CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE

Jordana Bruner of Clutch22 Guest Speaker at March LWL Meeting

February 27, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Jordana Bruner is a public relations professional at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide where she specializes in social media strategies covering everything from blogger engagement to leveraging online tools like Facebook and Twitter. With a focus on consumer and technology, her portfolio includes Microsoft, Texas Instruments, T-Mobile and Product RED, among other leading brands. In addition to her client work, Jordana also co-leads a group of trend analysts who meet monthly to dissect and discuss the latest trends.

Aside from her career in PR, Jordana launched a fashion blog in 2007 called Clutch 22. Having experienced both sides of the table, she’s gained invaluable insight to the evolving world of online influence. Clutch22.com reaches over 25,000 monthly viewers and has been featured on Glamour.com, PR Couture, Trend Central and most recently, My It Things conducted the following video interview of her during New York Fashion Week. Finally, Jordana is also a regular contributor to Independent Fashion Bloggers, an online organization of over 2,000 bloggers.

Jordana will be the guest speaker at the Seattle Ladies Who Launch monthly meeting on March 26th. Click here to learn how you can attend.

Shapewear 101

February 27, 2009 by Jessica | Comments (1)

Mystified by Spanx and other shapewear but have friends who swear by it? We found this great article that is sort of like a shapewear 101 crash course. Check out the excerpts below or read the full monty here.

What is Spanx? It’s a line of shapewear designed to smooth out bumps and provide control to create a slimmer look. The line offers panties, bras, pantyhose, shorts, bodysuits, camis, and a wide variety of other undergarments.

Where to buy Spanx:

Torrid and retail outlets offer over 20 different Spanx shapewear pieces including socks, panties, and other undergarments. High rise panties cost around $50.00 where as the power panties are around $25.00.

Both online and in retail outlets, Bloomingdales offers a vast amount of Spanx shapewear options including bodysuits, hose and camis.

Macy’s has a wide variety of Spanx panties, shapewear, and other clothing underwear to buy in-store (it’s not available online). Macy’s does however, offer a line that is similar to Spanx called Flexees which consists of identical undergarment products.

Other outlets that sell Spanx include: Nordstroms, Lane Bryant, Catherines, and Dillards. EBay sellers are also selling the undergarments for a great price. A consumer can also buy Spanx at the creator’s website or QVC.

Do’s of Shapewear:

Do buy the appropriate size of undergarments and shapewear as opposed to buying a smaller size. The product is deigned to work somewhat like a girdle that slims creating a slight firmness and smoothness to certain areas of the body.

Do realize that the high-waist shapewear undergarments will probably move around and create friction that could irritate the skin.

Do realize that your significant other probably won’t find Spanx sexy. The undergarments are not lingerie. The panties and other shapewear
are meant to not be seen.

Don’ts of Shapewear:

Don’t try out the new Spanx on a humid day. Try the product out while around the house to get a feel for it. Remember that this product
doesn’t allow much room to breath and it will be very uncomfortable at first.

Don’t believe that the undergarments are some miracle product that will make you look like you lost forty pounds. It’s a product that makes women to appear thinner by slimming bumps and creating a smoother look. The shapewear is meant for control.

5 Reasons Why Danielle LaPorte Adores Entrepreneurs

February 25, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Danielle LaPorte founded www.whitehottruth.com because “self realization rocks.” Her blog is lauded as one of the “coolest places for spiritual insight on the web” and “kick-ass enlightening.” She is the lead author of the bestseller, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, and co-founder of the popular site, www.carrieanddanielle.com – which she left in 2008 to go solo. A former think tank executive and communications strategist, Danielle helps entrepreneurs blaze their careers with her signature Fire Starter Sessions.

Here are the top five reasons why Danielle adores entrepreneurs:

1. Entrepreneurs are self-referencing (and only the self-referencing thrive.) An entrepreneur’s most useful tool is her instinct. After you get all of the advice, the market research, the sunshine up your skirt from your best friend our an investor, and all the nay-saying warnings – it all gets down to honoring your own intuition. And every mistake a businessperson has made usually leads back to not following their instincts.

2. Entrepreneurs are tough. They eat risk for breakfast. They laugh at rejection (or at least they don’t cry for long.) They keep going no matter what. And if you’re not tough – you just haven’t been in business long enough. Being jaded and rugged is a beautiful thing.

