a bit of business...

I have maintained this blog for a good couple of months now, and haven't really mentioned anything about business or entrepreneurialism, which I kind of can't believe.  I think the marathon has been so consuming that my business discussions have actually taken a back seat.  I wonder if my husband has enjoyed the break? I am usually completely consumed with my business, aquaBling, that my family almost has to make an appointment to see me.  But guess what? I love it.  It has been such an amazing experience taking an idea from my brain and turning it into a product. Then when people love your product...it's awesome. 
One thing that most start-ups have in common is that they are completely strapped for cash.  It requires significant capital to develop a product and bring it to market, and unless you are either independently wealthy (lucky) or well-funded (luckier), you are almost broke and have nothing left for a marketing budget.  Marketing and exposure is vital to the success of your business.  How can anybody buy your fabulous widget if they don't know about it? 
A great way to get exposure for your products for little money is through the use of social media. Yep. Blogs. There is an enormous blog world out there, and all kinds of fabulous people are in the bloggosphere hosting giveaways and doing reviews every day.  I can personally attest to success with blog product reviews.  They have driven a lot of traffic to my site, and I have made sales as a result of blog exposure.  How do you find these blogs? One great way that I have found is by using google alerts.  I simply type in a few keywords, for example at Christmas I used "stocking stuffers" as a keyword, and each day I receive a report with all kinds of websites and bloggers who are discussing stocking stuffers.  Then, a quick email to submit a product, and viola! You've got a potential audience! 
In order to really capitalize on those blog reviews, always allow them to host a giveaway, and offer a coupon code for your store.  That way you have a really great way to know how many of your sales were as a result of the blog exposure.  This is very helpful when looking at future online advertising, or to reaffirm which keywords and blogs work best for your product.
You will give away a lot of product this way.  But, look at your product as a commodity.  It is your money right now, so spend it like it's going out of style! After all, you know where to get more product, and nobody is going to get it cheaper than you!