Small Business Saturday 11/27 - Supporting Entrepreneurs When Holiday Shopping

Thanks to American Express for sponsoring my writing today about small businesses.  American Express is presenting Small Business Saturday, a way to honor the local merchants who are the backbone of the economy, this Saturday, November 27.  

They're offering statement credits to people who shop at small businesses, advertising for small-business owners, and donations to Girls Inc. for "Likes" of the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook.  Join the celebration by clicking the "Like" button and then visiting the Facebook page to learn more about the program and read the terms and conditions that apply.

All Photos in this Post Used With Permission

of Jean Roth and Rotem Design Studio & Rotem Gear

Prior to researching the impact of small businesses, I had no idea of how staggering the statistics would be.  Yet, when I checked the website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today, I was blown away to discover that in 2009, 99.9% of all businesses were small companies with fewer than 500 employees.  The fact that a full 52% of those small businesses were home-based which was even more amazing.

With small business being the backbone of the American economy, as American Express points out, it's easy to see that during down economic times such as now it's really important for consumers to show their support for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs whenever you can while doing your holiday shopping.

Who are these faces behind smaller American enterprise that we should patronize whenever possible this holiday season?  They're passionate business owners like Jean Roth, whom I met through our mutual involvement in Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers (DID), the online community that celebrates talented and creative women who turn their dreams into careers they love.

Sitting down to get to know Jean, I learned that about 8 years ago she started working freelance as a graphic designer.  Today, she works solo running a successful graphic design company in Los Angeles called Rotem Design Studio and its Internet-based t-shirt and apparel store known as Rotem Gear.  As of now, she has created and merchandised more than 400 original designs for her brand, including the designs pictured in this post which are among her personal favorites.

Jean's journey to entrepreneurship has been an interesting and circuitous journey indeed.  Seeing her design work,  it was immediately apparent to me that her background and education, including a master's from UCLA in Japanese Language and Literature and a B.A. in Asian Studies and the experience of living in Israel for 8 years, has had a great influence on her design work.

How this talented designer got from point A to point B to where she is today is fascinating.  She explains, "People often ask me how I got from being a specialist in Japanese language and culture to a designer and editor. The linear answer is that my Japanese skills landed me my first marketing job years ago in a Japanese audio-electronics firm and later a stint in the Public Information and Cultural Affairs section of the Japanese Consulate General in L.A."

As her career progressed Jean started exploring computer graphics while working at a software company in Tel-Aviv.  It wasn't until she returned to the U.S. and starting working at local architecture and design firms that she really started learning lay-out, graphics, and paying attention to the principles of design.  Rotem Design Studio and Rotem Gear are the culminations of all that diverse experience and exposure to various cultures.

Jean believes that her work truly reflects what design and communications should produce -- words that evoke images, and images that convey ideas and emotions.  She concludes, "All of it -- the media, the marketing, the intercultural experience -- has come full circle for me and makes its own special sense."

What are the top challenges you face as a small business in general? And in the current economy during the upcoming holiday season? 

 "Not surprisingly," Jean answers, "the main challenges are financial.  Sole proprietors and freelancers are particularly vulnerable, as we must pay our own self-employment tax and are not eligible for group health insurance rates.

"During the holiday season," she continues, "especially when the economic climate is not at its healthiest, it can be difficult to know how much to invest in marketing/distribution costs and inventory, especially since the holiday season is so critical to small retail businesses like mine. This year, while still nothing like 6 years ago,  has been better than the past three years so far, so hopefully that is a good sign for small business owners like myself."

What's your favorite mom and pop store or online business?  Please leave a comment and share why it's important for consumers to support your favorite small business this holiday season.

FTC Disclosure:  I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.  No other payment or compensation was received in association with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

5 tips for Editing and Creating Beautiful Digital Photo Projects - Preserving Family Memories for the Future

Mini MommyBlogExpert Picking Huckleberry in Idaho, 2009

Edited with Photoshop Elements

Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert

As a mom of triplets plus one more all born within a year, I wish I'd had all of today's technology available with digital cameras and editing software such as Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 9, the latest new editing software just released.  I spent a fortune on developing film with all those kids born so close together in the mid 1990s and the sad thing is that many of the pictures that were processed were faulty in some way that could have been edited if the technology had existed back then.

Today, I practically live with my digital camera on my iPhone and I never go anywhere without it, often taking pictures DAILY.  On top of that, each of our kids has their own digital camera, too.  We all take lots of pictures but luckily because they are digital we can delete and reshoot photos that come out poorly.

