Vendor week day four

Welcome to day four of vendor week! We will continue vendor week until October 4th...check back next week for more great vendor interviews and deals!

Today we are welcoming Magazine Mama to the Savvy blog!

Business Name: Magazine Mama

Facebook Address:  http://www.facebook.com/mymagazinemama


Tell us how you came up with the idea for Magazine Mama?
 ~The idea for Magazine Mama came when I decided to combine two of my favorite things - magazine publishing and photography!  

What's your favorite product you offer?
 ~My favorite product is our Basic Digital Photography for Kids Curriculum.  

What's your mission for this business?
 ~The mission of Magazine Mama is to help photographers “turn pages to profit” with customizable studio marketing templates and photography curriculums. 

Do you work from home or from your studio?
 ~I work mostly at my home office but can be found in the studio sometimes too!

What's your favorite part of running a business?
 ~My favorite part of running this business is all the talented and creative photographers I get to meet along the way.  

***

We are giving away our favorite product to one lucky winner~  one Basic Digital Photography for Kids Curriculum Bundle...here's where to enter... Giveaway at Magazine Mama. (don't enter here...you must enter at the Magazine Mama site)

***You can also get 30% off your order at Magazine Mama using discount code savvy.

Vendor Week on the Savvy Blog...day two

Welcome Tonya from Kotori Photo Jewelry to vendor week here at the Savvy!

We love Kotori jewelry...and we love the sweet girl who created this amazing line...come meet Tonya (we think you'll like her too!)

Business Name: Kotori Photo Jewelry

Website: www.MyKotori.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mykotori

How Did I Decide to Start My Business: 

I first became interested in the idea of photo jewelry after having my own children and remembering how much I had loved the photo pieces my own mother had when I was a child. Unfortunately, those pieces had yellowed and faded, so I set out to find a way to create heirloom quality photo jewelry that would never fade or yellow. Years of experimenting and practice have lead us to where our line is now. Fun and trendy photo jewelry printed on archival paper that will not fade and a coating that will never yellow.

What's the Mission for My Business: 

I began selling retail and did quite well selling to the general public as well as photographers. All of that changed, though, after working at a photographer workshop with Kimberly Wylie & Laura Novak. I went and listened, really listened, to what photographers were telling me about the business and how they wanted to use photo jewelry to market themselves. They told me horror stories of bad customer service and that they were tired of using vendors who sold retail. I was inspired. I left the conference and changed the whole direction of my company. No more retail. We started focusing exclusively on photographers. We listened. We made policy changes, we created programs based of photographer input. Everything we create or do is designed to meet the needs of photographers, and that makes a huge difference in how our company is run. 

Do You Run Your Business Alone:

 Thankfully no. Not only do I get to be married to the most amazing man, I also get to work with him too. My husband, John, joined Kotori in the fall of 2010 so we are truly now a family business. We work side by side every day. We also have several employees who are part of our Kotori family. One of our requirements to work at Kotori is that you have to have a good sense of humor, so we laugh a lot.

Favorite Part About Running My Business: 

Meeting with photographers and hearing feedback. Some of our best ideas come from our customers! We love being a part of the photographic industry - going to shows like Imaging is like a big class reunion. We look forward to it every year!

Favorite Product: 

I'm really excited about our brand new Client Gift Concierge Program. We know how crazy the fall get (trust us, we are in the same boat!) so we wanted to come up with a very simple way for photographers to gift their clients without all the stress and hard work. We do everything from creating personalized cards for the boxes to shipping directly to your clients (for FREE!). You end up with a happy customer AND a great marketing tool. For a more detailed explanation of the Client Gift Concierge Program, watch the video here. 

We'd love to give one lucky Savvy reader a $50 gift certificate good for anything in the store! (www.MyKotori.com) 

How to enter~

**Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite product from Kotori...we love hearing what you love! That's all you need to do to enter...leave a comment and you're entered. The giveaway ends tomorrow (September 25) at 8am EST. So hurry and leave your comment to win a $50 gift certificate from Kotori! 

Welcome to Vendor Week at the Savvy blog

Welcome to Vendor Week at the Savvy Blog! This is our favorite week because we get to know more about the businesses behind the banners.

We're starting off the week with one of our newest vendors, Squioo Design Studio. 

Business Name: Squioo Design Studio

Where can we find you on Facebook?

Squioo Design Studio on Facebook

We'd like to know...

1. Favorite product you offer?

Unlimited photoshop templates for just $10 per month

2. What gave you the idea for this business?

As designers and photographers ourselves, we got really tired of being nickle-and-dimed for every single template we purchased on other marketplaces, and hence we launched Squijoo.com. For one low monthly fee you can get your hands on unlimited photoshop templates, anywhere, anytime!

3. Favorite part of running the business?

Getting messages from photographers everyday telling us how we have improved their photography business income and also how much money we save them. It's stories like these that help inspire us to create awesome templates for photographers and deliver them at a highly affordable cost.

4. How long have you been in business?

Only 11 months but we plan to be around for a long time to come :)

5. Where are you located?

In beautiful Houston, Texas.

***We are offering 50% off membership to our website for Savvy fans.

You can get access to unlimited photoshop templates for just $5 per month with this special offer. Simply use coupon code 1EE3B at www.squijoo.com 

{vendor week...day 2}

The Portrait Cookbook

by Kelly McMahon Willette

Do you struggle with posing children, siblings, seniors or families once you get to a session? Are you spending too much time at a session randomly clicking your shutter, hoping to get "that shot" while the parents look at you like you don't know what you're doing?

WELL, I'm so happy to offer this super useful tool to my fellow photographers. After fumbling with how to create a seamless session, i came up with my own "pose cheat sheet" of sorts....i tell you what, it changed the flow of my sessions with multiple children and families.

The guides include at least 25 poses each (+ additional poses within the unique pose cards)....don't stress over what to do at a session again!

VISIT The Portrait Cookbook for more information.

The “cookbook” is presented as a downloadable file containing

at least 25 jpg images for you to print,

along with other organizing detail sheets,

such as an equipment checklist,

a guide on how to successfully use the portrait posing cards,

and a checklist to guide you pose by pose through

a client’s home or outdoor setting.

Coupon code is: savvyphotographer; good for $10 off your order; expires December 01, 2009; use coupon upon checking out.

***

MadiLu Designs

MadiLu Designs creates marketing materials

and templates specifically for photographers.

We specialize in custom marketing sets, which include business cards, letterhead, envelopes, stickers, brochures, forms and more. Each set is created to fit the style

and personality of the photographer.

Custom logo design is also available.

The MadiMoo Club is a monthly collection of templates

that will keep your product line fresh.

You'll find more of MadiLu Designs work at PinkInk Studios, including premade marketing sets and card templates.

Visit http://www.madiludesigns.com/ for more details.

{Keep an eye out for a giveaway soon from MadiLu...a custom made logo!}

{get ready to shop...Vendor week starts tomorrow}

Get ready for Vendor Week...starting tomorrow!

Each day, we will highlight our sponsors so you can get to know them a little better. And some are offering the Savvy readers some sweet discounts! {someone is even giving a freebie!!} Come visit us for the week...grab a cup of coffee...and enjoy!

***

The list for the workshop is growing quickly with a great group of photographers! If you haven't gotten on the list, email to get on.

My friend told me to check out the October issue of Southern Living...here's a peek at our venue for the workshop...