Cherished Solutions – Cherished Solutions – Design, Illustration, Web Services, Art Licensing, Coaching, Art, Cards & Gifts https://www.cherishedsolutions.com Visual Solutions for the Young at Heart Wed, 29 Nov 2017 07:44:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://i0.wp.com/www.cherishedsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/cherishedsolutions-logo.jpeg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Cherished Solutions – Cherished Solutions – Design, Illustration, Web Services, Art Licensing, Coaching, Art, Cards & Gifts https://www.cherishedsolutions.com 32 32 65654252 Illustrating Children’s Books that Keep Schools Safe https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/illustrators/illustrating-childrens-books-that-keep-schools-safe/ Sat, 28 Jun 2014 02:22:03 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=1633 Continue reading Illustrating Children’s Books that Keep Schools Safe]]> Students-Can-Help-Keep-Schools-Safe400 Students Can Help Keep Schools Safe: A Student/Teacher’s Guide to School Safety and Violence Prevention A school violence prevention book for student’s 3-8th grade. This book will teach students about what to do if they encounter an intruder in the building or know of students planning violence. This book offers a partial solution to the school violence epidemic sweeping our nation. If you are looking for a solution to school violence and school safety look no further! Students Can Help Keep Students Safe will help keep your children safe from harm. The subject matter of this book is overwhelming, but the material is delivered in a non-threatening, simple straightforward way. School safety has never been within the reach of every educator and parent until now. This book is published by West Bow Press.  Order Students Can Help Keep Schools Safe

Benjamin was my illustrator for the school safety book Students Can Help Keep Schools Safe.  I gave him written instructions as to how I wanted each illustration to appear. There after he had full artist’s imagination to create each image in the best way that he saw fit.

I am thrilled with the illustrations that Benjamin made; his art carries the book in more ways than one.  The topic of school violence is a difficult one to address with young children.  Benjamin made each image realistic, detailed oriented, real to life, and non-threatening.  This is a huge undertaking; Benjamin did this in a professional, flawless manner.  His work is superior because he is a gifted artist and really enjoys the creative process.  He is the perfect illustrator for any project that you may have.

 

~Julie Federico,  Author of Students Can Help Keep Schools Safe

 

Students Can Help Keep Schools Safe: A Student/Teacher’s Guide to School Safety and Violence Prevention

A school violence prevention book for student’s 3-8th grade. This book will teach students about what to do if they encounter an intruder in the building or know of students planning violence. This book offers a partial solution to the school violence epidemic sweeping our nation. If you are looking for a solution to school violence and school safety look no further! Students Can Help Keep Students Safe will help keep your children safe from harm.
The subject matter of this book is overwhelming, but the material is delivered in a non-threatening, simple straightforward way. School safety has never been within the reach of every educator and parent until now. This book is published by West Bow Press. 

]]>
1633
Just One More Book https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/blogging/just-one-more-book/ Fri, 16 Aug 2013 22:07:23 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=1448 Continue reading Just One More Book]]> With SO much happening everyday in the children’s publishing area, it can be very difficult to stay on top of things. Andra from Just One More Book just sent me this cool children’s book resource. I hope you find this as interesting and educational as I did. . .

“A podcast about the children’s books we love and why we love them — recorded in our favourite coffee shop”

“Just One More Book!” is a thrice-weekly podcast which promotes and celebrates literacy and great children’s books. Each weekday morning, we take a few minutes out of our morning coffee ritual to discuss one of our many favourite children’s books. We also feature weekly interviews with authors, illustrators and experts and enthusiasts in the areas of children’s literature and literacy as well as listener-submitted book reviews.

Through this podcast and website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (parents, children, librarians, teachers and literacy activists) and publishers.

Guests have included celebrity authors such as Sheree Fitch, Rachna Gilmore, Jack Prelutsky, Daniel Pinkwater, Eve Bunting, Eva Ibbotson, Henry Winkler and Mary Ann Hoberman. They have also aimed the spotlight at interesting and lesser known and illustrators.

Episodes range in length from 5 to 25 minutes and can be played directly from our web page or downloaded to a portable mp3 player, such as an iPod, for listening on the go.

This podcast is powered by passion. They have no advertisers or sponsors. Their goals are to link children with great books and to help create happy memories for children and the adults that read to them…and to have fun!

The Just One More Book! Podcast has been recommended by the American Library Association (ALA) – Great web sites for kids and has been featured in Canadian Living Magazine and such prestigious literary publications as School Library JournalBooks for Keeps andPublishers Weekly. We are also regular contributors to ChildsLifeThe Edge of the Forest and Parent Source online newsletters.

