Our Inspiring woman over 40 this week is Vanessa Quigley: Inspired by her desire to turn those endless phone photos of her kids into something real she could hold in her hands, she created Chatbooks, a website and app that turns social media feeds into printed photo books.
"It was a particularly heart-wrenching moment of mom guilt that catalyzed starting my company," Quigley wrote in this Thrive Global article. "I realized I had never printed a single photo of my youngest โฆ and he had just turned five years old. (Horrifying, I know.) Our app was created when I realized there must be an easier way for parents to get their photos off their phones."
With Chatbooks, users can personally choose the photos they want to include, or let the app do it for them, sending a new book every time the user posts 60 photos on Instagram. With the help of hilarious viral videos like this oneโthe company has grown exponentially, now employing more than 100 people and having sold more than 10 million books to date.
"I continue to champion ways to resolve mom guilt in every part of our company," she continued in the article, referencing Chatbooks' "Toddler Guarantee," which says, that if your child rips, draws on, or eats your photo book, you can get a free replacement. "It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the mini failures of being a parent . . . When you take a minute to look at family photos, you remember that youโre doing a good job and feel like a better parent. I have photos everywhere now to remind myself that Iโve got this!"
Anyone else embracing this new 'role'? It's wild to me that I know something that my community comprised of much younger, in-touch, tech lovers didn't know or were not comfortable to use๐
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Let me expound..
โจBut first, like share or save this post for later.
I'm very happy to share my 'new skills' with them and enjoy the exchange of ideas that comes with it. In this instance, the 'skill' was creating a poster on Canva for an evening of telescope watching.
Here's something else that comes with this, especially as an older person navigating this space...
I realised my insights into how I'd process or consume the content they were trying to create, were uniquely different because of my experiences, age. Sometimes this may not help much, especially where the content will be shared to others of a different demographic, but even then, my insights created moment for pause and thinking about how the audience would consume it. They couldn't have known that because most of them are younger than me, or if they were older, didn't know how to work around the issues.
๐ฅHere's to sharing what we know, owning it and lifting teaching other along the way. 'A rising tide lifts all boats'
What skills have you found yourself sharing with your community-family, friends, co-workers, which you didn't think you'd have?
โ ๏ธ๐โ ๏ธ๐GIVEAWAY ALERT โ ๏ธ๐โ ๏ธ๐
For ladies aged 50+
We have an amazing giveaway lined up for you!! But before I divulge the details we are sooo humbled by the sponsors of this giveaway who believe in us and are extending the same belief to you who desire to start and grow your instagram product business. Truly grateful๐.
Details:
We have 2 categories of giveaways
1. Open to all.
2. For the ladies 50+
Because there are 2 categories of this giveaway you will see 2 posts. Take note of where you fall.This post is 'For ladies 50+' category.
-You are free to enter both categories if you fit the bill for both.
Now onto the rules.
These are simple, however, you need to fulfill all of them for consideration for the giveaway.
1. Like this post
2. Leave a comment (what business do you want to start/are you doing?)
3. Tag a friend.
Bonus- SHARE THIS POST FOR 2 Extra AUTOMATIC Entries (not a requirement for entering the giveaway, but it will help us get the word out there.
PS: If you share, please tag @inclasswithmeruti so we know to confirm).
Thatโs it!
The giveaway will close midnight Sunday 29/10/2023 and the winner will be announced on Monday 30/10/2023 10:00am!
All the best!
โ ๏ธ๐โ ๏ธ๐GIVEAWAY ALERT โ ๏ธ๐โ ๏ธ๐
Open to all Category.
We have an amazing giveaway lined up for you!! But before I divulge the details we are sooo humbled by the sponsors of this giveaway who believe in us and are extending the same belief to you who desire to start and grow your instagram product business. Truly grateful๐.
Details:
We have 2 categories of giveaways
1. Open to all.
2. For the ladies 50+
Because there are 2 categories of this giveaway you will see 2 posts. Take note of where you fall.This post is 'Open to All' category.
-You are free to enter both categories if you fit the bill for both.
Now onto the rules.
These are simple, however, you need to fulfill all of them for consideration for the giveaway.
1. Like this post
2. Leave a comment (what business do you want to start/are you doing?)
3. Tag a friend.
Bonus- SHARE THIS POST FOR 2 Extra AUTOMATIC Entries (not a requirement for entering the giveaway, but it will help us get the word out there.
PS: If you share, please tag @inclasswithmeruti so we know to confirm).
Thatโs it!
The giveaway will close midnight Sunday 29/10/2023 and the winner will be announced on Monday 30/10/2023 10:00am
Hey! We are in this together-no kidding! Here's the reason I'm saying this๐.
But first save this post for later so that others can glean from it too!
