Amy's Biztalk posts

Please get OFFSITE Data Backup - SO Important!

Some of us don't do a lot of computer document work but for those of us who have anything admin, portfolio, client, accounting, etc. related, you NEED offsite data backup. Not just the CD's you burn or your external hard drive, but an OFFSITE service.

Let me tell you why...

Because sometimes, s* happens. Friday was just that day for me. My hard drive crashed and it crashed hard. All my portfolio images, articles, client information, personal files....all not accessible.

THANK GOD/DESS I have my external data backup service with Bill Fulton of Third Hatch. For a wee $10/month, his service AUTOMATICALLY backs up my info on a daily basis.

Friday, Bill was my business Knight in Shining Armour. He completely SAVED ME. I've been a data backup customer of his for almost a year now, with no need for the backed up files. Until Friday.

Bill took care of everything within less than 24 hours, restoring my data and everything is back and happy now in the EcoKind world.

I rest easy knowing that not only do i have a data backup system but:

• I DO NOTHING to make it happen except leave the computer on at that chosen time.
• Pay a measly $10/month for the service.

Seriously folks, you can't afford NOT to have this. If your S* ever hits the fan with your computer, or your in-house backup gets burned up or stolen, you will be SO happy that you invested 2 lattes worth of money per month for this peace of mind.

You will be kicking yourself painfully if you don't and down the road, this happens, or worse, to you.

You're Invited } A Night of Sustainable Art, Décor and Wine Tasting!

The Unveiling: A Night of Sustainable Art, Green Decorating and Wine Tasting!
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
5-8pm

Join us as we unveil the thinkspace art and decorating project. We’ve been hard at work to accentuate the beauty of client Peter Chee’s green office suite rental space.

Artist (and Biznikian) Drew Stone of AGS Custom Interiors and myself of EcoKind Design will be talking about sustainable art and decorating, and we’ll all be tasting sustainable wine to celebrate the completion of this fine project in this fine business space!

And just because we love to have a lot of fun, we’re having a door prize drawing game!

Please, join us for this fine celebration, socializing, networking, and sustainable chit chat! Looking forward to seeing you there! RSVP here.

ISO Car Detailer

Has anyone noticed that we don't have one of them on here? Don't we have one of everything else, at least?

I've been looking for a recommendation to a great indie car detailer. Who's got one?!

Got to keep up shop on the "car home interiors" too!

Call for Product & Service Donations for Prize Drawing!!

AKA Free Promotion and Marketing for you!

Looking for product and services prize donations for the prize drawing at thinkspace sustainable art, decorating and wine tasting event upcoming October 29.

This is a great opportunity to market your services or product to the green minded community. Products should be green but its ok if your business isn't green per say - like if you are a coach or something.

Attendance is estimated at 80-100. Invites include Redmond Chamber of Commerce and many eastside businesses, as well as Seattle.

Please contact me if you want to donate for our prize giveaway!

ecokinddesign@gmail.com 206-818-9102

Cheers, Amy

Greenies - Mastermind Group is Starting!

hey green folks!

Jessie Upps and I are ready to start hosting GMM groups. We are going to have a guest appearance at some point from Lisa Bradley, who started Mastermind Mondays and has kept them going.

Waiting for the reservation to be approved and then I'll be posting. We'll start not next week, but the week of Oct. 20th.

Keep an eye, or two, open! :)

Call for Parenting and Family Products

Hey biznikers.... for those of you with parenting and family products from today's Help a Reporter Out edition:

PTPA is in the midst of their Fall product call for parenting and family related products.

This is the place to submit your amazing family related products! Winners have received publicity on ABC, NBC, Fox, Canada AM, CTV, Todays Parent Magazine, Pregnancy and Newbornand now we have made a partnership agreement to provide winners content to Kaboose!

Deadline for submissions is October 15th, If you heard it through Shankman, you get $50.00 off the submission fee.

Check out www.ptpamedia.com for more info.

What Bank should I Switch to?

Hi!

