Woman business owner profile: Beth Doane- Andira International

Beth Doane has been an entrepreneur since the young age of only 22 years old. She created Andira International and imported exclusive European apparel and accessories brands across the U.S. market. Andria International is now a full service consulting firm helping her clients launch their own brands. But Beth's focus is not just on running her successful business, she also wants to make a difference in the world. After witnessing the human rights violations and environmental pollution so prevalent in the fashion industry she created her own fair trade line, RainTees, in 2008. She also speaks at a variety of international conferences about human rights and issues relating to helping the environment.


Throughout her journey as a fashion designer and humanitarian, Beth has worked with some of the world's largest corporations. She is an excellent role model as a female entrepreneur. When she speaks at conferences around the world, she hopes to inspire other individuals with her story. The topics she highlights include her journey from being a fashion designer, creating a social business and her work as a humanitarian. 


Her company, Andira International, has worked with start-ups as well as major corporations who would like to make their line more sustainable. Beth and her team work with each company to help them manage, design, manufacture, create events and come up with fresh ideas. The types of lines they work with include anything from clothing to skin-care to eye-wear and more. 


Her own fashion line, RainTees, launched at the highest attended show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in 2008 and became an internationally selling brand in its first year.  Every RainTee is made by donating school supplies to children living in critically endangered areas around the world and every RainTee plants a tree. To date, RainTees has helped plant thousands of trees around the world and has helped children in over 30 countries. 


If you would like more information about Beth Doane and her company Andira International and RainTees, visit: 


http://www.andiraintl.com/
http://www.raintees.com/

Tips for getting your jewelry seen on Pinterest

Pinterest isn't really set up for advertising. It's set up for sharing photos and information. But using Pinterest can help you get more traffic to your website and make more sales!

Here are some tips for getting your jewelry seen on pinterest:

- If you have your own logo for your jewerly business, place your logo or website address as a watermark on your picture either in the center or better in the right bottom corner.

- If you have a website where you make sales, make sure you add a link to your website to your post. All you have to do is write the web address in and it automatically becomes a link.

- Use popular keywords to describe your product so that it can come up on google searches. "celebrity inspired" "bling" "rhinestones" etc...

- Use tags like (gold like) ("celebrity name" like) (vintage inspired) ("celebrity name" inspired) for items that could be associated with common words that are looked up relating to your target market. 

- Use the price of the jewelry in your advertising such a (only $9.99!) be sure to add that to your description because pinterest will add a little banner to the top left corner of your image to let everyone see the price right there at the top of the image.

- Place your images in folders that relate to the category you are trying to market to. For instance, jewelry could be in a folder titled "hot jewelry and accessories" or "my fashion style"

- Take great wonderful artistic shots of your product for pinterest. People are a lot less likely to even look at your picture if it is poor quality. If you buy your jewelry from "My Accessory Business" you can download the pictures from the website www.MyAccessoryBusiness.com and use them on Pinterest. 

- Make a step by step description or tutorial on wearing or putting together and outfit with the jewelry. There are a lot of "how to's" on pinterest. People like to get tips on fashion and other informational posts. 

- Be sure to post your pinterest posts to your Facebook so your friends can see your activity on there and repost it!

Woman business owner profile- RetroFIT

Shana M. Byas is helping women get in shape in new and exciting ways with her Michigan based creative workout business RetroFit! Weights and bulky machines are a thing of the past! YOU are the weights, and YOU ARE THE MACHINE!!

What could be more unique and exciting to do than hula hooping for fitness? S.V.E.L.T.E. (Sculpting Voluptuous Energetic Ladies Today & EVERYDAY) is a Hula Hoop Aerobics Class that will burn 400-600 calories per hour, improve posture, and shape you up into that hourglass figure you want! Each Hula Hoop is weighted with water and range from 2.5-4lbs! It only costs $10 per person with your own hula hoop and $30 if you need a hula hoop that you can take home with you afterwards to practice. 

Shana started her business because she says that she always had a passion for movement and also to get back in shape after high school. Shana said "I danced all my life, and even choreographed a lot of routines for my HS Pom-Pom Squad. Sadly, after High School and no more Pop-Pom practice, I started putting on weight.....lost it, then put it back plus 10 more; because I was always on some type of fad diet that gave a quick result but never lasts long.  I blew up to  230 lbs (The Depo-Provera shot packed on quite a few pounds on me too, so LADIES STAY AWAY FROM THAT SHOT!).  I'm now at 157lbs thanks to the fact that I finally got it! I finally understood it!"

DIETS SUCK!! Shana wanted to help all the ladies that struggle to lose weight by helping them realize that its about sculpting what you have instead of using surgeries, pills, and deprivation (fasting and all that foolishness)- all you need to do is MOVE! Her suggestion is to cut out the sugar, go easy on the salt, DRINK WATER, and eat the foods you love, but in moderation.

When asked what makes her business unique, she said, "There are a lot of women involved in Hula Hoop Fitness, and they all have their own style of doing things. My company is unique because I come up with strength exercises that can be done with the hoop.Example, demi-pliés, Leg-extensions, I basically throw in a lot of Pilate's type movements in the workout to block out boredom. Yes we hoop around our waist to strengthen our core, but I thrown in lifts and spins to add flare to the workout too!"

Like most businesses, it takes money to make money and Shana struggled a bit in the beginning to get her business started on a very tight budget. "I'm blessed to have the love and support from my family, friends and my beau David Skoll!  They all had my back in this and believed in my dream, so all had a part in inspiring me!" Shana said. 

She also mentioned that her ad on Living Social created a lot of buzz for her business. The deal offered 5 Hula Hoop Aerobics Sessions+ a weighted Hula Hoop (that Shana makes herself) for $35/ $25 if you have a hoop and just want lessons. And 90 people purchased her deal! 

When asked what advice she would give to other women who were interested in starting their own business, Shana said "DON'T GIVE UP!! If this is something you believe in then go for it! We're all here on borrowed time anyways so make the most of your gift and share it with the world and GIVE BACK!" 

For more information about RetroFIT, visit the links below:

www.retrofitbody.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RetroFIT/150221715029953

  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3353854124764    

Neat website~ "Lista" helps you turn stuff you don't want into stuff you really want!

Turn stuff you don’t use into stuff you really want!

What a neat concept. I always buy a lot of really random stuff, jewelry, clothes, shoes, etc... but it's so hard to get rid of my stuff because I always feel like I don't want it to go to waste, but I would love to give my old stuff to someone that would really want it and in exchange, get credits to get some new stuff I really want! Check out this neat trading website: http://www.listia.com

Here's how it works:

1) List Old Stuff

Give away stuff you don't use anymore like clothes, electronics, DVDs, toys, books... anything!

2) Earn Credits

People bid on your stuff using credits they've earned. Thehighest bid wins.

3) Get New Stuff

Use credits you've earned for giving stuff away and winsomething you want!

When you join, you get 500 free credits. Check it out!