HearPreneur published my little story about how I came up with the name “Middle Child Marketing” when I started my business.

Full excerpt:

Being the middle child

When I was in university finishing my degree in Film Studies, I always thought “Middle Child Films” would be a great name for a film production company since I am the middle child of 3 siblings in my family. Subsequent jobs led me toward a career path in Public Relations, so when I started my company five years ago, Middle Child Marketing ended up working out. It’s a great conversation starter, and being the middle child has interesting parallels with companies trying to get noticed through marketing. Also, it turns out that there is a Middle Child Films already!

Thanks to Sandra Garcia, Middle Child Marketing Inc.

To read the rest of the blog post, visit Hearpreneur here!

The Story Exchange was asking for company stories awhile back and I totally forgot I had submitted one. I’m super grateful to be one of the chosen folks they profiled on their site. I do want to point out that, while the reason I started my own company was because I was “disillusioned about the corporate world” and thought that the PR firms in town might offer me a similar experience to what I went through, not all corporations are evil. I myself have created a corporation, and know that everyone’s values differ, so it’s just a matter of working for or running a business that is reflective of those values.

Click here to read the profile of Conscious PR on The Story Exchange along with other amazing stories!

Full article follows below.

Photo credit: 4.bp.blogspot.com

I may only have incorporated last year, but my brand today is five years old. It hasn’t seemed that long, and I still feel like an owner with a young business, which it is. I’ve learned so much, worked with amazing people and companies, and feel lucky to be one of those 98% of small businesses in BC working to keep our local economy going.

Here’s to another successful five, we hope!

Over a year ago I answered a HARO (Help a Reporter Out) query that made it onto Tom Corson-Knowles’s blog, which he eventually turned into an e-book and launched a few days ago: 101 Ways To Start a Business for Less Than $1000: How To Start A Business Without Breaking the Bank. You can actually download it for free on Amazon.com here (for iPads, download the Kindle app).

Building a business is easier than ever with so many tools and resources, and much less capital needed to start-up… depending on what your business is, of course.

My tip: #66. Turn Your Hobby Into a Business

“I started my PR consultancy business in 2008 with under $1000 of my own money. I did not get a business loan to start, rather started with some business cards, a website that I made myself (under $100 for two years of domain & hosting), and office equipment that I already possessed such as my computer and printer.

In my opinion it is much easier to start as service-based, B2B business than product-based or B2C business because your ‘product’ is your own skill set and knowledge. I have since offered marketing consulting, copywriting, and editing to my roster in addition to Publicity campaigns because of the education and skills that I already possessed during the years prior to starting my business, and gained along the way.”

A friend of mine is starting a new business with her partner and it’s very exciting to observe… I’ve already started to give her all the startup tips I wish I’d gotten before I launched MCM Inc.!

Two other great resources for starting a new business include Lean Startup and Running Lean.

I have become that which I vowed not to become.

SOCIAL MEDIA. I have mixed feelings about this phrase. I love connecting with others online, sharing what’s going on in my work and life, and get most of my daily news through social media. On the other, it’s something I have to be ON on a daily basis, lest I miss big news in business or from someone close to me.

I have been on Facebook since 2007 and Twitter since 2009. In 2010 I began Facebooking and Tweeting for some client events and the Vancouver Short Film Festival on a mostly volunteer basis. This experience made me realize how connected you really have to be to your client or event in order to be the voice. I vowed never to handle one’s account on a daily basis again unless I was being paid to do it.

I snapped a shot of The Vampire Diaries’ Sara Canning at the VWIFF Spotlight Awards Gala in 2011. It was the only photo of her posted on social media that night.

Fast forward two years later, and everyone in business – whether internal, Advertising agencies, Marketing agencies, PR agencies, consultants – is on social or trying to be on it. I’ve seen more and more folks struggling to keep up with the constant Facebook timeline updates and algorithms, and find out how exactly you calculate return on investment. Even though I vowed never to handle someone else’s account, I started thinking that I could do it BETTER than some people themselves. Of course, I cannot be at a client’s business 8 hours a day, but I can be that voice they wanted to be online; a better one than the one they are putting out there. So I started thinking about how to make money out of it, and I have come up with a few packages I’m going to start offering as of this year.

THE BASICS

Set-up of two to eight accounts including Hootsuite integration, and 1 hour of training.

