Shownotes
Business Inspiration
Making the switch from hobby to business [2:51] What needed to change for this to happen [3:54] How The Only Holiday in August came about [5:50]Business Building Insights – Events for Biz Growth
Steps to prepare for an event [6:34] Getting people to come to your event [11:37] The importance of a “tie in” for PR [12:58] All about the raffle and tips for success [14:49] Merley describes the theme and decor for her event [16:19] Social Media role and promotion for the vendors [19:31] Post event debrief and what Merley will do differently next year [24:33]Success Trait
Merley is an optimist. Hear what she has to say about the glass half empty thinking. [26:39]Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
Darren Hardy’s Daily Inspirational VideosValuable Book
Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great by Joshua Medcalf
Contact Links
Website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedInIf you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Gift biz unwrapped episode 77.
Speaker:People tend to talk about the glass half full or the
Speaker:glass half empty.
Speaker:And I look at it as you can always refill your
Speaker:glass. Hi,
Speaker:this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to give to biz unwrap,
Speaker:and now it's time To light it up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift bears,
Speaker:unwrapped your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop
Speaker:and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:I'm Sue and welcome back to the gift biz unwrapped podcast,
Speaker:whether you own a brick and mortar store sell online or
Speaker:are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. Today.
Speaker:I have joining us Merly Greenwich of celebrates sweetly celebrate sweetly
Speaker:is the corporate and personal gifting and event company based in
Speaker:thousand Oaks,
Speaker:California. Merlis passion lies in creating beautiful and thoughtful gifts that
Speaker:let the recipient know they are truly appreciated.
Speaker:She loves to create lists one gift and one of event
Speaker:at a time,
Speaker:Murali is a certified gift designer and has won nine design
Speaker:awards over the past five years at the national gift baskets
Speaker:and venture.
Speaker:She's also an ambassador in the greater can.
Speaker:They hope Valley chamber of commerce early is married and the
Speaker:mother of three young ladies,
Speaker:she loves the ocean listening to jazz music and would be
Speaker:happy to simply sit by the beach and read all day.
Speaker:And Murley,
Speaker:I'm going to join you,
Speaker:but for now,
Speaker:welcome to the show.
Speaker:Thank you Such a thrill to have this time to spend
Speaker:with you Exactly the same.
Speaker:I'd like to start out by having our listeners get to
Speaker:know you in a creative way.
Speaker:And that is by having you describe your motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to picture the ideal candle,
Speaker:what color is it and what would be the quote on
Speaker:that candle?
Speaker:Oh, so,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:for sure that candle will be bright orange and the quote
Speaker:on that candle would be gratitude because I try to live
Speaker:in the spirit of gratitude.
Speaker:And I think when we start anything with gratitude,
Speaker:the rest of the world just seems a little better.
Speaker:So that would be a bright orange candle and the words
Speaker:would be big,
Speaker:bold gratitude.
Speaker:And that totally aligns with the whole business that you're in,
Speaker:right gifting and giving back and creating bliss and all of
Speaker:that altogether.
Speaker:It All works really well together.
Speaker:Yes, indeed.
Speaker:How long have you been in business?
Speaker:Actually, I've been in business for maybe seven to 10 years
Speaker:on paper,
Speaker:but I've really been delving into the business,
Speaker:maybe the last five,
Speaker:really looking at it as more than a hobby and more
Speaker:of a business in the last five years.
Speaker:Wonderful. So you made the transition,
Speaker:you were doing this on the side,
Speaker:cause it was enjoyable.
Speaker:You liked it.
Speaker:And then officially made the jump and decided,
Speaker:okay, this is going to be a formal business.
Speaker:Yes. So I was home with my girls for the longest
Speaker:while and all the while I was still doing events and
Speaker:making gifts for friends and family and everyone around me just
Speaker:skips out is saying,
Speaker:why don't you turn this into a business?
Speaker:This is great.
Speaker:And you really need to be getting paid to do this.
Speaker:So I made the transition and started seeking and looking out
Speaker:for more clients outside of my friends.
Speaker:And here we go,
Speaker:five years later where the viable business here in the canal
Speaker:Valley, People who are in the position that you were in
Speaker:five years ago,
Speaker:what were the deciding factors part of it?
Speaker:Of course I can hear from your story was passion.
Speaker:You decided that you really wanted to do this,
Speaker:but was there like a line in the sand or something
Speaker:that said,
Speaker:okay, I'm flipping the switch from hobby to business.
Speaker:Well, I tell you,
Speaker:Sue, you know,
Speaker:I've always been a creative person and I've always loved doing
Speaker:things. And I,
Speaker:I always tell people,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I was the kid who in the family who I knew
Speaker:everybody's birthdays and you all the celebrations made sure everyone got
Speaker:a gift,
Speaker:a card or a message somewhat.
Speaker:So it's always been a part of what I do.
Speaker:And when I started getting business,
Speaker:it became very clear that I could not sustain or continue
Speaker:doing the business at home if I wanted to grow and
Speaker:do any big orders.
