Start-ups Require a Lot of Time, Money and Dedication So Make Sure it’s Doing Something You Love.

By: M. Dorsett

“Challenges are learning mechanisms that help me gain a new perspective.” Avni Parekh

Starting your own business is definitely a daunting challenge, and I firmly believe being a businesswoman is not a job title suited for everyone. Avni Parekh is the author of self-help book, Be The Bigger Person: Scenarios & Solutions to Better Yourself. She also runs a brand development agency to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their brands and equip established business owners with trustworthy and affordable wholesale and private label vendors in beauty, fashion and other popular industries. I asked her what were her top three tips every person looking to start their own business should be aware of and keep in mind. If you’re thinking about taking the leap, read the insights she’s sharing from her journey below.

Start-ups require a lot of time, money and dedication so make sure it’s doing something you love.

So many joys come along with launching a new venture, especially if you’re pursuing your life’s calling or specializing in a profession that you possess subject-matter expertise. 

Financial restraints are among the hardest challenges that many experience when starting new ventures including myself. For this reason, maintaining practicality is of utmost importance. Even if you start small, think about your long term goals — keeping in mind that a successful business strategy is always scalable.

One of my first ventures was a series of car window stickers called Peace Badges. Launched in 2010, each badge represents the positive qualities and characteristics that people express are important in their lives like family, friends, love, compassion, equality and much more. The idea was very scalable, and had a deeper meaning than just making money.

Develop your brand identity and be consistent with your branding.

A great example of this is the story of my Poshmark journey. I started selling on Poshmark in 2013 after a friend recommended the app. From the get-go, I was impressed! The app and its functionalities are pure genius. Almost every aspect one would need to run a successful business is available in the app, but you are still responsible for what your closet looks like, and how you interact with customers. That is your brand. My closet was successful. It was profitable, and I was appointed a Poshmark stylist.

When I launched my hair and beauty website, LuvlyLongLocks.com, I was able to take a lot of what I learned running my Poshmark store and apply it to my new business. 

Be open to critiques and suggestions, they can lead to your next ah-ha moment.

This feedback may not always come in the form of direct commentary from your users or customers. Set up a reporting and analytics structure, and make time to review it. Data can tell you a lot.

I discovered this while doing business on Poshmark! The app has functionalities to capture and generate a variety of analytics and reports used to help sellers fine tune their approach — and they provide this service for free.

The life of a creative entrepreneur is full of sleepless nights, however, it can be extremely fulfilling. I’m proud of what I have achieved in my career, especially since it’s the result of hard work and tireless dedication. If you're thinking about starting your own brand, remain positive when the challenges come along. There will be many!

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Public Relations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By: Carolina Lafuente

So you’ve just wrapped up an event one of your clients was hosting, thanks to your social media coverage and the feature you got on yesterday’s 5 p.m. news, the turn-out was excellent. More people are now familiar with your client’s brand, they now have a larger following on social media and sales are estimated to go up.

    But what if something went wrong and suddenly negative news comes out about your client’s company? Do you spin the story around? Is that really the right thing to do? Or do you own up to it and apologize?

Public relations specialists sometimes get a bad reputation of being dishonest based on stereotypes. Simply because some brands have had PR nightmares, doesn’t mean we are all made equally. Our jobs are to sell brand images; nowhere does it say this cannot be done by presenting factually based evidence about products. Yes, at times things go wrong. Thankfully there are guidelines to ethics of public relations, which can be found on Public Relations Society of America’s website.

According to the PRSA Code of Ethics, we must “Act promptly to correct erroneous communications for which the member is responsible and investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of information released on behalf of those represented.” In the simplest terms, we must remain transparent. Transparency allows customers to build a trust with brands, in turn creating a loyal customer base. We are in the communications field, let’s communicate effectively.

Cross-Posting on Social Media and Why You Shouldn’t Do It

BY: Carolina Lafuente

As a brand, sharing on all your social media platforms is key to engaging with your audience. However, if you’re sharing the exact same post across different platforms, you’re probably not going to get much interaction. Your followers will notice and it comes off as impersonal and lazy from your part.

First and foremost, not all social media platforms are created equally. Therefore, each post should be appropriately tailored to specific outlets. Your Twitter audience wants short, in the moment updates, while your Instagram audience is much more visual. Twitter works great with links to lead your followers to your site. Instagram, not so much since you can’t embed links into captions.

Facebook might be the trickiest to reach your audience through. Facebook’s strange algorithm punishes you for that one video you might’ve posted that didn’t get much attention. This however may work to your brand’s benefit by challenging you to really get to know your audience. It is important to keep in mind that with Facebook, the amount of people your posts reach varies on how much interaction your previous posts receive.

Social media shouldn’t be taken too seriously though, unless you’re a serious news outlet. Instagram is one of the best ways to showcase your brand’s personality through photographs, videos and text. Your followers will resonate with posts that are personalized. Sometimes, the amount of likes and comments go further than the number of followers you have. Speaking of followers, don’t forget to reply to your followers on their posts to let them know you’re there and you’re listening. So go ahead, post that TGIF gif or photo, and don’t forget to add that hashtag.

Why You Should Use Snapchat for Your Business

By: Carolina Lafuente

    Snapchat is slowly growing more and more each day. Today, it’s even used as a news media outlet with its Discovery feature that features stories by media outlets such as ESPN, The Food Network, and CNN to name a few. Celebrities have it, bloggers have it, my friend’s little sister has it and has more followers than I do fresh out of high school.

    The truth is, the world is becoming more social media conscious to where if you don’t have a presence in a certain outlet, you might as well not be real. Snapchat can be used to a brand’s advantage to grow its presence by giving consumers an inside look to a company’s everyday functions, a behind the scenes experience.

    Snapchat can become a way to get consumers to get to know the people behind your brand and the work put into how products are made. It can also be used for promotional purposes to get your audience out to events your brand might be participating in or hosting. Show them the venue, talk about activities that might be included, and on the day of the event show them the end result. It may encourage others who didn’t make it to come out next time once they see what they’re missing.

    The best thing, and main purpose, of Snapchat is that it’s to tell stories. Tell your brand’s story, keep your audience engaged by giving them a treat at the end of story such as a discount code. Don’t be afraid to get creative, that’s what visual social media outlets are for. We are storytellers by nature, add your brand’s story to Snapchat.

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