Q&A with TONL: Inclusion Through Images

Since their inception, stock photography websites have offered homogenous, way-too-retouched photos and very little variety. And yet they are a crucial resource for many small business owners who don’t have huge budgets to capture their own original imagery for everything. So when I met Karen Okonkwo last year and found out about her newly-formed company, TONL, I instantly became the #1 fan. Last year Karen and co-founder Joshua Kissi made waves in an old-school industry when they launched TONL, a culturally diverse stock photography company. I reached out to her to talk innovation, progress and change.  -Sonja Rasula 

TONL Founders Karen & Joshua

Why did you start TONL?

TONL started to address the lack of cultural diverse imagery in today’s media. We wanted to showcase what the world really looks like which is a melting pot of different ethnic backgrounds, sexual preferences, abilities and more. It was time for us to share the true narrative of our world.

For those unfamiliar with stock photography, can you describe what you do?

TONL is a diverse stock photography business that allows people to purchase imagery of people of various ethnic backgrounds and more to be used in various forms of media.

EXAMPLES OF STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE THROUGH TONL

What was your work background before becoming an entrepreneur?

Prior to embarking in entrepreneurship, I was fully committed to Medical Sales. For Joshua, he spent a small amount of time in retail.

Why are you so passionate about what you do?

We feel so strongly about accurately depicting what the world looks like because it offers a sense of belonging to those underrepresented. Our images also accurately portray the moment in time which makes imagery the timeless, powerful object that it is. We want the future to be able to see what the world really looked like.

The words diversity and inclusivity seem to be popular right now, yet I personally still don’t see a lot of diversity in imagery and on social feeds - especially with small businesses. What are your thoughts?

We agree and this has everything to do with the false idea of what sells. Businesses are old school in the sense that they believe that a white face is more socially accepting. However, studies continue to prove the power in the Black community’s spending power and the Muslim community’s spending power. While I can’t deny the progress, we still have a long way to go to get more diverse people on the front page of magazines and leading in large on screen roles.

EXAMPLES OF STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE THROUGH TONL

What other businesses are doing really innovative things and providing great tools for small business owners?

Localeur is a black owned business that is doing great things with its platform by simply leading by example. Localeur is an app that allows people to travel to amazing cities and experience the city like a local. Founder, Joah Spearman, has done a wonderful job doing talks to help share his knowledge on seeking investors and how to start an app-based, web-based business.

Another platform that does a wonderful job of speaking to the needs of all communities and developing business owners is Create & Cultivate. Jaclyn Johnson is the CEO and Founder of this amazing platform that seeks to allow women to cultivate the dreams of their life. Her platform is about women empowerment and offers tools to help women in business or women seeking to excel in the workforce.

What’s your advice for creatives and entrepreneurs?

Before you embark into business, sit down and really evaluate why you feel strongly about starting the journey into entrepreneurship. You’ve got to have a deep-rooted strong why because your why is what is going to get you up on the low days of building a business.

Painting for the People: A Look at the Cult-Fave Event "PowWow"

By Adam Mieuli

According to Jasper Wong, POW!WOW! is a spot on descriptor for both the impact art has on a person, POW!, and the reaction a person has to art, WOW! It’s also a Native American term describing a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. Both meanings are fitting for POW! WOW! Jasper’s global art festival that has created hundreds of public murals in communities around the world during week long art, music and educational events. In 2017 POW! WOW! Hawaii in Honolulu brought together 120 artist painting 20 murals in one week. They also held 9 other festivals in cities around the world. But, this all started as a humble side project that might never have come to be if Jasper hadn’t been rejected from art galleries half a world away from his home state of Hawaii.

Jasper is an artist and painter. In 2010 he moved to Hong Kong to learn about manufacturing products while continuing to paint on the side. But, mainland Chinese art was in vogue and consequently his art was continually rejected from galleries.

Instead of waiting for a “Yes” Jasper created the opportunity for himself. He rented out a tiny, empty restaurant, painted the walls and windows white, few in a few artists from around the world and started his own gallery. They implemented two caveats: they would create paintings throughout the event and at the end they would destroy their work. They wanted to illuminate the creation process for attendees and make art without the intent to sell it.

