CRAVE innovatively connects urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in town. Soirees, gatherings and online networking—we are your guide to everything you CRAVE in your city.
UPCOMING EVENTS
NYC CRAVE Buzz Party
Get involved with CRAVE NYC!
Tue, March 9th, 7pm—whenever!
La Palapa West Village – 359 Sixth Ave, NY
Learn more…
Chicago CRAVE Business Chat
Get to know Chicagoland’s entrepreness celebrities and learn their secrets!
Wed, March 17th, 6-8pm
Learn more…
Bloom and Tone CRAVEparty
A fresh beauty and wellness event
Sun, March 28th, 1-6pm
Learn more…
Events to help entreprenesses
grow their businesses, chock full
of "know how," advice and inspiration.
Festive glam-gal gatherings of fun,
entertainment, pampering, shopping,
sippin' and noshin' and just hanging
with the girls.
FIND US
SUBSCRIBE 
CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE
CRAVE-ing a Burger? We Know Where You Can Find “The World’s Finest”
BuiltBurger truly does “take the burger to a new level.” Gourmet burgers sent right to your doorstep? Alright! Choose your burger with a given variety of meats, flavors, occasions, and “BuiltBurger Faves.” Did someone say Trailblazer Melt? Oh My! They tagline themselves as “the world’s finest burger.” Does this statement leave you curious? Please read on as CRAVE asks BuiltBurger co-owner, Rebecca Makuen, some questions about her tantalizing burger business.
What was the inspiration behind BuiltBurger?
For a long time, we were disappointed with every single prepared burger we tasted at home or restaurants. We discovered we made a much better product ourselves and decided to go for it. Plus, what’s better than an amazing burger?
How have you found success?
We receive extraordinary reviews from everyone who tastes a BuiltBurger. As a startup, we are simply pounding the pavement to create brand awareness in Seattle and beyond. It’s all about getting customers to try the product and fall in love with the flavors, quality and service you expect from BuiltBurger.
The “world’s finest burger” is such a statement! Tell us why?
When we were soliciting reviews of our burgers prior to our launch, all we heard was that statement…so, it stuck as our tagline. If you haven’t tried them yet, taste a few and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
What is your BuiltBurger fave?
That’s a really tough choice because they are all so unique. Three are tied for first place: The Utopia Chicken, The Magnificent Chorizo and The Stellar Short Rib (all my favorites so far).
Which burger is your most popular?
The Pinnacle Bacon Bleu! Who doesn’t like bacon?
A build-your-own burger company… You definitely thought outside the box. How can you encourage other female entrepreneurs to do the same?
Don’t be afraid. You have to seize the moment. Right now is the best time to follow your passion. Plus, starting a business with the people you love the most is incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun.
What could be a better time than today to check out BuiltBurger. Send a few invites to friends and celebrate the summer before the rain hits. Impress your guests with the brilliant flavors of Built Burgers’ cuisine! Delicious food delivered right to your doorstep. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Check them out and savor a sample of BuiltBurger’s goodness at Seattle’s CRAVEparty on August 19th.
Blackberry Bonanza: Ultra Low Cost Girl Date
Blackberry bushes are going wild right now, producing glorious high antioxidant morsels jam-packed with polyphenols and anthocyanins—the excellent cancer and heart disease defense chemicals found in some plants. We recommended taking advantage of nature’s bounty by grabbing your girls and heading out for a day of blackberry picking followed by cooking and cocktailing! Check out a few seasonal recipes we are loving right now:
Blackberry Mojito via Foodchannel.com
Ingredients: 6 each mint leaves, 5 each fresh blackberries, 1/2 part simple syrup, 1 part fresh lime juice, 1 part white rum, 1 part crème de cassis, 1 part club soda. For garnish: 1 sprig mint, 1 each fresh blackberry speared with cocktail pick
Preparation: In a Collins glass, muddle mint leaves with blackberries and simple syrup. Add lime juice, rum and crème do cassis and stir to combine. Fill glass with ice, top with club soda, and stir to combine. Garnish with mint sprig and blackberry.
