This is the 3rd in a series of stories from entrepreneurs who have not let limitations in life and business stop them from reaching their goals of owning a successful business.

In this installment, you’ll meet Victoria, who left her position as the Group Vice President at Kenneth Cole to follow her dreams and Julie, who ignored the “crabs” to build a business that now has revenue of over $1 Million per year. Read on to be inspired and remember – You Can Do It Too!!

Victoria Staten, Designer of casual luxe baby gear said, “It took me six months to make the decision and 18 months after I told them I wanted out, for me to officially walk away from my position as Group Vice President at Kenneth Cole. After two parties filled with tears, not in my eyes but in those of my team members, I walked out of the office I had called home for much of my working life – a free woman. Not that I was in bondage, in fact quite the contrary. I was a senior executive, with the full support of Kenneth Cole and many others, and was empowered to run the business as I saw fit. I felt exhilarated that moment, as I shut the big iron door and walked slowly down the steps.

Our CFO told me, “Victoria, you will be successful in your new venture because you are so passionate.” I knew that passion was the root of success. I had plenty of it during my 15 year reign as the queen of men’s footwear at Kenneth Cole. Unfortunately, a couple of months after I left the big city to work from home in Minnesota, (I commuted to The City each and every week) I made the stupid decision to also leave my husband. My passion turned from my new business, to working through the logistics and the emotional roller coaster of divorce. To hold positive energy close by my side, I hired two younger spirited women, who kept me from sliding into the abyss.

I had saved close to a half a million dollars, and though the divorce cost me a lot of money, I thought that I had enough to get through at least a year. Well, with a burn rate of $30K a month, my money ran lean fast. I think that I spent WAY too much money on the wrong things because I was subconsciously trying to overcompensate for the emptiness and sadness that I felt inside. It was like I had to prove something to myself. So, I took part of a year off to get resettled into my new life, got remarried and recently hit the ground running again. Our business is moving fast and we have a lot of exciting things on the horizon.”

Visit Victoria’s website at http://www.victoriastaten.com/

Julie Murphy Casserly, President of JMC Wealth Management, Inc. said, “Once I decided to let “my freak flag fly”, my business took off regardless of what I like to call “my crabs in my bucket” were telling me. In the past 6 years my company revenues are 5 times what they were in 2004. They went from $160K to now up over $1M per year and growing; I was refused business lines of credit more times than I can count (joking, about 6 times denied), kept going after my vision and now I’ve been on CNBC, Harpo Radio, Lifetime TV, wrote a book and all is still going great. To me it’s about holding onto your dream and surrounding yourself with those that support that dream and getting rid of the rest of the crabs in your life.”

Visit JMC Wealth Management’s website at http://www.jmcwealth.com/
Follow Julie’s blog at http://juliemurphycasserly.com/
Follow Julie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JulieMCasserly
Become a Facebook friend at http://dld.bz/bvDv

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Sotiria Krikelis started One Life, Live-It, Inc. after experiencing the wrath of corporate America. Sotiria knew she had to make a change. In this interview, learn how Sotiria launched her flag-ship product, Relax Missy – a foldable ballet flat providing everyday wearable luxury for the modern woman unwilling to walk in high heel agony. Relax Missy was honored to be included in the gift bags for Neutrogena brand ambassadors Hayden Panettiere and Vanessa Hudgens, during the Neutrogena Wave for Change campaign that was held this past Saturday in Los Angeles.

Tell us about your business and how you came up with your business name “One Life, Live-It, Inc.

I incorporated my business back in November 2007. The idea of Relax Missy was in the back of my head, but it was just that, an idea. My company name was important to me because I wanted it to represent what I was about. Some people name their business after themselves, but for me there was more meaning to it. I had just experienced the wrath of the corporate world in a hospital setting and I was completely disgusted with it. There were many names that I chose before settling on One Life, Live-It, Inc. that had the same meaning, but they were all taken and I had to think of something else. The name “One Life, Live-It” embodies everything that I believe in. Life is essentially short, and if we don’t seize the moment every minute, life will pass us by and before we know it we will be 70 and say “How did I get here?” I didn’t want that to be me. I made this decision at 24 years old. I remember reminiscing about being 21 and thinking where the time went? It had passed me by and I didn’t embrace my life – this mental note along with my negative hospital experience led me to say I really have one life, so I better live it, without any regrets.

