Sometimes while we're going about our day to day routine, ideas for new products pop up. Certainly, raising small children can payoff when your business is spurred from the very task. But better than that is hearing directly from our customers and we want to talk to you!
As we zero in on early literacy, we've already identified two new products to offer you. Now, so that our efforts aren't wasted, we'd like to know what products you specifically need. Please leave a comment here on our blog or send us an email at info@pollyandmeek.com. We'll use the data to create more ways to make early learning easier for you and your child. Of course books will always play a huge role in the learning process. We're simply widening the scope to identify addition tools that children will love. With your input Polly&Meek can develop some exciting and engaging, new products.
We'll showcase two of our latest prototypes next month at the Northern PG County Mocha Moms Home Business Expo. Stop by our booth to see what's new, pick up a copy of Sisters Are From Heaven and give us feedback on what tools you need most for your family. We look forward to seeing you and hearing your comments.
Many blessings,
Polly
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Where Do You See Yourself Five Years From Now?
Where do you see yourself five years from now used to be a question guaranteed to come up during an interview or any other scenario where a young person may need to be tricked into thinking ahead. Nowadays, why not go one step further and apply it to your own business?
We already know that looking a little further down the road can cause some good life planning to take place. But this time instead of thinking about finally paying down that debt, or how you'd like to pad the savings account a little more, how many activities the kids will be involved in at one time, or if their first year of college will be paid for---just stop. Give some serious thought to where you want your business to go and set goals. If setting goals sounds too concrete and you think you might be misleading yourself, then let's call it "dreaming with purpose." Either way, put pen to paper and get to work. The words you write down can lay a powerful foundation for your business plan while simultaneously opening doors to new ideas in your niche.
To get started, think about how you'd like to affect your customer base five years from now. In terms of your brand, would you like to be a household name or are you satistied when people can search for a product and your website appears first on the list? How important is income to you? Would you like to be earning millions in sales per year, or are you not for profit? You're thinking several years from now so if business is booming, who's doing the work? Will you do it all yourself or could you manage a small staff? A large staff?
Answer these questions and more. If you elaborate well enough you should end up with some long term and short terms goals for your company. Always check in to make sure you're reaching milestones and are on track for the future. It is whatever you make it, so dream BIG.
Many Blessings,
Polly
We already know that looking a little further down the road can cause some good life planning to take place. But this time instead of thinking about finally paying down that debt, or how you'd like to pad the savings account a little more, how many activities the kids will be involved in at one time, or if their first year of college will be paid for---just stop. Give some serious thought to where you want your business to go and set goals. If setting goals sounds too concrete and you think you might be misleading yourself, then let's call it "dreaming with purpose." Either way, put pen to paper and get to work. The words you write down can lay a powerful foundation for your business plan while simultaneously opening doors to new ideas in your niche.
To get started, think about how you'd like to affect your customer base five years from now. In terms of your brand, would you like to be a household name or are you satistied when people can search for a product and your website appears first on the list? How important is income to you? Would you like to be earning millions in sales per year, or are you not for profit? You're thinking several years from now so if business is booming, who's doing the work? Will you do it all yourself or could you manage a small staff? A large staff?
Answer these questions and more. If you elaborate well enough you should end up with some long term and short terms goals for your company. Always check in to make sure you're reaching milestones and are on track for the future. It is whatever you make it, so dream BIG.
Many Blessings,
Polly
Monday, October 12, 2009
Back In The Day!
About two years ago, I stopped buying regular meats, eggs and dairy at the grocers and switched to organic goods. It was a bit more expensive but very much worth it to me. My husband planted a small garden in our backyard when we first purchased our home, but it did not thrive in the nutrient deficient clay. Nonetheless, I opted for frozen veggies instead of those in the can (gotta avoid that BPA) and scoped out farmer's markets in the area for fresh produce. There is nothing like fresh fruits and veggies organically grown without any artificial enhancements. Even my nieces and nephew are on the bandwagon, picking 15lbs of fresh, organic apples from a nearby farm in their area.
