Wow, it's been a busy week! I don't want to talk too soon, but I think a pattern of mine is going to be published in a magazine!! I was putting the final touches on the sample to send for approval and still need to double check the pattern before turning that in. More details will come as things firm up...
Pushing to meet this deadline really made me start appreciating what great opportunities might be opening to me and got me to focus on the positive rather than the negative. The housework is still piling up, I'm still woefully behind on paperwork, I can't get MailChimp to automatically integrate with PayPal, but hey, I'm trying to let it all slide down my back like water off a duck and "like my life" :-)
Mmm, I am feeling a creativity spurt coming on though -- I've been seeing some really cool patterns in my mind's eye, so I'm hoping I can start actualizing them soon. As I've written about in the past, I so totally appreciate how small business owners struggle with doing the actual thing that they love (making their product) versus the business, marketing, organizing, etc. side of things. I'm enjoying trying out some new software products that are supposed to help automate certain functions, and I will definitely share as I find ones that work (probably helpful for me to share the ones that aren't so great either). I continue to really like MailChimp, but I have been experiencing some problems with trying to get different services to integrate with each other. Customer service has been responsive though, so I'm hoping to report a happy ending to that saga soon. I also think it might be time for me to start utilizing an accounting program to keep track of expenses and income (my Excel spreadsheet has been working ok so far, but I'm starting to see limits to my having to input everything manually). I just read about www.outright.com, which sounds like it might be what I'm looking for, but there is a monthly fee that kicks in after a trial period. I'm going to keep searching for a free service and will report back on that too! Let me know if you've had success with a service you like :-)
Showing posts with label mail chimp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mail chimp. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Let the Sun Shine
Wow, what a difference a few degrees can make! I am always amazed by how weather affects my mood, my motivation, my ability to get stuff done...
So, my latest thing has been experimenting with tapestry crochet. I feel old school by pulling out the graph paper, but I really haven't researched what software is available to help with this. I really like incorporating tapestry into working in the round because, then, it really has that intricate knit look to it. I hope to post some pix soon.
Other than that, the Mailchimp is working well, though I haven't figured out yet how to archive the newsletters yet, but it will come :-)
Ok, this was just a quick update, more posting soon!
So, my latest thing has been experimenting with tapestry crochet. I feel old school by pulling out the graph paper, but I really haven't researched what software is available to help with this. I really like incorporating tapestry into working in the round because, then, it really has that intricate knit look to it. I hope to post some pix soon.
Other than that, the Mailchimp is working well, though I haven't figured out yet how to archive the newsletters yet, but it will come :-)
Ok, this was just a quick update, more posting soon!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Email Lists
On my to-do list forever has been the need to get my email lists organized so that I can stay in contact with my customers, my crochet students, and my blog subscribers. And, I haven't wanted to say it, but the newsletter has been sitting and gathering dust, and I really want to get that up and running again too. So, I went in search of a mail list service that will meet my needs and not cost too much (ie nothing!).
Well, I think Mail Chimp is the winner! It so far meets my 3 criteria: cost (it's free up to 2000 addresses and 12,000 emails per month), ease of use, and cuteness. I really like companies that have a theme and a personality. They don't take themselves too seriously, but they do provide a serious product and service. They are user friendly for us non-techies, and they offer lots of options, starting with free but then with reasonable add-ons (hey, I'd be glad to start paying if I end up with more than 2,000 followers!)
So far, I figured out how to import the lists of emails that I had already organized in Outlook. Oh, I also like the fact that they have a lot of free guides and resources targeted to specific things you want to do, like send out a newsletter. And, they even have a guide for Etsy sellers. We'll see if this all actually works, but so far so good!
Well, I think Mail Chimp is the winner! It so far meets my 3 criteria: cost (it's free up to 2000 addresses and 12,000 emails per month), ease of use, and cuteness. I really like companies that have a theme and a personality. They don't take themselves too seriously, but they do provide a serious product and service. They are user friendly for us non-techies, and they offer lots of options, starting with free but then with reasonable add-ons (hey, I'd be glad to start paying if I end up with more than 2,000 followers!)
So far, I figured out how to import the lists of emails that I had already organized in Outlook. Oh, I also like the fact that they have a lot of free guides and resources targeted to specific things you want to do, like send out a newsletter. And, they even have a guide for Etsy sellers. We'll see if this all actually works, but so far so good!
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