After my post on pizzelle-maker and community-do-gooder Little Pepi’s ran a few weeks ago, owner Stan Kourakos dropped me a line to talk a little shop.

Hi, Lynda,

Hope this email finds you well.

I am thoroughly enjoying your book, and it reminds me of my college days, rereading paragraphs and chapters in an attempt to absorb every detail. I am out of practice, hence the reason I am still only two-thirds of the way through it! The rationale behind the close scrutiny to your words is, frankly, to change (more…)

Good morning, Lynda,

Greetings from beautiful Australia. I am a Canadian ex-pat who lives in Bendigo, Victoria. We have the only regional ice rink in Victoria, and I am a volunteer with the rink. We offer figure skating, ice hockey, curling, and recreational skating at the rink. Last year, we started a new under-13-year-old ice hockey team called the Wildcats. We are organising to host the first (more…)

Dear Lynda,

A close friend recently suggested I read Rubies in the Orchard to supplement my Communication Studies classes at Northwestern University. Needless to say, I loved it! I am currently a senior at NU and believe product branding is a thrilling field and am passionate about incorporating consumer insight to build and transform a brand across trends and time. The advice, anecdotes, and accessibility (more…)

Do you know a business that is doing well despite the recession? Does your small business use a company or service that has helped you compete with the big guys? If so, then Lynda wants to hear from you. “Ruby Tuesday” is accepting nominations for companies to profile in the now bi-weekly column, where Lynda Resnick and the executive of the week share their insights into marketing and business solutions for the new economy. Submit your candidate for consideration in an upcoming column.

Need business advice? In “Ask Lynda,” the POM Queen answers your marketing and entrepreneurial questions. Submit your question today.

Have you noticed the number of boarded-up malls? Have you driven down Main Street and seen how many of your old friends’ businesses are gone?  That’s a sign that brick-and-mortar marketplace survivors are becoming increasingly rare, while their virtual counterparts are on the rise. If you want your brand to survive, you have to think inside the box – that little ubiquitous box that’s on your desk – and evolve your online marketing plan so that it will survive the next generation.

Prior to the Great Recession, scoring placement at Henri Bendel would have guaranteed a bath-and-body product line a home run. But in our new economy, are retail sales enough? Gregg Schwartz of Priel asks that very question as he seeks to take his luxury Dead Sea beauty treatment products to the next level.

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Sometimes it takes more than a good product to be successful. Twitter is outstandingly popular, but the powers that be have yet to develop a viable revenue stream, which is the core to any successful business plan. (You can follow me on Twitter @LyndaResnick.)

In today’s Ask Lynda, a budding entrepreneur gets some advice on different angles for selling his gadget in the niche museum market. (more…)

Dear Lynda,

I’m an adult ed teacher for Photoshop and photo classes. If we don’t get a minimum number of students, we’ll get a vacation instead. Curious if you might have suggestions for promoting my classes. (more…)

When a former employee contacted me on advice for his new business, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Not only does Michael Talve have a fabulous product, his environmental and philanthropic soaps are cleaning up this planet, one shower at a time.

Read on to hear the advice I gave to Michael on how to make his Vivo Natural Products even more desirable to customers. (more…)

Sometimes a product stands out so much that I just have to talk to the visionary behind it. Such is the case with Monica Williams’ creation, Pacimals, a combination pacifier/plush toy that she created after noticing that daughter Mackenzie kept dropping her pacifier, something that drives most tots to tears. That small observation has morphed into a new product that begs to be noticed in an already-saturated baby-product market.

In this week’s Ask Lynda, I break from the regular letter format to speak directly with the radiologist-turned-entrepreneur, who never expected that her email asking for business advice would prompt a response – much less an hour-long phone call from the author of the book she’d just read. “Holy cow – you replied!” Yes, Monica. Your product was just too cute and inventive to pass up!

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You’ve been doing steady business. But how to make it grow? A solo entrepreneur gets some advice on improving her line of personalized products. (more…)