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Introducing: CRAVE Spa

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Hello CRAVErs! We are thrilled to announce our newest line of publications: CRAVE Spa. The series includes CRAVE Spa, one highly exclusive guide to destination and resort spas across North America, and seven regional editions of CRAVE Spa, Beauty & Wellness, devoted specifically to women-owned spa, beauty and wellness locales in the United States and Canada.

CRAVE Spa is the only CRAVE publication to span an entire continent. It’s a traveler’s dream book, showing off the best places to relax, indulge, and get pampered across North America. Can’t make a trip this year? Special book features include recipes from some of the most exclusive spas to recreate a crave-worthy experience at home.

Each CRAVE Spa, Beauty & Wellness regional book is broken into the following ten sections: Day Spas & Medical spas; Hair Salons; Skin Care Clinics, Dermatologists, Estheticians; Exclusive Nail Spas; Makeup Artists; Nutritionists and Naturopaths; Massage; Fitness—Personal Training, Yoga or Pilates; Exclusive Wellness Retreats; and Waxing, Sugaring, & Threading Studios. You’ll never have to scour the internet for a top-notch beauty business again!

The CRAVE Spa series continues in the CRAVE tradition of connecting customers with extraordinary places and experiences. After working with and promoting women-owned businesses for the last 10 years in 30 cities all over the world, we’ve gotten to know the spa industry very well. We feel that delving into the beauty business is a win-win for everyone in our fabulous family of entrepreneurs. Extraordinary spas are able to get their names out into the world, and our amazing readers discover the very best places to go for their beauty,

Do you know of any CRAVE-worthy spas that deserve a spot in the CRAVE Spa series? We are looking for businesses across the  Is there an over-the-top awesome beauty biz you think we should know about? Give us the scoop by connecting with the Facebook and/or Twitter account of the CRAVE city nearest you.

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Introducing: CRAVE Spa

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Hello CRAVErs! We are thrilled to announce our newest line of publications: CRAVE Spa. The series includes CRAVE Spa, one highly exclusive guide to destination and resort spas across North America, and seven regional editions of CRAVE Spa, Beauty & Wellness, devoted specifically to women-owned spa, beauty and wellness locales in the United States.

CRAVE Spa is the only CRAVE publication to span an entire continent. It’s a traveler’s dream book, showing off the best places to relax, indulge, and get pampered across North America. Can’t make a trip this year? Special book features include recipes from some of the most exclusive spas to recreate a crave-worthy experience at home.

Each CRAVE Spa, Beauty & Wellness regional book is broken into the following ten sections: Day Spas & Medical spas; Hair Salons; Skin Care Clinics, Dermatologists, Estheticians; Exclusive Nail Spas; Makeup Artists; Nutritionists and Naturopaths; Massage; Fitness—Personal Training, Yoga or Pilates; Exclusive Wellness Retreats; and Waxing, Sugaring, & Threading Studios. You’ll never have to scour the internet for a top-notch beauty business again!

The CRAVE Spa series continues in the CRAVE tradition of connecting customers with extraordinary places and experiences. After working with and promoting women-owned businesses for the last 10 years in 30 cities all over the world, we’ve gotten to know the spa industry very well. We feel that delving into the beauty business is a win-win for everyone in our fabulous family of entrepreneurs. Extraordinary spas are able to get their names out into the world, and our amazing readers discover the very best places to go for their beauty,

Do you know of any CRAVE-worthy spas that deserve a spot in the CRAVE Spa series? Is there an over-the-top awesome beauty biz you think we should know about? Give us the scoop by connecting with the Facebook and/or Twitter account of the CRAVE city nearest you.

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Introducing Our May Theme: Fail Fast!

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Fail fast? What kind of advice is that?! Think about it. You have this brilliant idea, you’re infatuated with it, and you *know* it will be bigger than Beanie Babies and Harry Potter combined. How terrible are you going to feel if you invest your life savings, hours away from your family, and precious alone time into this venture and it fails? Do your homework. Test the waters. Find out if it will work and get it out of your system if it’s not worth it – as fast as you can. A great way to do this is “prototyping” your business before you actually launch to see if it will be the hit you’re hoping for. CRAVE founder, Melody Biringer, learned this first hand, and this month she’s sharing her lessons about prototyping businesses and failing fast. We also have great blog posts from CRAVE entreprenesses sharing their valuable tips and insights based on their experiences. Stay tuned!

