Behind my Buffer curtain

What I seek is what I post.

Yes. It really is that simple.

To see “behind the curtain” of Trisha Trixie is to know me. If you don’t know me, just follow me on Social Media and you soon will.

My mind is always racing. I have an overactive imagination as well as a very overactive mind. I sometimes think my brain is like a 3 year old’s brain. In the 3 year old stage, from what I can remember about my kids, 3 is that “WHY” stage. Why is the sky blue? Why is the dirt black? How do I do this or that?

Yep. That is my brain.

What you may not know until now however, is that you get to see the results of all those questions through Buffer tools.

I have the Buffer extension added to my Chrome browser and for me, it has been the best benefit in the world. Depending on what your interest is, yours too.

What I do is look up images, quotes or articles on google Search and I go through them to find the answer, image or quote I am looking for. Then, I open them in a new tab so I can read them more or find the quotes I am looking for.

All I have to do is click on the Buffer Extension and this magic thing happens. Like transforming into a new dimension, a buffer window pops up and asks me which social media account I would like to post to.

The kewl thing is if I already have certain accounts checked off, it makes the posting into my Buffer that much easier! Every now and then, I want to post something to a different account and all I have to do is select that account. Sometimes, I realize that I don’t have the accounts checked that I plan on posting to, so I open another tab with all my accounts at Buffer.com so I can check them off and then when I go back to my searching and posting, it makes it easier for me.

That is just one of my workaround skills, but it’s a good one for me. It works for me, at least. Then I can right back into #BufferMode (as I call it) and Buffering away!

I love BufferMode!

Every weekend and sometimes on Friday, if biz is a bit slower, I go into BufferMode. I sit down with a timer and a purpose. I do my searching, I Buffer or Pablo images, maybe grab something off the Buffer Mood Board and add it to my Buffer queue, schedule it or every now and then something strikes a chord in me and I just must Share IT Now, and you know what? I can do that because Buffer lets me! I LOVE THAT!

Buffer has been my automation find of the century.

I have taught many people about Buffer and how to use it to their advantage, from Realtors, to Small Businesses, to Entrepreneurs or SoloPreneuers, StartUps, Growth Hackers, to anyone who will listen!

If you ask me, Buffer is the way to go!

Until next time,

XoXo TrishaTrixie

TrishaTrixie is a SoloPreneur, Empowerment Guru, Life Designer, Passive “Expertise” Income Expert, PinUp Model and Sprinkler of Fabulousness. She is the Founder of TrishaTrixie Designs, Trisha Trixie and Company, The Good of Sisterhood, Juste Etre: Just Be, Ms. Courage, and The PEP Club.Her and her newlywed spouse Ben (often known as HunEPants) live in Centennial, Colorado as new residents (transplanted from Iowa, via California, via everywhere else) and residing with them is their 3 cats, Miss Ivy, Mr. Booties, and Mr. Dude.

 

 

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April 4, 2016April 3, 2016 by TrishaTrixie™ Categories: Hints, The Trixie Times: TrixieLand Life, Tips, TricksTags: Automation, Automation Tools, Buffer Extension, Buffer is awesome, Buffer Mood Board, BufferMode, Business, Entreprenuer, Growth Hacking, marketing, Pablo by Buffer, Realtors, small biz, Small Business, Social Media, SoloPrenuer, Startup, Tools

Trixie Tech Tip and Tools: My Money is on Buffer

Everything is Awesome

We all have that thing, that app or site or tip or tool. You know what I mean, that one thing, that when asked

“If I had to pick ONE thing to start the year right, or to grow my biz the way I need to and want to, what would be that one thing, the #1 thing I could do to change my business this year, what would it be?”

BUFFER

Yep, Buffer.com

I found Buffer on @Twitter and thought I would give it a try. I was drawn in by their candor and demeanor online.  They were lighthearted and even fun posts about business and what they offer. They have Buffer chats where you answer a question or two they ask. Many followers of Buffer participate in their Buffer chats. Plus, I really love their attitude. I feel that Buffer has that

je ne sais quoi

ˌZHə nə sā ˈkwä/

noun

 

1. a quality that cannot be described or named easily.

   “that je ne sais quoi that makes a professional”

Many of the people, I noticed,  at Buffer work remote. Everyone seems to really love their job at Buffer or they wouldn’t be there. I like how they treat their employees. I am always amazed at what they offer their employees, but understand now why they join and why they stay. The wording they use on services they offer is also desirable. Words like “The Awesome Plan”. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a part of Awesome?

