How did BeadZbyRoZ get in the Sunday edition of the Wall Street Journal?
Isn’t this something every small business dreams about- publicity, free press? It came about because I am focused, tenacious, spend time reading others Facebook posts, have fans who have connected with me & I joined groups on Facebook. That’s right.
Social Media works.
I have been studying, learning & applying lots of wisdom from many professionals about how to build my Facebook fan page, engage with my fans & grow my handmade beaded on-line jewelry business. I saw a post through a group I belong to, that a reporter was looking for people who became entrepreneurs after age 65. That was me!!! I asked the fan for details & started my correspondence with the reporter. Several emails later I had my phone interview.
The Phone Interview
Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous. After all, it was just a conversation between two people. The reporter & I hit it off & as I answered her questions about my business, why I started it, how it was doing, I realized she was trying to determine if I met a particular criteria, without exactly telling me the criteria. Ultimately I was so comfortable with her, I shared a lot about my background, my own work experience before retirement as a career counselor for the NYS Dept. of Labor & why I was persistent in my efforts despite being in the red. I was perfect.
Why?
I always loved the world of work & this reporter was featuring Sr. citizens who chose to become entrepreneurs late in life for some financial reason, “But Ms.Evans, who launched the full-time venture six years ago, isn’t your average tech-savy entrepreneur. She’s a 73-year-old retiree, looking to supplement her pension so she can help her family overcome recent financial hurdles.”
I was also perfect because all my work life I knew I made a difference for others as a counselor to the unemployed & here in retirement I was still doing it. I was doing it by sharing about myself through my blog , on my Facebook page & by my daughter & I creating jewelry that has a woman feel good about how to accessorize, own beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry that artistically compliments her wardrobe & at affordable prices.
Hidden from View
Retirement works well for some people who enjoy the leisure time to do what they want when they want. That worked for me the first few years but my life changed after I took a class on how to bead & discovered a talent & a passion for combining tantalizing beads, stones & crystals. Having spent 30 years helping others to connect with their inner desires I found mine & it had been hidden from my view. I never thought of myself as artistic. I was a ‘helper’. Could I inspire others, not necessarily to turn a hobby into a business, but to pursue a dream, to know that it is never too late to start again? It is why I started to blog & share my own journey into beading, my own transformation.
Outcome
I was very excited when the article “Tackling a Business Later in Life” came out on April 7th 2013. I heard from readers across the country & sold necklaces to customers in Oregon, Knoxville,TN. & Washington State through our website earthandmoondesign.com. Even though BeadZbyRoZ had been in business for 6 years, I was in my first year focusing on my online sales.
Being In The News –BeadZbyRoZ was on the map!!!
Comments 21
Sounds like you found it!! Good Luck!
All I can say is you rock!
Congratulations! Thanks for sharing how you accomplished this! You must be very proud!
Thank you for the article and for so beautifully sharing yourself and your work.
This is super fabulous Roz! Wow, wow, wow! I am super impressed! You are kicking butt and taking names girl 🙂 Love it 🙂
I love that more and more people are venturing off and going into business for themselves to help supplement their stretched income.
Roslyn, this article is an inspiration to those who feel social media may not be working. Also, you are an inspiration to others because of your perseverance and determination to help others. Thanks for sharing.
Nice to meet you Roz!! You have a lot of neat things going on!
Best,
Yvonne Brown
Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing your accomplishments 🙂
Wow! Congrats! You must be so excited!!
Wow this is great! Congratulations.
Awesome! High five to you for stepping out and getting it done! Woohoo!
Congratulations! What an awesome story:) Thanks for sharing:)
Congratulations, you are amazing!
Excellent post Roslyn, I really enjoyed to know about you and your story! What a fantastic experience to be feature on the Wall Street Journal, congratulations, you are an inspiration to every entrepreneur!
Congrats, and most of all you are having fun with it!
A HUGE congratulations to you & this is an inspiring blog post. Thanks for sharing with us.
A real testimonial to the power of social media in the works. Congratulations on hitting the big time news and exposing other working women over 50 to beautiful beaded jewelry.
Wow! Congratulations! Love this post. Enjoy the journey you take us on. Looking forward to your next post!
That is SO AWESOME! Keep at it!!
Congrats Roz, you are really an example to follow! I’ve been reading your posts on Facebook on how determined you are to learn social media and technology and I can only say that I really admire you! Keep it up, you inspire others!