EnMart Embroidery Talk

I haven’t done a Friday blog round up in a few weeks,  so I figured it was time to go and see what’s new in the machine embroidery blogosphere.

First up today,  a post that really hit home with me.  Kathleen Fasanella,  who is a writer I admire anyway,  wrote a touching post about the death of her uncle.   In the post she asked people to reach out to someone they hadn’t seen or spoken to in a while, because anything can happen and ties with those you love are precious.  I think we all need to remember that those we love and who love us are the most precious things in our lives.  I’ll second Kathleen’s request.  Call or e-mail someone you haven’t been in touch with in a while and let them know they matter to you.   I guarantee it will make your day brighter.

Second on the list today,  is a pair of videos from Stahl’s that will be useful for those who have vinyl cutters.  EnMart doesn’t sell or use this sort of equipment,  but I am very fond of videos that teach people how to get more from their equipment, and I’m all about education.  The vinyl cutter training video and the pressure sensitive vinyl video should be useful to people who work with vinyl and I’m happy to pass them along.

Third on the docket is the announcement of a new service from the National Network of Embroidery Professionals.  The service is called SupplierFinder.net  and will allow machine embroiderers to find suppliers for the goods and equipment they need for their businesses.  You can read all about the new website on the NNEP Blog.

Fourth in the round-up today is some advice from Marie and Graham from Odd Guy Art.  They are now veterans at selling their wares at festivals and outdoor events,  and they’ve provided some tips to help others be successful at this type of sales event.   I think my favorite tip is the one that involves the ping pong paddle.  I do have to wonder what happens if you miss though.

Finally, just because I think they’re awesome, I need to point out the terrific rubber duck designs from Urban Threads.   There’s emo duck,  super duck, geek duck and more.  They’re adorable and they’re on sale.  What could be better?

Wow,  I can’t believe July is over.  Time has just flown this year.  It seems impossible that Fall is almost here.

First up this week is a new series on the Black Duck Inc. blog.  They’re showcasing some of their past e-mail ads from a campaign that ran a few years ago.  I love this idea for two reasons.  First, it allows them to show off their work again.  Second,  it shows you that humor and a little whimsy does have a place in advertising.  Read the text of the ad.  They picked a theme and committed to it,  and it works.  It’s a great example for other businesses to follow.

Second on the list today is a great post by Kathleen Fasanella on choice and why the American way of the person who is affected by the choice making the choice may not always be the best way.   The second to the last paragraph is a great commentary for those who run a business and try to give good customer service.  Sometimes the best customer service is the kind where you tell the customer they’re wrong.  There’s a lot to think about in this post.

Third on the agenda today is a twofer for Erich Campbell (I mentioned his Black Duck Inc blog earlier).  This time I’m mentioning a great post about creativity he wrote for his Stitches blog.  He spotlights the fact that you have to experiment and play to keep your creative muscles sharp.  He also mentions EnMart’s colored metallic thread which he recently used to create some designs for a Stitches photo shoot.    Given that,  how could I resist mentioning the post?

Fourth on the list,  we have a reminder that the holidays are coming,  and we all need to be ready.   Although the tips from the Retail Minded blog are intended for brick and mortar stores,  they are also useful for those who sell online.  The main thing to remember is that the holidays will be here before we know it,  and we all need to be prepared.

Fifth today,  we have a post from Seth Godin’s blog about being first and why it isn’t always best.   Sometimes we get so caught up in being first that we don’t stop to think about how much value there is in being first.  If you rush a product to market so that you get to introduce it,  but the product has issues that you didn’t stop to consider,  have you really done the best thing for your business?  If you announce a new special or product offering before you’ve considered all the ramifications,  are you getting the most benefit from the announcement?  It’s certainly something to think about.

Finally,  I want to end this post as I seem to have ended most Friday Blog Round-Up posts lately, which is with a plea for recommendations for blogs.  I’d love to build a creative blogging community,  but it is hard to find blogs written fro those who are in business,  as opposed to blogs that deal with crafting.  If anyone has any suggestions,  please do share them.

First up this week,  AKDesigns is having a sale.   You can get 40% off their machine embroidery designs.   There are a lot of cute designs included in the sale, so this is definitely worth checking out.

Second on the agenda is this post about sharing product details from the Retail Minded Blog.   Having an educated sales staff, and being educated about your products yourself is vital whether you sell online or have a retail store.  I especially like the idea about having a reference spot.  EnMart has created binders for all our CSRs where they keep all the information about our products that they receive.  It’s an easy one stop reference and makes finding answers to questions easier.

Third on the list today is a post from Sewing for Cash that asks what is embroidery digitizing.   The post, of course, then proceeds to tell you.  It’s a decent overview of the digitizing process.   It also mentions free digitizing software,  like the Stitch Era Universal Software that EnMart offers.    If you’re interested in learning more about digitizing,  this post is a good place to start.