They called the event POW! WOW! The following year, Jasper decided to bring the event home. He assembled 12 local and international artists and scaled up the event from a tiny restaurant to a warehouse. Everything was on course for a repeat performance, until several sponsors dropped out. Jasper again was faced with a choice: stop the event before launch or fund it himself. He took out his wallet and charged forward, full steam ahead. With new found freedom, they decided to paint a large mural in the parking lot of the warehouse for the duration of the event. That one decision brought everything into focus for Jasper.

Jasper and his team decided they would focus all future POW! WOW!s around week long murals painting exhibitions in communities around the world. Murals fulfilled many of the objectives Jasper had for POW! WOW! Using a public wall as a canvas meant people could witness the process of creating art while improving a community with artwork. A wall is big so it’s easy for artists to collaborate. Being in a public space means it doesn’t necessarily belong to anyone so the work can’t be sold, giving the artists more freedom to create.

Today POW! WOW! has three main missions: Beautify neighborhoods, connect artists, and support local communities through the arts. Artists work for free, donating their time and talents in exchange for a ight, housing, materials, and an opportunity to collaborate, create, teach and improve local communities.

Jasper’s biggest hope with POW! WOW! is that it inspires people, especially kids, to work on and share their own creative projects. “POW! WOW! started as a side project.
It was a hobby, a passion project that grew and it’s helped elevate me as an artists and organizer and connect with artists around the world. It doesn’t matter what you’re interested in, don’t forget about your dreams. If you put in the time and effort, you can create your own career and define your own path.”

Q&A with Three Potato Four

By Sonja Rasula

One of the cool things about entrepreneurship is that you get to know other businesses and the people doing work in similar fields as you, and you get to watch each other grow. Before I even had the concept for Unique Markets back in 2008 I was a fan of Three Potato Four, a website from husband-and-wife team Stu Eli and Janet Morales. Like me, they also seemed to have a passion for finding and collecting vintage things. When they started Three Potato Four was a small online shop where you could find anything from vintage clocks to old paint-by-numbers art. I felt a bond and kinship with them immediately.

Over the years as technology, the internet and social media brought change and offered new opportunity at rapid speeds, the company transitioned from selling one-of-a-kind items to designing their own products and collaborating with big brands. Their unique point of view and design aesthetic was fresh and they not only managed to survive through a terrible economy, but they evolved and are now one of the most popular gift/stationery/ lifestyle brands I know.

While we have yet to meet IRL, we’ve cheered each other on over the years. Their story is so inspirational and interesting, I asked Janet and Stu to share some of their history and wisdom.

Why did you start Theree Potato Four?

We started our business primarily to be able to work for ourselves and have more time with our kids. In the last 10 years, we've had that time and feel super fortunate.

You’ve pivoted and evolved so much, can you share your business timeline?

2007 – 2010: We began the business in 2007 as an on-line retail store. We wanted it to be a different kind of web shop filled with super fun, unique, and unusual housewares, accessories, and souvenirs - items that we loved and knew there was a market for but were difficult for people to source. We included a section of "Vintage" because we thought the items could give our brand a personality/ feeling/vibe and a unique point of view. At the time we started, the only other prominent online resource for vintage goods was eBay and so the antique portion of our business took o very quickly and we adjusted to selling primarily antiques.

A couple of years later we found ourselves in Philadelphia with our own antique shop and working on a line of our own vintage-inspired products (starting with milk bottle carafes, posters, key tags, and pennants) to supplement vintage sales. The kids were small and time was limited to source vintage to meet the demand and so designing, producing, and selling our own line helped with balance (both business and personal). This was a pretty important pivot for our business as, soon after, the influx of antique-focused reality TV (American Pickers, Storage Wars, etc.) changed the antique industry fairly abruptly (lots of weekend warrior antique dealers) and having a diversified business with our own line of products, not just the vintage, allowed us to keep things moving and growing.

2011-2015: During these years, we were selling less vintage and so we closed the antique shop and moved to a smaller studio closer to home. We focused heavily on what was
working well for us - product design; both for the Three Potato Four brand as well as linking up and developing product collections for larger retailers (Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Nordstrom, Fossil, etc.) who were keen on our style. During these years we also began cultivating the wholesale side of our business - more products, more trade shows, etc. I think that having gone through two fairly significant pivots in the business model, we wanted to make sure that we always stayed diversified in what we o er. If retail/wholesale was slow, then we had design and vice versa.

