123Print's Tips for Your Small Business

28Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

3 Ways to Encourage Employee Vacations

Office and Homeworking, Starting a new business

American workers don't take vacation as often as they should. According to Project: Time Off, U.S. employees take fewer vacations today than they have in the last 40 years. This has a serious effect on productivity and employee satisfaction, and can quickly lead to burnout. However, it's not just a matter of giving your employees time off - they have to actually take it. Here are some ways you can make sure your employees are taking time to recharge: 1. Set a Precedent If your employees see that vacations don't make the office fall apart, they'll be more likely to take them themselves. When someone goes on vacation, make an effort to demonstrate that the office can handle responsibilities while they're away. This way other employees will see that they're not abandoning their co-workers when…

27Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Creating a Business Plan

Marketing, Starting a new business

If you're starting a new business, you need to have a business plan. Your business plan will guide you through all of the key decisions you need to make early on. How will you reach your audience? Who do you need to hire? How many customers do you want to have by the end of your first year? Your third? These are just some of the questions your business plan should address. Before you can start handing out business cards and trying to convince investors to give you money, you must decide exactly what your business is going to do. Business Plan Basics Unlike a mission statement or an elevator pitch, business plans are not meant to be brief. They should be expansive, detailed documents that fully flesh out your company's…

27Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Perfecting Your Investor Pitch

Marketing, Office and Homeworking, Starting a new business

In the field of start-ups and budding businesses, the term "pitch" is often tossed around. This very short explanation of what your company does and who you are is incredibly important for procuring investors. Here are some basics to create one to help you gain funding for your latest venture:Explain yourself The entire point of a pitch is to leave your audience with the information they need to know about why they should finance your company. Tell them right away what the business name is and what services or goods you provide. For example, "Little Chompers is a dentist office that provides children with a comfortable and fun experience. We are located in San Jose and offer services to anyone ages 2 months to 16 years. We make kids and…

26Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

5 Ways to Use Business Cards

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

Business cards are incredibly important. Entrepreneur considers business cards one of the most valuable tools a business can use to increase referrals. However, not everyone uses them to their full potential. If you're only handing out business cards when you're in your office, that's a serious sign that you're underutilizing them. Not sure how to ramp up your business card usage? Here are a few tips and trick that you can use to make sure your card ends up in someone's hands - and stays there:1. Always Have Them One of the biggest business card mistakes you can make is never having your business cards around. Your cards are useless if they sit in a box on your desk forever. Keep them in your purse or briefcase, and slip a few into…

25Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

How to Handle Anger at the Office

Office and Homeworking

We've all had a person or situation at work that made us less than pleased, and possibly even full on angry. It's natural to have some conflicts in the workplace, as different personalities and productivity styles try to come together to get things done. As a business owner and manager, you have a huge role in every part of the office, from choosing business cards to handling employee disputes. You may have to help your staff out on occasions when they are angered by something or someone and can't seem to cool off. Here are some proper ways to handle anger in the workplace:Get to the Root of the Problem When someone gets mad, they may not even be upset about the particular thing that triggered their anger. With kids,…

25Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

A Guide to Rich Pins on Pinterest

Customer Retention, Marketing, News of the Web, Starting a new business

Pinterest is an aspirational website. When people use Pinterest, they're planning out how they'd like their lives to be. Pinterest users make boards that cover topics as broad as food and as specific as calligraphy for wedding invitations. This makes it the perfect social media site for businesses looking to engage with customers and drive product sales. One of the coolest features Pinterest offers businesses is the ability to create "rich pins." Rich pins are pins that offer more information to users that draws them into your product. Rich pins encourage engagement and drive click-throughs, which means they're more likely to get people on your site and interested in making a purchase. Types of Rich Pins Pinterest offers six different kinds of rich pins, each of which can help your business achieve different goals. App…

24Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

5 Ways to Raise Brand Awareness

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

For a business to succeed, people have to know it exists. Brand awareness can be the difference between trudging along and taking off. One of the biggest mistakes a new business owner can make is assuming that brand awareness will happen organically. The reality is, it takes effort to make an impression on consumers. Here are five ways you can bring your brand to the public's eye: 1. Use Promotional Materials Promotional materials are elements of advertising 101, yet a lot of new business owners overlook them. Don't underestimate the power of catching someone's attention. Car magnets and other outdoor ads are great ways to get people looking at your business's name, logo and information. Even a short glance at a passing ad can help cement your company in someone's mind. If…

21Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Writing the Perfect Mission Statement

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

New business owners need to have a strong mission statement. This short declaration of purpose lets customers and investors know what you do and why you do it. Ideally your mission statement will be short and to the point, and can be used on business flyers, door hangers and other promotional material. If you don't already have a mission statement, a few hours of work will help you come up with a paragraph that will impress investors and draw in customers. Even if you've already come up with one, these tips can help you look over your statement and make sure it's the best it can be. A Mission Statement's Purpose The first step toward coming up with a mission statement is understanding what you want yours to do. Generally speaking, your…

20Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

5 Ways to Establish Your Company’s Culture

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

One of the most common challenges facing small businesses is building a company culture. Everything from hierarchy to how you design your business cards affects how your company is perceived both internally and externally. This doesn't always seem like a huge concern at the beginning of a company's life. When there are only a few people working together, their personalities are usually strong enough that culture happens organically. As your business grows, it can get muddier. Eventually, an effort has to be made to establish clear standards of interaction within the business. Here are five ways you can build a culture that promotes growth and sets the right standard:1. Determine Your Company's Values Before you can build a culture, you need to know what that culture will be working toward.…

20Aug 2015 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Writing an Elevator Pitch That Leaves an Impression

Customer Retention, Marketing, Starting a new business

When you've only got one minute to impress someone, every word you say matters. That's the idea behind the elevator pitch, a short, to-the-point speech any business owner should be able to recite when the time comes. At the end of your pitch, the listener should want to know more and be dying to take your business card. These are the characteristics of a stellar elevator pitch:Easy to Understand Your elevator pitch should be a speech for anyone. Entrepreneur points out that opportunities to give your pitch could come at any time. You have to remove all jargon: If your mom won't understand it, make it simpler. It's worth giving your pitch to a few people outside of your field to pick up on terms you might not realize aren't common knowledge.…