3. Entrepreneurs are resource conservationists. Downright frugal and outright proud about it, every dollar, moment, opportunity, and inch of space is maximized. If you run out of cash, it takes the fun out of everything.

4. Entrepreneurs ASK. From bankers to best friends, customers to the universe, entrepreneurship is a marathon of making endless requests. Which requires plenty of…

5. Courage. Kahunas. Crazy will. For entrepreneurs moxy is a renewable resource.

Danielle is a speaker at our SHOP Symposium/09 events in Seattle and Vancouver this March. Click here to learn more and register.

Discount Shopping Tips for the Recessionista

February 25, 2009 by Jessica | Comments (0)

Love labels but hate their price tags? Us too. Thankfully clearance stores like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshall’s regularly stock our favorite brands. Check out the tips we gathered from gals around the office on how to maximize your discount shopping experience.

Mentally prepare
It is important to go into the discount retail environment free of stress, and feeling full of adventure. Be prepared to encounter less than attentive sales people, unorganized racks of clothing, and odd sizes. Understand that you may not find what you are looking for. Be ok with going home empty handed.

Go with a list
Grocery lists save you time and money, so why not create something similar before clothes, accessory or shoe shopping?

Game on
Challenge your girlfriends to see who can spend the least amount of money obtaining the items on their list. Dinner is on the biggest loser!

Pay with CASH
Discount items add up too! 50% off is not a invite to purchase twice as many. Visit the ATM before you enter the store, and BUDGET accordingly.

Staples
As fun and sexy as fuchsia, strappy, lacy underthings are, we all need the basics–white, black, and nude colored bras and panties. These stores offer fabulous savings on incredible brands. Look for high quality items from Chantelle Intimates, Felina, le Mystere, Spanx and Wacol.

Buy in season, or bust
Extreme fashionistas beware — last season’s Tory Burch shoes may seem like a good deal at the moment, but if you are a truly trend-obsessed girl, they will sit in your closet. Shop as close to in-season as you possibly can. Nordstrom Rack gets a lot of great returns which means it is not uncommon to find the Marc Jacobs handbag you have been coveting for a fraction of the price.

Classics
Black sheath dresses, great jeans, cashmere sweaters, tailored pencil skirts, button up blouses, clean trenches, pearl necklaces and earrings, fitted wool blazers, black boots, and quality leather pumps will never go out of style. Invest in these wardrobe staples.

Inquire and plan ahead
Ask your checker when their next delivery is coming, what it’s going to consist of, and ask them what will be further discounted in the store when new arrivals come in.

What is your number one rule for discount shopping?

Rave Reviews from our Coffee Chat Last Week

February 24, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Our Coffee Chat on Sunday February 15th with marketing diva Maria Ross, president of Red Slice, and visual branding expert Bridget Gailey of bg|creative was a great success! We discussed the branding process — from creating your brand strategy to packaging and promoting your business.

Here are some highlights and reviews from attendees of the event:

“Just wanted to send a quick note to say I thought the Coffee Chat was great! My head is still spinning about colors and fonts! Thank you for organizing such great events.”
Victoria Bjorklund
Victoria Bjorklund Photography

“I enjoyed the Coffee Chat. It gave me some things to think about when working with our designers for our website, as well as creating any marketing and media pieces. I look forward to the next one!”
Michelle Michael
Founder and Director of Oasis Spa & Salon

“The branding topic was really helpful for me as I’m right in the middle of refining my branding, packaging and web content. Keeping the customer ‘audience’ in mind is key. It was equally a great experience getting other entrepreneurs’ feedback. One asked me where I see my business in five years and what our product line will look like. This was a good kick in the butt! I look forward to more events.”
Henriette
kō denmark

“Thanks for Sunday’s chat. It was very informative. I also really like the Sunday afternoon casual format. This chat reinforced for me how important it is to have a clear vision for my company. It’s really necessary to have that in place before making other decisions. I also learned the importance of really knowing who my customer is so that I’m not just throwing random things down a black hole.”
Terri Goodwin and Kathy Pickus
Dot Girl First Period Products

“I just really enjoyed the coffee chat on Sunday. It clearly fulfilled its advertised outline and more. Short and sweet and to the point. Both Maria and Bridget presented pertinent topics and overview of the marketing and branding conundrum. I think for the novice it was a great starting point and has already helped me to think more strategically and identify whom my ideal clients are and how to better position toward them. With their encouragement, I will be transforming my fog light approach to a laser beam to target my prospects. I think the meeting has pointed my wandering mind in the right direction and I look forward to seeing the results.” Heather Quintans http://www.heatherquintans.com

Jewelry from Simply Sublime Included in Gift Bags for the Oscars

February 23, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Noted Canadian jewelry designer and CRAVE Vancouver book entrepreness Constantina James of Simply Sublime received a pleasant surprise when the Academy Gift Bag Committee invited her to contribute pieces of her jewelry for inclusion in the renowned gift bags given to Oscar nominees.

