Tag Archives: Wikaniko

The Podcast Sisters

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Many years ago, when I was selling children’s books, Gary Cheeseman of WightMedia.Co.uk  taught  Polly of the Family Directory and me all about podcasting. We used to podcast with local businesses and had great fun promoting them. Now, quite a few years later, Gary and his wife Anne and Polly and I have linked up again and are now recording all sorts of podcasts. We three girls are can be found as The Podcast Sisters

Check out the latest podcast 

selfie

 

We had a great time but got a fit of the giggles when we had to take a selfie as our photographer was not available. We meet regularly to discuss issues in the news as well as other items like “green” products and shopping!

How Time Flies

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Wow what a lot of time has passed since my last blog. Hmmmm not good Mrs B so now to put that right. A lot of things have happened since I posted about Wightbuzz “doing” Cowes week! Such a lot of water under the bridge. I have welcomed a lot of new members into Wightbuzz.I have helped these Isle of Wight business owners to network their businesses and to find more business.  I have carried on promoting my other businesses. I have a new trader and more customers in my Phoenix cards business, growing it at my own pace and I have continued to spread the eco-friendly word about Wikaniko.

All of a sudden we are into a new year and as I have not been very good at keeping up this blog, I have decided to take the Ultimate Blog Challenge once again. There is a lot of support and plenty of ideas so the ideas should never dry up.

 

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Since my last blog. I have also set up The Giggly Grannies website as well as a facebook page and a twitter account – you can find us @gigglygrannies. My Giggly Granny friend, Julie Jordan, and I have been out and about in the community raising awareness for some of the Wightbuzz businesses, as well as for The Open Arms project which helps to feed and clothe the homeless.This is supported by many volunteers from the churches together in Ryde and was inspired by The Wacky Rev who initiated the project after a conversation with Father Anthony (but was criticised and treated very badly for her work by some who should have known much better!)

It has been very humbling and we have been thrilled with how much awareness has been raised. We have been delighted with how people have donated food, Morrisons vouchers to exchange for food, supported our fundraisers and awareness days that Barclays allowed us to hold in their Ryde Branch.

So although the blog has been fairly static, I have been very busy and in the coming days, Ill update you with much of what I have been doing over the last six months as well as new things going forward. I hope you enjoy visiting my blog and hope that your support will keep me on track to finish 31 blogs in 31 days.

 

Coffee and Shop at Ryde Methodist Church March 2nd

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On Saturday 2nd March, I will be running another Coffee and Shop event at Ryde Methdist Church. We have many talented local crafts people and some of these  have booked a stall at this event. We also have people running local businesses so this is a great chance to pop in and support the shop local campaign.

 

See you there.

Ryde Methodist Church, Garfield Road, 10 am – 12 noon

4 home based businesses – who said it couldn’t be done?

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Once upon a time – a business was for life – not so anymore!. Having worked hard in my 30 year teaching career – during which I ran my own nursery for 21 years – I turned to becoming a book lady – selling children’s books via stalls at local events and book parties. When the book company moved the goal posts after I had built my business for 7 years, I decided to leave and then at the age of 58 I had to look for new ways of earning an income. I found other home based businesses and set up several. I decided to spread my eggs into several baskets. There was criticism but at the end of the day – it’s my life and I have to do what’s right for me. What is right for me is not necessarily right for others.

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The not so humble lemon

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An article from Wikaniko

Let’s take a fresh look at lemons – a fruit with a tangy citrus fragrance and flavour that we are all familiar with, great in food and drinks, and also very handy for lots of things in your home! You can even grow a lemon tree in a sheltered spot in your garden in the UK!

 

Here are some uses for lemons that you may not know about…

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Chocolate!

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I just love chocolate and now I am lucky enough to stock it in my eco-friendly online supermarket. Wikaniko is part of my portfolio of businesses and supplies over 900 products that are eco- friendly. Healthy, raw chocolate. Would you like a supermarket of your own where you too can sell chocolate? Wikaniko is a home based business that suits so any different people. I have a growing team and would love to help more people grow their own businesses.

 

If you want to know more or buy some lovely chocolate , then click http://lynblackledge.wikaniko.com/fru/pg/39835/pid/8a5581ce-e2c1-4cf5-a771-a879c50a6048/default.aspx and why not pop over to my facebook page  and “like” the page. The chocolate is scrummy. I can vouch for that.

 

Welcome to my ecofriendly world and see what’s on offer in my ecofriendly supermarket.

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Welcome to my ecofriendly world.

I am just approaching my third birthday as a distributor with Wikaniko. Back in 2009, I decided to start taking small green steps to help save the planet. What better way than joining an ethical business that is set up as a cooperative. Trevor and Karen Blake work tirelessly to grow Wikaniko I have an online ecofriendly supermarket which contains over 900 items from raw chocolate and a range of health and nutrition items to bamboo items, from cleaning products to garden products, pet products to mineral makeup and much more. I am so lucky as I don’t have to stock the supermarket or employ staff. This is all part of my membership. Members merely pay £79 to become a distributor and then for a monthly fee of £3.50 we have access to a super online shop that stocks more than 900 items to lead to a greener world. Not only that prices in my supermarket often beat the big national supermarkets! Many people still seem to think going green means paying more. We also have offers to help the family budget. As I write – the following offer is current but you will have to be quick as this offer finishes on December 16th so check it out quickly.

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS

Don’t forget to take advantage of the Christmas Special Offers this week. These particular offers are only available until midnight on Sunday 16th December, so grab them whilst you can:

*Buy the bespoke Cremoil, get a FREE Lavender Essential Oil to put in it.

* Buy 2 Aloe Vera gels, get the third FREE. (This offer is worth almost £10!)

