Congratulations to all of our winners from our VIP Business of Design Book Launch Party

• Ronica VanGelder – winner of the 5 Part Audio Course – “5 Ways to be the Next Design Marketing Star”, compliments of Kelly Galea, The Design Biz Coach – www.thedesignbizcoach.com
• Dawn Williams – winner of a $50 Gift Certificate to the Minutes Matter Online Store, compliments of Debbie Green, founder of Minutes Matter – www.minutesmatter.com
• Ruth Banks – winner of a 45 minute consultation and Dewey Color System, compliments of Margi Kyle, Design Doctor – www.doctormargi.com
• Lois Laidlaw – winner of the brand new book “Business of Interior Design, Proven Marketing Secrets to Attract More Clients, Make More Money, Have More Freedom, And Love Being a Designer”, compliments of Vitalia Vygovska, Window Treatment & Productivity Expert – www.vitaliainc.com
• Lucinda Reed – winner of a 1 year free membership to DSA, compliments of Natasha Lima-Younts, Designer Society of America – www.dsasociety.org
• Jennifer Crawford – winner of “live” video training of how to do a walk through and stage a clients home as well as how to redesign a room, compliments of Mary Larsen, Mary Larsen Designs – www.marylarsendesigns.com
• Denise Willard – winner of the book “Marketing Interior Design”, compliments of Lloyd Princeton, Design Management Company – www.dmcnyc.com
• Janice Ward – winner of the e-book, “Get Clients Now: How to Attract Ideal Design Clients”, compliments Kelly Galea, The Design Biz Coach – www.thedesignbizcoach.com
• Marna Conner – winner of the brand new book “Business of Interior Design, Proven Marketing Secrets to Attract More Clients, Make More Money, Have More Freedom, And Love Being a Designer”, compliments of Vitalia Vygovska, Window Treatment & Productivity Expert – www.vitaliainc.com
• Mary Bowden – winner of a 2 part audio class on “How to put on a Successful Trunk Show from Start to Finish”, by Margo DeGange, Degangi Group – www.margodegange.com
• Kelli Chitty – winner of a $50 Gift Certificate to the Minutes Matter Online Store, compliments of Debbie Green, founder of Minutes Matter – www.minutesmatter.com
• Patti Anderson – winner of $50 off WCAA membership compliments of Jenna Abbott, Executive Director Window Coverings Association of America – www.wcaa.org
• Michelle Eaton – winner of a 30 minute coaching session with Anna Jacoby compliments of Anna Jacoby Interiors – www.annajacobyinteriors.com
• Cherie Rissi – winner of ‘How to Host a Successful Telesminar”, compliments of Nika Stewart – www.nikastewart.com
• Maureen Quinn-Donovan – winner of $50 Gift Certificate to the Minutes Matter Online Store, compliments of Debbie Green, founder of Minutes Matter – www.minutesmatter.com
• Stacey Just – winner of the brand new book “Business of Interior Design, Proven Marketing Secrets to Attract More Clients, Make More Money, Have More Freedom, And Love Being a Designer”, compliments of Vitalia Vygovska, Window Treatment & Productivity Expert – www.vitaliainc.com

#1 REASON TO JOIN MY PARTY– and it’s NOT what you think!

By now you’ve surely heard the buzz about my VIP Book Launch Party!  Are you joining the celebration?

(In a hurry?  Join here  http://bit.ly/chlQlw)

Just in case you haven’t made up your mind, here’s my list of top 9 reasons why it would be good for you.  So here goes…

#9. Be in-the-know. Even if you’re just a little bit curious about what’s happening.  It’s your industry and you deserve to know what’s going on.

#8. Free give-aways – many bonuses, e-books, coaching sessions, recordings that can be yours, simply by joining the party

#7. Free advice – we’ll be talking about Setting Yourself Up for success in the busy Fall months – you need to know this information to succeed!

#8. Amazing line-up of guest experts – you want to be in their presence, you want to know how they think, what’s on their minds now, where they think the industry is going

#5.Free excerpts from the book – if you want to know how to market yourself better, you will want to hear this

#4. 3 conveniently-timed slots – hop on for all three sessions, or just one – whenever it’s convenient for you

#3.Get a recording for the future – even if you are busy on the actual day of the party, I will send you a recording of everything that happened, so you can listen at your convenience

#2. Beat the competition – you don’t want to be the only one NOT knowing about the best, brand new marketing resource for our industry

#1. I would love your support! You’ve been a host of a party before right?  So you know how it feels when you’re preparing your grand event and making everything just perfect.  You’re anticipating. You’re excited.  And you would just LOVE to have your friends and colleagues there.