Blackberry Chicken via tasteofhome.com
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup fresh blackberries, divided, 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, divided, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each), 4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions: In a small bowl, mash 2 tablespoons berries. Add 1/4 cup broth, brown sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and cumin. Place chicken in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; pour broth mixture over the top. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, pepper and remaining paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear, basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove chicken and keep warm. Skim fat from pan drippings. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth. Gradually stir in drippings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken; sprinkle with remaining blackberries. Yield: 6 servings.
Blackberry Salsa via Nikibone.com
Ingredients: 2 chipotle peppers, dried, 6 serrano peppers, finely diced, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground oregano, 1/2 cup water, 12 ounces blackberries, fresh or frozen 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup, 2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Directions: Place chipotles in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover, and boil until tender about 15 minutes; drain. Set aside to cool. Finely dice the rehydrated chipotles and combine with serranos, sugars, salt, cinnamon, oregano and water in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a low boil. Cook until thickened slightly about 7 or 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add blackberries and cook until they start to break up but not disintegrate. You want the salsa to have a chunky texture. Remove mixture from heat, and stir in chocolate syrup and pecans. Chill thoroughly, and serve over ice cream.
Hot and Bothered: Keeping cool in Extreme Heat
The recent heat has got us hot and bothered. Keeping cool when temperatures reach record highs isn’t just about comfort. Dangerously high temperatures can result in heat-related illnesses ranging from heat cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The following tips via MedicineNet help you keep cool all summer long.
1. Alter your pattern of outdoor exercise to take advantage of cooler times (early morning or late evening). If you can’t change the time of your workout, scale it down by doing fewer minutes, walking instead or running, or decreasing your level of exertion.
2. Wear loose-fitting clothing, preferably of a light color.
3. Cotton clothing will keep you cooler than many synthetics.
4. Fill a spray bottle with water and keep it in the refrigerator for a quick refreshing spray to your face after being outdoors.
5. Fans can help circulate air and make you feel cooler even in an air-conditioned house.
6. Try storing lotions or cosmetic toners in the refrigerator to use on hot, overtired feet.
7. Keep plastic bottles of water in the freezer; grab one when you’re ready to go outside. As the ice melts, you’ll have a supply of cold water with you.
8. Take frequent baths or showers with cool or tepid water.
9. Combat dehydration by drinking plenty of water along with sports drinks or other sources of electrolytes.
10. Some people swear by small, portable, battery-powered fans. At an outdoor event I even saw a version that attaches to a water bottle that sprays a cooling mist.
11. I learned this trick from a tennis pro: if you’re wearing a cap or hat, remove it and pour a bit of ice cold water into the hat, then quickly invert it and place on your head.
12. Avoid caffeine and alcohol as these will promote dehydration.
13. Instead of hot foods, try lighter summer fare including frequent small meals or snacks containing cold fruit or low fat dairy products. As an added benefit, you won’t have to cook next to a hot stove.
14. If you don’t have air-conditioning, arrange to spend at least parts of the day in a shopping mall, public library, movie theater, or other public space that is cool. Many cities have cooling centers that are open to the public on sweltering days.
15. Finally, use common sense. If the heat is intolerable, stay indoors when you can and avoid activities in direct sunlight or on hot asphalt surfaces. Pay special attention to the elderly, infants, and anyone with a chronic illness, as they may dehydrate easily and be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses. Don’t forget that pets also need protection from dehydration and heat-related illnesses too.
\
What Can the Obama Administration do to Help Small Businesses?
Entreprenesses undoubtedly face a unique set of challenges, and often run different types of businesses than our male counterparts. What can the Obama administration and Congress do to help? Check out this thought provoking article from The Wall Street Journal.
1. Re-evaluate small business administration lending programs
Many women don’t significantly grow their operations beyond a few employees for family and lifestyle reasons. This makes it extra difficult for these businesses to secure post-start-up capital, especially when compared to male business owners with aggressive growth plans. NWBC recommends adapting SBA-backed lending programs to make growth capital more accessible to women, including: offering “stage-based” loans that provide money to businesses based on the stage of development; extending credit lines once start-up loans are paid off; allowing accounts receivable to be pledged as collateral and aligning women business owners with “patient capital” investors who don’t require immediate or fast repayment.
