image credit: lomokev

With spring right around the corner, it’s officially trade show season. Whether you’re an artisan, designer or blogger, chances are you’ve seen your fair share of trade show coverage already — and the best is yet to come!

There are billions of benefits to trade shows, but if you’re not prepared, they can feel seriously overwhelming. Here are BAKERY’s Trade Show Survival Tips, fresh from the oven!:

1. Plan
Seriously, do it. If you plan to showcase your wares at a trade show, you’d better have the show’s website bookmarked and frequent it often. Not only will you score some great information (hotel discounts, airfare rates and parking details), but you’ll get the inside scoop on the floor plan, booth regulations and your fellow attendees/participants. Familiarize yourself with as much as you can to avoid last minute surprises.

2. Think
Do your brainstorming months before your show, as procrastination is a recipe for disaster. If you’re showcasing products, do you want to offer giveaways, treats and/or product freebies? If you’re attending, which spots are must-have hits for you? Devise a plan early on and take the necessary actions to prepare for your plan.

3. Fuel
Give yourself the energy and focus to get through trade shows, as they can tend to be incredibly draining on the mind and body. Whether your choice vice is coffee, energy bars or yoga, be sure to arrive with plenty of it in tow.

4. Smile
Enjoy yourself, and be friendly. This is a no-brainer, but when dozens of people are crammed into tiny spaces, we tend to release our claws. Keep your attitude in check and stay calm — it will be over soon enough.

5. Follow Up
When all is said and done, retreat back to your hotel room (or home!) and debrief from the day immediately. You’ll pick up ideas for next year’s show, great blog coverage and exciting new contacts that may be lost in the mix if you wait days to put it to paper. Don’t forget to send follow-up emails to everyone who you make contacts with, just to say “it was nice to meet you.” Post-show networking is the best part of the show!

Above all, have fun. Trade shows are exciting (especially with coffee)!

image credit: luke stephenson

This is the story of how I learned one of the most important business lessons in my life from Erin just in December of last year:

Once upon a time, there was a blogging conference. I asked Erin if she was going and if so, that I would go, too, so that we could finally meet. She said no. Bummer. But, I always seem to get phone calls from Erin that start with “Don’t be mad, but…” Apparently later that evening, Erin had emailed them to say that we’d be more than happy to speak as a keynote (without consulting me, of course). Long story short, they asked us to be panelists and at that point, how could I say no when I (apparently) already asked to speak?

At said conference not only did I have a blast, but I met a bunch of brand new friends and was also able to network with some high-profile bloggers that I’d wanted to meet for years. It also increased my visibility as the blogger behind Design Milk, which I hid behind for a long time. Needless to say, it was totally worth going, and I would have missed out had it not been for Erin’s ridiculous email.

Most of my life I’ve been fairly passive, letting things happen to me rather than making them happen. For the most part, I thought, “why would so-and-so want ME to do X or Y for them?” or “why would they want to talk to ME? “Who am I, I’m just some chick from New Jersey — who cares?” If you have said similar things to yourself about you, your work, your blog, your shop, or whatever it is that you do, then it’s time to learn the very same lesson that I learned late last year.

Erin always says I’m the smart one, but she’s got it all wrong. Erin makes things happen. She asks for stuff I wouldn’t even dream of, often times getting more than she wanted. So, I’d say Erin’s the genius – I wouldn’t be where I am now if she didn’t have the balls to ask for it.

Here’s the takeaway: Don’t ever think “who am I” or “why would Martha Stewart/Oprah/The Today Show/whoever want to hear about my product/art/shop?” — the truth is, they DO want to hear about it. You just have to show it to them.

image credit: maria lamar

I heard on NPR last week that 80% of children under the age of 18 have never touched a postage stamp. Insane, right? Sadly, I’m not super surprised. With email and social networks taking center stage in today’s world, snail mail has become a bit of a lost art.

What isn’t a lost art? E-mail. Believe it or not, e-etiquette does exist, and if you’re not familiar with it, it’s high time to brush up on the art:

1. Introduction
Hi, hello, howdy — however you say it, get a name to go with it. Everyone knows that ‘to whom it may concern’ is lame, but even more lame = no name. See? It rhymes. Write it down.

2. Kick-Off
Right off the bat, state your intention. A lot of people like to kick off an email with a funny anecdote. Instead, get right to the point and save the funny for later.

3. Keep it Simple
I’m a big fan of using an initial email for nothing more than to request further communication. Let’s say, for instance, you’re approaching a potential advertising partnership. Rather than catching someone off guard with an extensive proposal in an initial email, why not simply introduce the basis of your idea, then write something like “If you’re at all interested, let me know; I’d be happy to send a more formal proposal.” You’re not only giving them the option to request more information, but you’re also putting the ball back into your court, allowing for an opportunity to show that you’re organized and follow through with your requests.

4. Call to Action
End the e-mail with the next step, whether it’s a request for an e-mail back for additional information, or a simple “I’ll be in touch in a few days to follow up.” Never leave your recipient guessing re: what happens now.

5. P.S.
Here’s your chance to get fun. Now that you’ve said everything you need to say, send over a compliment or funny anecdote, or talk about this hideous snow. Whatev.

Got it? Good. Now send me a practice email and I’ll grade you.

Kidding. Sort of.

A note from Jaime:

Before you hit “Send”, it’s important to check the things that people make mistakes with most often when sending out emails. A nice rule of thumb I like to use is check your “ETA”, or:

Email (are the right people on this email?)
To: (did you address is to the right person?)
Attachments (are your attachments actually attached?)

image credit: dream beam

Hey there bakers!

Many of you are shop owners — some small others large — but whether you’re running an Etsy shop or a big brick & mortar store, you keep track of your sales in one way or another.

Well, if you didn’t already know this, I used to have an online design/lifestyle shop. It was very successful, but my heart was not in it, so I “pulled a Seinfeld” and walked away on a high note. Anyway, while I ran my shop, I created a custom order ledger that I used to keep track of every order and my costs, such as shipping, tax and cost of inventory. At any time I could refer to this ledger to see how far along I was in the month, how much profit I had made so far, and what I’d spent on shipping. I first created it along with my accountant to make it easier for him to see all the details of my operation month-by-month. But, now that I don’t have a shop anymore, my ledger was just sitting in my Archive folders and I thought, why not share it! If you’re looking for a way to get more organized in 2010, this template is a great option.

And now I’m passing it on to you. I’ve reworked my ledger into a template that you can customize to your own needs. Each column header has comment notes that describe what that column does. Also note that there are formulas in there so you don’t need to do any math.

Download my order ledger template here.