I am once again finding myself shifting gears. While I was pregnant, I asked God to show me how to actually lose weight after I delivered. I am down from my pre-pregnancy weight and it is all due to the additional challenge of cutting dairy from my diet (my angel is allergic to milk protein). All of these adjustments made me start to think about all the organic goods we used to get from our local 'Fruit Man' when I was growing up. The 'Fruit Man' used to come by every Saturday to sell his fruits, veggies and sometimes meats to the families in our neighborhood. He would come with beans and collards, eggs and potatoes and all the wonderfully, delicious and unadulterated goods from his garden. He was a small business owner and he made a healthy bounty from all the families who would wait for his arrival each Saturday to glean foods from the back of his truck for their Sunday dinners. He knew his target audience, minority families, especially older women who needed a good deal on some good eats! I can see my grandmother now pulling a bushel of garden peas off of his truck and hauling them into the house. We all knew this meant the end of our outside play time and the beginning of a long evening shelling peas with Momma!
Other small, home based business owners included my Great Aunt Tunny who supplemented her income by making the best brown dogs in the land! Brown dogs are delicious sugar and peanut or caramelized syrup and peanut candies. Just thinking of them makes my mouth water. Everybody came to Aunt Tunny's to buy her famous brown dogs at $.50 each. When she made a batch they sold out in no time flat just from word of mouth sales.
And who can forget the 'Freeze Lady', Mrs. Maggie. Mrs. Maggie sold freezes and candy out of her house to supplement her income. She made the very best kool-aid freezes with just enough sugar in them to keep us running back to her house with our $.25 every day and sometimes twice a day. LOL!
Happy memories from my childhood. Very easy and simple small businesses, but small businesses nonetheless!
I am once again finding myself shifting gears. While I was pregnant, I asked God to show me how to actually lose weight after I delivered. I am down from my pre-pregnancy weight and it is all due to the additional challenge of cutting dairy from my diet (my angel is allergic to milk protein). All of these adjustments made me start to think about all the organic goods we used to get from our local 'Fruit Man' when I was growing up. The 'Fruit Man' used to come by every Saturday to sell his fruits, veggies and sometimes meats to the families in our neighborhood. He would come with beans and collards, eggs and potatoes and all the wonderfully, delicious and unadulterated goods from his garden. He was a small business owner and he made a healthy bounty from all the families who would wait for his arrival each Saturday to glean foods from the back of his truck for their Sunday dinners. He knew his target audience, minority families, especially older women who needed a good deal on some good eats! I can see my grandmother now pulling a bushel of garden peas off of his truck and hauling them into the house. We all knew this meant the end of our outside play time and the beginning of a long evening shelling peas with Momma!
Other small, home based business owners included my Great Aunt Tunny who supplemented her income by making the best brown dogs in the land! Brown dogs are delicious sugar and peanut or caramelized syrup and peanut candies. Just thinking of them makes my mouth water. Everybody came to Aunt Tunny's to buy her famous brown dogs at $.50 each. When she made a batch they sold out in no time flat just from word of mouth sales.
And who can forget the 'Freeze Lady', Mrs. Maggie. Mrs. Maggie sold freezes and candy out of her house to supplement her income. She made the very best kool-aid freezes with just enough sugar in them to keep us running back to her house with our $.25 every day and sometimes twice a day. LOL!
Happy memories from my childhood. Very easy and simple small businesses, but small businesses nonetheless!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Capital Bookfest 2009
Saturday's weather was just goregous, perfect for enjoying a local book festival held outside. This is the second year in a row that Polly&Meek has participated in Capital Bookfest. The event takes place in Largo, MD every first Saturday in October.It is an amazing feat in terms of its message to families, as well as support from the community. I can't leave out the opportunity it provides to local authors, some of which are new to the literary world. The staff and volunteers who produce this book festival do an awesome job. They may be looking to do similar festivals in other cities or expand the bookfest over a few days. I say, bring it on.
