1. Interested in doing non-profit work? The Taproot Foundation is looking for creatives
2. "Who am I?" you ask. Let Jumping Bean write your bio
3. Starting an eBay business? Do it right with marketing from Jumping Bean!
4. Summer special: 10% off your direct mail, interactive emails, and more!
5. Recipe: Thai Fish Cakes!

We're Hsuan-min Chou and Blythe Howard-Chou, founders of Jumping Bean Communications. Do you know someone who can use our marketing writing or technical writing services? Forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague, or point them to www.jumpbean.com.

1. Interested in doing non-profit work? The Taproot Foundation is looking for creatives

I attended a very interesting conference last week, and I thought the creatives here would be interested. The conference was held by the Taproot Foundation.

Taproot is an organization that provides non-profit organizations with creatives hired on a project basis. If you've been on the job boards lately, you've probably seen their requests for writers, graphic designers, and Web developers:

Unlike traditional foundations that make cash grants, the Taproot Foundation makes grants of high-quality professional services, called Service Grants. Our Service Grants are designed to build your fundraising, marketing, information technology or talent management (HR) capacity. http://www.taprootfoundation.org/npo/

Learn more. Or visit one of the job sites (Monster, HotJobs, Careerbuilder) and search under "Taproot".

If you missed that issue on improving your email's success rate, just visit the Archives page. You can find that, plus all past issues of "bean news!"

2."Who am I?" you ask. "I guess I need a bio!" Let Jumping Bean write your bio

Sure, you want people to know what you're selling. How you're better than the competition. What your differentiator is.

But your customers probably wonder: Who is this person? What is her experience? Is she a good CEO? What are her credentials? And what about her VP? And the company's board?

Let us write your company's bios, and we can show the world who you are and what makes you a fabulous CEO, president, VP, or contortionist. We have written bios for Catbird Networks, Open Port Technology, Streeterville Chamber, and more.

Contact us now so we can write your bios! info@jumpbean.com or (773) 562-6093.

To sell your items on eBay, you need to market them. Sure, you can be the "low cost" leader, but to be successful and actually make money it's not about price only, it's about value."Why do I want this item?" "What's in it for me?"

As experienced copywriters, we can help you improve your sales by creating value for your items. We'll make sure you item has:

• What you're selling
• What's so great about it
• Why someone would want it

Our job is to market your item so that it sells quickly. We'll write a description that works from the "buyers" point-of-view which can only work to your advantage! Learn more about our eBay services.

Do it now and tell us what you want to sell!

FYI: When your eBay/Craigslist description is ready to be posted, you (not Jumping Bean) will be responsible for managing the transaction, shipping the item, and dealing with any issues brought up by the buyer.

Garage filled with baby clothes? Yet, your "baby" is 18? Sell them now on eBay! Learn more about our eBay services!

4. Summer special: 10% off your direct mail, interactive emails, and more!

Whew! Lots of you have taken advantage of our summer special that we are going to extend it all the way 'til the end! That's right, all the way to September 23 at 9:51am, one minute before the Autumnal Equinox occurs.

Why you need direct mail: Direct mail is used to grab your customers' attention fast, get them in your door, and persuade them to buy your product or service. And to sweeten the deal, the offer has to be something your customers (think they) can't refuse!

At Jumping Bean we can do your direct mail. And we're taking 10% off our regular fee!

But don't wait too long. Offer is good until September 23! Call or email us today!

Make your day run more smoothly and efficiently with our timesaving tips. Got a tip? Send it to tips@jumpbean.com. You might see it in the next issue of "bean news!"

5. Recipe: Thai Fish Cakes!

We were in Thailand in April enjoying a welcome respite from the never-ending cold weather of the Midwest (90 degrees all day every day!). We spent one morning with a Thai chef, who took us to the local market in Kok Kloi, and then showed us how to make four dishes. For an appetizer, we made fish cakes.

Ingredients

Expand your culinary world by trying one of our recipes. If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share, send it to recipes@jumpbean.com, and you just might find it in the next edition of "bean news!"

ADV: 5-star rated Transtastic Auto Repair "has definitely made loyal customers out of us," says Liz T.

For quality oil changes and other car maintenance, call Steve at (773) 661-5100. Tell Steve you saw this ad on Jumping Bean.

New Clients
Active and Able
The Beloved Community
  (Taproot Foundation)
MediaBank
Specialty Services
Spencer Stuart
Walgreens

Thanks...for your work in the short time you were here. We'll certainly keep you in mind... for additional freelance help.

Manager
Corporate Branding and Creative Services
Discover Financial Services

Play and Feed a Hungry Person!

Did I overhear right that you were leaving after today? Bummer... You were a great help.

Copywriter
Walgreens

You did a wonderful job and I know The Beloved Community appreciated it!!!

Account Director
Taproot Foundation

Hsuan-min's writing style is approachable and easy-to-read—quite an accomplishment when writing about software and technology concepts!

Carolyn Calzavara
Director, Global Marketing
Decisions Made Easy

Excellent product, packaging, and shipping. Would gladly do business again.

eBay buyer: gravyshoes

Amy has definitely expressed her positive feedback with your work and is impressed with your strategic copywriting abilities!

Recruiter
Visa Account
Direct Mail Agency

Hsuan did a wonderful job writing the copy for our Web site. He was creative and detail oriented, met all of our deadlines, and was a joy to work with. We were very pleased with his work and would definitely use him again.

Kim Schilf
President
Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce
Read the case study

Thanks for the awesome piece! I'm completely happy with Blythe and Hsuan's work.

Jonathan Howell
Graphic Designer
Photoplay Design