Client Profile: RIC design build

RIC design build is one of The Chop Shop’s longest running clients (and one of my favorites, if I’m being honest). They do amazing historic renovations, modern additions, single room or whole home remodels - all using sustainable building practices.

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Burn Both Ends: The Sheer Audacity

Planning this conference was HARD. It took months of work, hours and hours of our time, creativity we thought had dried up, energy we were sure had been leached out of us forever, so so SO many emails - all for ONE DAY. And then the day itself?

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Rachel Burns
5 Reasons Why Hampton Roads Businesses Should Be at Burn Both Ends

This conference is focused on growing businesses who take joy in what they do, and want their professional development to be as laid back and fun as the work they do passionately every day. It's also for businesses who understand that they no longer get to just do one job. Business owners and small business teams wear many hats, so you have to reach out and get training and information on those areas where you're not an expert.  

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Burn Both Ends: Tickets are on SALE!

CAMPFIRE & CO. AND THE CONTENT CHOP SHOP HAVE COMBINED FORCES TO BRING YOU BURN BOTH ENDS, AN ALL-DAY CONFERENCE FOR GROWING BUSINESSES AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND THEM.  

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How to #Hashtag

Consider the recent #metoo, #blacklivesmatter and #ALSicebucketchallenge campaigns - they brought people together, made an impact and also helped people find those stories and share their own. Brands and businesses can use hashtags in a similar way to create a community with their customers and fans.

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Fireside Session Spotlight: The Lois Elaine

One of our participants at two Hampton Roads sessions was Nicole Young, the owner of The Lois Elaine: Floating Bed & Breakfast. The Lois Elaine combines the comfort of a traditional bed & breakfast with the whimsy of spending a gently rocked night on a boat.

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Rachel Burns
Fireside Session Spotlight: Love All Things Lovely

One of these connections we’ve made is with Heather Stevens, owner of Love All Things Lovely, and a participant at three of the four Hampton Roads Sessions. Heather has been a dream to have in our classes - asking important questions and bringing in the perspective of a true creative entrepreneur.

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Behind the Press: Jesse Scaccia

To help give us some insight into how members of the press decide which stories to pick up and topics to highlight, we are excited to have Jesse Scaccia, editor at AltDaily.com, as our special guest speaker. But before we get his professional opinions, we wanted to learn a little bit more about the man behind AltDaily, NEON and so much more. 

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Fireside Sessions Arrive in Hampton Roads

This fall the sessions will take place at The Corner Gallery in the North Colley section of Norfolk, Virginia. This woman-owned small business is the perfect spot for our casual, 100% analog, creative workshops.

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Why Your Business Needs A Tagline

Just do it. Are you in good hands? Maybe it’s Maybelline.

Chances are you’ve heard or read those words more times than you could count. What do all of these iconic phrases have in common? They’re taglines, and they’re arguably more recognizable than the company names that made them famous.

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Collaboration Versus Competition

As an entrepreneur in the competitive world of businesses marketing services, I often feel at a disadvantage.

I’m not a competitive person. I was never into sports as a kid, although I was active and spent most of my time climbing trees and swimming. When I was forced to play a sport for my physical education credit in high school, I chose tennis - arguably the most noncontact, least team-oriented sport possible.

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Get Nitty Gritty

There are only two Fireside Sessions left and I highly encourage you to sign up for one of these sessions as soon as possible. There are very limited seats available and as the first two have sold out, we anticipate the next two will as well, likely within the next two weeks. Next up is 03: The Nitty Gritty of Writing for the Web.

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Back to School for Your Business

If you're like me, this time of year is a little nostalgic. Empty composition notebooks, pencils ready to be sharpened, fresh highlighters, and carefully organized binders all purchased with the intent to set you out on the right foot and learn something new. If pining for back-to-school supplies makes me a nerd, then so be it.

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Diving Deep, Not Wide, Into Social Media

Social media has provided a lot of opportunities for businesses to promote themselves. Maybe too many opportunities. Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube . . . how does one choose which platforms to jump into and which ones to leave alone?

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