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Introducing Our April Theme: Know Your Niche

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Happy April, CRAVErs! We are pumped about this month’s theme: Know Your Niche. We could all use some pointers when it comes to reaching our target markets, and we’re hoping to get the conversation rolling with insightful blog posts, thought-provoking questions, and idea-generating chats. At this point, we know that if someone asks you to describe your ideal customer or client, you should have a concise, specific response. “Well… my business is great because it appeals to just about everyone!” is not acceptable. If you can get as detailed as, “Her name is Kim, and she’s a 38 year old mom of 2 who loves pilates and her yellow lab,” you’re on the right track. Think of it this way: When presented with a list of people who varied in gender, job, location, age, interests, etc, ideally you’d be able to plant a big, fat bullseye on the individuals most likely to crave your services. Regardless of your business, it’s crucial to identify your target audience, know how to find them, and promote certain aspects of your business accordingly. This month’s theme is dedicated to honing “knowing your niche” into a fine art. Not only will you learn different strategies for identifying your target market, but you’ll come away with the tools to capitalize on that knowledge. Stay tuned for some juicy inside scoops!

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Outsourcing: Easier Than You Think

Monday, March 28th, 2011

My good friend and mentor Murray Smith will emphatically tell any business owner, “hire people who play at things you work at.” This was a concept that I always understood intellectually; in fact it made a lot of sense. Living it was a different story.

As I headed into my second year of business I knew I had to make some changes if I wanted to achieve what I had set out to do; both professionally and personally. I was exhausted and feeling frustrated with my business. I was spending a lot of my time on activities that I didn’t necessarily enjoy, weren’t fulfilling and most importantly, were preventing me from growing my business. I realized I had a lot of fear of letting go of control. I made the decision that it was time to get out of my own way. I had to face my fears, make some decisions and implement change. I’m the first to admit, this doesn’t happen over night. It time though, small but pivotal changes will have a huge impact on your overall success.

Since making changes in how I spend my time and what my focus is on a daily basis, I am in more control of my business, more productive and I am really enjoying it again. Some of the changes that I implemented were outsourcing bookkeeping and accounting, newsletter template design, in-store marketing design/printing and hiring a consultant to assist me with development of my social media marketing strategy. I now spend more time focused on activities that grow my business, such as sales and marketing, new product development and training and development of my staff.

When it comes to hiring the right person or firm for the areas/tasks you would want to outsource, it is sometimes easier than we think. Put it out to your network of friends, colleagues, business associates and other business owners. I found my new accountant through my hairdresser. She is fabulous!

Another common concern when it comes to outsourcing is cash flow. As business owners, this is a constant juggling act, especially in the first few years. We will most likely ask ourselves, can I afford to? Instead, ask can I afford not to? Remember to keep in mind your long-term goals. Also, don’t be afraid to shop around and negotiate. Most people are willing to work with you when it comes to pricing and/or payment options. But you don’t know unless you ask.

I also encourage you to utilize your staff. Research has shown that it is not just monetary satisfaction that keeps employees happy. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What do they enjoy doing? I had a big aha with this one as a result of being really sick with a bad cold and flu, thus unable to go into my store for almost five days. There were many things that needed to get done, including new merchandising and window display. I left the store in the hands of my staff and they did an amazing job! I decided to speak with them further about what they enjoy, what they don’t like, and what they would like to learn. These conversations have since allowed me to delegate some of the day to day responsibilities such as ordering, fulfilling and shipping out online orders, store merchandising and various essential but often time-consuming tasks that I now only follow up with on a regular basis. At the same time, I am empowering them, instilling confidence in them and providing them with the opportunity to learn and grow, which results in employee retention, loyalty and higher levels of productivity.

Lastly, it doesn’t always have to cost you money. Tap into your network of friends and family. You really don’t have to do it all yourself. Often our friends and family have skills that we don’t have and are only too happy to offer a lending hand.

Murray, who is also an accomplished entrepreneur himself, knows what he is talking about when he says, “Hire people who play at things you work at.” Allow yourself to make changes in small steps. As you start to work more in areas of your business that involve your strengths and outsource your weaknesses, you will see growth that will only inspire you to continue on that path. This is what is often referred to as working smarter, not harder. Whatever stage you are at in your business, I encourage you to take a good look at it and see if there are duties that you can outsource so that you can focus on what you are best at. Trust me, it is a decision that you will be happy that you made.

