Irene Woodworth ~ Color~Redesign~Staging Trainer & Motivational Speaker ~ Idaho

How many of you struggled in finding a domain name that either matches your business name or describes what you do in a very short space?

Our name of our parent company is One Day Redesigns, Inc. I know how challenging it can be to find the name that truly depicts your image and says it in a short and sweet way. Companies spend lots of money to get the right message across to their potential clients.

When we selected the name for our Redesign business years ago, there was someone else who already owned the domain name of: www.OneDayRedesigns.com. So, the next best thing was to use our full business name of www.OneDayRedesignsInc.com. We have used it for years. It has really been challenging for people to spell it correctly.

On a side note, you know the proverbial way that some people butcher your last and sometimes your first name? I know how hard that can be because it has been a challenge my entire life. My maiden name was Irene Judy Archuleta. (Yes, like David Archuleta from American Idol. I had the name long before he did!) The kids in school would continually get a kick out of how each new teacher at the beginning of the year would call out my name and really butcher it. I got everything from Irene Artichoke to Ilene Enchilada. No kidding. So, when I got married I thought finally I have a name that will be easy. My married name became Irene J. Woodworth. Guess what? People still butcher my name and I get everything from Arlene or Ilene Woolworth, or Woodward. So, now I tell people it is Irene, like "Goodnight Irene" and Woodworth, I am "worth more than all of the wood in the world!" That is what my late mother-in-law Barbara Woodworth said to tell people. People remember my name and who I am now!

Now back to domain names. We bought a few other domain names to possibly use in the future. Through time you get clearer in your marketing message. Through experience you discover what services you enjoy doing the most. That is just what happens in business.

We are in the process of simplifying and streamlining our business identity, marketing message and logo. We believe that there are always ways we can improve in our lives and business. We thought that now was the time to simplify our domain name as well. We still want to keep our business name of One Day Redesigns because it is very clear that in "One Day we can redesign your home or office." We wondered how we could change and simplify our domain name. What could we choose to make us memorable to others? I was tired of people forgetting to put an "s" on Redesigns or including the "Inc" in our name. Our new domain name is www.RedesignBoise.com.

Marketing Experts say it is best to match your domain name to your business name as close as possible. Sometimes the name you want is already taken. So, here are some tips that may help you:

1. Do you have a domain name that matches your business name? If it is simple it will work. If your business name is not available or too long then are there other words you could use to describe what you do?
2. Make it simple and easy to remember. What name can make you memorable? Is there something else that says what you do? Our new domain name is www.RedesignBoise.com because we want to Redesign as many homes as possible in the Boise Metro Area, where we live and do Business. Is that too big of a vision? I don't think so. Don't limit your vision or your dreams. You've got to shoot high to reach anything!
3. What message or name will make you stand out from your competitors? What characteristics make you special?
4. Did you know you can purchase a new domain name and keep the one you already have? You can have your old domain forwarded to your new domain. You can also add new email addresses with your new domain name that forward to your current email accounts. Most domain name providers allow you to have free unlimited email forwarding accounts. If this sounds too complicated to do, then ask your Webmaster to do it for you.
5. How about including your city or region in your domain name, like www.RedesignBoise.com? This will do a few things for you. It will identify where you are located and do business, it will make you more user-friendly and community minded. Also the Real Estate community knows that when people are considering moving into an area, they will search on the Internet for services in that city. Your name will usually list higher than your competitors.

Stay tuned for our new logo and website changes.

I hope these ideas and tips help you to refine and market you in your best possible way!

~Have a Colorful Day!

It was great to meet so many people interested We were recently in the Idaho Remodeling Sources and Design Trade Show at the Grove Hotel in Boise.  Most attendees were eiither remodeling or getting ideas for their homes.  We met some Color Enthusiasts, too.  Irene's presentation on Color was one of the best attended seminars throughout the weekend.  People really enjoyed discovering about themselves from one of our We Make Color Easy Personality Tests.  There were a few giggles as to the amazing results!

Some people even called me "Idaho's Color Lady!"  Great branding, so that is one of the titles I will now use to differentiate myself from others in Idaho. 

