Author page: Kim Vallee

Raplapla’s doll hospital is a life saver

Family September 28, 2014
raplapla doll repair service

Every toddler child has one doll that he can’t sleep without at night. I always admired the modern rag dolls designed by Erica Perrot of Raplapla. The fact that I can put it in the washing machine was a bonus. The decision was a no brainer when it came to buy Zack his first doll, it had to be Mr. Tsé Tsé. As I called her about making repairs toTsé Tsé, Erica proved again that she understands and cares for the needs of her customers, i.e., the kids.

It took Zack a while but eventually he adopted Tsé Tsé. We never called him Mister; it’s too formal. Zack loves Tsé Tsé so much that a year and a half later I bought a second one in case we lose the original. We couldn’t fool him. So, we called the second one Yéyé. Now Zack falls asleep with both of them.

Almost 3 years later, Tsé Tsé showed wear and tear. He started to bother Zack a lot. I wanted to act before it couldn’t be saved. So I called to inquire about the repair service of Raplapla. Let me tell you that their doll hospital is a treat for parents and kids!

Why I’m Back to Personal Blogging

Family September 18, 2014
personal blogging

After successfully blogging about stylish living and entertaining since 2005, I needed a new challenge. I want to write a blog that fits my current life and work situation.

I closed At Home with Kim Vallee last year. Every time I attend a blogging or social media conferences, people ask me about At Home with Kim Vallee or ask me why did I stop? I’m extremely proud and glad of what I accomplished with my previous branded blog. At Home with Kim Vallee enabled me to build a reputation that far exceeds my local circle.

TED Talks: Hackschooling

Family February 24, 2014
tedx hackschooling

I care about the future of our education system. I follow what is going on because I want my son to be in an education system that will prepare him for the world of tomorrow. For that to happen, we need to change the design of the classrooms, the methods and the tools that we use to teach our kids. We need to take a fresh look at how we do it.

This is why I watched the talk given by Logan LaPlante at TEDx University of Nevada. For the record, I don’t think that home schooling is the viable solution. Since I’m is open-minded to other ways to teach our kids in a school environment, I wanted to hear what he had to say.

Content Strategy: The day I made Kotaku

Business January 20, 2014
kim featured on kotaku

Today I want to talk about the power of intrinsically knowing your audience. To do this, I will tell you how I orchestrated, as a food and entertaining blogger, to be featured in 2008 on Kotaku, the most influential video game blog and the 19th blog of the world at the time.

A blog for hard-code gamers is not where you expect a post on a birthday cake. Plus, my timing was out of sync. I succeeded because I perfectly understood what their editors wanted in a story. My pitch had the right ingredients. With my husband’s help, I designed a cupcake tower filled with clever gaming details.

My Three Words for 2014!

Business January 4, 2014
reconnect my 3 words

Thursday, I wrote about how my plan to capture my year plan with three words. Today, I reveal what they are.

Last year was a year of transition work wise. I had the gut to close At Home with Kim Vallee, the lifestyle blog that became my business. I questioned what I truly want to do for living. I analyzed business opportunities. I looked at where the market is heading. Should I create an agency, launch a startup or simply work as a consultant? I had too many choices. Now that I focus on consulting and training, I’m back into the game. I feel stronger and more confident about my choice.

This year is definitely about actions. It is about making things happen. My three words for 2014 are:

Setting goals for 2014!

Business January 2, 2014
Citrus Splash drink

Before we start, I wish you all the best for 2014. I also hoped that you had fun celebrating the New Year. I did!

Have you set your New Year goals, yet? I’m still working on putting mine in words. Last year, I selected five areas for my year plan. In retrospective, 5 areas are too much which is why I will try this year the 3-word system of Chris Brogan. Selecting three words (nouns or verbs) seems more focused and easier to follow for a year.

5 tips for publishing content that matters to your fans

Business December 13, 2013
content that resonates with your fans

Don’t let what happened to Formula 1 happen to you. I watch Formula 1 racing since the mid-1990s. I saw its progression from being an entertaining sport where the drivers and team owners spoke their minds to an aseptic corporate communications machine. I lost touch. I stopped reading the news. These days, I watch the races that I pre-recorded the day before. I recalled when I stayed up late to see the start of the race live. Frankly, I missed the time when I couldn’t wait to read the F1 news before, during and after each race.

Sadly, this is what many marketers and business people are doing online. They lack personality. They feared to show their human side. They try to appeal to everyone. They fail to tell stories that resonate with their customers — current and potential customers. I think all this is a mistake.