]]>
1448
30 Common WordPress Mistakes https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/marketing/30-common-wordpress-mistakes/ Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:59 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=1338 Continue reading 30 Common WordPress Mistakes]]>

30 Common Website/WordPress Mistakes by both Novices & Pro Authors

  1. word-press-success-storiesAllowing your content to be author-focused instead of reader-focused
  2. Using WordPress.com instead of self-hosted WordPress (.org)
  3. Using a generic or defective theme
  4. Not designing for mobile use
  5. Not optimizing pages and images for SEO
  6. Not properly integrating social media
  7. Not setting up the permalinks properly (A.K.A. ugly permalinks)
  8. Too many categories, not enough tags
  9. Letting it be too design heavy or too boring
  10. Overwhelming your visitors
    Too many navigation links
    Too much on the home page
    Too many pop-ups and moving graphics
    Too many ads
  11. Not using video to the best of your abilities
  12. Not making it easy for visitors to connect with you on social media
  13. Not making your book’s buy-now button easy to find
  14. Not offering an easy way for visitors to get on your list (appealing incentives?)
  15. Not using effective calls to action (where are you leading them?)
  16. Not taking full advantage of the scripts that are available such as
    Google XML Sitemaps
    Contact Form 7
    Akismet
    All in One SEO Pack
  17. Running too many unnecessary scripts
  18. Trying to run e-commerce plugins on WordPress
  19. Not posting on the blog often enough
  20. Not having a regular backup of your database & site files
  21. Not using Google Analytics
  22. Not using Webmaster tools to get your site indexed
  23. Ignoring Google Authorship Markup
  24. Not using a Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatar)
  25. Not customizing the Favicon
  26. Not taking advantage tools like CDN and CACHE that help your site load faster
  27. Ignoring WordPress updates
  28. Going with a faulty hosting company just because it is cheaper
  29. Not taking steps to further “harden” your WordPress site (here are just a few)
    Not using proper security plugins
    Not changing the default username from “admin”
    Not changing the “wp_” prefix of your database table

30. Not talking to your website designer about all of this!

Contact Cherished Solutions today to discuss your website and WordPress needs.

]]>
1338
Four Keys to Strong Branding and Book Design https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/design/four-keys-to-strong-branding-and-book-design/ Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:00:23 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=1286 Continue reading Four Keys to Strong Branding and Book Design]]> Clarity

  • Is your message clear?
  • Are you confusing your audience with multiple messages?
  • Your brand logo and your book cover need to be easy to read for every occassion, whether as big as a billboard or as small as a business card.

Consistency

  • From cover to cover, and everything in between, does your book follow the same theme?
  • Beyond your book, does your overall branding have the same core “look” as it is expressed across multiple markting outlets (website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)
  • Over time, your fans should be able to recognize your books and your brand because of its consistency.

Professionalism
A professional presentation is a must. Nothing screams amateur more than these five pitfalls:

  • Low quality photo or illustration used for your cover. A snapshot from your last beach vacation might not be the best option. A good photographer or illustrator pays attention to composition, horizon placement, drama, light and dark, film grain, color selection and more.
  • Boring or irrelevant visual composition. A photographer, illustrator, or designer can take your concept and develop something custom that is unique to your book.
  • Low resolution. It is imperative to start with a high resolution photo or scan for every image used in your book and your marketing materials. Using proper software to layout your project will keep
  • the resolution high when it is sent to press.
  • Pre-press errors. While printing is not an exact science, there’s a
  • lot that has to done to the file in order to get the most optimal print quality possible. Failure to do any one item poses the potential for a complete printing disaster. A professional designer knows exactly what needs to be done in order to get your book (or any printed material) to be the treasured keepsake it was meant to be.
  • Fonts. Font selection is important. There is an unpublished library of fancy fonts that are overused and abused. You will recognize many of them since they come preloaded on your computer. If you want to make your designer cry, pick one of these notorious fonts:

    Trust your designer to help you pick fonts that are fresh and in alignment with your branding message, there are hundreds of top-notch fonts to choose from.

Memorable (there’s no shortage of average books) 

  • Pull your audience in with unique visuals.
  • Connect with your audience’s emotions.
  • Keep their attention with compelling copy.
  • Show them something they haven’t seen before.
]]>
1286
Selling your book https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/design/selling-your-book/ Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:00:14 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=1270 Continue reading Selling your book]]> So you’ve self-published your book. It has stunning graphics and of course, great content. What’s the next step? Selling your book so you can write the next one!

