✨ Welcome + Introduce Yourself

[Ani_]

You made it! Welcome to Square’s togetHER community 🙌

Our purpose is for you to find connection, advice, encouragement, and community with fellow women in business and allies. This community is built for and by you, so make it your own.

First step: Introduce yourself in this thread! We want to get to know each and everyone one of you here. Stuck on how you should introduce yourself to other lady bosses? Here are some things to cover: Tell us who you are, what you’re working on and what type of business you own. If you have an online store, feel free to share with the group!

Our guiding principles

We all want productive, friendly conversation propelling us forward. Keep these in mind when posting:

• Share actionable information/material. We want this group to provide advice and actions that you can implement immediately to improve your business. Give context when asking questions and be detailed in your responses. Post about the difficult things so we can figure out an answer together as a community.
• Assume good intent. Tone on the internet is very difficult to convey. Let’s assume that everyone posting here comes from a place of good intention, so we can do the same. If anything feels amiss, please report it to our moderators.
• Treat your fellow sellers with respect. We all come from different backgrounds and may not always agree with one another, but we can always treat each other with respect. We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment or abuse of sellers or moderators because this should be a happy place on the internet.
• No spam or excessive self promotion. We’ve all seen those groups with the same people posting the same thing every single day. Let’s respect each other’s time and refrain from this type of excessive self promotion. But, by all means, when it’s time to celebrate you, shout that accomplishment from the rooftops!

Can’t wait to see your posts and celebrate you! 🎉

[katieand]

Thanks for sharing your story, @Shad, and the incredible work you're doing! Did you see the Exit 12 video about a veteran using dance to combat PTSD issues? I found the feature very compelling.

[katieand]

Welcome to our lovely new members. We can't wait for you to introduce yourselves 💃

@2wildseeds 
@7Dharmas
@betty 
@CarolD 
@chortlingninja 
@ChristineHeal 
@Doyoumindfully 
@dtlkatrina 
@Glamnailz 
@incometaxpro 
@mimismunchkins2 
@savagedesigns 
@TailuredStarSpa 
@thebrainlair 
@tiggerscreation
@Uniqueunique
@Valchemy
@Yolandamarie43

[betty]

Nice to see everyone here. 

I run my own graphic design and web design business. We use Square for some invoicing, especially for recurring invoices for web hosting and web maintenance services.

[katieand]

Great to have you here @betty! Do you have any cool examples of your work? I bet it's pretty amazing to create something from nothing (at least that's what it feels like when I see folks web designing 😉 ). 

[thebrainlair]

Hello Everyone!

I own a children's bookstore in South Bend, IN. I opened in July 2018 and the reception has been wonderful. I use Square POS as both a backup to my specialized bookstore but also at every event!

[katieand]

Welcome @thebrainlair! I love bookstores and children's bookstores are so wonderful! Do you have programming for the kids like storytime?  

[thebrainlair]

I started out with Storytime, but since it's just me, it was too hard to do the storytime and run the store. Now I visit schools for evening programs with kids and parents. Kind of like a Reading Road Show. I have 2 book clubs that I run, one in conjunction with the local pottery place. 

[ChristineHeal]

Hello, I’m Christine from Healing Touch Massage.  I’ve been in the industry for 11 years now.   Learning everyday from my clients and those around me.   Happy to be here, Thankful for this new opportunity to grow.    I have now added CBD oul

to my business and loving the responses my clients are having.   So Blessed!    ~ChristineHeal

[katieand]

Hi @ChristineHeal - so cool that you're experimenting and adding new products to your business. Have you had any other products/services you've been thinking of adding? 

[dtlkatrina]

Hello Everyone! I'm happy to be here and I look forward to connecting and growing with you gals. 🙂

My name is Katrina Yancey and I'm a Graphic Designer focusing on Brand Identity and Strategy. I work and live in Southern Maryland, though I'm a native North Carolinian.

Thank you for the tag @katieand. I'm an introvert, so it can be awkward for me to join a conversation with introducing myself. So to keep this from further awkwardness, I'll keep this as a short "Hey y'all"!

[katieand]

Totally get it @dtlkatrina and I'm glad you introduced yourself 😉

Anything you're looking to get out of this group? Also, from a business perspective, do you see any salient trends emerging in Brand Identity and Strategy over the last few years? 

[dtlkatrina]

Thanks, @katieand . I'm not one for setting expectations, I'm just more or less looking to connect with a community of great women. Challenging myself to connect with more people is a personal goal of mine recently. I would say 2019, but I think it may go beyond that.

As for Brand Strategy, I'm noticing the need - rather, consumer desire - to be more human and relatable to customers. This is whether B2B or B2C. Consumers are more intelligent these days, they know when they're being sold to. But, more notable is that people are looking to relate in a more personal way. Not like "we're best friends" but instead, "you get me".

With social media, people have become more isolated and so interpersonal connection is vital these days. Whether it's a forum like this, a YouTube channel, Facebook Group, blogger, or some other platform that fosters like-mindedness and connection.

TL;DR - So what I'm noticing is that those who are doing well and garnering attention are those who connect with their audience is a more human (or humane...depends on what you're looking for) way.

Hope this helps you guys.

[thesunnyside]

@dtlkatrina I feel you! That is also something I have realized. Although, I have only ever been able to be myself. Trying to be something I am not takes way too much energy. Our connection is important. 

[dtlkatrina]

I agree, @thesunnyside, it takes far too much energy to be someone you're not. What's worse is that it usually doesn't yield the results one imagined, anyway. Been there, done that; bought and burned the t-shirt; because, either you connect with someone or you don't and that's okay.

[SandyDeet]

Oh girl!  I hear you.  Introvert to the core, here!  Hanging with my animals on my homestead is SO much more comfortable than trying to chat with people.  Thank goodness for social media!  LOL

[mccicc]

Hi, everyone! Just learned about the Square Seller Community and the togetHER group. It's wonderful to be here! I hope to learn and share lessons with all of you.

[katieand]

Welcome @mccicc! What type of business do you have and where are you located? Are you looking to learn something specific from this group?  

[mccicc]

I'm a jewelry maker and artist orginally from the Philadelphia area. Now, though, I travel around the country with my husband and we live in an Airstream travel trailer pulled by our SUV. Currently, we are in New Mexico. My site is www.mkt.com/perizad . 

🙂

[mccicc]

I'd like to learn how others market their products/services, in particular for jewelry and crafts.

[SandyDeet]

Are you 100% nomadic or do you have a home base?  Hubby and I would love to do more travel with our 5th wheel, but having a homestead with over 100 animals sure makes it tough.  LOL  I love to hear how others do it.  Do you travel to fairs and festivals and sell your jewelry?

[katieand]

Welcome to our ✨ new ✨ members. Please tell us about your business and what you're looking to get out of this group!

@PRbyRebekah @karinsart @kbnaima @NatesGlass @beachgirl888 @Skinfixer @InnThrall @Stacelyn24