Blogs

Clear the Clutter in August for a More Productive Rest of the Year

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Meditation
There are the same number of days in the first half of the year as there are in the second half of the year, but it sure doesn't fell like it, does it? Once September hits it's like the days are only ten hours long and it has nothing to do with the creeping darkness. What it does have to do with is the back-to-school, Halloween, change in season, holiday havoc that leaves us breathless until we shout Happy New Year. It’s coming soon and there’s little you can do to avoid it. What you can do is use the month of August to prepare.

Summer Profits: How to Make Your Vacation Work For You

Posted by Melissa Williams Netherton

At the beach
As a small business owner who has just learned how to go ahead and take a vacation from your business, there is nothing wrong with also including a little profitability during your time off (as long as you still get some down time too)! Depending on what your plans for vacationing include, you may be able to make a little or a lot of extra profit from your travels. Read on for some suggestions on how to turn that vacation into a money making venture:

Christmas in July: Are you ready to get ready for the holidays?

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Gingerbread cookies
I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re thinking you have plenty of time. You don’t. As of July 2, the year is half over and there’s a weird phenomena that happens in the second half of the year; the last 182 days fly by faster than the first 182 days. You can quote planetary rotation and physics all you like but it will still be true because the second half of the year is filled with holidays and events that distract us from the task ahead. If you have kids, it’s ten times worse; back-to-school, Halloween, Thanksgiving. Factor in the dwindling sunlight hours and you’re already out of time.

Summer Shows: 5 Tips to Make Your Booth Better

Posted by Melissa Williams Netherton

Renegade Craft Fair
If you are like most craft based businesses you will likely be out on the craft show circuit this summer. Whether you are doing larger wholesale tradeshows, or small retail shows in your community, one thing is very important. You need to have displays that draw your customers into your booth! Below are some craft show display ideas that will help you bring those

Vacationing When You Own a Business

Posted by Melissa Williams Netherton

Relaxing on vacation
With summer in full swing many people are thinking about getting out and exploring new lands or just finding some downtime to relax. If you are like one of several other entrepreneurs though, the idea of taking some downtime may seem a little daunting. The fact is, you may feel like you can’t actually take time off, but the reality is you can and you really should! Taking time off is good for the soul and is good for your business too, as you will be able to recharge and get ready to focus on your business when you return. Read on for tips on getting out of town when you own your own online business!

What Emotion Are You Selling?

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Girl in cowboy boots
Think about the last thing you bought that you didn’t absolutely need. Why did you buy that one instead of the one next to it or the one from a different shop? You bought the one you bought because it triggered the right emotional response. We buy a lot of thing because they make us feel happy but we also buy things that make us feel powerful or more spiritual. We even buy things that make us sad. I know that sounds ridiculous but look at the concept of "nostalgia". When we feel nostalgic part of us is happy but part of us feels sad over the loss of that era, so we buy the item to recapture the feel of those days. What emotion are you selling?

Grow Your Email List : Grow Your Business Part 2

Posted by Cynthia Boris

Sign up box
In the first part of this series, we talked about the importance of building an email list. Now, we need to talk about how to grow that list. The most common way to get people to sign up is to offer them a freebie in return. This is called a lead magnet and you can read more about that in the previous post. Here are a few additional ways to collect names for your email list.

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