Your flag-ship product is the Relax Missy. Tell us about your product and where it can be found.

Relax Missy is a foldable ballet flat providing everyday wearable luxury for the modern woman unwilling to walk in high heel agony. Relax Missy is sure to be the next wardrobe staple for every woman with a love affair of out-of-this-world stilettos, or as I like to call them, “15 minute shoes.” Ladies, you know what I’m talking about! It’s double duty fashion that folds up neatly in half and fits in a small, satin, carry pouch. They can be stored in a gym bag, hand bag, glove compartment or wherever your feet desire. Change into them for a lunch time walk, driving, subway commuting, or anytime you want to avoid those blisters. They are real ballet flats that can be worn all day, everyday, and then have the perk of folding up for easy storage.

They can be purchased at www.RelaxMissy.com and can soon be found on www.Shoebuy.com as well as www.AudreyShops.com.

How much research and development was involved in the product?

There was an enormous amount of time and effort dedicated to the entire development process. My background has nothing to do with entrepreneurship or design or manufacturing, therefore, I spent extra time figuring out how this was all done! I would say a solid two years was spent on research and development. Initially, my plan was to manufacture Relax Missy in the states and I spent six months researching and calling every factory I found, but none of them worked out. After six months, I discovered 99% of shoes are outsourced, and so, I went back to square one to research manufacturing in China. This was my biggest obstacle because I had absolutely no idea how to find a factory in a different country and communicate my idea to them. Another six months was spent researching, and again I was empty handed. It wasn’t until I came across internet platforms which connect you with Chinese sources that I was actually making some progress. Utilizing Skype and email are some of the best ways to handle business with overseas factories – it’s all done via internet. No expensive phone bills!

The next step was explaining my idea through designs and words. Creating something that is brand new and never before been made is more difficult than I thought. The factories were handing me samples previously made before I reached out to them that fit my description, but this was not up to par for my standards. I wanted my own design and something truly unique. The design process was another year long obstacle.

What advice would you give an entrepreneur wanting to launch a product idea?

Research, research, and more research! Nothing bad can come from this. Reach out to other entrepreneurs, send them an email or call them. It’s always great to listen to advice from others who have been in your shoes and you may even partner up for future events. If you believe in your business idea then never give up, no matter what anyone says. There are many people who want to see you fail and it will be much easier for you to fail than to keep going, but if you really want to live out your dream, don’t stop. The minute you stop taking action is the minute your business fails.

Find books that are in your field and read them thoroughly for tips and tricks. Align yourself with online forums where you communicate with other entrepreneurs and share advice, most likely you will learn something you never knew before and engage in conversation. Exhaust all avenues of help from SCORE to SBC to BAR Association (they set me up with a free lawyer), ask anyone you find in your path for advice. Oh, and if your shy – throw that out the window. If I can sum up being an entrepreneur in one word, it would be: Hustler. This is exactly what you must do to survive.

What have you learned during the start-up phase of your business?

Work never stops! Weekends are gone because you will find yourself working on something because you don’t have time during the week. Money is scarce as a start up and you have to get creative. One of the best things to do is to utilize students. Students are eager to do freelance work for a small price or even for free just to say they worked with X company and place that on their resume. Reach out to local colleges and place flyers on their bulletin boards; you will get a ton of interest and possibly an intern. Research is another major point that I learned will always benefit you and prepare you for your future plans.

Where there any online resources that you found helpful?

I didn’t realize how many websites exist catered to start up businesses. Internet was never a resource I spent a lot of time on, that is, until I started my business and I spent all hours of the day on it. One of the greatest websites, and I say this repeatedly, is the Mommy Millionaire forum for entrepreneurs. Even though I am not a mother, I found the website to be informative on the “how-to’s” of business. Another website I frequently visited was GetYourBizSavvy.com where I always read articles on entrepreneurs that gave me the momentum to keep going and never stop in times of frustration.

Have you always been entrepreneurial?