Jennifer Best is the founder of Steeped and Infused, a fabulous loose leaf tea business with two locations in Toronto.

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Jennifer Lee and the Right-Brain Business Plan

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

If a business plan is what you crave, Jennifer Lee is your go-to gal. She’s an entrepreneur, certified coach, writer, founder of Artizen Coaching, and so much more. We LOVE the concept behind her new book, The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success, and we were lucky enough to pick her brain on her book as well as her take on this month’s CRAVE theme, outsourcing weakness and embracing strength.

What’s the philosophy or message behind your new book, The Right-Brain Business Plan?

The main message is that your natural, creative right-brain genius is your most valuable business asset. So let it work for you!

You have many different components to your business / website. What do you do yourself and what do you outsource?

In my book, I take people through a couple of exercise to help with this (pp. 127-131). Going through those lists helped me sort out what makes sense for me to do and what to get help with.

What I do myself:

  • Strategy and vision
  • Business planning and development – identifying and making most of potential opportunities
  • Content creation
  • Writing my book, blog posts, newsletter, etc.
  • Designing and developing course materials, workshops, programs, etc.
  • Designing and developing products
  • Providing services to customers
  • Coaching
  • Leading groups
  • Speaking
  • Managing the moola
  • Financial projections/budget (with some occasional help from bookkeeper)
  • Billing and collecting payment
  • Paying vendors
  • Depositing checks (fun!)
  • Getting my statements and receipts to my bookkeeper monthly
  • Social media
  • Marketing and PR
  • Designing and updating my websites
  • Production and mailing of products (this is one I want to outsource soon!)

I outsource:

  • Accounting
  • Bookkeeping (I did it myself for the first few years until it became a nightmare!)
  • Legal (trademarks, contracts, etc.)
  • Graphic design and illustration for print and creative projects
  • Technical support (I’m fortunate that my husband can handle most all techie things and bonus he’s an awesome photographer. I also hired a webinar consultant to help run my recent video summit).
  • Administrative tasks like managing access to the RBBP private online community, helping to manage Facebook fan page, creating and scheduling reminder e-mails, managing my RBBP spotlight submissions, coordinating my blog book tour, answering general customer service or informational type e-mails, setting up products for e-commerce
  • Scheduling – I try and do most of it online through tungle.me
  • I’ve outsourced in the past: copy editing, copywriting, proofreading, and brand consulting
  • Cleaning my house!

How did you determine what to outsource and how did you do that?

I look at all of the things on my plate and figure out what:

  • I’m not that good at
  • Requires expert guidance
  • Drives me crazy, pisses me off, and/or makes me go-cross-eyed
  • I’m decent at but it takes me way too long and my time could be better used elsewhere.

Do you have any tips for surrounding yourself with a great team?

Always be on the look out for great people. Even if you’re not ready to hire someone yet, ask for referrals. That way you’re not choosing someone out of desperation at the last minute (I’ve been there, it didn’t turn out well).
Interview at least three people until you find the right fit.

The more great people you surround yourself with the more they’ll help connect you with other great people (they seem to hang around each other!). And do your part in connecting great people with each other. It’s just good karma.

What aspect of your business are you most passionate about? What’s the best part of your job?

Coming up with and implementing new creative ideas and projects and seeing them have a positive impact in people’s lives. Working directly with my perfect customers – people who are already successful and who are highly committed to taking their life and business to their next level. It’s so rewarding and fulfilling to see them reaching their dreams.

When it comes to creating business plans, what is the most common obstacle entrepreneurs seem to have?

The most common problem is that they actually don’t have a business plan or if they do, they haven’t looked at it in ages.

The most challenging part of your business is….?

Finding enough time to do all of the things I want to do!

If you could give yourself some words of advice 5 years ago, what would it be?

Well, 5 years ago this June was when I left my corporate job so I would say to keep trusting myself and moving forward. And don’t go it alone!

What’s the first step an aspiring entrepreneur should take to make a living doing what she craves?

I’d say the first step is to start talking to positive, supportive people about what you want to be doing. Even if your idea isn’t fully formed yet, the more you put you and your idea out there, the more momentum you’ll gain and connections you’ll make. Plus you’ll start holding yourself accountable to actions you need to do to make your idea real.

What are three things you crave?

  • Creative white space
  • Afternoon naps
  • A personal gourmet chef who also does dishes!

