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Women Entrepreneur + Ladybug Shoes + Suri Cruise = Success
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This is the story…
of a woman entrepreneur and how she took a small stroke of luck and turned it into something that can benefit others. I could push the fact that she even got her product on Oprah, but I don’t want the “Oprah” factor to influence all the smart moves this entrepreneur made. But I will mention that she started just like many of us, at our kitchen table, learning every step of online business from trial and error.
Let the Story Begin….
First, I want to start with the main character, she is a real woman with three real kids and like other work at home moms balances her online business along with what else life throws at her. Her name is Katja and she is the owner of Skimbaco, an upscale online store that she founded on the sound principles of her own interests. Honestly, Katja has done a great job of finding a great mix of unique products for kids and parents that are both functional and environmentally and socially conscious.
The Skimbaco mission is simple: Spread the Sunshine- make people happy.
My side note: I personally find this mission statement so amazing because I remember spending weeks on my own “mission statement” while creating my business plan. I was so frustrated when one mentor after another kept sending me back to add a sentence here or change one word or another. The mission statement above is simple, precise and effective and a great example of a clear vision.
The Launch
Well, it wasn’t the Launch of the store, Katja already had a successful online store from her countless hours online, smart marketing & networking and countless other business strategies. But this post is about ladybugs flying…so the simplified start goes like this.
- Customer orders a gift from Skimbaco
- Katja personally packed the gift and was silently tickled of the honor
- Jump ahead a couple months and…
- Voom.. Oprah is at Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes household, walks through the mud room where Tom picks up and talks about the ladybug shoes of Suri Cruise, and THERE THEY ARE! The shoes are from Skimbaco, the ones that I talked about above being packed up as a gift.
NOW, this of course is VERY exciting for any small business owner. BUT, what made this story jump out at me is the creative and smart ways Katja capitalized on this unexpected opportunity and with such lightening speed! A great example for any business owner.
First, I saw this all start on Twitter with a quick tweet from Katja. I’ll be honest, I can’t remember the exact tweet but in a nutshell here are several ways Katja leveraged this moment to benefit her business.
- A new blog post was created announcing the sighting
- My personal favorite: Katja did something I never would have thought of… leverage the internet to reach the “unreachable”..duhhhhh…. she created a Special Post just to Tom Cruise
- Next she decided to hold a contest on her blog to give away several pairs of the Suri Cruise Ladybug Shoes
- A Tweet was sent inviting other bloggers to blog about the contest and from what I see she got a great response of other small business/mommy bloggers promoting the contest. See her contest post here if you want to see her clever & honest copy.
- The front page of Skimbaco is “ALL ABOUT THE SHOES” okay…and OPRAH/Tom Cruise too!
What an easy way to build social proof and authority for new visitors to the store! Hmm… I only put my magazine covers in my press pages.. I need to change that!
BUT WAIT.. THERE IS MORE!
Remember that really simple mission statement? While Katja was seeking a charity to donate proceeds of her Ladybug Shoe Luck she decided to start her own charity! There is that entrepreneur drive again. What better branding then???? LADYBUGS!
Katja decided to create Landybug Landings- as Katja states in her blog…
FREE PR-CONSULTING FOR SMALL BIZ & MOMMY BLOGGERS
“Then the idea hit me - I don’t need a charity, I am going to start one by myself. A charity helping small business owners and bloggers for free. I know both sides, the business owner side, and the blogger side.”
Within a day Katja opened up a new store full of Ladybug Landings gear. Click on the picture for a peak at all the cool and inspiration wears. I love the “Don’t Bug Me or I’ll Blog About It” tag line since my family all knows that once they do something that I’ll end up posting it.
In addition to the gear she has a brand new necklace that she just launched into her store by another creative small business owner Deanna Cochran Jewlery designs and is retailing on Skimbaco for $39.00. An easy way to hold how hope and determination will lead you to success close to your heart.