But with all those good digital photos that we want to save and preserve I'm finding that we actually have THOUSANDS rather than hundreds of pictures to keep organized.  Let's not forget that I want to edit all these to make them suitable for all kinds of various photo projects ranging from scrapbooks, to our CEIVA Connected Digital Frame, to pictures to send to relatives, and to photographs we want to frame.  It would all make me crazy if I hadn't devised some sort of system to manage it all.

Here are my FIVE Sanity Savers for Managing Your Own Growing Digital Photo Collection:

ORGANIZATION is key.  If you are already overwhelmed with a backlog of photos that you want to scan, edit, or save in a certain format for the future don't get frustrated.  Just take a breath and start with the newest photos first and work backwards.  Set up folders on your computer that are logical for you to keep everything accessible.  You might do this by year, by month, by topic, by person, by event, or any other system that make sense to you.

PHOTOSHOP SKILLS are essential if you want to make the most of all your photos.  If you've never used this wonderful software invention before, don't worry.  The best way to learn this is to dive right in and work with copies of photos that you'd like to edit.  By playing around with the various options you can do everything from edit out unwanted objects in pictures, merge several pictures together, lighten and darken, and even change the color hues altogether.  More experienced Photoshop users already know how easy it is to use this invaluable tool, and once you try it you will too.

FAMILY-CENTRIC is the way to go.  Get everyone involved. If your kids are old enough to upload pics from their personal digital cameras onto the PC at home, they also have the skills to edit and organize their own picture collections.  By having the children do part or all of the editing and organizing of their own photos into computer folders this will free you up to do more with the pictures you have taken yourself.  

SCRAPBOOK NIGHT is a fun way to get the family together and one that can be very productive, too.  If you do this regularly and everyone has their photos edited and printed out ahead of time, the whole family can sit down perhaps once every week or two and everyone can talk about that special vacation you took together last summer while you create.  With a pile of scrapbooking materials such as different papers, trims, stickers, borders, and die-cut designs that you've gathered in advance you'll be surprised how different each family member's pages will turn out even when they are all drawing from the same pile of original materials.

CREATIVITY is what makes photography fun.  It's thinking outside the box looking for interesting things to photograph and different ways to arrange things and people to get great results.  You may even consider, as I have, to take pictures of individual things that you plan to merge together into a single photo later as I am currently doing for another story I'm working on about the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel.  In this project I took separate pictures of a variety of natural objects we found on the beach during our stay there. Now,  I'm the process of stringing individual images together into a single picture so definitely check back to see how this surprise project turns out.

With these five ideas, you too can scan, edit, and archive photos in a variety of ways -- and keep your sanity, besides.  If you are just as clever about the way you preserve these pictures you might end up making a photo quilt heirloom or even have your photo created into an elegant cake decoration.  Really, the things you can do with all those digital pictures that have been piled up are only limited by your imagination.

What's your favorite way to archive photos? Do you scrapbook or do you go for something really hi tech like an online digital photo album?  Thanks in advance for sharing your own projects here.

FTC Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Adobe blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Sears to Open on Thanksgiving Day - A Precedent Set for Other Major Retailers?

A few days ago I received a press release that Sears will open their doors on Thanksgiving Day.  That news arrived in my inbox with the jubilant headline, "For the first time, Sears will join Kmart by welcoming customers to shop on Thanksgiving Day."

That's right.  For the first time ever, Sears -- a part of Americana formerly known as Sears Roebuck & Co. that I remember fondly shopping with my own mother and father when I was a kid in the 1960s -- will be open for the first time ever this Thursday, from 7 am - noon.  Kmart, by the way, which is also owned by Sears Holdings has been open to consumers for shopping on Turkey Day for nearly 19 years and will be open this year from 6 am - 9 pm.

 

Pulling My Big Brother on Our Sled Up Our Street's Hill

Both of Us Are Wearing Winter Coats from Sears, Circa 1961

Photo by MommyBlogExpert's Daddy

According to the latest news that Sears distributed, their stores will be open on Thanksgiving, "To provide families with an extra day to shop and take advantage of exceptional deals before the busy holiday shopping season begins."  Sears backs up that decision to get a head start ahead of Black Friday saying that their customers have indicated to them that they desire another day to get all their holiday shopping done.

