The Friday Blog Round-Up 10/21/11

First up this week, we have a post from Retail Minded which provides a checklist to ensure you’re ready for holiday shoppers.   It’s hard to believe that the holidays are almost upon us,  but they are,  and you need to be sure your business, whether brick and mortar or online, is ready for the onslaught.   While these tips are aimed more at brick and mortar businesses,  many of them could apply to a business that operates strictly online as well.

Second on the list is another edition of the Urban Entrepreneurs series from Urban Threads.   Can I just say I’m madly in love with this series?  I love to see people making a living through their art, and I love seeing the awesome things that people make.    The subject of this week’s profile makes clothing for Ren Faires and other events of that type.   Her stuff is cool and I really think she has a logical and measured approach to growing her business.

Third up this week is a technique that seasoned machine embroiderers may have already seen.  I haven’t seen it before and I think it’s cool, so it makes the round-up.   It’s called embossing,  and it apparently is  a terrific way to decorate textured fabrics like towels or fleece.   The end result is interesting and the post includes instructions on how to try embossing yourself.

Fourth at bat this week is a post about creating change and why sometimes we fail at it.    Creating change is tough.  Bucking the status quo is tough.   Going against the flow, taking a risk and accepting the consequences can be uncomfortable,   but we all owe it to ourselves to give our lives, and that includes jobs, relationships and health,  the best we can give.   This post is a good reminder that there will always be an excuse not to try to change things,  but we have to try anyway.

Fifth on the docket today is a post I bookmarked a few weeks back and then promptly forgot.   I’m sorry I forgot to mention it because I think this post is totally on target when it comes to how social media accounts should be handled.    I vote for human over corporate every time,  and I think the accounts that have a human face and voice are much more interesting.

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