Will You Add? - Business

The True Essence of a Brand
Sometimes in business we are so involved in the little things that we forget to refer back to the top of the pyramid. At the top of this pyramid is your company’s brand. This is a reminder as to how important your brand is and how properly executing it illustrates its true essence.The Umbrella Over Your BrandYour brand is how you want to be perceived and what your consumers expect. It is the umbrella over your entire company. Some may think logos, commercials, and glossy photos make up a brand. This is not true - those are marketing plans that only present the brand.A businesses brand is the overall character and quality of the business. Big businesses have sub brands for other products and services, yet they all relate back to the overall brand, never shying away from the businesses true personality.

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Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

It's impossible to be great at everything. In fact, most of us have a finite number of talents and passions. Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades can keep us from doing what we want to do and do well naturally. For those things we can't do or don't know how to do -- get the help and/or advice of an expert.

There are experts for everything. Need accounting advice -- hire a professional accountant. Dislike administrative work -- hire a personal assistant. Want to create a website, consider hiring a professional designer rather then taking a do-it-yourself approach. Often times enlisting the help of an expert will save you time and money. An expert's gift is an experienced eye and deepened perspective.

Sometimes it may be necessary to have a personal relationship with the experts in your life. Other times it may be possible to elicit an expert's opinion through books they've written, courses they teach, or articles they've posted on their website.

Car Care Businesses and Add-in Service Concepts
Let’s say you have an auto business up and running and you are looking to make more money, but adding on new services. You are not sure what you want to do, but you have a pretty good customer base and you want to provide a service that people want and that they are willing to spend top dollar for. Well, let me suggest auto detailing type concepts.Once you are up and running with a co-brand, business opportunity, independent business or franchise fixed site or mobile unit then what; what can you add to your set of services which will be an easy sell to your current customer base? Where do you go from there? Luckily in the detailing business your possibilities are truly unlimited. If you own automotive repair shop you can go mobile without taking up another bay in your shop. If you are mobile or have mobile service available you cou

To create the life you really want can be hard work AND it's totally worth it. Why is it so many of us think we have to do it ALL by ourselves! If this sounds like you, stop right now! To create and live the life you really want is much easier if you surround yourself with the five people below -- huggers, straight-shooters, mentors, success teams and experts. Soon, you'll wonder why you ever tried to go it alone!

Huggers
Straight-shooters
Mentors
Success Teams
Experts

Huggers:

Someone who is there for you with open arms, no matter what.

We all need "huggers" in our life -- a few special individuals who will be there for us when the chips are down and we feel like we can't go on. Huggers are the people in our life that will be there for us with open arms and a shoulder to lean on while providing words of encouragement when we most need it. They love us unconditionally, without judgment or strings attached.

Huggers are wise and embody love, compassion and acceptance. For some of us this may be family members and for others of us it may be friends, a spouse or partner. It doesn't matter who your hugger is as long as you have one in your life!

My huggers include:
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Straight-shooters:

Someone who will look you in the eye and tell you the truth.

Sometimes we need a little shake-up to help us get back on track, to see the light or to take a hard look at - whatever! We need straight-shooters! Straight-shooters are people who care for us, want the best for us AND are willing and able to provide us an objective eye. They don't sugar coat. Honesty is their best policy and they know to do anything else would be to sell us short.

A straight-shooter will sit you down, look you in the eye and challenge the things you say and do, or the things you don't say and don't do, all for the sake of waking you up. They see things about us we can't, or won't, see about ourselves. Not everyone has the ability to be an effective straight-shooter but those that can are priceless.

Straight-shooters come in the form of coaches, mentors, therapists AND best friends.

My straight-shooters are:
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Mentors:

Someone who's been there, done that!

A mentor's been where you want to go and they're willing to share their hard-earned wisdom and expertise. A mentor will save you time and money, shorten your learning curve and build your character. They stand before you on the path you're choosing with an enthusiastic, wise and confident spirit. They are the light posts on an otherwise darkened road, illuminating your passage.

Mentors are generous with their time and knowledge and all they ask for in return is that we do our best. Mentors like to see their mentees achieve success. Often times a mentor will choose us. Other times we must choose our mentors. Who in your community or business do you admire? Ask them if they'd be willing to mentor you over a period of time.

When you're lucky enough to keep the company of a mentor consistently "show up"; put all other things aside and give your mentor your full attention. Come prepared with questions and observations.

I would like the following individual(s) to mentor me:
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Success Teams:

You can't do it all alone so don't even try!

Details. Putting the pieces together. Getting things done. Fresh perspectives. Pats on the back. Accountability. These are just some of the things a Success Team can do for you. A Success Team is a group of 3-6 people that meet on a regular basis to support each other, provide feedback, brainstorm new ideas and celebrate each member's successes.

