A space for women business owners to share.
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Karen Spaeder
- Female
- Fullerton
- United States
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- Discussions (7)
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Karen Spaeder's Discussions
Karen Spaeder's Page
Latest Activity
Hi Karen. I would love to swap blog posts with you. My blog is http://ostylemdm.blogspot.com
On this blog, I have a Spotlight Series for all the businesses who collaborate with me.
It is very simple. You send me an article about your business and...
Hi Karen,
Thanks for inviting me into your group.
I have a catalog business that deals with environmentally safe household products as well as many other items. Good for all with an opportunity to earn monthly income for life. Anyone interested in...
Dedicated to women-owned businesses with a product or service that benefits the environment
Contact Jay Kilby at http://www.webuyitgreen.com. This is an enviro-friendly shopping directory. He can list you as a merchant, and list your product. I think he'd find a woman to review it if you asked him. He's a good guy, runs a clean site. I k...
Dedicated to women-owned businesses with a product or service that benefits the environment
Comment Wall (12 comments)
- At 5:03pm on April 21, 2008,
Dana Hall said… - Hi Karen,
Congratulations on "Entrepreneur". Amazing publicity!
I noticed the mention of Ladies Who Launch. Did you complete the incubator program?
Dana
http://www.passionateforlife.com
- At 7:55pm on April 20, 2008,
Nina said… - Congrats Karen on your article in the Entrepreneur!! The article brought me right here. I would LOVE to speak with you personally regarding my Christian t-shirt designs aimmed towards teens. I am right at the point of what you list as your biggest hurdle and would love to be able to speak with someone regarding the whole start-up to such a company. I have had designs for years now, but I feel overwhelmed at exactly how to market and start up.... I would love to speak with you personally regarding this.... I personally love that your son gave you the inspiration from his recital!! gotta love our children.... I too, wish you continued success and hope to speak with you soon! :O) CONGRATS
- At 5:26am on April 20, 2008,
Shannon Davis said…
- Congrats on the feature in Entrepreneur!!! Wishing you continued success!!!
Cheers,
Shannon, Beyondmotherhood.com
- At 4:50am on April 19, 2008,
Lorraine Ball said… - Congratulations on your article. Be sure to make the most of if, by ordering reprints, sharing it with customers and colleagues, and send press release to local paper letting them know you were featured nationally... It is a great way to get follow up exposure
- At 10:03pm on April 18, 2008,
Kimberly Porrazzo said…
- Take a look at the MAIN page where I uploaded the Entrepreneur piece!
- At 9:54pm on April 18, 2008,
- Karen! Congrats on the coverage in Entrepreneur! I saw a few new members on the site and asked them where they heard about MyWomanOwnedBusiness.com. They told me Entrepreneur, page 96! Thank you sooooo much for the mention. Enjoy your celebrity!
- At 12:48am on March 14, 2008,
net-workingwomen said…
- Hi Karen,
this must be synchronicity - i have just seen your bamboo clothing blog - not two days ago, a friend asked if i had heard of the "new" clothing craze ie bamboo. I ahdn't, but now i ahve and it looks great. I had a look at your website as well...Fab idea...bamboo being such a fast growing resource - i have a little bamboo forest in my garden!!
regards
kathy
- At 10:59pm on October 7, 2007,
Leisa Ruiz said…
- Hi Karen, I earned my BA in Speech Communication in 1995 and then my MA (same subject) in 1998, so we may have overlapped.
Maybe we could talk for a couple of minutes on the phone this week and I could hear more about your goals for your company. The person I was thinking about that you would like to meet owns a company in Dana Point called Aquamantra--it is bottled water with a mantra on it. I know that is not the same thing you do, but she is in a growth phase that may be where you want to be and deals with Henry's Market, etc some big distributors nationally. So first I would need to know where you are in your business and where you want to be to know how I can be of most help in creating connections. I would definitely check out NAWBO (of which I'm not a member, but I admire their organization highly)--there are a lot of heavy hitters in there and you could easily get connected to power partners, etc. If you've done a lot of networking, then you already know the power of it....
