EkaBlog - Site Blog for Ekaweeka the Small Business Community

Progress has been very comfortable so far. We've cultivated a modest practice where we invite a few people, a couple of them actually sign up, and one of them lists some items and/or invites other people to join. After inviting some of the more pertinent people (those who were likely to list items) and some close friends, we dipped into a slightly more distant ring of potential users and posted some messages on MySpace.

In this first wave of marketing we left a couple messages about checking out Ekaweeka in our friends comments. Thats when we were reminded to keep any marketing permission based. Something so insubstantial as a website can't be pushed. People have to want to learn more. By tickling their thoughts and interests we don't come off as spammers or obnoxious it becomes something that is out there for the taking and those that care to take a look will do so at their discretion knowing no one has pressured them to make that choice. So we purposefully went back and re-posted but with a "tell me what you think" kind of angle. This worked, and in a couple of hours several people had signed up, some in response to the posts, others as a follow up from a recommendation.

Keep the growth line of users coming in steadily, we hope to have over 100 users after New Years. At some point after the first 100 we expect there to be a steady base of activity. By then, with a whole new level of stuff for users to do including sell their items, add custom pages, send out invites, share their items, and *GASP* post a widget for their items on other sites, we expect to have a small self-sustaining and growing community.

There is a very fine balance right now, too much traffic however nice it could be would make it difficult to focus on any one area we are developing. None and we would have no feedback to give our developments direction. Steady but controlled user growth gives us manageable increments of new and different user suggestions to work from.

The new users we did get over the weekend have added a great new area of small business. Its so exciting to see the variety develop. Thanks for reading and please check back again soon!

We've just added the invite system. Not much to it, enter email addresses and a personal message, click send and away it goes. But soon we'll add a special invite system. The whole spam all your friends in a click thing just doesn't seem very effective. I know for a fact some Eka users have already sent out a mass mailing about us and I can say confidently none of the recipients signed up. That isn't to say they wont eventually, but seriously its not rocket science spamming doesn't work.

Spamming might work for a site like YouTube because all you have to do is say "I love this" in the subject line, drop in a url to your YouTube movie of the day and some people will actually take a peek. Its easy they know all they are doing is watching a 30 second clip - no commitment, no signing up. Easy.
Ekaweeka intends to create functionality for a similar content sharing method. For now though there is the basic invite. And those who genuinely recommend the site to others - others who will take that persons advice seriously are likely to come see what all the fuss is about.

There is much going on here for Ekaweeka on many fronts. We've raised a nice amount of attention from around the world, our family of shops and services have grown with the addition of wood workers, soap makers, screenplay writers and more. We have snagged a couple folks from the UK and Australia which is so exciting.

Can I take a second to digress though? Cause we just got back to Hollywood on the 30th and compared to the chilly air and gray mornings in Nor Cal, I am loving LA!!! It is 70 degrees fahrenheit which feels like 85 in the direct sunlight. Lets see here.. its 52 in Palo Alto (Bay Area), 40 in Chicago, 45 in London, 46 in New York, and 42 in Moscow....hmmm why did I ever grow up with a such a bad idea of LA? The question boggles my mind.

Anyhow back to Eka news, how about this, we fixed the image deletion on the edit item page YAY!!!!!

Alright already there is work to be done!

As the user database grows all the accessory behaviors of businesses looking for business are beginning to appear. Finding business is tricky and except for a small fraction of business owners, most of us have to put a great deal of effort into getting this half of the system going. The sucky part of marketing is so many get it wrong and when they get it wrong - it's sooooo wrong. Think of all the upper-case-super-punctuated posts on Craigslist that somehow beat the system and repost many times per day (bastards! - they ruined CL). Or better yet email spam. Well targeted marketing works but when it isn't well targeted it is not welcome and negative word of mouth is sure to ensue.

I pray we don't have to start working in spam and abuse filters before we get to 1,000 users but unfortunately we must assume it's a possibility for safety purposes. In the meantime - for all those reading this, take a moment to think about what you are doing to get attention and exposure. Doing it wrong can really make life difficult so start working on doing it right! In my own experiences there are two types of marketing I have gotten results from. (1) With Dog Walker NYC and the other (2) with Ekaweeka. Each was different and was a result of failing at other attempts.

I can already tell this is going to become a lengthy discussion so I'll break it up into a series of posts (which is also great cause I'll have something to write about for the next few days). So tomorrow I'll get into figuring out what kind of marketing will help you find your customers best, and eventually we'll get into what is acceptable and what is not. In the meantime take a moment to consider what you offer and who needs it (by need I mean literally cannot live without it). If no one needs your product as is the case for many of the members on Ekaweeka, just take some notes about who your customers have been. If you don't have any customers yet, think about businesses similar to yours and who their customers are. Knowing your customer is everything.

