By Debbie Gregory.

Here is another wonderful holiday recipe for Hot Cocoa Cheesecake Minis.   These are a simple no fail mini cheesecake that anyone can make.  You might even be inclined to add a splash of Irish Cream liqueur too or skip it if you are making for children.  Please let us know if you enjoyed this and send us your favorites.

Ingredients:

• 10 Oreo (or other chocolate sandwich) cookies, crushed finely in a food processor
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 pkg (8 ounces each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature for 20 minutes
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• 1/4 cup Bailey’s Original Irish Cream Liqueur (optional if no children)
• 2 large eggs

For Decorating: 

• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate(for the chocolate handles
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F with a rack in the center position. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter; press onto bottoms of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand-held mixer) until blended. Mix in the Bailey’s Irish Cream, if using. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Do not over mix. Distribute the batter evenly among the cookie crust cups.
4. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the centers are almost set. Place on a rack and cool completely. Refrigerate for two hours.
5. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave using 30 seconds intervals, stirring with a spatula after each interval. Spoon the chocolate into a resealable Ziploc bag. Cut a very small piece off one bottom corner of the bag; pipe the chocolate into 12 small ‘C’ shapes, resembling cup handles, onto the lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid and ready to use.
6. Remove the liners from the cheesecakes. Beat the cream and remaining teaspoon of sugar in a separate medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form; spoon onto the cheesecakes. Dust with remaining cocoa powder; top with marshmallows. Gently press the chocolate handles into the side of each cheesecake.

A few words of wisdom on this recipe:

• You can top with a dollop of whipped cream , mini marshmallows and a light dusting of cocoa powder to make them festive – when in doubt add a topping
• You will need to set aside 2 hours for chilling in the fridge but the actual assemble and bake time is less than one hour
• Bring your cream cheese to room temperature by leaving it out for 20 minutes or so on the counter before mixing
• Before you add the eggs, beat the cream cheese and sugar until there are not any lumps
• Add your eggs slowly and mix just until combined being careful not to over mix
• You can make a lower fat version substitute low fat cream cheese with it being softer

ENJOY!

By Debbie Gregory.

Recap:

In Part 2 of our holiday preparation series we went over planning deals for your past customers, putting together your holiday messaging, preparing your inventory and packing materials and getting your site prepared for the holiday rush. In Part 3, we will finish out the series with the graphics you will need to create, your PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns, updating your holiday policies, and readying your site for buyers.

Create All of the Holiday Graphics & Imagery You Will Need:

It is best to create all needed graphics and imagery well in advance of the holiday season. Adding cute little holiday touches really helps people feel festive when shopping with you. Take the time to update your website, logo, headers, and social channels with fun holiday touches. You will also want to create fun graphics to go with all your promotions, deals, and bundles. Make them eye-catching, colorful, festive, and fun!

Plan, Write & Review Your Holiday PPC Campaigns (Pay Per Click):  

If you utilize Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, you will want to make sure that they reflect the same promotions, deals, and discounts that you are planning to push on your website and social channels. These campaigns are also best run during the peak buying days mentioned earlier. Typically you want to focus holiday campaigns from December 14th-24th.

Review & Update Any Policies & Procedures That Can BE Affected During the Holidays:

Since we are specifically talking about eCommerce businesses you will want to make sure that your holiday shipping time frames and procedures are front and center on your site. You may want to consider creating a holiday FAQ page that covers typical questions your customers may have during the holiday season so they know what they can expect. Items such as:

• Special hours
• Last days to order to ensure delivery by December 24th
• Dates certain types of shipping will no longer be available

Test & Update Your Website Security & Performance:

Security is always a concern for consumers when shopping online. Make sure that your site is ready for the holiday spending season by:

• Having an SSL certificate installed and configured or update the one you have
• Make sure that your hosting package can handle the holiday traffic
• Make sure your site is totally up to date
• Make sure your site is running properly and as fast as possible
• Make sure that your site looks proper both on a computer and on mobile

If you plan accordingly, tackle any possible issues, you will have a lower stress, more profitable, and more productive holiday eCommerce season.

Happy holidays and we hope this is your biggest holiday season ever!

By Debbie Gregory.

Recap:

Part 1 of our holiday preparation series went over the days you should focus on and preparing your holiday deals. Part 2 will cover planning deals for your past customers, putting together your holiday messaging, preparing your inventory and packing materials ready, and getting your site prepared for the holiday rush.

Prepare Special/Exclusive Holiday Offers for your Current/Past Customers:

People who have purchased from you in the past are very likely to purchase from you again. Target them with an exclusive deal! Special discounts, free shipping, or other perks offered to past customers shows them that you appreciate their business and loyalty counts with in your business.

Prepare All Holiday Mail/Email Messaging:

Make sure that you pre-setup all holiday-related emails and newsletters. Make sure your auto-responders are setup and ready to deploy when the holiday season begins. Put together template responses to commonly asked questions so replies are quick and easy.

Make Sure You Will Have the Inventory & Shipping Items:

You not only need to make sure that you have enough products to sell, you also need to make sure that you have all of the packaging materials, promotional materials, and gift wrapping materials you will need to process and ship out your orders. Trying to scramble to find these materials when orders are waiting to go out, can add a lot to your holiday stress not to mention cost business.

Make Sure You Have These Items:

• Packaging materials: boxes, labels, tape, envelopes, bubble wrap, etc.
• Promotional materials: business cards, inserts, flyers, discount cards, etc.
• Gift wrapping materials: gift boxes, cards, ribbon, wrapping paper, etc.