Each of the non-winning nominees will receive the gift bag, including the Simply Sublime jewelry. “They saw my line in a New York online boutique and asked me to include 40 pieces from my line in their gift bags, and needless to say, I am ecstatic!” James said. James is working furiously to get the pieces ready on time. “I am designing, signature necklaces and earrings specifically for the event. The cloud shaped, hand hammered Italian Sterling Silver and 24kt Rose Gold Vermeil jewelry will be easily recognizable to us on the nominees” says the designer. “When Angelina Jolie or Kate Winslet wears your line, it is a very good day” says James. “You cannot buy that kind of advertising.”

No stranger to celeb fans, the Simply Sublime jewels have already accessorized the glamorous ensembles of Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, Anne Heche, and appear regularly on the hosts of E talk Daily . The line was also recently included in the Country Music Award Gift bags, where country music stars Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift received Simply Sublime jewels.

Constructed of the finest materials, including superior quality gemstones these custom-designed jewels are, hand-made and produced in Vancouver, Canada. The line is glamorous enough for red carpet types, but also appeals to every confident woman, who appreciates individuality and is not afraid to take chances.

Constantina and Stuart James were interviewed on Global TV regarding the Oscar Nod. See Constantina at work, describing her vision for Simply Sublime.

Getting More Online Sales is about the Strength of Your Community

February 23, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Often times we hear our clients ask, “How can I get more online sales?” It is as though many business (and website) owners believe that creating a great website or online store will automatically result in massive sales. The reality of the situation is that just having a website, or online store is not enough. Realistically, you need to do more.

If your goal is to drive sales through your website, then you must commit to strengthening your community. Your community is defined as the website visitors who are so interested, even excited about your business, and products and services that they are willing to provide you with their email address, so as not to miss future opportunities that you offer. Simply put, there are six steps that you can follow to strengthen your community, and subsequently increase your online sales.

1. Are You Ready to Go?
More importantly, is your website ready to go? Before you drive a lot of traffic to your website, make sure your website is the best it can be – and that it is ready to guide your website visitors to want to join your online community. There are three specific areas to review: design, navigation and content.

2. Know Your Niche
Additionally, before you drive a lot of traffic to your website, you need to know exactly who it is, you want to attract to your website. Narrowing your focus in how you define your niche market will increase your conversion rate of visitors to buyers. There are two specific areas to clearly define – who buys your stuff and your unique selling proposition.

3. Drive More Traffic to Your Website
After you’ve completed steps 1 and 2, you are ready to implement strategies to drive more traffic to your website. The primary focus of driving traffic to your website involves two strategies: Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.

4. Build a Contact Database
At this point you will be enjoying increased traffic to your website. You want to maximize your opportunity by ensuring your website visitors provide you with their email addresses, so that you will be able to invite them to return to your website in the future. Your goals and objectives during this phase include building trust and loyalty with your website visitors, as well as understanding the psychology of buying online.

5. Market, Remarket and Market More
Although your overall goal is to convert website visitors into buyers – getting first time visitors to buy is much too large of a stretch. The majority of your online sales will come following repeat visits to your website or online store. A successful marketing strategy contains two major components: creating a personal bond and inspiring engagement with your website visitors.

6. Retention and Repeat Purchases
At this point in the process you have developed a well-oiled machine that, if continuously worked, will convert website visitors into website buyers. The focus at this stage is to continue to grow your contact database as you encourage your website visitors to become repeat buyers.

This guest article was written by June Bachman, the founder of bWyse, a family-owned internet marketing company that she co-founded with her sister Wendy Ogryzek. June is the author of two books: 16 Ways YOU Can Market Your Website, and 6 Steps to Converting Website Visitors into Buyers. Stop by the bWyse booth at our SHOP Symposium/09 in Seattle, on March 23rd. June and Wendy would love to chat with you about your website goals!