Check back tomorrow for more juicy posts on the amazing world of marketing. And if you're already going nuts wanting to hear more check out these books:

Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force (Hardcover)
by Ben McConnell, Jackie Huba, Guy Kawasaki

The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing (Paperback)
by Emanuel Rosen

They will rock your world and bring you much closer to having a successful marketing strategy that will in turn make your business more successful - and... well you get point.

In my last post I began a discussion on the means of a small business to market itself. To recap: the post was started to point out how some businesses choose to market themselves, what was working versus what wasn't and the results of each. At the end of that post I noted that all businesses should know who their customers are, this is where we will pick up. Continuing down this topic I'll discuss how Dog Walker NYC got its start with a simple and successful marketing campaign.

For Dog Walker NYC I started by thinking about what I would need to see if I was a pet owner seeking pet services. I personally would want to know how much the cost was, how and where my dog would be walked, and I would want to get a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness from the service provider. Next I asked myself where I would first think to find such a service. I knew people would go to their local community bulletin board (which was Craigslist in this case) to look for someone nearby they could trust.

To look trustworthy I created a nice professional looking website for Dog Walker NYC. Then I started posting on Craigslist (CL) in the household services section. I made a point to keep the posts short and concise. I noted our most inexpensive price (bait and switch unfortunately DOES work - I fall for it constantly), and I listed our website address where they could get more information. By appearing to meet their price target and NOT looking unprofessional I felt most people would see a business they would potentially use and so they would be willing to explore our website for more information. Once we got them on our website they were ours plain an simple. Because at that point we had steered them away from our competitors' listing's to our website which looked professional, had all sorts of attractive graphics, had useful information, and tons of ways for them to contact us from webpage forms to our email address or phone number. Once they were on the website they were able to make educated judgments about what the company was and whether or not we were right for them.

I knew they would want to know: (a) how much we charged, (b) if we walked 1 or many dogs at a time, (c) what our policies and measures for safety were, and (d) what neighborhoods we served. By separating all that info into separate pages, the site was kept tidy and I was filtering out dozens of unnecessary phone calls from customers that wouldn't be a good match for us. At this point my customer had found me willingly (important) seeking my business and all I had to do was not screw it up. Notice that last point - they came to us, not the other way around, being able to have them find you is enormous - that is permission based marketing which we'll continue to discuss as this series unrolls.

So without getting into what comes after your potential customer has contacted you (i.e. how to not screw it up), lets recap:

Onward we go with this wonderful topic of marketing! In the last post I discussed marketing for service companies. I described how I identified who my customer was for Dog Walker NYC, where I could be found by them, how to get them over to my website (away from competition) and how to get them to contact me for more info.

Unfortunately it isn't always so easy if you're selling a product no one needs. I should really put some time into describing what I mean by "need" - I'll have to create a post specifically on its nature. As one of my professors at Berklee College of Music put it: "people need food to live, people do not need music to live". Some may disagree with his point but hopefully you get the idea. Consumers are not going to buy your art, hand bag, blanket etc. because they have to have it to keep living.

People do however look for things they love. Maybe it enriches their life, maybe they feel like it says something about who they are. Either way, you as the producer/distributor/creator or your product should put some time into figuring out who is most likely to relate to your product. Other people with a less direct interest could be turned on to it down the road if it crosses over into a mainstream trend, but in the beginning most products are only important to a handful of people.

Ekaweeka may not be the best example of a product in need of marketing. Ekaweeka is mostly a service, but as far as getting people interested, it has been much more along the lines of that product which only serves a handful of people. Since Ekaweeka only serves certain people, and since it is in a highly competitive market, we have to be very aware of who we serve and only focus our efforts on communicating with that audience. So hopefully you know who your product/business serves best and with that in mind, how exactly can you get their attention. The biggest problem with this kind of marketing - that is - marketing to people who don't NEED your product is many companies often tell you to use/try it. Some people might be amenable but most don't like to be told what to do especially if you stand to make a profit from their cooperation. This is where permission based marketing comes into play. People do like to take a swing at stuff especially if they have some kind of interest in it to begin with, but it has to be on their terms.

