Archive for June, 2010

Networking with The Knot

Posted on: June 29th, 2010 by Lydia No Comments

In mid May I had the pleasure of attending the annual Boston wedding indutsry networking event hosted by The Knot. The bash was planned by Elegant Aura Events and it took place at The Beehive in Boston.  I had the wonderful opportunity to share my goodies with all the party attendants not only in the take-home goodie bags but on the dessert table in the center of the main room!  It was a crazy few days leading up to a smashing party that was an intense learning experience with a positive outcome.

Before I go any further, let me tell you how I got myself into the situation where I was covered in chocolate from 6:00 am-3:00 pm then eating hors dourves till midnight.  In an attempt to grow my business and break in to the wedding industry, I sent dozens of emails introducing myself, my business and my products to wedding planners in the Greater Boston Area. I always offer to provide samples in my cold-emailing for a few reasons: I know tasting my product speaks for itself and any planner will do a better job suggesting my s’mores as favors if they have actually tasted them, and it is easier for me to stand out if I am actually offering something, not just saying, “LOOK AT ME! PROMOTE ME!”.   I think I would be more willing to interact with someone who was actually engaging instead of just asking for favors.  By chance, or fate, or shear number of emails sent out, I contacted the planner who was in charge of this event.  Alison of Elegant Aura Events actually responded saying she would gladly welcome samples.

A few days after she received the samples, I got a voicemail from Alison saying she had a networking opportunity for me if I was interested.  I was immediately skeptical. I had received suggestions about so many “networking opportunities” that feel more like pay-to-play.  It seems like everyone I talk to has this wonderful one-of-a-kind opportunity to grow your business for a yearly fee of one million dollars or the perfect place to sell your goodies for the small fee 50% of your sales, so I was so surprised when she told me about this event.  Here is tradeoff: Sweet Lydia’s provides s’mores for the goodie bags for all the 250! guests and a sweet spread for the dessert table. In exchange, my business information was included in all the promotional information, displayed through out the event, and follow up press, I got my sweets into the mouths of 250 Boston area wedding professionals and I got to attend a swanky party, eat great food, and schmooze.

250 Goodie Bag Original S'mores

250 Goodie Bag Original S'mores

After three crazy days of making s’mores, pretzels and marshmallow pops, I changed out of my apron and into cocktail clothes, packed my car and headed to The Beehive.  I set up the Sweet Lydia’s display, added my s’mores to the goodie bags, took a few shoddy pictures and watched the rest of the event get set up.

Sweet Lydia's Dessert Table Spread

Sweet Lydia's Dessert Table Spread

Sugary Vanilla Marshmallow Pops

Sugary Vanilla Marshmallow Pops

The party itself was a little overwhelming, to put it mildly.  I thought I brought plenty of Sweet Lydia’s products but I was totally wrong.  I completely underestimated adults desire to fill their mouths with candy.  I got great feedback about the presentation and taste of all the sweets displayed and it was only about 30 minutes after the first person went for the dessert table that all my goodies were gone!  Fortunately, the photographers from Avenna Studios were able to get some wonderful pictures before everything was gone.

Sugar Cookie S'more Pops

Sugar Cookie S'more Pops

Vanilla Marshmallow Pops

Vanilla Marshmallow Pops

I could not even begin to mention all the wonderful vendors that I met but here are a few:

Melissa Babb from Endless Eleganza Events

Jennifer Hansen from Gracious Events Management

Kellie Innocenti from OTW Advertising

Gregory Costa-Saint John of ‘flou (-e)r

Kristin O’Connor from Capers Catering

I know the post about this event is a little late but I was wanted to add the professional photos of the event to show you what it looked like. To see the entire slide show of the event, visit the Real Weddings section of theknot.com or click here.

For More Than Just Roasting: Marshmallow Art

Posted on: June 22nd, 2010 by Lydia 1 Comment

A friend of mine with wonderful eye for vintage design and funky art keeps a look out for anything marshmallow. He has sent me a few marshmallow related finds that inspired me to search for more. This is a bit of what I have found so far that I had to share with you. If you find any more original displays of marshmallow creativity, please send links along to sweetlydias@gmail.com.

