Raleighwood Eats: “Banana Pudding” Overnight Oats
We’re debuting a new feature on the blog, “Raleighwood Eats”, to share what’s fueling us in the office these days. Enjoy, fellow foodies!
Drone Photography Project for Commercial Real Estate Client
We loved getting to watch a drone take flight to snap pictures for a commercial real estate client’s website!
Luxury Daily Features Positive Outlook for “Main Street” Retailers
Typically it’s the big names in luxury featured in Luxury Daily’s articles, but in a piece by Pam Danizeger, the online trade news site shares positive vibes for small retail and service providers in light of the decline of the traditional mall shopper:
“Today, the sameness and ubiquity of the big-box store experience is beginning to show fatigue. Walk through any of the nation’s 1,000 or so enclosed malls and you might notice they all look much the same.
Filled with the same stores offering the same merchandise at the same sale price, it is too much of the same thing. Consumers are beginning to look for something new and different and finding it on Main Street, not in the malls.
..
Specifically, demographic shifts, with both aging Baby Boomers and young millennials looking for a more personal shopping experience, as well as heightened expectations from affluent consumers, will favor the special services and products that only local small businesses can provide.”
Read the full article, Nation’s highest-potential shoppers are turning away from the mall, at LuxuryDaily.com for more insight into this retailing trend.
Is your small retail or service-based business poised to offer an exceptional experience to consumers as they leave the mall and return to your neighborhood business? Call (919-229-9725) or email me (Lisa@RaleighwoodMedia.com) to take advantage of this offer for independent businesses: a free, one-hour audit of your brand’s online presence and the accompanying in-store experience! Simply mention this blog post to take advantage.
Luxury Stat: The Umstead Hotel and Spa
According to Business North Carolina magazine:
“almost 80% of The Umstead‘s spa guests live within an hour’s drive, making the Cary hotel a popular spot for ‘staycations.'”
By the way, the magazine also shares that 13% of the property’s total revenue is generated by its spa treatments.
Who else is ready for a massage after reading these local luxury marketing statistics? I know I am!
[Image credit: The Umstead Hotel and Spa on Pinterest]
What Can NC Offer Than Tax Incentives?
I loved reading this article in TBJ today about how EUE/Screen Gems’s lengthiest NC veteran, Bill Vassar, believes the film industry is here to stay, regardless of the expiration of tax incentives at the close of 2014.
According to 18-year Screen Gems veteran Vassar, the operation is thriving, adding additional stages and facilities, including on-set Wi-Fi access that Marvel called “the best Internet set up they’d ever worked with” while filming “Iron Man,” Vassar says.
It’s just my opinion, but I would think that quality Wi-Fi would be a standard on movie sets in California, so I was impressed to read that Marvel noted the Wilmington studio offered the “the best [they’d ever] worked with”.
North Carolina is undoubtedly a tech-leader, and with the promise of high-bandwidth fiber internet connections becoming a norm in the next 5-10 years, I believe that efficient access to internet is just one of the many amenities our businesses can offer.
Thinking about the last time I was left without internet when traveling, especially in the form of wi-fi, it’s certainly a high-demand, and greatly appreciated, value-add for me. It certainly doesn’t replace millions of dollars in tax benefits, but the quality of work-place experience is a great experience driver.
Geekin’ Out: Kodak ESP 9 All-In-One Printer
How many girls do you know who would be thrilled to get a wireless printer for Christmas and a Dyson vacuum for their birthday? Probably not many… but I sure am one of them! Let’s talk about the first part of that equation: the printer. To be specific, the Kodak ESP 9 All-In-One Printer.
Last Christmas my parents gave me and my sister new printers (and recycled our old ones at the store, yay!). While most “kids” may not be crazy about getting a ridiculously practical gift for the holidays, I loved it. As a still-getting-on-my-feet-small business owner, I rarely spend the money to buy things I’d really like to have (or, ahem, even need sometimes)… and this was something I had wanted for quite some time: the ability to print from anywhere in the house – not just the home office!
The wireless printing is by far my favorite feature, but the copier feature is also SUPER easy to use, and I love all of the settings that make saving ink a breeze (ie: print in draft, black and white only, etc. – but that’s sort of a given with most modern printers). I’ve had this printer for almost a year and am just now having to buy replacement ink for the first time. Which, by the way, is not nearly as budget-busting as it used to be. One of the biggest benefits of a Kodak printer is the relatively low cost of ink, when compared to others. Prices range from just $10.00 for black ink to $28.00 for the combo pack.