This is a big fat NO! My parents were not entrepreneurial, nor did they encourage it. My mother was in the fashion business when she came to New York, but that didn’t last long once she started having children. My parents are both immigrants from Greece and I grew up with the notion of go to school, study hard, become a doctor, and become successful. This is the way it was done; as far as I knew. I have been working since I was 16 years old and I never once thought about owning my own business until I was closing in on graduating from college. And now, I have so many ideas from a skincare line to restaurants. I caught the entrepreneurial bug and there is no turning back.

Is there anything you would like to add?

There is an infinite amount of opportunities in the world for everyone. I’ve realized that if you want something bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to achieve it and overcome all obstacles. A successful business isn’t created overnight. A successful business starts with one person, a thought, and taking action. Apple was started by one person in a garage years ago and then grew. Everyone should look at the small things a business does to accomplish their goals and not how huge the corporation is in its current time.

Thanks Julie for the opportunity to share my experience with the www.GetYourBizSavvy.com readers and hope to inspire them to achieve their goals.

For more information on Sotiria and Relax Missy visit http://www.relaxmissy.com
Follow Relax Missy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/relaxmissy
Become a Facebook Fan at http://tinyurl.com/3yj7lql

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Shama Kabani was ahead of her time in social media and saw endless opportunities before everyone and their mom did. Continue Reading

This is the 2nd in a series of stories from entrepreneurs who have not let limitations in life and business stop them from reaching their goals of owning a successful business.

In this installment, you’ll meet Robert who shares is wisdom on the “gut check moment” that all entrepreneurs need to be ready for and Dana who did not let domestic violence and being homeless with four children stop her from becoming an entrepreneur. Read on to be truly inspired.

Robert Tuchman, Entrepreneur, Author of Young Guns Fearless Entrepreneur said, “If you want to become an entrepreneur, you are going to have to take a few deep breaths and get ready to enjoy the ride. At some point during this journey, you are going to encounter a “gut check moment.” This is when you answer the WHY question of your business that you will have to figure out with your partner. Everyone must answer this question. There are going to be those times during the early stage of business that you come across these “gut check moments” and are unsure what to do. However, if you know what you are doing and realize WHY you are doing it, you are setting yourself up for a good future. Many people understand that they are going to come across these “gut check moments” and are going to have to make tough decisions along the way. It is a great thing to have confidence and you need that in order to be successful, but you also need to know that there will be scary decisions that you will come across.

When you come across one of these moments, you must stand tall and stick your chest out. You need to be in full control of the decision and make sure that you are feeling up to the challenge. If you put off one of these decisions, you will not be prepared the next time a situation arises. Being an entrepreneur is a learning process just as everything is in life. The more decisions you make, the more you grow as a person and as a company.

A “gut check moment” that I had to face was when we first started out the business and sold a client packages to the MLB All-Star Game that was taking place in Colorado. The cost for us was $25,000. The phone rang and it was not a call I was looking forward too, but I had to step up and stay calm. The supplier told me that his company was going bankrupt and would not be able to deliver the tickets. $25,000 was a lot of money to the company, especially since it was our first year of business. I knew that I had to do something to make the pieces fit into the puzzle, and we were able to get other hotel inventory and ticket inventory to make everything work out. I had to do the right thing for the client even if we lost money on the deal. If the client is happy, I am happy.

When engaging in these moments where we second guess ourselves, we have to keep going forward and never look back. After that phone call, I could have gave up on my dreams and quit but I kept going and did what I needed to do. As you are on this wonderful ride, keep positive and stay determined.”

Visit Robert’s website at http://premieresports.com/

Dana Rankin, Advertising Sales Representative said, “I did not let the crisis of domestic violence and being homeless stop me from building successful online businesses. Most started while living in a shelter with my 4 children. I used resources on and off line and researched in the library to help get my businesses started.

Visit Dana’s website at http://www.hopeforwomenmag.com/
Follow Dana on Twitter at http://twitter.com/devosbydana
Follow Dana’s Blog at http://therecipediva.wordpress.com/

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Heidi Ganahl came up with the idea for Camp Bow Wow, a provider of Premier Doggy Day Care services, after feeling uncomfortable leaving her own dogs at traditional kennels. In this interview, learn how Heidi overcame many obstacles to build a $50 Million dollar company.