I need to wrap this up before it feels more like a novella then a blog post, so this will be continued in part 2.b, but get your marketing campaign into brainstorm phase. Know who is most likely to be interested in your product. Then figure out how you can ask them to try it out. If you get their permission they will be much more likely to want to give it a shot - especially if you have asked for some feedback, people love to share their opinion. And the best part about getting feedback is - they will see you are interested in making the product better for them and your product will be loved more when it has been cultivated by the very people it is for.

We got a suggestion from one of the gang yesterday. The user noted that many new members have been loading personal photos of themselves where a business photo would have been more appropriate. At first I defended the decision to use a personal photo for their profiles but the more I looked into it the more I agreed. Using a personal photo while not wrong gives potential customers and other peers the wrong idea about your business. Having a profile photo for your business (even if you consider yourself a person who runs a business) gives people an idea about what you do, what your style is. By loading a personal photo people see who is running the business but the relevance drops a little. Even if you don't have a logo for your business, displaying a photo that relates to your business such as dogs for a dog walker, or an art gallery for a painter - gives people a visual idea of what you do. Don't forget we're in a short attention span culture, some people may not even get around to reading your profile type. If they don't read what you do, they may just look at your picture and move on to the next.

We've got a surprise for someone today... Jeff, Tiffany and I have been looking for ways to jump start some business for our dear friends Briana and Emma. They both make loads of great crafts such as dresses, hand bags, blankets, pillows, greeting cards etc. but when it comes to getting their stuff in the shops things get a little complicated. E & B both have no problem making their precious crafts but they get a little stage fright with just the thought of asking someone to put it in their shop's display window.
I have to sympathize - sometimes making that last step after doing all the work can be the most difficult part. It reminds me of trying to talk to girls when I was in grade school. All the fear of rejection would start to well up inside my belly and I couldn't raise the courage to go and talk to one of them. The irony of it all is that the more rejections you get the easier it is to speak to people about these things. So in a way the very first time you ask a shop owner to consider selling something you made is the most difficult. Each time after becomes easier and easier until you're a pro.
In the past I've offered and nearly followed through in taking Bri's stuff to the local boutiques to see if they would sell them but other silly things got in the way. So after going over it with Jeff and Tiff on Saturday - we've decided it will be our little surprise for her birthday - hopefully by the time she gets home today her items will already be on display in some amazing boutiques in Santa Monica!
I'll make sure to follow up for all the small business readers in the Ekaweeka community. If we can get their stuff on these stores there is no reason why anybody else wouldn't be able to.

Is there a local newspaper, weekly, or other journal in your neighborhood that might be interested in writing a story about the small business community on Ekaweeka? If so let us know, part of our job is to keep a fresh stream of people coming to the site. Doing so helps spread the word about the gold-mine of small businesses on Ekaweeka. If you do know of a local publication, send us the title and any other info that might help us contact the editor/writer for that beat. Got other ideas? Send us an email: info (at) ekaweeka.com.

Ellery has had to explain to a few people that the single greatest influence on the ability to come up with and develop Ekaweeka, was my unemployability. Meaning by refusing to take a regular job I was forced to come up with my own businesses to make a living. I could probably get a job... but the idea is I haven't gotten a job from my resume - EVER. I could probably have more luck with this area in my life but I think it just happens that I cannot wipe off the look on my face / tone in my cover letters that silently hints "I don't want to work 40 hours a week for anyone else".
I still need to get work from time to time either in the form of a short term gig or business for one of my small businesses. I believe I owe all my success in obtaining those fruits to my friends. The people I've met casually, via other friends, via the internet etc. And so once again I cannot stress enough the importance of networking. Sooooooo many people I know that are starting their own business hate the idea of "networking" but what they don't realize is networking isn't just going to some aweful lounge and paying $10 per drink to socialize with people you would never speak to otherwise. Networking is gettting off your ass and going out there to do something - anything! This volunteering thing I just did last weekend was totally for the environment and piece of mind, however I met at least 8 people doing things that were relevant to my green consulting business. Now that we've met if I hear of an opportunity for one of them to do work - I'm going to tell them and that goes both ways. And that's just it, by meeting new people, finding out what they do, and telling them what you do - you are not only learning, you are expanding your potential client list and list of resources which will eventually come back and pay you a visit in the future (you never know how - the universe is magical and works in mysterious ways).
Think of it as building new synopsis in your brain.. you know those little bridges that are made between one part of your brain and another everytime you learn something new. The more you learn the more you know and can do. So in the same model - by meeting new people the more people you know and know you - and the more possibility there is for someone to find you and your business.