I'm glad that people who want to shop rather than spend time with relatives and friends on the most family-centric, non-denominational holiday of the year will have that option.  They'll certainly have some great Sears deals like Covington cotton sweaters for $8.99 (reg. $42) and luggage for $9.99 (reg. 39.99) to take advantage of and Kmart shoppers will have some similarly spectacular one-day only buys such a Vivitar 10.1MP digital camera for only $39.99.  

At either store, quite possibly, Thanksgiving Day treasure hunters might miss the crowds who are at home with their families, at least until the super early sales start up on Friday morning.   And, though I do feel just a little sorry for those who have to work at Sears and Kmart this Thursday, I'm assuming that they'll all be doing so somewhat gladly (as either volunteers from the regular staff or seasonal employees) since they'll be earning double or triple pay for working on the holiday.  In the down economy we are all experiencing, these workers will have the chance to earn some badly needed income right now and assumingly they will appreciate that extra cash flow greatly. That's the up side.

However, with all pros there are cons, too.  As a Baby Boomer growing up, I recall that many of the national major department stores like Sears and their arch rival Montgomery Wards were closed not only on Thanksgiving, but on Christmas, Easter, and New Years Days as well.  Those days were designated family days then and both workers and shoppers were expected to be at home with their kin, unless they worked in an essential profession like medicine, firefighting and law enforcement, or a few scant others.  

What I fear -- along with others -- is that this Sears store opening event could set a precedent whereby Thanksgiving Day shopping goes the way of other legal holidays like News Year's, Labor Day, Veteran's Day and President's Day sales which usually are open to shoppers even on all those holidays.  The most serious threat, though, I fear is that kids growing up today and in future generations might lose all sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  If other stores follow suit and store openings on Thanksgiving become the norm rather than the exception, there's a real danger that youth risk lacking not only an understanding of the holiday's pivotal role in American history, but also robbing them of the most traditional day of the year in modern times for American families to gather.

Interestingly, a footnote in the news release that inspired me to write this post states that, "Sears and Kmart stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Puerto Rico will not be open on Thanksgiving Day, per their respective state laws."  I don't know the reasoning behind the laws that forbid store openings in Puerto Rico on Thanksgiving, but in the other places -- all three U.S. states were part of the original 13 Colonies -- the answer is likely deeply steeped in historical implications.

What about online shopping on Thanksgiving?  Sure you'll be able to buy online from Sears.com or Kmart.com on Thursday.  But you'll also be able to shop online at a seemingly endless sea of other shops large and small, too, because mostly they're open 365 days per year.

Can't wait to hear what you think.  Are you for or against brick and mortar store openings like Sears and Kmart are doing on Thanksgiving Day?  Is there really any difference between shopping at a physical store and surfing on your laptop, iPhone or Blackberry during Thanksgiving dinner or is there a double-standard where the later is acceptable and the former is not?  Please leave a comment below this post and share your opinions.

FTC Disclosure:  As disclosed above, my family and I have been Sears customers in the past.  However, MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this particular post.   See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one. 

Family Ski Enthusiasts - Here's Where It's SNOWING NOW, California, Colorado & Beyond

At Mammoth Mountain, California Last Season, January 2010

Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

As a mom of an entire family that has been skiing since they could barely walk, I am thrilled to pass along some great news for those of you who LOVE the outdoors in winter as much as we do.

According to ESPN's latest SNOW report, there is plenty of WHITE POWDER and the lifts are running for skiing and boarding in Colorado, Mammoth Mountain and Tahoe (both in California), Jackson Hole and many other places ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

My Kids All Learned to Ski at Mammoth Mountain  at 3 Years Old

Photo from Mammoth Mountain

Even in Southern California closest to Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, Big Bear Resort is NOW OPEN with the lifts running.  In fact, according to this Big Bear ski area, there was an additional 4-5" of SNOW thanks to a storm system that roared through the area on Sunday.  All three roads into Big Bear City and environs are clear as of now, but as always chains are required so be prepared.

So, what are you waiting for? I know my family is hoping to be up in the San Bernardino Mountains rising above the L.A. metro area to play in the snow THIS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND.  We're scrambling to book a room right now at our favorite hotel in the area, so with any luck, perhaps we'll see some of you and your kids there and I will be blogging from the snow at this wonderful resort.