Derek Buckner might spend as much time with marshmallows as I do. Green Label Art has this to say about Derek:

Brooklyn based artist Derek Buckner used to paint freeways, airplanes and trucks. As you can see from the above picture, Buckner has explored an entirely new subject for his most recent project: Marshmallows. Buckner used oil paints to create tumbling heaps of white marshmallows that are simultaneously humorous, somewhat grotesque and somehow beautiful.  To create these paintings the artist spend nearly a year purchasing bags of marshmallows, scattering them around his apartment and examining them in different angles and light sources. The mashmallows paintings were recently displayed at the George Billis Gallery in NYC.

Derek Buckner Marshmallows #2 oil on linen 30" x 40 "

Derek Buckner Marshmallows #2 oil on linen 30" x 40 "

Ruins oil on canvas 40" x 40"

Ruins oil on canvas 40" x 40"

Scatered oil on canvas 82" x 82"

Scatered oil on canvas 82" x 82"

I wonder if he ate all the marshmallows he used for these paintings.

For an artistic way to serve marshmallow, check out these Tree Servings.

Tree Servings by Stéphanie Marin

Tree Servings by Stéphanie Marin

They are just prototypes now, but I might try and make one for giving out samples at events.

Terry Border makes everyday objects come alive with just wire and creative backdrops. I love this picture of walking the cocoa plank.

Terry Border Bent Objects

Terry Border Bent Objects

Click here for more of Terry’s creative Bent Objects.

This might be my favorite marshmallow related art piece I have found yet: a Keith Haring replica made with Peeps.

Peeping It Real With Keith Haring

Peeping It Real With Keith Haring

For more Peep creations and a really creative stop-motion action video staring Peeps, click here.

marshmallow skellies

marshmallow skellies

If you are inspired by these pieces you can create your own marshmallow art with instructions and a plethora of creative ideas like the skulls above from The Decorated Cookie.

Thanks for helping me combat brownie boredom, one s’more at a time™,

Lydia

You vs. Your Brand

Posted on: June 17th, 2010 by Lydia 2 Comments

I read the Inc Magazine article by John Warrillow “Are Your Customers Loyal to You or Your Business?” about a month ago and it has stuck with me ever since. The author uses his relationship to his barbers to compare the business models of two establishments: the small independent barber with character and the mega-chain Supercuts.  After the more expensive and personable barber that he used for 10 years became inconvenient, he jumped ship to the Big Brand that was cheep and next door.

He suggests that, if you ever plan to sell your business, you better have brand-loyal customers, and not customers who only support your business to support you.  I have not been able to reconcile my attitude toward the message that a business is independent of the people who run it.  In the example he uses, he says he is loyal to Supercuts, but it seems like he is more loyal to the cost and convenience of that particular store. Would he stay with Supercuts if another cheaper salon moved a block closer to his house?

As a new business of one, all of my initial sales came from friends and family, who are loyal to me first, not my business.  The way I turn one-time sales into loyal customers is to offer something more than just the knowledge that they are supporting someone they care about.  The way I grow my sales seems to come heavily from word-of-mouth testimony that I provide a reliably delicious product.  Customers become loyal to my business because of the product and service I offer.

I have found that most of my new business is coming from people who I have met personally at networking events recently.  They trust that I’ll provide a product and a service because they trust me, or at least have met a face behind the curtain.  Maybe I give myself to much credit, but I have a hard time believing that they would be buying the same product from someone who they didn’t like.  How I present myself and interact with my customers is a reflection of my business. The more my business grows, particularly online sales and hiring staff, the more my business must speak for itself.

It seems that in talking about a business being independent of its owner or sales staff, Warrillow neglects the fact that how a business is run matters.  If you have a successful product and good customer service, it might not make a difference what the owner is named, but I cannot believe that someone who doesn’t value relationships can successfully retain customers for any substantial period.  I wonder if he has been a customer at Supercuts as long as his tenure with the barber, Tony he visited for years.

