Anyone who has started a business knows that promoting/ marketing your new business is vital to your success. Without a good marketing plan your business will be slow to grow. I wanted to share with you some ideas for starting to market your new business. I will be posting more of these in the next few months. Be on the look out for more ways to market your new business.

Tips to promote/market your business:

• Always carry business cards with you. These truly are a key component to a marketing plan.
• Make mini marketing giveaway bags. I suggest using cute. I love using Chevron Pattern Treat Bags. Something like this: Pattern Bags. In these bags I include the following:

        *Business Card
        *Mini Opportunity flyer
        *Mini Hostess Rewards sheet/ Hostess Exclusive sheet
        *Candy
        *Discount, Coupon, Customer Special for the month.

    Really you can include anything you want in these bags. Give them to everyone you meet. People     waiting in line at the store, bank tellers, cashiers, package delivery drivers, parents at sports         practice or games, when you stay at hotels, go to restaurants, get coffee, any where you can     leave a tip or gift behind.

• Print out marketing approved quality flyers with your contact information on them.

    Include the following:
        *Your website address
        *E-mail address
        * Phone Number
        * If you are offering any specials right now include that

    After you have some printed go around your community putting them up on community boards, at     the Chamber of Commerce, mobile home park offices, apartment complex, schools, grocery         stores, post office, radio stations, Real Estate Offices, Construction companies, local bridal         stores, bridal supplies, tuxedo rental shops, Daycares, churches, College campuses {what college     student is not looking for extra income}, Welcome centers, etc.

• Contact churches, schools, Chamber of Commerce, most hold festivals during the different seasons. Ask if they are looking for vendors for your business. If you do an event like this you will want to make sure you have displays set up, signage about your business, product for customers to see, business cards, flyers, ways to collect customer information. Make it look professional.

• Contact your local hospital(s), ask for the department that handles the mommy gift bags they give once a baby is born. The almost all hospitals give New Mommy Diaper Bags filled with products, samples, coupons and more. It is a great way to advertise your business.

    Include in a cute bag:
        * Business Card
        * Sample of your product (if you have a product that can be sampled)
        * Flyer about your company
        * Catalog
        * Hosting information

• Contact medical offices to inquire about leaving information with them. This is truly a great way for you to target parents about the business opportunity or even hosting a party.

• Donate products to radio stations, schools, businesses that are running big giveaways, fundraisers and more. This is a great way for you to get your name out there. Plus donations are considered a tax write off.

• Contact the Chamber of Commerce, Colleges, Job centers, etc to inquire about their next job fair. Ask if you can step up a booth at it. What a great way to talk to people about the business opportunity you have.

• Contact local gyms, coffee shops, boutiques, hair salons, banks etc. It really can be any where that get a lot of foot traffic about setting up a table with your products on display. Make sure to bring business cards, catalogs, flyers and more marketing stuff you can hand out easily.

• Create a networking group with others in your community that also have home based businesses. It is a great way to share events, tips, tricks, and more with those that are also building a business. It is also nice having people that are not part of your business to collaborate with.
• Ask restaurants, diners, deli's and coffee shops how you can advertise on their paper place-mats or beverage coasters! You would be surprised how many customers actually read those ads. 
• I love being able to take my business on the road during the months when weather is nice. Contact parks, Chamber of Commerce & community centers to see what their schedule of events are. Inquire if they allow vendors from your business at the event to set up a booth. This is a great way to network and market your business to those that are not in your community.  
• No events on your books? Plan your own. What about hosting a block party? You can hold it at  your home, park or community center! Families are always looking for something to do
  during the summer.
  
• Start looking for Holiday events during the summer. Most are already posted. It is a great time to secure those events. 
• Get your business printed on pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. Those are great hand outs to give to anyone you meet. Who is going to turn down a free pen? 
• Have you branded your vehicle yet? If not do it today. It is a valuable advertising method. You can get a vinyl decal, door magnets, or stickers made for pretty cheap. 
• Find your local Mom groups, MOPS, or similar groups.
  

I hope these help you build your marketing plan. I love building a business from the ground floor. It truly is so rewarding. If you have any questions I would love to chat via Email.

