Happy Panda

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What Are We Most Thankful For?

5 Minutes for Mom asks What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving? As a WAHM I have a lot to be thankful for! It's been a year full of ups and downs and lots of learning along the way. I'm going to combine this with the Thursday Thirteen Meme - here we go!

1.) I'm thankful for my children who gave me the idea for Happy Panda and they have continued to be enthusiastic and supportive. I really need that.
2.) I'm thankful to have a husband who provides for our family in a way that allows me to stay at home with our children while pursuing my small business ventures.
3.) I'm thankful for Mom sites like 5 Minutes for Mom , Classy Mommy, Mamanista, Shake The Salt and Baby Swags. These ladies aren't just reviewers for my company. I've developed relationships with these women and have supported their efforts just as they have mine.
4.) I'm thankful to Brian Germain and Matthew Johnson my lead graphic designers. These guys have taken what is inside my head and made it possible for your baby and toddler to wear.
6.) I'm thankful for Blogger and Wordpress for giving me a user friendly platform to learn about blogging for personal and business. A BIG thank you to Jarret Cade for all his free lance tech support.
7.) I'm thankful for PayPal. Yes, really! They have allowed me to do business in a much easier way. It's a one stop shop for me and I can collect and pay out with ease.
8.) I'm thankful to diaper cakewalk who with a bit of collaboration allowed us the spring board for developing our diaper cakes.
9.) I'm thankful to my Q who is very crafty and she helps me come up with many designs for our cakes and graphics.
10.) I'm thankful to my US manufacturers who have worked with me this year and given me the ability to stay Made in the USA.
11.) I'm thankful to social media applications like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for allowing me more networking power.
12.) I'm thankful to those creators of memes! Ones like Wordless Wednesday and Thursday Thirteens that allow me an outlet to share my business and life with others, it's been great.
13.) Finally I'm thankful to my customers! They have given me great feedback over the last year. They have provided me with photos of their little ones to post on our Happy Pandas page and I'm proud to display them. My hope is that my customers will come back for Black Friday.
Thanks to all of you visiting, it's been a great year and as you can see I have a lot to be thankful for.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Look For Happy Panda SWAG?

If you have a Twitter account and love a good Girls Night Out then this is the party for you! Don't forget your hash tag "#gno." There are lots of sponsors with great products so join in the fun. Tell them Happy Panda sent you. Visit Thoughtfully Simple to get more details. Good Luck.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

MOM MADE | Wishpot

In order to provide those of us with a better way to spread the Mom Made Pledge I created this handy widget! I hope that those of you that would like to help promote Mom products and stores will use this widget! I will add to it as more moms come forward and post at Thoughtfully Simple.com.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Wordless Wednesday #25 - Sweet Smile

Friday, November 7, 2008

Join Me for an Interview with Clarissa Nassar

Why would you suggest a company get involved with gifting?

1st of all, I don't think that "gifting" is for everyone! The thing I learned with gifting via Tres Couture was that there are a million blanket companies out there...what makes MINE special? Well, I use top quality materials and myself and my seamstress who helps me have lots of experience so the workmanship is "top notch". However, celebs probably get tons of blankets...So, I would suggest that a company with a truly unique product or unique clothing designs/fabrics should gift because celebs are pretty much the "go to" resource for the newest "hot thing"

Why would should they select The Posh Parent?

This question is my favorite to answer! haha I know that there are
companies such as Baby Swags (Phyllis is a genius and I admire her)who have so much more experience in this field. The Posh Parent & Co. services are strictly focused on the "small business" meaning the very new business who is trying to get their name out. We not only offer the basket participation, we also work with new business owners to help market and promote and develop their BRAND as whole! We try to find venues such as blog reviews and such to be sure that the new business gets lots of market research via reviews and giveaways. I like to think that we are the "1st step" to success and who knows...maybe in the future we will be able to help take our clients all the way to the TOP!

What are the rates for your baskets?

$50.00 inclusion fee per basket (Fee includes your spot for 1 (one) item per person we are gifting ie: Ashlee, Pete & baby can each receive an item from your shop if you wish)$20.00 for each additional item in the basket

$200.00 for UNLIMITED items from your shop in the basket (1 (one) basket)
Exclusive Product: If you want to be considered for our "Exclusive Spot" we ask that they email is at sales@theposhparent.com This spot
means that you will be the ONLY one providing your choice of product (ie: if you make blankets, you will be the ONLY blanket gifted to the celebs you choose- 10 baskets and as many products as you want!) Total investment for this: $1,800.00

What are the payment options you offer to your clients for inclusion in the celebrity gifting baskets?

For the "Exclusive" spots we offer payment plans! You can make up to 4
payments to break it down to make it easier to manage and budget! I paid a company to be the "Exclusive" blanket and had to pay it all up front and it was hard to do! If anyone has an issue with paying for an inclusion in 1 basket, we even consider doing "trades" for basket participation!