We even had our friends from Wall Words come up from Southern CA.  They were in the booth next to ours. It was interesting to share and learn from each other.  Carrol Caldwell, the Owner and Creator of Wall Words and Jackie Young, her Manager, had some very clever ideas for their vinyl lettering and graphics that can be used throughout your home.  Click here to learn more about Wall Words.

I thought I would let you know that if you live in the Boise Metro area of Idaho, we invite you to the Annual Idaho Remodeling Show at the Grove Conference Center tomorrow, Saturday, January 31st from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Sunday, February 1st from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM before that Super Bowl Party. This is sponsored by The Idaho Business League. If you want to learn the latest in trends and ideas for your remodeling needs for your homes, friends or clients home this is the one biggest shows of the year.

There will be plenty of speakers that will be sharing their expertise on a variety of topics to improve your home and in your remodeling efforts.

On behalf of The Color And Redesign Institute I will be presenting "The Six Steps with Success with Color." I will be presenting this on Saturday, January 31st. Join us if you can. It is amazing how our color choices determine our communication styles and relational styles with people. One of the Color Tests from The Dewey Color System is now being offered on CareerBuilder.com. Color one of my passionate subjects is always intriguing to me and my clients. The colors that we love and need in our lives is very powerful.

So if you are in our area stop by and see us at the Trade Show. Come out and get inspired about remodeling, coloring, redesigning and updating your home. Improving your home and environment can truly encourage and refresh your space and attitude. Some of my clients that are selling their homes continue to tell me why I didn't do this sooner and enjoyed my home before getting it ready to sell? Why wait, get going and get inspired!!

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Saturday, Room 1 - The Perch
10am Remodeling & Additions for Cleaner, Greener Homes
11am The Top 10 Items You Should Consider When Looking to Replace Your Windows
12pm The 7 Pitfalls of Remodeling & How to Avoid Them
1pm Smart Kitchen & Bath Design - Balancing Function, Fashion, Value & Sense
2pm How to Maximize the Return on Your Investment
3pm Own Your Home Free & Clear
4pm Determining Your Remodeling Budget
5pm Outlook and Opportunities - Don't Fear the Bear

Saturday, Room 2 - The Merlins
10am Inexpensive Remodeling with Vinyl Wall Lettering and Wall Décor
11am Universal Design in the Home
12pm Design. Build. What is it & How Does it Work?
1pm The Six Steps To Success. Under Pressure? Where Do You Lose It? Score Big? Overdo It? by The ColorAnd Redesign Institute-Irene Woodworth
2pm How to Grow Old With Your Home
3pm Green Building Materials - Why it Matters & What is Available
4pm Saving Energy! It's a Beautiful Thing.
5pm All About Countertops. Replace or Resurface?

Sunday, Room 1 - The Perch
12pm Why Hire an Interior Designer?
1pm Reconfiguring Space: A Design Study of Four Major Types of Remodels - Ideas to Cost Effectively Redesign Your Existing Home
2pm How to Choose the Right Contractor for Optimal Results

Sunday, Room 2 - The Merlins
12pm Don't Go Topless...Which Countertop is Better for You?
1pm The 7 Pitfalls of Remodeling & How to Avoid Them
2pm Smart Kitchen & Bath Design - Balancing Function, Fashion, Value & Sense

To learn more go to www.IdahoBuisnessLeague.com

Join us and get inspired!

~Have a Colorful Day!

Happy New Year to All of you! I have been about two weeks late in life, business and my home life. It has been a very busy season and all around year for us! I finally was ab;e tp tale down all of our Christmas decorations this past weekend. Of course, that started an organizational project in our four car garage. I got one fourth done and will keep chipping away at it during the next few months. I decided I had to organize my office to be able to work on our many upcoming classes, presentations and of course our business.

Yesterday and today were the first days I have been alone in a long time. My husband and son are out doing a painting project for one of our dearest and oldest clients. I actually had time to think and reflect on the past year. For us 2008 was truly a year of Accomplishments and Growth. We were all tested and overcame in many areas. It has truly been an adventurous ride! Never a dull moment in our lives. WOW!!

