Country Living Women Entrepreneurs Part 1

What a day! 600 women from 40 states attended the 3rd Annual Country Living Women Entrepreneurs event at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago. The day began with Country Living Editor-in-Chief, Nancy Soriano interviewing the delightful Anna Griffin, of Anna Griffin Inc. What originated as a stationary brand, Anna Griffin Inc. now licenses over 1,000 products from wedding invitations and paper goods to fabric and formal china. As a successful entrepreneur with a strong brand identity, Anna was the perfect choice for the "Lunch with a Leader" session. She came with a strong marketing message for the attendees and emphasized that a brand is "a promise to your customer." She stressed the importance of marketing our businesses with a consistent message. Her advice was to make a PR schedule (media call cycle, press releases, e-newsletters) and stick to it, including photographs whenever possible to reinforce the brand. During the coffee break, I was able to meet Anna and let her know about my company. I was able to tell her that I had sent an Anna Griffin product (a darling peony-print paper mailbox) as a Subscribe To Delight gift back in 2006...after all, she knows delight!