How Lighting Can Enhance The Retail Customer’s Experience
Provided by Dubak Electrical Group, industrial electrical contractors
The King Of Business Guardian.
Provided by Dubak Electrical Group, industrial electrical contractors
Designing a family reunion or get together t-shirt is easy but you may have lot of confusion about that from where to start. It is not difficult as you think. You need to draw out first that what you want to print on your t-shirts and also gather ideas of other members as well. Your plan to buy Family T-Shirts can only be successful after perfect design work.
Next step is to choose the business which is ready to print your family reunion t-shirts. You can easily find thousands of local as well as online stores which offer customizable t-shirt printing. To receive customizable t-shirts, you need provide the needed information as required by printers.
They may ask you to provide them a particular art file of a specific size. They may also tell few things related with their services like what they charge, time for delivery of orders, what is the minimum order size, discounts offered by them on placing bulk orders etc.
Also, be forewarned that most matching Family T-Shirts printing businesses would not be able to offer a refund for family reunion t-shirts because they would not be able to resell them.
All of these questions should be asked ahead of time to make the whole process as smooth as possible. Choose a business that will offer the desired services at genuine prices only as many make good profit just by befooling you by taking much higher prices.
Pick your family reunion t-shirts colour for best Family T-Shirts combo which is another important thing to consider. If you are organizing family reunion in summer season, you should necessarily pick the light colour as possible.
It reduces the impact of heat on body. During winters, you may choose the dark colours but be aware that few printers do not print specific combos like white ink on the black shirts etc.
You can also choose a gender neutral colour as both kinds of genders i.e. male and female have to wear the same t-shirt. The designs of t-shirts should be bold enough to get highlighted against the background colour.
Next thing is to choose the font of the quote to be printed on thefamily T-Shirts combo. Think something funny but also clear in a sense to be read easily by anyone.
Few font styles are so fancy that they are quite difficult to read. You can put the family name on front side of t-shirts and also the year of reunion.
Another great idea is to print the family name on back of the t-shirts and also print some artwork on the front. At the same time, you also consider the cost of printing as printing on both the sides can be costly.
The globe is increasing in terms of company and item development. These days, we can find a variety of types for an item due to the long-lasting impact of Globalization and Modernization. Because of this, the competitors for all kinds of goods and solutions is increasing day by day. In this increasingly aggressive globe, the only solution to endure in the company is a proper and efficient promotion. The no cost ads are one such way to improve the demand for your item.
The Significance of Posting Free Ads
The ads can play an important role in gaining access to your business. These ads perform as a little but efficient expression of the items offered by you. They can catch the interest of public on a wide variety simultaneously. And they are recommended by most individuals due to the brief and to the point description of the item. Thus, they are helpful resources that entice the large individuals in brief time period.
The Benefits of Internet Ads
There are a lot of ways to promote the item. Some resources perform for the specific individuals, while some aim at higher variety of clients. But, no other way is as efficient as the worldwide web promotion. These days, the use of Internet has not stayed limited to the places, it has gone to the remote distant towns. The only way to make the item available to every possibility is to use no cost ads. Following are the main benefits of using Internet to promote our item or service:
Cost Free: Many of the websites are providing no cost ads assistance. So, you do not have to worry about the costs of advertising the goods and solutions that other to supply.
Access to Relevant Products: The links given in the ads can take the clients to the variety of relevant items. Therefore, the clients prefer the ads as they can have variety of options at one click.
Easy Upgrading and Enhancing: The ads can be quite easily handled by the resources. If not required, they can be removed immediately. Otherwise, there is an update option to edit the ad.
Greater Opportunities of Sales: Every user of the Internet will have access to the information offered by the ads. Therefore, the clients and individuals having interest in company collaboration will be the target of these ads. There are opportunities of more revenue queries that can be produced.
So, no cost ads can become a great source of income to both little and big business owners.
We are not attempting to push the limits of what is possible here.
Salesmanship is hardly about gaining mastery in just trying to sell your stuff to your clients.
Business people always had to push into another level of customer relations and personal satisfactions in order to gain greater mastery in their craft – thereby making a better impression on their clients to help push them into a converted sale.
That was the basic, almost mechanics of a sale, but too many people out for profit thought that it was all going to break in half or something – and that customers would revolt against the sales funnel process.