2016-Present: During the past few years the business has grown quite a bit. Larger collaborations, bigger accounts, expanded product lines, employees. We've learned so much about business over the last 10 years. Many highs and many lows, but what we're trying to do now is take all of those business lessons learned and apply to what we love most - designing and putting out products that combine good design with nostalgic roots. We've been making more time to shop for inspiration at antique markets and collector shows and trying to not fall into analysis paralysis or deep doubt with our o beat product ideas. As a business, it's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to follow trends, but we've come to realize that our most successful products have always been ones that people didn't know they wanted till they saw it. It's tough sometimes as we always feel like we are outliers, but it's the love of what we do that keep us going and trying new things. 2018 will see lots more new and different Three Potato Four products that we love and hope others are keen on as well. It's hard to be different, but it is fun to be the oddball.

What’s been your most successful product?

It’s been and continues to be our motel key tags.

Why do you think you’ve been so successful over more than a decade?

On the creative side, we'd have to say that it's a combination of keeping true to our "eye"/point-of-view along with our fortunate knack to foresee a possible trend in bringing something old back in a new way (key tags, pennants, letter boards, etc.). We sometimes use the tagline "Making old things new again" and it really does speak best about what we do and who we are.

On the business side, I think that being diversified in what the business offers (retail, wholesale, design services, sourcing, etc.) has meant a lot. There is never a time where all of these facets are up and being able to focus our efforts on what is currently working allows the business to keep moving while you work on the ones that are not. I would add that being humble, as a brand, as a business, as a vendor, as a partner - is paramount. Also, it's super critical to do your best to foresee upcoming potholes and pitfalls and preparing accordingly. It's not if you will hit them, it's when. And keeping our business small has allowed us the nimbleness and flexibility to both roll with the punches as well as capture some pretty fun projects and be better at customer/client service. Also luck. Lots and lots of luck.

Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all: Master Your Salary Negotiation with These 5 Tips

By Kara Scharwath

The data is clear — the majority of women hate to negotiate and will go out of their way to avoid situations where they have to do it, especially when it comes to compensation. According to a study from Glassdoor, 68% of women accept their first salary offer and men are three times more likely to successfully negotiate a higher salary. And it’s resulting in financial losses that add up over time. Research from Women Don't Ask shows that by NOT negotiating a first salary, you can lose more than $500,000 by age 60. Women who do consistently negotiate salary increase earn at least $1 million more over their careers than women who don't!

The good news is that with a little help and some diligent preparation, you too can slay your salary negotiation. Here’s how:

1. SET AN ACCURATE BASELINE

Use online resources like Glassdoor, Salary.com, and Payscale.com to ground your negotiation in hard data. Research salaries for similar jobs in your city at a comparable level of experience, education, skill, responsibility and performance.

It’s also helpful to talk with contacts in your field to get firsthand information from people who have experience in your industry. Don’t ask them what they make; instead, ask them for a range based on your role and level of experience. If you know any recruiters or have friends that work in human resources, they can be great resources too. If you don’t have those connections to reach out to, use LinkedIn to find people to contact or ask your college’s career services department to put you in touch with alumni.

By doing your due diligence, you base your argument on solid data, not just a feeling that you deserve more money. And you’ll feel more confident about the number you’re asking for.

2. PROVE YOUR VALUE

Comparative salary data is great, but you know what’s even better? Undeniable evidence that you’re killing it at your job. When you ask for a raise, your boss or manager is going to expect you to make a convincing case that you’re adding value to the company. Identify specific examples that clearly demonstrate your high level of performance, contributions to your team, and wherever possible, quantifiable results. This is how you can prove that you’re a valuable asset that’s well worth the additional compensation that you’re asking for.

3. REHEARSE YOUR DELIVERY

You should prepare for a salary negotiation the same way you would prepare for an important presentation or client pitch. Practice your language and delivery paying close attention to your body language, eye contact and facial expressions. You may be nervous on the inside but you want to come off as calm, positive and confident.

Write down the language you want to use and have a friend role play with you. Ask them to come up with some objections that your boss might pose and try to respond in real time. They can also give you feedback on how you can improve. Going through the scenario a few times will help you feel more comfortable once you’re faced with the real thing.

4. LISTEN + BE CREATIVE

A salary negotiation isn’t a one-way ask with a simple yes / no answer. It should be a collaborative conversation where both parties have an interest in finding a mutually beneficial solution. That means that what your boss or manager has to say is equally important. So, listen carefully to their responses, try to understand what they need, and be empathetic to where they are coming from.