Word travels fast and I don’t think Katja even had the opportunity to send out a Press Release yet- (remember this is all within a couple days of the Suri Cruise Ladybug Shoe sighting) but Katja received a phone call of interest from a major newspaper interested in her story. More FREE Publicity all from her internet postings and networks! You never know who is reading, wink wink.
The story doesn’t end here, and you can bet I’ll continue to follow Katja and her next steps but she has made a whirl wind of a start that I think makes a great case study. I hope all women small business owners can learn a few lessons from this inspirational story. Especially, don’t give up when the times get tough, you don’t need a huge bank roll or staff of people, just work hard, be dedicated, leverage anything you can and always make an effort to pay it forward and your own Ladybug Luck may land on your shoulder and let you open your wings and fly!
Now before you go…
Don’t forget to visit the store link and grab your own reminder to inspire! Then pay it forward by giving this page a stumble or book mark so we can help spread the word and inspire others to keep looking for their ladybug!
Take away for internet retailers: USE THOSE WEB TOOLS to build your business- have a blog, twitter, social networking frame!
Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info
11 Responses to “Women Entrepreneur + Ladybug Shoes + Suri Cruise = Success”
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I am so honored, and not embarrased to admit that your blog post got me into tears. Really, I am just another mom, trying to make it from a home based business, and you made me sound like a superstar! Thank you so much. And not just for me - but for letting everyone know: good things happen, just don’t give up!
Thanks for the great post, its great to see someone documenting the process. The world of social networking is exploding and its only the tip on the iceberg.
Katja is a smart business savvy entrepreneur in addition to being that she is generous and I love her idea of paying it forward!
[…] Kristen wrote an interesting post today on Women Entrepreneur + Ladybug Shoes + Suri Cruise = SuccessHere’s a quick excerptOprah is at Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes household, walks through the mud room where Tom picks up and talks about the ladybug shoes of Suri Cruise, and THERE THEY ARE! The shoes are from Skimbaco, the ones that I talked about above being … […]
[…] This is the story… of a woman entrepreneur and how she took a small stroke of luck and turned it into something that can benefit others. I could push the fact that she even got her product on Oprah, but I don’t want the “Oprah” factor to influence all the smart moves this entrepreneur made. But I will mention that she started just like many of us, at our kitchen table, learning every step of online business from trial and error. Let the Story Begin…. First, I want to start with the main ch Source: Women Entrepreneur + Ladybug Shoes + Suri Cruise = Success […]
Wow what an inspirational story! I’ve been touched by what you call a “stroke of luck” in the media as well and unfortunately did not move fast enough or creatively enough to leverage it like I should (just kinda rode the wave which was fun for a while) but reading this story gave me some great ideas for how I be ready the next time!
Thanks for sharing and thanks Katja for setting a great example!
Oh, what a great day in the life of a business owner! I am truly inspired!! That story goes to show that you should put everything you have into each and every order you fulfill because you just never know into whose hands it might land or whose ear may be filled with news of your product. Every entrepreneur dreams of such a high-profile endorsement. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jen
http://www.listmamablog.com
This shows you have keep sharing your successes. Spread the word about the publicity you get and let the ripple effort happen, even if you don’t get the bump Katja got. Thanks for sharing this inspiring story!
Savor life’s best,
Aimee
It couldn’t happen to a nicer person
Katja is an amazing person and she deserves the spotlight!
[…] the fact that she even got her product on Oprah, but I don??t want the ???Oprah??? factor to influhttp://www.tubbybundle.com/blog/women-entrepreneur-suri-cruise/Business Bulletin Board for May 18 Inside Bay AreaBulletin board listings are free but limited to […]
Right on Katja! Any chance we can use your celebrity to get some Mabel’s Labels into young Suri’s hands? (or better yet, Oprah’s)
Awesome story!
[…] Fortunately, the whole story, in detail, is all laid out for us at another awesome site, The Tubby Bundle. Kristen, the Goddess of Chaos wrote a very detailed account of the tale in her May 14 blog post entitled…Women Entrepreneur+LadyBug Shoes+Suri Cruise=Success. […]