Facebook: Women in Business: Boost Your Business

Today I attended a 2 hour training session tailored to women who want market their small business brand through Facebook. The information was fantastic.

Grace Hilty, from the Facebook Small Business Team, was the moderator and she was composed and as clear as a bell. The topics ranged from tips for taking better photos (white foam board can bounce light and marble contact paper can make your work surface look expensive when photographing food) and the importance of capturing people's attention in the first few moments of a LIVE video when the sound is off. Great information and we were only a few minutes into the program.

I appreciated that the content was part presentation, part video learning, so that the Facebook team could show us exactly what the screen looks like when you use the CreateAds tool or boost a post. 
  
What I found most valuable was that I can learn more about how to use the Facebook products for my business in these 3 places. It makes sense, but I didn't realize that they had organized a learning area and I know that I will benefit from it.

https://www.facebook.com/business
https://business.instagram.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blueprint

The event included a panel discussion with 3 local women business owners and they did a terrific job. Debbie Page (business mentoring), Claire Sumadiwirya (Bellden Cafe in Bellevue) and Jennifer Jedda (JJ Caprices (accessories). They gave real-life examples of how they use Facebook to connect with customers and target their advertising specifically to the demographic that generate sales for their business.

There are a lot of classes/seminars/events that promise results for small business people, but this session felt like it was truly loaded with helpful guidelines. As with any endeavor, the time and effort required to learn to use Facebook as a marketing tool rests solely on the business owner. For their part, I think Facebook has done a good job making the tools easy and user friendly. And with any worthwhile session, I felt antsy for it to finish so that I could get started. Nice work and thank you for providing this free training.

#shemeansbusiness #finddelight  #womeninbusiness 

Seattle: Cutest Coffee Hut in Redmond

It's like a backyard playhouse for coffee lovers.  I had seen these cute little buildings in parking lots around town, but it wasn't until a friend insisted that I visit this coffee hut at the corner of Redmond Way and East Lake Sammamish Parkway (in the Shell Gas parking lot) that I became a believer.  In Michigan, large chain coffee houses are the norm.  Independent coffee shops are few and far between. Little coffee huts sprinkled throughout the suburbs are the stuff of dreams.

I parked right outside the Sammamish Point Espresso, and there was no wait to be served, I had a delicious latte and the barista was as nice as can be. She even gave me restaurant suggestions for my stay! After years of standing in line, this is an espresso experience I can handle.

Seattle: Coho Cafe Redmond: Fish Frenzy and Salmon Stats

My new friends were sure that I would like anything I ordered at the Coho Cafe in Redmond. They were right! I couldn't resist the special: fresh halibut with a blood orange glaze over sticky rice and pea pods. I ate every bite.

I missed taking a picture of our shared appetizer, but the Roasted Green Chile and Cornbread Waffle with agave butter was fantastic. Sweet and creamy and crunchy and hot. Yum. Who needs dinner?  

But we did, of course and everyone seemed very happy with their selection.  I had a bite of Paula's "limited edition" salmon, known as the Copper River Salmon, and it was deep red and so rich I described my bite as salmon pudding. 

In a region where fish is king, there is extensive seafood knowledge that I know nothing about.  The girls told me that when the first plane arrives from Alaska this time of year full of the beloved Copper River Salmon, the pilots walk off the plane holding up a fish (could I make this up?). I read an article in the Seattle Times that says the pilots then present the salmon to three chefs that cook it right then at the airport to kick off the season. You must see the article here.  I love this place.

On a whim, I ordered an Elderflower spritzer. It was light, non-alcoholic and tasted like a honey-flavored herb fizz.  What a great drink to enjoy with fish! Elderflower is all the rage right now and this is a fun way to try it.    

My husband worked late and missed dinner that night, but I promised him that he would have his day at the Coho Cafe before we flew home.