That’s how I feel now too.  This is my very first book.  And let me tell you, it was like birthing a child:  exhausting and rewarding at the same time.  One of my goals this year is to really slow down and relish in what I’ve accomplished and celebrate.  So that’s exactly what I’m doing.  I am a first-time author and I’m just so proud and excited.  Would you come support your colleague in the industry?   I am inviting you to join me!

To join the party, simply get your own VIP access details here:  http://bit.ly/chlQlw

Tuesday, August 31st – The Business of Interior Design VIP Book Launch Party Line-Up

A PRODUCTIVE WAY TO POST ON FACEBOOK

I’m not sure how many people know about this, probably more than I can imagine.  But I just discovered it and thought I would spread the word.  I think this is super cool.

We all know there are plenty of tools out there to schedule your FB posts.  My problem with them is that I have to open up another web-site, log-in, copy & paste, schedule, etc.  I already have a ton of windows open on my computer.  What I wanted instead was to use what I was already using.  Alah, there is a way.

Using outlook, you can send an e-mail (much like you do all the time anyway) to your own personal FB account.  Don’t know your own personal FB account?  Go here and it’s right there for you:  http://www.facebook.com/mobile/

Your post is the subject line.  No need to put anything in the body of the email.

Outlook allows you to schedule e-mails, therefore, you can schedule your FB posts.

And you can attach pics and videos – just like you would doing your regular email.

You have to admit, this is totally cool.  Since we are on e-mail all the time anyway, why not use it to do our FB updating and scheduling.

I’m sure there are some who knew about this for a long time.

For those us who just discovered it – Cheers!

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If you enjoyed this article and would like more time-saving tips about Facebook and successful marketing your design practice, check out a brand new book Business of Interior Design due out on 8/31.  Join our celebration party on 8/31 at http://www.BusinessOfDesignBook.com

3 WAYS TO PRIORITIZE & TAKE CONTROL OF THE OVERWHELM

Prioritizing is the key to converting a long, overwhelming to-do list into a well-run business.  But how do we decide what gets prioritized first, second, third, etc.  What criteria do we use to keep ourselves in check and not lose our heads?

My suggested priority categories for you are these: immediate term, short term, and long term.

Immediate priority action items. They are easy. They are fast. You know how to do them. They may be personally interesting and exciting for you. They are no-brainers.

An example of an immediate priority action item would be to create your email signature. You know you should have one, you know it’s important, you know it will take you only a few minutes, but you just haven’t made time for it because other things got in the way.  The timing of an immediate priority action item is about one week.

Short-term priority action items. Your short-term priorities take a bit longer to accomplish, they may be more complex, and they may require planning and research.

How do you decide which items are more important than others? In other words, within this group of priority, how do you prioritize it even further? Here are the criteria I use and advise my clients, as part of my mentoring program.

i.      Which activity will cost the least and bring the biggest result?

ii.      Which one have I been wanting to do for a long time?

iii.      Which one can I execute consistently?

A great example of a short-term priority is doing your email newsletter (e-zine).

Long-term priority action items. Everything that didn’t make it into the immediate and short-term priority lists falls in this list. But long-term doesn’t mean never, or someday. It still needs a date. I recommend that you strive to accomplish your long-term list within 90 to 120 days.

A good example of a long-term priority action item may be booking a speaking engagement.

Those were your three priority categories: immediate, short-term, and long-term. Regardless of when you’ll tackle your priorities, they all fall within the marketing pie. It doesn’t matter whether you are a seasoned designer or just starting out, the marketing pie doesn’t change – what does change is your knowledge and experience with each “slice of the pie.”

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If you enjoyed this article and would like more information about the Marketing Pie and what it takes to successfully marketing your design practice, check out a brand new book Business of Interior Design due out on 8/31.  Join our celebration party on 8/31 at http://www.BusinessOfDesignBook.com

Vita on “More Than Money” TV Show LIVE with Gene Dickison

I had an opportunity to be a guest expert on a local TV show “More Than Money”. This was a segment called “Women in Business – Thriving in this Tough Economy”. Gene asked me such questions as:
-what does it take to start a business?
-what does it mean to be a successful business owner?
-how do I keep myself motivated in my business?
-what kind of support system does every entrepreneur need?
-how to find a good mentor?
-what pitfalls to watch out for?
-and many more

This was my 1st time on LIVE TV (or any TV for that matter). How do you think i did?

For my part, I had SO much fun! Way too much fun than I even realized I would. I can see how this could lead somewhere…

Enjoy!