What do you think of Google+ ?

http://www.google.com

Have you ever used Google+ for your business? What do you think?

Special Offer for Leap Day!

As a special offer to celebrate Leap Day, receive a free pair of EWI hand crafted earrings with every online order today only!

Shop EWI Today!

(earrings may differ from those pictured above)

Item of the Week: Purple and Silver Convertible Hair Clip/Brooch Rosettes

Read more to receive a special discount!

TIFFANY CARTER
Tiffany Carter, a fall 2011 graduate of EWI’s Entrepreneur Training for Success Program co-owns the “Thinking in Cups” boutique, an accessory and beauty care company dedicated to whimsy and fun. Each piece is handcrafted and has a story of its own! Tiffany’s line of beautiful handcrafted hair accessories is called Vesica’s Splendor.

Tiffany co-owns “Thinking in Cups” with Breann Whitcomb, another graduate of EWI’s ETS program. Tiffany stated: “At EWI, I was not only asked to learn to perform the technical tasks such as business planning, budgeting, marketing, etc., but I was asked to face my personal fears in order to grow and excel as a woman and a business owner. My most prized possession that I walk away with is a newly found confidence that I can carry with me in all areas of my life.” In less than three months, Tiffany and Bre developed a strong product line, a solid business plan, an online shop and marketing materials to promote their business. They are now networking with boutique owners, sell their work through EWI’s events and continue to work with EWI’s staff and mentors to develop effective marketing strategies.

Visit our online store and enter the code: THISWEEKEWI in the coupon box when checking out to receive 15% off your entire purchase.

Promote Your Business with Four Square

Do you have a physical shop? Are you on Four Square? If you answered “no”, then you may want to think again! Did you know that in some cases promoting your business on Four Square could increase foot traffic by 33%?

Four Square is a social media site that allows businesses to register their stores with their site so that customers can “check-in” using their smart phones, earning them points and badges for their profile. Business owners can even set up “specials” through Four Square that can be unlocked after a certain number of check-ins.

The Special that I unlocked at lunch last Saturday!

Four Square is also an excellent way to track how your customers interact with your store.  Users can leave a “tip” for other Four Square users at your shop (ex. “Tuesdays are 50% off jewelry day!” or “Ask for Gina to be your waitress – she’s the best!”). Users can mark a “tip” as done, helping you track trends at your shop. Four Square is also a great way to track customers satisfaction with your shop, through customer reviews.

It’s free to sign up, so why not check it out?

What’s Your Brand?

Think of the products in your house. Your kitchen, your bathroom, your closet – how do you decide what fills those rooms? Sometimes, our shopping purchases are based on price or availability. Sometimes they’re based on convenience. Sometimes, however, our consumer choice is based off of the carefully calculated brand created for us by the companies whose products we’re purchasing.

What is a brand, exactly? Well, it’s not just a logo or a jingle we hear on the radio.  Brand is comprised of all things aesthetic, emotional, social, and realistic (or not) surrounding the product. Brand is how the company represents itself and how the public perceives it.

So, what is YOUR brand? Take some time to think about how your customers perceive your brand, and how you want your brand to be perceived. Do a little bit of research on some of your favorite brands and why they’re your favorite.

Branding Resources:

Brand Aid By Brad VanAuken – American Management Association (2003)

Branded Nation By James B. Twitchell – Simon & Schuster (2004)

Calling All Cooks!

Calling all cooks! Do you have a fantastic, authentic recipe from your home country that you would like to share? Then we want to hear from you! We are looking for recipes of all sorts: appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, sides and desserts. Most especially, we are want to see recipes you fee are a true representation of your heritage.

To submit a recipe, please send an e-mail to emily@ewint.org. Please include a biography of yourself and why this recipe is meaningful to you . Be sure to include a picture!

We can’t wait to see your delicious submissions!

Item of the Week: Purple Hand Painted Silk Scarf

Read more to receive a special discount!

View more photos!

The silk fabric used is extremely soft and comfortable, yet luxurious. It is lightweight, breezy, and drapes perfectly. The scarf is 10″ by 60″ and has hand-rolled hems with 100% silk thread and beautiful 100% silk fringes on both ends. Each scarf is hand painted, featuring floral designs on both sides and fading mauve to powder pink.

