Time management has always been an issue for small businesses, and that includes needlearts businesses. Whether you’re an independent entrepreneur or the owner of a company, resources are limited and time always feels tight.

But everything still has to get done.

Now, with the advent of social media, small business owners are faced with even more to do in order to successfully market their companies.  But there is no doubt, these activities are a vital part of any marketing strategy.

TNNA’s Board Member Kathy Elkins, Retail Council Chair and owner of Webs-America’s Yarn Store recently sent us a link to a very interesting and helpful blog:

30 Minutes a Day Small Business Social Media Strategy, written by Mark Hayward.

To be honest, when I first looked at the page, I stepped back.  But I’m one of those people who just hate being told what to do or when to do it.  (I can never follow a diet.)  I also grew up in the paper age, and still have trouble reading long blocks of text on the computer, no matter how large I make it.

But, after overcoming my phobias, I found his suggestions to be very helpful for two reasons.

The “schedule” he proposes is a great overview of the different social media vehicles available. (Of course, I’m sure there are new ones on the horizon.)

He includes

• blogging – what you write and what you read (for example, a list of Needlepoint blogs can be found on the Needlepoint Group Web site by clicking here WorldofNeedlepoint.com)
• Twitter (again your own and others)
• niche forums (for example, the Knitlist and NeedleworkBiz)
• FLCKR, YouTube, and Facebook for both community building and business promotions
• Review sites (for example, Ravelry and Knitters Review).

In addition, his day-to-day strategy also gives you a comprehensive view of how these different vehicles fit together and can work together, and a suggestion as to how much time to spend on each.

He also includes links to more information on each of these topics.

All in all, the blog is especially helpful if you’re trying to put your arms around all this social media “stuff.”

Whether or not the exact time table he suggest works for you, he himself suggests it’s meant to be adapted to each individual’s needs and styles.

Regardless of how much time you think you have, I would suggest you take the time to check out the blog, spend the time to digest it, and invest the time into incorporating it into your marketing program.

If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at the most recent TNNA newsletter, I urge you to do so.

I realize how busy all our members are.  All TNNA members, Retailers and Wholesalers, as well as others involved in the needlearts industry, certainly have their hands full  . . . regardless of the economy.  So, now is no different than any other time.

It’s even more important now that our members stay informed about what’s going on with TNNA.  The newsletter includes valuable information about the many programs and services the association offers, the structure of the organization, as well as the activities of the product segment groups.

The opportunities to be involved in the association and the industry are myriad . . . and as members, your involvement is essential to our future.

So, please take a minute to find out what’s happening.  Visit TNNA.org, log in, and take a look.You’ll be glad you did.

I’m writing this from the Embassy Suites Hotel in Nashville TN where TNNA is hosting the Needlework Market.  Hundreds of wholesalers and buyers are here, and the air is filled with excitement.

I just came upstairs after having spent a little time at the Meet and Greet, and can tell you, people are interested and engaged . . . The room is filled with people eager to talk and see . . .  and, of course, do business.

The hotel shows are really different from the large convention shows.  They’re more intimate, with people exhibiting their needlepoint, cross-stitch, embroidery, yarns and other supplies and accessories in their hotel suites.  I must say, the first time I came to one of these, I was a little taken aback.  All the newest patterns, threads, and more displayed right in the rooms . . . sort of like visiting someone’s home, or more precisely, stepping into their bedrooms.

But at these shows, needlearts retailers come to buy and take right back to their shops.  Not that you can’t place orders, but these shows are considered “cash and carry” which is very different from the “orders only” approach at the convention shows.

And, of course, there are classes, as well.  I had the privilege of teaching two marketing classes today which, I hope, gave the class participants a good overall idea of what marketing is all about, as well as some specific ideas they can use.  The “students” also shared their own ideas, which I think helps create those amazing bonds which tie the industry . . . and more specifically, our TNNA members together.

When I asked them why they came to the show, they all agreed . . . it’s not just the products or the classes, but the opportunity to connect with others who share their passion for fibers.  They come away rejuvenated and refreshed, and knowing they’re not alone but are, rather, a part of a big, welcoming and comforting community.

You simply can’t get that through any other means . . . no matter how much time you spend online blogging or twittering . . . Nothing quite compares to getting a real hug from a true friend and colleague.

The PiPN List is finally up.  Pathways into Professional Needlearts 2010 is offering more than 35 different, unique internships for this summer, and perhaps beyond.

These are amazing opportunities, unlike most internships these students hear about or participate in.  Our members are mostly small businesses and micro-businesses, companies that most often don’t have the chance to have interns.  So the experiences tend to be more hands-on, more comprehensive, and often more exciting.