One of the best ways to sell books is through the one-on-one contact that occurs with book signings. That’s why we’re recommending you check out P. A. Ritzer’s instructional guideon how to sell books at a bookstore book signing. P. A. Ritzer has sold thousands of copies of his first book, the award-winning historical Western Seven Ox Seven, Part One: Escondido Bound, at over 175 bookstore book signings (over 165 at Barnes & Noble stores alone). He has written Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing as an answer to authors, bookstore personnel, distributors, and others in the book business who have sought to know how he does it.

Ritzer does not just detail a method but goes to the heart of the matter. He exposes the real basis of his success in interacting with customers and the people who help him sell books. In Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing, Ritzer shows that an author need not be a celebrity to make book signings rewarding for himself and the stores and their customers. Rather, he can create the kind of experience that inspires customers to buy his book and managers to invite him back for 18 or more successful signings of the same book at one store.

Reviews

“This is a one-of-a-kind book on jumpstarting your book sales. P. A. Ritzer has achieved remarkable success in bookstore book signings. In ‘Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing’ he shares the principles and practices that have led to that success. It is a valuable read and resource for any who would like to make their book sail up the charts.”— Dan Poynter, author, The Self-Publishing Manual

“If P. A. Ritzer is open to sharing his passion for bookstore signings, we should listen carefully. His signings are a phenomenon the likes of which I have not seen in my 35 years in publishing and book distribution.”— Chris Bell, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Midpoint Trade Books

“P. A. Ritzer, author of Seven Ox Seven, is one of the best authors for a book signing for many reasons. First and foremost, he has a terrific work ethic. . . . He becomes and is a presence in the store. . . . Mr. Ritzer is versed in the art of a book signing and wields his knowledge and experience well.”— Joel McCree, Store Manager, Barnes & Noble, Colorado Springs, CO

“P. A. Ritzer has the art of author bookstore signings down to a science. His consistent sales results through in-store book signings are truly remarkable.”— Alexander M. Kampmann, Director, Trade Sales of Midpoint Trade Books

“P. A. Ritzer is an author, yes, but it is because of his great ability to engage our customers like a neighbor and a friend that he is also a regular bookseller in our store. I wish all authors would approach and sell to customers like he does. He has been by far the most successful author to sign and sell books in this store. He knows how to move books, and that is what the retail environment needs from authors today. Because of his gifted ability to sell, P. A. Ritzer has been and continues to be a tremendous asset to our team.”— Eric Welch, Store Manager, Barnes & Noble, Fort Collins, CO

]]>
1270
SiteBuilder Tutorials https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/sitebuilder/sitebuilder-tutorials/ Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:19:57 +0000 http://cherishedhosting.com/?p=243 Continue reading SiteBuilder Tutorials]]> Welcome to the SiteBuilder Flash Tutorials. Below you will find some of the most popular topics for dealing with the SiteBuilder.

Login & Demo Here

]]>
1020
Touché! Cartoons https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/uncategorized/touche-cartoons/ Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:52:55 +0000 http://cherishedhosting.com/?p=136 Continue reading Touché! Cartoons]]>

 

Client Review:”I use Cherished Hosting. First Cherish beat my other providers on cost. Then she de-mystified some very complicated tech issues and has helped me grow and expand my web knowledge. Where I was told I ‘couldn’t’ do this web stuff on my own before, Cherish assures and assists me so that I can. Cherished Hosting offers a great cost effective web solution with a heart and a brain, for small one-person / many-hat business people like me!” – Ché Rippinger, Relationship Humorist

Ché Rippinger is a relationship humorist who’s produced Touché! Cartoons for 15 years and has also written and illustrated her “Dating And Hand Grenades” column and Q&A version. She also has a southwestern gift shop with her mother, the El Rancho Trading Post, the gift shop of the Rockies nestled with the historic El Rancho Restaurant near Evergreen, Colorado.

HiptheHoopla.com

ToucheToon.com
DatingAndHandGrenades.com

————————————-

If you would like to be listed as a featured client,
please e-mail Cherished Hosting your 2 sentence bio,
the reasons why Cherished Hosting works for your business.