If you don’t get the raise you were hoping for, there are other options you can explore that may be able to get you closer to where you want to be. Think outside the box about alternative benefits or other types of compensation that can round out your compensation package. This could include more vacation time, a better title, more equity, a performanced-based bonus, or an education budget to attend conferences or workshops. Your boss will appreciate your flexibility and willingness to offer creative solutions.

5. BE POSITIVE + STAY OPEN

It’s important that you pay close attention to your attitude and energy during the conversation. By preparing and doing your research, you can go into the negotiation with confidence and a clear understanding of your worth. Put yourself in a positive frame of mind and approach the conversation as a collaborative discussion with the goal of reaching a better outcome for yourself and for the company.

Salary negotiation is a discussion. If you’re not happy with where you ended up, set a follow-up meeting to keep the conversation going. Consider any feedback you were given on your performance and most importantly, try to learn from the experience. If you represent yourself well and keep an open mind, you’ll earn more respect from your boss, regardless of the outcome. Getting comfortable with and good at salary negotiation is an important and valuable skill you’ll be happy to have for life!

5 Easy Tips Business Owners Can Implement Today

Running a business is no easy feat, but with some simple tips, you can lead your team in the right direction. Here are a few reminders to keep you on track during your daily routine.

1. Capture the moment! (via Constant Contact)

Fans love seeing how everything comes together. By carving out some time each day to capture some behind the scenes footage of the team at the office or the beach, you'll have more content to share and connect with your audience in a new way.

2. Team up with micro-influencers! (via Forbes)

Don't let the numbers fool you. While they might not have as many followers as some of their celebrity contemporaries, micro-influencers have an advantage with their loyal and niche audiences. Their higher engagement rates compared to bigger names proves to be a more efficient marketing tactic with a greater ROI.

3. A little attention to detail goes a long way! (via Primoprint)

Many say "don't sweat the small stuff," but the finer details can truly help set your company apart from the competition. From providing customers with personal attention to ensuring the delivery of quality products, every seemingly small element contributes to building a loyal fanbase.

4. Distractions, begone!

Constant distractions are one of the many things that'll get in the way of working smarter. Keeping a tidy workspace smoothly translates to clearer thinking. Also try to skip the multitasking and instead carve out some time for each priority you have to tackle throughout the day.

5. Remember to unplug! (via USA Today)

Although the advent of the Internet and technology has allowed us to connect in ways never before possible, it's also become a bit too easy to get addicted to all these screens. Take a break from your desk with a walk outside to refresh your mind and system with a clean slate when you return.

Workspace Wednesday

Whether you have a home office or commute to work each day, maintaining a clean and refreshing work environment is essential to staying on top of your game. Not sure where to get started? Here's some inspiration for how to spice up your own workspace.

Home Polish

Photo by Julia Robbs

Squarespace

Photo by Magda Biernat

Cloud Room

Photo by Brian Paquette

BHDM Design

Photo by BHDM Design

Nuon Office

Photo by HEYLIGERS Design+Projects

Our Fave Summer Cocktails

Beat the heat with these tasty summer cocktails!

Image courtesy of Chareau

Endless Summer

2 oz Rosé

3/4 oz Chareau (Aloe Liqueur)

3/4 oz Lime Juice

1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Topped with Soda

Build over ice in collins or wine glass and garnish with fresh herbs.

Image courtesy of Chareau

Aloe Margarita

2 oz Tequila

1/2 oz Chareau (Aloe Liqueur)

3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 oz Agave Syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and serve.

Photo by Ethan Calabrese 

Recipe from Delish.com

Frozen Sangria Margarita

For the Sangria Swirl:

1 c. red wine

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lime

2 c. ice

For the Margarita Swirl:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

2 shots tequila

2 c. ice

Blend sangria mixture. Transfer mixture to the freezer while you blend margarita mixture.

Rinse blender and blend margarita mixture.

On a small plate combine sugar and salt. Run a wedge of lime around the rim of a glass and dip in sugar and salt. Alternate layers of sangria and margarita.

Garnish with lime and serve.

Recipe from Esquire.com

Strawberry Basil Bourbon Lemonade

8 oz. bourbon

2 cups strawberries

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

12 basil leaves

8 basil sprigs

bitters

Place strawberries into blender and add 2 tbsp of sugar. Add about 1/4 of a cup of water and pulse until pureed. In a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the puree and 1 3/4 cup of water. Heat until mixture begins to boil. Allow to cool and then strain through a sieve.