Speaker:So I really had to think through and with my husband's
Speaker:support really go out and make the decision that this is
Speaker:no longer a hobby.
Speaker:The kids are a little older,
Speaker:they're all in school and I'm going to do this full-time
Speaker:because I really love doing this.
Speaker:It's just a way of life for me.
Speaker:And so how did things change then?
Speaker:Well, I was working from home up until almost a year
Speaker:ago. Things changed because I was getting more orders people.
Speaker:It was mainly from word of mouth friends,
Speaker:telling other friends about our business and starting to do more
Speaker:events, doing weddings,
Speaker:doing some corporate events.
Speaker:And at the same time also doing gift baskets,
Speaker:not just for individuals,
Speaker:you can do five to 10 small gift baskets for friend
Speaker:or a small company.
Speaker:But when you have to do a hundred to 200 gift
Speaker:baskets, it's a whole different experience where you need to have
Speaker:the space to carry the inventory and to get it done.
Speaker:So I had to really make that decision out of the
Speaker:fear and just do it.
Speaker:Got it.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Well, as we were talking about earlier in the week,
Speaker:and I'm just going to share with the audience,
Speaker:what we were talking about Murley and I were on the
Speaker:phone actually on another topic and she shared with me,
Speaker:well, let me back up.
Speaker:She is like the queen of events,
Speaker:everybody. So get ready for this.
Speaker:But we were talking about a special event that she just
Speaker:did last month.
Speaker:And as she continued talking about it,
Speaker:I'm like,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:Merly, we want to share this.
Speaker:Will you come on the podcast?
Speaker:And of course she said,
Speaker:yes. So I really want to dive in and have you
Speaker:talk about this event and how you created it and how
Speaker:it evolved.
Speaker:And just talk a lot about,
Speaker:for people who are looking at doing events,
Speaker:how they could create something like this.
Speaker:So let's start with you specifically talking about what the event
Speaker:was and what the purpose of the event was.
Speaker:So Sue in talking about creativity,
Speaker:the first thing that event is called the only holiday in
Speaker:August. And that's because there really is no holiday in August.
Speaker:And this came about two years ago when I decided I
Speaker:needed to do something to help grow my business.
Speaker:And I knew that I needed to get into the corporate
Speaker:market. And the only way to do that was to really
Speaker:let people know about me,
Speaker:know what it is that we offer.
Speaker:And I figured let's throw a party.
Speaker:My first thought was to do a Christmas in July,
Speaker:but that was kind of done then a little tired and
Speaker:I really needed to do something different.
Speaker:So I looked at the calendar for the dates and it
Speaker:just, it was like a Eureka moment when I thought,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:the only holiday in August.
Speaker:Cause there is no holiday in August.
Speaker:I knew that I had to do it on a big
Speaker:scale and I wanted to have a big party.
Speaker:So I started looking at who could I partner with?
Speaker:I wanted to have it at a hotel.
Speaker:So my first step was to contact one of the local
Speaker:hotels and give them my idea.
Speaker:They were very excited that it was a great idea and
Speaker:we're very happy to work with me.
Speaker:Then I started looking at which vendors would I want to
Speaker:have involved in the event.
Speaker:I thought of who do I do business with?
Speaker:Who has products that the invited guests would enjoy?
Speaker:And it's a party.
Speaker:So we need to have some music,
Speaker:some entertainment.
Speaker:So I started piecing together my dream team as it were.
Speaker:And we put on the first event in 2014 at a
Speaker:local Sheraton hotel.
Speaker:And it was actually a lot of fun.
Speaker:And then we showcase some of the gifts that we offer
Speaker:a showcase,
Speaker:some of our even designed from our table settings and really
Speaker:gave people a fun,
Speaker:fun, fun evening to come out to.
Speaker:And it was a very successful event with new clients and
Speaker:just a lot of word of mouth people talking about it.
Speaker:So we thought,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:This is going to become our standard every year.
Speaker:We're going to put on a holiday in August and get
Speaker:people out there to learn about the business and to get
Speaker:a feel for what it is that we do.
Speaker:And also get some ideas for their gifting and for their
Speaker:own holiday events.
Speaker:Wonderful. Okay.
Speaker:So there's a lot in here.
Speaker:I want to back it up,
Speaker:back it up down like a quick whole summary of everything.
Speaker:So, so your initial goal with this and so give biz
Speaker:listeners, anytime you're going to do something big like that,
Speaker:you're doing it for a purpose.
Speaker:You don't just do an event to have a big party,
Speaker:just to have a lot of fun.
Speaker:You're doing it for a purpose.
Speaker:And Murley was talking about the fact that she felt that
Speaker:if she was growing her business,
Speaker:she wanted to attract more corporate sales.
Speaker:So, okay.
Speaker:So that was your goal,
Speaker:corporate sales.
Speaker:Then you went to the hotel.
Speaker:Who did you meet with specifically in the hotel in terms
Speaker:of what department was it?