Creating a Success Team is a great way to reach your goals. Your team will be there for you again and again. Whether you're trying to lose weight, build a business or plan a European adventure, trying to do so alone can be taxing. Surrounding yourself with a group of people that care about you and your success will provide the support and encouragement you need to reach your goals.

The people I'd like on my success team include:
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Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

Controlling Beverage Costs For Your Restaurant
Restaurants that serve just about any type of beverage can usually benefit from beverage costing, but restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages are the best candidates for beverage costing analysis for increased profitability.Beverages are one of the easier ways to maximize profits for your restaurant due to the lower costs and far greater profit margins than with food.How To Calculate Beverage CostsSimilar to calculating food costs, you need to designate a time frame where you will analyze the beverage costs for your restaurant. This can be one week, one month or several months. Typically, the longer time you allow for analysis, the better and more accurate the information you will gain from the report. Usually, non alcoholic beverages like soda, coffee, juice, water etc, are not included in your beverage costing ca

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Straight-shooters:

Someone who will look you in the eye and tell you the truth.

Straight-shooters come in the form of coaches, mentors, therapists AND best friends.

Mentors:

Someone who's been there, done that!

When you're lucky enough to keep the company of a mentor consistently "show up"; put all other things aside and give your mentor your full attention. Come prepared with questions and observations.

Success Teams:

You can't do it all alone so don't even try!

Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

Free Advertising With Publicity - Part III
Attend Special Events – Watch your local news and constantly be on the lookout for events in your area where you can increase your visibility. As always, the best lead generation methods are those that introduce your products and services by way of something free (in exchange for their contact information, of course).Take Time to Get to Know Your Local Editors and Publishers – It’s a lot easier to pitch a press release or idea if you already know someone on the inside. Years ago I was in the middle of writing a book, and I started shopping for an agent, figuring it was easier to go that route than to approach the publishers directly. My wife managed insurance policies at the time for a Fortune 500 company, and one of her clients was the publishing firm Simon & Schuster. One day she happened to be talking to a prominent editor, and

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Mentors:

Someone who's been there, done that!

When you're lucky enough to keep the company of a mentor consistently "show up"; put all other things aside and give your mentor your full attention. Come prepared with questions and observations.

Success Teams:

You can't do it all alone so don't even try!

Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

Five Tips for Writing Better Brochures
When I was a salesperson for a design company one key element in my presentation consisted of a product brochure. They were written for us by the company engineers and we complained that there were too many elements missing for us to make our sales points.Here are 5 tips for writing better brochures for your small business.1. Know your audience. What do you want them to know, think, or feel after they read your brochure? Your brochure must fit the informational needs of your audience. Is there something you can ask in your brochure that will make your prospect buy? Your customer is very busy and cares very little about your bragging about your company. They are only interested in what's in it for me. What is your audience's profession; are you writing to engineers, insurance companies, or managers. The engineers may b

idual(s) to mentor me:
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Success Teams:

You can't do it all alone so don't even try!

Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

A Look at Popular Shrink Wrap Systems
Shrink wrapping items protects them during transport, but requires many pieces of equipment. To shrink wrap any small item, a sealing wand, film dispenser with film, heat gun or tunnel are needed. Shrink wrap systems simplify the process.For the home or small business, small shrink systems are available to frame artwork or to package small items. These cost between $300 and $500 and provide all equipment needed for shrink wrapping small items. Consider buying a straight bar sealer or an L-bar sealer. Small shrink wrap systems can be used on a tabletop and should include a durable sealing pad. Look for a system that is portable, can accommodate different sizes and types of film, and can heat up quickly. When shrink-wrapping artwork or photographs, you should look for acid-free or archival-quality shrink wrap film. Not all acid-fre

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Experts:

When a jack-of-all-trades won't cut it -- call in the Experts.

Experts I need:
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As more and more people get their news from MSN, Google and Yahoo, less and less are relying on the local newspapers. In this day and age with 200 channels of Satellite Radio, 400 Channels of Satellite TV, instant breaking news by email and online news gathering of search engines the newspaper industry is taking a hit.

A logo is essentially a visual brand identity of a company. The origins of logos can be traced to the 19th century, when industries added a symbol to represent their companies and to help customers easily identify their products. The trend caught on, and today corporations, services, products, agencies, universities, and colleges all have a specially designed identifying emblem or logo.

Does your change project feel like the streets of Baghdad? Do you want to manage change and sleep at night. Is that an oxymoron? It doesnt have to be but it often is. Read on and see how to deal with the worst kind of resistance to change - underground resistance.

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Will You Add? - For Success in Life and Business Surround Yourself with These Five People

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