In a large pitcher, combine the strawberry syrup, bourbon, 1 cup of water, lemon juice, basil leaves, and a splash of bitters. Stir and then pour into eight glasses with ice. Garnish each with a basil sprig.

For the Foodies

DineL.A

July 13th-27th

Various Locations

California Pizza Festival 

July 28 and 29 

LA Center Studios

Echo Park Food Truck Fest 

July 6th

7PM-9PM

Echo Park Food Truck Rodeo

1310 Liberty Street

Los Angeles, CA 90026

Dessert Fest At Cooper Design Space

July 7th and 8th

12-7pm

Cooper Design Space

Latin Salsa Festival 

July 7th and 8th

532 S Olive St

532 South Olive Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

 

5 Ways to Help Families Seeking Asylum

In case you are unaware, here is a recap of whats going on in America right now: 

Families who are crossing the borders into the US are being separated by ICE and border patrol. The adults (who are seeking safety and asylum from our neighboring countries)  are being criminally prosecuted while their children are taken and detained in government facilities alone. The children are being taken away at an astounding rate; on average 45 children per day since 2016.

So, cutting to the chase: what can you do immediately to help? We have listed 5 EASY ways to positively impact the human rights violations and atrocities that our government is knowingly implementing.

1. TALK, POST, SHARE.. REPEAT 

Talking is the first step, always. Talk about what's happening to your peers, coworkers and the man that pours your coffee, this way you can share your ideas and get a better understanding of what you might not be aware of! Also tweeting and re-posting on social media is literally the way we learn these days. If you are silent, you are part of the problem.

Two things you can do right now: Share this blog post and follow @aclu_nationwide. 

2. DONATE

You can donate however much you want at Secure.actblue.com, which will spread donations across 8 relevant charities and projects that are working tirelessly to support and protect these families. The ACLU, Women's Refugee Commission, Human Rights First, and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project are some examples of the groups that your donation will be dispersed to. 

3. CALL YOUR REP

5calls.org is a great website to easily access a phone number depending on your location. By voicing your opinion to the staffers of your local representative, your opinion is basically tallied and informs the local government on how strongly the population feels about a certain topic. The phone call can take less than one minute. 

4. TEXT YOUR REP

If you have call anxiety, text the free service RESISTBOT to get the word to your representative.  Text the word RESIST to 50409. 

5. READ ON...

Below are several links that will give you a better understanding of what is going on: 

Read about Jacob Soboroff's visit to an children's immigration holding facility,

Spoiler: its horrendous. 

Read the New York Times article on the legality of whats happening. 

Read the fact checking article by the ACLU on all the theories that are swirling around the internet.

LA Summer Music Event Guide

Get hip to all the amazing music events in Los Angeles this summer! We have curated a list that you may be into, we will probably see you there.

FIGat7th Downtown Festival

2018, Every Friday in June

June 8 @ 5:00 pm

KCRW Summer Nights in Chinatown

FREE
Saturday, June 30

Chinatown
5pm: Festivities begin!
8pm: KCRW DJ Liza Richardson
10pm: KCRW DJ  Garth Trinidad

Jazz at LACMA

Free

Every Friday night at 6PM

LACMA

5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

The Gypsy Kings at The Greek Theater

August 3rd at 8PM

The Greek Theater

2700 North Vermont Avenue  
Los Angeles, California 90027

Friday Night Wine Tastings and Music

 May 25 through August 31, 5:30pm to 8:30pm,

Barnsdall Art Park, West Lawn
4800 Hollywood Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90027

$35 – Friday Night Wine Tasting

Reggae Night XVII

Master of lovers rock Beres Hammond, the “African Bob Marley” Alpha Blondy, and fresh roots lyricist Protoje converge on the Bowl for our 17th annual reggae festival

JUL 1 @ 7:00 PM

The Hollywood Bowl

2301 N. Highland ave
Los Angeles, CA 90068 United States

Jazz at Descanso Gardens

World Rhythms Tuesdays, DJ Wednesdays, Jazz Thursdays, late June through mid-Augus

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Free with garden admission

Parking is free on site

KCRW Summer Nights at CAAM

with KCRW DJs Garth Trinidad and Aaron Byrd

California African American Museum

Saturday, July 14th
6pm

SCHOOL NIGHT 

LIVE: FRANKIE SIMONE / REUBEN AND THE DARK / ONR

DJ: DRAKE SMITH / MAIKOL / CHRIS DOURIDAS

Bardot1737 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA

MONDAY JUNE 11TH

Summer Up your Workspace

Summer Workspace Must-Haves

JUNE 1, 2018 By KELLY NYLAND

From PETALFOX

At Petalfox, our mission is to help you curate a more intentional space to dream, make and do.  We asked some of our friends to tell us about some of their must-have desk accessories or emergency drawer stash for the summer.  