We traveled the most in our business and family. We met some very interesting and talented people. We also visited California four times (Palo Alto, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside), Atlanta, GA, Denver and Evergreen, CO and Portland, OR. I hosted several teleconferences for IRIS and began our own teleconferences for The Color And Redesign Institute. There were several speaking engagements including, St. Al's Hospital, Key Bank and various other businesses large and small. We trained the most Color Consultants throughout the United States.

This is also the last term for Dan to finish his Doctoral Research Project. He has almost completed his dissertation. Now we are preparing for his seminars and testing part of his project. (I will share more on that on another post.) What a transforming process it has been for all of us!

We had our Annual Holiday Open House after Christmas and we had so much fun! It was great to connect with old and new friends and family! I need to share how fun it was to finally meet in person one of our local Active Rain member, Pam Pugmire, join us. It was great to finally meet her in person! What a treat for all of us! We all decided she is even more beautiful in peson than her pictures on Active Rain! (Gary Woltal we finally met. Can you believe it?!) It is such a small world. Pam happened to come later in the evening right before one of our oldest friends (30 years) Jim and Letty Barnes now from Meridian, ID. They knew Pam while she was a checker in her Boise State University college days before all of her six kids. Go figure. We had such a great time laughing, sharing, and visiting. I think everyone finally left at 11:30 PM. It is the most heartwarming feeling to hear joy, laughter and such a good time when we get together. You can not put a price tag on that!

We are so very blessed with the greatest asset personally and professionally with overflowing friends, business associates and of course our family. In November and December we were honored to do some very rewarding Redesign Giveaways to the Women's Children's Alliance, the outstanding Life's Kitchen Volunteers - George and Helena Fortier and also a Redesign for the Gardner Family. It has been a very busy time and it felt great to make such a difference in so many lives and homes!

We also were able to get together with our families in Boise. Since, everyone is so busy most of the time, it felt great to just eat, visit and share with each other. Our niece, Natalie, came home from her college studies in the Big Apple. It was the first time in a couple of years, she had come home, so that was good for all of us. I decided to make one more holiday brunch for the family right before she departed. I had to take advantage of all of our Christmas decorating we had done and a good excuse for a party! What a fun and relaxing time it was for all of us.

So, as I continue to clean, organize and prepare for another amazing year in 2009, I am so grateful. No matter what the economy looks like, I continue to thank God every day for his blessings, protection, and wisdom. I desire to be a blessing no matter where I go, what I do or who I touch! Sometimes it is good to get back to basics, don't you think?

I had a unique opportunity last week to do something fun, inspirational and creative! I wanted to express love in action with some brand new shoes! Seven weeks ago, I met an amazing young Woman Entrepreneur that opened "Perfect Pair Shoe Boutique" in Boise, ID. At first glance, I thought to myself that these designer shoes were beautiful, but way out of my price range. I am a real Budget Shopper and never pay full price for anything!I received an email last week from my new business associate letting me know that she was going to liquidate some of her last season's shoes at 70% off the regular store prices. These one-of-a-kind shoes are from New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I thought it would be a good idea to support my new friend and check out her shoes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few pair I could actually use. My son bought me a wonderful early Christmas present - beautiful black suede and patent leather combination pumps with a designer twist. They are the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever worn! I even found some fun, comfy, dressier shoes to wear with my jeans. What woman does not like shoes? What a fun treat and surprise!!

Last Sunday morning, I thought about how my 20 year old niece would just love these types of shoes! I called her Mom, my sister-in-law and asked her to find out if her daughter would be interested in some new shoes. I have never seen them move so quickly! They dropped everything and we were off. We not only found shoes for my 20 year old niece, her older sister attending college in New York, but also for my beloved sister-in-law. (I put a lot of thought into gift purchases for my loved ones.

I don't buy gifts carelessly.) Now, the funny thing was I told them that I could only spend a certain amount. They were very appreciative that I would even purchase one pair of shoes for each of them. We found some amazing deals too good to pass up. There was a remarkable pair of designer shoes that I just had to buy for my younger niece. I have never seen her so excited and grateful for these gifts! Now, this young lady has been through quite a bit. She is always the one who is helping and encouraging her friends. She even helped her parents through a very difficult time this past year. It is very challenging to know how to buy the perfect meaningful and useful gifts for your twenty-something nieces! Today will be a special memory for me for me all because of brand new shoes!

~Have a Colorful Day!