I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
With the first day of summer officially come and gone I’m focused on soaking up every bit that summer has to offer. Which for me means easy, relaxed dinners alfresco.
Typically in summer with the heat being what it is I like to keep the meals light, which usually means seafood. Grilled fish, shrimp skewers, and in today’s case white wine and garlic clams. And with seafood typically on the menu my summer table decor tend to lean in the coastal direction. Think blues, whites, and natural fabrics mixed in with no fuss accents. Which is exactly what I’m sharing today.
If you asked me to pick a favorite from this setting, I couldn’t. I honestly want every single piece. The updated take on spongeware by Mark D. Sikes mixes perfectly with my favorite blue and white stripes and coastal inspired melamine accents like these $5 dipping dishes and the bread board. And the rattan accents in the form of placemats, glassware and place card holders add that relaxed feeling that is summer.
And continuing on the theme of relaxed, our no-iron linen napkins are an absolute must for entertainers of all levels. They’re not too fussy and YES no-iron means no-iron. So you can wash them time and time again and they’ll be ready to go from the dryer straight to the table.
Jumping back to the flatware real quick; these stopped me in my tracks when I first spied them. I had wanted the traditional brown bamboo flatware for ages, but had never pulled the trigger and I’m so glad I didn’t because the ivory is STUNNING! Plus it goes with absolutely everything. I did say I couldn’t play favorites, but if I was pushed it would be these!
So that’s it friends. A relaxed summer tabletop ready for all those long summer nights ahead. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
Recently I had the immense pleasure of speaking at my fifth Southern Coterie Conference. And as much as I look forward to those three days all year, I equally look forward to the few days after the conference has ended when the hubs and I disconnect at one of our favorite places, The Cloister at Sea Island.
While we’ve been to The Cloister at Sea Island now more times than I can remember, this time there were so many new surprises in store I felt I needed to update my last travel post from a few years prior.
First things first, for those of you unfamiliar with the magical place called Sea Island, Sea Island is part of an area called The Golden Isles. The Golden Isles is comprised of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons and Brunswick nestled on the Georgia coast. Its name, The Golden Isles, seems to get its reputation from their rays of warm sunshine and mossy trees envelope you the minute you enter into the low country.
An easy drive from Atlanta, the Golden Isles offers an easy getaway from everyday life in the city, and you’d be hard-pressed to be anything but relaxed along its pristine beaches, award wining golf courses and miles of sprawling marshlands. No matter how many times I’ve driven over that causeway, the minute I cross my whole body seems to relax, and I let out a huge sigh almost as if I was holding my breath. It’s pure heaven.
When staying in The Golden Isles there’s really only two ways to go when it comes to accommodations; The Cloister or The Lodge. The Cloiste at Sea Island, is a legendary luxury hotel renowned for its utmost sophisticated elegance. Seeped in stunning Mediterranean-inspired architecture, the hotel features grounds full of lush gardens, every amenity one could possibly desire, and the most fantastic fine dining. But perhaps most noteworthy, are The Cloister‘s luxurious suites that offer spectacular views over the marshes, begging guests to bask in the low country in all its glory, all while enveloping them in utmost comfort and privacy.
The Lodge on St. Simons Island, recognized as a #1 resort in the mainland U.S by. Conde Nast Traveler. The Lodge is definitely my happy place, especially at sun set when the skies turn pink and we sit sipping a cocktail on the sprawling porch overlooking the 18th hole and causeway, while being serenaded by a set of bagpipes. Yes bagpipes! It’s nothing short of magical, and the perfect way to start, and end any vacation.
The hubs of course loves The Lodge for a completely different reason…the golf. Not only are the golf courses some of the top rated in the world, Sea Island just unveiled a 17,000 sq. ft. golf performance center. This addition is just one of many enhancements that are part of The Lodge’s $30 million dollar makeover that also includes an enhanced putting green, pool, pool house and new golf course cottages. I took a quick tour of one, and they are completely stunning.
Each time I find myself at The Cloister, I wonder if I’ll ever tire of coming back to Sea Island. Then I look around, smell the salt air, and I’m quickly reminded why I always keep coming back for more. Truly, MKR
If you’ve been following me for while then you’d know that before I was “Martha” I consulted with hospitals and health systems all over the United States coaching and planning their social media strategy. And now as “Martha” I do the same, but for all sorts of small businesses. Helping other businesses understand the wild, wild west of social media is a true passion of mine, so I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be hosting a private 2 day social media workshop in conjunction with The Southern Coterie, here in Atlanta in two weeks!
My entire business has been born and grown because of social media. One hundred percent. I mean think about it, we’re living in a time where you can completely brand, build and grow your business just by harnessing the power of the FREE media platforms that are available to you. That is as long as you know how to use them. Social media while a blessing changes every single day, and understanding it is a full-time job in itself, and one I take very seriously. And I’m serious when I say it changes every single day. I just gave a similar, but much smaller talk in Sea Island in February and do you know Instagram has already changed the shopping function since then which has changed my opinion and strategy when it comes to tagging products?!