Meet on your feet

If you haven't tried scheduling a "walking meeting", you should give it a go.   Store a pair of kicks in the bottom desk drawer (like these gorgeous New Balance Fresh Foam Cruz Paradise), so you can wear your "look good" shoes inside and your "feel good" shoes on the street.  In addition, taking a 20 minute walk is alternative to that afternoon coffee or brain break from the creative churn. 

Recommended by Kate McAndrew, Associate @ Bolt.

Don't sweat it

While summer months bring us coveted sunny weather, they can also often bring an escalation in the office thermostat war and sweaty commutes.  If you have given up traditional antiperspirants, or are considering an aluminum-free alternative, you should give Native deodorant a try.  This product has been recommended to us by so many friends!

Recommended by Kate McAndrew, Associate @ Bolt.

Grab & Go

If you run out of your fancy [Read: $$$$] travel size face cream or toner, these are great desk drawer back-ups.  Refinery29 Beauty Editor, Tara Rasmus, writes this delightful recommendation(warning, circa 2013 😱).

While you're in Trader Joe's, The Rose Facial Toner is a brand new item.  It was recently reviewed in an article titled "My Stubborn Acne Refused to Clear Up — Until I Tried This $4 Spray From Trader Joe's" by a trends editor, Brinton Parker at POPSUGAR.  We'd like to mention that we've noticed that the last ingredient is "fragrance" - a generic ingredient term creating some controversy in the beauty industry.

Recommended by Kelly @ Petalfox.

Notebook Geeks Unite

I am a sucker for paper goods, so when Joanna from Point+Shoot Co. told me about her obsession with the notebooks from Leuchtturm1917, I knew we would be fast friends.  

"My 911 desk must-haves include a GIANT notebook - the bigger the better.  For scribbling notes from client calls or just Blue-sky ideas, like the Leuchtturm1917 largest slim notebook in stand." - Joanna

Recommended by Joanna Gryfe, Founder @ Point+Shoot Co.

And as for Leuchtturm, their tagline says it all, "Details make all the difference." Look forward to getting one (or several) blog posts specifically about notebooks in the future.  Possibly, co-written by Joanna ☺️.

Just Coasting

My East Coaster / West Coaster coaster(s) - keep me thinking about my family on the East coast.  My motivation for working so hard is so that I can have the flexibility to be with family when I need to be.  AND reminds me to stay hydrated - if I can see it...that means there isn't a glass of water on it!"

Brilliant, Joanna. Just brilliant.

Recommended by Joanna Gryfe, Founder @ Point+Shoot Co.

Bring a little outside, in

Petalfox floral subscription delivers blooms to your desk or door weekly, monthly or anything in between.  Each week, we curate a new arrangement that ships each Monday.  Once you sign up, you can get, gift or skip your flowers anytime.

Recommended by the Team @ Petalfox 🌸🦊.

A paper sac you can wash

While most of us might throw our pens in an unused mug laying around the office, why not trade up for an adorable little creative sac by Urban Sacs?  Oh, and did we mention that you can wash

About Urban Sacs: Harvested through cultivation not deforestation, the sustainable lightweight material used in Urbana Sacs is infused with a variety of virgin pulp fiber blends and recycled polyester felts. Individually handmade in Los Angeles with washable paper fabric, our sacs have been designed so that you can cuff and shape them to suit your needs.  Like fabric, it can be washed and reused over and over again.

Recommended by the Cool Hunt LA Staff

For all your random bits

My mom always used to say "a place for everything and everything in it's place".  This unisex valet tray from the Small Batch Supply Company is perfect for gathering all the little miscellaneous bits around your desk and giving them a little home.  Or use this as a desktop "drop zone" for your keys and sunglasses (that never make it back into the case). 

Recommended by the Cool Hunt LA Staff

Wallpapers are like Windows

A friend recently told me about Unsplash, a website for wicked wallpapers.  I like to think of them as a little window into another land where I can escape for few minutes during my day to find creative inspiration or mini daydream.