- At 3:25pm on October 7, 2007,
- Hi Karen,
It caught my eye that you're from Fullerton--I graduated and taught at CSUF. I might know a couple you'd like to talk to and also of a couple of organizations to suggest (like NAWBO). That is great that you used to write for Entrepreneur mag--after 4 years of having my own business, I can officially say that I am one! :)
Leisa
- At 9:48pm on October 2, 2007,
Karen Spaeder said…
- Hi Kimberly, thank you for all the helpful info. I will definitely check out those avenues. I was invited to your site by Vanessa Besack, who is a good friend of mine. I've written about small business for years as a writer for Entrepreneur magazine, and recently I decided that it was my turn, now that I've got a 5-year-old son in kindergarten and want to try to free up some time from the typical 8-5 job. Incidentally, if you're ever in need of content for the online mag you're launching, that's a specialty of mine as well. I am really looking forward to connecting with other women business owners here. Thanks again, Karen
Profile Information
- What is your name?
- Karen Spaeder
- Are you currently heading a woman-owned business?
- Yes
- If you are in business, what is the name of your business?
- Rain Frog Apparel
- Where did you get your idea for your business or the business you'd like to start?
- I wanted to offer eco-conscious clothing, as I have an interest in sustainable business, and my son served as the inspiration for the name. One day, while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, he replaced the last line with "With liberty and justice for frogs," and the idea blossomed.
- Where is (will) your business located? (City and State)
- Fullerton, CA
- If you already have a website, what is the address for your business?
- http://www.rainfrogapparel.com
- How long have you been in business? (Or when do you plan to open?)
- Aug 07
- How many employees do you have, if any?
- 0
- What is your annual revenue?
- $1K-$10K
- Describe your product or service, or the product you plan to introduce to the market.
- T-shirts and other apparel made with bamboo and other sustainable fabrics
- How did you (or plan to) fund your business startup?
- Credit cards
- What was (is) the biggest hurdle in getting your business off the ground?
- Currently marketing and financing are the biggies.
- What would you advise other women interested in starting a similar business?
- Put a marketing plan in place and contact potential retailers to guage their interest in carrying your product. I also started working with a mentor who introduced me to an opportunity to earn residual side income. This will help to fund my business and give me the capital I need to really make a splash. I'd be happy to work with any women on the site who would like more information on how to do this. If you go to http://kspaeder.qhealthbeauty.com and click on "Opportunity," there is a little info there (and I can answer questions as well).
- What has been your biggest mistake?
- I'm not sure yet!
- What has been your smartest move?
- Working with a manufacturer who could do the entire process, from helping with designs to creating the final product. Also, having mentors and women like those on this site to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm.
- Are you willing to answer questions from other women business owners about your business?
- Yes
- What is your email address?
- info@rainfrogapparel.com
Karen Spaeder's Blog
I'm in the running for a grant...and I need your help!
I am a semi-finalist for a $1,000 grant from IDEA Cafe, and I am need of your assistance to help me get on the road to obtaining the grant. Over the next couple weeks, I must promote the heck out of this and then come back to IDEA to let them know what I did to spread the word. Here is one of their suggestions:
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1. Tell Everyone You Made the "Semi-Finals" for $1,000 from IdeaCafe.com
******************… Continue
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1. Tell Everyone You Made the "Semi-Finals" for $1,000 from IdeaCafe.com
******************… Continue
Posted on May 16, 2008 at 11:27pm — 2 Comments
Calling All Greenies...Want to Sell Your Stuff on My Site?
I'm branching out a bit, and I have a proposal for you, ladies. Do you have anything in your product line that is ecofriendly? Would you like to become a vendor on the Rain Frog Apparel site to sell your wares? And would you be willing to devote some real estate to my exclusive bamboo line on your own site? If so, I want to hear from you! We can arrange to give each other commissions on any sales, and drop-ship our own items. I'm also in the process of revamping my website to give it a contempor… Continue
Posted on May 8, 2008 at 10:07pm — 1 Comment
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