Tell us how you came up with the idea for Camp Bow Wow.

My first husband, Bion, and I didn’t like feel comfortable leaving our dogs at traditional kennels when we went out of town, so we developed a business plan for Camp Bow Wow where dogs could play all day with other dogs. Then we spiced it up with the fun camp theme. We wanted to create a place where a dog could be a dog.

You’ve had to overcome many obstacles in your life, from the loss of your husband to being flat broke. Was there anything that you learned from these events that helped in your success as an entrepreneur?

It changed the way I looked at life. Life is short – anything can happen. My dogs helped me through that time of my life and I knew my late husband would want me to follow through on our business plan and make it happen. I felt like my dogs were saying, “come on – you still have life to live. Let’s get up and play ball.” I didn’t want Bion’s death to be for nothing. Camp Bow Wow was where my heart was and I was determined to make it successful.

You started with one location and now have over 200 franchises throughout the US and Canada. Tell us how you grew the business into the success that it is today.

In the beginning, I operated the first few Camps myself with some family members and friends. The next few camps that opened were people coming to me asking for their own franchise. Many of our best franchisees were originally customers. People dream of doing something for their career that they’re passionate about, so Camp Bow Wow is a natural fit for dog lovers. The benefit of a franchise is that we have perfected our business model along the way – someone else makes the mistakes and learns from them and the franchise owner gets the successful business model without a lot of the pain to get there.

Purchasing a franchise is a great way to start a business for an entrepreneur. When did you feel Camp Bow Wow was ready to start franchising its business model?

It was about three years after I opened the first Camp Bow Wow that we started franchising. We had two Camps open and were getting more requests for franchises.

You are now expanding the business and now offer in-home doggie daycare (and pet care). Tell us how Home Buddies works.

Home Buddies was created in response to Camp Bow Wow parents who have other pets needing care at home – new born pups, elderly or infirmed dogs, cats, birds, fish and other pets – who aren’t eligible to attend camp. Each locally owned Home Buddies provides pet owners with a menu of services so clients can customize care and services to meet their pet family’s needs. Home Buddies services include dog walking, daytime and overnight care, poop scoop cleanup, administering care to special needs pets and even concierge services. Pet parents, who can’t bear to be away from their brood, can rent Home Buddies CamsTM, similar to the Camper CamsSM (live web cameras) used at Camp Bow Wow locations, and have them installed in their homes so they can look in on their family by logging on to the internet. Complimentary services include small, but necessary tasks, such as bringing in newspapers and mail.

Camp Bow Wow’s many achievements include one of INC’s Fastest Growing Companies, one of ENTREPRENEUR Magazine’s 105 Fastest Growing Franchises, as well as Entrepreneur’s 26TH Fastest Growing Women-Owned Businesses in the country. Congratulations! Your achievements have allowed you to give back through your charitable foundation Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Tell us about Bow Wow Buddies.

The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives and health of animals everywhere, through supporting foster and re-homing programs, spay and neuter efforts, disaster assistance, canine cancer research, animal welfare education and shelter improvements. We established the foundation in 2007.

You have been featured on The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch and How Did You Get So Rich with Joan Rivers. Your story is such an inspiration. How does it feel to be an inspiration to up and coming entrepreneurs?

It is a wonderful feeling to be able to inspire others with my story. I’m a big fan of entrepreneurship and encouraging kids to go that route – it’s what makes our nation great!

What advice would you give an entrepreneur just starting out?

Find something you are passionate about to start a business around, create a great plan and find the best people you can to help launch it. And you’ll need three times as much money as you think you will!

I always like to ask entrepreneurs – are there any books that you have read that have helped you through your journey as an entrepreneur?

I just read “Letters to My Younger Self” which is a compilation of letters successful women wrote to their “younger selves” – it’s wonderful and has some incredible advice from some amazing successful people. I also love Patrick Lencioni’s books and Tony Robbins for inspiration.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Keep your focus on your dream – dream big – and GO after it!! You have to take action to make it happen…even if it’s one step at a time.

