Archives for July 2013

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Be a sponge! Plus, today is the last day! :)

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Happy Tuesday!

Inspiration is everywhere. Inspiration for living, for creating, and for running your business. The bigger question is — are you really open to it? Look around you. Inspiration can come from an early morning walk, an interesting conversation with a stranger on the bus, attending an entrepreneur conference, or simply reading my weekly tips :)

Being open to inspiration and learning is more than just keeping your eyes open as you go through your daily routine. It’s about being a sponge and learning something new each day. The more you put yourself out there and connect with others in a deeper level, you will feel more inspired to create the life you love.

No matter what stage of life or business you are in, you have to be in constant learning mode. The minute you act like “I know everything” is when you get stuck and uninspired. You never know who you will meet and what new opportunity will present itself when you stay open. Soak up everything around you and you’re bound to find yourself having new sparks and more clarity. Every interaction you have can change your life and the way you live it each day.

I can personally speak from my experience that when I align myself with people who inspire me, my business gets better and better. Are you doing this alone or are you craving that support of an awesome community to champion you along the way? If this resonates with you and you have thought about working with me at some point, this is a great (and affordable way) to connect with me and get the support you need along other like-minded entrepreneurs. Today is the last day to sign up for the Retail Recipes workbook + DIY kit and receive my special bonus. I look forward to “seeing” you there.

Speaking of feeling inspired, I was really moved by this quote from a blogger on Pinterest who said, “Children inspire me for their honesty, waking up each morning, open to learn something new and laughing in the other room like nobody’s watching.”

Here’s to being kids at heart. Let’s do this! :)

xo,

grace
Grace Kang
Founder, Pink Olive School

image: All Things Girl and Beautiful

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are you learning from your mistakes?

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Happy Tuesday!

No one’s business, or life for that matter, is without its struggles or challenges.  What’s more important, however, is what you take away from these experiences.

I know you’ve heard the expression “learn from your mistakes,” but let’s take this a few steps further. Not only can you also learn from others people’s mistakes (which you only have access to when you surround yourself with like minded people in your industry), but you can also get valuable lessons from negative experiences you may not have had any control over.

Being able to take a step back, think about what happened and figure out what you can take away from the experience will be so much more valuable than stewing on it or just placing blame. Did you have an unpleasant interaction with someone recently? Think about the mindset you were in and how you could have approached it differently. Create a product you loved only to have it be a complete flop sales-wise? Ask your ideal customers what they may not have liked about it, or brainstorm with like-minded people on how it can be tweaked to make it even better.

Changing your mindset from “I can’t believe this happened to me,” to “What can I learn from this?” will make you more productive and more empowered (and happier!) than any other option :)

Have you thought about joining our private group for creative designers for the next 12 months? When you can have a safe place to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs and designers who are going through similar issues, you start to get more clear and make better decisions. Having worked with hundreds of designers over the years, our designers find that getting feedback and having accountability is invaluable in growing their business. It’s not too late to sign up for the special offer. Click here and let’s get ready to make your product retail ready.

Here’s to creating a business you love!
XOXO

 

image by: Print Design Studio

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The number one question I get asked…

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Happy Tuesday!

One of the questions that I get asked often is “How do I approach a store buyer.” As great as it to be innovative and to set yourself apart from other companies, there are a few basic things you need to do before approaching retail buyers. You may think that cold calling every store and buyer within a 50 mile radius will increase your chances of getting in somewhere. Numbers are numbers, right? Wrong. The most important thing to do before reaching out to anyone is to make sure you’re a good fit for that store and show why you would be a great match.

I always stress that it’s not necessarily about how many stores you can get in with, but rather about the quality of the store you can connect with. Finding one ideal store that perfectly complements your style and gives your regular reorders is worth more than 10 non-ideal, random stores. When you are clear on who your ideal store is, you will be able to multiply your wholesale business and selling to retail buyers becomes effortless.
Take your time before reaching out to store buyers. Do your homework. Does the store have a website? Check it out! Have there been articles written about or by the buyer? Read them! The more you know about the store and the buyer, the better you’ll be able to appeal to them on a more personal and well-informed level. You’ll come across better and won’t waste your (or their!) time with stores that won’t be a good fit for you anyway. If they have a procedure around product submissions, show them that you care by following their guidelines.

Have you thought about joining our private group for creative designers for the next 12 months? I have enjoyed hearing from so many of you who are committed to making your creative passion into a business. Click here for the special offer that we announced last Friday. Please note: if you have purchased one of my services in the past at retailrecipes.com and want to join our new group, please email us hello@pinkoliveschool.com for a special alumni rate.

Here’s to creating a business you love!
xoxo,

grace
Grace Kang
Founder, Pink Olive School

image: Store buyers from Urbanic, Rock Paper Scissor, Salutations and Pink Olive featured at the 2013 National Stationery Show Panel.

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special announcement!

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Happy Friday!

Pink Olive.
OliveBox.
Retail Recipes.

What do they all have in common?

Three is my magic number and my passion for retail helps to pull it all together. While I believe in not putting all your eggs in one basket, you also have to be consistent in everything that you do. In an effort to bring my vision together under ONE umbrella and offer a cohesive experience to our creative designers and artists (yes, YOU!) , I am excited to announce that Retail Recipes will be moving over to PinkOliveSchool.com. It is my deeper mission  to not only create an inspiring place to discover amazing products but also to hold a safe place for creative designers to do what they love and make it into a sustainable business…. and keep each other accountable.So I want you to close your eyes and envision this…

You walk into your favorite boutique and see your product on the shelves next to some of your other favorite brands you admire. Customers are oo-ing and aahh-ing over your packaging and designs and raving about how it’s exactly what they’ve been looking for. They pick up your products and bring them up to the register and remark how they will be back again for more.

Your sales are off the chart, and you continue to get reorders from the store effortlessly.

You continue to do (and make) what you love, while your retail partners do all the selling. Suddenly, other ideal retail stores are pitching to carry your awesome product. Your business becomes fun again! You’re able to create a great team to support you, and you’re even able to take a vacation without having to close down your shop.

Sound like a dream? Well, it can become your reality.Enter, Pink Olive School.

Pink Olive School will mentor creative product makers of all kinds; helping them (you!) take your creative passion into a sustainable business. It will be a safe space in which we can brainstorm and keep each other accountable while taking you and your ideas to the next level. Whether you’re in the very beginning stages of development, or have a fully functioning business, we can help take your business where you always dreamed.To celebrate the launch of Pink Olive School this month, I am offering something special for our first “students”.

When you purchase the Retail Recipes e-workbook & DIY kit packet, you will receive a FREE 12-month membership to our NEW Private Facebook Group for Creative Designers (Value: $997). This will be a private forum where you and other creative designers can connect and gain valuable insight into the business. We will encourage, brainstorm, get resources, tips and support throughout the year and have access to me. Sign up to be a part of the Pink Olive School today and benefit from not only a network of creatives, but an affordable program where you will learn everything you need to know to make your product retail ready and connect with others who will propel you forward!

Here’s to creating a business you love and supporting each other. “We are stronger together than we are alone.”

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