————————————-

Featured Client Sites:

]]>
1017
Larry Kresek, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design Illustration Department Chair https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/testimonials/larry-kresek-rocky-mountain-college-of-art-design-illustration-department-chair/ Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:45:25 +0000 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/?p=664 Continue reading Larry Kresek, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design Illustration Department Chair]]>

Cherish Flieder is a talented, versatile, exceptionally well organized, highly educated artist. Savvy in business, along with possessing a breadth of visualization skills that range from exceptional ability in the traditional artist’s materials to a robust understanding of the workings of the computer, its design software and practical applications, Cherish Flieder is a dynamo of ability and thoughtful creativity.

]]>
664
Plan it. https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/inspiration/plan-it/ Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:47:23 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=636 Make the plan. Work the plan.

]]>
829
Artlandia https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/software/artlandia/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:47 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=20 Continue reading Artlandia]]> Artlandia® SymmetryWorks® is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator. By making patterns live and interactive, SymmetryWorks transformed pattern design, which used to require long, tedious, and painstaking manual work, into easy, fun, and rewarding activity. Released in 2001, and currently in its fourth major release, the plug-in won recognition and user loyalty and has grown to become an indispensable tool for individual designers and organizations. It is now incorporated in high-school and university courses and is widely used throughout the world for creating surface designs for wallpaper, fabrics, quilting, tilings, sculptures, post cards, web pages, and other applications.

Artlandia® SymmetryShop® is a feature-rich plug-in that fully automates the workflow of creating repeat patterns in Adobe Photoshop. The plug-in gives the user full control over all pattern parameters and easily produces pattern designs from scanned hand-painted motifs, high-resolution photographs, and other complex raster images.

]]>
819
wordle https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/software/wordle/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:46 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=123 Continue reading wordle]]> Something to Cherish Worlde

If you haven’t had a chance to play with this little online program, you might want to put down your mouse and have some fun typing keywords into Worlde.

This little program will automatically generate designer-looking word clouds of any words that you enter. The more your enter a word, the larger it will appear in the grouping. Looking at a group of words together can really convey a message all its own and give you a greater appreciation for the language you employ.

Try your family members names, your mission statement, your favorite poems, quotes, speeches, blog posts, website categories, friends . . . the list of possibilities goes on and on.

Shake it up by letting it randomize the fonts, colors and positioning. Try customizing the settings too for even more control. Perhaps it will inspire you on a design you are working on that needs a little extra push.

This sample is from somethingtocherish.com. Now it’s your turn to worlde: try it out at : wordle.net.

]]>
821
13 Steps to a “Slippery Slope” Online Sales Letter https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/marketing/13-steps-to-a-slippery-slope-online-sales-letter/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:45 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=261 Continue reading 13 Steps to a “Slippery Slope” Online Sales Letter]]> by Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen”

Many of the solo professionals whom I coach are people who offer services. They’re coaches, consultants, creatives. And many of them are also beginning to sell information products on their Web sites. They’re smart to offer a lower-priced alternative to hiring them, and to sell a product that can gain them passive income.

But here’s the problem: I see many of them trying to sell their e-book, tutorial, etc. on a regular Web page. They list a paragraph about the info-product and give the price, and they expect a slew of sales.

Wrong.

You need a special sales page that has a “slippery slope” sales letter.

Remember that game Chutes & Ladders? If you landed on a space that had a chute on it, you just went down, Baby. No turning back. That’s how your sales letter should be – a “slippery slope” that pulls in the reader because it’s so compelling and interesting.

Here’s a basic outline of the 13 elements you want to include. To see an example of them all in action, visit MY own sales page at www.BoostBizEzine.com.

1. Limit your navigation.

The visitor should not be distracted by links that take her to your bio, other products, etc. The idea is to keep her on this page, reading your copy and leading her to order. So on this page, only have navigation that relates to the product (e.g. FAQs, Order now).

2. Give a powerful headline.

Your headline can make or break your sales. If it’s not compelling, your visitor will click away. Here’s an easy headline formula: “How to _________ So You Can ____________.” Make sure the 2nd part gives a big benefit, for example, “double your business” or “gain peace of mind.”

3. Discuss the problem the prospect has, or incorporate your own story.

Marketers call this “pushing the ‘ouch’ button.” First discuss the problem or pain that the reader has, and then lead in to how your product will solve it. Or share your own failure-to-success story that the reader can empathize with.

4. Tell us who you are.

If I’m going to buy your stuff, I’d like to know why you’re qualified to write about this topic. Give me the feeling that you’ve learned a lot about this topic and want to share it with me.