________________

Jennifer Lee, the founder of Artizen Coaching and author of The Right-Brain Business Plan, spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder before pursuing her creative dreams. Through her popular workshops, coaching practice, and writing, she empowers others to follow their passions. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Melody: Why The One-Hat Woman Always Wins

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

This is a subject I wish I would have understood 20 years ago.  It’s something I certainly wish I could have told my younger business self.  For some reason I thought I had to wear all the hats.  Be the visionary, bookkeeper, HR manager,  general manager, designer, networker, shipping expert, master of inventory, negotiator, signer of contracts,  salesperson,  marketing director,  janitor (well I never really did that, but was in charge that it got done), writer, event coordinator and on and on. Was I a control freak or just STUPID?

When I started the CRAVE company I reinvented my life and decided to do everything the “opposite” way, starting with outsourcing almost EVERYTHING.  I wanted to run my company on my laptop from anywhere in the world so outsourcing was really the only way to go.  I now embrace the fact that I am the crazy entrepreneurial visionary. I need to spend most of my time dreaming up the next move or I won’t have a company to run.  All the other stuff…bookkeeping, marketing, writing, new team members and sales are ALL outsourced.  There are many talented people who do all these things really well, way better than me.  Phew that felt good.

I am excited to announce that I’ve finished my book, CRAVING SUCCESS. Another new experience for me. Over the last 18 months I wrote down the stories of the 20+ businesses I have started, with the mistakes made and lessons learned.   Now, I admit that writing is not my forte.  I can barely speak the English language properly, let alone write in proper grammar. But I couldn’t outsource this one…. or could I? I forced myself to write one chapter a night (around midnight) for awhile then put it away for a few months.  It was weighing on me to finish, so I rounded up some girlfriends and talked them into going on a retreat to a beach house for a few days to focus on getting projects done.  I did finish that weekend, but in reality that was just the start.

My outsourcing began by reaching out to Sally Reavis, who became my writing/editing guru and co-author.  She worked on the manuscript and me for the next 6 months to flesh everything out.  Then came design (which I LOVE and always know what I want), but I couldn’t design myself out of a paperbag.  My good friend and walking buddy, Bridget Perez from Tray Creative, was excited to design the front cover, and I got one of my fabulous CRAVE designers, Alison Turner, to crank out the interior.  My photographer husband pulled all the pictures together and my other designer, Amanda Buzard, turned them into a something cohesive.  I was running out of time with the deadline I’d set, so I called the company that prints our CRAVE books and begged for press time and a really good deal for a full color book. I also asked some smart friends to read the manuscript for use-ability, got the copy editor involved, and (finally!) last week we went to print.

I loved every minute of this project and KNOW it takes a team to pull everything off.  I love to set crazy deadlines and power through to get it done.  The way I figure it…if you don’t have a deadline you will never get it done.  If you don’t outsource the stuff you don’t like or are not that good at…you will never get it done.

What do you need to outsource?

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Outsource Weakness & Embrace Strength

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Can you identify your strengths? What about  your weaknesses? This month, CRAVE wants to help you capitalize on what you do best with a valuable lesson learned by our founder, Melody Biringer, over many years and many businesses.

An important part of staying at the top of your game (and CRAVE’s focus for the month of March) is to ONLY do what you do best and to outsource your weaknesses to people who actually excel at them. Bookkeeping, web development, and graphic design are prime examples of tasks you’re better off delegating to pros if you’re not one yourself.

We know this is scary! Knowing where to go and who to trust can be difficult, but this month’s material strives to ease the fear and discomfort and get you pumped about focusing on your passion! Get ready to embrace your strengths and do more of what you crave!

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Inspire to Spread Kindness with Judy Tan of tanQ

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011


Judy Tan is a Portland native graphic designer who began her career as a color/graphic designer for apparel and footwear at Nike as well as a branding designer in Columbia Sportswear. After many years working under a corporate lifestyle, she felt her life wasn’t quite fulfilled yet. Judy believed that her talented graphic designs skills could be used in a positive way to impact others. And she did just that, this past September she took a leap of faith and launched her first business, tanQ. Each month, Judy designs a t-shirt for a non-profit organization and donates 100% of profits from the sale of the shirts directly to the organization. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and chat with Judy Tan and learn about the positive impact tanQ is having on the Portland community. Read on and learn more about her business and how you can spread a simple act of kindness every month!

tanQ is obviously the start of something great for the Portland community, but what are some of the core values behind tanQ?