I am currently with Wells Fargo. My checking is free. When I have savings, C and S are only free if you do an auto transfer each month.

I am reemed with business account fees each month and even though I'm a longtime credit card holder with them, in good standing, they won't drop my 20% interest rate.

Where can I go that: 1) Is low to no fee, including business accounts 2) Isn't shutting down due to the crazy financial world now 3) Has a low fixed rate credit card 4) Is small business person friendly?

I am considering BECU or another credit union type since it is locally supporting.

Thank you so much. This is a long time coming!

Tagline feedback pretty please!

Hey b-nikers!

I'm about to print a new round of biz cards and playing with my new tag line.

Empower. Empassion. Enliven. Your space. Your life!

I have other ideas that include "launching pad"... Your space. Your launching pad. Your life!

Something with "so you can live your best life" is so overused.

An equation of some sort might be neat too. Simple yet effective. Any suggestions?

I do love to do love nests...but "The Love Nest Specialist" sounds kinda funny and maybe gives the wrong message. heh.

I COULD just nix the tagline from this round but I so love to distinguish myself from just any decorator.

Any helpful ideas? Got to send this to print! Thank you!

On Vacation Aug. 22 - Sept. 8!!

Hey everybody!

Getting ready for vacation and just want to give a heads up that I'll be out of touch for a bit before I get caught up in my leavings of town.

Have a great rest of August everyone and hey, you need to hire Ruth Hartmann to help you get your biz so you too, can take time off!

Haddad Holds Out on Us (AKA Haddad Art in Bellevue)

So our own Chris Haddad does art too, apparently! I just found this as I was exploring the Sculpted Green event that is happening in Bellevue and I couldn't resist the temptation to pimp, I mean, share what I found...(heehee)

http://www.bellevuewa.gov/HaddadStalk8.htm

Artist's Statement: My work attempts to transform something familiar into that which is unfamiliar, to engage our memories by revealing something abstract, energized and elegant from that which we have known. The structure of my work’s evolution has been a sequence of series; this piece is part of the “Stalks” series. The “stalks” were conceived of as abstractions of figurative forms, organic shapes and primitive tools. They are scaled to the height of human proportion to engage us spatially. "Stalk #8" continues my interest in the dynamics of form that are simultaneously organic and mechanical. The tension between the organic and mechanical is not only energizing for me, but also very human.

Congrats Chris! Nice work :)

For Photographers that want to give back...

I picked up this brochure at Green Drinks.

If you are looking for a way to give back to the greater community, check out http://www.blueearth.org. It's the Blue Earth Alliance, supporting the power of photographic storytelling and motivating society to make positive changes.

Thought some of our photographic community might appreciate this resource.

Blessings, Amy

What is a good number of web hits?

As I'm looking at my selling points and pluses, I began to wonder...what IS a good number of hits per month?

I seem to be averaging 500-750 per month. Is that low? medium? high? I know it's not extra high and maybe not even high but I don't know what to measure it against.

As I begin to negotiate some deals and market myself more, it would be great to know if that is a good number? More certainly wouldn't be bad...and more comments would def. be good.

Feedback? Thanks!

Commerical Green Cleaning Service?

So our lovely Stephanie Toler is a house specialist.

Who has a recommendation for green OFFICE/COMMERCIAL cleaning service? This is for a 3 floor office building in Redmond.

Many thanks!

Paying a paper to include your article?

In my recent post about filling out random directories, I said The Reporter from the eastside contacted me for advertising and passed me on to their article contact person.

So the gal calls me back today and said they like my credentials and if I wanted to publish an article in their special go green section, I had to purchase advertising.

Huh?

Aren't they supposed to pay ME, ideally, for giving them content contribution for their paper? I mean, without the articles, all you have is a paper full of ads.

Purchase advertising for the privilege of them including my article? Whatever. I understand paying for ad but I"m so not going to buy advertising with them just so they will put my article in their paper. They should be paying me for contributing to their readership content, yes?

Is this a common practice with newspapers?