2. Give tax credits to angel investors
Women-owned businesses can benefit greatly from angel investors, affluent individuals who invest in small businesses but don’t demand the same size and growth aspirations of venture capitalists. Congress should seriously consider a bill that would provide tax credits to angel investors.
3. Create tax incentives for improving employees’ experience.
Many women business owners want to offer programs such as child-care assistance, good health benefits and wellness programs that improve employees’ lives. They would like tax incentives to offer these types of programs.
4) Ensure women-owned businesses win at least 5% of federal contracts
A 2000-passed law mandates that federal agencies must dole out 5% of all federal contracts to women-owned businesses. NWBC says its members “overwhelmingly” support that rule and want to see it enforced (which it hasn’t been). Also set up a federal contracting clearinghouse just for women. Many women entrepreneurs don’t try for contracts because finding opportunities and pursuing them is so complicated. The government should set up a special Web site that lists contracting set-asides just for women-owned businesses along with resources on topics, such as how women can apply for 8(a) certification.
5. Increase funding for federal entrepreneurs’ support organizations, such as Women’s Business Centers and SCORE
Many women rely on these federally funded programs and business incubators for help. Also offer more outreach to women entrepreneurs and mentoring opportunities.
6. Ease costs and regulations for “microbusinesses.”
Since many women do run businesses with very few employees—and often from their homes—the government should consider how it can assist these businesses. Among suggestions: Amend the home-office deduction to make it more attractive, get rid of self-employment tax for firms without employees, expand micro-lending through the SBA and provide federal contracting set-asides just for microbusinesses.
Readers, what do you think of these recommendations? Should the government do more to help women entrepreneurs?
San Francisco Style through the Eyes of Alice & Isa
Two girls with two styles join forces in one great city. Stephanie Belfiore and Dawn Miller, co-founders of Alice & Isa, aim to bring creative designers of San Francisco together under one fantastic cyber roof. No matter your style, Alice & Isa welcomes you! They have one-of-a-kind items for everyone. Stephanie (whose alter ego can be found in “Alice”) and Dawn (who you know as “Isa”) both seek to “support and highlight local San Francisco talent and showcase the city’s unique style.”
CRAVE perused aliceandisa.com only to find a fabulous assortment of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, handbags, and much, much more! Here are a few of our CRAVE-ings…
 |
Bramble: Designer Alix Bluh creates a bracelet entitled Bramble. The sterling silver brambles & smooth leather cuff combine to produce an organically sophisticated piece. |
 |
The Classic Rose Scarf: “Versatile, unique and beautiful, The Rose Scarves are exceptionally feminine and functional scarves that will turn heads when you wear them!” Yes please |
 |
Ophelia: Need to add a little spice to your shoe collection? These Leather and Tweed Spats with Ruffles (an Alise & Isa exclusive) are your answer to a shoe-lift! These beautiful accessories are carefully constructed with black leather and wool tweed. They are fully lined for your comfort. |
 |
Pushover Crossbody – Grey: Who could say no to designer 49 Square Miles’ stone colored bag? Made from Italian lamb skin, this lush accessory is perfect for everyday use. The neutral shade and adjustable strap makes for a very versatile purse! |
These four products exemplify the quality and talent Stephanie and Dawn seek as they provide their Alice & Isa customers with exquisitely unique merchandise!
Recipe For Homemade Frappuccinos
While browsing CakeSpy.com we stumbled across this recipe for home made Frappuccinos via Savory Sweet Life, we feel this might just be the perfect remedy for hot summer days. Check out the directions from Alice at savorysweetlife.com:
Alice’s home version of Starbucks Frappuccino Recipe
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of crushed iced
2-1 ounce shots of espresso
3/4 cup of milk
3 tbl. of sugar (more or less depending on preference)
*optional whipped cream in a can or freshly made and chocolate syrup
*If you don’t have an espresso machine, use 3/4 cup of double strength (strong) coffee mixed with 1/2 cup of milk and increased crushed iced amount by 1/4 cup.