THE BASICS + HELLO BLOG!

Includes the above plus installation of a WordPress blog into your website, or a new website and blog. A new website is always exciting to make, provided you’ve done the branding homework.

SOCIAL MEDIA STAR – 3-month campaign

Includes The Basics, 11 weekly blog posts, any promotional contests, sponsored Facebook ads (budget not included), and an analytics report at the six and 12-week marks. Access to Google Analytics is highly encouraged.

SOCIAL MEDIA CELEBRITY - 3-month campaign

Includes The Basics, installation of a WordPress blog into your website or a new website and blog, 11 weekly blog posts, any promotional contests, sponsored Facebook ads (budget not included), and an analytics report at the six and 12-week marks. Access to Google Analytics is highly encouraged.

I will also charge by the hour for consulting sessions.

Depending on how I feel about the first few campaigns I do, if I feel this is something I can sustain long term, I will have to start calling myself a “PR + Social Media Manager” rather than a Publicist to better define what I do for businesses.

They say you should do what you’re good at, and what you love. I know social media is one thing I am good at, but whether I will love doing it for others is something to be discovered.

For rates, please contact me.

It’s back! Western Canada’s largest holiday themed show, the West Coast Christmas Show, is back for year 5.

Media coverage:

November 2, 2012 – GoodNewsWeekly.ca

November 5, 2012 – SeansAdventuresinFlavorTown.com

November 15, 2012 – FraserValleyPulse.com

November 15, 2012 - FabulouslyFrugalinVancouver.wordpress.com

November 17, 2012 – TV Week Magazine

November 19, 2012 – BCLiving.ca

November 22, 2012 – Abbotsford News

November 22, 2012 – SensesInspired.com

November 23, 2012 – JoytvNews

November 23 – Tony & Kasey’s The Best of Food & Wine Show on AM 650

November 23 – go! Vancouver on Shaw TV

November 24 – Sing Tao Newspaper

November 25 – Global TVBC Morning News

November 26 – VancityBuzz.com

November 26 – CTV Noon News

November 27 – CTV Morning Live

November 27 – The Now Newspaper (Surrey)

November 27 – AbbotsfordToday.ca

November 29 – Valley Girls blog on TheProvince.com

November 29 – Abbotsford News

November 30 – Notable.ca

December 1 – TheStayAtHomeMother.com

December 2 – HelloVancity.com

December 3 – AbbotsfordToday.ca

December 3 – BCFoodieBlogger.wordpress.com

December 7 – TeaWithMeBlog.com

December 19 – GCPNews.com

December 19 – Global Chinese Press

On November 30-December 2, 2012, thousands of guests attended the 5th annual West Coast Christmas Show & Marketplace at the Tradex in Abbotsford to explore the hundreds of show exhibitors in the marketplace, listen to holiday-themed music on the Sounds of the Holidays Stage, and learn from chefs and decorators on the Home for the Holidays Stage and with the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Children’s activities included a ride on the new Christmas Train, looking at Fraser Valley G Scale‘s steam-operated train, model-making with the Fraser Valley Model Making Club, and taking photos with the big man himself, Santa Claus.

The winners of the Festival of Trees tree-decorating competition were as follows:

First place - St. John Ambulance Abbotsford
Second place – Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada, Fraser Valley Chapter
People’s Choice Award – The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford

 First place: St. John’s Ambulance

Second Place: MS Society of Canada

People’s Choice Award – The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford

Paliotti’s Italian Restaurant also won the Setting the Season table setting contest out of the four local competing businesses.

For more photos of the show, click here.

For more info on next year’s show, go to westcoastchristmasshow.com.

For Immediate Release

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada – The 5th annual West Coast Christmas Show has announced the partners participating in the annual Festival of Trees Competition on November 30 – December 2 at the TRADEX Trade & Exhibition Centre. The Festival of Trees presents Christmas trees that will be decorated by the following charities competing for a $500 cash grand prize from Executive Event Production Inc.:

Abbotsford Youth Commission
The Arthritis Society, British Columbia & Yukon Division
British Columbia SPCA Abbotsford branch
Cassidy Briggs Foundation
Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon Chapter
Circle F Horse Rescue Society
Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association
Habitat for Humanity, Upper Fraser Valley
HOME Society
Job’s Daughter’s International – Bethel #20
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada, Fraser Valley Chapter
The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
Rick Hansen Secondary School
St. John Ambulance Abbotsford

Other competitors may be announced leading up to the show.

