Inside the Heart & Soul of Pangea: Part One & Two

My good friend Marla Bosworth from Back Porch Soap Company just returned from an exclusive interview with the owner and founder of Pangea Organics, Joshua Onysko.

Below is the post from her blog as well as a link where you can listen to the first part of her interview.

It’s an excellent interview with fabulous insights to starting up, growing and maintaining a business.

With Marla’s wonderfully knowledgeable questioning, you will find her asking the same questions you would if you had the opportunity.

Originally posted on Back Porch Soap:

Inside the Heart & Soul of Pangea: Part One

What I found most impressive about Joshua (besides being incredibly gracious and having lived in my hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming), is what’s inside his heart and soul and how he transfers this gift to his company. For example, Pangea Organics gives 5% of its profits to Women for Women International, a program founded to micro-finance women-owned cooperatives in developing countries who are producing ingredients that he uses in his company’s products.

By the way, Joshua founded Pangea in 2000 when he was 23. Although it took the first five years to reach profitability, from 2005 to 2010, Pangea will have grown from almost $0 in sales to over $10 million. He is candid in this interview about the low margins on his soaps, especially with sustainable and organic ingredients, marketing and the company’s overhead.
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7 Steps To Bigger Marketing Muscle In 2010

I  tell my clients that marketing is a lot like working out – you have to be consistent or you won’t see results.

No one expects to see muscles popping out all over after one visit to the gym. For the same reaons you can’t expect immediate, lasting results from one promotional campaign. As you look toward 2010 and what will surely be a better year for all of us, it might help to build a marketing practice that looks a bit more like a workout schedule. Here are few ways to do just that.

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How To Bake A Yummy Social Media Souffle

I talk a lot about the need for the right “mix” when you promote your product, business, book, whatever it is – engaging in social media is no different. To get a good result you have to find the recipe that’s 100% ALL YOURS. But just like the hard-to-bake souffle, there are some ingredients I’ve seen in of the work of ALL successful social media contributors.   Here are the components I believe you should always use for your  social media recipe…and some of experts who cook it up just right. Feel free to add your favorite folks – let’s get a good list going! (more…)

Fast, Free & Easy Way To Comply With FTC Blog Rules

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the FTC has released new regulations that directly apply to Bloggers & Social Media.

Basically, they (we) must disclose any type of benefit, payment, free samples, etc. that is received for publishing information about a product or service. We must also disclose if we have a relationship with the company or product we are endorsing.

There’s already been a lot written about this and a lot more to come, I’m sure.

What I want to pass on to you is a tip on a fast, free and easy way for you to comply with these guidelines. (more…)

Patience – an entrepreneur’s greatest asset

*originally posted on Wax Blog July 24, 2009

It’s summer and so for that reason I’ll break from my insistence on pragmatic advice and write on a topic you might consider fluff. Yet it’s the biggest mistake I see small business owners make, including me. We have no patience. I think that it’s a given that a requirement for being an entrepreneur is to have a low grade case of ADD, or in my case, ADHD with an emphasis on the H. And in marketing, that will kill you.

I can’t tell you how many times a client tries something and when there are no immediate results says “Well that doesn’t work.” It’s like lifting weights one day and expecting a tricep cut to develop overnight. I’m not suggesting that we all go out and spend a bajillion dollars on advertising during American Idol. But I do think that in order for your PR, social media and marketing tactics to work you have to learn to wait a bit. Here are a few tips to use to figure out if you’re too impatient.
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Dear Beauty…How Long Before My Business Makes $$

I received this question in a private email so I won’t disclose the name. ..

Dear Beauty,

if you don’t mind… I’d like to ask you a question… How long did it take before you were making money from your business. Right now, I’m plugging away and I’m getting some business, but it still seems like I’m putting out more than I’m getting back. I know all businesses are different, but can you give me a ballpark so I don’t continue to drive myself crazy? LOL!

Best,

IBN Member (Indie Beauty Network)

Dear IBN Sister,

I’ll be honest…it has taken me about 3 years to have my Bath & Body  business begin paying for itself on a daily basis. Any large expenses- like website redesign, label overhaul, etc, still come out of pocket.

