General Business Talk

Small business owners need to advertise their products and services and the most economical way for them to advertise is through sign banners. Market analysts believe sign banner advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways to popularize products, services and other marketing events. Sign banners are widely used for market promotion because of the visibility they guarantee for the products/services advertised and for the effective manner the message is delivered to a wider audience. Sign banners come in different shapes, weights and sizes, even to extra large sizes to cover an entire building.

Sign banner advertising is very eye-catching and arrests the attention of a lot of people. Any businessperson or professional event organizer knows he or she must use sign banners to gain maximum publicity mileage. The vinyl banner is not for mere advertisement purposes alone.

There are also protest banners, through which people can express their opinion on different matters during organized rallies. People also use different types of banners on special occasions, such as birthday parties, barbeques, car sales, New Year parties and other social events. It is possible for you to customize the banners you need in the manner suited for the occasion. If you want to have your own vinyl sign banners, you have to first decide on the theme of the banner and then a possible design for it. By doing it yourself, you will not risk not liking the banner made by someone else. Suppliers of banners offer a wide range of materials for you to choose. However, the most popular one is vinyl, also known as PVC. This is a resistant material, economical, weather-proof and easy to use.

Let us learn how to prepare sign banners. Firstly, clean a PVC Vinyl Banner using a suitable wash solution to remove any manufacturing residue. These solutions are available in the market. Avoid using an aggressive solvent that may penetrate the polymers of the banner and create post migration or leaching of polymers. Once a wash solution is applied, immediately clean by rubbing until dry. Finally clean the banner with cold water.

Outdoor banners have to be imaginatively designed for creating easy readership and effective impact. The message you want to convey is very important and therefore it should be crisply worded. The primary message, secondary text or images, or tertiary text have to be determined based on the location, readership distance and color schemes. If the banner is to be fixed on a major arterial road with dense traffic, then remember that passing vehicles will require three seconds to read and retain the information for further use. You have to accordingly use the letter style and font size.

It is advisable to first prepare a thumbnail sketch, stand back and view the overall clarity of your message. If you are satisfied with the sketch, then go forward to creating the lay-out. When you prepare the banner all by yourself, you have the great opportunity to personalize it. If you can write something original and unique, it will create a profound impact and prompt more people to buy whatever you have to offer. The latest trend is to use digitally printed sign banners which irresistibly attract passers-by. The latest digital printing technology enables the production of excellent prints with bewitching color combination and clarity.

Trying to get business financing for a transportation company in the current economic environment has been nearly impossible. This applies to both trucking companies and freight brokers. Most institutions are imposing a number of restrictions on their financing activities to the point where getting a business loan is very difficult. It’s not that institutions don’t want to make business loans – but rather – they have to be extra careful. For example, many institutions now require company financial statements for multiple years that must show profits. They need substantial assets as collateral, and usually require the business owner to have substantial assets themselves.

But, what happens if you can’t meet this criteria? Are you basically out of luck? Not really. You just need to look elsewhere.

Let’s look at a common problem in the transportation industry – cash flow. This affects brokers and carriers alike. They have expenses that they must cover immediately, such as drivers and repairs. However, they must also wait up to 60 days to get paid by their clients. If they don’t have a cushion of capital to bridge the gap – their businesses fail. There is an alternative though – it’s called factoring.

Factoring your freight bills bridges this gap in a simple and elegant way. It provides you with an advance on your freight bills, which you can use to cover your expenses. The transaction is then settled when your client pays the freight bill.

Freight factoring has a number of advantages and is easy to qualify for. Most factoring companies look at the credit of your client as the most important requirement (though not the only one) to provide financing. Although your client’s credit is important, your company should be free of liens, judgments and tax problems.

Freight bill factoring is an ideal source of financing for startup and growing transportation companies, it provides financing to cover operational expenses while you focus on growing your business. One if the biggest advantages of freight factoring is that is tied to your sales – your financing line grows as your business grows.

Following is part two of an interview with Cheryl Benton, owner of 747 Marketing. Their website says, “We’ve built a consulting business that helps our clients gain unfair competitive advantages by outwitting the other guys.” Visit Cheryl Benton’s website simply by Googling 747 Marketing.

Q. In 2004, you launched a firm called 747 Marketing. Did you identify a market need that inspired you to start this firm?
A. Yes, the marketing need was my own. (Laughs.) I was at a point where I needed to have more flexibility. I needed a lot more time and a lot more control over when, where and how I wanted to work and the kinds of assignments that I would find challenging. It was really my own personal need to do that.

The decision to do this was more of a lifestyle issue. So, I have to always remind myself why I did that, so I’m not back into the 80 hour work thing again. Now, I look at projects — at the scope of them, and how long term they are — and I see how much of a commitment I’m willing to give before I’ll say, “Yes, I’ll do that.”

How do you find projects that won’t be so time consuming? It’s tough. It’s looking at the scope of the effort and asking, “What is this going to be,” at the beginning of the project. You move on in life and you use your experience, your wisdom, and maybe your past connections, in order to make wise decisions. You don’t want to be put on this 80 hour treadmill, which is the game that gets played when you’re in your 20s.

When I get into a consulting project, I base the project on how much time is required and what is the timeframe. For example, if it’s a three month assignment, I might say, “OK, I will devote two days a week of my time to this project.” And, I set that up. I think a lot of it is setting up that expectation in advance. You have to do that, particularly when you’re consulting. Otherwise, you end up making 50 cents an hour. It’s not worth doing that. Setting it up right isn’t perfect, but you have to go into it with that kind of discipline.

I’ve turned down projects because of the time commitments involved. They would have been very intense timeframe projects.

Also, when you’re working as a consultant (and people are paying you as a consultant) and they do know you are on that clock, I find it’s easier for them to become more disciplined because they realize there is a clock. But, we all want to help and I am flexible.