I have not even gotten halfway into what this printer can do, because it just works. And that’s all I need it to do. I had a P-S-C (printer-scanner-copier) prior to this, but definitely not one that was wireless or that could scan a stack of papers from a top tray. This printer retails for $249.99. You can buy it online or in stores, if I remember correctly (but I didn’t see any Kodak ink at OfficeMax tonight… so I may have to order that online).
If you are so inclined, I would really appreciate if you would purchase any Kodak needs (the above recommended printer, said needed ink, etc.) through my affiliate link here:
Save $ with KODAK All-in-One Printers available at the KODAK Store, which simply means nothing more than if you purchase based on this blog post, Kodak will send me a 3-4% commission. They have not contacted me or compensated me for this post in any other sort of way. The opinions expressed here were alllll my own!
And in the interest of a totally fair review, I’ll go ahead and list the only flaw I’ve found so far with the printer. Occasionally, I’ll have to physically press the power button on the printer face to cycle the power on or off when my computer doesn’t want to talk to it via the wireless right off the bat. This could be due to my computer or wireless network, however, so i don’t want to entirely lay the blame on the printer here!
Any questions? Any other products/categories you readers would like me to review next?
Happy Printing!
-Lisa
The Great Intern Debate
I decided to post this quick review of the rules governing hiring interns (specifically, unpaid interns) because it’s something I’ve chatted about lately with several professionals in different settings, and it’s really been an eye-opener in how many people are so uneducated about the unpaid intern relationship.
I have to preface this by saying that I myself DO NOT BELIEVE in unpaid internships – never ever!
I can’t remember one single instance in college where I was compelled to participate in an unpaid internship. Why? Because 9 times out of 10, the hiring organization or individual was in search of a college student because of their connection to the popular demographic and their awareness of all things cutting edge – at least in the world of marketing, technology, email, social media, fashion, consumer purchasing, nightlife, music, etc. (Notice here that the benefit was more for them than it was my own professional growth – a big no-no in the rules governing hiring an unpaid intern.)
These students, or individuals (they don’t necessarily have to be in school), are giving up their time, opinions, and insight, and in my opinion, should be fairly compensated for that. Please Note: Fair compensation does not mean free cover or drinks at the local bar. (It’s a nice perk, but should never replace compensating a part time employee for their diligent work. And you sure better not let the ALE find out that’s what you use as pay for anyone working in your establishment.)
In my research for what rules exactly govern this relationship, I came across some great, quick-read resources that I thought would be great to share as a resource for anyone else interested. Enjoy!
10 Rules for Hiring Unpaid Interns – Workforce.com
http://www.workforce.com/section/06/feature/25/63/97/256400.html
Hiring interns for free labor is a no-no
http://blog.nwjobs.com/careercenter/hiring_interns_for_free_labor_is_a_no-no.html
“It’s very tempting to try to come up with unique ways to get more out of your company, but the way to do it is not to bring in people who are unpaid,” said Jay Zweig, a labor lawyer at Bryan Cave in Phoenix. “An internship, to be unpaid and legal, needs primarily to be a learning experience for the intern and not something where the intern is expected to produce work product that is going to benefit the employer.”
The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not – NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/business/03intern.html
Obama Administration Considers Cracking Down on Unpaid Internships – Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/17/obama-administration-considers-cracking-unpaid-internships/
“If you can’t have an unpaid internship because you need to work, you’re poor, or your family just doesn’t have the means, you’re cut out and that’s wrong,” said Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
Eisenbrey says the law does not apply to nonprofit organizations or the federal government.
But Rep. Darrell Issa thinks it should. The California Republican sent a letter to the White House asking for “a listing of the number of unpaid interns and volunteers at the White House… along with a short description of their duties.”
He believes the White House should live up to its own standard.
Watch Out: That Unpaid Intern Could Cost You – Inc. Magazine
http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/04/what-unpaid-interns-could-cost-you.html
“If you’re a for-profit employer or you want to pursue an internship with a for-profit employer, there aren’t going to be many circumstances where you can have an internship and not be paid and still be in compliance with the law,” Nancy J. Leppink, the Labor Department’s acting director of the wage and hour division, told the New York Times.