The runner-up charity will receive advertising from Praise Radio in the first quarter of 2013. Media and other community members will decide on the tree that is most reflective of the holiday season and the winners will be announced on Sunday, December 2.

Attendees are encouraged to see the displays and learn about the work of these charities helping the local community. They can also donate to vote for Visitor’s Choice, given to the tree they enjoyed the most, and be entered to win a gift certificate to a restaurant.

Show tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and a discount applies if bought online. Admission is free for children 16 and under. For more information, visit westcoastchristmasshow.com.

TRADEX Address: 1190 Cornell Street, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 6H5

It’s awesome when someone you worked with years back touches base. In this case, 5 years later. Amelia Alcock-White was an artist I worked with in 2007, just before I left the PR company I was working for. It only took a few glances at her work to see what an extraordinary talent she was. And she is only 31 now!

Since her 2nd solo exhibition, The Art of Staying Afloat, Alcock-White has had two children, which inspired her newest collection, Water Born.

Click here to read the official news release.

The exhibition runs from November 29 – December 13 at the Petley Jones Gallery on West 6th Avenue & Granville. If you are interested in coming out to the Opening Reception, here are the details:

Thursday, November 29, 2012, 6-8pm
Petley Jones Gallery: 1554 W 6th Avenue, Vancouver BC

For more info on Amelia, go to ameliawhite.net. Click here to RSVP on the Facebook Page.

For Immediate Release

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada – If you’re looking to escape the shopping mall crowds and find gifts made by local companies and artisans, check out the West Coast Christmas Show & Marketplace on November 30-December 2, 2012 at theTRADEX Trade and Exhibition Centre in Abbotsford, BC. Over two hundred exhibitors will offer items for your loved ones, and visitors can identify artisan crafters by looking for the “Select Artisan” signs in their exhibit.

Below are just some of the hot ticket items at the 5^th annual west Coast Christmas Show:

Art and Home Décor

• Handmade pottery by Anita Studios Pottery
• Wooden belt buckles and other home items by Mokajade Designs
• Eco pearls, air plants, and glass globes by Rackitfile Inc.
• Stamped antique silver cutlery by The Loving Spoon

Mokajade Designs belt buckle

Air Plant by Rackitfile Inc.

Beauty and Body

• Fable Naturals’ fair trade body products and vegan lip balms
• It Works! Ultimate Body Applicator, wraps, and skincare products
• Royale hair straighteners from Moya Beauty Industries

Clothing

• Creampuff by GG girlie boxer shorts and fun sleepwear for women
• Piknic Designs’s handmade collection and accessories
• Baby ponchos by Po Po’s Ponchos

Creampuff by GG

Jewellery and Accessories

• Jewellery organizers and clutches by Vic & Albie
• Inspyred Creations’ reworked vintage jewellery worn by TV stars
• Artisan silver jewellery by The Magpie’s Nest
• The Shelley Line European style jewellery and accessories

Inspyred Creations cuff

Food

• Checkers Premium Fudge and other desserts
• Chef Kev’s gluten-free cookies, nuts, organic shortbread, and chocolates
• Artisan spice blends, balsamic spreads, and vinegars by Edible Gardens
• Flavoured nuts from A Good Portion
• “The world’s most amazing breakfast cereal” from HolyCrap.ca
• Northern European baked goods from Sweet Thea Cakes

Sweet Thea Cakes Fruit Cake

For the kids and family

• Le Sola Sun Active Products that change colour under the sun
• Custom CDs with children’s names by SongsWithMyName.com
• Speed badminton equipment from Speedminton

For the pets

• Danes & Divas fashionable pet accessories
• It’s for the Birds birdseed cakes and birdhouse gourds
• Soggy Dog water, sand, and hair repellant vehicle seat covers for dogs

Soggy Dog

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and a discount applies if bought online. Admission is free for children 16 and under. For more information, visit westcoastchristmasshow.com.

Hours:
Friday, November 30, 11am-9pm
Saturday, December 1, 10am – 6pm
Sunday, December 2, 10am – 5pm

TRADEX Address: 1190 Cornell Street, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 6H5