And that is how I have found all my work going back to my very first job at Round Table Pizza - which my friend Rachel told me about. So start right now, go to lunch with some friends encourage them to bring their friends. Or organize a small get together and have your guests bring someone from work. Make it fun - let the universe expose all the possibilties you were locking out before!

As we look for more places to reach out to other small business communities we've discovered a number of artist communities. Many of them like the San Juan Artist Community are dedicated to artists in a city or town, some like Passion 4 Art which bring together visual artists - are for a specific retreat or craft.
How great would it be if we could form an alliance with these communities - to connect the networks (or dots)! After-all we probably are already connected just not in any obvious way. If you are familiar with any other communities for small businesses, artists, crafts or anything else - let us know we'll be happy to introduce ourselves!

Are you going to have a booth at a local Festival Street Fair or Art/Craft Convention? Ekaweeka is not only looking to participate in upcoming small business events we want to help you get involved in them. We are looking to sponsor your booth to help you get that space and get your business bumping. Send an email to sponsormybusiness@ekaweeka.com, include what the event is along with where and when. Tell us how you will be participating. Qualified applicants in addition to receive financial support will be featured in upcoming print ads and will get featured in our Awesome Ekaster spotlights!

Kerry Miller - staff writer for Business Week, just wrote a great piece on the dos and don'ts of social conduct online. Her points outline the mistakes many people and businesses make when marketing with social networks. Online just like in the real world she says "is all about giving, not taking". Sometimes online users overlook that they are still interacting in a person to person format, I found a few points extremely relevent like these points below:
"Showing up in flip-flops at a white-tie event is no way to make a good impression."
"Collecting a thick stack of business cards may make you feel important, but it's not a very good way to glean useful contacts."
and "Establishing a new connection doesn't end when the party's over".

I'll disclose right now that it's an article about conduct on Myspace but I think it's fair to say these lessons apply elsewhere.

As we cruise the events, festivals, shops, and private studios of Ekaweeka users we're always taking pictures and working to show everyone what those folks are doing. We are also hoping to get them some exposure. Naturally many of these businesses/artists/people are doing something original, something they don't want to be copied for fear that their ideas will be taken leaving their potential businesses in the dust.

Copyright can sometimes be the only way to protect an original idea and if you haven't filed a copyright for some of your original work now would be a good time to start thinking about it. Copyright is often overused though, we've seen artists and craft makers claim that their work is copyrighted and they told us they didn't want pictures taken of those creations. This is a perfect example of how your protection can be your enemy, if you have thought about this or even have the same feelings on protecting your work, don't take our word for it but do give it consideration.

Some things to think about:
How easy is it to copy your ideas? If it is that easy, you may not have something so original...
Even if a picture is used to keep a visual of your creation... is that likely to steal all possibility of selling your own?
On the contrary, it could perhaps get you more business as other people discover what you are doing.
We would suggest not preventing pictures to be taken as chances are - they will only increase knowledge about your work but they could produce more buyers. This is just the tip of the iceberg but think long and hard about it before saying "No!" to anyone out there that wants to remember your work. After all if you do tell them it isn't ok, you can count on one thing from those people; they will probably bother speaking to you or about you again except possibly in negative retrospect.

As a final thought think about how much other art influences your art. If someone does try to use your ideas, they are not going to make exactly what you make (not without becoming you at any rate), instead your influence will live on in other work. Isn't that what it is all about?

As small business owners, we are familiar with the term “one person operation”. So for my first feature as your resident fashion glutton, I wanted to introduce you to an amazing designer, and even more amazing business woman who is not only the sole creator of her jewelry, but also the marketing, sales and PR department in one. Meet Peggy Li.

Peggy, of Peggy Li Creations, is a San Francisco based designer that has been designing and creating her own line for six years. Like a lot of jewelry designers and crafty folk, she started by making pieces for herself and people stopped her in the streets to ask where she had gotten the pieces.

Peggy Li jewelry is clean, modern and effortlessly stylish. She uses materials such as natural gemstones, sterling silver and gold. Her motifs range from nature inspired leaves and birds to futuristic orbs.

The most impressive part of Peggy’s small business is the media attention she has been able to obtain through her own perseverance and hard work. Find out how she did it.

EkaWeeka: Your jewelry line is all over the place! What have you done to promote your line?

Peggy Li: I have contacted the press and gotten into magazines such as Oprah and Lucky. I work with Hollywood costume designers on a regular basis and provide jewelry for shows like Grey's Anatomy and movies such as the upcoming Superbad.

EW: The hardest part is getting your product to the right person. How did you get in touch with the right people in the media?

