virtualmom

I had a Fantasy Business Day Today

Today was a great day!  I put an ad on a popular email list that aired today and orders were streaming in ALL DAY!  Isn't that a fantasy for a business owner?  How fun is it to see orders just coming in, I mean I wish that everyday in the future can and will be like today.  I guess I can try to make this my goal.  I would be so loving life if everyday orders just came in!!!  

I guess this is what you would call the results of good PR and/or advertising?  I have a good product but people just need to know about my vases.  What happened today was better than having a salesman, I think.  Definitely just as powerful if not more.  

What is the lesson here--I've got to understand the lesson so I can have more days like today!!!

Restaurant.com

 Last time we went to see Livingston Leo perform, we saw an old friend who works for Restaurant.com.  He gave us his business card which you can convert into a $25 gift certificate at Restaurant.com.  Last night we used this certificate at Il Mattone, on Greenwich Street in Tribeca(next door to Wolfgang's).  Il Mattone is a local place but we had never gone there before.  We ran into some friends--i always like when that happens.  

In any case, the food was totally not exciting, it wasn't terrible but absolutely nothing to write home about.  The bill came out to about $86 for just the two of us(only one alcoholic beverage and no dessert).  We then got $25 off which made it a little more palatable.  But with SO many restaurants in the city-there is not reason to go back.  

Cash for Gold on 46th Street (Diamond District)

 
Instead of walking downtown to watch the Yankee's Ticker Tape Parade(I am a baseball fan but I don't have a particular team) I am headed to 46th Street to get some cash for some of my old gold jewelry!

Now that gold is nearly $1,100/ounce, I think my timing is right!  

Maybe I'll use the money I get to buy Hanukah gifts this year!  

****Update:  PLEASE shop the street!!! We had to go into 4 places to find out the correct price-the buyers speak in PENNYWEIGHT( 20 in each ounce).  Our end result:  Over $5,000!  Not bad for 'found' money.  Really this was old jewelry that I had no sentiment attached to.  

I have asked the buyer we used to come to In Good Company so that members can conveniently bring in their old stuff.  
 ****Sunday New York Times has yet another article about selling gold: Inside the New Global Frenzy for Gold

Kathie Lee and Hoda

So the show just opened and their desks are filled with flowers in vases--but not my vases!  I believe I just paid to get my competitors press! YIKES!  The one vase that might be mine is out of camera range...it is just to the left of Hoda!  

PR - and it's value

In July a very energetic young woman 'cold-called' me and asked to do PR for my vases.  She had seen them around and thought she could garner up some more press for them.  We signed a one month agreement for the month of August.  I mention this because this morning I am awaiting a supposed TV appearance of one of my vases on the Kathie Lee and Hoda Today show.  The appearance is scheduled for 10 a.m.  It would be great if it happens but already this month other PR opportunities were supposed to happen that haven't happened!  

Daniela approached SQUAWK BOX on CNBC about my GREEN SHOOTS in a tin product and the producer initially loved the idea to have the anchors  'grow their own green shoots' on air-but it didn't happen, then there was the AM/NY newspaper article that did not print, and there have been other missed placements.  In Daniela defense, she actually did quite well within the brief time period of a month.  She got placement for the GREEN SHOOTS in Crain's Magazine(which looked great--but only contributed to 1 sale!) She placed the RE-GIFT KIT in Greetings Magazine website, got some mentions on some blogs, and set up some things to happen in a few months.

The vases have already gotten some great placements that translated into SALES, which of course is the ultimate PR outcome for any business owner.  Word has got to get out about your products!  Getting the 'word' out is the big challenge!  PR might be as important as sales these days!  And I would have to say that I am a bit behind in learning this fact of business.  

My 10 years away from the business world means I still have catch up to do.

I left the business world and stayed home for 10 years to be with the kids.  I am just getting my feet wet again--and a lot changed in the decade that I missed.  Its clear that PR and product placement is vital now--a necessary part of any companies marketing plan.  I just have to sink my teeth into it!  In the meantime, let's hope Kathie Lee and Hoda give the vases a mention!

Google Ads-Marijuana

I have used Google Adwords for a while now.  In short, Google Adwords are the little(4 lines) text only ads you see on many sites.  I have ads that say: Giving Flowers?  Bring a vase along or something to that effect.If someone reads the ad and clicks on it, then I get a new potential customer to my site.  Unfortunately the ads have not been very successful, and Google only charges you if someone clicks on the ad and goes to your site.  I guess not many people read ads about vases.

But check this out:  Yesterday I updated my Adwords account to include a new product that I will be selling.  The product is a gag gift that mentions Marijuana.  I used marijuana as a keyword in my Adwords settings.  Sure enough within 24 hours, I have gotten over 11,000 impressions on my newest text ads.  No orders yet, but a lot of hits.  I guess it goes to show what people search for!  The mention of Marijuana will drive people to your site!

 

Green Shoots - The Product

Do you like this new product? I need a better tagline. Suggestions?

I am Back (to posting)

Been trading again this week and I get glued to the monitor while doing so. This is part of what I don't like about trading; the addictive personality part. I can get pretty wrapped up in it and I turn zombie-like. Nothing good about that. But there is something oddly appealing about it.
So that is my excuse for not posting this week. I get into a mood and I don't want to be distracted.

Dad's sense of risk and excitement

I mention my mom an awful lot on this blog, my dad not so much. But he did have an influence on me. I believe I got his sense of risktaking. You see he was a gambler (among other things) and liked living on the edge. I have a little bit of that in me. I like riding my bike dangerously on the streets of Manhattan and I like 'gambling' in the stock market. I just try to damper my enthusiasm, which is work. One of my dad's downsides was that he was not good at self control and/or willpower.
So this being said, I question: Is enjoying risk a trait that is genetic or something in our environment that affects us? I surely have it, it is in me.
I finished my first real week of daytrading. I have 'played' for years, but this week I traded daily like a mad woman, Etrade made out well with the commissions on all of my activity. On 3 of the 5 days I made a terrible inputting error and lost money. On those days I had to come back from a negative balance--it was a bummer! But I came out on the positive side for the week and quickly made a transfer into our personal account.
My point is that I enjoyed the work! I also felt some addictive qualities--that if I continue this work, I am going to have to work on controlling. Some trades I did not have to make-but I felt impulsive and I pushed the ENTER button!
Meanwhile, I read a statistic that 70% of people who daytrade are not successful! That is an awfully high number! But on the other hand, I have always considered myself a contrarian--so maybe in this particular case, I am on the good side of average!
I shall continue this adventure next week in the spirit of Big Bob!

I Guess Monday is it for GM

I am writing about GM here just because I noticed on my blog stats that the last time I wrote about GM I got a lot of readers! Who knew? So I thought I would see if GM can be a magnet again!
Today the bondholders conceded to an agreement --which was good news but unfortunately did not change the fate of GM. Apparently the company will file for bankruptcy on Monday. What happens after that? Will trading be allowed? What about all of the people who have shorted the stock? Will they have to keep paying margin interest if the stock is worth nothing--do they hold the shares until they have value?
I guess the CEOs have figured out that bankruptcy is the best or only option at this point. Maybe since this is a pre-packaged filing, the blow will be lessened. They will be able to get out of most of their bad business and operate leaner?