Yes, they have a free plan and honestly, I think it’s great. When I tell people about Buffer, that is one of the first things I tell them. Go online, try it out. They even have a free plan you can get started with. If you need a little bit more, they have the Awesome Plan which is only $10 a month.

What an investment! Only $10 a month and I can reach my audience with more content, better ways to share my content and fun tools to do it with? Where do I sign up? Www.buffer.com 

What I really LOVE about Buffer

I am a one woman band. I am banging the drum, clapping the cymbals and playing the harmonica. That’s how I see myself anyway. To be able to be a successful entrepreneur,, more so a successful SoloPrenuer, you have to have the right tools to get you where you desire to go.

The term SoloPreneur is of course a blend of the adjective solo meaning ‘done by one person alone’ and the noun entrepreneur, which refers to someone who starts their own business and is good at spotting and securing the best business opportunities.

Often I get asked “How do you do as much as you do? I always see you online, you have made a presence for yourself, and you are successful. How do you manage to do all that and more? Easy…Buffer.com Buffer is my #1 so to as the best business opportunity because it gives me an opportunity to focus on other tasks I really need to. Buffer helps me handle my Social Media so I can do the rest, efficiently.

Since many are new to Buffer I will tell you what I tell people in person and what I say in praises about this tool…

“Buffer is similar to HootSuite, however, instead of YOU having to take the time to schedule when everything post goes out, Buffer has already figured out the algorithms for you. It knows how many times to post that post on Twitter, or Facebook. It knows how often it needs to go out for each social media tool. For instance, Twitter posts need to go out more often than Facebook or Pinterest posts. The cool thing is, you don’t have to worry about that. You just create, then Buffer.

I like to schedule some of my posts, I just don’t have time to do that for all of them. I know others who need to have that control and the great thing Buffer can do it for you. How you schedule your posts and articles is up to you.

You’re in luck! Buffer also has that option! There are a couple of ways to schedule a post. You schedule it to go out once at a certain time and day, or you can schedule it yourself to go out as many times on Twitter as you want, or to go out more than once to Facebook. It is all up to you. You decide if you want Buffer to help or you want the reins. Or perhaps a little of both, which is how I do it. I schedule a few I know I want to go out at a certain time, and then mostly let Buffer do the rest.”

But wait! there’s more!

The Buffer ExtensionThe Buffer Extension for me is the great things since sliced, homemade bread. (That’s the bestest of the best) Now, whenever I am reading my articles or see an image online I can either choose to Buffer it, schedule it or add it to Pablo with one click to open the extension and then I choose which account to post it to, now, buffer, or scheduled.

Who is Pablo? The real question is not who but what?

What is Pablo?

Buffer also has Pablo. I  imagine Pablo similar to a sign twirler. It is like the

Bad Ass Picture ToolOn Pablo, you can use their images and quotes and/or create you own. As a PinUp model, I like to use my pictures to help brand my company. I mean, for me, I AM my brand so using my pictures just seems like logical and smart branding.

You go to Pablo, upload your image, add a quote or some wise words to say, the share image. You can change the height or width by choosing wide, square or tall , depending on which Social Media you plan to share it on. Then you add it to your Buffer or Share the Image right away.

You can also use the extension tool and add it to Pablo, then use the suggested quote, scroll through the quotes or post as is to you Social Media streams you have chosen on Buffer.

Here is an example of one of my Pablo Posts…

I just uploaded my picture, entered my quote, added the Secondary text with my website so I can be found and get some click overs to my site. I Buffered it to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and Pinterest. When I do pictures, I get way more clicks and engagement then when I just do a text post. I love this feature and plan to use Pablo a lot more this year as I see in my Buffer analytics that pictured posts had a higher ROR  (Rate of Return) for my sites and my business. Posting this on multiple social media streams helped me reach the users who reside on those sites and streams.

Social Media StreamsThere are many choices of Social Media streams you can choose to add to your buffer. You can add Pinterest, Google Pages, Facebook Profiles and Pages, Twitter profile, LinkedIn Profile and LinkedIn Pages or Groups. I had some LinkedIn Groups attached for awhile and my Facebook Model page, but when I went through my analytics from Buffer, I saw that those two had low to to no engagement so this year I switched around a few choices to see if I get better engagement on Pinterest this year. Plus I currently am taking a break off Facebook, but i do have some Facebook items Buffered, so my audience is still getting what they need without me having to onto the site.

