.  Now the oldest is old enough to go out there with him but here I am with a sign to complete and an 18 month old....this is a task in itself.  Little miss Oaklee is into everything and her favorite is toilet paper at the moment.  I put one coat on all my letters and then go to find her.  She is sitting in my bathroom with toilet paper everywhere.  I clean it up, take her out of the bathroom, shut the door, first mess to clean up for the day.
Continue to paint on my sign as my oldest, Riley comes in (only 30 minutes after she went outside) and is hungry...because she didn't feel like eating when we had fixed pancakes for breakfast.  Sooooo up again to fix a little snack.  She loved it so much she wanted more than what I had fixed the first time, sooooo you guessed it, up again to fix more.  I told her to go and play and then I put Oaklee down for her nap.  Hubby is still out in the barn....although I am so thankful he is a hard worker,  there are times like this that I think hmmmm it would be so nice to be the man in this relationship.  I mean think about it, he left out of the house at 10:00 in the morning and has done nothing with the girls except change one diaper and put plates on the table for breakfast.  Okay Ashley don't be bitter, don't be bitter, I repeat don't be bitter.  I go back to painting for the 2nd coat of paint on my wording.  Get up unload the dish washer and reload...dishes are never done either!  Go back to the sign for the third coat then pick up the house a little.  By now it's about noon and Oaklee is back up.  Even after I have picked up the house, there are still toys scattered.  I asked Riley to pick up and she asked if she did, could we put a puzzle together...sure!  During this time, I hear the 10 syllable word, "Mooooommmmmm,"  I go to find Riley and she has dropped my eye shadow and tried to clean it up, my grout is now blue in our master bathroom...just another mess, Mess 2 cleaned up for the day.  By this point I feel like we all need some fresh air and it is 1:00.  I get the girls bundled up and we go out to the barn to find hubby cutting on boards...but what do I see only three things...WHAT????  He explains he has taken a whole stack of pallets apart as well.  Ohhh I said, just wondering as I have painted and taken care of the girls for the last three hours and still have to finish the sign and go to the store for our family Christmas tomorrow.  He just looks at me with that blank look that every husband has and goes back to cutting wood.  I leave with the girls and head back up to the house.  As Riley stomps through every single mud puddle she can find....yep a mess... I just let her do it because she thought it was a blast, I will just clean it up, what's another mess at this point? Hubby comes in shortly and opens up the puzzle for only ME to do with Riley.  I lay down on the floor and put together a floor puzzle while he relaxes on the couch and plays on his phone,,,,don't be bitter Ashley, don't be bitter...lol  Floor puzzle was complete and gorgeous I might add.  I then go back to painting.  Sign completed, or so I thought.
Riley has made 1,001 request and had at least 1 million questions to be answered today...at one point Riley even tells my hubby, moms can do everything!  I poured myself another cup of coffee and cheers it to myself!  Hubby goes back out to the barn.  No problem...I got it!!  My mom and dad come by for a little while to see the girls.  My mom says, "What happened to Oaklee's face?"  I said "Well that doesn't sound good and I have no idea."  My mom brings Oaklee down and she has blue marker all over her face....great, just another mess! Mess three (as I made riley take her boots off and we didn't have a mess, only if your counting).
I took my sign out to rough it up, put stain on it and a protective coat.  Hubby comes in and as Oaklee is fussing he scoops her up and takes her for up for another nap.  My mom and I ran to the grocery store.  He stays inside to hold the fort down!  Sure why not at this point, one kid is out at the barn with the horses and the other is taking a nap...just relax Clint, just relax buddy.  I came back from the store and we put away the groceries.  I ask for him to get me a pallet sign so I can start on it tonight, so he does do that for me.
Mom and dad sit down to play a game with Riley and I go to get my sign to take a picture and post it...no sooner did I post it a fan messages me and told me a word was misspelled....oh no!!!  Sure enough I look over and there it was the dreaded misspelled word!  This does happen, not often thank goodness, why didn't I catch that I have only painted that word 4 times today....ahhhhh.  Mommy is about to go nuts at this point.  I am having  a very difficult time finding positive right now as I can only focus on how much time it is going to take me to fix it.  My mom and dad leave and Riley wants me to sit down to play her game with her....dinner is cooking on the stove, Oaklee is screaming up stair...Hold on Riley, I will here in a minute.  "Mom will you play with me."  "Hold on Ri, I will here in a minute."  "Hey mom will you play with me..."  (Breathe Ashley, don't yell, just breathe) with a big breath and exhale, "Riley I told you I would play, let me get Oaklee's diaper changed, stir the taco meat AND then yes I will play.
Three games played and back to dinner I go....to only hear as I am putting the enchiladas together, the 10 syllable word, "Moooommmmmmmmm"  "Yes Riley,"  "I need you."  I leave the kitchen and asked where she was at, "I'm in the bathroom."  I think to myself, this is not going to be good as we have already cleaned up three messes in here already....I walk around the corner and there is the fourth BIG mess of the day.  There stood my 5 year old with poop on her hand, on my wall and all down her leg.  She has this look of panic on her face.  Breathe Ashley, Breathe.  "Riley what happened and why is there poop all over my wall?"  She said, I didn't do it.  "Oh really did the poop just jump from your butt?" I asked in the most calm mommy voice I had at the moment.  This is where the blankety, blank, blank comes in I am saying all kinds of things in my head right now!!  But trying to be patient.  I told her it was an accident but next time it happened to please call me before it got to this point....mess 4 cleaned up...back to dinner (of course after thoroughly cleaning my hands and I told her to go and wash hers after I had already wiped her down) It is a miracle at this point I haven't burnt dinner.  I am finishing dinner and she comes down with her big brown eyes and huge smile and says, "I washed my hands here smell them."  I couldn't hold it in at this point, "Riley I am not going to smell your hands after you just had poop all over them, I am cooking dinner."  She gets tears in her eyes and said,  "I washed them like you told me to."  I gently explained I appreciated her listening, there was no need to cry, I was not being mean but I am not smelling her hand"  Is this too harsh?  I just couldn't do it!  At this point Oaklee is hungry and is pulling my shirt everywhere I am sure I looked like a hula dancer gone bad by the way she was pulling me back and forth, back and forth at the stove.  She is whining, I HATE whining.  I get her some cheese for a snack, she still is whining.  At this point I am whinny too!  Clint FINALLY comes in and has two pallet boards.  I look at him and say, "Mommy is about done for the day."  I think he knew, as he went in and got plates out and checked on the dinner.  He pours me a glass of wine and I just sit on the couch.  We all ate dinner and now here I am. 