Speaker:And two part question here,
Speaker:what did the hotel then see as the value for them
Speaker:to be willing to host your event?
Speaker:I met with the director of sales and what the hotel.
Speaker:So for the value was number one,
Speaker:getting an audience in their space.
Speaker:So exposure to other businesses for their hotel,
Speaker:okay. For their hotel.
Speaker:And then they provided the appetizers as well.
Speaker:I almost forgot to mention that.
Speaker:So people got to taste the food that the hotel was
Speaker:offering. So in a sense,
Speaker:they wanted the businesses to come and experience their hotel.
Speaker:If you wanted to have an event there,
Speaker:this is what the space could look like.
Speaker:And this is what you could possibly have for your food.
Speaker:At the event,
Speaker:they saw that as value,
Speaker:but they didn't have to go out and seek and look
Speaker:for the clients to bring in.
Speaker:This was going to be available to them at the event,
Speaker:Choose which hotel you were going to approach.
Speaker:First, You know,
Speaker:I had met one or two people from the hotel through
Speaker:my networking groups.
Speaker:So that was the first I went with a warm call.
Speaker:I felt I didn't start with somebody you already know,
Speaker:or know at least a little bit who might be open
Speaker:to hearing your ideas.
Speaker:So that's how I,
Speaker:that was my first inkling was to start with somebody that
Speaker:I had already met and say,
Speaker:Hey, this is what I'm thinking of doing.
Speaker:And I wanted to present it to you first,
Speaker:before talking to somebody else.
Speaker:And they jumped on it right away and they were fantastic.
Speaker:They even offer it a raffle price that we can stay
Speaker:at the hotel.
Speaker:So it was a great partnership for both of us.
Speaker:Then I looked at some of the other vendors.
Speaker:I had a local DJ who was a friend of a
Speaker:friend and he was very excited,
Speaker:said, yes,
Speaker:I'll do it.
Speaker:Cause he looked at it as if people get to hear
Speaker:my music,
Speaker:they might need to hire me for their wedding or for
Speaker:their event as well.
Speaker:So everyone who came on board found there was some value
Speaker:in it for them.
Speaker:And that's what I think was great about the event because
Speaker:it wasn't me putting on a party and paying out every
Speaker:single vendor.
Speaker:But the vendors understanding the value and saying,
Speaker:yes, we're on board.
Speaker:We want to be a part of it,
Speaker:Time and coordination and all of that.
Speaker:And, you know,
Speaker:putting it all together.
Speaker:Did you have any additional out of pocket expenses?
Speaker:I had a little bit of out-of-pocket expenses just for,
Speaker:I did a very fun giveaway to all the guests who
Speaker:came to the event.
Speaker:And then of course,
Speaker:I also put together my designs to showcase at the hotel
Speaker:so people could see some of what it is that we
Speaker:do. And then one or two of the vendors I had
Speaker:to purchase the items specifically because they were new to me.
Speaker:And I didn't want to on the very first interaction,
Speaker:ask them for trade.
Speaker:But a lot of the other vendors that we did last
Speaker:week, we had three different bakers who baked some amazing desserts
Speaker:that we offered at the dessert bar that we put on.
Speaker:We had a DJ and we actually had the live band
Speaker:as well,
Speaker:a local life jazz band that performed.
Speaker:We had a photo booth and new photo booth company that
Speaker:came on board and said,
Speaker:yes, we'd love the exposure.
Speaker:And even the photographer was a new up and coming photographer
Speaker:and she offered her services.
Speaker:So she would have photos for her portfolio and then I
Speaker:would have access to promote it as well.
Speaker:So it was a win-win for everyone involved because we were
Speaker:all still having the conversation on all social media and it's
Speaker:been great.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now I have a number of questions for you for
Speaker:that. Talk to us a little bit about how you got
Speaker:people to attend.
Speaker:What was the plan there?
Speaker:So the plan was to start,
Speaker:start with who,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:and that's always the first place to go.
Speaker:So I started through the chamber cause I,
Speaker:I am a member of my local chamber.
Speaker:So I started with invitation.
Speaker:I did a social media blast.
Speaker:I created a Facebook page,
Speaker:the only holiday in August and directed people to the website
Speaker:where you could click on it.
Speaker:It was a one-click that would get you a ticket.
Speaker:And it was a free complimentary event,
Speaker:but I let people know we wanted them to RSVP.
Speaker:So we had an idea of the numbers and then ask
Speaker:all the vendors as well to send the information to their
Speaker:friends and invite them to the only holiday in August.
Speaker:Then I sent an invitation through MailChimp to my mailing list
Speaker:and invited people to attend the event as well.
Speaker:But a key was trying to get a few people at
Speaker:the very least,
Speaker:a few people to RSVP.
Speaker:So we had a little bit of an idea who was
Speaker:coming cause you know,
Speaker:people might receive,
Speaker:but they might not necessarily be able to show up on
Speaker:that evening.