Even add a picture of yourself and an audio greeting, like I did. These help the reader instantly feel like she knows you better, increasing the “trust factor.” And people buy from those they feel they know, like, and trust!

5. Use bullets like mini headlines.

Lay out everything I’ll get from your product. Don’t just list your table of contents verbatim! Turn each point into an exciting secret. For example, suppose your e-book features 5 tips on how to save money on groceries. That bullet could read, “Revealed: 5 ways you can save hundreds of dollars on your monthly grocery bill.”

6. List plenty of testimonials.

Show your prospects they won’t be the first to buy. It’s more effective to weave-in testimonials throughout your sales letter than to have a separate section for them. Give each person’s full name and Web address, and for extra power, post their photo and an audio testimonial as well.

7. Tell us why your product is such a great value.

How does the price of your product compare if I hired you one-on-one? For example, your manual is a great value at $49 if an hour consultation with you would run me $250.

8. Throw in a few great bonuses.

Offer special bonuses (preferably created by you) that are so good you could sell them alone if you wanted to. It could be a list of resources, a collection of articles, extra tips on a certain subject, or a free consu1tation.

9. Give an unconditional guarantee.

This puts your prospect at ease, giving her no reason to NOT buy. A few turkeys will take advantage of your generosity, but the amount of sales you GAIN from this strategy dramatically outweighs the risk.

10. Request immediate action by having a limited time offer.

Some sales pages use trick scripts to make it seem like the offer always ends on that day at midnight, but I find these insulting. If you really will be raising your price soon (and you always should be), list the exact date and stick to it. Otherwise just say it’s an introductory, limited-time offer.

11. Make it ABSURDLY CLEAR what to do next.

Nothing bothers me more than when I’m at a Web site, I have my credit card ready, and I can’t find the $%#@& order link! Make your order process idiot-proof. Example: “Cl1ck below to 0rder n0w on our secure server.” Also sprinkle in order links throughout your page — some people will be ready to buy before they get to the bottom.

12. Make one last plea.

In your P.S., right after your signature, emphasize that I should act now. For example, “Don’t miss out on this great 0pportunity. Remember, you can buy n0w and change your mind at anytime.”

13. Don’t forget your contact information!

Readers WILL have questions, so provide an e-mail address on your site that you or someone else will check at least daily. Also, don’t you feel better buying from a Web site that lists a real address and phone number?

Want More Detailed Step-by-Step Help, With Examples You Can Model?

See my quick-start audio program, “The Secret, Simple Formula to Writing Web Copy That SELLS”.

© 2003-2006 Alexandria K. Brown

Online entrepreneur Ali Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AliBrown.com

]]>
825
PeopleBrowsr https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/uncategorized/peoplebrowsr/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:44 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=199 Continue reading PeopleBrowsr]]> PS: did you know that on PeopleBrowsr you can do cross network searches? Eg; search for “car” in Flickr, Twitter and YouTube in a few clicks.

PeopleBrowsr is a simple visual dashboard that adds more power to Twitter,
your other online identities and those of your friends.

  • Jump to the site,
  • Add your IDs,
  • And have fun.


]]>
199
Idea: Let us force a line break https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/wordpress/idea-let-us-force-a-line-break/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:43 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=438 Continue reading Idea: Let us force a line break]]> WordPress Source – Soni

An easy hack for inserting a line break is to break up your tags. For example, to get some extra space between a bolded title caption above a pic and the block of main text above it, I’ll bold the caption text, then add a return between the first bold tag and the text, like so:

<b>
text</b>
[image]

That forces a break after the opening tag (which doesn’t show up), thereby giving me a break.

I’ve found this works well, even if you have nothing you want to format. Just insert a random set of html tags (I usually use the italics) wherever you want a line break, then split them up, like so:

<i>
</i>

They won’t show up in your post, but they will create a line break. You can also do the same thing between images by splitting the image code between the link html and the img src html.

]]>
826
… feed your blog to twitter https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/blogging/feed-your-blog-to-twitter/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:42 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=184 http://twitterfeed.com

This free service allows you to automatically convert your recent blog posts into Twitter posts.

