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Closet Conference 2016 Was A Huge Success

Leaving the office is never easy – the build up the week before is like trying to squeeze a pullout hamper into an overloaded closet…

But boy is it worth it!!

Can you think of a better way to recharge and get ready for the busy time of year?

People were catching up all night long. New friends and old –

The Closet Conference and Expo is my favorite show – it’s the only show that has two days of educational sessions geared specifically for our industry.

The Conference kicked off with John McDonald from Semihandmade. He told his story of how he came up with the idea for building doors for IKEA cabinetry, the hurdles that he had to overcome and what his plan is for future growth. It was a very interesting business model.

Lisa Adams presented on Tuesday and Wednesday – her first session was Designing High End Closets, her second session was the concept of the Million Dollar Closet. The way that she markets her company is unbelievable. She has created a personal brand that allows her to charge $30,000 for a 10 x 10 walk in closet!! Most of the audience fell of their chairs when they heard that… She cut the ribbon to the expo and posed for plenty of selfies… 🙂

Denise Butchko and Wendy Scott presented ideas to create High End Closets on a Budget. This session was so good that the Q & A ran for an extra 30 minutes – Attendees learned tricks like applying painted wood mouldings to MDF panels or how to create a jewelry cabinet. Everyone left with new design ideas.

Richelieu and Hafele showed off their new hardware, Erik Huberman discussed Marketing Your Closet Business and The Osborne Ideation Breakfast is always a great time to share ideas and learn about each other’s business.

The show floor opened up Wednesday morning and attendees rushed in to see the newest hardware, look under the hood of the latest machinery (literally), and demo the different design software on the market.

Everyone that attended seemed happy to be there and more importantly everyone got something out of it. If you couldn’t attend this year, be sure to mark your calendar for next year – April 11th – 13th in Schaumburg.

The ACSP has plans next year to test designers on Thursday so that your sales team could leave as Certified Designers… Wouldn’t that be a great way to standout in your market??

Your turn – what did you think of Pasadena? What was your favorite part of the show?

Filed Under: Closet Conference, Closet Expo Tagged With: 2 Comments

Your installer called in sick…

Closet Conference 2016

The floors aren’t ready, your edgebander is down, the hardware is on backorder, and the doors are damaged – should I keep going?

How many happened to you this week?

How many will happen to you next week?

What are you doing to try to fix these problems? No the bottle of vodka under your desk isn’t helping…

Networking with other closet company owners at the Closet Conference in Pasadena is your answer.

I know you’re too busy to leave for 3 days – what happens if your installer hits a pipe – who will fix it?

This is why you must attend!

Nobody feels your pain more than the people that

will be in Pasadena the week of March 21st.

Here’s the thing – it’s not enough for you to attend the Expo portion of the week, you have to attend the educational conference.

That’s where the connections are made so that when you get back to your office if and when you have a question, you have someone to call.

This year there’s almost two complete days of educational content –

I know you have been doing this a long time – but you don’t know what you don’t know.

Attending the conference is sure to open your eyes to something new.

Believe me the education doesn’t stop in the conference room, I have heard just as many ideas exchanged at the bar and the Top Shelf Awards ceremony… Of course some of the ideas sound better after a few drinks – but that’s the fun! 🙂

There is still time for you to buy your ticket and join the 100 other conference attendees. Use discount code EVEREA16 and get into the expo floor for free.

Even if you don’t come back with a new business strategy – the time away will re-charge you so that you are ready to get thru the busy Spring season and the next fire drill.

Your turn –

In the comments section below – leave your favorite experience from a previous Closet Conference….

I can’t wait to see you in Pasadena!!

Filed Under: Closet Conference, Closets Tagged With: , 2 Comments

LinkedIn Posts That Will Cost You Customers

Are your posts costing you clients?

If your posts are anything like the ones below that I can guarantee they are!!

Worst LinkedIn Posts

LinkedIn isn’t Facebook, it’s not business causal and it’s definitely not a dating site –

Sounds like common sense right?

Yet more and more people are sharing posts like the above screen shot.

Denis Butchko and I collected what we think are some of the worst posts you will ever see…

Some I wouldn’t share on any platform.

Watch this short video and let me know what you think – You know I love your comments.

Filed Under: LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Social Media Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Two Free Resources

Free Resources

Not sure if these is worth $.50 or $2.00 – Keep reading and let me know… 🙂

Many of you know that I am always in the car and unfortunately sitting in traffic comes along with the territory.

That was until I found the Waze app – it’s better than the GPS in my car because it takes into account the traffic when it gives directions.  It saves me at least 15 minutes per day.

Waze also tells you where the red light cameras are, if there is a car on the side of the road or more importantly a cop.  Even if you aren’t in the car all day like I am this app is a must – especially the first time it helps you avoid a jackknifed tractor trailer…

Another free tool that I use almost every day is Canva.com   This is a graphic design website.  If you or someone in your company is posting on social media you need to create an account on Canva.  There’s a small learning curve, but once you get comfortable your images will look like a professional edited them.

Canva has templates for every social platform so your pics will always be the right size.  You can resize photos and easily add text or your logo to any image.  If you pay the $12 per month you don’t have to resize photos manually, with one click of the mouse Canva will “magic resize” your image for every social platform.  This is a major time saver.

Are you currently using either of these tools?

Do you have any resources that I should be checking out?

If you have any questions or I can be any assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me at richdemarco@optonline.net.

Filed Under: Free Tools Tagged With: 2 Comments

New Jewelry Trays In Stock

I’m excited to announce that I have black felt jewelry trays in stock.  I just received my first order and I am very happy with the quality.

They are made to fit inside an 18″, 24″, or 30″ drawer.  Here are the exact tray dimensions –

For 1/2″ Drawer Boxes –

  • 15-7/8″ x 12-5/8″
  • 21-7/8″ x 12-5/8″
  • 27-7/8″ x 12-5/8″

For 3/4″ Drawer Boxes –

  • 15-3/8″ x 12-1/8″
  • 21-3/8″ x 12-1/8″
  • 27-3/8″ x 12-1/8″

I also brought in a 1/4″ felt liner that is 36″ x 22″ – Cut to size and use as a filler if you are using a custom size drawer.

Each tray is individually wrapped and packed 5 per box, but you can buy one at a time.  No more long lead times or crazy minimums.

I know you want to know the price –

Don’t I always save you time and money?  :0)

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Filed Under: Jewelry Trays Tagged With: , Leave a Comment
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