Speaker:So it was just getting everybody to spread the word as
Speaker:it were.
Speaker:So you did that through the Facebook page,
Speaker:also emailing your list,
Speaker:having vendors,
Speaker:get it out to their communities as well during all of
Speaker:that. Did you start collecting any email addresses so that you'd
Speaker:have a list in a way to contact any of them
Speaker:afterwards? Yes.
Speaker:When you clicked on the link to RSVP essentially to a
Speaker:page that asks for your email information,
Speaker:so we have that data collected so we can follow up
Speaker:with them.
Speaker:I forgot to mention that we got a little writeup at
Speaker:the start of the month in one of our local magazines
Speaker:about the event.
Speaker:Here's one thing that you got to keep in mind,
Speaker:which is so important is to always have a tie in.
Speaker:And my tie-in was that we were going to have a
Speaker:raffle with 12 gifts only.
Speaker:And the proceeds from that raffle will be going to a
Speaker:local charity.
Speaker:So that tie in,
Speaker:allowed the magazine to give us a little writeup on the
Speaker:event. And that was also a great way to get the
Speaker:raffle items in and also highlight what we were going to
Speaker:be raffling off.
Speaker:And all the raffle prizes were donated as well.
Speaker:So the tie-in was specifically to,
Speaker:or tracked well to attract people there,
Speaker:but then also to get PR on the event.
Speaker:Yes. Got it.
Speaker:Let's go back.
Speaker:If someone is looking at doing an event like this,
Speaker:when should they start thinking about it?
Speaker:How far out do you start thinking,
Speaker:getting a hotel,
Speaker:starting to get your vendors?
Speaker:How long does it take to pull something like this together?
Speaker:Well, that rushed and crazy,
Speaker:but in the right way,
Speaker:I would say at the very least six months,
Speaker:if you know what you're going to be doing,
Speaker:plan it out,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:better to be planned out and organized ahead of time than
Speaker:to try to rush and pull something together.
Speaker:It, things were changed,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:closer to the date or the very least start out if
Speaker:you're doing it in the summer and the fall started early
Speaker:in the year.
Speaker:So the hotel can also put it on the calendar.
Speaker:And then you want to pick a time when it's not
Speaker:also not too busy where people will be more inclined to
Speaker:work with you.
Speaker:So I say,
Speaker:give yourself a good six months to kind of map it
Speaker:out and then break it down as you move forward with
Speaker:your timeline.
Speaker:But six months is a good starting point.
Speaker:Let's talk some more about the raffle.
Speaker:How did you pull that together with people submitting?
Speaker:So y'all,
Speaker:you said you were only going to have 12 prizes and
Speaker:talk us through the whole raffle.
Speaker:Like how much did tickets cost?
Speaker:All of that?
Speaker:The raffle was really,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I was,
Speaker:I would tell you that I was blown away and I
Speaker:only thought I wanted to do 12 gifts to kind of
Speaker:play on the 12 days of Christmas.
Speaker:And then I just reached out to a few friends and,
Speaker:or just actually mentioned it to a couple of people,
Speaker:business people.
Speaker:And they said,
Speaker:yes, I'm in the hotel,
Speaker:donated a weekend,
Speaker:stay for two plus a,
Speaker:I think a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant for dinner.
Speaker:So that was a huge ticket item.
Speaker:We also had the photographer donated a mini photo session,
Speaker:had a company that makes incredible furniture donated one of their
Speaker:chairs and a gorgeous mirror.
Speaker:Wow. These are prizes Marley,
Speaker:Small prizes,
Speaker:and the tickets were only $5.
Speaker:You're coming to a free party.
Speaker:Think about giving the little something back.
Speaker:And the tickets were five bucks.
Speaker:And I also donated,
Speaker:I made one or two gift baskets that we raffled off
Speaker:as well.
Speaker:We had some wine.
Speaker:We anyway,
Speaker:we had a nice,
Speaker:beautiful selection of gifts.
Speaker:We had a gorgeous floral centerpiece that we displayed at the
Speaker:dessert bar,
Speaker:which was raffled off as well.
Speaker:And with the gorgeous wooden box,
Speaker:just really,
Speaker:really nice raffle prizes.
Speaker:So people were more than happy to purchase a few tickets
Speaker:to go towards the cause.
Speaker:And so upscale all the way.
Speaker:Obviously you're talking a little bit about the floral arrangement.
Speaker:Can you give us a feel for the decor of the
Speaker:room, how it all looked when people walked in,
Speaker:When people walked in,
Speaker:we had it,
Speaker:we had a flow.
Speaker:So we had the inside and an outside.
Speaker:The hotel has this gorgeous patio.
Speaker:And my idea was to do a boho Bohemian type theme
Speaker:party. Cause we really wanted to have a party and not
Speaker:have it be so holiday.
Speaker:Cause honestly,
Speaker:people don't want to flip that switch till after labor day.
Speaker:So She know the patio had all orange seating.