This is where you get a lead and shift them into the direction of whatever you are buying, and that is some interesting and crazy stuff, because everyone vaguely wants a sales funnel – but far too many have no idea what that is, or why that might benefit their business process.
We are not trying to entertain the idea that profits come from pure salesmanship – because that points to the fact that we don’t know what we’re talking about, but we definitely do because we are hopefully the experts and masters of our industry and trade, and thereby have every right to sell our products at the rate in which we serve them to our markets.
That honestly and literally has to be resolved first, because if you don’t have that ingrained into you, then life will feel a lot different and worse for ware over time, and most of us can’t have that happen because that just honestly means that we are personally and regrettably far off track.
It’s not that we’re not trying to be better business people in general, but you have to get the quality of your products and services far higher in general, or else you will magnificently suffer the consequences in a brutally hesitant way that no one really wants to be part of.
But that’s where businesses can fall apart, and you have to keep in mind that these mistakes add up over the months and years, and that can be what ultimately causes your down fall.
All because you didn’t have your mind set on straight, and everything fell off the foundation, because you weren’t quite sure what you were doing, and everything literally just wasn’t going to work out long term – because your products were not up to par, and that was a problem for you and your marketplace.
Today is Article number Ten of our series of The Top 10 Mistakes in Advertising and How To Avoid Them.
I appreciate very much that you spent these first nine articles with me.
Ideally they have imparted some experience, knowledge, help for you, to avoid or eliminate some of the advertising and marketing and media hiccups that too many advertisers have had to deal with.
This series I capped at 10. That’s not to say there’s not a host more of them. I’m sure everyone can append to the list or maybe change the order as they see fit and I fully respect that.
But these are the ones that have been the most prominent in my career across multiple agencies, clients, industries and budgets of all sizes
My hope is that they are some guideposts for you as to how to navigate your future activity.
So by way of quick review before we get to our series ender, a quick summary
Number one was a failure to test and to measure your ad and
Number two was not taking the time for ad scheduling.
Number three was failing to research who your target group really is
Number four was changing the look too frequently
Number five – remember I suggested that you’ve gotta dance with who you’ve brought. You take care of your existing clients
Number six was to please do the due diligence and don’t just open your wallet to any ad sales rep
Number seven was spreading yourself too thin and not doing a good job on any one media to start with
Number eight was coming into the campaign with unrealistic expectations of what your ad campaign can do to transform your business overnight
Number nine was giving up on your campaign too soon
Today for Number Ten and this one strikes at the heart of creative and that’s quite simply, Running Lousy Ads.
You’ve seen them, you can probably rhyme two or three off the top of your head just like that.
There is no way to put it delicately but most advertising fails, as high as 90% by some reports, but most advertising fails.
Huh? Ninety percent! Yes, and why you ask?
Well because they don’t excite and engage the reader.
They don’t pique curiosity. They don’t tell the reader to pay attention.
They blend into the background and become invisible.
They are too boring.
Like I said there’s not a way to put this delicately.
But if your message isn’t that engaging to pull someone’s attention, how in the world are you going to get them down to the bottom of the ad when you can’t even get their interest at the top of the ad.
I mentioned Mr. John Caples earlier in this series. He was a prolific ad tester. He was also a very good ad writer and arguably his most famous was an ad he wrote for the US School of Music correspondence where the headline read: … They laughed when I sat down to play the piano but when I started to play…
Then he went through some wonderful storytelling. That headline captivated people through the entire ad and directed them to the clip out coupon to order some music lessons by mail.
It was an unqualified success and it was repeated for decades because it continued to pique the readers’ curiosity.
Your headline makes or breaks your ad and many a seasoned copywriter will tell you just how important those few words are to a getting the reader into the rest of the story.
It can pique curiosity.
It can be Here’s How.
It can be This is Why.
It can be Who Else Wants whatever,
but more than anything else your headline has to draw attention away from everything else that that person is going through at that time and say…
… you really need to read this and you need to see what it is I have to say nothing else is as important as these 95 seconds it’ll take you to read my ad…
That’s what you have to do. To fix this dear readers, well quite honestly you simply have to create better ads.