]]>
823
decor8 https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/blogs-on-design/decor8/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:41 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=54 Continue reading decor8]]> blog about textile and paper design

for fabric printing

www.zoo-inK.com/ZOOINK/zooink.html
for fabric screenprinting (small runs available)

advanced Digital Textiles

www.silkscreenframes.com screenprint supplies and will also burn screens for you

Licensing

http://www.artisticbrandmanagement.com/Home_Page.html

shows

www.printsource.com

www.directionsshow.com

http://www.surtex.com/

Design tutorials

lynda.com

Books

Craft, 101 by Mateo Ilasco

Design Your Own Repeat Patterns : A Quick and Easy Approach By V. Ann Waterman

]]>
820
Facebook Artist Pages: Live Links https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/social-media/facebook-artist-pages-live-links/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:40 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=492
Facebook logo
Image via Wikipedia

Our Cherished Solutions Facebook artist pages are now direct linked!

For Painting for Life  check out: http://www.Facebook.com/paintingforlife and for Something to Cherish visit http://www.Facebook.com/somethingtocherish.

Cherish Flieder - Something to Cherish
Image by Cherished Solutions via Flickr
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
]]>
492
Sell on Amazon the Easy Way https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/software/sell-on-amazon-the-easy-way/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:39 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=218 Continue reading Sell on Amazon the Easy Way]]> I was working on Amazon today and ran across this and thought you
might be interested for future product ideas. . .

https://www.createspace.com

This is crazy easy to make and sell physical products and digital
products on demand and make a healthy royalty with little or zero cost
to you.

WOW! Check it out and let me know what you think. I havn’t seen the
print quality or anyhting yet, but it sounds like a wonderful program.

Authors
Musicians
Filmmakers

Books on Demand
CD on Demand
DVD on Demand
Kindle
at dtp.amazon.com
MP3 Download

If you go in this direction, I would love to help you get your
graphics formatted and files set up with them so you can start selling
on Amazon.

Something to think about . . .

]]>
824
Create Custom Weaves in Corel Painter https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/software/create-custom-weaves-in-corel-painter/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:36 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=453 This is a very detailed outline on how to create custom weaves in Corel Painter:

PART 1 – by Robin Wood

PArt 2 – by Robin Wood

]]>
827
8 Ways to Get Creative During a Credit Crunch” https://www.cherishedsolutions.com/marketing/8-ways-to-get-creative-during-a-credit-crunch/ Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:32:34 +0000 http://solutionstocherish.com/blog/?p=356 Continue reading 8 Ways to Get Creative During a Credit Crunch”]]> by Ali Brown

Although the credit crunch is still weighing on millions of people, it doesn’t mean the end for every small or medium-sized business. In fact, this is a great time for savvy entrepreneurs to grow a business and prosper by thinking creatively and strategically. To make sure your business thrives during the downturn, you need to take a good hard look at your business.

Here’s how you can flourish during difficult times. It just takes a bit of creativity…

1. Trim the fat. Now’s the time to review your company finances in a calm and collected manner. Be sure to look at what is being paid on time. Then look for waste and how you can save – there are sure to be a few places where this is possible. Eliminate expenses that aren’t essential to your core business.

2. Know your customers. Spend time with your customers and find out more about their needs so you can deliver what they want when they want it. Also consider sending out a customer satisfaction survey to gain additional insights. Continue offering great service and going above and beyond so that every customer feels as if they are getting the VIP treatment.

3. Stay ahead of the competition. Researching your competition is invaluable so you can make sure you’re competitive with their quality and service. Also remember that during a downtown, some of the people who are laid off may start their own businesses. Monitor the market for newcomers, but remember that you have a head start.

4. Enhance your offering. Cutting prices is one way to make your product or service more attractive, but it’s not the only way. Once you lower your prices, it can be hard to raise them again. Think about adding other incentives like reduced delivery times or added bonuses instead.

5. Adapt to the market. If you notice that sales are declining in one area, focus your efforts on areas that are seeing more sales. Don’t waste your time on sectors that are in freefall. If your business is focused on a single product, consider repositioning it and be ready to cater to people’s changing needs.

6. Invest in you. Now is the perfect time to build on your knowledge, skills, and talents by attending conferences, taking a professional development course, or investing in a business coach. It will help position you as an expert in your field and give you a competitive edge!

7. Make more noise. Continue advertising if you can afford it, but look for other inexpensive ways to get the word out. Perhaps start a blog, join web forums in your field, or write a column for a trade publication or local newspaper.

8. Prepare for the good times. Remember that a recession is a periodic event, but it doesn’t last forever. Resist the urge to run for cover. Instead, keep doing business.

Come out fighting and energize your business to ensure that you don’t go the way of the dinosaurs. The good times will come again – this is your chance to make sure you’re a part of them.

© 2009 Ali International, LLC

Online entrepreneur Ali Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AliBrown.com

]]>
356