Holiday Shopping, Start Now September 7, 2010

We know you are scoffing at the fact that stores are already stocked full of coats rather than flip flops, and that Halloween candy is already on the shelves. We’re right there with you; however, as distant as they seems now, the holidays are coming! Everyone loves a good sale, and Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) shopping is usually a great way to get those big ticket items for less in stores, Cyber Monday (the Monday after Black Friday) shopping is great for getting great sales online, but smaller items with smaller price tags are unlikely to drastically change in price. With constrained finances, shopping for Christmas well in advance should prove to pay off. Instead of stretching one or two paychecks to get all your shopping done, consider starting your Christmas shopping now. At the very least, start making your shopping list and saving as much money in the bank as you can. You’d be surprised how much buying little items here and there now will bring you both financial and emotional relief when the holidays are looming.

Shopping now or even earlier, is becoming more of a trend then you would think. According to the American Research Group Inc.’s twenty-fourth annual survey on holiday spending, shoppers are planning to spend an average of $417 for gifts this holiday season. (See the Survey) Online shopping has opened up a new world to shoppers, and finding sales and comparing gifts is easier now than it has ever been. Some parents may find that stashing gifts bought early at grandparent’s homes will help keep them hidden from the kids. There are so many reasons and ways for you to shop now rather than later, that there are way too many for us to list! You can save yourself time, stress, and money simply by shopping for the holidays now rather than later. Don’t let yourself procrastinate, you know it has never helped in the past, nor will it now. We wish you great sales for your holiday shopping! In fact, we have one to get you started! Enter theholidays15 at the checkout on http://www.gofreshforce.com, and you’ll save 15%!

Win With Words August 10, 2010

Hello Everyone!

Our Inspiring Women Contest will be ending soon, and I wanted to make sure you had enough time to get your entry in! All you have to do is write a few words about a women that inspires you, email it to me, and you are entered to win! Your write up can be as long or as short as you want. The winning writer and his or her inspiration will each win a prize, so what do you have to lose? Write about your mom, grandma, mentor, boss, sister, best friend, whomever you choose, and you could win! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. If you need a reminder, look for the orange banners at the top of www.gofreshforce.com. Good luck, we look forward to reading and awarding your winning entry soon! Contest ends AUGUST 31, 2010.

Quotes to inspire you to give our Inspiring Women Contest a TRY:

“Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” ~Stephen Kaggwa
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” ~Anonymous
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” ~Vincent van Gogh
“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” ~Beverly Sills
“There is merit in the attempt, and a whole lot accomplished along the way.” ~Anonymous

Finally, my personal favorite because it’s cute and nerdy at the same time,
“The best angle from which to approach a problem is the Try-angle.” ~Anonymous

You guys are quick, so I think you get the point. Enter the contest, have a good time writing about the women that inspire you to be a better person, and you might win something for yourself and your inspiration! Good luck! Remember to email your entries to asmith@gofreshforce.com. Thank you!

What Makes Us Different? July 29, 2010

Hello Readers!

This week, I attended a Lunch ‘N’ Learn Seminar at the Chicago Market entitled “Image Building 101″. Many of the points made throughout the presentation got me to think, and think hard. It was primarily geared at small businesses trying to find their place in the world. A great question posed by the presenter was, “If your company never existed, the world would be worst because?…” The room was not filled with many willing to answer out loud. This question could apply to anyone, change the word company to job or ideas and the meaning still hits home.

As a big part of Fresh Force‘s marketing, I began to ask myself, what makes us [Fresh Force] different? Different from our competitors, different from the other companies sitting in that room with me, just different. One thing that I can think of immediately is our artisans, although sometimes I don’t feel like I get them enough attention. I have attempted through showcasing their products, but perhaps this is a bad approach? Maybe I’m not getting the point across that purchases directly benefit our artisans. Hand selected, each and every woman or group of women, relies on their products to sell so that they can earn a living for themselves and their families. Sure they might have jobs on the side, but the bulk of their income usually comes from their talents of creation.

The Lost Symbol a great book by Dan Brown, has a wonderful quote to help complete what I am trying to say.

Since the beginning of time, man has sensed there was something special about himself… something more. He had longed for powers he did not possess. He had dreamed of flying, of healing, and transforming his world in every way imaginable. He had done just that. Today, the shrines to man’s accomplishments adorn the National Mall. The Smithsonian museum burgeoned with our inventions, our art, our science, and the ideas of our great thinkers. They told the history of man as a creator- from the stone tools in the Native American History Museum to the jets and rockets in the National Air and Space Museum.

I’m not trying to suggest that the products from our artisans will someday end up in a museum, unless your closet resembles one, but more on the side that as a human race, we are creators. Each decision we make can change the world, even the tiniest of decisions can add up over time. (Just like compounding interest for your first dollar in the bank!) Being involved with Fresh Force, means that I have an obligation, one that I take on willingly, to help our artisans. Dawn, Karin, Kate, Kristin, Sherry, Susan, the women from Bridge for Africa and the Stung Treng Women’s Development Center all depend on us to find the customers that love their products and cannot get enough of them. Truthfully, I’ve been racking my brain to find the best way to do this. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. As always, asmith@gofreshforce.com or post a comment below. Thanks!

FREEdom Sale June 28, 2010

“Let FREEdom ring.” To celebrate 234 years of freedom in the United States of America, we are having a FREEdom Sale! Here’s how it works, you spend a dollar for every state there is in the U.S. (I’ll do the math for you, that’s just 50 dollars.) Once you get $50 worth of awesome gifts and products in your cart, you get FREE shipping! You don’t even have to remember a discount code; your shipping will be automatically deducted! It may seem small compared to all the exhilarating feats people in this great country have done for you, but lifting the burden of paying for shipping doesn’t hurt, right? Shop soon, the FREEdom Sale ends July 6, 2010!

www.gofreshforce.com

Inspiring Women Contest! June 23, 2010

From day one, the vision for Fresh Force was to Inspire, Empower, and Encourage women from all walks of life to do what they love and help them provide for themselves and their families. We strongly believe that each and every one of the artisans we feature on Fresh Force is doing just that, and we are thrilled to be a part of it!

Now, as we reflect back on everything that has happened with the website thus far, we decided that we haven’t give you (our newsletter readers, friends, fans, followers, etc.) enough opportunities to talk about the women that inspire you. Here is your chance! Please send us stories of women that you are inspired by, and/or women whom you feel make a difference. It can be anyone, your mom, best friend, mentor, etc. as long as she has made a positive impact on your life, or the lives of others.

To encourage you to share, we’ve got a surprise for you! After we receive several nomination stories, we will pool the stories together and have our readers, followers, fans, etc. vote to determine the winner. The inspiring woman picked, as well as the nominator, will each win a prize- in addition to getting recognition for being their awesome selves.

We are going to accept your nominations from now until August 31, 2010. Don’t worry if you aren’t the best of writers, we can edit for you, and all submitters will be anonymous until the winner is announced. We look forward to reading about the women that have helped shape you into the person you are today.

Please email all entries to asmith@gofreshforce.com.

Look for banners like this one on our homepage if you ever need a reminder!