Plan Out All Holiday, Website, Newsletter, Social Media & Blog Content:  

Customers spend a lot of time shopping around for the best deals from trusted sellers. Creating and sharing holiday-specific content helps your exposure, helps build trust, and can showcase your expertise and products. Schedule your social posts to go out more than once to ensure they are being seen. It is important to repeat your message without being annoying.  Create content that helps your customer gain interest in your upcoming deals and products.  You might consider telling your story regarding various products.

Content Ideas to Help Get the Ball Rolling:

• Holiday gift guides
• Stocking stuffer ideas
• Last-minute gift guides
• Coming soon landing pages for your holiday promos or products
• How-to to make life easier, more productive, or more enjoyable
• Product comparisons
• Customer review compilations

Stay tuned for part 3 of this series – we will finish out the series with the graphics you will need to create, your PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns, updating your holiday policies, and preparing your site ready for buyers.

By Debbie Gregory.

If you own and run an eCommerce business, you should have your holiday plan in place well before Halloween begins. As the holidays close in, we all have more demands on our time with the stress, preparation, and activities that the holiday season brings. It will make your life exponentially easier if you prepare and plan for the holiday season well in advance of it starting.

The more you can have created, planned for, have in place and are ready to roll in advance, the better off you will be as the holiday season unfolds. The holidays, as you know, are where retailers make the bulk of their entire yearly sales.  If plan for the season correctly, you can more easily grab a significant piece of the holiday spending pie.

Areas of Focus to Increase Customer Sales for the Holiday Shopping Season:

• Put together your promotional calendar
• Plan out any promotional codes and bundles you will be offering
• Prepare special/exclusive holiday offers for your current/past customers
• Prepare all holiday mail/email messaging
• Make sure you will/do have the inventory
• Plan out all your holiday website, newsletter, social media, and blog content
• Create the holiday graphics and imagery you will need
• Plan, write and review your holiday PPC (Paid Per Click) campaigns
• Review and update any policies and procedures that may be impacted by the holidays
• Test and update your website security and performance

Put Together Your Promotional Calendar:

The first step is to put together a detailed holiday plan including a calendar of what you want to promote and when for the coming season. You will want to jot down the important shopping days and what promotions you would like to run for those days.

Popular Online Holidays for 2020:

1. Cyber Monday –  November 30, 2020
2. Black Friday – November 27, 2020
3. Thanksgiving –  November 26, 2020
4. Small Business Saturday
5. Green Monday – December 9, 2019 &
6. Christmas Eve – December 24, 2020
7. Christmas Day – December 25, 2020

Some of the Most Popular Online Shopping Days: 

1. Cyber Monday – December 2, 2019 & November 30, 2020
2. Small Business Saturday –
3. Black Friday – November 29, 2019 & November 27, 2020
4. Small Business Saturday – November 30, 2019 & November 28, 2020
5. Thanksgiving – November 28,2019 & November 26, 2020
6. Day Before Thanksgiving – November 27, 2019 & November 25, 2020
7. Saturday After Thanksgiving – November 30, 2019 & November 28, 2020
8. Sunday After Thanksgiving – December 1, 2019 & November 29, 2020
9. Green Monday – usually the 2^nd Monday in December 9, 2019 & December 14, 2020
10. Christmas Eve – December 24, 2019 & December 24, 2020
11. Day after Christmas – December 26, 2019 & December 26, 2020
12. New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2019 & December 31, 2020

Don’t forget to use December 26th as a great day for post-holiday clearance sales. This day really appeals to gift card recipients and people hunting for deals.

Plan out any Promotional Codes and Bundles to Offer:

On your calendar, you should have a clear plan for all promotional codes or deals. Write out what they are, when they start, and when they will end. Create catchy promo code names that will be easy for customers to remember. Put together bundle deals to entice customers and up-sell your other products. Announce all sales, bundles, and promo codes on your site and in newsletters, and social media content.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this series – we go into planning deals for past customers, putting together your holiday messaging, preparing your inventory and packing materials ready, and getting your site prepared for the holiday rush.

By Debbie Gregory.

If you take your role in your company for granted and simply assume you “own” that role you are in danger of being outgrown by your company.   There will always be more people entering your field including people who are more eager, people who don’t stop learning and growing.

It doesn’t matter how long you have been with a company or what you have done for them in the past.  You must consistently demonstrate that you are an asset to your company. If you stop learning, unable to adapt to change, too rigid and stuck, your company will outgrow you and replace you.

Tips to Keep Pace with Your Growing Company:

Put in Office Time: 

We all have a limited amount of time everyday and too many responsibilities. As you climb the corporate ladder, the tendency is to spend less and less time physically in the office connecting with peers and employees. However, office time and connecting with your team is what brought you to the position that you are in. Removing yourself can make you lose the ability to keep pace with your company.  Someone else can pick up the pace. that someone else is certainly picking up.

Build and Maintain Relationships:

Never stop building and fostering relationships. This holds true regardless of who the person is including your boss, your employees, your vendors, your suppliers, etc. You need to make sure that you are communicating proactively and effectively as well as making sure that you are continuously adding value to these important relationships and to your company.

Keep Learning:

Everyone can benefit from learning something new or learning more about something they already know. Keep up by reading specific books or trade magazines and take time to study other businesses’ successes and failures. Make sure that you stay on top of new trends, new technologies, and shifts in your market or customer base.

Add Value to Your Peers:

Take the time to develop relationships with other managers and peers. Make sure that you groom and teach your new employees in the company.  They can also teach you Learn more about other divisions and units and see how you can add value beyond your specific role.

Even if you have worked hard at your organization, your company will continue to grow with or without you. Remember to continue to impact the company.   They need to be reminded of your value.