In the News!

It's been a while since I've made a blog post. Life has been consumed with my original Little Bean growing leaps and bounds, the CIFCA Wisconsin nonprofit growing nearly as fast and trying my hardest to maintain some focus on my own work at the boutique.

This week, I was featured in the Artist Next Door series for the Fond du Lac reporter! It's very exciting!

Take a look at the video for a peek into what I do, why I do it and how I do it!

A special thank you to Share Fine Art Galleries in Fond du Lac for allowing us to use their space. It's a gorgeous new gallery scheduled to open this spring!

"Preferring to work in duller silvers and antiqued brass, Theuerkauf’s earrings and necklaces still shimmer in the light, while maintaining the look of family heirlooms. She often finds herself with glass pearls and anything purple." - Taima Kern, Action Reporter Media

Read the full article.

Video © 2014 Action Media News/Gannett, recorded by Taima Kern for the Artist Next Door series

 ©2014 Little Bean. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder. For permission, contact littlebeanorders@gmail.com.

Businesses & Facebook Professionalism

This is your public image

I have noticed a growing trend in my Facebook newsfeed. The statuses from business pages are increasingly irrelevant to the product or business and even worse, they're ranting and angry. I promptly "unlike" these pages if it's a trend, but I find myself wanting to point out their unprofessional faux pas just on the off chance that they really are unaware of how they're coming off to potential customers. Then, I started to wonder why this is such a widespread issue?

When I 'like" a business Facebook page, I'm "liking" it to read about your products or services, about your business and if it's a boutique business, I definitely want to hear some about you as the person behind the business. I want to feel like I "know" you so I feel like I"m shopping in my neighborhood boutique when I browse your wares online. I don't, however, want to know about what your daughter ate for breakfast, who ticked you off this week or how the product you just bought from Wal-mart failed you again and if you have to return it one more time, you"ll _______.. If you wouldn't tell me this upon first seeing me in your boutique as a customer, don't post it on Facebook - or do, but on your personal page. By using your Facebook business page as your sounding board or your coffee circle, you're alienating your potential customers and detracting from your business.

If you're a small town organization, I want to "know" the people behind the organization, I want to feel like you're part of my community, I want to care about your organization's purpose. Posting angry rant after angry rant over the very people you're there to serve or benefit will only alienate your entire market and tarnish your brand and purpose. You could lose important community partnerships, potential customers or vendors and lose your reputation in your field. Please take a good look at your timeline and ask yourself "Is this my brand and purpose? Is this how I would describe my organization to someone new?"

This is your business

For my boutique page, I want my audience to know that I"m a real person, with a real passion, with a real family. I handcraft my items and they are a reflection of my styles and skills. I name my items after the customers and friends who inspire them and I love that level of relationship with my customers. I am my boutique, but I am still a professional and I operate just the same way I would in a brick and mortar neighborhood boutique.

So, please, absolutely gear your posts toward personalization for your customers, get to know your customers, get to know what we care about, but imagine your audience of one standing right in front of you in your store or office and ask yourself "Would I say this to a first time customer or someone I just met?" If the answer is "no" or "maybe not," then rethink your words before clicking "post." Your audience will thank you for it and you and your business will prosper for it.

© 2013 Little Bean. All rights reserved.

CIFCA Wisconsin - Community Initiative for Fox Cities Artisans

I have some very exciting news! I have co-founded a nonprofit. CIFCA, the Community Initiative for Fox Cities Artisans is an organization establishing, promoting and sustaining the value of handcrafting Artisans in the Fox Cities region of NE Wisconsin.

My co-founder, Carol Toepke, and I have decided to create and fuel this organization to bring a cohesive Artisan community to the Fox Cities area. We are currently seeking official nonprofit status as a 501(c)(6) organization and we currently in the process of drafting our charter and by-laws as well as acquiring board members.

We have big plans for CIFCA in the coming year and even more beyond that!

If you are an Artisan in the Fox Cities area of Northeast Wisconsin feel free to join us and help shape the organization for your community!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CIFCAwisconsin

Website: http://www.cifcawisconsin.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cifcawisconsin

© 2013 Little Bean. All rights reserved.