Recommended by Kelly @ Petalfox via Jared Saunders @ TOBE Agency 🙌.

Creating a Profitable Small Business

Written by Rustin Nethercott from Constant Contact. 

You need your small business to bring in money reliably.

But your customers are inconsistent and getting them in the door seems more like luck than science.

How can you turn things around to create a profitable small business? 

Don’t worry — with just a few simple marketing tactics, you have the power to create a consistently profitable small business.

Get started with these five tactics:

1. Focus on your existing customers

Small businesses are always on the hunt for new customers.

What many don’t realize is that the fastest way to reach new customers is to nurture relationships with your existing customers.

Use email marketing to stay fresh in your customers’ minds and drive repeat business. A simple monthly email newsletter will keep your audience up-to-date on what’s going on at your business and drive them towards a sale.

In fact, 66 percent of consumers have made a purchase as a result of an email marketing message.

New to email marketing? Try Constant Contact for free! Sign up for a 60-day free trial.

2. Encourage recommendations and reviews

Your current customers love your business.

They are already recommending you to their friends and family. You just need to further encourage they sing your praises online — where their testimonials are publically visible.

Ask for your happy customers to leave reviews on your businesses’ Facebook page.

Encourage your audience to share your email newsletters. And ask for reviews on sites that are relevant to your business, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Trustpilot.

3. Dress (your website) to impress

81 percent of shoppers research online before buying.

And yet, many businesses still aren’t making their website a priority. When potential customers visit your website, you want to deliver an excellent experience with clean, easy-to-navigate design.

If you have yet to create a website for your business, look into options like HostGatoror Bluehost.

Creating your website doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Start your site with these five website essentials and then add on as needed.

Soon you’ll have an online presence that converts potential customers rather than pushing them away.

4. Build and leverage a strong social media presence

Once you have a great website and a loyal following, it’s time to build up your social media presence.

Social media allows for you to engage with your current and potential customers, addressing any questions they have while also defining your brand identity.

With so many social media channels out there, it can seem overwhelming getting started.

Rather than trying to be everywhere, start by developing a presence on the channels your customers visit the most.

Not sure which channels to start with? Send an online survey to your current customer to help you determine which channels to prioritize.

Hint: For more social media help, make sure to visit our Social Media Quickstarter.

5. Track your success

You’ll never know what kind of impact your efforts are making if you aren’t measuring their effectiveness.

You should constantly review the numbers behind your marketing. Important metrics may include email click-through and open rates, website traffic, and social media engagement.

You might find that what you’re doing is working perfectly. More likely though, you’ll see that your tactics could be working better and you’ll be able to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Use these resources to improve your analytics:

• Google Analytics: 5 Reports You Need to Know About
• How to Measure Email Marketing Beyond Opens and Clicks
• How to Master Email Measurement in 3 Easy Steps

Ready to put it all together? 

Creating a profitable small business doesn’t happen overnight.

But by focusing on your existing customers, encouraging shares and reviews, building a professional website and social media presence, and measuring what matters — you’ll set yourself up for a steady stream of new and repeat customers to fuel your business.

WRITTEN BY: 

Rustin Nethercott: Constant Contact contributor. I tell stories worth hearing through design, the written word, or whatever happens to be lying around the...

Favorite Local Breweries

We like beer...and we like supporting local. Here are some of our favorite breweries in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. So you can go grab a pint...or two. 

Los Angeles 

Nashville

New York

Portland 

Chicago 

Denver 

Atlanta

How To Compose a Crave Worthy Email

Imagine creating emails as satisfying as freshly-baked cupcakes.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Your readers would bite hungrily into your content. And wait impatiently until the next time you hit send.

Could an email ever be that good?

For Sarah Waters, brand director of Treat Cupcake Bar, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to pique her customers’ appetite and get them to shop with her.

“We’re the kind of store where people may only come in every other month, so we really need to be able to reach people through email,” says Sarah. “Email has definitely helped increase our online orders. People being able to click-through and shop online has been huge.”

Want to try email marketing for your business? Sign up for your free 60-day Constant Contact trial here. 

Here are Sarah’s four ingredients of crave-worthy emails:

1. Start with an enticing sign-up experience

Since signing up for email marketing, Sarah has grown her email list to over 2,500 contacts. She collects contact information both online and in-store to reach her audience at multiple touchpoints.