I started my business at 41, a year after our son was born. It was equal parts scary and exciting. Not a clue about what I was doing, literally flying by the seat of my pants. But one thing I did - almost obsessively, was learn as much as I could. Every day, I spent about 2-3 hours cumulatively learning all I could about social media marketing, product selling, online selling, searching for products, logistics etc.
Those late nights with my little guy were actually bearable-apart from when my body really needed to shut down and rest and here I was with a wide-eyed little one at 3am (we had really bad sleep training transitions that kept being scratched to square one every 2 wks or so๐ฉ) I consumed all I could, just to be in the know, stay connected and informed.
Then Covid hit and incidentally one area of my business really grew-Home goods.
Now I had to really refine the business. I dove back in with the same gusto and it showed/paid off.
But.. I realised I couldn't sustain this. It would come at a price, I wasn't willing to pay. So I gathered all I knew and started putting it together in systems that could work better for me - even as I continued showing up for my family.
Celebrating my achievements by applying what I'd learnt in my previous career on running projects and managing resources-especially time and I realised there's alot that I knew now as a woman in my 40s that was helping me do better, get better results for my business.
This formed the foundation for In Class with Meruti. I share my journey and tips so that you don't feel alone in this.
No more fear. Just flowing with what I already know and adding new elements that enhanced my business.
This can be you too. Considering going into business? Second career? Side hustle? Wondering how? Face the fear and do it anyway. Take a step each da
Live launch of the IG 101 course for product businesses ๐
Get it at selar.co/ICWM_IG101
The Instagram 101 course is launching on 1/10/2023.
Its literally a beginner's course on starting and growing your Instagram product business from years of experience running a successful product business. It covers the bases, literally holding your hand step by step 5 days self-paced, various supporting docs, checklists, virtual support for 3 weeks after you get started, until you are comfortable to get started and running!
Get on the waitlist for 25% off until Sunday launch day.
Hands up if you are wearing many hats/playing several roles in your business...
โข Marketing
โข Logistics/Delivery
โข Marketing
โข Sales
โข Creator/designer
โข Accountant
โข Photographer/Content Creator
โข So much more!
As small business owners we wear all these hats and then some. Truth is it is not sustainable. At the beginning, yes, that is what it will take to get you started and going perhaps, but after some time youโll realize some balls are being dropped โnot because you want to, but because itโs a lot. All. The Time.
Your mind is always on, rarely taking a break because if you do something somewhere might get forgotten or looked over etc
Let me help you out๐โโ๏ธ .
Iโm working on and very soon launching a foundation course for starting out on instagram as a product business. Like a How to sell on instagram course. This is so that you donโt have to think about what you need to do inorder to have an online presence on this platform. Instagram is a visual platform and for product businesses, as of now, it is THE best platform to showcase your amazing product, followed by Facebook in my opinion. Donโt leave this to chance. Get it right, right from the start with this course.
As an aspiring business owner this oneโs for you too! It will help take away the overwhelm around what you need to do on this space to sell your product, so that you can free up some mental space for the myriad other aspects of your business.
Course launches on 1st October 6pm and better yet, you can get on the waitlist! Being on the WAITLIST assures you a discount๐ฅณ
Comment ๐๐' Yes' ๐๐, and Iโll put you on the waitlist .
The best decision I made for my business was .. Going Live๐. Here's why.
I had noticed a regular stream of questions around my products, which could be lumped around issues to do with dimensions. I shared images of the same products, but there were always questions around how big is it, can it fit in xyz? How wide is it? Ofcourse, I'd include these details in the description, but for one reason or another, this wasn't enough. Perhaps this was the reason I'd get inquiries but no commensurate sales?
So I asked myself how else would I convey this message or aspect in a virtual way?
Answer? Go live. Have live sessions.
My 1st live sessions were awkward and I was scared of showing my face, but even then, I already started noticing a difference. I started calling them 'Live shopping sessions'๐
More importantly, the engagement increased.
When engagement increased, my numbers started to grow organically. This was an unexpected side effect, but one that I readily welcomed.
It was different, I fumbled alot, but I learnt along the way and got to refine the process and be comfortable. As they say, when you find something that works keep doing it and refine it.
All that to say...
You can do hard, different things too! It doesn't have to be conventional like others. Do it your way. That's what makes it stand out. With time you'll get your style going and be comfortable.
What one thing have you done in your business that created a shift?
Follow along/join the class to get more tips๐ค
You've probably read or heard the phrase
'Link in Bio' What does it mean?
Where is it used?
Can I have a link if I don't have a website?
See the post for more details and look out for a session we'll have where we share tips on how to create that link even if you don't have a website.
If you just learned something new, please share this post๐ค
Part 2: We got cut off but we are still here๐
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In Class with Meruti's 1st Live session๐