Speaker:So we dressed it up a little bit with some vases,
Speaker:we threw on some blankets and some pillows and had a
Speaker:whole outdoor,
Speaker:a very,
Speaker:very fun thing.
Speaker:And then I don't know about you,
Speaker:but I love the color in my spare time.
Speaker:So we had a coloring art wall.
Speaker:When you walked in that you could just go to the
Speaker:wall. We had Sharpies,
Speaker:we had coloring pencils,
Speaker:it was called,
Speaker:we called the color your event.
Speaker:And you could do some coloring on that wall.
Speaker:Then we had a photo booth that you could take some
Speaker:photos outside.
Speaker:And when you walked in,
Speaker:we had a wine set up and I should say,
Speaker:we were so fortunate.
Speaker:One of our local wineries donated their time and the wine
Speaker:to our event was Vienna Lee gray from Pasa Roblis and
Speaker:they poured the one at the event.
Speaker:So when you walked into the room,
Speaker:you had a very kind of a fun,
Speaker:not too overly decorated,
Speaker:but a very fun party atmosphere with some cocktail tables.
Speaker:We went,
Speaker:as I said,
Speaker:with the boho thing.
Speaker:So it was very colorful.
Speaker:We had some blue and orange and a little bit of
Speaker:yellow on the dessert bar,
Speaker:which is kind of like our showpiece.
Speaker:When you walked into the space,
Speaker:then the one side of the room had all the different
Speaker:gift designs and ideas.
Speaker:So we had a party and it wasn't a hard sell.
Speaker:We weren't knocking people over the head to say,
Speaker:come and buy from us.
Speaker:We really come in,
Speaker:have a good time.
Speaker:And by the way,
Speaker:this is what we do.
Speaker:And here are some ideas that you might consider for your
Speaker:events, for your parties.
Speaker:So You want,
Speaker:besides the other vendors who are providing music and flowers and
Speaker:bake goods,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:were you the only product that was there with,
Speaker:in terms of the gift basket portion?
Speaker:Yes. Yes,
Speaker:absolutely. Cause it,
Speaker:and what it was with some of my vendors are gifts
Speaker:products that I carry in my baskets.
Speaker:So it was letting people know,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:this is what we have in some of our gift baskets.
Speaker:So it was just a great collaboration for myself and for
Speaker:the vendors that I worked with.
Speaker:So give biz listeners,
Speaker:think about this many times when you're doing events like this,
Speaker:it's going to be more craft show or trade show type
Speaker:thing where there's vendor after vendor,
Speaker:after vendor Merly put together her own unique show,
Speaker:all unto herself,
Speaker:where she was the focus for the gifting portion.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:all the other services were there and available to show their
Speaker:presentations, floral bakery,
Speaker:et cetera,
Speaker:as well.
Speaker:But there's nothing saying that you couldn't do something very similar
Speaker:to what Merle has done regardless of what your product is.
Speaker:So that's one of the reasons I thought this was going
Speaker:to be so good for the podcast Murley is because this
Speaker:is something that anybody can do.
Speaker:They don't have to wait for someone else to put something
Speaker:like this together.
Speaker:Absolutely not.
Speaker:And I mean,
Speaker:most of the vendors weren't even there,
Speaker:they literally just drop off their product.
Speaker:And what I did was I did a lot of social
Speaker:media tagging ahead of the preceding the event.
Speaker:I would put up a photo or just tag them and
Speaker:say, wow.
Speaker:So, and so is going to be providing some amazing popcorn.
Speaker:We had,
Speaker:I think,
Speaker:six varieties of popcorn at the event.
Speaker:We had some incredible desserts from company out in Santa Barbara
Speaker:called Michelle's Tesoro.
Speaker:So I was highlighting everyone through the course of the week
Speaker:ahead of the event.
Speaker:So they didn't,
Speaker:they weren't even there,
Speaker:there were maybe one or two vendors who were at the
Speaker:event themselves cause they had other prior commitments,
Speaker:but they still found the value because they knew they were
Speaker:going to be promoted and we're still promoting them as these
Speaker:are the products that we carry in our gift basket.
Speaker:So it was a celebrates relief event.
Speaker:We did profile and highlight all the vendors.
Speaker:Who've supported the event as well.
Speaker:Wonderful. Because the point,
Speaker:the whole point is for everybody to see success from the
Speaker:event. Yes.
Speaker:And so did you then get up at some point and
Speaker:welcome everybody?
Speaker:Or how is the host?
Speaker:Did you handle The reception?
Speaker:So I had the DJ do most of the work to
Speaker:start off the evening to get us everybody into the party
Speaker:mode. And then at a certain point that I got up
Speaker:and I welcomed everybody again.
Speaker:I thank them all for coming.
Speaker:I thank all the vendors for participating.
Speaker:And to just to let them know,
Speaker:this is who we are,
Speaker:this is what we do,
Speaker:where your local gifting experts,
Speaker:we can help you with all your customized gifting we can
Speaker:deliver and ship for you.