I do a lot of seminars with the ANA (Association of National Advertisers). One of the seminars I teach frequently across the country to clients is called, “The Client-Agency Relationship.” I spend a lot of time talking about how to be a good client and how to manage expectations.

Q. Did your work experience cause you to structure 747 Marketing differently?
A. It’s different in that it is truly consulting. I started an agency that was full service. And then of course for many years I managed in full service agencies, where you actually have products you produce: It’s an ad, or it’s a brochure.

My particular talent and the things I really liked doing, were on the strategic side of the business. I helped people to be better, smarter marketers. “Here is the issue. Let’s come up with a solution.” I realized that is the piece of the business, where I wanted to focus. When we get to the point where the client needs other services or other people, we help the client find those professionals.

Q. Tell us about a time where you had to move a client to a new way of thinking.
A. I was very fortunate in the 1990s. I was with an agency and it was probably the first agency that became involved with the Internet and interactive marketing in a big way. I was working with some very large clients who only had used traditional media. I was helping those big consumer companies figure out what the interactive world was going to be like for them. That was a huge leap in the late 1990s and, for a lot of companies, it’s still a big leap.

Q. What types of challenges did it take to move people into electronic marketing?
A. In the consumer world during the 1990s, the 30 second TV commercial was still king. But, the Internet was starting to change it and cable was changing it. So, the smarter, consumer marketers realized they had to at least experiment in some different spaces to see where this whole new Internet thing was going. And, the ones who got in early are doing it really well and others are playing a catch-up game.

Some of the companies stepped into the waters pretty early. They were starting to go from a world where their consumers were mass consumers to beginning to understand that there were opportunities to build relationships with different kinds of intimate target audiences. And, it takes time to figure out how to do that and how to turn some of these big ships around.

Other companies finally said, “Oh gosh, we need to do this. We can jump into this tomorrow and we’ll have this all figured out in a year.” But, it doesn’t work that way. So, yes, there were still people, who were fighting the new media, and not just on the client side. There were people who wanted to produce a 30 second, big budget TV commercial on the agency side.

Q. Why did people want to do that rather than create a web page?
A. I think it’s fear of change. It’s fear of the unknown. We’re all comfortable with what we know and what we like and for some people and organizations, it’s harder to identify and accept what you’re going to bring to it.

Q. Why are you different from those people?
A. I’m an entrepreneur at heart. For some people, it’s in your DNA so, you’re less afraid. I’ve always been curious about new things and I’ve always loved technology. I spent 10 years initially in a technology company. Not that I’m an in-depth technology person, but I’ve always liked what technology can do for us. Curiosity is a lot of it.

Q. How do you convince a resistant person to change?
A. I think it’s doing something in a small way. It’s saying, “Don’t give me your entire budget, but let’s try something small here. Let’s put a little bit of money into it, let’s try it and we’ll see what happens.” That gives people a comfort zone. They don’t feel like they’re rolling the dice on one big bet.

Q. Does this require an investment on the agency side?
A. Sure, because there’s a lot of education that has to go on, if you’re trying to get people to do something. You’re investing that this thing is going to work and there will be more money to follow.

Q. Is it difficult to get a commitment from the agency leadership?
A. It depends on the organization. If you don’t have that kind of support upwards, I suggest to people not to do it because if you can’t at least get the initial buy-in — “OK, we’re willing to experiment here” — your chances aren’t good later.

But, if you don’t change in the world, you’re going to become a dinosaur. There were agencies that didn’t change at all and they went by the wayside.

In this world of financial uncertainty, a small business owner must consider incorporating their business, even if the company you run is family-owned. Simply put, you cannot afford not to incorporate your business.

Even if you are a family-run business, it’s a good idea to give incorporating a serious look because the advantages of incorporating a business far outweigh the disadvantages.

Here are some of those advantages:

1. It gives your business legitimacy. That Inc. at the end of your business name automatically gives your business instant cache to anyone who is shopping around for your service or product. It gives consumers a sense of permanency, proof that the business they are dealing with is not a fly-by-night operation. A business owner that has taken the time and spent the money to incorporate is perceived as an owner who is committed to their business and their product in a way a sole proprietor is not.

2. It makes it easier to transfer a business to a family member or to sell it. Because your business is a separate entity, it can be sold to another party or transferred to a family member. In the event you retire or die, the business, unless it is legally dissolved, continues to live on.

3. It gives the owner legal protection. Incorporating makes your business, not you personally, liable should something go wrong. This is one of the most important aspects of incorporating, especially in this shaky economy. Because if your business does fail and your business owes money, no one can go after your personal assets, such as your home, to get payments. Additionally, if someone sues you, it is your business that is liable for the wrong-doing, not you or your family personally. Incorporating gives a certain amount of peace of mind in his litigious world.

4. You may see tax benefits. As a corporation, you’ll have greater tax deductions for your business. In some cases expenses such as health care, life insurance, travel and entertainment can be deducted. Also, there are no limits to the losses that a corporation is allowed to carry forward to future tax years, while a sole proprietor is limited to the amount they can claim.

While the advantages of incorporating far outweigh the disadvantages, it is prudent to look at both sides of the coin. Incorporating requires time and money and can actually lead to higher overall taxes, according to the Small Business Administration.

Additionally, because you are filed with the state, you are also monitored by the government and as a result must comply with state and federal regulations concerning your particular business. That can mean more paperwork and time spent making Uncle Sam happy.

However, as the advantages of incorporating become clearer, many companies offer services that make incorporating in any state easy and cost effective. Several companies online provide everything the business owner needs to legally established their business.

Fees for these services vary, so it’s best to shop around for the most reputable company. A call to the Better Business Bureau is always a good idea.