Her sign-up form is visible on every page of her website — not just the homepage. She also uses the Join My Mailing List Facebook app so anyone who visits her Facebook Page can join her mailing list easily.

Here’s how the Join My Mailing List App appears on her Facebook Page:

In-store, Sarah offers a small incentive to entice people to sign up.

“We have bowls in both our stores that ask people to ‘Sign up for the Friends of Treat Mailing List’,” she says. “When they sign up, they’re also entered into a monthly raffle to win a dozen cupcakes. “

Tip: Use this checklist to make sure you’re doing everything you can to build your email list. 

2. Only send valuable information

With a growing list of subscribers, Sarah is sure to make every email count. Her emails include information on upcoming sales, details of store events, and creative solutions.

“We never want to put together a newsletter that feels like there’s no reason for it,” she says. “We always want to feel like we’re informing them of something new. We don’t want anyone to ever feel like we’re sending them junk or something they already know.”

Sarah emphasizes that her emails aren’t always promotional. Her advice for stand-out marketing is to simply understand your customers and what interests to them.

“You don’t have to always send out sales,” Sarah explains. “If you send out a creative recommendation (like a cupcake centerpiece) or unique gift idea that can be a breath of fresh air among all the special offers. We try to solve a problem for them or offer some inspiration.”

Here’s an email Sarah sent out to remind customers about Treat’s gluten-free options:

Tip: Use these 30 email ideas when you’re not sure what to send.

3. Be timely

Timing is a huge part of Sarah’s email marketing strategy. When deciding what to send, she thinks about what holidays are coming up and how Treat Cupcake Bar can fit in with her customers’ plans.

“I try to allot one day a month where I can think about what my game plan is going to be,” Sarah explains. “I plan things around the holidays — for example, I know around October and November I’ll need to send emails about Halloween and Thanksgiving.”

Working around holidays means Sarah’s messages are always timely and she is able to plan things out ahead of time.

“My advice is to write down your game plan ahead of time,” she says. “It saves me a lot of time to have a schedule with what kind of content I want to send out. And then it’s just sticking to that schedule the best you can.”

Sarah sent this email to promote custom orders for Thanksgiving:

Tip: Here’s how to create an email marketing plan that you’ll actually stick to. 

4. Keep emails short and sweet

A recent Constant Contact survey found that emails with approximately 20 lines of text and three or fewer images resulted in the highest click-through rate.

For Sarah, using a mobile-responsive email template allows her to create short and focused messages that are fast to create and easy to read.

“I want my emails to be clean. And I want, from the moment that someone opens it, for them to be able to see the purpose without scrolling down,” Sarah says. “I’ll add a cute, whimsical header, a big picture of something that makes them hungry, and just a line or two about what the email is about.”

Sarah makes sure the main picture links back to her website and she always includes contact information and buttons to her social media channels.

The example below includes an engaging header, an image and short description, and a call to action to order online:

Tip: Use these steps to design emails to drive more action. 

Make your readers hungry for your next email!

Using Sarah’s tips, you can create emails your subscribers are excited to consume.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew — choose one of these four tips where you think you can make the biggest improvement. Even small improvements can make a big difference and go a long way in building loyalty with new and existing customers.

Want to send business-generating emails in no time? Our 5-step Approach to Successful Email Marketing guide will show you how! 

This article was written by Miranda Paquet: Writer, marketer, and @ConstantContact contributor.

Who runs the world?

Girls.

Happy international women's day!

In honor of all the women who run the world, here are some special leading ladies that changed the course of history. 

#UniqueLunchClub

The Unique Team started a Lunch Club in office! Everyone has a designated day to cook for everyone else in the office, and we must say, we LOVE it!It allows us to save money, eat healthy and we only need to worry about making lunch one day a week. Now poof...it's a club! It really brings us all together and allows each of us to try out those Pinterest recipes we've been eyeing for a couple...years. Here are some of our favorite dishes and recipes so far. We challenge you to start implementing a lunch club in YOUR office, share your dishes and tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #uniquelunchclub .

Click the title to get links to similar recipes online! 

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Zucchini Enchiladas 

Goat Cheese Salad

White Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage

Sweet Potato Dahl Curry.

Raw Brussel Sprout Salad

Vermicelli Noodles.

Quinoa Fried Rice.

Potato Tacos.

Veggie Pasta