Speaker:And just basically,
Speaker:if you have any events coming up or gifting needs,
Speaker:we're here to help you with that.
Speaker:And it was really thanking my,
Speaker:I had quite a number of my clients who came and
Speaker:people who I didn't know as well.
Speaker:So just connecting with people and you know,
Speaker:the main thing is basically that you may have the most
Speaker:amazing products out there,
Speaker:but if people don't get to know you and connect with
Speaker:you on that personal level,
Speaker:they don't really trust you enough to do business with you.
Speaker:So I really wanted people to come and get a feel
Speaker:for what it is that they would be getting.
Speaker:If they were to ask us or work with us on
Speaker:any level,
Speaker:whether it was for their gifting or for the events,
Speaker:You see the quality that you put out,
Speaker:not only in the vent,
Speaker:but then the product and the whole package and they get
Speaker:to meet you in person to the owner of the business.
Speaker:Yes, yes.
Speaker:And I tell you the feedback it's still is still rolling
Speaker:through him and it's being great.
Speaker:I think we've already booked two holiday parties from the event
Speaker:and a few people saying,
Speaker:well, you know what?
Speaker:I hadn't even thought about my holidays,
Speaker:but I'm now thinking of my holiday gifts.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:I now have some ideas of what it is that I
Speaker:want to do.
Speaker:So it was a good event and the timing was also
Speaker:right. Wonderful Question about this is the second year or third
Speaker:year you're doing the event.
Speaker:This is the,
Speaker:this is the second year I'm doing it.
Speaker:This is the second year.
Speaker:So you're starting to get some momentum in terms of people
Speaker:anticipating that this could be something that is done annual Well,
Speaker:I will tell you somebody already posted shortly after the event,
Speaker:that this is going to be the annual event,
Speaker:not to miss that if you miss this year,
Speaker:make sure you don't miss it next year.
Speaker:So that was a really nice testimonial.
Speaker:And the nice thing is that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we, we have worked with two different hotels so far,
Speaker:so I have to,
Speaker:I'm going to look and see which hotel we want to
Speaker:approach for next year,
Speaker:because I think it's a great opportunity to work in a
Speaker:different space.
Speaker:It's a blank canvas every time.
Speaker:And that's the most exciting thing for me,
Speaker:New and something fresh then for other people too.
Speaker:So they'll keep coming back year after year.
Speaker:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker:Was there Anything that went wrong or any challenge that you
Speaker:had put through the whole event,
Speaker:either from planning or the night of,
Speaker:or anything that happened that you could share by way of
Speaker:education for people putting on it?
Speaker:Well, I will tell you,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:with every event,
Speaker:there's always something that's not going to necessarily go your way
Speaker:and you just need to be prepared for it,
Speaker:prepare as best as you can and handle the issues when
Speaker:they come up.
Speaker:And I think for one thing that I would have loved
Speaker:that didn't happen was to have had somebody just handling the
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:try to get somebody there to just strictly just make sure
Speaker:they were posting on Facebook and posting on Instagram and maybe
Speaker:24 hours before the event,
Speaker:both parties fell through.
Speaker:So that was a bit of a glitch that okay,
Speaker:now we have to work through.
Speaker:So basically I was trying to tell as many people as
Speaker:possible through the course of the evening,
Speaker:if you're taking photos,
Speaker:please make sure you're tagging us on Instagram you're or tag
Speaker:us on Facebook.
Speaker:And so that's the backup to the backup.
Speaker:Didn't work out that night,
Speaker:but I think we still got some traction on Facebook.
Speaker:And the main thing is that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:unless I said,
Speaker:things will go wrong and you just need to be prepared
Speaker:for it.
Speaker:Just prepare to the best of your ability.
Speaker:And then you handle the situation as it comes through and
Speaker:just roll with it Move as you need to,
Speaker:based on what happens for sure.
Speaker:Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker:You have a hashtag for the event.
Speaker:The hashtag was the only holiday in August.
Speaker:Wonderful. So give biz listeners go look and see.
Speaker:I'm sure there's some pictures up there that you could find
Speaker:Instagram and Facebook.
Speaker:You're saying probably more Instagram with hashtags,
Speaker:but okay,
Speaker:wonderful. So a great place for people to kind of get
Speaker:a peak as to what was,
Speaker:what are you anticipating in terms of changing for next year?
Speaker:Well, for next year,
Speaker:we're going to look at a different location,
Speaker:as I said,
Speaker:secondly, for sure,
Speaker:getting somebody on board with social media early so that they're
Speaker:working well ahead of the event.
Speaker:We did have some photographies,
Speaker:we had some great photos and we're actually getting a short
Speaker:video put together as well.
Speaker:So we'll be using that as part of our marketing for
Speaker:the next year to see which vendors we're going to pull
Speaker:in this time and really work on getting that component because
Speaker:I think that's a big piece of it to get more
Speaker:people to come out to the event.
Speaker:Sure. And I love the fact Merly that you could answer
Speaker:that so quickly.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:so many people will run events and then afterwards it's like,
Speaker:Whoa, it was done.