As Always Dream Big,

Congratulations on starting your new business! It is so much fun to build a business from the ground up. One of the first things you want to develop is your brand. You want something that everyone will remember. Marketing your brand/business is vital to your success. Without proper marketing you will not be able to grow a business.
I am excited to share with you steps to market your new Origami Owl® business.

• Create a FaceBook Fan page- Never underestimate the power or social media.
  
• Post at least 2-3 times DAILY on your fan page and share onto your personal page. Share pictures of product from Origami Owl's® Facebook, My FaceBook page or other desingers pages. Share jokes, quotes, recipes, etc make it fun. Not every post should be about Origami Owl®.
  
• Make sure to post during busy times-- Morning 9AM, Lunch time 12PM, Dinner time 56-PM, bedtime 8-10PM
• Wear your products every where you go. You would be surprised how many people do not do this.
• Make sure your picture is your profile picture not product. People want to know you. You want to build relationships with them.
• Find local events and sales sites on Facebook in your area or area's that you are willing to travel to. This is a great way to find out about events that may not be advertised elsewhere. Post about hosting an Origami Owl® Jewelry Bar®, joining your team, ask the members if they know of events that are coming up.
  
• Carry Catalogs, business cards, rack cards, flyers and other marketing material with you. You never know when you will meet your next hostess or team member.
• Don't just market your business, market yourself. You want your customers to build a relationship with you. They want to get to know who they might be buying from.
  
• Be consistent! Work your business every day by setting goals that are attainable. Posting about your business, sharing your business wherever you go.
  
• Be passionate! Passionate not just about the product, but about your relationships. Passion sells. 
  
• Be committed. Never give up! As I always say, remember that Rome was not built in a day and neither will your Origami Owl® business. It takes time to build a successful business.  
• When posting on Pinterest, Twitter, FaceBook, Google+ and many other social media outlets make sure to link your posts back to facebook or your blog (if you have one). You want them to be able to communicate with you to build the relationships with them. 

As you can tell building relationships is vital to the success of your business. Stay consistent, passionate and committed. You will see results if you put the work in. Treat this business like a business and it will pay like a business. Treat it like a hobby and it will pay like a hobby. When I started my Origami Owl® I was the only designer in a 600 mile radius all around me. I built my business for {FREE} I never paid to advertised my business any where. I posted several times a day on everything. Building a strong online presence is important. I have made so many incredible relationships with my customers. You don't have to be on every social media outlet that is out there. Pick the ones that work best for you and stick with them. I would love to answer any questions you may have. Email Me


As Always Dream Big,

Choosing the right Origami Owl® mentor is honestly one of the most vital decisions you will make before you start your own Origami Owl® business. You may have talked to a friend, relative, or maybe even a stranger about Origami Owl® which started to get you to think about joining our team. Even though that person talked with you about joining does not necessary mean they are going to be the best fit for you. You are about to start a business. Making sure you have the best mentor possible is really going to help you start off on the right foot.

Let's start with the definition of a mentor. men·tor noun \ˈmen-ˌtȯr, -tər\ : someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

My definition of a mentor is someone...

• Who guides you through your business
• Encourages you
• Teaches you how to duplicate their process
• Inspires you
• Helps you develop into a better leader

I believe that choosing an Origami Owl® mentor should involve some research and questions.

Here are some questions that I find valuable when selecting a mentor.

1. Have you been in Direct Sales before? If so how long?

2. How long have you been a designer with Origami Owl®?

3. Are they successful?

4. Are you available for training and questions?

5. Do you know how to market your business such as jewelry bars®, events, fundraisers, online, social media, catalog parties?


Have you decided if a local mentor or non-local mentor is the best fit for you? If not visit Choosing a Local or Non-Local mentor. This blog post will really help you make a confident decision about the best fit for you. You need to make a decision that works best for you. Take some time to get to know the mentor either by phone, online or in person and ask yourself the following questions.

1. After talking to her does she inspire you?

2. Do you feel like you will get along well with her?

3. Was she truthful and honest with you?

4. Does she follow the Origami Owl® Mission Statement, Policy and Procedures and their standards?

5. Did she seem knowledgeable and familiar with Origami Owl®?

6. Did she answer all of your questions?

7. How successful has she been so far in her business?

8. Did she share with you why she joined Origami Owl®?

9. Is she working her business? You want to have a mentor that works their business.

10. Does she care about the success of her team?

Choosing your Origami Owl® mentor is a very important business decision. As I stated before, it is truly one of the most important decision that you make.  If you sign up with Origami Owl® without a mentor they will assign you a mentor. This mentor may not be the right mentor for you. I suggest picking your mentor before you sign up with Origami Owl®.