The economy has not helped. Things were really picking up about a 1 1/2 years ago, then leveled out when the recession is said to have started.
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Your Baby Is Ugly

A product, service or book is probably the greatest thing in the world – to its creator. But when an editor or producers says “pass” it’s the publicist who has to tell the client .Sometimes ZERO  media are interested. And for anyone who has written a book, started a business or provided a service, that can be a pretty personally hurtful message no matter how carefully it’s couched. For me, it’s the equivalent of having to tell clients “your baby is ugly” 95% of the time, without hurting their feelings. Nearly impossible.

Why do I bring this up? Two reasons -

1) People need to engage in the public relations game knowing their odds. The chances of getting on national television or major print are very slim unless you are a celebrity or just did the impossible – like climbed a mountain for the first time while drinking martinis in pink bloomers. And even if you are a celebrity, you still get bumped. Michael Moore was bumped by Paris Hilton on Larry King Live (and boy was he angry)
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Look Who’s Coming To Blog

In order to bring well rounded opinions and advice, I’ll be asking experts in varying related fields to post guest blogs.

I’ll also be asking permission to republish archived posts of subjects I have found interesting and useful.

Beauty and Your Biz’s first Guest Blogger is Bonnie Harris from Wax Marketing.

Wax Marketing was founded in 2002. It provides comprehensive, Fortune 500 quality, affordable services to growing firms.

Bonnie has been marketing, promoting and managing services and products for more than 20 years. She has been quoted and/or featured in several publications including USA Today, Selling Power, PRWeek and BusinessVision Magazine. She holds an Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia University and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Minnesota. Bonnie and her family reside in St. Paul, Minnesota and Breckenridge, Colorado.

I know Bonnie from Twitter and Wax Blog. She is decidely down to earth, honest,  funny, informative and real.

I recommend you subscribe to her blog. She presents PR topics in an accessible and entertaining way. I’ve learned a lot from her and her blog. I think you will too.

Aside from all that, she personally squired Captains Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand from Deadliest Catch around town for radio and TV interviews last fall. Just think I’m one Twitter degree of separation from the crew of the Time Bandit.

Let’s give Bonnie a big Beauty welcome! *clap, clap, clap*

Dear Beauty….

Don’t wait around for me to cover a topic or situation that may be at the top of your mind…post a comment about it!

I can’t promise that I have all the answers, but I may be able to point you in the right direction.

And for all you lurkers out there…step up and be counted! Life’s too short to linger in the shadows.

 

 

 

Free Surfing Lessons

I was born and raised in Southern California. Do I know how to surf? no.  The best I can do is surfing on dry land or on the Internet- so to speak. And you  have already become adept at it too, I’m sure, but isn’t it tiresome  and frustrating? yes.

That’s why I want to help. I’m sure you feel better already.

First of all, there’s already a lot on the site, or at the least, a lot of stuff in the works. Depending on which wave of development you  catch, or which wave you decide to ride, you may become overwhelmed. Stop, enjoy the scenery, paddle around a bit. No one’s  judging you. You don’t have to shoot the curl the first time out, double back and gel. OK. Too much surf-speak. But you get my “drift.”

TOP GREEN BAR:
The different pages and their sub-categories are listed here as tabs and drop downs within the tabs.

This is the cake. The rest is just icing. Icing is still yummy, but you have to have something to put it on.

Aside from the obvious, About, Home and Contact pages, you’ll see additional  tabs to pages with priceless information and links to even more pages!

BIZ SHOP:
This is in the works, but it will include gobs of fab information for you to purchase, download and be enlightened. We promise to provide Invaluable information that you’ve been looking for, but have yet been able to find.

CONSULTING:
Just what it says. Me available for consulting you on your Beauty Biz.

RESOURCES:
Places to go, books to read, associations to join. All to help your Beauty Biz.

TOOLS:
In the Works….But will have Free stuff to help you and your business. Forms, lists, calculators and more.

VISUAL GUIDE:

Top Green Bar:
This is where we started above….but again – The different pages and their sub-categories are listed here as tabs and drop downs within the tabs.

Grey Bar:
The topics listed here regard to the post I I will make and the different categories they fall into.

Middle White Band:
These are Featured Articles. They will also appear in the blog posts, but I choose what I think will be of the most benefit and interest to you. All my posts will surely qualify as sheer brilliance, but some may be more brilliant than others and I will want to “Feature” them to make you think you are actually learning something and to attract unsuspecting peeps who “StumbleUpon” this site.