The entire list can be downloaded at <a href=”http://tnna.org/Outreach/College/tabid/154/Default.aspx”>http://tnna.org/Outreach/College/tabid/154/Default.aspx</a>

We will be posting the list here, as well . . . just as soon as I can figure out the technicalities of all this.

I’ve been busy recruiting students, and have traveled from West Virginia University to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  I’ve spoken to hundreds of students and watched the “lights go on” in many of them.  I’ve received dozens of emails and phone calls from eager young people who have been anxiously awaiting the posting of the internships. I’ve also received requests for internships in specific locations, so I may be calling on some more of our members to become mentors.

Within the coming weeks, I’ll also be at the Art Institutes of San Francisco and Denver, as well as University of Akron, Kent State, Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and, hopefully Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia.

We’ve also had many inquiries by email from students who have been watching the program for several years.  I anticipate there may be some real competition for placements this year.

TNNA’s Yarn Group and Needlepoint Groups have both posted their latest, and most exciting, new designs, patterns and fibers, introduced at the recent Winter Show in Long Beach CA, on their web sites.

Utilizing the latest technology, each group has taken major steps to ensure the public has the opportunity to see these amazing products even before they hit the shelves.

Take a minute to check it out.  There’s everything from needlepoint handbags, dog collars and even elephant embellishments to be found at WorldofNeedlepoint.org.

The Yarn Group highlights everything from swing coats, to shawls, to bikinis . . . with lots of lace, fantastic color palettes, and breath-taking designs to inspire anyone who loves to knit or crochet.  You can even upload the videos to your own Web site if you choose (just go to Youtube).

It’s long been known, needle arts enthusiasts, those who love to stitch, come forward to help others in times of crisis.

It’s no surprise TNNA members have always exemplified this focus on the health and well being of others.  TNNA Cares, the humanitarian outreach arm of our association, continues to help promote and publicize these efforts.

As the world turns their eyes and their hearts towards the Haitian people, our members are there as well, each in their own way.
  Here are just a few that have come to my attention:

Knitting Fever Inc (KFI), a TNNA wholesale member, is offering to match dollar for dollar all contributions made to one of three Haiti relief funds (American Red Cross,
 Doctors Without Borders
, Direct Relief International), up to fifty thousand dollars received.  In order to be counted in this generous matching offer, checks need to be made out to one of the three charities and sent to KFI, 315 Bayview Ave., Amityville NY 11701.

Y2Knit in Funkstown MD, a retail yarn shop, also sent me an email about selected patterns for sale with donations going to either Doctors without Border or Save the Children.

Another email I received touched even closer to home.  Susan and Abby Karten of Voila!, a well known TNNA Needlepoint finishing company, sent out an email letting everyone know their Haitian partners, who are part of their stitching operations, are thankfully safe.  Obviously, there may be some delays in the days to come, but everyone’s patience and support is appreciated.  They urged everyone, as well, to donate to the charity of their choice to help in this time of need.

We’d like to suggest the following . . . just to make sure your good will gets to the right place.

• Consider 
making monetary donations – even though you’d love to send a hand knitted or stitched item, most of the relief organizations don’t have the facilities or staff to deal with this type of material.
• Donate money directly to an existing relief organization.
• Don’t limit the use to rescue efforts only.  Rebuilding will also require funds.

I’m sure there are many other TNNA members who are doing their own thing to help the people of Haiti.  Please let us know who you are and what you’re doing so we can help spread the word.

If you have an idea for a program or project the association might want to launch, and you’d like to help us get the job done, let us know.  TNNA is here to help make our members’ ideas and passions come to life.

In recent years, several savvy entrepreneurs have opened up yarn shop cafés.  (I counted nine in TNNA’s online shop directory.)  With the intent of creating a home-away-from home space for their customers, they conceived a business model combining a yarn shop with a coffee shop.

This marriage really makes perfect sense.  In addition to the comfort it provides customers, the coffee shop offers a new revenue stream, and also makes the shop a destination point . . . drawing in those who already stitch, as well as those just looking for a good cup of coffee in a welcoming environment.  And . . . since we know stitchers do drink coffee, it goes to reason coffee drinkers may also like to stitch.

Recently, I was sent a great link to a story about another great marketing strategy that takes the café concept one step farther . . . but rather than coffee, they’re serving wine.

The article “Sipping wine while slipping yarn” in the Wine Enthusiast online magazine refers to needlearts shops holding “Sip & Stitch” nights either in the shop or at local wine bars.  

For example, a TNNA member La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City CA has a weekly “Sip ‘n Knit” night that attracts a mix of men and women who come together for appetizers and stitching.  On the other side of the fence, wine bars are attracting stitchers by offering special stitching nights and free appetizers.