We want to make a positive impact on the world by fostering hope and encouragement through the use of creative graphic design. Through the use of stimulating graphics, we allow people to promote the causes that are important to them and support them financially. Our goal is to bring people closer together by creating common threads and encouraging individuals to become involved in their communities.

How do you choose which non-profits to support each month?

Each month, tanQ selects a deserving charity to support, combining our efforts with each group’s major fundraising effort whenever possible. For example, last September during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we supported the ‘Candlelighters for Children with Cancer’. During November, the month of Thanksgiving, we worked with the Oregon Food Bank. We partner with each non-profit to promote the sale of their shirt to their community database as well as at art shows and other public events throughout the Portland area. Our shirts are also available online at our website and hope to be in local stores and boutiques very soon. We continue to build our brand awareness through Twitter, Facebook and our blog.

So tell me a little bit about the creative process for you t-shirts designs. What goes into the design of each t-shirt?

We want people to wear the shirt. It’s not just a branded shirt; it’s an expression of the core message of that month’s non-profit organization. So we research to discover the core essence and mission of each non-profit. We then conceptualize a design and a direction to communicate their core message in an eye-catching and appealing way. Each limited edition tanQ t-shirt comes with a greeting card that displays that month’s design, a mini button, and a tag indicating its edition number.

Since the start of TanQ, have you noticed more non-profit organizations wanting to be the t-shirt of the month?

Yes! A lot of local non-profits are now starting to reach out to be a part of tanQ. A lot of the non-profits that I work with don’t have the budget to support creative services. TanQ is a great opportunity to garner more money for their organization in a creative way.

What are some of the setbacks and challenges you’ve had to face with owning your own business?

One of the hardest things I have had to learn since the launch of tanQ is learning how to be the conductor of every aspect of the business. I love to design and would love for that to take up most of my day, but over the past 5 months I have learned the art of time management to keep tanQ running and successful.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There are so many! I think one rewarding aspect would have to be seeing the successful results of each month’s shirt. It feels good to know that I designed a t-shirt that just helped support a great organization and a good cause. Also, bringing people closer together and encouraging more individuals to be involved in the community and become aware of local organizations is very fulfilling!

Why do you think Portland is a great place for women to start their own business?

Portland is a great place to start your own business because everyone is so supportive of creative new ideas. That support system and energy helps inspire others to start something unique and flavorful on their own.

What advice would you give other women seeking to start their own business?

There are a lot of people that say women can’t do this or can’t do that, but just do it anyways. Ignore the naysayers, do what you believe in and don’t give up!

What does the future hold for tanQ?

We are founded on the belief that kindness is contagious, and that even small, humble acts such as buying and wearing a t-shirt can inspire others to take charitable actions of their own. It is my hope that the humble acts of generosity of tanQ will travel like a wave, washing over thousands of people, nudging them toward happiness and charity, like a ripple effect of kindness.

Contact info

Website: http://tanQ.us
Twitter: @_tanQ
Facebook: tanQ
Email: contact@tanq.us

This post was written for the CRAVE company by Katie Watson.

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Marywynn: Local Entrepreness Makes Skin Glow

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Marywynn Ryan became an esthetician after being frustrated by products that didn’t work. Like most of us, with multiple cleansers, moisturizers, lotions, not knowing how they work and why they’re not working for us is a mystery. The products get pushed to the back of the shelf and we buy something new in the hopes that this time it will solve a current problem we are facing. After 11 years in the field with continuing education at UCLA, Marywynn only retails what works, and you can tell by looking at her own skin. A few of the products are her own and she would like to have a complete line in the future. She also wants to offer advanced training for estheticians. She and her growing team look at what they do as a technical treatment of the skin. “We’re like hygienists. You can brush your teeth everyday, but you still have you go in for cleanings.” Before you envision an operating table, know the space couldn’t be more inviting. There is a lovely fabric on the wall that was the starting point for her design concept. The facial rooms are plush and luxurious feeling, with beautiful touches of warm color. The reviews for Skin by Marywynn are outstanding, and you can feel it in her voice when she says, “I work really hard for them.” She wants to help your face look fabulous and recommends getting a facial seasonally for weather and stress changes. You can find more helpful articles on her website for getting and maintaining your best skin. http://skinbymarywynn.com

Harmony Johnstone-Reeser

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