As normal, there was plenty of foot traffic past our table on Saturday. The constant flow of potential patrons made sure there was never a dull moment. Selling books is always exciting, but making contact with customers to listen or encourage them, fulfills the soul. They don't hold back and neither do we. Everyone can be blessed. It's this exchange that the community has come to expect and I witnessed other vendors doing the same at their tables. That is what I like most about these types of events. There's a sense of happiness and positivity that you don't see on a daily basis. No drama or negativity at all. That alone alone deserves a thumbs up.
We sold a few books and made great contacts. If you were one of the many who stopped by our table then we thank you. If you didn't make it out this time then try for next year. You will be inspired.
Many blessings,
Polly
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Polly & Meek October 2009 Newsletter
Gift Card Giveaway
Enter to win a $25 gift card when you purchase our children's picture book. Promotion begins October 1, 2009. Drawing will be held November 15, 2009 (just in time for the holidays) so order you copy today!!!
Softcover Promotion
Our softcover copies of Sisters Are From Heaven are available at the low cost of $5 per copy (plus S&H) when you order online or via email. If you do not have a copy of our book, now is the time to get one for that upcoming birthday, baby shower or as a Christmas gift!
Our Commitment to Promote Early Literacy
Polly & Meek is devoted to promoting early literacy. Our children's picture book was created for pre-school aged children and we are committed to providing more educational materials at affordable prices to help your child succeed!
Upcoming Events
Polly & Meek will be attending Capital Bookfest 2009 on October 3rd from 10am - 7pm in Largo, Maryland at the Blvd @ Cap Centre (behind the Borders book store). If you are in the area please come out and support local authors in the DC Metro area. In addition, we will be vending at the SterlingFest 2009 on October 10th from 11-4pm on Commerce and Enterprise Street in Sterling Park, Virginia.
Books on Consignment
Polly & Meek is offering books on consignment. Please contact us via email, blog or phone for more details on how to carry our book in your stores at no cost to you while making a profit!
Visit Our Blog
Check out weekly updates at our blog to find out more about what is going on with Polly & Meek and catch a sneak peak into our daily lives. This week we are sharing ideas on how to make your home based business more visible on the Internet and in your community.
As always we thank you for your support and encourage you to use your God given talents to pursue your dreams!
Many Blessings,
Onjeinika Brooks and Tamika Jackson
Polly & Meek
www.pollyandmeek.com
http://www.pollyandmeek.blogspot.com
703-732-7500/301-335-8414
Enter to win a $25 gift card when you purchase our children's picture book. Promotion begins October 1, 2009. Drawing will be held November 15, 2009 (just in time for the holidays) so order you copy today!!!
Softcover Promotion
Our softcover copies of Sisters Are From Heaven are available at the low cost of $5 per copy (plus S&H) when you order online or via email. If you do not have a copy of our book, now is the time to get one for that upcoming birthday, baby shower or as a Christmas gift!
Our Commitment to Promote Early Literacy
Polly & Meek is devoted to promoting early literacy. Our children's picture book was created for pre-school aged children and we are committed to providing more educational materials at affordable prices to help your child succeed!
Upcoming Events
Polly & Meek will be attending Capital Bookfest 2009 on October 3rd from 10am - 7pm in Largo, Maryland at the Blvd @ Cap Centre (behind the Borders book store). If you are in the area please come out and support local authors in the DC Metro area. In addition, we will be vending at the SterlingFest 2009 on October 10th from 11-4pm on Commerce and Enterprise Street in Sterling Park, Virginia.
Books on Consignment
Polly & Meek is offering books on consignment. Please contact us via email, blog or phone for more details on how to carry our book in your stores at no cost to you while making a profit!
Visit Our Blog
Check out weekly updates at our blog to find out more about what is going on with Polly & Meek and catch a sneak peak into our daily lives. This week we are sharing ideas on how to make your home based business more visible on the Internet and in your community.
As always we thank you for your support and encourage you to use your God given talents to pursue your dreams!
Many Blessings,
Onjeinika Brooks and Tamika Jackson
Polly & Meek
www.pollyandmeek.com
http://www.pollyandmeek.blogspot.com
703-732-7500/301-335-8414
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