You know what’s Awesome? Buffer, Pablo, Respondly….everything is awesome!

What are you waiting for? Go to Buffer and start your year off right! #IVoteBufferfor2016 #bufferhasmyvote #VoteBufferin2016 #BufferisAwesome #BufferisFabulous

Have you heard the news, Buffer is Awesome!

Now go…do…be great…no,…

Be Fabulous!

January 15, 2016 by TrishaTrixie™ Categories: SoloPrenuer Sweets, Trixie Tech Tips & ToolsTags: Awesome, Awesome Plan, Buffer Extension, Buffer is awesome, Business, Business opportunities, Desires, Entreprenuer, Everything is Awesome, FAcebook, Focus, Google, GooglePlus, Group, Hootsuite, Lego, Legos, Model, One Woman Band, Pablo, Pablo by Buffer, Page, Picture, Pinterest, PinUp, Profile, Quotes, Resondly, Scheduling, Social Media, SoloPrenuer, Streams, Tech, Tips, Tools, TrishaTrixie, Trixie, Twitter

When Given the Option: Choose Fabulous

Today is Fabulous Friday and I just wanna say….

My life is not perfect.

I fight with with my man. Not often, but it does happen.

I fight with my kids. In fact my 21 yr old hates me …with a passion.

My body is a mess. Arthritis, neck and back degeneration.Migraines. you name it.

I have suffered heartache like no other.

My business suffered a huge loss last year. Sometimes I really just wanna throw in the towel. Yet I keep trying new things and trying to make it work, some way, some how.

I am planning a wedding and getting married on a shoestring budget and trying to please two families one here in Des Moines, one there in Wisconsin.

I have a saboteur stealing signs off my car, outta my yard, and making nasty comments on my business  blog site to where I have to approve my comments. #HatersGonnaHate

The list could go on as I am sure your list of negatives in your life could be like this as well if not worse….

HOWEVER…

Why do I post happy pictures of myself on Social Media? Why do I post uplifting messages? Why do I post messages thanking others often? Why do I send out kisses and hugs, Xxx’s and OOoo’s? Why? Why do I do these positive things?

Because my life from the time I was born or at least as far as I can remember has been filled with negativity and bad things have happened to me. I used to feel like I was a victim. Now I realize I am an Overcomer.That song by Mandisa “Overcomer“ completely defines me. I went from Fragile to Fabulous. It is my Mantra. I even have an E-Course about it launching next year (but that’s another story for another time)

Somewhere along the way I made a choice. Just as YOU could also make that choice.

#BeNegative or #BePositive?

#BeMiserable or #BeFabulous?

Life is filled with so much hate, so much negativity so much anguish, so much heartache. We live it with every day. We see it on the news, we see it in our newsfeed, we see it on Social Media, we hear it on the radio and even in the work gossip. We can’t escape it, it seems.

We wake up every morning and have a choice. A choice to be happy or sad. A choice to let the pain take us over or conquer the pain. We have a choice to go to work begrudgingly or make the most of it. We have a choice to allow the hater get the best of us or rise above it and be the better person. We have a choice to let the stress of wedding planning be a chore or to enjoy the fun of it. We have a choice to worry about the child who hates us or love the child who loves us and calls us to see if we are ok, even if it only is every now and then. We have a choice to appreciate the friends who are there for us when we need them. We have a choice to thank the team who supports us when we need them. We have a choice to be grateful to the believers who believe in us, even when we are unsure if we believe in ourselves. We have a choice to love the man who loves us for us, the whole of us, when we feel ugly, when we feel less than pretty, when we feel less than ourselves, when we feel great, when we feel sad, when we feel mad and yes even when we are yelling at each other, we have a choice to love that man for loving us at our best and at our worst. We have that choice. We also have a choice, to let the one who broke our heart…go. We have a choice to remember that he is not the man who loves us, now. We have that choice too.

We are a result of the choices we have and will make.

The best part of the Indiana Jones Last Crusade movie I like is that part when the protector says to him “You must Choose, but Choose Wisely”

and when you know you have done right and you have made the right decision you know it in your heart and you feel affirmed. You feel that satisfaction!

You have chosen wisely!

Remember, the CHOICE, is up to you.

Be Fabulous!

Happy FAbulous Friday everyone!

Until Next Time,

xoxo Trisha Trixie Muah!