Now that you have made a confident decision about your mentor it is time to talk with her about the career plan. Understanding the career plan is important to building your business. You are going to want to share this incredible business with others! Origami Owl® has one of the most generous compensation plans in the industry!

To me mentoring my team is what I {LOVE} to do! I get so much joy out of seeing our team succeed and reach their dreams and goals. Learn about WHY I would {LOVE} to be your mentor.

I would love to chat with you! Please email me if you have any questions. I truly would {love} to talk with you more about the business. If you feel like I am the right fit as a mentor for you you can Join Here. Are you looking for someone local to you? Visit the Find a Designer feature. If there is not someone in your area and you would love to start your business from the ground floor email me today! I started my business in a small town from the ground floor. It has developed into an extremely successful business that I truly {love} I feel so blessed to be able to have this incredible business.

As Always Dream Big,

Thank you for stopping by! I am so excited to share why it is so important to choose the right mentor for you! Have you been trying to decide if a local or long distant mentor is right for you? Well, I am here to help with that.  I will have several new posts over the next month or so talking about the mentor relationship, what to expect from your mentor, etc. Keep an eye out for them!

Honestly, to me one of the most important steps in building your Origami Owl® business is to choose the right mentor! I started this business with a mentor that went MIA right after I signed up. I do not ever want to have anyone go thru that.  I now have a long distance mentor that is the perfect fit for me.

What is a local mentor? That is someone who is within driving distance to you.
What is a Long Distance mentor? They might be in your same state, a state next to yours, in your region, or across the USA or maybe even overseas stationed on an APO/ FPO/ DPO, they also might be in driving distance, but chances are they probably are not!

Ready for the pros and cons of the different mentors?

{{The Pros}} of having a local mentor:

• They can attend your launch party {Such an important step in launching your new business is to host a launch party}
  
• Hold in-person training
  
• Teach you the back office in-person
• Assist you or have you assist them with events, Jewelry Bars®, Fund-raisers.
  
• Share leads with you

{{The Cons}} of having a local mentor:

It is important to keep in mind they are also working in the same local market as you. {Which can be competition for you.}

Does the above sound like the perfect fit for you? Then I would highly recommend you choosing a local mentor.

{{The Pros}}A Long Distance mentor

• They are not in the same market as you {{No competition}}
  
• Might be in a different time zone then you. Which give you more hours of support if they are in a time zone behind yours.

• Direct one-on-one support training via the phone, e-mail, etc.
  
• Online screen sharing programs help you learn, Help you navigate the back office
• Just a phone call, e-mail, text, or social media message away
• Can share leads with you when people are looking in your area
  
  

{{The Cons}} of having a Long Distance Mentor:

• They cannot attend your launch party {Such an important step in launching your new business is to host a launch party}
  
• Will hold online, video, phone, e-mail training instead of in-person training
  
• Teach you the back office via an online screen sharing program
  
• Will be unable to Assist you in person or have you assist them in person with events, Jewelry Bars® or Fund-raisers.
  

Does that sound like a perfect fit for you? Then a Long Distances Mentor is going to be the best fit for you. 

How do we communicate on Team Such a HOOT:

Most of our team communications are on the phone, Text messages, e-mail, social media, newsletter videos. I am also going to start doing training videos for my team. We learn Origami Owl® together, how to utilize their social media sites, how to be a mentor to their teams, booking Jewelry Bars®, coaching hostesses, team building, among many other things!

Now that you have had a chance to read the Pros and Cons of having a Local or Long Distance mentor I am confident you will be able to make a decision about which is the best fit for you. Please visit our Find a Designer Section to see if there is a designer in your area or close to you. If you do not find someone local to you please message me HERE. I would love to have you on my front-line team! I love developing an amazing Mentor/Designer relationship with all of our team! We all want you to be as successful as possible! I love being able to help my team build their teams also! I find so much joy in seeing others be successful in the same ways I am.

If you have any questions I am only an e-mail away!

As Always Dream Big,