And we know, stitchers do enjoy a nice glass of wine.  And again, it goes to reason, some wine drinkers might also enjoy stitching.

For years, I have been talking about the importance of marketing partnerships with other dissimilar but similarly targeted businesses. I’ve also been talking about getting “out” . . . out of your self, your comfort zone and also out of your shop, in order to reach new customers.  

Even with the electronic age, marketing gurus are preaching the need to get to know your potential customers in a social sense.  Even with all those twitters, facebook groups, blog postings and such . . . person to person is still the most important connection.  Your community, both social and business, is built through personal relationships.

I don’t recall the article mentioning, or even suggesting, an actual combination needlearts shop and wine bar.  Except for the issue of getting a liquor license, it sounds like an easy and natural progression from the knitting café to the fiber bar.  (Hmmm . . . an idea to ponder for my next life.)

I’m not suggesting you empty out some of your yarn bins and replace them with wine coolers. . . but what better way to be social, and bring more people into your “community” than to partner with a local establishment that already draws in a crowd of people in need of relaxation.

“Sip ‘n Stitch” . . . It seems like the perfect way to relax with a nice chardonnay and crochet, or a pinot noir and a bit of needlepoint, or a little “l’chaim” and lace . . . and the perfect way to entice new stitchers.

Cross-stitch had center stage last night on the Ace of Cakes “Merry Cakemas” episode (Food Network). Mary Smith decorated the ultimate Christmas stocking cake based on a Christmas stocking cross-stitched by one of their viewers.  Apparently the husband of an avid stitcher (who has stitched 53 Shepherd’s Bush Christmas Stockings for her family) commissioned Charm City Cakes in Baltimore to reproduce the stocking.

The episode is available for viewing online at http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/demolition-cakes/index.html
Dec 06, 2009 at 5:00 PM ET/PT
Dec 08, 2009 at 8:00 PM ET/PT
Dec 09, 2009 at 3:00 AM ET/PT

By the way, thanks to Carole Watson of Always in Stitches (Palm Beach Gardens FL) for letting us know about this:

I just received a note from Penny Sitler, Executive Director of the Helping Hands Foundation, about one of the most active Needle Arts Mentoring Programs in Beverly Hills MI.  They were recently covered in an article posted on  Hometownlife.com (http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009911290382).

It’s a great example of how learning to knit goes far beyond the actual manual technique . . . This group has done chemo caps and scarves for Gilda’s Place and scarves for the Special Olympics in the past.  The Magic Square project talked about in the article is their latest endeavor, and they’ve got much of their school involved, not just the regulars in their program.

In case you didn’t know, the Needle Arts Mentoring Program is a project of the Helping Hands Foundation, an organization managed by The National NeedleArts Association.  This far reaching and active program teaches stitching to thousands of K – 12 grade students every year by providing start up materials and resources.

You can find more information at http://www.needleartsmentoring.org

One of the goals of this blog is to make the composition and workings of the association more transparent.  Although a diagram of the structure of the organization is posted on TNNA.org,  if you’re not used to some of the terminology, it can all appear to be Greek.

As a start to explaining the association, let’s first look at the Board of Directors.

TNNA recently announced our 2009 – 2010 Board of Directors.  Mike Hartnett included our newly elected officers in his latest CLN edition, even.  You can see them all by going to TNNA.org (click here). There’s also contact information available.

Each year in September at the annual Board meeting, things shift.  Some Board members leave; new members assume their new positions.  To many general TNNA members and to the industry as a whole, this all happens in the background.  The truth is, this is the heart of the organization where decisions are made and actions are determined.

The group is really very comprehensive, and I want to stress here . . . They are all volunteers!

There are nine Wholesale Members, the Immediate Past President, each Product Segment Chair (Yarn Group, Needlepoint Group, Counted Thread & Embroidery) and the Retail Council Representative.  The Board includes a President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer, as well as three standing committees: finance, nominating and marketing.

There’s also the Retail Council . . . again made up of volunteers . . . from all of the needlearts disciplines. The Retail Council acts as the governing body for the Retail Section and includes seven members.  These retailers act on one of three standing committees: communications, business services and education.

So, have I put you to sleep yet?  Like I said, this isn’t on everyone’s mind all the time.  What is on your mind is how to get the association to work for you . . . and that’s why this is important to note.

These board members come together to assess and refine.  They work to understand the past and bring us into the future.  They represent all our members and their opinions and interests . . . but they really need to know how our members feel and think in order to best represent the entire “group.”

That’s where you all come in.  We’ve published their contact information on purpose.  In taking on the board position, they each have dedicated themselves to making TNNA stronger, and our industry stronger.

So get in touch with them.  TNNA really does belong to our members.  The organization’s strength comes from our members; our future relies on our members.