Scarves are baked in the oven for 15-20 minutes so the dyes set; this assures that the colors will neither fade nor bleed. All of Rabia’s scarves are machine washable and safe to dry clean

RABIA NAEEM PERVEZ:
Rabia is originally from Pakistan. She is a renowned Silk Artist, aspiring teacher, and budding entrepreneur. Rabia graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, is currently pursuing her M.Ed. in Education with a focus on ESOL, and operates a small IT management company with her husband. She is a mother of two beautiful daughters who share her love for colors. Rabia has been an EWI artist member since 2004 and is a graduate of the Career and Entrepreneur Center’s Training for Success program.
Colors and fabrics have always fascinated Rabia and she is continuously amazed by the elegant yet striking effect dyes have on silk. Her designs celebrate the changing seasons, life events and experiences, and the wide range of human emotions. Rabia takes special requests; she can do commissioned work, as well as personalized scarves for those who want to buy a special and unique gift for someone.

Visit our online store and enter the code: THISWEEKEWI in the coupon box when checking out to receive 15% off your entire purchase.

“Pin” Your Way to Success

I have a new addiction. OK, maybe “addiction” is a bit of a harsh word. I have a new obsession. And that obsession combines my love for social media with my love for all things pretty, crafty, design-y and yummy. That obsession is Pintrest, and I’m not ashamed to share it because it is oh so fun!

Pintrest is an online community that allows its users to organize all of the interests and hobbies into online inspiration boards consisting of content found on the limitless Internet. Users create a “board” for a particular category of interest, and then “pin” content, either from other Pintrest users or found on an outside website, to that board. Content that a users “pins” then gets shared with their friends on their home page feed (you can connect with friends through Facebook or they can add them manually).

 Here is an example of a “board” (this is my “Party” board)

So, how can a business owner use Pintrest? Easy! Pin your products! By simply taking pictures of your products and pinning them to an appropriate board with appropriate keywords. For example, if you’re a fashion designer you could create a separate board for each category of clothing you create, and then pin your wares to the appropriate board with key words such as “yellow sundress” or “black riding boots”, so that your business will appear when other Pintrest users are searching.

Pintrest is an excellent way to gain new customers, but it can also be a fun way to have your current clients promoting your business. Link your Pintrest account to your website, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr account so that your fans can easily find you. Your clients could pin their favorite pieces or a piece that they recently purchased, creating a visual word-of-mouth marketing tool for your business (and we all know that the best marketing is word-of-mouth)!

Pintrest allows you to post prices on your products, making purchasing that much easier.

Pintrest is a free resource, so go ahead, sign up and start experimenting! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check my Pintrest feed wash my hair.

This post was written by Emily Robinson, EWI’s Social Media Intern.

Item of the Week: Red Peruvian Seed Bead Key Chain

Read more to receive a special discount!

Red key chain handcrafted from Peruvian seed beads with abstract silver elephant pendant. Statement making way to keep track of your keys!

Perfect for Delta Sigma Thetas!

EVELYN BROOKS:
Peruvian-born Evelyn Brooks is a graduate of EWI’s Training for Success program. She has received much press and recognition for her efforts in fighting poverty by giving proceeds of her jewelry sales to local and international causes. Evelyn has built a profitable arts business that provides work and learning opportunities for over 10 people each year. She also teaches at-risk youth and women ex-offenders jewelry-making and marketing to build confidence, self-esteem and re-enter in the society.

Visit our online store and enter the code: THISWEEKEWI in the coupon box when checking out to receive 15% off your entire purchase.

Sneak Peak of EWI’s Valentine’s Day Benefit this Sunday!

THE ART OF LOVE

AN ART MARKET FUNDRAISER

HOSTED BY

DIANNE LORENZ AND MIMI HASSANEIN

Sunday, February 12, 2-5 PM

• Buy locally-made fine art, silk scarves and unique jewelry and accessories created by the women entrepreneur graduates of EWI’s Entrepreneur Training for Success.
• Be inspired by the success stories of these talented artists.
• Meet Marga Fripp, award-winning journalist and founder of Empowered Women International.
• Enjoy the company of other men and women in our community committed to creating a better life for all women.

Make a Tax-Deductible Gift in Honor of EWI Women or an Awesome Woman in Your Life!