Vermont Shortbread Company

Happy GroundBLOG Day

Sorry, I couldn't resist the February rhyming play on words: groundHOG, groundBLOG.  Okay, I'm probably the only one laughing, right? 

Thursday, February 1 (that's tomorrow) is Vermont Shortbread Company's first annual Groundblog Day.  Just as we challenge ourselves to sell massive amounts of shortbread in August, we are now challenging ourselves to write in this blog every day for the month of February and we're thinking it might become an annual event.  Why?  Because blogging is a great way to improve search engine rankings, connect with customers, promote ourselves as thought leaders, and, gosh darn it, because WE LIKE IT! 

GROUND=noun, base, beginning, earth.

BLOG=noun, verb - the vehicle through which Vermont Shortbread Company's CEO blogs (i.e., writes, spews, rants, markets, pontificates, amuses herself) online. 

I'm taking my cue from friend, Donna Toothaker of 1stVA.  Donna took her cue from Kristie T's Home Business Blog.  In early January, Kristie challenged her readers to a 30 day, 30 blog entries contest.  Donna has been consistently keeping up the effort while having fun with her informative blog posts which she says are positively impacting her traffic.  Yay, Donna!

I was a little late (what else is new?) to Kristie T's party so I decided to create my own personal challenge,  Groundblog Day.  Yeah, I know, it's lame and I don't care. 

Here's to 28 days of good clean shortbread fun.  Let the party begin.

Happy Groundblog Day. 

August Shortbread Challenge Update

I haven't had much time to tally up the orders and give an accurate count, but I can tell you we're behind schedule to meet the goal of selling 300 gift box shortbreads in August. 

I'm off to feed tourists on the Burlington bike path in an hour.  Let's hope this effort boosts sales up and gets us closer to our goal. 

Tally coming soon.  I must hustle to get out of the house now! 

Become A Holiday Hero

If you're anything like me, the holiday season brings stress and anxiety.  I used to be so busy during the November-December time period that there were a few years I didn't even have time to get a Christmas tree, let alone attend parties or buy gifts.  I'd work all day at my full time job, come home, get my child ready for school the next day and then bake and fill holiday shortbread orders all night. I'd start the whole process again the next day.  I'd do this for about a month between Christmas and the new year.  It wasn't good for me and it wasn't good for my daughter. 

During the Christmas shortbread rush three years ago, I was so exhausted from the non-stop work days that I drove ON the OFF ramp to the interstate one day.  Luckily, I did not have an accident, but I knew something had to change. 

I got some help with balancing my workload.

It's 2006 now.  I've hired a brilliant baker, a creative copywriter, an efficient bookkeeper, someone to help me pack and ship shortbread, and a woman to clean my house.  I am going to be working with a professional organizer next month to help me organize my office and I occasionally call on a virtual assistant for help when I need it .  I am working with a partner to begin farming out freelance writing work if I'm overloaded with client requests.    I'm working more now, but I'm delegating more too.  It wasn't easy for me to do that, but it saved my sanity and my physical health.  And I'm getting more done because I have people I trust helping me. 

I understand holiday stress.  I've lived it and I'm over it.  I can help you alleviate holiday stress quietly, efficiently, and dependably. 

If you are one of those people who becomes completely exhausted and anxious every year at Christmas (and every year you say, "It's not going to happen this year..." but it always does) allow Vermont Shortbread Company to help.  Here's what to do:

1. Visit our web site and take a look at our delicious offerings. 
2. Make a list of all the friends, relatives, business associates, etc., for whom shortbread would be a lovely gift.
3. Pick up the phone and call Vermont Shortbread Company at 802-264-4835 or email us at jsaz@gmavt.net and tell us about your order.  Do it today. 
4. Allow us to reward you with a discount for ordering and paying early: 10-14 gift boxes and you get a 10% discount, 15-19 gift boxes and you get a 15% discount, 20+ and you get a 20% discount. 
5. Check off "holiday gifts" on your to-do list and forget about holiday stress.  The holiday elves at Vermont Shortbread Company will mail each one of the gifts on your list on the date you specify.  They'll even include a handwritten gift card from you.  They have lovely penmanship, those elves.
6. Bask in the compliments you'll receive from your gift recipients in December when they say, "Where did you get that stuff?!?  It's incredible.  Where can I get some more?"
7. Feel good all year round that you've supported a small, socially responsible business (who is giving 10% of the proceeds from this August challenge to charity) rather than buying another impersonal gift card from one of those big box stores. 