Directions:
Blend all the ingredients except the whipped cream in a blender for 30-45 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and top off with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate syrup. Best served with a straw. Enjoy!
Alice’s home version of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Recipe
Prepare everything the same as a regular Frappuccino (recipe above) except reduce sugar to 2 tbl. and add 2 tbl. of chocolate syrup. Enjoy!
Other Variations
Use splenda, flavored coffee syrups, or flavored coffee creamers for a portion of the milk. For a richer beverage, use half and half, or heavy cream for a portion of the milk.
Disclaimer: This is not Starbuck’s actual proprietary recipe. This is my own version copycat clone frappuccino recipe of it. This recipe is for a blended icy coffee frappe / beverage similar to but not the same as Starbucks.
New Love Incorporated: Re-Falling For Your Business
Amy Swift is the founder of SMARTY, a community and resource for entrepreneurial women in Los Angeles and around the country. Check out this great article all about reconnecting with your business.
Recently, I found myself in close proximity to a newly-in-love person. Once you get over the seemingly endless descriptions of “how he looks at me,” it’s actually pretty inspiring. For this married lady, it probed me to look at my husband in a new way and to recall all the early flutters of curiosity, awe, wonder and “wow” factor. And I haven’t even been married that long! Nevertheless, the daily grind sets in and sometimes you need a kick in the butt.
Weirdly, the same is true about your business. I’ve been reading The Dip by Seth Godin and musing at how we start our businesses with such vim and vigor and all the passion our beating hearts can muster. Soooo in love! But time passes, challenges arise, people judge you or support you depending on the day and entrepreneurs can easily slip into the uninspired slump. Whereas you used to make-out and caress your business, now you kind of roll over, put a pillow over your head and hope it doesn’t see you drooling in your sleep.
Relationships have it and businesses have it. It’s the ditch on the side of the highway that allows you to see who is hauling ass at mock speed with their tail in the air while you do your best to climb out of the dirt.
Here’s the funny thing; the antidote to the “ditch” is often hitching a ride on someone else’s entrepreneurial Masarati, someone who happens to be on the highway at the moment, someone who can remind you about how it was and can be. The easiest way to do that is to be around a bunch of smart chicks doing cool stuff, people who are truly excited about what they’re growing. It reminds you. It inspires you. It kicks your complacent butt into gear.
Deep, mad, crazy love has two people paying so much attention to one another that they see when one is hot, cold, hungry, tired….when one of you need your feet rubbed. Are you paying attention to your business this way? Are you feeding it? Giving it a rest sometimes? Bringing new information to the table to innovate and create? Are you keeping it interesting? Is your business worthy of a love affair?
It’s easy to stay in your sweat pants, hair in a ponytail, scarfing lunch at your desk. But imagine if you were in looooove. You’d put on lip gloss, rock a beautiful pedicure, prepare a gorgeous lunch to be enjoyed with a real knife and fork (!).
You’d get out of bed with a spring in your step and answer your phone with breathless excitement!
Find yourself a community. Get connected to other free agents who are in committed relationships and are HAPPY in them.
No one can love your baby like you can. So change the sheets, open the windows, look your business in the eye and put some umpf into it (and you can read that howeevvver you want.) Remember the first day you thought of your idea and how excited you were, and mostly, remember why you started it in the first place.
Lit Shades—Interview with the Artist
Great lamps can completely invigorate an otherwise drab room, but are often impossible to find. Luckily, Dawn Bassett of LitShades is around to craftily rejuvenate, restore and transform lampshades to match your aesthetic desires. Dawn recently sat down with us to dish about her glorious work. Read her energizing interview below:
What was the inspiration behind starting your business?
Have you seen the lamp shades out there? Not much to choose from, some one had to change that!
What was the biggest surprise you have had as a creative entrepreneur?
That it’s all about attitude. That people around you get as excited as you do. That a sole proprietorship involves a whole lot of people who want you to succeed.
What is your idea of fun? If given a choice to skip work for a day, how would you spend the entire day?
Making a new lamp shade out of some fantastic Osbourne and Little fabric-skip work for a day? Me and my pint-sized Papillion puppy ride my scooter down to the beach in Madison Park where we swim and sunbathe till sundown, then on to Captain Black’s for a cold drink and some onion rings…anyone is invited to come along for the ride.
