download the May 2011 issue (PDF). - Inside Chappaqua

Who Knows? Stacy Knows!
The Unlikely Story of an Entrepreneur
Every group of girlfriends has
one–the “go-to” gal. She’s the one
that knows where to go, what to do
and how to get anything done.
Even from the earliest age,
Stacy Geisinger, was that girl. “I
was always the social type,” says
Geisinger. “And, I’ve been known
to have an opinion.” What’s more,
Geisinger, who hails from Bayside,
Queens, has a fabulous sense of
humor. Who wouldn’t want to hear
what she has to say?
Although she’s been living in
bucolic Bedford for more than 20
years, you can still hear that city
energy in her voice. Yet, this grown
woman, whose only son, Alexander,
is in college, has surprisingly found
herself at the helm of StacyKnows.
com, the fast-growing blog that
covers everything Stacy knows and
then some. If you’d like a great tip
or want to know what’s new in the
world of beauty, fashion, shopping,
music, travel, food, drink, charity
or more, just ask Stacy. There’s usually
no need for questions because
Geisinger fuels her site regularly
with everything you want to know
and beyond.
GET READY
How did a suburban mom turn
into a savvy, social media entrepreneur?
It took a few twists and
turns of fate and a willing spirit.
Geisenger wasn’t always the one
10 Inside Chappaqua May 2011
By Jean Sheff
to take risks. Although she wanted
to study marketing in college, her
father talked her into becoming an
accountant. “Those were the days
when being happy was not a priority;
having a solid job was the goal,”
she says. So Geisinger did what
good girls from Queens do, she
took the route to the solid job. “The
goal was to have a job, even if it
was a job you hated,” she jokes. Accounting
led to marriage, the birth
of her son, a move to the burbs and
the “Kindergarten to Grade 12” lifestyle.
“Life was about homework,
projects and car pools,” she says.
And, of course, exercise class.
GET Set
Being in the know, Geisinger was
taking one of the hottest classes of
the day–Power Groove kickboxing,
twice a week.
“I don’t remember exactly how it
started; the instructor was making
a point about toning up our arms
for the summer and in a fun way
he started this little chant, “Stacy
Knows… yes, Stacy Knows.”
Well, it just stuck. “Then my
friends started telling me I should
have a website because of all I
knew, so I looked at some sites, but
I didn’t know,” she says. On a trip
out to the Hamptons, Geisinger
started talking to a gentleman who
just happened to be a ‘google guy.’
It was serendipity. “Two hours
later, I had a website,” she says. She
introduced her site to a mailing list
she had of 500 addresses.
That was three years ago. “I am
having so much fun,” she enthuses.
“With this vehicle, you can make it
as much as you want it to be.” She’s
joined Facebook, opened a Twitter
account, and became enthralled
with things like search engine optimization
and affiliate marketing.
Go!
So, has she found fame and fortune?
“It might not be the best way
to put food on the table, but I have
some paying advertisers. They’re
my favorite people, and I do a lot
of barter. Food, books, soap and
perfume presents just keep arriving
at my door--how fun.” Even
her husband, Edmund, thinks it’s
cool. Geisinger says it took her a
little while to find her niche. “I’m
not that private a person, but I
wasn’t looking to air dirty laundry
and I wasn’t interested in venting,”
she says. What she values is sharing
new information that can help
people in their lives. “I always ask
myself–is it blog worthy?” she says.
“Doing this is all for good–that’s
the point.”
The only downside is that the
web never shuts off. When asked
if she thought the web is addicting,
Geisinger replies, “I could use
a good 12-step program!” In the
end, Geisinger says she’s glad she’s
started StacyKnows.com. “What
else would I be doing? This is such a
good outlet for me!”
Jean Sheff is a Chappaqua-based
writer and editor who is glad someone
knows.