Now enjoy what's left of summer and pat yourself on the back for being proactive and balancing your life so YOU can enjoy the holidays. 

Congratulations, you are now a holiday hero! 

We All Win When We Play the August Shortbread Challenge: A Quick Rules Update

If you order $15 - $18 worth of shorties (those are the 4" round shortbreads that retail for $3 apiece), it will count as one gift box in the August Shortbread Challenge.  A gift box retails for $17.

Orders received through my barter networks do not count for this promotion since I do not receive any cash revenue from them (I do get barter credit, though, so if you're on a barter network with me, order away and I will find some other way to thank you!)

The August Shortbread Challenge is off to a great start.  Orders started coming in just after 11 a.m. EST.  Stay tuned for the shortbread honor roll where I will recognize those who ordered (with their permission, of course). 

Will this be the year Ann breaks a personal and professional record and ditches corporate America for good?  It just might be...

The Challenge Begins Today

My compost pile is as hot and steamy as the heavy, moist summer air today.  The shortbread oven is all fired up and my wonderful baker, Jenny, is raring to bake. Things are heating up all around this August! 

Today begins the mighty August Shortbread Challenge for the little company that could.  My intention is to sell 300 gift boxes by August 31.  That's approximately 10 per day. 

It's 10:21 and I haven't sold any yet.  Would you like to be the first?  You and your company will be mentioned in my electronic newsletter's honor roll and right here on this blog.  Just think of the FREE publicity.  Just think of how good you'll feel when I write a hefty check out to a deserving non-profit at the end of the month (donating 10% of my revenue to charity during this challenge). 

Brewing on the Sidelines

Amy and Melissa at Burlington Currency Project (http://www.burlingtoncurrency.org/) approached me yesterday with a great idea of their own.  We're planning a date this month to hand out shortbread samples on the Burlington bike path near the waterfront.  The Burlington Currency Project's new office is in a prime bike bath location right between two creemee (creemee is Vermont-speak for soft ice cream) stands.  There is a lot of summer traffic and it provides a wonderful opportunity for exposure and education on the Burlington Currency Project's mission and its members. 

I sit on the Board of Directors for this wonderful organization and am blown away by the energy, brains, power, and commitment I see at the meetings. 

Stay tuned for the date and time of the Burlington Currency Project / Vermont Shortbread Company bike path event.

Check Vermont Shortblog daily.  August promises to be a month of intense activity all around! 

Thank Goodness I Did My Holiday Shopping in August - Now I Can Enjoy Summer!

Wow, would you look at what happens when you order your holiday shortbread early?  Our pathetic head-in-hand model who looked so exasperated only yesterday now looks like she's actually enjoying a summer get-together with her friends! 

How did she do it? 

Simple.

She went to www.vermontshortbread.com, made a list of everyone to whom she wanted to send holiday gifts, then called the kind folks at Vermont Shortbread Company (802-264-4835 or jsaz@gmavt.net) for more information on flavors, shipping costs, and gift cards.   

She was surprised to find that her call to Vermont Shortbread Company was answered by a real live person who actually engaged her in pleasant conversation.   She placed her order and was done in about 10 minutes flat.  She was thrilled to realize she wasn't going to have to race around like the proverbial headless chicken in December. 

Now she's at the lake enjoying a tasty barbecue and fireworks with her friends. 

Just think of how good you'll feel to have crossed a very big to-do off your holiday list this August.  Call Vermont Shortbread Company at 802-264-4835 or visit their Web site today.  While you're there, don't forget to sign up for their brilliantly funny and friendly newsletter by dropping your email address in the box at the bottom of each page.  It's easy. 

The holidays can be stress-free for you this year.  Ask us how. 

Oh Shucks, It's August and I Haven't Done My Holiday Shopping Yet!

• Are you frustrated like the small business owner in this photo?
• Are you thinking about your holiday marketing plan while partying with your friends on the lake?
• Are you so engrossed in your own business during the holiday season that you never have time to go out and buy gifts for your own friends and family? 

Worry no more.  Remove your head from your hand and take a sip of that drink in your other hand.  Relax.  Let Vermont Shortbread Company take care of your holiday gift giving needs this year. 

Order all your holiday gifts during our August Shortbread Challenge and we'll give you a discount of 10% when you pre-pay and order 10-14 gift boxes, 15% on  15-19 gift boxes, and 20% on orders of 20 or more gift boxes. 

Yep, that's right.  We'll send out your gift box shortbread with a personalized card right before Christmas, or whatever holiday you choose to use it for. 