*Lip balms – buy 2, get a random flavour FREE

*Buy 1 brown flaxseed, get 1 brown flaxseed FREE

*Buy any 6 packs of dog treats and get a FREE roll of dog waste bags

all of these can be found in my supermarket

I have a team of distributors on the Isle of Wight . We are all working from home and have many ways of promoting our businesses from catalogue drops to stalls at fetes and fairs, buying for ourselves to selling to family and friends. Just recently, the business has gone global and we are able to recruit across the globe :) I would love to help many more people take those green steps to a better world. I would like to help lots of therapists promote their own brand products for a minimal fee. There is so much to benefit to connecting with Wikaniko. I also have a facebook page and I can be found on twitter at @lynsgreenbiz

I would love to help you either as a customer of distributor. Lets work together for a greener world.

End of an era – now for a more eco-friendly lifestyle

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Today is the end of an era! My van and I have had some exciting adventures across the country since 2004. What fun we have had together. I bought the van back in 2004 when I was a book distributor for a well known publisher. I often used to fill it to the top with books, racks, tables and stands and traversed the country setting up at exhibitions and country fayres from the Isle of Wight to Aberdeen – often travelling on my own. I would sit in the cab, which warmed up very quickly, and pop on Classic FM and pootle along in my own concert hall!! If the van could talk it would have some great tales to tell. In 2010 my circumstances changed and I set up new businesses so have since used the van for my Wikaniko business as well as my Phoenix Trading and Primary Stars businesses. It has also served me well in getting me to my Wightbuzz networking meetings.

Earlier this year is got sick!!! £500 later and it was sorted but sadly it got sick again. The cost to get it back on the road is £1000 + so I have made a decision to part company. I felt that a £60 spend on a new pair of comfortable shoes coupled with my bus pass was a way to go. After all, I run an eco friendly business – Wikaniko -. so now for a more eco friendly lifestyle. I am already feeling the benefits as my fitness levels are increasing. I have friends who are happy to give me lifts but in the mean time – have bus pass will travel. It is amazing how much you can see and appreciate when you are not driving. I have read books and updated social media on the bus and of course there is always the chance to network enroute too. So I’m off on different adventures now – bus pass, comfy shoes and shopping trolley at the ready!!! Oh and just for good measure I bought myself a big umbrella!!

Party Plan Shining Star Award

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  When I was recently shortlisted as a finalist for the Party Plan Shining Star award I was thrilled. I had been a previous winner of awards and I knew what a difference it could make to my business. I had won previous awards with a company I represented for 7 years. When they moved the goal posts and I was totally devastated financially, the glamour of those awards seemed a long way away. Life took a downward turn and I found myself in a long dark tunnel through no fault of my own.   I had to move in with my parents due to my financial situation – not really something I wanted to do at 58! However, the upside was that I got to spend my dad’s last months with him and for that I am very thankful. I had no money but I had a roof over my head, food in my tummy and I was warm and I enjoyed an incredible amount of happy banter with my dad. During this time I started to rebuild my business – deciding that the best plan for me, was to spread my eggs into more than one basket. In fact I chose several party plan business opportunities. I became an ambassador for Barefoot Books, I am now a Primary Stars Advisor and a trader with Phoenix Trading. I also enjoy being a distributor for Wikaniko, marketing a range of eco friendly goods. Back in February 2010, I was criticised for choosing more than one business. I was told it was foolish. In my mind, given my previous circumstance, it would be foolish not to!! I wonder if my critique would have had the same conversation with Richard Branson. I do wonder about the sanity of the man that criticised me – especially as he stood to gain financially from me! He sponsored me into Barefoot books and guess what – I asked the company to move me to a new sponsor which they did! What a silly man! Not only did he tell me I was foolish but he went on to tell me my team members were being critical of me. I was told that they didn’t like my rants on facebook nor my happy banter! One thing I never do is rant on facebook. I do share happy banter and find that I attract people to my business as a result. Most people hate doom and gloom and a bit of fun tends to cheer them up and they constantly tell me so! I am not going to give up anytime soon. As for being an inefficient leader – I don’t think so. I have a long string of testimonials from team members – so if one or two had a problem well then they were right to leave me. I have been rewarded for the hard work I put in. The journey has been very long and very dark! I knew that one day I would emerge. I worked hard, perserverance and persistance were key! I never gave up believing in myself. Well I think I have proved a point now. In 2010 I was awarded the Mumpreneur Saleswoman of the Year

and in 2011 I was runner up in the Hampshire Winning Women Business Awards Networking category. On winning the Mumpreneur award, I used it for the good of the small businesses on the Isle of Wight were I live. Life is tough, very tough and I knew in order to survive, we needed to pull together. In the wake of the award, I set up Wightbuzz, an affordable networking group. It has gone from strength to strength and is expanding to the mainland as Bizzness Buzz. Winning the Party Plan Shining Star Award is thrilling. Although it is only just over a week since I won, I have set to work on another project for the good of the Island in the absence of our tourist board (The council closed them all to save money but maybe not their best idea yet given our main industry is tourism!!) I am working with my son who runs Cubic Mushroom and a new website will be online shortly. To say I am excited about my new project would be an understatement.  Am I proud to have won this Party Plan Shining Star award. I most certainly am. I am grateful to the Party Plan Guru for setting up the conference and awards and I am grateful to all the postive people I followed (shedding many negative ones enroute ) There are those who dared me to dream big along the way, Roberta Jerram  being one. She created the Giant Potential website for ladies who dare to dream big.( It is undergoing a revamp but you can connect at the facebook page  She certainly encouraged me to do that. My dreams are huge. Winning awards can really have a great impact on your business (and on your community). I urge you all  to enter next time.