I know every woman has a day, or maybe you feel everyday is like this for you.  I wrote this to hopefully let you know, YOU ARE NOT A LONE IN FEELING LIKE YOU COULD JUST GO BLANKETY BLANK, BLANK ON ANYONE WHO MIGHT CROSS YOUR PATH ON ANY CERTAIN DAYS! 
I was very proud of myself as I have only raised my voice one time today!  My glass of wine is completed a fresh cup of coffee is in order and I think I have fixed the sign!!  Getting ready to post here in a little bit.

Hope you have had a little better day than mine but if not, I feel for you.  Just take a breath and drowned out all the noise for at least 10 minutes!! 
It has been just another day at RiOak!

Here is super easy Recipe for the Enchiladas I made tonight-Great for us busy mom's who have to clean up poop right in the middle of cooking, this recipe is bomb proof I tell ya!!

2 lbs of hamburger
1 package of taco seasoning
1 block of cream cheese
2 cans of enchilada sauce
1 bag of sharp cheddar cheese
6 large tortilla shells

Cook hamburger until complete, sprinkle with taco seasoning and then drain.
Mix enchilada mix with cream cheese, pour into cooked hamburger

In 9 x13 pan-Spray with non stick spray then you are going to layer
Rip up your tortilla shells (3 of them) in the bottom, put layer of meat and sauce mix, then layer with 1/2 bag of cheese, Repeat again.
Bake in oven at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted

I bought some new salsa (lime and garlic...very good), put that on top, with refried beans and sour cream.

You could make this more diet friendly by using ground turkey, low fat cream cheese and sour cream and 1/2 bag of fat free cheese.

Hopefully I will be better tomorrow counting my blessings, but for today I just say....Blankety, Blank Blank and goodnight!

Life Still Happens

Wow, what a day.  Do you ever have a day that you keep running and running and still have 100 things to get accomplished in like 2 hours?  Well this has been my day today.  You see after receiving 77 custom orders through RiOak Western Design for Christmas we kind of got a little bit behind on Christmas shopping for our family!  This was my day to get EVERYTHING for EVERYONE.  I have been to 4 different stores and over 60 miles to do so!  Then came home to start in on the wrapping frenzy, as I am wrapping I get a text from my mother in law that my husband's granny has passed away.  Although we are very sad, we are happy that she is in a much better place now.  She has been suffering with several health issues for the last several years and the last couple of years has not been a great quality of life.  Although this is a sad day, God took her to a much better place today and for that we are thankful.  We are planning our family Christmas still but we are also grieving a great loss today.

So with all the hustle and bustle life still happens. 

Explaining death to a 5 year old is no easy task, or so I thought.  A child's mind is so pure and innocent.  Riley is teaching me more and more each day how to be a better person.  After I picked my bundles up from daycare this evening I explained to Riley that Mamaw's (my mother in law) mom had passed away.  Riley was quiet for a brief moment and then said, "Well she is still alive, in our hearts that is.  Her spirit is with God in heaven now."  Wow!!  This came out of my 5 year's old mouth.  I couldn't believe it and for a brief moment I WAS QUIET.  I told her how proud I was of her and how smart and mature she is becoming. 

 My degree is in Gerontology (the study of aging). I deal with death on a daily basis and no it's not depressing.  I get to put a smile on someone's face during their last final days and this is rewarding to me.  The one thing in life that is inevitable is death (well I guess two things are inevitable, taxes :) I took some psychology classes in dealing with death and it is so interesting to see how everyone deals with death differently.  My husband wants nothing to do with it and this is OKAY, he wants to pay his respects and deal with it in private.  He is a manly man you know! Me on the other hand I have to be all in, tears and all.  Death is final but life still goes on for the loved ones who are left behind.  Some people turn to exercise, others turn to food, many turn to their faith and like my husband he deals with it outside somewhere by himself.  I have always wondered what he does, but that could be a whole other blog!  Whatever he does he copes with it and takes about two days and then he is back to being Clint again.  You see we all are human and deal with stresses in our lives differently.
 
I never expected my second post to be so depressing and especially around the holidays but this is what is on my mind tonight as I sit here with my coffee.    Maybe this will help you put things into perspective.  No matter how clean your house is, how many packages are under the tree, how perfect the dinner is etc.  Life still happens, to me the holidays mean family and if I get to be with my family this will be enough.  I want to laugh and visit with them because in the end family and friends is really all we have.  You can't take that special gadget with you, or the T.V, the cars, the houses.....but the love you have for your family and the love they have for you will always be in your heart.  Thanks Riley for giving mom a lesson tonight.

I am off to wrap a few more presents and CREATE a few for my family too.

Until next time, many smiles from me to you and your family.