Thanks for helping me combat brownie boredom, one s’more at a time !™

Lydia

A Drizzly Day At Riverfest

Posted on: June 14th, 2010 by Lydia No Comments

I delayed my Friday post so that I could share pictures of Lowell’s Riverfest with all those who don’t live near Lowell or wouldn’t brave the rain. Unfortunately for you, I was not able to take nearly as many pictures as I’d hoped. Fortunately for Sweet Lydia’s, it was because the table was too busy to get away for a long stretch.

Lowell put on this wonderful family friendly event to celebrate the opening a new river-front park that will be the gateway to the Concord River Greenway.  There was great live music provided by 92.5 The River (an appropriately named station for the event), a traveling zoo from the Audubon Society, art projects and S’mores!  Lowell does a great job planning festivals that are fun for everyone who attends; too bad the can’t control the weather. It started raining as everyone was setting up and didn’t really stop all day.  I was so grateful for my Ez-up tent for keeping me and my s’mores mostly dry. The crowd was thin but didn’t let the rain dampen their spirits.

Sweet Lydia's Table Display

Sweet Lydia's Table Display

Here is the latest version of my table set up. I finished the flag banner early Saturday morning, feverishly sewing just before loading up the car.

S'mores!

S'mores!

A little close up of my table of S’mores with some of the many samples I gave out.

Brew'd Awakening

Linda, Tuyen and Andy of Brew'd Awakening

I had the best spot in the house, sharing a tent with Brew’d Awakening.

The Revolving Museum

The Revolving Museum

The Revolving Museum had wonderful aprons and bags made from recycled materials.

Amy Black & The Red Clay Rascals

Amy Black & The Red Clay Rascals

A great Lowell based band, Amy Black & The Red Clay Rascals is a bluesy bluegrass band with great lead singer!

Recycled CD art

Recycled CD art

One of the many activities for kids was making necklaces with old CDs and markers.

My Name-tag Bling

My Name-tag Bling

OK, so it was an activty for adults too. Linda made me some name-tag bling while I was manning the table. It made the rest of my day much brighter.

Thank you to all those who braved the weather at Riverfest and those who made the day possible,

-Lyida

Combating brownie boredom, one s’more at a time!

A Little Sisterly Inspiration

Posted on: June 9th, 2010 by Lydia 1 Comment

I have two amazing, super talented younger sisters. My sister, Catherine, was a huge inspiration for starting my own business. She does not have anything to do directly with business or marshmallows. I was more inspired by her for following a passion, taking a huge risk and having it pay off.

Me, Cordelia and Catherine New Years Eve 2010

Me, Cordelia and Catherine New Years Eve 2010

So I had to share her story with you: She took Russian language and literature classes in college and fell in love. She studied abroad in St. Petersburg for 8 months, spent a summer interning in Moscow and majored in Slavic Studies at college. After she graduated, she wanted to move to Russia for work and try to make a name for herself in the Motherland. She spent four months networking and trying to find a job in Russia from home in New York. She was hired by a new branch of company to teach English but her visa was delayed to the point where the company could no long hold the position for her. When all hope seemed lost, she accepted a position in New York in thoughts of pursuing a US bound career.

After a few months of living at home and feeling unfulfilled, she decided to make a change. Unsatisfied with giving up on the Slavic-dream, set a date a few months out, bought a plane ticket and started to save money. The plan: go to Moscow on a three month travel visa and try to find a job to support herself. If it failed, she would have a great three-month trip to Russia. It took her a few weeks of networking and applying before she got a job beyond her wildest dreams. I repeat, a few weeks! As of today, she has been the Editor in Chief of the English language entertainment newspaper for Moscow, Element, for over a year.