What services does this fee include?

Our fees cover the cost of the press release being written by a professional writer, releasing the press write up, and a professional photo of your items as well as one with all the participants items! You can use the press release and photos on your own pages and blogs, etc. We also follow up with our clients every step of the way!

What media sources do you utilize for press releases and other PR related items?

We use PR Web for our press releases, they are pretty trusted and reliable. For our writing services and Press Kit/Media Kit development we also use a professional writer who does freelance writing for several other companies.

What type of feedback from celebrities or their representatives, do you receive about your celebrity gifting?

We are sending out our 1st basket to Ashlee Simpson on October 20th!
We hope to have a great response!

Besides celebrity gifting what other services does The Posh Parent provide to clients?

We are starting slowly...but the thing I am most excited about are "Pre-Made" E-Commerce sites! These include consulting, the domain name, web design, banners, business cards, boutique set up for up to 200 items and we even FIND the drop shippers for you! It is pretty much a turn-key boutique! The one I am working on right now is called "The Baby Wears Couture" which will carry high end clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers!

Are you a one woman band or do you have help within the company?

I am 90% of the band! lol I do MOST of the work but I do have some
independent contractors I work with for web design and writing.

What sets your company apart from others providing celebrity gifting options?

I think that we have a more personal approach! We aren't in it to just get what we want and move on to the next person (which is honestly how I felt when I participated with other companies) The team of people that I work with are truly interested in seeing the small business owner succeed and be happy! I personally just love to be able to help others. And I am honest, if I don't think that I can help you, I am not going to lie! I will tell you who would be better suited to help you! I now have so many contacts, I am sure to be able to find whatever it is you are looking for that I can't help you with! I don't just want those who have "top quality" items to be able to gift celebs...I want to be able to work with those companies who need some "fine tuning" to their product and make it top quality!

What new promotion avenues can we expect in the future with The Posh Parent?

I am never satisfied with what I am doing...and I am always dreaming up something wild...I really want to go back to school and learn more marketing! My ultimate dream is to be a consultant for those who want to start a business. I want to be able to take them from point A to Z and beyond! I would love to develop more boutiques and sell them...and I would LOVE to do those "Fabulous Lives of Celebrity Babies" shows! LOL
**********************************
Hey Pamela!

I wanted to ADD to my questionnaire to address the comment from the person on Phyllis's blog post about "why would you pay to give a celeb something"

In reference to that, I wanted to add to why a company would get into celeb gifting "celebrity gifting is actually a GREAT inexpensive resource because in comparison to a full on marketing campaign which would cost you a few hundred dollars easily, this is a lot more affordable! And, you get to put your product in the hands of the celeb that YOU want! What a great way to reach your ideal market...ie: If you make funky and bold products- Gwen Stefani is the celeb you want to gift! If that is your target audience- who better to start with then your ideal celeb spokesperson!

THANK YOU Pamela!
--
Clarissa Nassar

Owner
The Posh Parent & Co.

The Posh Parent Social Network
www.theposhparent.ning.com
Co-Founder

Tres Couture
www.trescouture.com

Owner & Designer

Mom Made - Have You Made The Pledge?

**MOM MADE**

While shopping this holiday season please stop by any of these stores first. Save your gas and find some really great online deals. Help a WAHM and shop Mom Made!

What Do You Get When You Cross...

What do you get when you cross The Dirty Shirt with a Happy Panda? A super cool hostess and a $50 gift certificate to shop in our online store. How? I'm so glad you asked! Visit here for all the entry details. Good Luck.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Thank you for your votes!

Voting is now closed. The results of the Home-Based 100 will be announced in mid-November.

I'm pretty sure that Happy Panda will not be one of the winners for the Home-Based 100. We didn't reach "HOT" with flames on the voting meter. We certainly did give it a try though. The best part was reading all of your comments. Thank you so much to those of you who voted for Happy Panda. It's great to have a network of support!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival Post

Hey! Welcome to our bloggy giveaway carnival post. Thanks to bloggy giveaways for hosting. We are cleaning out our sleep wear section and three winners get to benefit! We have one pair left of this 2 piece pj set (size 18-24m) and 2 of these night shirts (size 4T). How can you be one of the three winners? Follow us on Twitter! What? No Twitter account? That's ok! How about you tell me your favorite Wordless Wednesday photo? or vote! Do you see that baby in the left side bar? Could you click VOTE? We are trying to reach Flames on our meter! Just leave a comment, specify which prize and make sure we can contact you if you win. If we can't we have to draw another winner. Contest is open to US residents only and closes @ MIDNIGHT 10/31. I will post the winners here November 1st by 12 pm cst. Good Luck.
More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

****WINNERS!****