FTC Disclosure:  As disclosed above, my family and I are all ski addicts.  However, MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this particular post.   See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

10 Tips for Weaving the Hottest Runway Trends into Your Day-to-Day Looks

The Elspas Teen Daughters Are All Smiles in Our Backyard
Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert

I'm a mom of triplet teens, including two 13 year-old daughters -- one who writes guest posts for this blog as Mini MommyBlogExpert -- who have professed great fashion sense.  As such, I am blessed to have not one but two personal shoppers at my disposal year-round to help me weave the latest fashion trends from the Paris, Milan, New York, and of course, Los Angeles fashion shows.   In fact, I don't even have to ask for their advice, because I also have a pair of fashion critics who will really say what they think.

So, for this post, I asked my girls what fashion advice they would share with all the moms who read MommyBlogExpert.

My Daughters' 10 Tips for Helping Us Moms Dress With Panache

1.  Moms always need to read the latest issues of the fashion magazines us teens subscribe to including Teen Vogue, Vogue, and Elle, among others.  That's because we young women set the trends and even you moms can work some of the newest styles into your wardrobes if you keep up-to-date on the latest fashion news coming out of Europe, New York, and here in California.

2.  Moms can also stay current with what's in fashion by making sure you follow your favorite stores and designers on Twitter and also on Facebook.  As a matter of fact, you moms should spend as much or more time than us girls do checking things out not only on all the top fashion websites, but also watching YouTube clips as much as you possibly can.

2.  Moms should "shop" and borrow from their daughter's closets, as long as daughters are allowed to borrow stylish pieces from their moms in return.  Assuming that moms actually do have some things in their closets that us girls might like to wear, this is a good deal for both young girls and their mothers because it can more than double your wardrobe combinations.  Besides, if you have some good basic classics in your closets such as those little black dresses you can accessorize these the reflect the latest new style trends.

3.  Moms would be wise to go shopping together with us daughters at least a few times each season.  Not only will us girls get our moms to buy us some clothes or accessories that we've been dying to have, while out shopping together moms can get their girls' honest suggestions and opinions on what they think might look good on you.  You never know, your own daughter might be able to put together an ensemble for you that you and Daddy will just love.

4.  Moms -- speaking of shopping -- there's every reason for you to shop with your daughters at places like H&M, Forever 21 and Arden B.  That's because these stores and other similar ones have such a range of styles for both teens and those who just want to look young and on-trend, without looking like they are trying to dress like kids.  What's more, fashions at places like these are very accessible to you as you can usually find affordable, cutting-edge clothes styles and accessories that both you and your daughters will both love.

5.  Moms, another thing, don't overlook taking your daughters to thrift stores and vintage boutiques to shop together.  These kinds of shopping trips are like going on exciting treasure hunts, because you never know what you'll find if you go through enough racks or piles of one of a kind accessories and separates.  Best of all it's a way for us big girls to bond and play dress up and it's so fun to mix and match the pieces that we find to mimic haute couture.

6.  Moms, here's a piece of advice that you are always giving us girls: Constantly edit your closets and weed out what you're not wearing.  This will not only help you reclaim space in your closets for new purchases, it will help you (and us daughters) to find what we're looking for when we go searching for a particular item.  Having things well-organized come particularly in handy when you or we are rushing to go somewhere and we must find that perfect outfit quickly and we don't want any drama.

7.  Moms, while we're on the subject of being able to find things, you should take a tip from your daughters and organize your closets by color.  It really is so much easier to get dressed in a flash if all your jeans are all stacked together and all the separates in each color family are grouped together in your closets.

8.  Moms ought to be creative when putting your outfits together just like we are.  Think outside the box and have a little fun.  For inspiration, a great idea for us daughters and for you is to actually cut out pictures from current issues of various fashion magazines as well as those trendy catalogs we are always getting in the mail because we are on all these subscription mailing lists and hanging those either in or near our closets or full length mirrors.

9. Moms you're cautioned not to wait till the last minute to decide what to wear, either.   Follow the lead of your daughters and try everything on well ahead of when you will need to be ready.  We young girls like to plan our outfits in advance, and you should too.  That way you won't be running around frantically trying to get ready to go to work or to have lunch with your friends.

10. Moms, lastly remember to really listen to your daughters comments about what you're wearing.  We young girls think we are really in touch with what's hot and what's not.  When we tell you we like what you have on there's a good chance you look very trendy.  But, when we say we hate the outfit you've chosen might get you arrested by the fashion police, take us daughters seriously because they're a possibility that there may be some truth to what we are saying.  You do want to look like you just walked off the runway, don't you?

Please Comment:  When was the last time you and your daughter went shopping together?  Please share your funny, crazy, and dramatic stories about the experience below.

FTC Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Kenmore blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card.  For more information on how you can participate, click here.