The amazing thing is that this job is perfect for her, and she probably wouldn’t have applied for a job like this under “normal” circumstances. There are some times in life where a What’s-the-worst-that-can-happen attitude makes sense. I realized that if my sister could move to Russia, not another town or state, where most people would deny the ability to speak English and there is no real word for “excuse me”, and succeed, the least I could do to pursue my dream is to try. I didn’t have to move, or change my diet to incorporate more beets and sour cream, or learn a new language. All I have to do is pursue a dream that I am passionate about, and if it fails . . . well right now it is working out for both of us so we don’t have to think about that just yet. If you want to check out what Catherine is up to at her job in Moscow click here or here to befriend the paper on Facebook and here to get regular twitter updates.

Thanks for helping me combat brownie boredom, one s’more at a time,

Lydia

The S’more Cake

Posted on: June 4th, 2010 by Lydia 3 Comments

I usually package and sell my s’mores individually for personal enjoyment as favors or part of a dessert spread.  There is no minimum order so you can get just one if you need some sweetness to get through the day, or 100 if you want to be the coolest kid at school.  A friend came to me a few weeks ago looking for something different.  She was helping with a baby shower for a coworker who had raved about the Sweet Lydia’s Original S’mores she had tried.  They didn’t want my standard favors, but a cake substitute.  I had to be creative.  After an afternoon experiment, the S’more Cake was born.  The S’more Cake has all the tasty properties of one s’more on it’s own with the displayable look of a cake.  In less than two weeks I have made 3 more and have a few more requests down the line.  I haven’t figured out how to ship these yet, so they are only available for local pick up, but they seem to be taking off.  I think the only thing this cake is really missing is icing but it might be sugar rush overload.

Baby Shower S'more Cake

Baby Shower S'more Cake

Child's Birthday S'more Cake

Child's Birthday S'more Cake

S'more Cake

S'more Cake

House Warming S'more Cake

House Warming S'more Cake

Yesterday I picked up some cake decorating supplies from a local supply store and got too exited.  I couldn’t wait to get to work today and spent a few hours piping chocolate decorations onto a plate at home.  ”Why are these plates covered in chocolate?” is the reaction I got from the husband when he looked in the fridge.  With a bit more work, I will start offering more products with chocolate piped decoration.  Now off to practice!

Thanks for helping combat brownie boredom, one s’more at a time,

Lydia

In the beginning

Posted on: June 2nd, 2010 by Lydia No Comments

More and more people are asking me how I got started as a marshmallow maven.  I’ve tried and get the story of Sweet Lydia’s inception into a cute three sentence paragraph for the “about” section of my website, press release or interview, but that is like saying, “Tell me your life story in 30 seconds, and . . .go!”

The short of it is:

1) I baked goodies a lot, to the point that my husband and our roommate asked me to slow it down so they would not be forced to eat it all.

2) I was unhappy at my job.

3) I took a risk and it is starting to pay off.

Three sentences.  In reality it took years of baking for a hobby and a lot of painful days at a job that was not fulfilling any more followed by anxiety filled nights of wondering if I had a purpose in life before I was willing to take that risk.  For the first few months, I thought I had made a huge mistake.

Now, about 12 months later, I have no desire to look back. My business is not where I would like it to be, I have made a lot of mistakes and taken the long way around problems, many of which I will address in future blog posts, but that has lead me to where I am today.  I absolutely love being a businesswoman, much more than I ever thought I would.  I love making s’mores and creating new deliciousness, but more than that, I love talking with customers, networking and promoting my business, trying to be more efficient and looking for new opportunities for growth.  I love working hard for something I feel passionately about and that (usually) doesn’t feel like work.  In retrospect I am so grateful for the misery at the other job; I would never have left for the uncertainty of self-employment if things were going well.  I am forever grateful for the path that has brought me here and the people who inspired and supported me along the way. I just have to remember all this on those long days of no sales when I am full of fear.

I know this is not the full story of Sweet Lydia’s but I will save that for later posts. Now, I am off to combat brownie boredom, one s’more at a time!

P.S. I read this just after I started typing this post and felt it expressed many of my feelings of gratitude, so check out Diana Ma’s recent post about her career change for more inspiration on pursuing your passion.