For more information on Camp Bow Wow visit http://www.campbowwowusa.com/
Become a Facebook Fan at http://www.facebook.com/CampBowWow
Follow Camp Bow Wow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camp_bow_wow
Watch Camp Bow Wow YouTube videos at http://www.campbowwowusa.com/connect/dog-tube

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

This is the tenth in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

Marisa Haedike is the artist behind Creative Thursday, an online art boutique. Marisa started Creative Thursday while still working in the corporate world. An artist at heart, Marisa designated Thursday as her creative outlet day. Creative Thursday has grown into a full-time business that includes artwork, children’s books, podcasts, workshops, e-courses, and an Esty shop. In this interview, learn how Marisa went from the 9 to 5 grind to thriving artist.

How did you begin to build your business?

I began podcasting in 2006 and was encouraged to start a blog as a way to promote the podcast. I was hesitant to start a blog because I had not been much of a journaler, but I discovered I could use the blog as a way to do these daily paintings. I learned about daily paintings in a magazine article when Domino magazine was still around. They where featuring these artist, who were doing daily paintings and using their blogs to post them. That inspired me in as a way that I could express my creativity. I could put art work up on the blog without doing much writing and also promote the podcast that I was doing. What came out of the daily paintings was a new art style. There is something to be said for setting down and making yourself create every day. Things happen. Things evolve. I developed these characters. I was having so much fun painting and they started to sell. My work before was more collage based. A little bit more abstract and impressionistic. I started working on these characters, and they really took hold.

When did you start selling on Etsy?

The success of my new art style, this is what led me to Etsy.

How have you grown your business into the success it is?

With minimal advertising on my part, aside from contributing to the online world, letting people know I was there, and having my work shown at Velocity Art and Design, along with the few wholesale locations I had. That was it. That in itself is pretty amazing. I had no budget for advertising, so everything I did was self generated.

As a creative entrepreneur, how do you structure your day/week?

The first thing I’m trying to implement is limiting my online time. I check email twice a day. I’m also the kind of person who finds it helpful to stay in one mode for a period of time, to really get the momentum going. I try to do my shipping and preparation for shipping all on the same day, so I’m in shipping mode. If I’m in creative mode, I will set aside a day for painting. If I’m in teaching mode, I will set aside the day to focus on the classes that I am teaching and sharing information. I also try to work around my own personal time clock. I tend to have lulls in the afternoon, so I’ll work in the mornings and later in the evenings.

Do you miss anything about having to go to a j.o.b.?

No, of course there are times when knowing what my paycheck is going to be at the end of the week would be very helpful. Other than that, nothing really. I’m fortunate to live in Los Angeles. I have enough of a community. I have a lot of creative people that I can see in person, which ironically, the more that I’m online, the more I realize how valuable in-person relationships are. Ultimately, that can never be replaced. I have a sense of community, so the coworker I don’t miss because I see people.

What advice would you give new artist?

Love what you do!

For more information on Marisa and Creative Thursday’s visit http://www.creativethursday.com/
Visit Marisa’s Etsy Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/creativethursday
Follow the Creative Thursday blog at http://creativethursday.typepad.com/
Check out Marisa’s e-course’s at http://www.creativethursday.com/teaching.htm
Follow Marissa on Twitter at http://twitter.com/creativethurs
Become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/people/Marisa-Cummings-Haedike/1003524340

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Giancarlo Massaro was up watching late night TV when he saw an infomercial pitching a product. It was while watching the infomercial that Giancarlo came up with the idea for AnyLukyDay, a daily contest website that operates as an advertising space to promote companies’ products and services through giveaways. In this interview, learn how Giancarlo is providing each of his clients a unique, fun and exciting 24-hour advertising campaign on AnyLuckyDay.

Tell us about AnyLuckyDay and how you came up with this unique idea?

The unique idea for AnyLuckyDay came about in December 2008. I had built and sold many websites leading up to my freshman year of college, but I decided to take a year off to focus on school. In December of my sophomore year, I was watching TV late one night trying to think of ideas for another website and that’s when I saw an infomercial pitching a product. I thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if I could test these products out before I had to buy them?” With a little tweaking of my initial idea, AnyLuckyDay was born.