Logo at Correct Size still won't post

Greetings-

I have tried repeatedly to no avail to post my revised logo.

I have tried 150 px on largest side and smaller. It is a jpeg. It still won't post...says it's updated and then only shows my name.

I've posted a few times in response to a logo issue thread on About Biznik but getting no response on my sad wittle wogo pwight so I'm coming here to beg for your assistance :)

Thank you so much!

Fill Out those Random Directories Online!

I just got a call about my business resulting from one of the many random green online directories I have filled out over time!

It was the Reporter newspaper, the local community paper for Bellevue, Kirkland, and several other cities. Key words here being eastside cities (for me anyway!).

Granted, the call was to see if I wanted to advertise with them in their special green issue. I mentioned I wasn't interested in that but was available for interviews. She said there is opportunity for writing articles and gave me the contact.

So that's an advertising call that I turned into a better kind of promotional opportunity for myself. Pretty good eh?

I put a call into the contact with my referral source so we'll see what happens!

Moral of the story being...fill out those random directories, or as our LA Communicatrix says "Proliferate the internet!" You never know what will come of it!

Call for All of Us!!

Hey everyone!

Elizabeth Lee recently turned me on to this amazing list called Help A Reporter. WOWEE!

Basically, this cool PR guy Peter Shankman sends out a daily email with all the topics reporters and other various people are looking to cover in various media ways. Calls for interviews, experts, writers on topics and the like.

The daily list is formatted very well. First, there is a list of all the calls for. If you see something eye-catching, you can scroll down for details. If you don't see something that day, just hit delete and you're on to your next email.

On the other hand, if you DO see something you like, you contact the person listed and see what happens from there! It's a great opportunity for more exposure, spreading the word of your great expertise and so forth. The topics are wide and varying so it's totally worth your time!

Peter is funny too. He starts the list off with a very brief update on his happenings, usually it's funny. And, if you ever have a call for something, he might be a good contact for you as well!

Today's funny story: A realtor who is subscribed unsubbed yesterday, complaining that there was never anything for him. Well, TODAY there just happened to be a Call for Realtor!

So, hang in there on the list. You never know what day might be your payoff day!

Sub at: http://www.helpareporter.com

Biz Walk n Talk - Diff Day and/or Time?

Greetings Seattleites :)

I posted an event for walk and talk for Tuesday but no one has RSVP'd yet. I've seen dog walking events be successful but maybe it's cuz of the dogs?

Lookin for some feedback.

Figure I"m not the only indie here who needs exercise and prefers not doing it solo and I need others to help me with accountability so that is why I posted the event so I would for sure get out and walk.

Are others interested if it were a diff. day and/or time? 2 others have indicated eve times would be better.

I have seen the dog walking events in day I think and have attendance. What if dogs were invited too?

I also have a personal trainer scheduled to come in and give us some tippers and a little guidance for some fun.

Your feedback is much appreciated! THanks!

Biz Walk and Talk anyone?

I need to exercise walk on a regular basis. I do this better with others. I figured I am not the only one with this challenge.

So...who is interested in a weekly biz walk and talk at greenlake? Follow up could be a stretching segment as a cool down.

I also thought that perhaps some of our personal trainers might like to make guest appearances - like a different one each week perhaps? - and lead an exercise or two. Maybe lead the conversation as we are walking?

You don't have to commit to weekly. I figure if I commit to a weekly event online, it will get me walking regularly!

What days and times are preferable for you? Me - mornings, days flexible. Not Sundays.

Artwork Repair Recommendation?

Greetings-

A client has an asian art panel that needs some minor chip and paint repair.

I'm not sure what the composite is below the paint - looks grainy like cement but lighter. Paint looks like enamel?

The paint is a matte black and metallic gold.

I thought about repairing it myself but if I can have a pro do it, that would be so much better! If I did do it myself, I was thinking super glue and some of my acrylic paints - but don't know how it would match. Eeek.

Know anyone who can fix this - or where to take it to get advice?

Many blessings, Amy