In the fourth slot today we have a discussion of kids, creativity and indie designing.   I love this post because it points out something that worries me as well,  the fact that kids don’t pretend like kids did when I was growing up.   When I was a kid, my bike was a horse,  a garage was a secret hideout and some blankets and pillows made a terrific fort.  Today, kids have video games and computers and action figures.  Why pretend a ruler is a light saber or a tennis racket is a guitar when you can buy a “real” light saber or play Rock Band on your X Box?    I think this post makes a lot of good points.

Last on the list today is a plea for information about any machine embroidery or sublimation blogs that are out there.   I constantly do searches,  and also watch Twitter and Facebook, but I’m not finding much information.  If you have a blog or know of a good blog that should be on our blogroll,  please share that information with me.

First up this week is a post from a blog that seems to show up week after week,  the Fashion Incubator Blog.  Kathleen writes good, thought provoking posts, and this post asking “Are You a Good Customer?”  is not exception.    The question works both ways,  do you know what your requirements are for a supplier who wants to work with you and do you know with what sort of customers you want to work?   Think about that,  an answer to those questions may take longer to formulate than you think.

Second on the agenda today is a great post about taking Twitter from the online world to the real world.  Erich Campbell from Black Duck Inc recently participated in a Tweetup in Albuquerque where he lives.  For those who are not familiar with the term,  a Tweetup is an event where people who follow eachother’s Tweets meet in person.  These events are a great way to translate online connections to real world connections.  You can read Erich’s post to find out how.

Third up this week is not a blog post,  but an article from Stitches Magazine.  The article, titled “Electric Youth“  features embroidery created by Erich Campbell from Black Duck Inc.  Some of the pieces also use EnMart’s colored metallic thread.   Please go check out the fabulous work done by Erich and Black Duck and also take a look at how our colored metallic thread can light up your designs.

Fourth up,  the blog Sewing for Cash points us in the direction of Loralie Designs.   I’m a fan of quirky and contemporary embroidery designs,  and this company looks like it has some unique products.    If you’re looking for some designs that stand out from the crowd,  it might be worth checking this company out.

Last up today I wanted to point out that EnMart has Ricoh GX e3300N printers back in stock.   If you’ve been wanting to get started with sublimation,  we now have two cost effective options,  the 3300N and the Epson WF 1100, which can get you started for a reasonable cost.   Of course,  we will also help develop a package custom designed to your needs as well.    Just contact us with any questions or needs you have and we’ll be glad to help.

First of all,  I want to say Happy Almost Birthday to our country.  Even with our troubles,  and we have some at the moment,  I still believe that America is a great place to live and work.  Plus,  the three day weekend is awesome! I hope everyone will get their fill of food, fun, and fireworks this weekend while celebrating the birth of our nation.

Second this week, I want to point out this post about digital fabric printing on the Fashion Incubator blog.  This technique is actually something that EnMart has looked at a time or two, and which we may go back to at some point.  It is terrific for short runs of fabric,  or for creating a one of a kind fabric for a custom job.    People are finding more and more things to do with direct to garment printing every day.  Creating custom fabric is just one of them.

Third on the docket this week is this post that shatters some myths about publicity from the Retail Minded Blog.   A lot of business owners tend to be afraid of trying to generate publicity for their businesses,  either because they think they don’t know how to do it correctly, or because of some of the myths that are debunked in this post.  If you’ve been hesitant to use a press release or other publicity generating techniques for your business,  check out this post.  It may change your mind.

Fourth up this week,  I’m including a plea from EnMart’s other blog,  SubliStuff.  We are considering creating some instructional videos,  and I need to know what you all would be interested in watching.    If you have an interest in sublimation, please stop by the SubliStuff blog and let me know what you would like to see in a video.   Your input would be appreciated.

In the fifth spot this week,  we have a post from the ASI Central Blog – 7 Ways to Stand Out.    There is good advice here for almost everyone.  I’m especially a fan of the tip about teaching what you know.  People love to be educated,  especially if the education helps them be more successful in their business.  That’s why seminars at trade shows are so popular.

First up today I want to start with a post that I’ve been mentioning everywhere because I think it is so spot on.  It’s a post about how people are not brands and it perfectly echoes how I think about and operate in social media venues.  People who think they’re brands make me itchy.  Brands are brands,  people are people.  I want to interact with people on Facebook and Twitter,  not brands.

Second on the list today is a post about car flags from Black Duck Inc.   As Erich points out in this post,  car flags can be a great promotional item.  He also mentions something that hadn’t occurred to me,  car flags can be a great way to unify a group.   If you’re looking to unify your group,  do keep in mind that EnMart does sell car flags that can be sublimated.