Share some ways you stay motivated, encouraged or brave.
A “small business” can have fairly daunting problems. But I like to remember that a “small business” revolves around the small things; a cup of tea with the shop owner next door, a lamp shade made out a woman’s wedding dress to be used in her little girls room, the feeling of knowing only I can fire myself.
Share something you are excited about right now.
Besides a perfect Seattle summer?! Okay, I am to-die-for excited about a show I am collaborating on with Russian born artist, Alexander Kirillov, who makes these amazing lithographs that we are going to turn into a light sculpture/lighting installation. The show is set for August 13th and it will be epic.
Seasons Savings: How to Shop Summer Sales
Ever made the mistake of purchasing an item because it was a good deal only to have it take up prime closet real estate? Check out the amazing tips on Summer sale shopping from EHow.
1. Organize your closets before you shop and make note of the items you won’t need next summer. There’s no sense buying new t-shirts, for example, if the 10 in the closet will still fit next year.
2. Avoid trendy fashion styles on the shoe, clothing and accessory sale racks since the looks will soon be dated. No matter how deep the discounts, an item isn’t a bargain if you won’t wear the color combination or designs next year.
3. Stock up on essentials like versatile shorts, jeans and tank tops that won’t go out of style. Also look for non-clothing items you’ll need next summer, such as beach towels and chairs, casual tableware for the patio, swimsuits and flip-flops.
4. Look for pieces that can even become part of your fall wardrobe. You can layer shirts under sweaters, wear leggings under denim miniskirts or use canvas tote bags all year long, for example.
5. Ask yourself if you would still buy the item if it were full price. If not, you may be under the influence of the sale and don’t necessarily need or want the item. Hold off until you’re sure you’ll wear it. As a bonus, the item will have an even greater discount at the end of the season, although you risk it selling out.
Three Things You Can Do to Fix a Bad Web Review
Whitney Keyes is our favorite go-to gal for fabulous marketing advice. Check out this great article from her Biz Bite blog at the Seattle PI:
This past weekend I decided it was time to pop back into my local Gold’s Gym to make use of my membership. The past few months I’ve ditched the gym to take advantage of our gorgeous weather, heading down to Madison Park for sun-drenched jog-walks. I have to admit, it has been a long time since I hit Gold’s so I needed to double-check the hours. I booted up my laptop, searched the web and ended up on the gym’s Yelp listing. YIKES!
It was covered with negative reviews! The 27 ratings were dominated by one and two star critiques. Here are just a few that focus on the condition of the exercise machines:
“At any given time a fair amount of them (elliptical machines) were broken, and they stayed broken for quite a long time. Often they were broken with no sign on them indicating that they didn’t work. I’d let a staff member know and come back the next day to find that there was still no sign.
“…the cardio equipment is ALWAYS broken making it difficult to be able to use what machines you want..”
“Cardio Machines are quite often broken…”
I always recommend people take web reviews with a grain of salt. Too many positive comments can mean overly eager-to-please friends and family members. A ragingly negative review can mean a one-time, genuine slip of service or someone who had a very bad day and just needs to vent.
But when the majority of reviews are negative, that’s worth paying attention to, Gold’s.
Here are three of my top tips for tackling negative online reviews about your business:
1. Regularly read comments. Too many people blow off constructive, online feedback. If it is too painful for you to read or your ego is blocking you from absorbing something that could be helpful, do what celebrities and politicians do: get someone else to read your hate-or-great fan mail for you.
2. Acknowledge when there’s a real problem. When a plane crashes, airlines don’t make excuses. They follow crisis management basics. Admit what happened, empathize with the people impacted (your customers!), fix the problem, and communicate every step of the way.
3. Correct mistakes quickly. If you genuinely have been taken advantage of by a renegade reviewer, it is perfectly fine to ask your clients to take a few minutes and share their more positive experiences working with you. This will balance out your online story
When was the last time you looked at your reviews?
Click here to subscribe to The Biz Bite from Whitney Keyes.
Next Page »