L. Duncan Apparel Blog

At L Duncan Apparel, we are committed to our success as well as the success of others. We are keen on uplifting our community. We are starting a series of stories that we have learned over the past year. As a small business, it can be difficult to compete with other businesses and still remain true to your values. We want to share our story so that other entrepreneurs and small business owners may learn from our mistakes.

On the Road to Success: Beware of credit card machines

You would think that purchasing/renting a credit card machine would help to make more money, right? In the beginning, we tried renting a machine from a large national publicly traded bank that shall remain unnamed. We rented the machine from one of their reps. We were supposed to have a trial that lasted a year and then after the year we would start making monthly payments on the machine. Well we soon found out that the bank started deducting their fees right after we signed the contract. We called the bank immediately to find out what was going on. They said that the rep did not explain the agreement correctly and that something was wrong with our machine. They wanted us to sign a new contract for a new machine. They also wanted us to pay additional fees.

At the end of the ordeal, we ended up with a large headache and missing funds. We scrapped the idea of renting a credit card machine and now we use Square. It’s a smartphone application and attachment where you can process credit card transactions. It’s makes transactions A LOT easier and is giving traditional credit card readers a run for their money, literally. This was one of those lessons we had to learn through our pockets. OUCH!

On The Road to Success Series

At L Duncan Apparel, we are committed to our success as well as the success of others. We are keen on uplifting our community. We are starting a series of stories that we have learned over the past year. As a small business, it can be difficult to compete with other businesses and still remain true to your values. We want to share our story so that other entrepreneurs and small business owners may learn from our mistakes.

Our next event is a Charity Brunch and Image Forum honoring the Center for Food Action scheduled for Sunday, February 24, 2013,  at the Urban Auditorium of Saint Clare's Hospital in Denville, New Jersey.  Exhibitors in the past have included purveyors of couture, accessories and home decor, handbag manufacturers, artists, makeup professionals, stationers, milliners, interior decorators, soap manufacturers, candle distributors, fitness trainers,  massage therapists, lamp distributors, as well as jewelers. We're thrilled to network & participate.

On The Road to Success Series

At L Duncan Apparel, we are committed to our success as well as the success of others. We are keen on uplifting our community. We are starting a series of stories that we have learned over the past year. As a small business, it can be difficult to compete with other businesses and still remain true to your values. We want to share our story so that other entrepreneurs and small business owners may learn from our mistakes.

On the Road to Success Series: Beware of the Friends you keep

In an ideal world, your friends and family are the most supportive of your endeavors no matter what there are. We have been blessed to have an extremely supportive network as you can see from our pictures from various events including our Annual Dress for Success and Website Relaunch party. A strong network is essential to any business pursuit. These people will be your champions, pick you up when you’re down, support you and give you great ideas.

On the other hand, not everyone will be supportive. On the road to success, there will be many naysayers. We have also lost many friends or people that we thought were our friends. It is not a pleasant feeling to lose touch with someone you have known for years.

How to cope with losing friends over business

1. Remember not everyone is dedicated to your success. Everyone is in your life for a reason and a season. Very few people will be with you in the end.
2. Stay focused on the end goal. You are in business for a reason. You can’t let relationships distract you from your dreams.
3. If it were meant to be, it will be. If the relationship was a true friendship, in time you will both heal and come back together again. True friendship      endures all.

You are alive. If you are reading this right now that means you have access to the Internet. It is a privilege to have access to the web and live in today's times. Many abuse the Internet creating viruses etc, however it is a great educational resource. You can learn virtually anything you want online. There are many articles online that can teach you skills from maintaining your health to create a positive self image. So while many other people are watching video after video of cats on YouTube, you can use the Internet for good.

Celebrate life while you can! Don't take a single moment for granted. We spend way too much time complaining and being upset. This is just another reminder to be grateful for all that we have to continually uplift others.

We raised $11 for Toys for Tots thanks to everyone that liked our page in December. Look out for more of our charitable Facebook campaigns in 2013!

We have just been accepted into the National Association of Professional Women. We are thrilled about this new opportunity and looking forward to participating to our fullest capacity. We can't wait to start networking and meeting other like-minded professionals and learning new ways to grow our business.

Straight from their website, "The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is an exclusive network for professional women to interact, exchange ideas, educate, and empower.  NAPW members enjoy a wealth of resources, benefits, and services dedicated to enhancing their lives and promoting their businesses and careers.