October 24, 2014 by TrishaTrixie™ Categories: Fabulous FridayTags: Anguish, Arthirtis, BeFabulous, BeMiserable, BeNegative, BePostive, Body Aches, Choices, Des Moines, Elation, Fabulous Friday, Fight, Grduge, Happiness, Haters, Hatersgonnahate, Heartache, Joy, Life, Loss, Mandisa, Married, Migraines, Overcomer, Pain, Perfection, Social Media, Stress, Suffer, Throw in the towel, Try, Uplifting, Wedding, wedding planning, Wisconsin 1 Comment

You want to be small fry or a big fry?

You wanna make $10 or $10,000?

That is the ultimate question.  Indie sites, like Etsy, Farmer’s Markets, and Vendors shows as well as many of these other small handmade businesses are great. You are making money here and there. But after talking with a mentor this week the big question loomed out there.

do I want to do my passion and potentially make no money or do I want to be in business? This is the difference i the $10/$10,000…seriously.

Making money on Etsy is fine for some. It’s $10 here or there. If you are fine with that, then great. I have no problem with that. Maybe you only desire to have a little spending money. Or maybe you just want to earn something for what you love to do.

However, if you want to play with the big kids here is a few things I learned yesterday I actually had no real awareness about til now…

Today I am doing research on Business Models. This is not a model like walking down a runway. I am talking about the Business Model for your company or Brand…aka what you are selling.

• For every product you make you have to look at it as 1,000 items not one.
• If Modcloth, or Rebel Circus or QVC Lori Greiner from Shark Tank Modcloth wanted to sell my product I would need to make 1,000 of the same item to be sold in their inventory. That is how it works. (Ok I kinda knew a bit about this but not as much as I learned yesterday)
• Every product you decide to make you have to ask yourself if this product is worthy of 1,000 of the same item being made?
• Is this product something you want known as your brand?
• Is this product something you desire to make 1,000 of?
• Then there are the channels….
  • That is where you are selling your product or item
  • Retail
  • Consignment
  • Drop Ship
  • Etsy
  • Goodsmiths
  • Square Market
  • Shopify
  • Other
• This is all alot to take in even for me and I know there is SO much m ore I am not even touching on because well, honestly, I don’t know it all. 🙂

I found this online and really like the explanation of it so I thought I would share…

• 
• I also found this explanation of Goods on Wiki that I think is helpful as well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_good 
• Learning about your Goods and what you have and where it fits in this stream is a good thing to know.
• I think it makes a difference in how you move forward…
• I am currently looking up Business Models of brands I like and that inspired me.
• Uniqlo is one of them. Here is their model
• 

I am a lover of Modcloth. So when I was doing research for this blog I found this little diddy and fell in love with the story. Check out how Modcloth made it here http://mashable.com/2013/08/13/modcloth-scaling/

I am going to drop off this subject with this little board I saw and think this might be a good thing to find inmy notes from Leonie Dawson and Right Brain business Plan…I have something like this from them..Might be a good place to restart my engines..

Now we move onto to channels (or what I am learning about them anyway)

This is the old way

This is the new way (or so it seems to be the most)…Shop Channel sites like ones I mentioned earlier

• Etsy
• Goodsmiths
• SquareMarket
• Shopify
• IndieMade
• other (What are you using that I don’t have in this list so I can update my list…please comment)

My mentor challenged me to a couple of “homework” items to make some changes to change my thinking and how I am doing business based on the answer I gave him..

Which was..

I want to make $10,000, be in business and get off this presipus I am on.

Step one:

I need to make it easier for my customers to buy off my website. I have a lot of people who say they love my site www.trishatrixie.com 

but the feedback from my customers is they have a hard time finding out HOW to buy things and WHERE to get things, HOW to order a custom Apron or Accesorry and so forth.

So I have to fix that.

I have these channels:

Brick and Mortor Stores:

Inspired Locally

Burlesque Hall of Fame

Green Goods for the Home

then I have two channels for online stores

Goodsmiths for my Comic Creations (Actions Aprons/ Superhero Inspired pieces etc)

and

Square Market for everything else

(I have two because Goodsmiths does not currently have an Andoird Swipe and Square does. However I have an Itouch and am going to test out if I can use the Swipe on the Itouch and that might alleviate some things)

then I have a Fashion Question Form for them to order Custom (but yet even that form is still unclear)

However people aren’t getting it…which leads to step two

Step Two…

Clean out old inventory if it did not sell.