Did you know I run all 3 of my Instagram accounts myself. I have apps and planning tools, and a bit of assistance here and there, but other than that it’s all me. I tell you this not because I want a pat on the back, but because I want you to know that you don’t have to pay someone big bucks to do it. You can do it!! Which is just one of the things we’ll be covering during the workshop. But before I get too far into the weeds about what we’ll be talking about, I feel I need to give everyone a quick run down of Waiting On Martha (WOM).
Late 2011 – Worked in corporate America helping hospitals & health systems all around the country with their social media strategy. Was in dire need of a creative outlet so started beading bracelets and selling them on Etsy under the name of Waiting On Martha.
2012 – Started a Blog Waiting On Martha and at the same time became incorporated and started an e-commerce home & gift store, Waiting On Martha Home. Moved to Atlanta. Still making and selling bracelets on Etsy, still working in healthcare.
2013 – Opened my first pop up shop in Atlanta for 6+ months to test the waters. Between 2013-2016 would open up 3 additional pop up shops all around town. Still beading bracelets, still in healthcare. Hired my first employee.
2014 – With the blog and e-comm taking off, along with the pop up’s couldn’t manage beading bracelets any longer, closed my Etsy store. Still in healthcare.
2015 – Left healthcare, became “Martha” full-time. Moved my e-commerce storage out of my garage and into an actual warehouse. WOM grew to 4 full-time and 2 part-time employees. Pop-up shop still in full swing.
2017 – Opened Waiting On Martha Home Brick & Mortar. Grew to 4 full time and 5 part-time employees. Surpassed a million dollars in annual revenue.
2018 – Grew Waiting On Martha Home 44% in point of sales revenue 28% online revenue.
2019 – Welcomed Waiting On Martha Everyday, an apparel and accessories shop to the family, officially opening my second brick and mortar. Grew to 6 full time employees, 7 part-time employees, and countless contractors. Currently up 43% YTD. Plans to launch a 3rd business, late 2019.
This timeline is definitely the cliff notes version of my business. If we really got into it, in between these years you’d see all different ups and downs, major collaborations, speaking events, and whole lot of blood, sweat and tears. But the most important part of all of this is in the 7+ years of business I’ve never ever had a non-growth year, and my entire business has been built for FREE on social media. Sure, I invest in social media ads and campaigns now, but that didn’t begin until last year because let’s face it social media is tricky enough without pouring money into until you full understand it. And understand it you will my friends.
My goal from these 2 days is that you walk away understanding the social media landscape, a new vision of what branded social media channels can and should look like, and the tools you need to run successful social media campaigns and accounts. Here’s a quick look at what we’ll be covering, as well as a round-up of my growth stats for Waiting On Martha Home over the past year or so. And remember, this is a QUICK look. The dive will be so much deeper than what I could ever write or share here.
selling through…
different social media outlets and mastering the current algorithm
crafting your message to hit the right consumer audience for you and your needs
mastering how to create paid for social media ads & understanding the different types of ads. For example, Mandy will share how a $5 a day continuous ad on Facebook grew WOMH’s Facebook followers to 22,000 in less than 9 months.
creative ways to engage and grow your audience “outside of the feed”
selling through email marketing
how to grow your list
how to set up a great abandoned cart emails
best practices for creating email campaigns (times, days, platforms, etc.)
mastering the email algorithm (yes, there is one and it’s likely hurting your current email list)
why you need to be “cleaning” your list quarterly
hands on exercises in
creation of audiences
sponsored/paid social media ads
working smarter, not harder: apps and programs used to run the life of any entrepreneur
Aside from all the information you’ll walk away with, you’ll also be forging and forming relationships with other individuals from across the country that are in the same boat as you. And if I’ve learned anything from these past 7 years as an entrepreneur is you better surround yourself with likeminded people who have gone, or are going through what you’ve gone through. Support is everything!
And you know it wouldn’t be a TSC event without really pulling out all the stops. There will be a mix-and-mingle event with cocktails and pie from Southern Baked Pie. The all-workshop will be held at the Arron Terrace Gardens, and ope-air venue at Braves Stadium in the brand new Battery. We’ll have breakfast by Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. And so many more sweet surprises that are, well surprises!
Read more about the event HERE, and definitely grab a seat! We’re making this a small gathering so I believe there’s only about 10 seats left and 5 seats for the add on workshop. Yes, there’s an add on workshop specifically for anyone who has a brick and mortar, physical store. The add on workshop is focused on the daily operations and practices that make a physical store successful as well as out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to events and attracting new customers.
I cannot wait to see you here in my home town next week! Truly, MKR
P.S. Membership to the TSC is definitely something you should look into, but you do NOT have to be a member to sign up for the workshop. The workshop is open to all.