AnyLuckyDay is a daily contest website that operates as an advertising space to promote companies’ products and services through giveaways. Every day, thousands of companies are searching for new and unique ways to advertise that are different than a traditional one-way advertising campaign. AnyLuckyDay does just that, providing each of its clients with a unique, fun and exciting 24-hour advertising campaign that includes a product giveaway, a custom “product-pitching” video created by me, and multiple posts on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Clients also receive viral exposure as our users share the giveaway with their social networks in order to receive extra entries. It’s a great atmosphere because our users get to learn about new companies and they receive the chance to win their products, which creates an interactive experience for both the client and the customer.

How does the process work?

AnyLuckyDay works on a ‘one giveaway a day’ schedule. Every 24 hours we feature a new company and giveaway one (or many) of their products. Giveaways run from 12:00AM EST to 11:59PM EST. Winners are picked at random at the conclusion of each giveaway.

For contestants looking to enter the daily giveaways, they simply have to read the daily contest and watch the video on the homepage. Next, they must click the blue ‘Visit Sponsor’ button to check out the sponsor’s site because after all, they are giving everyone a chance to win their product. Finally, clicking the orange ‘Comment’ button and posting a comment will secure their entry into the giveaway.

For companies interested in taking advantage of the unique advertising service that AnyLuckyDay provides, they can view our booking calendar to purchase a day to be featured. Once a day is booked, we will work with the company to plan out their campaign.

How do you promote the product or service?

Every product or service is promoted on the homepage of AnyLuckyDay through a blog post as well as a custom ‘product-pitching’ video. In addition, multiple posts are made on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Throughout the day, our users also share the daily giveaway with their social networks in order to receive extra entries, which allows it to go viral.

What types of product or service gets the most response?

I’ve been doing this for almost two years now and here is what I have found. Electronic items tend to always do well, as well as jewelry, apparel and unusual gadgets. I’ve started to shy away from promoting services because they do not get as good of a response as I would like them to. Surprisingly, food items have done well too, with a giveaway from Snyder’s of Hanover attracting over 600 contestants.

How has using video on your site helped in the sites growth?

Using video has helped AnyLuckyDay grow tenfold since I started it in January 2009. First, I feel that the video aspect adds a personal touch to the site, so people can actually see who is behind AnyLuckyDay and who is operating the giveaways. Second, using video allows for people to learn about the companies that support AnyLuckyDay and provide people with all the great giveaways. The great thing about video is that it can easily be shared with friends and family and reposted anywhere, which has allowed for more and more people to check out AnyLuckyDay.

What did you learn during the start up phase?

Don’t expect to turn an idea into an overnight success because it just won’t happen. I had so many great ideas in the beginning and felt that with a few weeks of hard work, I would be seeing green, and a whole lot of it. That wasn’t the case. In fact, AnyLuckyDay made no money for an entire year, but I kept on pushing. I worked 12-14 hour days, I stayed in on weekends when friends were out partying, and I even worked during my college classes (sorry mom).

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?

If you have an idea and you want it to succeed, be ready to pump all of your time and effort into it. You need to be passionate about it and truly believe in it. You will work longer hours than a normal 9-5 job, but that’s the life of an entrepreneur. You won’t make your first million overnight either, so if long hours and making little to no money is not for you, then don’t be an entrepreneur. I will tell you this though, there is no greater feeling than working so hard for something and seeing it finally succeed.

Is there anything you would like to add?

You can check out AnyLuckyDay at http://anyluckyday.com. You can follow us on Twitter @anyluckyday, or ‘Like’ us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/anyluckydaycontests

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

This is the eighth in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

Celeste Meyeres had been designing, crafting, and selling her scarves for about four months when she heard about Etsy. Celeste opened her shop – Crickets Creations on November 26, 2007. Celeste uses only soft, cruelty free, designer, vintage or novelty yarns (vegan) with no potentially allergenic or irritating wool/animal fibers in her scarves. Celeste maintains a large collection of hundreds of yarns so she’ll have a varied palette of colors & textures; each new project is an adventure & custom orders are welcome! In this interview, learn how Celeste is living the creative entrepreneurs dream through her Etsy shop – Crickets Creations.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

With the encouragement of my husband, I had begun designing and creating scarves and selling them to retail boutiques and to individuals. After four months of this, I heard about Etsy from another crafter. I checked them out along with a few competitors’ sites and I was sold! I set up an account that day, November 26, 2007 and I’ve now been with Etsy for over two years.

