Let’s get you in the spotlight on Facebook.

We know that when you are your true self, you blossom, right? Don’t be afraid to show it!

Engage with your friends and followers on August 23rd, showing the person you really are.

Why August 23rd? It’s ‘The Inner Nerd in You Day’. --ha, no I'm not calling you a nerd!

Do you love techy things? Do you love dressing your cat up? What’s a quirky thing you do that makes you you? Show it!

Make a post “The inner nerd in you”. Post a picture or video of yourself doing what you love.

Encourage your followers, friends, and family to post a selfie looking like a nerd they are. Get each one involved by having them cast votes on the pictures. Let it go on all day. The more people react, comment, and post pictures, the more Facebook will keep your posts at the top and will allow them to be shown over other people’s posts.

Be active in your commenting. This will keep it going. In the background, add your business name, like on a picture behind you. That way when people see your post, they’ll see your business name each time!

It'll be loads of fun, but more, it’s getting your business attention, which is the purpose of this game.

Today's Highlights

Your Questions, My Answer

Brand New Section! Your Question, My Answer

Q: I’m trying to pipe flowers. The royal icing is so thick in my piping bag I can hardly squeeze it out. When I pipe it, it then forms a blob without structure.

A: Meringue powder (or egg whites) is a stabilizer. It gives it the elasticity to work with. If the royal icing is whipped too much or the same batch is mixed several times over different orders, the meringue powder loses its effectiveness, the integrity is broken down. Simply mix a fresh batch and you’re good to go!

Cookie Cutter Flips

1. mailbox with legs cut off = balloon arch

2. upside down beehive = tornado

3. upside down chemistry conical = tornado

(Sorry, if you have an email with just HTML, you will not be able to see the photos).

Two-nado Cookie Inspo

Business Sense: marketing yourself

Tell them they can pick it up at a certain time. Put this in YOUR time, not theirs! When you are out of cookies, edit the post and say, ‘Sorry, they have all been picked up. Follow my page to see when the next free cookies are made available”.

2. Make a post on your Facebook business page. Ask your followers for their favorite Mom and Pop shop in town. Tell them they have to write 2 reasons they enjoy this shop/store. At the end of the day, choose one or two of those shops and surprise the owners with cookies with a thank you card from the one who posted it. When delivering, make sure your logo and business cards are included!

3. Do you give back to your community? We should all do it, whether we run a business or not. With running a business, it is necessary. It shows you care and support where you live.

How do you support your town/city? Here are 3 ways: -pull weeds or pick up trash and debris in a park, with your business logo on a t-shirt, of course

-deliver cookies to a nursing home for the residents, bagged, again, with your logo on your shirt and cookies labeled

-in hot summer days, put your t-shirt with the logo on and get a case of bottled water. Let it get good and cold on ice in a cooler, and take it around to people who work outside, like city works, lawn workers, or construction workers

Quick Business Tips

I came across a handy tool just last week that may help you. This is for a Samsung Galaxy android, which I have. There’s a free app that’s called Galaxy Sensors, in the Play Store. I found that it is quite accurate in humidity and temperature gauging.

I didn’t know, but a lot of phones have sensors built-in, you just need the app. Tah-dah! It works great, and I’m happy and more at ease now. If you do not have a Samsung, odds are there is an app if you search.

2. If you want special colors of royal icing dots (any kind of RI transfers) you pipe, utilize a large makeup brush. Dip it into any color luster dust and dust the dots. Easy peasy!

3. Want an extra dimension to cookies? Pour dipping chocolate into molds, cool, and pop out to place on cookies. There are many different molds at Hobby Lobby.

Pepper Blair’s Quote: “Pausing to smell the flowers has a singularly kind of reward.”

That’s it for the August issue. See you next month!