Third in the round-up today is an announcement from the NNEP.  They’re having a design contest to find a new conference design for the 15th anniversary of their trade show, conference and garage sale in Ohio.   The person who designs the winning entry will be given free conference registration.    You can find details on the contest in the blog post.

Fourth on the list today is Odd Guy Art,  just because I love the sense of humor these guys have.   Plus,  I’m a lot like Marie,  if you don’t count books,  I’m not really about possessions.     In any case,  I appreciate they way Graham and Marie run their company and I like their designs.  I’m sure you will too, so please stop by and check them out.

Fifth up today is this list from ASI of the top 10 U.S. made promotional products .   I have to say I can’t see much use for the ice cream hat,  but  some of the others would be useful.

To close today I want to add a plea for information about embroidery and sublimation blogs.  I do a search every once in a while to see if I can find more blogs with which I can beef up my blogroll,  but I’d also love to know what you guys read and enjoy.  If you have a blog or know of a blog you think should be on one of our blogrolls, please let me know.

First up this week is a post about who determines the value of your product from the Fashion Incubator blog.   The post makes a very good point,  your customers decide the value of your product,  not you.   If you overthink the entire process,  you can end up never getting your product line off the ground.   By the way,  as long as you’re visiting the blog,  you should also check out the series on what kind of entrepreneur you are.   That’s a good one too.

Second this week is a post from the NNEP blog regarding the new 1099 regulations.   I’ve heard bits and pieces about this,  but don’t know the whole story.   From what I’ve read,  this will add a lot more paperwork to our business lives.  If this is something that concerns you,  the NNEP post will tell you how you can register that concern.

On third base this week,  we’ve got a post from the Retail Minded blog.  If you have a retail store,  you know staying on budget can be an issue.  Nicole offers some tips on how to cut your monthly retail budget including things like starting an online store,  or reducing or eliminating landline phone service.   If you’re looking for ways to cut costs in your store,  check this post out.

My fourth mention this week is from a blog called UnMarketing.  I really like this blog,  both because I’m in Marketing myself, and because these posts make a lot of sense.   This particular post discusses  the fact that emotion and opinion is what gets people talking.   People spread content they find interesting or about which they care.  If you want people to talk about your business,  you have to give them something that makes them want to talk.

Fifth on the list today is a post about creative sales approaches from the ASI Central Team Blog.   I especially like the superhero idea.  I admit all of these may not work for every business,  but the post is a great way to get you thinking about creative ways to promote your particular business.

Finally,  today I wanted to do a small promo for the EnMart Facebook page and Twitter feed.   We love new followers and fans and friends,  so if you’re not following us or haven’t yet made your liking of us public,  please do so.

First up today is Kathleen Fasanella’s post “The Difference Between a Wannabe and a Newbie“.   This is the bit that really rings true for me:  “There’s a big difference between a wannabe and a newbie. People who have a skill or something going for them, have a confidence from outside the business. They are centered in their place in the world even if they’re only now coming into this one. They’re newbies, never wannabes.”  It’s an interesting take on learning a new business or industry.

Second this week is a great post from Erich Campbell of Black Duck Design.  He is my colleague in blogging for Stitches Magazine  and he has a terrific post up on his Stitches blog about how your substrate can effect digitizing and finished embroidery.   He’s got some great tips about how to make almost any substrate work in your embroidery machine.

Third on the list is an informative post from the Retail Minded blog about leasing a retail site.   While some of us tend to operate almost entirely online,  the retail storefront is still alive and well.  If you’re considering having a brick and mortar site,  check out this blog post for some tips on finding the best retail location for you.

Fourth up today is another great post from Urban Threads showing how people have used their designs.  I’m a huge fan of the design aesthetic of Urban Threads,   their designs are the kind I would sew out if I had an embroidery machine.   They have an awesome collection of pictures,  from tattoos to designs embellished with rhinestones to some body painting,  it’s all in the Show ‘N Tell Gallery.   Check it out!

Fifth on the agenda today is a little pimping for EnMart’s other blog SubliStuff.    We have a post up on that blog that gives instructions on how to sublimate a shot glass.    I like doing the tip posts for SubliStuff because I always learn something new.  In this case,  I learned that you can sublimate a shot glass in a toaster oven,   which I thought was kind of neat.   I also learned not to cool the shot glasses with water,  as they might shatter.  Instead,  use a cooling rack or a small fan for air cooling.

Finally,  I wanted to recommend three great resources,  all forums,  that some of you may not have seen yet.   The first is T-shirt Forums.  I’m pretty sure almost everyone knows about this forum as it is one of the biggest decoration forums on the Internet.   There is a lot of good information here, although you may have to search to find what you need.  There are also a lot of threads on this forum.