It all starts with the words. Those 26 letters of the alphabet are your key to sales. Whether you write it for yourself or you have an agency or a professional do it for you, you want ads that are informative, that get the prospect eager to have more of this. Whatever your this happens to be.
To get them into the ads you need to create a great headline.
And a great headline is responsible for upwards of 80% of the success of the ad. It has to stop you and pull you in. It has to have arresting power. You want to sell them don’t you?
You need to get their attention, and if you want to get their attention, stop them with a headline that says… you have to read this now.
Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you it has been my privilege.
I hope this series has been of assistance to you.
I look forward to your feedback electronically or by mail if you’re so inclined.
All of the contact information to reach me can be found in the resource box at the end of this article, directing you to my website. You’ll find a host of paid and free resources there to help you along the way and if I can be of any further assistance it will be my privilege.
This is Dennis Kelly. Thank you.
Decals and stickers are generally not reusable, which means you only get to apply them one time. I’ve seen some persons try to re-use decals, but the cost in time and energy attempting to reuse adhesive graphics is simply not worth it.
With that in mind, it’s simply a waste of time, and as they say, “Time is money.” However, if your stickers have removable acrylic adhesive, it’s not as complicated and messy as you might think it would be, if you have the right type of decal. Read on further to understand what I mean.
The Preference for Easy to Remove Decals and Stickers
Here are the top reasons why you are better off with removable decals and stickers:
1. Easy removal of artwork – or graphic design replacement or modification.
The utmost reason why one would seek a removable decal is for an obvious reason – easy removal. And this is not because of the intention to reuse the item. At least, that’s not usually the case. It depends on where and how you are going to stick your decal. You can stick them on walls, car windows, laptops, and etc. If you place them on walls, for instance, there will come a time that one would want to replace an old graphic with a new theme.
For example, you have a nature-themed wall; you posted wall decals of trees, animals, body of water, or the like, on your used-to-be empty wall space. And after some time, you want another theme, maybe a marvel superhero theme. You remove the old nature-themed graphics, and replace them with superhero wall stickers.
reusable and removable stickerFor personal use, decals and stickers are usually applied for fun. Car owners decorate their automobiles with stickers printed with cool graphics to enhance the look of their cars. This is the same with bicycle and motorcycle owners.
People may decide to change the graphic designs they want, thus replacing the stickers at the same time. This means that the longevity of their usage is based upon the owner’s choice. Taking that into consideration, it is only rational to go for removable decals and stickers.
For an indoor environment, wall decals can bring a boring wall to life. Removable decals come in handy not only because one might want to change the graphics in time, but because one would also want to preserve the integrity of the wall itself. It is very difficult to remove a permanent wall decal without tearing off the wall paint. The choice of opting for the removable type is predicated upon such consideration.
2. Easy repositioning.
You can easily reposition a removable decal if you are not satisfied with its initial placement. The thing to keep in mind is that these items are pressure-sensitive. The more pressure you apply upon installation, the more securely they adhere.If there is an intention to reposition the material, or you are unsure of your first choice of placement, only apply light pressure so it will be easier to remove and reposition.
3. Flexible Print advertising media.
Let’s say you have a store and you post a window decal that advertises promos on your selected items. Promos are often seasonal, so it’s likely you’ll replace them with new ones, when the time comes. Why would you opt for a permanent decal?
And it’s not only applicable on promos. In advertising, you don’t make one campaign and that’s it. You update your advertisement every now and then. Large signs, banners, or billboards advertising products and services are going to be replaced after a certain period of time. Advertising agencies always come up with fresh ideas, and they implement that by updating your ad campaigns from time to time.
Hence, if you are opting for sizable or large format stickers and decals, it only makes sense to go with the removable printed displays. When you decide to put up a new advertisement, you will have no trouble removing the old one.
4. Clean and not messy upon removal.
Sticker labels are commonly removable. Notice those labels on brand new furniture, appliances, or gadgets; you can normally take those off with ease. And you’ll rarely see glue residue on the items once you remove the labels. You know why? It is because the adhesive from a removable sticker comes off with it once you strip it off. This is optimal for the consumer.
I remember some time ago, when I bought sandals at a particular store, that they had placed the foot size labels on the top side of the sandal soles (the side you step on). When I removed the labels, sticky adhesive residues stayed on the surface. That was definitely not something one would want to step onto.