PL: I was a big fan of Buffy and thought my jewelry style would match the show. I had met the costume designer when I did an interview with her when working as a reporter and sent in samples to the show! I got lucky, not everyone will be as generous as she was, nor should you really send samples directly to folks. But by working with Buffy, I've been contacted by other stylists for other projects.

EW: When you first approached the media, did you have formal pitches and press kits and all the PR stuff?

PL: I created a pitch letter and made sure I got the right names and picked a show that fit my style. I followed up with a phone call. I didn't hear back from the majority of shows; this is why you don't really want to send in samples. The same goes for magazines. Create a press kit, know the publication and give them a reason to use your work. It's like preparing for a job interview with you and your product as the pitch.

EW: Are you still doing your own PR and marketing?

PL: Yes. Except for occasional web design needs, I do everything myself. This route is not for everyone. My business is still a very small one.

EW: What advice can you give to other indie designers and small business owners?

PL: Know your product, know your industry, have a clear vision about what your business is about.

EW: If you weren't designing jewelry, what would you be doing?

PL: I'd be on a beach in Hawaii!

In what could be the beginning of something great, Love Briana will be setting up a booth at the Melrose Trading Post in West Hollywood this weekend. The trading post is a weekly flea market. For the longest time I thought flea markets only carried used furniture and random garage sale type stuff. The more I attend them however, the more I see how much opportunity there is for small businesses to test out their products and make out with some considerable sales.
For those who are just getting started the former might be a great reason on it's own. At a much smaller fee then say Art Fairs and Street Festivals you can set up a table and see who takes a liking to your products and you can get a feel for how your items should be priced.

Vendors at most flea markets now have: clothing & fashion accessories, fine art, crafts, wood work, jewelry, photography and other items that are very common on Ekaweeka. We're going to make a day of it this Sunday - I'll be joining Briana for this flea market (there is a waiting list so we have a small chance of not getting in), assuming all goes as planned anyone in the area should feel free to join us. We'll be broadcasting blog updates from the booth with our insider angle on this possibly super hotbed opportunity for all EkaUsers out there :D

Make It Mine magazine, is a new publication from Kalmbach Publishing Co. It shows readers how to spice up their clothes, accessories, and home.

Think embroidery, sewing, painting, stamping, decoupage, computer techniques, polymer clay and pretty much anything else that’s fun and creative.

The magazine is looking to cater to readers that are looking for quick and easy ways to turn nothing special into something spectacular by embellishing, altering, or making something simple from scratch. They are looking for how-tos with step-by-step instructions and photos to help readers along the way.

Make It Mine is looking for submissions for their gallery as well. The Idea Galleries will feature pieces from creative types like you. There will be several Galleries in each issue; each will have a theme and vary in length from 4 to 6 pages. The submission deadline is really tight for this first issue, so get your ideas to them quick!

Themes for the Winter 2007 galleries are:

• Update your skirts (featuring 9-12 skirts)

• Ribbon work (featuring 6-8 items)

• Personalized gift ideas for the holidays (featuring 9-12 items)

• The latest trend: Aprons (featuring 7-9 aprons)

• Recycled jewelry (featuring 9-12 items)
**Alexis! The fork ring would be awesome for this.

Here’s the kicker though-the deadline is July 18! So you will have to move fast.

With a limited number of slots, competition will be fierce, so send your photos ASAP. With deadlines this tight, you should be submitting photos of finished work, not ideas or sketches this time, but the editor assured me she would let me know of the deadlines way ahead of time for future issues.

Once they’ve picked the final items, they will contact you with specifics on how to get your pieces to their offices by July 26 and what they need next.

They also request the rights to publish, in the magazine and on the Web site, a photograph of your work with a brief description of how you made it. They retain all rights to the photograph. If your work is selected, you will receive a $25 stipend. They will also send you a copy of the magazine. This is a great way to promote your work and be part of the premier issue of this exciting publication.

Ready to submit?
E-mail a photo of the piece in a jpg or tiff file (these don't need to be professional shots) along with the information below to editor@makeitminemag.com:

• Name, address, phone (daytime number preferred), e-mail

• A brief bio

• The gallery theme you're submitting –put this in the subject line of your email

• A brief description of the techniques and materials you used to make the piece

You can submit more than one piece for each gallery, but if you're submitting ideas for more than one gallery, please send separate e-mails for each (and put the theme in the subject line).

Deadline for submissions: July 18, 2007

If you are submitting through the mail, include a jpg or tiff of your work on a CD and send it to:

Make It Mine magazine
Kalmbach Publishing Co.
PO Box 1612
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612