Speaker:It was successful,
Speaker:high five,
Speaker:everybody celebrate.
Speaker:And then you don't do that debrief.
Speaker:What could we have done better?
Speaker:How could we make this easier?
Speaker:How can we make it different?
Speaker:And here you just rattled off three things really quickly of
Speaker:what you're going to be doing for next year.
Speaker:So that is the sign of a real pro.
Speaker:So love,
Speaker:love, love,
Speaker:hearing that.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Yeah, you have to always think,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I read it the way I look at it,
Speaker:basically when you're at the event the it's already done,
Speaker:you're already moving ahead to thinking,
Speaker:okay, what can we change?
Speaker:How can we make this better?
Speaker:What can we do differently?
Speaker:And just really thinking as to what the next step,
Speaker:because you know,
Speaker:you always have to improve when the last time I already
Speaker:know some of the components that I'm adding for next year.
Speaker:So I'm excited about that high And you're keeping them secret.
Speaker:I presume I'm not going to share not yet.
Speaker:Anyway. Almost might have to fly out to California and check
Speaker:it out.
Speaker:You never know.
Speaker:I hope you do.
Speaker:That'd be great.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:Merly, we're going to roll now into our reflection section.
Speaker:This is a further look at you and just different types
Speaker:of things that you do that might clue some of our
Speaker:listeners of how they can do other things better.
Speaker:See some things in themselves that they hadn't thought about before,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:You've already talked about the fact that when you're little,
Speaker:you were always the gift or you always knew people's birthdays,
Speaker:you were always making sure that they had something special.
Speaker:Is there something else that you can think of,
Speaker:some other trait that you have that has helped you to
Speaker:be as successful as you are with your events and with
Speaker:your business?
Speaker:I think the number one trait that I would highlight is
Speaker:the fact that I'm a very optimistic person.
Speaker:People tend to talk about the glass half full or the
Speaker:glass half empty.
Speaker:And I look at it as you can always refill your
Speaker:glass. And why don't you think if your glass is already
Speaker:overflowing? So I always try to focus on the things that
Speaker:I can control and I try not to worry so much
Speaker:about the things that I don't have any control over.
Speaker:So it helps me not to veer too much into worrying
Speaker:and really try to focus on this is working or also
Speaker:just coming to things with that gratitude.
Speaker:I think that gratitude about everything and just really looking at
Speaker:everything as an opportunity to learn and to grow.
Speaker:I think that helps me Tool or something that you're using
Speaker:through the course of your day,
Speaker:that helps you stay on task and organize the event or
Speaker:else create balance in your life.
Speaker:Oh, my number one tool is Darren Hardy.
Speaker:I start my day every single morning,
Speaker:five minutes listening to Darren Hardy and it's Darren daily.com.
Speaker:It's inspirational.
Speaker:It just gets my day going.
Speaker:It starts me off with,
Speaker:with a thought.
Speaker:I encourage everyone to look him up.
Speaker:He used to be with success magazine and he started this
Speaker:Darren daily.com
Speaker:and it really gives you tips.
Speaker:And sometimes,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:he'd give you some hard questions to think through,
Speaker:but that's how I start off every single morning process something
Speaker:and think about,
Speaker:okay, what am I going to do differently today?
Speaker:How am I going to improve today?
Speaker:Sometimes he gives you a list of questions to answer or
Speaker:three things to write down a five things that every single
Speaker:morning that's the first thing that goes up on my phone
Speaker:is a text message from Darren daily.com.
Speaker:Wonderful. So you go in and you registered or something so
Speaker:that now it comes to you every single day.
Speaker:So you don't,
Speaker:it's not like you're going to forget because it's coming to
Speaker:you each day,
Speaker:Every single morning.
Speaker:Yes. So just go to Darren daily.com
Speaker:and sign up and you'll be getting those text messages.
Speaker:If you choose text messages or emails every single morning,
Speaker:and it's only five minutes perfect Fits in with your day.
Speaker:No excuses.
Speaker:Yes. And have you read a book lately that you think
Speaker:our listeners would find value in?
Speaker:Okay. So I'm going to tell you listeners this right now,
Speaker:and don't even walk,
Speaker:just run and order this book as soon as you can.
Speaker:It is called chop wood,
Speaker:carry water,
Speaker:and it's by a young gentleman named Joshua Metcalf.
Speaker:And I had the pleasure of meeting Joshua back in generate
Speaker:and SU needless to say,
Speaker:after his presentation,
Speaker:I not only ordered a book for myself,
Speaker:I ordered 12 copies and I ordered a copy of every
Speaker:single one of his other books.
Speaker:And you need to read this book is chop wood,
Speaker:carry water,
Speaker:how to really fall in love with the process of becoming
Speaker:great. And he talks about how everybody wants greatness,
Speaker:but nobody's willing to do the work that it takes to
Speaker:be great.