Post pictures of current inventory ON my website and lead /drive them to the online channels

Have the picture DIRECT link to the BUY page of that item (why didn’t I think of that!!!?)

Step Three:

Take time to focus on my Residual Income idea now that I have the time because the third challenge is gonna be the hardest for me as a designer…

DON’T CREATE/MAKE ANYTHING ELSE

I whined…

so he said “Okay, don’t make anything new until something old is sold”

I can do that. 🙂

Now driving business to the page..and I learned it should be one page. This again, was a nice reinforcement as I somewhat already knew this. I used to have a apge for one thing, and then another page for another type and I had one prifle for one thing and one profile for another and so on. When I noticed Danielle La Porte and Susan Barconi Moe and many others were consolidating and turning everything to ONE palce to find it all, that’s when I started adopting this. I may have a few FB pages, but they all lead back to me.

My website it the same. I know (and listen up if you are not following this rule) that all your products should be able to be handled and found on ONE page. It is not good to have a page for one type of product and one page for another type. You WANT people to get to know YOU, your BRAND, who YOU are and to TRUST that brand. If you throw something new it, add it to your current brand under a different line. If your current brand or website does not embody that, then perhaps it is time for a change and time to rebirth your brand. Make your Business name or Brand so unique but simple no matter what you do could be under that brand. Thus why I am Trisha Trixie. Everything that I am falls under that. PinUp. Model. Fashionista. Blogger. Designer.

To some degree I am doing this, but since my shop sites are separate this has been where most of the confusion lies and why it has been an issue.

This has been a struggle for me which is why I was thinking oh I need a merchant account site or I need to pay and so on. How many of us in businesses like this think that way. But in the long run, I knwo there are workarounds and since WordPress.com offers FREE hosting, I have not wanted to go that route. I stare at pages like Shopify and groan thinking “but I like my site. Others like my site. Can’t I just make it better?”

Hopefully, with these changes and updates, I can.

So back to driving business to my ONE page. www.trishatrixie.com

Driving business I think is easier now that we have Social Media outlets like these…

I have seen a vast amount of upscale in sales since I have been using Twitter. But I do not have measureable goals and stats to prove that.

So that is Step Four:

Start Measuring.

Look at stats.

See what is working and what is not. Remove what is not. Make what is working better.

Hopefully, with all of this I will be able to proceed to the next level of sales. Also in cutting down what I am making perhaps it will allow me more time to work on the website idea I am doing, blog to drive more traffic, have time to write articles for magazines and start generating a different drive essentially thus again upping my sales.

Lastly,

as I said in the beginning. If you are fine with the way it is. Then that’s great. I enjoy designing, making creating,  but I want more. Or, at least I think I do. With these tips we will see if I can do things this way. I think this will also answer my questions on Passion or Business?

I realize this means not as much creating and that is the positive sacrifice I am willing to take right now.

My desire (#CDF) in the end is to be #Profitable (ned to add) and these others listed here…

I am for the path that takes me there…

My yellow brick road is mine to color, create, sparkle and lead me to however I desire to go. It is up to me to lay each brick down the right way. Otherwise I could end up in some crazy tree land with poppies that steeer me off my path.

I will find my Oz.

One way…or another…I’m gonna find it…

Xoxo Trisha Trixie

One little tidbit I found for ya as I was looking for imags to add to this. Ways to Make Gobs of Money. Check it out.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/9-ways-gobs-money-seriously-123000074.html

July 30, 2014 by TrishaTrixie™ Categories: Lessons Learned, Trisha TrixieTags: Amazing Biz Life Academy, Big Fry, Burlesque, Business, Business Model, BusinessModel, Channels, Clients, Consignment, consumers, Consumption, Consveration, Creation, Customer Relations, Customer Segments, Customers, Desires, Digital Marketing, Distibutors, Distribution, Drive, Driving Business, Etsy, Fashion, Goods, Goodsmiths, Green Goods for the Home, Inspired Locally, Inventory, Key Activities, Key Partners, Key Resources, Leonie Dawson, Lori Greiner, Manufacturers, marketing, Measuring, Modcloth, Offers, outlets, Passion, Pin-Up, PinUp, product, Production, Products, QVC, REbel Circus, Retail, Retailers, Right Brain Business Plan, Shark Tank, Shark Tank Modcloth, Shopify, Small fry, Social Media, Square, Statistics, Trisha Trixie, TrishaTrixie, Wholesale