The second forum is the Apparel Decorators Forum.  This is a smaller forum,  with a great group of members who are very open and friendly.   This forum also has a lot of good information and is a great place for people who are just starting out.

Last but not least,  I wanted to mention a forum that is about small business,  but not specifically about decorating.    The aptly named Small Business Forum is where people gather to talk over the ins and outs and ups and downs of running a small business.  While it doesn’t have much of a decoration component,  there are a lot of helpful tips on running a business.   In the interest of full disclosure,  I should mention that I am an Admin on this forum.

If you’re looking to make connections with other business owners,  check out one of these forums.  If you do check them out,  make sure you say hello.  I’m EnMartian on T-Shirt Forums and ADF and Kristines on the Small Business Forum.

First up this week,  I want to say thank you to Angie from AK Designs,  who actually reads what I write here.   She wrote a terrific post that was inspired by my post about communicating with customers.   I love that what I wrote made her think.  I also think, based on what she wrote,  that she’s doing a great job communicating with her customers.  The fact that she’s worrying about it, shows she’s aware how important communication is.

Second,  the  GSSA blog has a great post about promoting your business inexpensively.   Sometimes the simplest things are the things we forget to do,  so this is a good reminder.   The one tip that I really like is to barter your services for radio or television time.  I used to work in local television, and I can tell you tv stations always need swag and logo wear.   Making a deal where you exchange your products for advertising services is a win-win for both sides.

Third,  we have a timely article from the NNEP blog reminding us all that persistence pays when it comes to sales.   Your prospects have full, busy lives.   They may be very interested in what you have to offer,  but time may be in short supply.   If you are persistent in keeping your name in from of your potential customers,  you most likely will get a sale at some point.   Put yourself in your customer’s place,  and you’ll see that lack of contact doesn’t always mean lack of interest.

Fourth up, we have Odd Guy Art.  They seem to pop up every time I do one of these posts,  but that’s because they consistently write good stuff.   This week’s mention if for their post on Social Media Marketing.   They make a lot of the same recommendations I would, including the most important one, KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET!   They have some terrific advice regarding social media marketing.

In the fifth slot this week are a couple of posts from Sewing for Cash.   It appears that embroiderers and quilters now have iPhone apps that are developed specifically for them.    There’s this hand embroidery app for those who do hand embroidery.   There is also a quilt block app for those who quilt.   It truly amazes me the tools that are available these days.   If you have an iPhone, you might want to check these out.

Finally, Urban Threads has turned two years old,  and to celebrate their birthday, they’re holding a contest.   If you’ve used an Urban Threads design to create a project,   you can send your design to Urban Threads and be entered into a contest to win one of 200 $10 gift certificates.    Check out their blog for more details  and to say Happy Birthday!

First up this week is this question from the GSSA blog “Are You Fashion Forward?” Those people who know me personally would tell you my answer to that question would be no,  so I’m hoping the rest of you pay more attention to trends and fashion than I do.   If you’re looking for a way to find sales beyond sports apparel,  check out this post.  There are some good ideas here.

Second on the list is a great description from Odd Guy Art of how a design goes from concept to execution.   I mentioned before how much I like their designs, and it is fun to see how an idea goes from being an idea to being a finished design on a t-shirt.  I have to admit I’m fascinated by visual artists,  since I have absolutely no talent in this area.

Erich Campbell is third on the list today with a new post for his Stitches Magazine blog.    He has a great post about managing customer expectations and working within a customer’s budget.   He tells the story of how he worked with a local organization to create a design that satisfied their needs and didn’t break the budget,  and gives lots of useful tips about how you can do the same for your customers.

Fourth up,  the Retail Minded Blog spotlighted a Michigan t-shirt company and, since I’m from Michigan, I thought I ought to help spread the word.  I’ve always like the sensibility of this company, called Mother Tongues,   and Retail Minded does a great job of describing who they are and what they do.   If you like organic t-shirts with positive messages,  check this company out.

Fifth on the list is a plug for a post from our SubliStuff blog.  I’m not plugging it because it’s our blog or even because I wrote it,  I’m plugging it because the subject matter and the artwork used in the post was created by a customer and friend of EnMart’s,  George Rivas from MWC Enterprises.   He’s come up with a cool idea for preserving old family photographs and memorabilia.   I think he does great work and I want to make sure a lot of people see the post.

Finally,  I want to point out a really cool post on the Urban Threads blog.  I always love to see what people make with the supplies and designs they buy.   In Urban Threads 5/20 post,  they show some of the things that people have done with the Dia de los Muertos Skull design.  I’m not a huge fan of skulls, but some of these items are pretty dang cool.