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Melissa Beth @ The Clothing Show in Toronto

Hey Torontonians!

Come check out Melissa Beth at the Clothing Show this weekend at The Better Living Center near the Exhibition in Toronto.

Come say hi - we'll be @ Booth 449.

We will be selling our laptop bags, laptop sleeves, make up cases and MORE!

Take advantage of our sample sale and discounted discontinued items!!

The show is Friday 3-9, Saturday 11-8 and Sunday 11-7.

See you there!

Melissa :)

Mother's Day Sale

Celebrate mom and give her the gift of style.

25% off all regular priced merchandise online at www.melissabeth.com

Use couponcode: MOMSDAY

Enjoy!

Dear Mom-Preneurs & Prego-Preneurs.. help!

Dear Mom-Preneurs, while I have always been a big fan of mom entrepreneurs (and all female entrepreneurs for that matter) I can finally say that I have a new fondness for mom-preneurs.

Since I (Melissa Beth) will be the newest addition to the club this October!! So moms you will have to teach me the ropes of juggling baby and bis! I will need the nitty gritty and your BEST tips/advice.

Help me find the best mom-preneur blogs, mommy blogs and prego blogs.

Send us a line (sales@melissabeth.com) or comment below on the best sites to visit!!

I am going to need all the help I can get.

So for now I am just a prego-preneur. If that is not already coined term than it should be!

(You heard it here first!)

So to show my LOVE for mom-preneurs and so you will accept me with my open arms into your clubs, I am marking down all of our diaper bags 50% off or more!

Get your diaper bag while quantities last.

BisBuzz: Tip of the week

Small business owners:

My tip to you, is "when you can - pay by credit card!"

Charge it! It may not seem like an obvious choice, but credit cards offer many benefits for small businesses

1) If you do not get your goods/products/services you ordered from a company

Maybe they went bankrupt THIS RECENTLY HAPPENED TO ME!, or they just failed to ship you the goods or your products just arrived damaged. If the company will not fix your problem you can file a chargeback and in most cases you will win.

2) You get an extra 30 days on paying your credit card bill

3) You may get points for air miles or travel. Why not get a free trip somewhere when you spend money?!

4) You will have an extremely accurate record of your expenses

5) Build business credit.

"A small business credit card provides a newly established business the opportunity to build business credit. This will be useful in the future as your business grows and you need capital in the form of credit lines or loans". Although you may not need a line of credit or a loan, you may need it one day in the future and building your credit can help you in the future when you grow your business.

However, make sure you pay your credit card bill on time, as credit card fees can be extremely costly!

What's the WagJag?

What's the Wagjag and why should Canadians get excited?!

WagJag.com is a fun, exciting, and lucrative place that offers you and your friends amazing deals on the coolest events, restaurants, fashion finds, activities and adventures. We can offer major deals because we assemble a group of buyers - bulk buying power! - and only activate the deal if enough people join in before the clock stops ticking. If you buy something from WagJag.com, and I think you are going to find the deals very compelling, you will not be charged until enough people buy it.

WagJag.com is meant to be fun and to be shared with others – friends, family and colleagues – after all, you can only get the deal if enough people sign up, so it makes sense to spread the news.

The site will be launching sometime over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I invite you to sign up to become a WagJagger at www.wagjag.com so you will receive email alerts about offers in your city. Simply enter your email address, choose your city, click submit and confirm by clicking on the link in the email you will receive. You can also join the facebook and follow them on twitter.

Share the site with your friends - trust me, they will thank someone for showing it to them...so, you might as well take the credit!

Who knows... you may even see a Melissa Beth deal on wagjag.com!!

Trade Shows: How to Survive and How to Succeed

Part of my business includes doing wholesale and retail trade shows. 

It seems glamourous that I am able to travel around to exhibit my products in cool cities and meet interesting people.  Sometimes it can be, however, getting everything together to display our beautiful bags can be exhausting.   Anyone that has been to a trade show on the vendor side will agree with me here, setting up the booth and breaking it down is ALWAYS the worst part!!!  

Even if you don't have a lot to display or pack up- set up and tear down sucks!!   I do not pack light, so you can imagine the time it takes to create a beautiful booth-especially when I am the one with the drill doing most of the manual labour :)

Here are some pics of how my booth arrives, what it looks like displayed and what happens when you are not careful when using an exacto knife.  

Some tips for successful trade shows:

1. Try and stay focused on your budget, design and overall sales goals.

2. Think long-term and follow up with the customers you meet.

3. Network with fellow vendors.  The information you share can be really valuable.

4. Hire help to assist you with sales, set up and tear down.

5. Take advantage of the city you are in.  It shouldn't be all work and no play! 

Sorry for the lame pictures they are from my blackberry!

And, FYI, my finger will be okay! 

Lou Lou Deals

Check out Lou Lou Magazine this month for a special coupon code. 

You can save when shopping online @ 

 www.melissabeth.com

Receive an additional 25% off  on regularly priced items

Okay, I'll save you the trouble of getting up.   

Use coupon code: "loulou" to redeem your discount. 

Offer expires May 28th 2009.

Women Rock

Today I came across a great article about how female entrepreneurs are taking over the world.. 

I am not surprised! 

Women are so amazing at multi-tasking.    

Check out the article "Women Entrepreneurs, The Next Wave of Leaders".   

It is from one of my favorite new blogs- The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

 

Gimme 5..

Five of my favorite business books.

Here is what I suggest for those who need some inspiration, direction and business advice.

1) Jack Welch's : Jack Straight from the Gut

I love Jack Welch.  I think he is so inspirational.

2) Blue Ocean Strategy

A book about taking your company/product/service and moving it into a new uncontested market place.   

3) Jim Collin's:  Good to Great

Discover what will take your business to the next level. 

4) Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business.

I am in the middle of this book right now & I think it is great.   For someone who is not naturally "tech-savvy" this book has provided a lot of insight that I can (and will) apply to Melissa Beth Designs.

5) The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.  

I am not going to lie, I have not read this book yet.  But I have been reading his blog and viewing his videos.   This guy has some great advice- he knows his sh*t.! (get it!?)   

You should check out his blog.  

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (what a catchy name!)

"Stepping up" to make the sale

I found this funny infomercial on youtube.  

If you have ever done sales you know it can sometimes be hard to make a sale.    This guy is so committed to making a sale, that even after he is injured he continues to try and sell his ladders.

I don't know if he ever got back up from his fall, but he certainly was persistent even after he probably lost a few teeth.   

Check it out.    

Ladder Infomerical

Let me know your thoughts.