How do you market your business?

I tend to use the rule of thumb of investing about 10% of revenue in marketing and/or advertising. So, for example, if an advertiser approaches me with a $200 print ad proposal, then I ask myself, “If I buy this ad, will it likely result in $2,000 in direct or indirect sales?” If the answer is no or probably not, then I pass it by. If the answer is yes or probably yes, I’m likely to go for it. I advertise in a couple of product-specific venues (such as a photo prop website for my photo props) and have participated in a few blog giveaways and contests. Most of my advertising budget is spent listing and renewing my designs on Etsy.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

When I was first starting out and had more time than sales, I spent quite a bit of time setting up a blog as well as accounts with Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ning, and just about every other social networking site! I found it takes about an hour each to build a profile and learn the ropes, then just a few minutes to post (I find non-spammy posts and paying attention to your audience to be more effective than non-stop, “Look at my stuff! Buy my stuff!”). Now that I have less time for marketing, I have honed down my social networking. There is one notable exception; one of my core lines is photo props, so I post professional photos of my pieces on Flickr, an online photography community.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

I love being able to interact with my customers in a meaningful way. I can tell that they really appreciate when they can communicate directly with the owner, designer, creator and “shipping department” of the business they’re supporting…because all those people are me! Many of my customers have become true friends and it’s very rewarding bringing joy to people and helping them feel special.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

Here’s what I did:

1) Have confidence in my own creativity. Ignore any doubts. Be willing to take reasonable risks (i.e. spend or risk a little to make a lot). That means accepting custom orders, personal checks, paying craft fair booth fees, renewing on Etsy as often as is productive for me (I experiment & pay attention) & making my shop welcoming to international customers.

2) Feel & express gratitude, humility & helpfulness always. This is a symbiotic relationship: I provide excellent product, excellent customer service & a piece of art; my customers provide word of mouth marketing, good feelings & revenue.

3) Diversify my market. For example, I offer over 100 different scarves in various styles, colors and weights to cast a wide net and grow my target market. I cater internationally to women, men, youth, seniors, belly dancers, country club types, goth, emo and indie types, anyone with sensitive skin, people of different ethnicities & cultures, vegans & other animal-friendly types, etc. For me, the key has been to have diffused focus; specializing in lots of different variations of just one or two products.

How did you come up with your shop name?

That’s a fun one! My nickname is Crickets because when my husband and I always seem to be reading one another’s thoughts since we’re so much on the same wavelength. When we were first getting to know one another, we took a country drive and starting talking about our favorite things. He asked, rhetorically, “You know what my favorite sound is?” And I replied with the first thing that popped into my head, “The sound of crickets?” Well, he was very surprised and exclaimed, “How did you know?!” So that became my nickname and now, whenever we say the exact, same thing simultaneously, we call it “crickets!”

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

Nicky, my husband drew my logo of a cricket wearing a scarf and my logo is on all my hang tags and business cards. Online, a photo of my face is part of my banner, avatar and most of my listings. I want people to be able to look into my eyes, get a sense of me and know that they can trust me. I now realize another benefit is that my face can’t be imitated, it is uniquely mine. I am a big believer in designing all my own work and following my heart. Rather than looking at others’ designs for ideas, I follow my own inspiration or my customers’ custom orders (about one third of my business consists of special requests).

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Yes, absolutely! I belong to about ten community or product-based teams on community. We work on projects together, exchange information and provide one another with fun and support.

How do you connect with your buyers?

Each customer receives a personalized, online message from me thanking and acknowledging their order and providing them with shipping information. I also include a handwritten note, write out addresses by hand, color the scarf my logo cricket wears with colored pens so it will be the same color as the scarf it’s attached to (and decorate the package with fun stickers!) and leave personal and appreciative feedback. I adore my customers and I think that’s why I have such a high rate of returning customers.

For information on Celeste and her Etsy shop visit http://www.etsy.com/people/CricketsCreations.