And it applies to all products out there. Nobody wants to have their new cellphone, new camera, or new appliance, mucked up with sticky adhesive.
5. The idea of reusing the decals and stickers.
In general, I really have no idea why some people would want to reuse decals. Why would you want to reuse these items? They are disposable items, especially if you think about having to deal with glue residues the moment you take them off. Once you replace them, chances are you’ll get rid of them, not reuse them.However, due to the fact that people are searching for information about reusing decals and stickers, let me give you my thoughts on this one.
Typically, vinyl stickers and decals are not reusable. With time, any type of decal with back-adhesive has the propensity to lose its adhesive property. Also put into consideration that the moment you remove it, it leaves an awfully undesirable adhesive residue. Given these facts, one cannot expect the material to be as sticky as it is supposed to be.
Think about this, if a decal has been stuck for months, or a year, would it make sense to still reuse the item? Remember, it loses its adhesiveness as time goes by, plus, it would be tougher to remove one that had been stuck for a long time. This concept doesn’t only apply to permanent decals. Removable type decals, after a year or two, are as tough to strip off as permanent decals.
And one more thing, forget about the adhesive feature because you won’t be able to reuse a sticker with tears upon removal. So, be sure you got it off right to begin with. But then again, even if you have successfully taken it off, it might already lose its adhesiveness. However, if it hasn’t been too long since you applied the removable sticker, the adhesive might not be completely lost and you could still reuse the sticker.
Nevertheless, if you really want reusable printed graphic displays similar to decals and stickers, you might want to check out static clings. They cling onto smooth surfaces even without an adhesive.
6. Get installation right if you fail the first time.
If you are into DIY (do-it-yourself), and you would rather install decals on your own, removable types come in handy when you fail to do the installation properly on your first attempt. Remember to prep the surface by cleaning it first. Make sure it is clear from dust, or any sort of dirt, and you let it dry. After that, you are good to go.
If you are not a pro in decal installation, you can either ask someone to do it for you or you buy a type of decal that suits your installation skills. Removable decals and stickers would be the perfect fit.
Conclusion
If you have a hard time peeling your stickers off, and you notice glue residue upon removal, what you have is a permanent sticker. Permanent stickers are difficult to peel off. The back adhesive remains stuck on the surface and won’t come off with the sticker unlike removable decals.
Removable decals and stickers are designed for specific applications. A buyer who purchases them already knows how and where to use them. The top reasons delineated above are predicated from the fact that these sorts of printed items could be removed with ease and without having to deal with messy adhesive residue.
I’m constantly reminded, mostly because I need reminding, is that business is here for one basic reason: to serve you (and those around you) while providing the lifestyle you desire.
Not the other way around. If you’re a slave to your business, then you may as well keep working for man.
So, if you started your business for any other reason, then I suggest that you rethink the true reason you started your business in the first place.
At any rate, there’s probably a hundred great reasons why you started your “biz”. But for the sake of argument let’s just say that you started it to create the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed about.
You want all the bells and whistles that only a biz can bring, along with all the money and glory that goes with it.
Hey, whatever that reason is, that’s cool. We’re here to discover why…
… Your Advertising Needs To Be Like A Good Salesperson
First things first. The first order of business is to get some customers and sales, right? You gotta get sales before we can get to profits, OK?
So understand you are really a sales and marketing organization. That should be at the top of your organizational pyramid.
Marketing and sales is what drives your business and keeps it from tanking and going under.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Your product or service is very important too. Your “product” needs to be valuable, good and unique.
Like the legendary copywriter and marketer Gary Bencivenga once said, “A gifted product or mightier than a gifted pen.”
What that really means is no amount of salesmanship can sell something that’s neither valuable or unique.
I’m going to assume that you already have a great product (or will at least find one that’s over the top).
With that said, we’re back to driving your business growth. Hands down, the very best way to do this is by using effective marketing and advertising.
And the best way to do this is by turning all your weak, inept “brand adverting” into good direct response advertising.
STOP what you’re doing right now; go get an ad you recently ran.
Now read your ad out loud…
What do you feel, see, and think about when you read it out loud?
Does it make sense? Does the copy flow smoothly, logically as you read it? Does it sound like a real person speaking directly to another person… or does it sound like a canned pitch, robotic, and impersonal?
It is an actual sales pitch containing the basics of any good direct response ad like a headline, a great opening, benefits for the features, an irresistible offer that’s too good to pass up? And what about a call to action? Does your ad effectively close the deal and ask for the order?
Yes, I know, there’s a lot of questions. But if you uttered a “no” to any of the questions above…
… or you were confused after reading the ad, then we have some work to do.
The quick and dirty solution is to turn your advertising piece into a true sales pitch, the kind a highly skilled sales person would naturally would offer to a qualified prospect.
I won’t go into all the steps you should take to writing direct response advertising here in this article, but you can get the basics at my website.
Why the Need for Good Website Design?
For small business owners, website design matters hugely. Choosing a good designer means more than just getting a pretty web page. It is a vital aspect of the business and thus a crucial strategic decision. It is well known that the quality of the website can boost awareness and present the business as proficient and reliable. A good website design can help bring in more business and a bad would do the opposite, meaning drive away potential clientele. Some businesses are based on their web presence and hence the need to make a great impact on visitors to help with growth. Choosing the right service provider is key to getting the absolute best websites in order to make a great impression. But first, let’s see what makes up the web design company and its team.
Know the team!
An able group of professionals helps manage and deliver various parts of projects for clientele and as per their needs. A typical team would comprise of the following members.
These professionals are basically responsible for designs of a web page and all its aesthetics namely, layout, graphics, colors and where the text would be located. They are also responsible for how pages are crosslinked and navigated in.
The ones that are responsible for coding on the site. They help build and execute advanced web services apps that help with back-end services for visitors like tech support and after-sales help desks.
Although unrelated to the web but vital for business promotion, marketing professional looks after client relations and visitations. Just like in every business, they bring in more clientele.
Obviously, to manage all the accounts of the business along with banking and assigned to taxation-related duties. Again, not has anything to do with the actual development but handles internal needs of the web design company.
Understanding your Needs!
Before dashing to the door to hiring an expert, its good to understand what you need and what you want exactly. As per trends, and a realistic budget, of course, here’s what a typical website should have: –
A small business owner would have these six basic sections to make a website that would help them make an impactful presence. But, there are other sections with specialized services that cost and it’s totally up to a business and what it requires. Manufacturers, for example, use these back-end services by to coordinate with vendors, clients and distributorships so have advanced websites that carry powerful encryption. Some businesses do have websites who need to upgrade them as they may not be mobile-friendly and old. Revamping them with a blog section and a few more products would give it a facelift. Why pay a web design company more if you already have a basic structure? For effective transmission of your requirement, browse the web to present a sample of what you want.
What to Notice in a Web Design Company!
The first thing to notice is their experience. Experience can be an indication of their capabilities and scope of work. browsing their website, one can easily ascertain the depth of their work and some service providers even display their accomplishments proudly. The team profile, if available, is also an excellent way to understand the kind of creative drive is behind the company. And, always be clear about rates. Their contact us page is a convenient means of requesting a quote. Then again, going over and visiting their office would also help decide if they are the right professionals for the job!
If you are a creative person and you are into producing original designs, then we suggest that you design your own T shirts. When someone praise your creative designs, it will be a moment of bliss for you. Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to make your own designs for T shirts. There are a myriad of apps that let you choose from a host of clothing items, font types, stock designs, logos, pictures, clothing colors and so on. All you have to do is get creative. Read on to know our 6 tips for custom T shirt designs.
Text and images
First of all, you need to use the images and text with crisp contrast and clean lines. In other words, people should be able to understand what is written on your shirt from far away. Good designs can be clearly seen from a distance of 20 feet. If they can’t be seen from a distance, they will be useless.
Colors
When creating a design, make sure you opt for the right colors for both the text and the T shirt. The great thing about apps is that they let you match the colors so that you can make the right choice.
It’s a good idea to set the right contrast level or you may not be able to have a great looking shirt. Here it’s important to keep in mind that the cost of printing black text on white shirt is lower, but it is the other way around to print white text on black shirt. So, this point is important from the cost perspective.
Dimensions
Before the printing stage, make sure you know the exact dimension of the designs. In order to do it correctly, all you have to do is put the text on the shirt in the app. This will help you get the right size.
Location
It’s also a good idea to choose the right area to print the image on. Where do you want to print the picture? Do you want it on the back or front? What do you want on the sleeves? Remember: the cost will be higher if you want multiple pictures. So, you should consider your budget when making this choice.
Background
Do you want a background for the image or you want to keep the rest of the area transparent? With the software, you can eliminate the color in the background so the text and image can pop out and look natural.
Expectations
Your expectations should be realistic. Color photo printers offer amazing quality, but you can’t expect the same from a garment printer. The sharpness and colors won’t be of excellent quality. Irrespective of the printer you choose, the color saturation and accuracy will be different. So, it’s a good idea to choose brighter colors for the designs.
So, if you want to design your own T shirts, we suggest that you follow the tips given in this article. These tips will make it a lot easier for you to have great looking shirts. Hope this helps.
Tales from the Online Marketing Crypt #17
Stop Doing These 3 Wasteful Things in Your Business to Start Making Net Profits!
“Waste not, want not.”⨔Don’t waste your breath.”⨔What a waste of time/space/energy.”
The list goes on and I’m sure you’ve either heard or said any number of these idioms over the years.
Being the system type of personality that I am, wasting time is a big pet peeve of mine.
Growing up on the farm my Dad decided he wanted to control the thistles that were starting to take over the back pasture. I guess pesticides weren’t a thing back then, but child labour was!
One summer he put me to work pulling out every single thistle stock… by hand. Armed with adult-sized leather gloves, I sat on the field grabbing the large prickly stalks at the base and tugged with all my might to free those suckers from their clutches. I had to ensure every bit of root was captured; otherwise, the weed would grow right back again.
I laboured all summer on that project (or so my childhood memory has deemed this to be true). It was a big patch of nettles with thick stocks firmly implanted into the hard ground, so they weren’t all that easy to pull out for this 10 year old.
Of course the next summer they all came back to continue their dominance of the field.
What a colossal waste of time that was.
Have you ever felt like you’ve wasted too much of something in your business? When marketing the services that we provide, you’ll often hear me encourage business owners to stop wasting three things:
1. Wasting Time
2. Wasting Money
3. Wasting Energy
Let’s explore each of these areas and see if anything resonates with you.
Wasting time
One of the biggest problems I see entrepreneurs have is wasting their time trying to learn and do something that’s outside their area of expertise.
Somewhere along the way, especially us women, we got it into our heads that we should know how to do everything that involves building a business.
How is that even possible?
Even if one had a Masters degree in Business, would they know HOW to do everything? Certainly they would know WHAT needs to be done, but I argue not how.
That’s why businesses can’t be built with just one person. They need a team.
Businesses need to delegate to people who have expertise in areas the founder doesn’t.. And no, the DIY tools that are available don’t cut the mustard. Just because I know how to use a calculator, doesn’t make me a mathematician.
Ultimately, you don’t know what you don’t know and that’s OK. There’s nothing wrong with you. You simply need to learn to delegate!
I asked fellow business owners in a Facebook group I belong to what they found wasteful in their business and throughout this piece you will hear their responses.
This one from Christine Awram, founder of Woman of Worth, shares her valuable lesson on trying to do everything herself:
“Wearing too many hats and not staying focused on what I’m most brilliant at, letting others shine their specific brilliance on areas I’m not as strong in. Doing everything and/or micromanaging comes with a price tag, primarily burnout and unintentionally pissing people off LOL. This was a hard lesson for me many years ago, when I thought I was Superwoman and could do everything.”
Another waste of time that I certainly fell into the trap of is attending countless webinars and seminars. And I’m not the only one! NLP Trainer and Master Coach Teri Holland wrote:
“I wasted a lot of time and money on weekend seminars that offered no value, but I felt a sense of “FOMO” if I didn’t attend. Each time I left feeling deflated the seminar didn’t provide what was promised and was just a sales pitch for a bigger program.
And there are some good ones out there too! I’m just more discerning about where I spend my time and money now and I stopped chasing the next shiny offer.”
Jenn Biddlecombe with Inner City Flooring in Coquitlam mentioned a waste of time you may have also experienced:
“I wasted energy on trying to get family to support my business at the beginning. You and you alone are the only one who cares about your success.”
Wasting Money
I mean, who hasn’t wasted money while pursuing their dream business? I sure have!
Similar to Teri, I spent a lot of money on courses and programs that didn’t deliver anywhere near what was promised. Heck, I could have taught those courses myself and added even more value while at it!
Aside from spending money on courses and programs, there are other areas that could be sucking your money out of your net profits.
One of them I have experienced is hiring the wrong people for our team. Whether hiring an employee, contractor or sub-contractor, this can be a very costly mistake if the proper due diligence isn’t done to ensure the right person is chosen.
And I’m not the only one! Martin Jongejan, owner of ZOOM Home Cleaning Experts expressed his frustrations in this area:
“Spending too much time and effort on members of my team that I wanted to succeed in their role, more than they wanted to succeed in their role. Was like trying to push a rope. I can’t underestimate the importance of having people on your team who get it, who want it, and who are capable of doing it.”
And Renata Kobek with Kobek Immigrations has a similar experience:
“Paying for professional services that were subpar and spending too much time trying to make sure everything is perfect.”
Business Management Consultant at Black Sheep Business Consulting, Kevin Foreman shared a valuable lesson he learned about wasting money:
“I have wasted the most in business by means of capital. It underlines the need to have ample financial resources, as not every investment in your business will pay off. Some people like to say ‘you don’t need money to start or grow a business’, but they couldn’t be more wrong. You need lots of money, because even the strongest businesses waste lots of capital. The loss in opportunity of not wasting capital is lesser than the chance to gain market share, which comes by wasting some capital.”
Ultimately, to grow a business, it’s important to ensure whatever you are investing money in has an ROI (Return on Investment). If that investment, such as a fancy new phone, a program teaching you skills outside of your area of expertise, or state-of-the-art camera, can’t make you money, then reconsider and use those funds for something that will.
Wasting Effort
Sometimes we don’t realize just how valuable effort is. It’s not tangible or measurable, but when push comes to shove, it’s extremely valuable.
Effort is a resource we need to hold onto dearly and ensure it’s being used with the right intentions.
Achieving our goals is one such intention. Do you have your business goals mapped out? What do you want to achieve in the next 6 months? By next year? 5 years from now?
If you haven’t mapped out your goals then you could be wasting a lot of effort chasing unachievable pipe dreams.
Or maybe you do have goals in mind, but have you mapped out how to achieve them? What needs to take place to realize those goals?
This is where knowing your numbers is also imperative. If you don’t know your numbers, then you are wasting a lot of effort playing in your business.
This example from Marcel Barker with Tammi Anne Barker wasted a lot of effort trying to sell before truly understanding what they were selling:
“Our biggest waste of time, energy, and money comes from not fully understanding our product life cycle and when we should be doing what. We’d generate a bunch of hype on social media long before we had figured out what we were selling and how it would be produced. When I finally sat down to write a proper business plan I researched and wrote up a full, highly detailed end-to-end walkthrough, taking a collection through high concept -> design -> development -> launch -> selling -> production. It revealed a lot of what we had been doing wrong.”
Chasing those shiny objects that inundate us Every. Single. Day. can be so tempting when we don’t know our numbers and have a business and marketing plan in place to follow.
And thus we go full circle.
Wasting valuable time, money and effort trying to build a successful and sustainable business.
Does any of this resonate with you?
Do you need help getting on track and following a solid plan for your business as opposed to playing in it? I offer free 30-minute consultations for business owners just like you and invite you to book an appointment so I can help you get on the right track to building your dream business.
To your business success,
Susan
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE:
1. Read: The Entrepreneurial Bright and Shiny Object Syndrome Exposed. There’s an insidious travesty happening to entrepreneurs w/ Bright and Shiny Object Syndrome. What you need to know before signing up for another program.
2. Read: Why Focus is the #1 Factor in Your Business Success. Do you get distracted by shiny objects? If you are busy doing different projects seeking business success, you should always ask yourself these questions posed by guest author Cheryl Bishop.
3. Watch: Why Business Plans are a Must-Have. You’ve heard about the importance of business plans but do you know why they are so essential? My guest Pamela Chatry shares valuable business plan insights.
4. Watch: Simplifying & Demystifying the Business Plan. Creating a business plan doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. My guest Pamela Chatry covers the important components that go into a business plan.