Just think of how good you'll feel (and how jealous your friends will be) when you casually toss out the following sentence in the middle of your Labor Day barbecue, "Oh, I just finished my holiday shopping...with Vermont Shortbread Company."

Order now.  Or call us at 802--264-4835 to discuss your holiday gift list. 

Help us meet a goal.  Help yourself be stress-free this holiday season.

We all win when we all play the August Shortbread Challenge!

August Shortbread Challenge: A New Party Begins August 1, 2006

Last year's August challenge went so well, I'm going to make it an annual event.  In  case you missed last year's shortbread challenge (if you want to read about last year's challenge click here), here's what went down a year ago:

July 2005: My home and bakery are under construction.  Everything is a mess with construction guys running around and my house torn up.  I am working ridiculous hours at IBM.  I am newly married and learning how to be a step-parent.  Business for Vermont Shortbread Company is typically slow at this time of year.  I am feeling a tad anxious trying to juggle it all and decide that my typical coping schemes of turning to chocolate and indulging my designer purse obsession are not options here.  A serious and inspiring solution to my discomfort is needed. 

August 2005: I decide to sell 100 gift box shortbreads in August to boost sales and my waning confidence.  Insane given the circumstances?  Perhaps.  I am testing my new theory that putting intentions out into the universe and publically proclaiming them helps them materialize and asking for help are good things.  I decide to donate 10% of my revenue from this challenge to a worthy cause if I reach this goal.

End of August 2005: After a month of blogging about the progress in reaching this goal, I manage to sell 100 gift box shortbreads WITHOUT a bakery, WITHOUT a web site, with a home in construction chaos, and while working full time at IBM.  I DID IT!  My confidence rises to new levels as I realize that if I can reach this goal under such challenging circumstances imagine what I can do with a web site, more time to devote to the business, the right support, and a bakery!? 

End of August 2005: Sadly, Katrina hit at the end of August and the question of where to donate 10% of my revenue was answered easily.  Having been a former teacher in inner city schools in New Orleans, I felt very connected to the cause.  I remember helplessly watching the images of the people stuck in the Superdome and wondering how many of them were my students 20 years ago. 

Here's the 2006 Shortbread Challenge (insert drum roll):

I am going to sell 300 gift box shortbreads in August 2006.  Come back to this blog tomorrow for more details.  (Or sign up for our monthly newsletter, Short Bites, by going to www.vermontshortbread.com and dropping your email address in the subscription box at the bottom of the page.)

Either way, stay tuned.  I'm going to create a new shortbread record this August and donate some serious money to a worthy cause.   

The party begins August 1. 

August and September 2005 Shortbread Honor Roll

This is a list of the wonderful customers who helped me meet my August goal of selling 100 gift box shortbreads and continued the fun into September. This is by no means a complete listing; I just had to get the ball rolling. I'll be adding to this in pieces, so check back daily!  Thanks to everyone who ordered. 

If you ordered and don't see your name here and would like to see it here, please drop me an e-mail and let me know.  I have not gotten through the whole list yet and I don't want to leave anyone out.

Dina Giolitto                                   Wordfeeder.com

Tara Burner                                    EverythingEcoFriendly.com

Kelly Chaplin                                   Your Favorite Red-Headed Realtor

Amy Kirshner                                  Burlington Currency Project

Mary Rose Maguire                         Dating Revolutionist!

Lisa Hodges                                    Focus on the Family

Nancy Hammond                              Elsie's Daughter here in Huntington, VT! 

Kate Powers                                    Creative Memories

Denise Wakeman                             Next Level Biz Tips

Ginger Marks                                  DocUmeant

Cathy Elizabeth Levin                      New York City

Terry Hernon MacDonald                 How to Attract and Marry the Man of Your Dreams

Diane Tegarden                              FireWalker Publications

Barbara Stahura                             Clariti Communications

Charlotte Maddox                           Online Beauty Consultant

Lauren Lee                                     Women's U

Donna Toothaker                            1st VA

Sue Koch                                        Exit Strategies for Corporate Rats

Maria LC Salomão                           Brick House Realty

Denise Michaels                              Marketing for Her

Stephan Anstey                              Lowell, MA

My Friends at IBM                           Essex Junction, VT

Shortbread Honor Roll Coming in a Few Days!

I've extended the shortbread honor roll to include August AND September.  Since the August shortbread challenge was such a huge success, I decided to continue the effort and continue to donate $1 per gift box sold to hurricane victims. 

Watch for the honor roll in the next week.