Tag Archives: small business

Tradeshow Bootcamp Fall 2012

Fall 2012 Stationery Tradeshow Bootcamp Speaker Erika Firm of Delphine

The speaker lineup for the Fall 2012 season of Tradeshow Bootcamp has been released and I’m so happy to let you know that once again I will be speaking at the online webinar  series.

For details visit Tradeshow Bootcamp. Heads up: there are TWO SCHOLARSHIPS UP FOR GRABS!!! This is an amazing opportunity. All submissions are confidential, so don’t be shy.

I will be discussing developing a wholesale stationery product line, developing a wholesale wedding invitation album, industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping and packaging. If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to cover as much as possible in the workshops.

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Social Media for Creatives: A NCGD Meetup Thurs. Feb 9, 2012

social media for creatives It’s time for another functional North County (San Diego) Graphic Design event! Please join us Thursday, February 8, 2012 from 5:30pm — 8pm at the Smart & Social office (inside Cedros Works at 444 S. Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach, California) for a free seminar about Social Media for Creatives.

Sondra Drahos and Sugar Jones of Smart & Social, will discuss how to use social media to help grow a creative business.

“The name Smart & Social came from the idea that we can help smart business people with their social media.” — Sugar Jones

Sondra and Sugar are professional bloggers and social media managers. They love working with local companies and connecting them with national brands. Their client list includes GM, Invisalighn, Vicks, Nintendo, Ford, Nissan, Tiny Prints and Fisher-Price.

R.s.v.p. by leaving a comment on this blog (or on the LinkedIn thread or email Kathy or I directly). To join our LinkedIn group: do a GROUPS search for “North County Graphic Designers” on LinkedIn to join (free). As always, feel free to bring a recent or i progress project to share.

Hope to see you all there. All creatives welcome. NCGD co-founded by Delphine and KMG. Logo/artwork by Kathy McGraw. This is a free event. We will probably order pizza, so bring a few dollars to chip in.

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Tradeshow Bootcamp Spring 2012

Erika Firm Speaking at Tradeshow BootcampThe speaker lineup for the Spring 2012 season of Tradeshow Bootcamp has been released and I’m so happy to let you know that I will be speaking at all three events: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the online teleconference series.

For details visit Tradeshow Bootcamp. Heads up: there are THREE SCHOLARSHIPS UP FOR GRABS!!! This is an amazing opportunity. All submissions are confidential, so don’t be shy.

I will be discussing developing a wholesale stationery product line, developing a wholesale wedding invitation album, industry standards for pricing, terms, ordering, shipping and packaging. If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to cover as much as possible in the workshops.

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week in review: february 28 – march 1, 2011

This photo is from last weekend — we woke up to a VERY unusual sight: ice! 

In case you missed it, here’s what happened on the blog last week:

• A peek at a Delphine wedding invitation in neutral and white colors … haute off the press 

• We welcomed March and announced the next North County Graphic Design meetup

• The Ritz-Carlton hotel has a wedding magazine and Delphine was featured 

• Love the dark and moody deep teal, verdigris and slate color palette from a favorite film

In studio news, Friday we signed a big contract that we’ve been working on for nearly six months. I celebrated with a giant margarita and a much needed night off from work.

Yesterday I had a mini reunion with some of my interns from last fall. I miss you, ladies! Next week I’ll post some new internship opportunities, so stay tuned. I also had a last-minute meeting with a bride, so John and I frantically cleaned up the studio (it was a disaster). The bride was visiting from out of town and had no idea she would be meeting with us, so I was especially thrilled to see that one of our invitations was pasted into her inspiration journal! Of course after these two meetings I was pooped, so I took a dinner break and went out for burgers with my boys. After our little one was tucked in, I went back to work and knocked out a pretty new logo and website design for a friend who is also a client.

The life of a small business owner is never boring or dull, and always always busy. I swear my to do list only expands, never shrinks! Hoping to get some sketching done today. I’ve been up working since 5:30 am and have gotten through about 1/4 of my list so far … I’m off to make a pot of coffee. 

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blog love: 3 blogs about blogging & business

Looking for some help with your business or your blog … or your blogging business? Check out these three  blogs by three inspiring women.

First up:  Edit and Post, by Ami Price of Elizabeth Anne Designs, covers the business and blogging. Ami has an MBA and delves into the nitty gritty with topics like “debits are not additions and credits are not subtractions.” The clean and clear look of this site is echoed in her straighforward writing style, which makes even difficult subject like accounting seem simple.

Second: Creature Comfots Guide for Better Blogging, by Ez of Creature Comforts. The name says it all. This series of informative posts is for the beginning blogger, advertiser, professional blogger, and everyone in between. Ez has also set up a forum, where readers can ask questions and interact. I highly recommend making a pot of tea, grabbing a snack, and finding a cozy seat before sitting down to this one.

Third: The fabulous Biz Ladies series, gathered by Grace of Design Sponge. This series of posts is invaluable to anyone starting out in business. In fact, whenever someone emails me for business advice I point them to this series and to the book Craft, Inc. and tell them to come back to me after studying them if they still have questions! Topics range from tips on writing a business plan, to tax info for small business, to social media tips, to how to shoot product photography. Even if you already have a successful business, the tips in this series have a lot to offer and can inspire you to grow.

Fourth (not shown): Back Stage by Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty. It’s a place to “talk shop.” Although Abby doesn’t update it very often (she is busy with a toddler and a huge business to tend, after all), the posts that do go up are thought provoking and inspire great conversations. On this blog be sure to read all the comments. It’s a great read!

Just imagine if you took one hour out of your work week every week to focus on building your business via education? I often get caught up in the daily grind of running a business: preparing quotes, updating proofs, running errands, answering emails, returning phone calls, sketching new logos … that I don’t leave time to challenge my brain, learn and grow. Today I’m taking an hour to catch up on the latest posts on these blogs.

Let me know if you recommend other blogs about the business of being creative. I’d love to hear from you.

Happy weekend, everyone!

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