Now, not every potential intern is going to be the bright young star that I made them out to be above – but I know that I sure was, as were SEVERAL of my very talented friends in college. The truth of the matter is that for most business owners, there probably wouldn’t be any desire to add them to your team if they WEREN’T benefiting you, so to be safe, treat them as a part-time employee (even if that’s simply very part-time), and for Pete’s sake: at least pay them minimum wage. Financial compensation may at least keep them somewhat motivated to stick around instead of flaking out – Heaven forbid your work offerings for them end up being boring or you suck to work for! 😉
I also realize that non-profit organizations are guilty of this – and while they truly may not have the budget for it, I highly suggest categorizing these efforts as volunteer efforts, and not marketing it as an unpaid internship. From the non-profit standpoint, what can you offer these volunteers that will help them in the long-term? Can you introduce them and allow them to work with your board for their professional exposure? Perhaps can you even offer them a spot on your board? They’re likely to be more in tune with young, able individuals who can further assist your organization, as well.
Quick and Dirty Tip: Brand Your Signature Cocktail
Just a quick look at a venue who has done a great job in branding their signature cocktails!
{And really, a tip that you could think about when branding ANYTHING signature. Your signature service, product, or you guessed it… cocktail!}
I had a fun dinner tonight after work with Adrianne and our significant others at our local Red Robin. I ordered their “Gold Margarita” and check out what was delivered to my table:
PS – Also a good idea? They put the prices of their cocktails on the table promotion pieces and their menus. I am a lot more likely to buy a cocktail if I don’t have to ask how much it is! (You’ve heard the old adage: “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it”. You’d never want someone to think that about your drinks, right?)
One of the things I like the most about this idea? You could apply this concept to so many other products or services – not just cocktails!
NCB Show Recap – Part 1
Last week I had an awesome, but exhausting, experience at the annual Nightclub & Bar Show (convention and trade show) in the always fun city of Las Vegas!
Along for the ride? My “Director of Awesomeness” / “Right Hand Man (Who Doesn’t Get Paid)”. That would be my boyfriend – Nick. (He was on vacation from work and never passes up a chance to go lose some money in Vegas, which as a result, paid for our $200/night hotel – yay!)
I will recap some of the more enjoyable conference education sessions I attended (and provide a “how not to” on the one disaster of a session I attended) later here on the blog… but today, I wanted to start recapping my last day of trade show – checking out the show floor!
My Director of Awesomeness joined me at the show on Wednesday for a day of checking out the newest brands, services, and the like – all slingin’ their goods to the nightclub and bar trades. The unofficial motto is “work hard, play hard”… and honestly, that totally fit the bill. I was barely able to stand by the time we got to about the 150th vendor, but I promised myself I was going to make it all the way across the show floor to visit my friends from South Carolina at the Firefly Vodka booth – (Hi, Matt!).
So without further ado, here are the brands that I liked the most from the show. (This is not to say there weren’t tons of other great vendors, but as you can imagine, many were geared toward security, lights & sound, other bar operations, etc. — all things that a marketer and event planner can appreciate — but don’t really have much to do with my day-to-day work.)
GoCruso.comI met these folks after seeing about 20 other booths and since we didn’t receive a tote bag on the way into our show, and I neglected to bring a bigger bag myself, my hands were FULL. (Nick’s, too.) I was amazed that this was the first, and the only, vendor to provide eco-friendly tote bags (actually, any tote bags at all). I saw them from across the way and made a beeline for them. Genius! Just because they had the foresight to bring bags, they have my vote.
GoCruso.com is creating a “social networking site for the food service industry”. They had a really impressive booth and staff, so I’m pretty surprised that the site isn’t up yet – as of when I’m writing this post.
Let’s Party
Spirit Foodservice
Festive straws and stirrers to work any event’s theme! (Private label/custom products available!)
HookaLime
Never let the rind spoil a good Corona! These guys were smart enough to send show-goers home with samples… I’ll be sure to try it out next time we’re at the beach.
Scaled-Down Bowling
Nick LOVED this vendor. (There were two that stood out that he really liked – one of which will stay a secret for just a tad longer as one of my clients is going to be introducing it to the local market soon, and I don’t want to spoil the surprise!)
BottleStar
A cute and inexpensive way to add lighted-pours to bottles. Fun holiday décor, no? Could also be fun way to add spunk to a dark bar.
TweetWall Live
Display buzz, tweets, mentions, and more. What I really love about this company? They charge an affordable one-time fee — no monthly recurring fees!
Local Business Spotlight: Creative Re-Branding from TS Designs
A very cool company based out of Burlington, NC, the TS Designs “about” page notes:
We print and dye t-shirts!
While that may not seem as sexy as a tracking solar array or biodiesel, we have a passion for making the best damn shirt you’ve ever worn.
They’ve launched a re-branded campaign to help illustrate the difference between their lines… in a manner consumers would easily recognize:
Not bad, huh? You can leave them some love on their blog if you like it, too!