NAPW provides seminars, podcasts, webinars, keynote speakers, and educational tools, fostering critical skills that enable our members to achieve personal and career success." Their spokesperson is also the wonderful Star Jones. We look forward to sharing more of our experiences with the association.

Today we visited the Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey. It was a great experience. We were able to tour the facility as well as meet with the children. We dropped off toys to individual children of various ages. We also met with a parent of one of the children. He was extremely grateful for our donation and support. We also were able to spend a bit of time with the chilidren playing with them in their therapy room. We rocked them in rocking chairs and blew bubbles. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures to protect the children's privacy. Overall, we are very thankful to have this experience.

Every traveling woman has her beauty go to items. Here's the 5 things you should always have on hand.

1. Lip Gloss or lip balm - Lip care is vital. It's important to maintain your appearance. It's embarrassing to have dry or cracked lips especially when you're having conversation with someone important. It can also be very painful.  You really want the other person to concentrate on what you're saying NOT on your poorly maintained lips.

2. Lotion - Hand Care is also important. You're going to shake someone's hand and you notice how dry their hands are. Makes you want to run and get your own lotion. Lotion is also good for maintaining your fingernails. Moisture is key to maintaining healthy nails and hands.

3. Small notepad & pen - Had a good idea for a business and then forgot it when you arrived at home? That's the point of carrying a notepad.

4. Mints/gum - You don't want to offend anyone with harsh breath right? Or maybe you have to give someone else a hint that you can small the garlic and onions that they had for lunch....

5. A great bag! You need a place to store all these things.

The Holidays are a joyous occasion to get together with our loved ones. We enjoy great meals, share stories ---and of course --- exchange gifts. There's always that one person on everyone's list who is extremely difficult to shop for. Worry no more! We got your back with our Holiday gift guide for everyone on your list.

For the lovely women in your life,

The Classic Felt Fedora - This hat can add a jazzy feel to any outfit.

Lovelock - The perfect carry on bag to fit everything you need.

Valentino Serendipity - The perfect make up bag for the glamazon in you life. She's the woman that always looks put together no matter what!

Pearl Girl - This is classic necklace that adds the right amount of flair to that little black dress you plan to wear to the Holiday party

For the strapping gentlemen in your life,

The King - comes in Gray, Green, and Red so you will definitely find the perfect tee to set off your man or your brother's wardrobe.

Fishing Cap in tan, Black/Brown and Black/Gray - The perfect hat to keep your Dad hip this winter season.

Elmer Fudd in Tan, Plaid and Brown - The ultimate warm weather accessory.

Aviators in Silver Smoke, Champagne Smoke, Champagne Toast and Charcoal. - For the super trendy man in your life.

Time to start shopping!!!!!

Starting in December, our charitable donations program will be focusing on toy donations. We are running TWO campaigns. We are donating toys to Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey AND we are running a Facebook campaign for Toys for Tots. For each new like we get, we are donating $1 to the Toys for Tots program. Our company takes a great interest in family and children's issues. It is very important to us to participate in giving EVERY Holiday Season. After dealing with Hurricane Sandy, many children across the tri-state are without homes and toys. This is the best time to show them that someone still cares about them. We should all try to help these children have a memorable Christmas because of the generousity of others. They are the most innocent and vulnerable victims from the storm. More information on can be found at http://www.toysfortots.org/

So please everyone invite all your friends to like our Facebook page and spread the Holiday cheer!

Big Thank you to everyone who participated in our Breast Cancer Awareness Month donation program. We raised $100 and sent that to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Breast Cancer is a major issue among women and with the help of this foundation many women and families are able to receive helpful information about this deadly disease.  They are working extremely hard every day to come closer and closer to find a cure for Breast Cancer in the near future.

We've gone from this:  to this: 

Sometimes the smallest changes make all the difference. Take time to explore our newest handbags and clutches, jewelry and apparel.

The mission of LDuncan Apparel is to bring you fashionable apparel and accessories at affordable prices. We couldn’t think of a better group to partner with for our Website Relaunch Party than Dress for Success. Learn more about the organization at www.dressforsuccess.org/morriscounty. 

“I wish someone had been there to help me then like
Dress for Success helps so many women in similar positions.”

The tough economic times we find ourselves in can affect anyone of any class, creed or race. Luckily individuals and companies like LDuncan Apparel find it in our hearts and in our closets to give back.

On Saturday, August 18^th, along with unveiling our new website to the public at our Website Release Party, the lucky folks who were first to get their hands on our brand new merchandise also enjoyed our thirst quenching LD’gria. The demand has been overwhelming, so here it is, our coveted LD’gria recipe: