Archive for the ‘Entrepreneurship’ Category

I know you’ve heard the same stuff that I’m about to repeat; You’ve  gotta network.. You’ve gotta network.. Honestly, it does get boring and then you stop listening and the message is lost.. Am I right?

A few of my main beefs about networking:

• It’s expensive
• It’s like a cell plan – you get locked into a contract term
• It’s always at 7 in the morning (I’m not even dressed at that point, you want me to be on my biz game?! HA!)
• Many of them are quite boring…

I have got to be very taken by the host of the meeting and be really engaged to consider the “contract” option.. I have recently been to one of those very networking meetings and would most definitely commit to such an organisation if the travel distance wasn’t so prohibitive for me.

I attended the Toronto Enterprising Mom’s Network meeting hosted by Tereza Kumric (The Chapter Director) – and had a great time!! There were plenty of great business women in attendance (The Yummy Mummy Club, Grace Announcements, Mabel’s Labels, Melissa Collesano Photography and so many more!!) We laughed, we ate, we shared stories and we were engaged! Erica Ehm of The Yummy Mummy Club spoke of how she became an Entrepreneur and regaled us with her trials and tribulations of being in business for yourself.

I also, a day later had the pleasure of attending another type of networking meeting – a dinner. This time, it was an invite only dinner (invitees were winners of a Yummy Mummy Club contest) I was extremely lucky that week (more about that streak of luck at a later time ) and snagged one of those invites.

We were treated to a Windows 7 party and were treated like royalty while we conversed with each other (about 20 women) in a wonderful restaurant, eating delicious food, drinking wonderful wine and just being, the club says, Yummy Mummys.

Again, we learned things – from the presenters and from each other (Wondermoms, WeeWelcome, SweetMama & More!). We laughed, we shared stories and we experienced a bit of each other’s lives – but the main point, we were engaged.

Very few “average” networking meetings can live up to these events and its because they’re stuck in the norm, maintaining the “usual” routine. It’s no longer about making business contacts, rather making personal contacts.. making friends.. relating to each other on a level that is much more than just “what service can I provide you”.

With that, I would like to introduce Foundation Studio’s very first networking event.

February 2nd, from 7 – 9pm, a bunch of great business women and men will be at The Lina Lounge in Schomberg to listen to Hilary McDonald give tips, tricks and advice on preparing for the upcoming tax season (Blegh!)

Our networking meetings are different because you never have to pay a membership fee, you are not obligated to come to all of our meetings, only the ones that interest you (we hope they all do!) and only the ones that fit with your schedule.

Our networking meetings have a start and an end, one topic, food, drink and plenty of Q&A, casual conversation and loads of networking!

Please consider joining us on February 2nd to participate in our meeting – I’d love to meet you and introduce you  to the team!

February’s Meeting – $10

Tax Preparation with Hilary McDonald, Accountant

Sponsored in part by:

Date: February 2nd, 2009 from 7pm-9pm

Location: Lina Lounge & Playroom, Highway 9 & Highway 27, Crossroads Plaza, Schomberg Ontario (Map Below)

Register Today so you don’t miss out!

$10/person

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A Very Special Thanks to Friends at The WomenPreneur and The Yummy Mummy Club for helping us spread the word!!

Candi Wingate, Nannies4Hire & Care4Hire

Location: All over North America
Website: http://www.care4hire.com
Twitter: Nannies4Hire

The Entrepreneur Behind The Biz: I have been a nanny, owned a nanny agency, started 3 online nanny databases, wrote a book “100 Tips for Nannies & Families” plus am a wife and mother of 2. My name is Candi Wingate and founder of Nannies4hire.com, Babysitters4hire.com, Care4hire.com and a Nanny Agency. My nanny experience actually goes way back. I was a nanny for a family with 5 children, which included newborn twins. After becoming a nanny and working in a nanny agency for several years, I purchased the successful Nation-Wide Nanny Placement Agency. After finding that we needed to expand, Nannies4hire.com, Babysitters4hire.com and Care4hire.com were born.

The Biz:
Care4hire.com is an online database for families and caregivers to search babysitters, housekeepers, tutors, elder/companion care, pet sitters and other miscellaneous service. A free preview of available caregivers is available to families. Whether you need a caregiver for a few hours to a few days, you will find it at Care4hire.com. Once you are a registered member, you will be given immediate access to caregiver through email and phone.

Why we shone a spotlight on it:
This is such a great idea!! Care4hire.com is offering a way to find fantastic services to help mom with a cleaning lady or a trustworthy babysitter. I have had gnarly luck finding a babysitter when I really needed one. In general, I have spoken with other parents who have found a the local teenager who is willing to watch the kids, but then she/he realizes that there’s more to teenage life and suddenly finds a group of friends/boyfriend/girlfriend and the babysitter has gone MIA!! Another reason Care4hire.com is in the spotlight is because of the great resources found on the site! Questions to ask a prospective caregiver during an interview, tips and info on taxes and so much more! You even get a free search, so it is a win/win for you no matter how you slice it!!

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Know an Entrepreneur who deserves a Spotlight? (Maybe you??) Let us know!

Welcome to 2010!

I am so glad you came back and I truly hope you like the changes we’ve made around here!! As you can see right off the bat, our site is completely different and hopefully, easier to navigate. We’ve added new services, removed some old ones and updated some others as well.. we’ve added some great people to the team and have a whole slew of awesome events and posts coming up!

[A word re: the upcoming posts; You will be receiving WEEKLY digests (so as not to inundate you with info) that you will be seeing in your inbox every Monday morning. These posts will be of the week before so you’ll get the whole week’s worth of great info, coming events and more!)

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What’s New for 2010

I have taken the site through a slight re-vamp and have updated and added some services, packages and prices.

I am so excited to announce that we are now servicing Blogger and Joomla platforms!! I am also SUPER excited to introduce you to a new Team Member; Nick Simard!

Nick and I have known each other since 1995 (We went to Highschool together) and have grown to be good friends over the years (At least I’d like to think so ).  I have turned to Nick in times of creative blankness and he has bailed me out in numerous occasions! Nick is a whiz with Joomla (and other things!) and will be taking on all Joomla projects from here on in. Please extend your welcome and let everyone know Nick is here!!

As I stated in my “end of year post” we do have some great news coming through the pipeline – I know I am being secretive, but it’s one of those things where my hands are currently tied and I can only speak of it when I have been told – But I can assure you, it’s AWESOME!!!

I have some great posts coming up – we have an Accountant – Hilary McDonald who will be posting regularly – helping you with any financial issues you may be having AND we also have SUPER events in the works as well..

Please stay tuned for all of our great happenings – and please feel free to drop us a line – we’d love to hear from you!!

Thanks for sticking with me (and Foundation Studio), I can’t wait to grow with you in 2010!!

Ariane

Our third Holiday Treasure Trove Thrifty Thursday!! An awesome special offer only for Holiday Treasure Trove Readers!!

15% OFF from Nifty Knees

Nifty Tees! You choose the print, print colour, garment size and garment colour. Choose from a long or short sleeve onesie or Toddler T, several print and garment colours available. Please refer to size chart to ensure best fit. Our onesies and Toddler T’s are a boutique quality 6.4 oz 100% cotton interlock knit. Long and short sleeve onesies have overlap shoulders, and three seat snaps for easy diaper changes.

Nifty Knees! Our leggings are made for both girls and boys. Wear them under skirts, dresses with a onesie or diaper, or even under pants for cooler days. Leggings help protect knees from rug burn, rashes and cuts. Helps make potty training and diaper changing easier. Keeps legs warm!

Fleece hats available in 3 styles and 6 colours. Free shipping on orders of 4 or more items!

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Stop by the website to grab 15% off your holiday order – But hurry, offer expires December 15, 2009

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Don’t forget to check out our other Holiday Treasure Trove goodies – Great gift ideas from fabulous Canadian Parentpreneur Companies!!!

Our third Holiday Treasure Trove Thrifty Thursday!! An awesome special offer only for Holiday Treasure Trove Readers!!

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15% OFF from Gretchen & Co.

Check out Gretchen & Co.,  a high end children’s clothing store that carries top European designer clothing.  With exquisite designs and unique fabrics, each item is hand selected for the clothing’s beauty and craftsmanship by Gretchen & Co.’s proprietor, Silke Rampf,  as she travels the globe searching for the best children’s clothing.  Our philosophy is simple: we believe in a land of unusual colours, incredible details and sumptuous fabrics. Gretchen & Co., carries fashion forward pieces that maintain a balance between contemporary and timeless designs.

A visit to the store offers shoppers the opportunity to get their hands on some highly sought out brands in Toronto, such as Bonpoint.  This selective approach to fashion is maintained through each season, as each collection is carefully researched for its simplicity, utility and overall design.

Stop by the website to grab 15% off your holiday order – But hurry, offer expires November 30, 2009

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Don’t forget to check out our other Holiday Treasure Trove goodies – Great gift ideas from fabulous Canadian Parentpreneur Companies!!!

Welcome to the world of Tiny Giggles – Hopefully their products will make you giggle as much as I do.

Everyone wants the best for their children, and that is what spurred the creation of Tiny Giggles Gear. With the birth of two boys, Kwyn has become really conscious about the quality of products that she had access to and wanted to find more healthy, and environmentally conscious alternatives, to what was readily available. She realized that there were many “eco” alternatives to the plastics and disposable products found on most store shelves. As she was exposed more and more to the diversity of choices available to families looking for healthier options, Kwyn has grown the business to include products for newborns, infants, children and even parents.

Tiny Giggles specializes in products that are organic, or made from recycled materials and are ‘low carbon footprint items’. All of their toys are purchased with their own children in mind. They are easy to play with, attractive to children and are ‘earth friend’ to help preserve the earth for them. Buying these toys makes everyone feel good. If slowly we all start taking baby steps towards protecting the earth, maybe we can help make it a little better for our kids.

As a teacher, Kwyn researches every item that is added to Tiny Giggles, to ensure high quality and low environmental impact.  She understands that you want to know what is safe and that as busy parents; it is hard to find the information on what is best. Let Tiny Giggles do the research for you (they like to do it!) They’ll make sure that the toys, clothing, creams and water bottles are ethically made, safe for your children and environmentally friendly.

Tiny Giggles also has a gift registry for birthdays and baby showers, so that your family and friends can buy environmentally conscious items too – head over to the website to add your child’s name.

Tiny Giggles items are available at www.tinygiggles.ca where right now you can enjoy free shipping on all order over $100.  Make sure you join the news list to enjoy coupons, be the first to know about new products and receive valuable information to help your family be eco- conscious!.

Please visit www.tinygiggles.ca to explore all of the possibilities that await you this holiday season!

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Tiny Giggles is the third Feature in our Holiday Treasure Trove series – A FAB group of Parent owned companies that have great holiday gift ideas for you to check out! Stop by the Holiday Treasure Trove to see what Tiny Giggles and our other Parentpreneurs have in store for you!

Place a sword or wand in the hand of your child and, quite simply, it changes their world.  They become a knight on a quest, the newest member of Robin Hood’s gang, a swashbuckling pirate, an intrepid explorer, or a magical creature whose powers are only limited by their own imagination.  It gives them the hands-on sense of adventure that children rarely experience today.

Welcome to the World of TymeAgain Toys
We specialize in designing and making, almost completely by hand, quality wooden role-play toys and games.  We produce robust 2/3 sized replicas of actual historic artifact swords and dirks (daggers) that boys and girls alike love.  Other products include bows and arrows, wands, walking sticks, staffs and shields, plus classic games.   We also have a new line of full-sized collectible swords made from beautiful solid oak, meant for display.  For added interest, products come with an informative swing tag label with historical content, and we have found that children love to collect these.

Made in England
TymeAgain is a family owned and run business where the products are still made in the workshop in Wiltshire, England.  Quality of workmanship has and always will be paramount and over the years TymeAgain has become a market leader in the British heritage toy marketplace.  In an age when you, as a concerned parent, want to know where and how your children’s toys are made, we can truly say that we know the craft workers who make our toys, how they actually make them and where every product comes from that we use.  We understand that you want complete peace of mind when purchasing anything for your children.

We are a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen. The Guild Stamp assures you of only the very highest quality in everything we do.

Responsibly Made
Like you, we are very conscious of our carbon footprint, and have been since the company started 15 years ago.  That is why we take the time and expense to ethically source all of our wood from managed, sustained plantations—only from First World countries, mostly Western Europe (Scandinavia).  Our toys are made of natural products – wood, jute webbing and string. We use minimum packaging on everything – nothing is boxed or packaged in plastic.   You can feel comfortable knowing that your children’s toys will not, literally, cost the earth. All our products are CE Certificate of Europe safety tested. We also meet all U.S and Canadian safety standards for toys. We do not use any tacks, nuts/bolts, nails or screws, paints or varnishes (we only soak them in linseed oil). When you give your child a TymeAgain toy, you can feel reassured knowing that our role play toys are the safest on the market today.

Our Quest
Introducing these wonderful toys to Canadian and American families is an exciting adventure that we relish.  TymeAgain swords are very popular in the U.K. where they can be found at heritage sites like the National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Scotland and Historic Royal Palaces (including the Tower of London), as well as famous museums like the British Museum.  Visitors to the U.K. love to take home these one-of-a-kind momentos for their children to enjoy and treasure.  Now we want every North American child to feel the magic that TymeAgain toys can bring.  These classic pieces can open the door to your child’s imagination like nothing else.  Due to the nature of wood, no two toys are identical and every child appreciates the uniqueness of what is theirs alone.  Imagine the look on your child’s face on Christmas morning when they see these amazing toys!  So many toys today are easily discarded but, due to the very timeless nature of these toys, TymeAgain pieces become beloved heirlooms.  Our quest, and wish, is for each boy and girl to experience this love for a special toy.

TymeAgain toys are available from our online retail store www.tymeagain.ca where you can get free shipping anywhere in Canada or the US on orders over $100.   They are also available at Buddies Toy Shops and Red Balloon Toys on Vancouver Island, BC.  If you have an established business (toy store, gift store, etc.) we welcome wholesale enquiries.

Please stop by the TymeAgain website to order your one of a kind holiday gift!

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TymeAgain is the second Feature in our Holiday Treasure Trove series – A FAB group of Parent owned companies that have great holiday gift ideas for you to check out! Stop by the Holiday Treasure Trove to see what TymeAgain and our other Parentpreneurs have in store for you!

Happy Monday!!!
I hope you had a great weekend! This is just a quick note to announce the winners of our retweet prize giveaways.. we chose our winner using “Random Twitter Selection” by “Twitrand.com” and are pleased to announce the following winners!!!

• A Virtual Office Subscription from 5050Biz- @rbuscemi
• A $265 Small business Tax Package from Hilary McDonald Accounting – @mashalababy
• The Couponizer coupon system – @mclelandmktg
• New York Times best seller “One Year to an Organized Work Life” from the author herself Regina Leeds – @maniacalmom
• Limited edition T-shirts from RIPT Apparel – @bewellgroomed
• Limited edition T-shirts from RIPT Apparel – @cbachelder
• The book 101 Media and Marketing Tips for the Sole Proprietor from Nanette Miner, a.k.a. The Training Doctor – @SmallBizCanada
• “How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain: using your brain style for small business success with less stress” from Eve Abbott, Organizer Extraordinaire – @moneywizdom

A super special thanks to all of our Retweeters who helped spread last week’s small biz tip sheets!!

@rbuscemi / @schatziwear / @alternativeoff / @josh_gulick
@AngelaWills / @clickawayva / @SmallBizCanada / @abbijayne
@CoachesCorner / @HolleyV / @jennhudder / @HilaryMcDonald
@JeanetteGray / @maniacalmom / @mashalababy / @Kidzsack
@creativeXchange / @emccaleb / @moneywizdom / @thdsupport
@bewellgroomed / @imorganizer / @StevenDavies / @mclelandmktg
@Petiethecat / @MondayMorningVA / @belasco / @CoachDarcyE
@seOverflow / @StaceyKann / @skaworks / @neenjames
@MomGYB / @mumby / @tpgtex / @AngelaCurrent
@EileenRoth / @couponizer / @BillyArcement / @Thomasinathecat
@its3princes4me / @mhdery_soc / @onetwin / @Pepperfire
@TorontoEMN / @studiofluid / @SeacoastShopper / @cprmom
@lesismore12 / @Rileycat1 / @KATSIConsulting / @cbachelder
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Thanks again to everyone who made last week such a success!! I cannot wait until next year’s Small Biz Celebration!!
Stay tuned for some really cool new things coming up on the FS news page – we have a new feature “Ask The Expert” – Starting with some financial issue and we even have a holiday surprise (or two) coming up… Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter; You won’t want to miss it!!

TGIF! We made it! What a great Small Business Week – Loads of collaboration, prizes being donated, Retweets flying around and tons of business being drummed up! I would have to say, this week has been a great success!

We received great feedback from yesterday’s Tip sheet on “Got Less Than $500 in the Bank? MARKET Your Biz!!”, Our Retweets flew around – putting tons more entries into the prize pot!
Make sure you join us on Twitter and Retweet this post for your entry to win one of our great prizes!

So far, our Small Biz Week Prizes include:

• A $265 Small business Tax Package from Hilary McDonald Accounting
• A Virtual Office Subscription from 5050Biz
• The Couponizer coupon system
• New York Times best seller “One Year to an Organized Work Life” from the author herself Regina Leeds
• Limited edition T-shirts from RIPT Apparel
• The book 101 Media and Marketing Tips for the Sole Proprietor from Nanette Miner, a.k.a. The Training Doctor
• “How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain: using your brain style for small business success with less stress” from Eve Abbott, Organizer Extraordinaire
• .. more prizes arriving daily!!

Every time you Retweet this post you’ll receive one entry to win a prize!
Prizes were originally going to be given out today – but people who will be will be Retweeting this post will miss out! So plans have changed and all prizes will be given out on Monday!

As I said at the beginning of the week, this week’s posting would be out of our usual – with one post per day, Monday we will return to our usual scheduled posts – 1 – 2 per week. We have awesome spotlights coming up AND we have a new feature – Ask the expert – where you can submit a question to one of our experts (Legal, Financial, HR etc.) and receive an answer!  But for now, without further ado – here is today’s post!

SAVING MONEY IN YOUR FIRST YEAR OF BIZ! (Download Here!)

Everyone loves saving money but it can be a make or break factor in your first year of business if your money is not taken care of properly. Read the following tips on how to save money for things like staffing, advertising and even purchasing supplies!
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Get a Great Accountant
Save money your first year in business by keeping your finances organized. One of the most important components to staying on top of your finances is to make sure you are working with good accountant. A good accountant will make sure you are planning effectively for taxes so there are no surprises at filing time. Secondly, keep good records. This means keeping all of your receipts, business and personal together, preferably in some sort of filing system. The more you have them organized the less you will spend on bookkeeping and accounting charges.
Hilary L. McDonald, Accountant – www.HilaryMcDonald.com
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Take a Vacation
One of the often overlooked aspects of a successful business is time off to recharge the batteries. During the early years of my business I knew I needed time off, yet my wife and I were trying to conserve cash. One of the things we did was to schedule a 3 or 4 day weekend. Throw a suitcase in the trunk and pick a direction. We’d travel until some caught our interest, then we’d stop and check it out. We made sure that we had a room by 4:00 p.m., then we’d scout the area surrounding the area. For a few hundred dollars we were able to have a great time and energize ourselves. The key was not to have an itinerary. The combination of not having an itinerary and exploring new places was all that it took to refresh the mind and renew the spirit
Dale Furtwengler, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C. – http://www.furtwengler.com
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Swap It
Swap for the services you need like marketing and web development or even vacations on Zakle.com
Eric Stamos, Co-Founder – Zakle.com
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Share Expenses
Look for partners to share the cost of a booth with you at Trade Shows. I have been fortunate to have shared a table with Reiki Pet Healers at Pet Expos that I really wanted to attend. It was WELL worth it!
Lisa Illman, THE KRITTER KOMMUNITY – http://kritterkommunity.com
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Create Your Own Network
Create a Meetup.com networking group in your area of business and have prospects come to you for thought leadership! Just make sure you have content of value to offer them.
Michael Shostack, Qualified B2B Leads LLC – www.qualifiedb2bleads.com
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Go to College
I had a college intern this summer helping research and collect information for an email series I am about to launch. She was free (I fed her a lot)
Denise LaBuda – www.moneywizdom.com
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Give Your Stuff Away
Make in kind donations rather than giving cash to get sponsorship exposure
Susan Barry, Hive Marketing – www.hive-marketing.com
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Catch Up On Your Reading
Read “5 Ways To Start A Business For Under $1000”
Heather Allard, The Mogul Mom – http://www.themogulmom.com
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Get Your Office Equipment for Free
Join your local Freecycle.com chapter (free) and ask for whatever you need to set up your office or store: office furniture, office supplies (binders, in baskets), office equipment, display stands, etc
Sue Freeman
Footprint Press, Inc. – www.footprintpress.com
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Question Everything
When you are considering spending money, on anything, ask yourself if you really, truly need it at this stage of your business. Maybe your website can be a lot simpler than you realize. Maybe you don’t need business cards yet. Maybe getting office space is premature. Small business budgets are usually so thin that money shouldn’t be spent until an issue keeps coming up and can no longer be ignored.
Mark C. Webster, Websterism – http://www.websterism.com
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Check Out the Credit Union
One of the “ankle bitters” that can nibble away on a start-ups budget is banks fees. You can avoid many of these fees by turning to and using a credit union. When I first started up my own company I first visited a national bank and they wanted to have average balances or there would be a fee, there were check fees and all kinds of fees. When I went to the credit union all I had to do was to deposit $25 into a savings account to open up an account and there were no fees and on top of that I earn a little tiny interest each month from my money. I have found the credit union I use to be friendly and are more start-up friendly verse the large national banks.
Sharon Evans, Founder of Trillion Dollar Funding – www.trilliondollarfunding.com
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Become a Community Member
Give up your gym membership, and take up walking/running. Gyms are expensive, plus it’s easy to zone out at the gym. Instead, walk or run through new parts of your city. While you are out, take mental notes on new businesses in your area, or business owners you would like to contact. The only way to understand how to do business in your community is to be a member of your community!
Ansley Meredith, Owner, ENERGIZED Media Relations – www.energizedmediarelations.com
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Rack Up the Points
Use a small business rewards credit card to pay for every day purchases (including advertising) Just pay it off at the end of each month and keep the points!
Carolyn Adams, Borders + Gratehouse – www.bordersgratehouse.com
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Use Coupons
Using coupons can save you tons of money in the first year of business and beyond! A great system to use to keep your coupons organized is the Couponizer, a proven system of tools designed to help you save more money, more consistently.
Ariane Griffiths, President, Foundation Studio Marketing & Promotions – www.foundationstudio.ca
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Create Bench Marks
When you sell X amount of dollars, get a part time secretary or a new phone system, or anything else you may need.
Orit Pennington, TPGTEX Label Solutions, Inc. – www.tpgtex.com
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Be Energy Efficient
Not only is this good for the planet, but often times it saves you money! Turn off all the lights when you leave or if you aren’t in a specific room. Unplug machines from the wall over the weekend. Set the A/C or heat to reflect when you are or aren’t in the office. Use fluorescent light bulbs – they require less power and last longer. Purchase paper and toilet paper made of recycled products.
Samantha Scott, Grand Poobah, Pushing the Envelope – http://www.GetPushing.com
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Get Advice
Start an advisory board consisting of an attorney, accountant, business coach, marketing director, etc. This way you get free professional advice on an ongoing basis.
Marian H. Gordon, Yippee Print & Marketing – www.yippeeprinting.com
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Lose the Commute
The biggest, and most costly, mistake I almost made was leasing an office when I started my PR and Marketing Communications firm. Now, I have 2 employees who work for me out of their homes, as do I, without the added cost of office rent. I think it’s the largest single cost, apart from labor or raw materials that a company can incur in many instances.
David Manzer, The Sage Closer – www.thesagecloser.com
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Educate Yourself
Free Learning – NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation has a free entrepreneurship curriculum for educators, but you can get it too. Go to universities for lectures. It’s just as good or better than networking events you pay for.
Kathy Korman Frey, Founder, Hot Mommas Project – http://www.HotMommasProject.org
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Negotiate
Many people know next to nothing about negotiation when they setup their first business; Learning that skill is the single greatest opportunity to save money. Slash 10% on supplier’s prices or office rent and that money goes directly to your bottom line each and every month afterwards. You don’t have to be Donald Trump to negotiate, and there is one secret few ‘insiders’ will share: Often simply making the effort to negotiate will get a discount.
Richard Kershaw, Quality Nonsense Ltd. – www.QualityNonsense.com
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Do It Yourself
Do everything you can by yourself for as long as you can, and then do it a bit longer.
This allowed us to learn the business first and focus on ancillary skills second. This trades efficiency, i.e. time which we had, for money which we did not have. There is no better way to get better at something than doing it over and over, even if you don’t want to.
Damien Casten – www.candidwines.com
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Join a Co-op
Joining a group of like-minded individuals can save you lots of money! The Mom Entrepreneur has a seasonal co-op shop where you can advertise your company for less money than if you were to advertise by yourself. By pooling your resources, you can get the same (if not bigger) bang for your buck than going it alone!
http://coopshop.themomentrepreneur.com/
Ariane Griffiths, President, Foundation Studio Marketing & Promotions – www.foundationstudio.ca
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Keep Your Eye on the Little Things
As a new business owner, an excellent way to save money is by watching the little things. I added up the little subscriptions for $10 here or $15 there to be listed with this service, etc and I spent $205 just trying to get my business’ name out there and I don’t believe there was any ‘payoff’!
Monica Barnett, President, Blueprint for Style – http://www.blueprintforstyle.com
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Be Selective
Be selective when choosing networking events to attend. A luncheon can easily cost $30-$45, but you might get away with $5-$10 to attend a happy hour. You can meet just as many people, if not more, when attending a cheaper event. (Nobody talks at a luncheon while you’re eating all that expensive food anyway!) Also, if you have attended one group’s networking functions for a few months in a row, take a couple months off to try a different group. You could make new contacts by exploring different opportunities, and you will have that “new kid on the block” cache when you eventually return to your first group!
Ansley Meredith, Owner, ENERGIZED Media Relations – www.energizedmediarelations.com
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Ask for Help
Just ask for help, many people will help you out if you plead your case.
Peter E Raymond, President + Chief Innovator, Human Condition – www.hcxdesign.com
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Carpool
Carpool to lunches, meetings, etc – you get a double benefit – save gas and network/build a relationship with the person you’re riding with
Shari L Frisinger, CornerStone Strategies LLC – www.cornerstonestrategiesllc.com
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Give an Incentive
Create an incentive for customers and prospects to post testimonials to a Facebook fan page. An example might be: “Post your favourite reason why our product is so good on our fan page (using YouTube video) and win free tickets to a sporting event provided by XYZ partner”.
Nathan McKelvey, Founder, Hidden Equity LLC – www.hiddenequity.com
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Put Down the Bottle
My first year in business I drank tap water. It won’t kill you and it’s a lot cheaper than bottled water.
Shane Fischer, Attorney at Law – www.fischer-law.com
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Volunteer Your Time
I knew that I had to build my business through networking but I didn’t have a lot of money to join associations and networking groups. My way around this was to call the group facilitators to volunteer my services of running the registration table, or any other helpful tasks that would offset my attendance fees. The majority of people took me up on my offer. I was able to find out whether or not this was a membership I wanted to pursue, AND promote my business, AND provide an extra hand when needed, all on my shoestring budget.
Lauren Milligan – www.ResuMAYDAY.com
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Go Digital
Instead of paying for my own business telephone line, I now have a GoogleVoice account which picks up my calls and creates text messages for me!
Monique Harris, Photographer – www.mportraitphotography.com
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Rent It
Don’t waste money setting up a fancy office. Either work from home or find a low-rent out-of-the-way space. If you need to impress a client, there are plenty of places to rent a conference room by the hour.
Shel Horowitz, Author, 8 books – http://www.frugalmarketing.com
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Outsource It
My biggest expense today is payroll. But when I first started I saved a ton of money by farming out work to independent contractors across the world, which I found on sites like Guru and Elance. I connected with talented people and paid by the project, and had almost zero in payroll, payroll taxes, workers comp, employee benefits, bonuses, etc.
Jay Kamhi, President, Kamhi World – www.kamhiworld.com

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I truly hope you enjoed this series of tip sheets! I had a great time putting them together and more than anything else – meeting all of these great people who went out of their way to provide a little insight in helping you get your business started (or revitalised) on the right path!!

* All of our Retweeters will be listed on Monday along with all the winners too!!!

Have a great weekend!
Ariane

Happy Thursday!
I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Tip sheet on Turning Admin Nightmares Into A Dream! I have to say that I am sorry – I forgot to include the download link – so here it is!

Our Retweets continued – putting tons more entries into the prize pot!
Make sure you join us on Twitter and Retweet this post for your entry to win one of our great prizes!

So far, our Small Biz Week Prizes include:

• A $265 Small business Tax Package from Hilary McDonald Accounting
• A Virtual Office Subscription from 5050Biz
• The Couponizer coupon system
• New York Times best seller “One Year to an Organized Work Life” from the author herself Regina Leeds
• Limited edition T-shirts from RIPT Apparel
• The book 101 Media and Marketing Tips for the Sole Proprietor from Nanette Miner, a.k.a. The Training Doctor
• “How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain: using your brain style for small business success with less stress” from Eve Abbott, Organizer Extraordinaire
• .. more prizes arriving daily!!

Every time you Retweet this post you’ll receive one entry to win a prize!
Prizes will be given out tomorrow so keep the Retweets coming!

Please accept my apologies in advance as you will be receiving 1post a day (only for this week), but I know you will not be disappointed with the content!

Check out today’s article to learn about proven tips, must haves and Must NOT do’s for Marketing Your Biz!!

Less Than $500 in the Bank? MARKET Your Biz!!

Many Business owners have been conditioned to believe it takes tons of money to successfully market a business! The time has come to be “re-conditioned” – to KNOW that you don’t need money! We’ve rounded up some of the best Proven Tactics and Must-Haves for a Cheap Campaign as well as pointed out what NOT to do when marketing your business! Grab a pen, a pad of paper and get set to market!

Proven Marketing Tactics

Make Google Do the Work
Take “Google Alerts” out for your name and company and also on “keywords” that target your marketing niche. I have Google Alerts on “kindergarten” and “Let’s Get Ready for School”. Everyday Google sends me a list of free leads that tag all the stories and blogs that include my key word(s). Those leads are for journalist and bloggers who tell you amazing details – like a school just received 1 million dollars for their early education program!
Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, www.cedarvalleypublishing.com
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Network
Creating relationships with other small businesses will fuel you forward. Think of companies or products your clients might also be interested in and develop relationships with those business owners. Offer coupons to their customers or a referral bonus to the business.
Laurie Davis, Founder, eFlirt – www.eFlirtExpert.com
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Give ‘Em Something for Free
Offering a free resource related to your business, such as an e-book that guides your prospective customers through a particularly difficult part of the purchasing process, can be a way to attract attention within your industry. Such an approach does require you to spend a little time promoting that resource (as well as creating it), but the monetary cost is negligible – most business owners know more than enough about their businesses to effectively educate clients.
Thursday R. Bram – www.thursdaybram.com
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Enter a Contest
I entered every entrepreneur contest I was old enough for and some that I wasn’t. At age 11, I wanted to enter the Young Entrepreneurs of America contest but the minimum age was 16. I entered anyway and in my entry essay explained why I thought they should consider me. I was told the judges were so impressed with my creativity that they created a new category for kids under 16 and I was the first recipient to win.
Jason O’Neill, Creator, Pencil Bugs Plus, Forbes Top 10 – www.pencilbugs.com
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Establish Yourself as an Expert
Answer questions on appropriate online forums and groups (such as LinkedIn, MarketingProfs, etc). Being helpful establishes you as an expert and keeps you top of mind when members of the forum have a problem you can solve
Jodi Kaplan, Principal, KaplanCopy – http://www.kaplancopy.com
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Pick Up the Phone
I know its old fashion but a new start up cannot be afraid of using the phone. Creating a script, a sales letter and looking up suspects online doesn’t cost anything. Instead of waiting for social media (blogging, tweeting, answering questions online) to get results take a proactive approach and this will result in uncovering qualified contacts.
With the $500 spend it on creating a website that reinforces the message that is being said during the phone call.
Ceri Ruenheck, It’s Your Call – www.itsyourcall.com
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Beg, Borrow & Sell
Borrowing someone else’s audience is all about finding a win-win. For example, I wanted to produce seminars but with no list, no facility and no built-in audience, it would be expensive and difficult to get started. Instead, I joint ventured with local organizations to put on seminars for their audiences. Leisure Learning Unlimited hosts a variety of classes on everything from computers to dance to goat farming (Really!). Getting my courses into their catalogues meant that they handled the marketing, registrations and other administrative tasks, while I could just show up to speak.
Cathy Stucker, The Idea Lady – http://IdeaLady.com
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Show It Off
One of the best ways to market start-up small business on the cheap is by attending live networking events—and paying for a display table. The key is to commit to attending at least 2 per month, and making sure you have some helpful, fun or interesting freebies on your table for people to take away. This works whether you’re selling products or services. When I launched my last business as a small business marketing copywriter I did it exactly this way. Even though I was selling a service, I had writing samples, one-page tips sheets people take-aways, a promo letter explaining my services and business cards. Together these made a nice little display. And within 6 months I was very busy with new clients.
Stacy Karacostas, Practical Marketing Expert, Success Stream – www.success-stream.com
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Put It On The Map
Set up a profile in the Local Business Listings on Google Maps, Yahoo Local and Bing Local. It’s free, it doesn’t take too long and will give them a presence in the Local search results for the area in which they do business. It will also serve as a mini website where they can give details about their business, themselves and their products and services, offer coupons, post photos and videos and get reviews.
Mary Bowling – http://www.seoverflow.com
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Pay For It
Offer finder’s fees/commissions to people that refer you business.
John Schulte, President and Chairman, National Mail Order Association (NMOA) – http://www.nmoa.org
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Have an Open House
If you are lucky enough to have a retail location use it to your marketing advantage. Invite speakers, have distributors give product demonstrations. Then serve tea or wine & cheese and invite your customers & prospects. Tell them to bring a friend. You’d be surprised how well this can work for you.
Randye Spina, Chief Solutions Officer, Affordable Marketing Solutions LLC – www.myaffordablemarketing.com
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Get Media Coverage
Belong to all the free sites for media leads: www.helpareporter.com; www.pitchrate.com; and http://www.reporterssource.com to name a few. I have been interviewed on hundreds of radio shows, over 30 parenting magazines, over 30 television segments and 15 newspapers! Can you say free publicity and free credibility?
Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing – www.cedarvalleypublishing.com
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Reach Out

• Change your voicemail monthly – have you listened to your voicemail lately? If not, try it.
• Give one referral away every day – who will you recommend today? I believe the more you give out the more it comes back to you 10 fold! It works, try it out.
• Write one thank you note every week – there are so many reasons to thank people but few people take the time to do this, it will make you more memorable.
• Invite someone to a networking event with you – help them expand their network while you get to increase yours too.
• Conduct a tele-coffee – (this is where you make a coffee, and I make a coffee and we talk on the telephone!) I do tele-cocktails on Fridays! These take no more than 15 minutes and they are very productive!
• Ask your network for help – reach out, you will be so glad you did. People want to help you but maybe they don’t know what you need? Choose to reach out to one person today.
• Join a non-profit Board – giving back in your community will increase your brand and your network and feels great too!
• Donate your time – give to a cause you are passionate about i.e. read at your local school, volunteer at a soup kitchen, visit aged care facilities where you live, and offer to shop for someone – there are so many people who could use your time and talents.

Neen James CSP – http://www.neenjames.com

Must-Haves for a Successful “Cheap” Campaign

Get A Signature
One of the biggest returns is to put testimonials in your signature lines on email.
Colleen Francis – www.engageselling.com
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Have a Website
The most important marketing tool a startup needs is a website and it doesn’t have to cost you. You can have a website that works for you and one that is cheap; about $8/month for hosting. My website is not the most fancy but it does what it’s supposed to do.
Tina Hill, Owner, Kidzsack – www.kidzsack.com
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Use Postcards
They are cheap (both to print and to mail) and they are colorful and eye catching.
You cannot NOT read a postcard; If an envelope comes in the mail you look at the return address and decide to pitch it in the garbage right then or look at it (usually later) with a postcard, by the time you look at it – you’ve pretty much read it
They allow you to send small bits of information to your target base on a regular basis –staying in front of your clientele rather than doing a big push and hoping it hits.
Nanette Miner, Ed.D., The Training Doctor, LLC – www.trainingdr.com
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Send a Greeting Card
Use greeting cards to market your service…they are affordable, effective and boast a 99% open rate. They must however, identify and relate to the problem your target is experiencing and include a strong call to action.
Donna Pullan, MAKE CONTACT MARKETING – http://www.MakeContactMarketing.com
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Have a Writer in Your Corner
If you’re starting a new company, I also strongly urge you to hire a talented writer. Tweeting about something timely, interesting and newsworthy will certainly help you acquire Twitter followers and drive them to your website, but you’ve got to have something attention-grabbing on your site to keep them there. Write a monthly newsletter or a blog – again, both free. And don’t boast. Write about things that are affecting your market. Think outside of the box.
Jessica Knott, Marketing Coordinator, Mary Kraft Staffing and HR Solutions – www.marykraft.com
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Use Creativity
During a conference a few years back, I went to the Dollar Store and put together “survival kits” for all attendees, which included an assortment of goodies – pens, doodle pads, post-it notes, breath mints, a highlighter, paper clips, and a piece of chocolate. I put them in quart size Ziplock bags that had my photo and contact info on them.
After the conference, I sent a pair of Dollar Store flip-flops saying, “It was great to get my foot in the door. I can’t wait to meet you.”
In the end, 4 business owners each gave me $3500 sponsorship packages, which totalled over $14,000.
Nancy Michaels – www.GrowYourBusinessNetwork.com
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Give Incentives
We are currently around 1000 fans on both Facebook and Twitter. We feel that creating a community is key to maintain a customer base and have it grow quickly. We currently are running a tee give away promotion on twitter where we give away a free tee each week to a follower who tweets a phrase mentioning our name. In the past 10 days that has reached over 4800 people. Facebook is great because our new design shows up in the news feeds of our fans each day. If they comment or “like” the design this is then put on their friends news feeds.
Matt Ingleby, RIPT Apparel – www.riptapparel.com
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Make it Visual
Create a home grown video and put it on You Tube and your website.
If you don’t have a camera you can get an inexpensive flip camera for under $165. Provide information that’s of real value to your prospective clients or customers.
Make it short, sweet and pertinent.
Lisa Tener, Author, Book Coach – www.LisaTener.com
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A Social Profile
Create social networking profiles on all the sites that match your target market as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I am on over 40+ sites. Even the sites that I am not active in get traffic. I have one that has over 24,000 page views, another over 5,000, 6,000, 150 — now times that by 40 and that’s free exposure for YOU! The more people that know your name, the bigger you will be! The best compliment I get is – I see you “everywhere”!
Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing – www.cedarvalleypublishing.com

Do NOT Attempt These Marketing Snafus

Inconsistent Branding
Make sure that your company brand is consistent across all of your marketing mediums. If you have a social profile, ensure that the look is in line with your website and print marketing collateral. If it is not consistent, you run the risk of confusing potential clients and making yourself look unfocused.
Ariane Griffiths, President, Foundation Studio Marketing & Promotions – http://www.foundationstudio.ca
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Don’t Buy It
The most expensive and least effective thing you can do as a new business is to pay for advertising. It will suck up your budget instantly and rarely has the desired result. Come up with your own “advertising”…it could be as easy as printing out handouts and distributing them at a local Farmer’s market.
Dick Barnes, The Freeland Group – www.freelandgroup.com
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No Pushing or Bribery
Do not try to push journalists and bloggers who are not interested in writing on your topic and do not offer payment for PR people to do things for you.
Danny Wong, Director of Marketing, Blank Label – www.blank-label.com
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Don’t Forget to Follow-Up
Most sales are lost because no one bothered to follow up and no one asked for the sale. Don’t leave money on the table.
Deb Kolaras, Small Business Coach – www.bizcoachdeb.com

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Here is the link to today’s tip list! Go forth and MARKET! and don’t forget -Prizes will be given out tomorrow so keep the Retweets coming!

Have a great day!!
Ariane