Want to Lose Weight? Break All the Rules

February 23, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

It’s hard to follow all the diet rules out there: eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, eat like your ancestors, eat like a goat—who even knows what to do? I invite you to step off the crazy-train and break all the diet rules. Here’s how:

Rule #1: If you don’t feel deprived, you’re not doing it right.
Deprivation only leads to overindulging later. They are two sides of a no-win coin. You can only eat twigs and sticks for so long. Instead, go for the middle ground. Eat tasty foods that fuel your body 90% of the time and don’t be afraid to eat something delicious the other 10% of the time.

Rule #2: Work out intensely to offset calories.
Don’t connect your workout to your weight loss effort. It’s easy to rationalize when you connect your workout to losing weight, e.g. “I worked out hard today so I deserve that extra serving of nachos.” Instead, think about working out as a commitment to your body—to make it strong and healthy. Don’t exercise for instant results or you’ll give up long before you see the benefits. View exercise like a great relationship, as a long-term commitment to yourself and your body.

Rule #3: Remove all tempting foods from your sight.
I like to call this the Ostrich Approach—just put your head in the sand and ignore all tempting foods. Try thinking about what you really want rather than what you “feel like” in the moment. You’re bored at work and you “feel like” a Kit Kat bar. What you really want is to be at your natural weight and to feel that pride of accomplishment every time you make a decision that supports this goal. Thinking about the bigger picture gives you perspective on the momentary temptations.

Rule #4: Eat diet food.
Diet food is junk food with a bad facelift. Low calorie and low fat foods have had their nutritional content pulled apart and replaced with sugar and all kinds of artificial stuff to make it taste ok. (Most of the time they don’t even hit the “tastes ok” mark.) Diet food is a cheap imitation of real food. Real food is more satisfying which allows you to feel full faster and provides much better fuel for your body, keeping your energy consistent throughout the day.

Rule #5: Beat yourself up for not eating “right.”
We think that beating ourselves up will motivate us to do better next time. Can we agree that this doesn’t work? Instead of beating yourself up, be interested like a scientist. When you have a setback, ask yourself in a kind way what was going on and see what you can learn about yourself. Be nice.

What rules do you want to break? Comment and share.

Bridgette Boudreau is a certified weight loss coach who helps smart women who are sick of crappy diets lose weight. You can reach her at weightshiftcoaching.com.

Can Your Business Go Viral?

February 20, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

In this 9-minute video from BizTechDay, you’ll discover one of the most successful viral video campaigns ever made on YouTube: “Will it Blend?”

How do you get over 60,000,000 views on a budget of less than $100? You’ll see how a simple (and often powerful) idea can lead to an incredibly massive marketing buzz over a short period of time. And finally, you’ll uncover how you could also apply this simple viral idea to your own business.

Click here to watch the video.

Interview with Portland Oregon’s Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro & Bar

February 20, 2009 by Amanda | Comments (0)

Chosen as Willamette Week’s “Restaurant of Year,” Portland Oregon’s Mother’s Bistro & Bar serves comfort food classics made from scratch, perfected in the hands of four star restaurant-trained chef Lisa Schroeder. Specialties include a different macaroni and cheese daily, melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk biscuits and delicious desserts, as well as a Mother of the Month (“M.O.M.”), whose dishes are featured along with her unique story.

Mother’s Bistro & Bar is a featured eatery in our upcoming CRAVEguide, CRAVE Portland: The Urban Girl’s Intelligentsia. We interviewed Lisa for the book, and want to share with you some details about her business, where she goes for a pedicure, and what she does in her spare time!

CRAVE: What are the most popular or best selling products or services?
Lisa Schroeder: Slow-cooked dishes that take hours to prepare; pot roast, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, and amazing breakfasts.

People may be surprised to know…
We have a daily special menu that features seasonal dishes, salads, desserts and the freshest fish.

What was the inspiration or motivation behind starting your business?
I was working 13 hours a day in desk job and did a lot of take out for my family. That’s when I realized that what the world needed was a place to get “Mother Food” — the food that a mother would make for her family if she had the time.

How do you spend your free time?
With my significant other and grandchildren, doing fun things like going to concerts, movies and parties… and gardening.

Where is the best place to get a manicure or pedicure?
Top Ten Nails on Hawthorne Blvd, because they take the time to do it right.

What is the best gym or fitness club?
My house because I don’t have to get dressed to go there!

Next Page »