Speaker:And that whole notion and the,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's a beautiful,
Speaker:it's a very easy read.
Speaker:I bought one for all my daughters and my nephews and
Speaker:nieces. And it's a great read.
Speaker:It's called chop wood,
Speaker:carry water.
Speaker:And it's really focusing on the little things that you can
Speaker:do every single day to achieve greatness.
Speaker:Wow. That sounds really interesting and very valuable for all of
Speaker:our listeners,
Speaker:for sure.
Speaker:And gift biz listeners,
Speaker:just as you're listening to the podcast today,
Speaker:you can also listen to audio books.
Speaker:Don't know if chop wood carry water is available on audio,
Speaker:but you can certainly go check that out.
Speaker:If it is available,
Speaker:you can get an audio book for free on me.
Speaker:If you already haven't done.
Speaker:So all you need to do is go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com and make a selection.
Speaker:Okay. Merly.
Speaker:We are going to have all of your social media links,
Speaker:your website on our show notes page.
Speaker:But if someone wanted to reach out to you in just
Speaker:one place,
Speaker:like what's the best social media site that you would direct
Speaker:them to,
Speaker:That would be our Facebook page.
Speaker:And I,
Speaker:we do a lot on Facebook and on,
Speaker:on Instagram.
Speaker:So it'd be celebrates weekly Facebook.
Speaker:Okay. And now I would like to invite you to dare
Speaker:to dream.
Speaker:I would like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:Ah, so it's a lovely Tiffany blue box and I open
Speaker:up the box To everybody wides,
Speaker:Tiffany. So Tiffany blue is,
Speaker:it's just a gorgeous color,
Speaker:which, which is luxury it's,
Speaker:it's gorgeous.
Speaker:It just quality.
Speaker:And I just love the color and it is my brand
Speaker:color. And I really,
Speaker:I love the color.
Speaker:I wear it a lot and I use it in everything
Speaker:that I do.
Speaker:Basically our messages that we bring you the Tiffany experience,
Speaker:because when you see Tiffany,
Speaker:you think quality,
Speaker:you think high-end,
Speaker:you think luxury,
Speaker:and that's how I approach the business.
Speaker:So it's this gorgeous box I opened the box.
Speaker:And the first thing I see is a pair of Ruby
Speaker:red slippers,
Speaker:just like Dorothy's from the wizard of Oz.
Speaker:And there's a card in there that says you've always had
Speaker:it. So I think in terms of limits,
Speaker:that the only limits of the ones that we released set
Speaker:for ourselves.
Speaker:And if we don't think about the limits and really get
Speaker:past the fear,
Speaker:I have an 11 year old daughter who keeps me on
Speaker:my toes every single day,
Speaker:because when she gets the answer,
Speaker:no to anything,
Speaker:her first question is why not?
Speaker:So I listened to that very carefully and try to incorporate
Speaker:that in everything I do.
Speaker:Why not?
Speaker:So I try not to set too many limits.
Speaker:And the first big step we've made is to move into
Speaker:a studio space.
Speaker:And we're very excited about the possibilities of where we're going
Speaker:to be going from here.
Speaker:So I see that box.
Speaker:I see that message and it says you've always had it.
Speaker:So dig deep and go for your highest dreams.
Speaker:There is no question Merly that you have at girlfriend,
Speaker:for sure you can hear.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:just with you throughout our whole conversation,
Speaker:from the initial message of the candle,
Speaker:your optimism,
Speaker:and pulling everybody together with an event,
Speaker:just the fact that you are optimistic and you've always had
Speaker:it. What could be a better message for us,
Speaker:particularly as entrepreneurs,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's not very easy a lot of the times,
Speaker:but to have the right attitude really can get you through
Speaker:and to think that you always have it is fabulous.
Speaker:I absolutely love that.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So thank you so much.
Speaker:I really appreciate your taking the time early and being willing
Speaker:to come on the show and share everything that you have
Speaker:about the event.
Speaker:And I'm pretty sure we've inspired some people to maybe get
Speaker:themselves thinking about possibly doing an event for themselves once again.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:And may your candle always burn bright and have a great
Speaker:day. You too.
Speaker:Where are you in your business building journey,
Speaker:whether you're just starting out or already running a business,
Speaker:and you want to know your setup for success.
Speaker:Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,
Speaker:access the quiz from your computer at bit dot L Y
Speaker:slash a gift biz quiz or from your phone like texting
Speaker:gift biz quiz to four four,
Speaker:two, two,
Speaker:two. Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for
Speaker:the next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,
Speaker:looking for a new income source for your gift business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever grant your product with
Speaker:your logo for print,
Speaker:a happy birthday,
Speaker:Jessica, to write a checkout right in your shop or across
Speaker:the DBO and second check company.com
Speaker:for more information after you listened to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:iTunes. That way you'll automatically get the newest episodes when they
Speaker:go by and thank you to those.
Speaker:Who've already left the radio by subscribing rating and reviewing help
Speaker:to increase the visibility around.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward,