Follow Celeste’s blog at http://cricketscreations.blogspot.com.

Follow Celeste on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CricketsKnits.

Become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/CricketsCreations.

Check out Celeste’s professional pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/cricketscreations.

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneur journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Lani Hay served in the US Navy as an Intelligence Officer and Aviator Continue Reading

This is the seventh in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

Jackie Kaufman was looking for a venue to sell her handmade jewelry when she ran across Etsy. Jackie creates her jewelry using a unique method of jewelry casting for her Etsy shop – Rock My World Inc. In this interview, learn how Jackie built a successful Etsy shop that includes her most popular line of Fingerprint Jewelry.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I was looking for a venue that I could sell my handmade jewelry. Ebay was the only one I was familiar with, and that was not really an option. So I just fell upon Etsy in my searches..noticed that it was only 20cents to list and that was for 4 months, and you did not have to pay anything else until it sold..and everything else was free..so I thought I would give it a try. Within 1 week I had my first order which was over $200.00 to 1 customer..and I said this was for me!

How do you market your business?

I twitter only about my business, but not to often, I have a Facebook Fanpage with over 340 fans where I post about once a week. I try to get a little involved with the Etsy Community, answering questions in the forums and giving advice. I use Haro quite a bit, and have found different ways to market through this. I contact local newspapers and magazines, and let them know when I have a new product, or something that might be of interest to them. I try to let them know what I do, and why it is different. I also always wear all of my own jewelry all the time..a great marketing tool!

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

When I want views for my products, I twitter, but I am not sure if I have gotten any sales. I use Facebook, but I also am not sure how much that has helped. The best social networking is with Etsy itself. If you make your products interesting, and your store unusual, you have to try to get noticed. The “Best” is being highlighted by Etsy itself. That has gotten me the most exposure and sales. But it is not easy.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

The sales!! I am in this for my art, but also for business and to make money. I love being able to add things all the time. Also the fact that you have customers from all over the world, and they have purchased and are wearing your product. When you wake up and you have 2-3 sales overnight from Australia, England, France…it is great! It has also opened up wholesale accounts..across the country which would not have happened if I was not on Etsy.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Luckily I have been highlighted a few times..have been on the front page..and had an article written about 1 of my products. There is nothing like this type of exposure to insure sales on Etsy. I know I am lucky..because it does not happen to everyone. Also Etsy is getting larger and more of a reputation, which is helping all of us on the site.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

To be realistic about what you are selling..really look at your product and think what makes it unusual, unique, why would someone buy it from you? Is this a business to you, or a hobby? Just because you list it, does not mean it will sell. Do not copy other people.. you will only be a follower..not a leader. I am a professional, and I always brought this to Etsy.

How did you come up with your shop name?

It is what I named our retail store about 5 years ago. And I just used it to brand my jewelry line. I think it reflects the look and feel of my jewelry. It is a little edgy,, and that is my core customer. This was before Brett Michaels had his show!!

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

What makes my shop unique is my method of creating my jewelry. I am a jewelry caster, and that means I carve my pieces from wax, melt my own silver, cast and finish. This takes many years of learning, expensive equipment, and my expertise. Not very many people on Etsy do this type of work..so I am confident in my shop, that it is unique. My look is organic..and one of a kind..not for everyone..but it is my signature. I also am able to do custom work for other stores and businesses.
I have also created my own line of Fingerprint Jewelry..which is the number 1 item in my shop..and I really do not have any competition for this product.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Yes, I do, especially for the ones who are professional, take it seriously, and have shops that take whatever product they have created, and made it a success. Some people that do it on a whim…I am not that thrilled with.

How do you connect with your buyers?

Mostly with convo’s and emails back and forth. Also with the feedback that is left at the end of the sale. My fingerprint Jewelry is very personal..and I hear very personal stories as to why the customer is buying it. It is very emotional for me.

For more information on Jackie visit http://www.rockmyworldinc.etsy.com/

Visit Jackie’s main website at http://rockmyworldinc.com/

Follow Jackie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rockmyworldinc

Become a Facebook Fan at http://www.facebook.com/RockMyWorldInc?v=wall

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneur journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.