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Business Pride is Good to Celebrate

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Teach a young man to fish to empower him. Photo from:. flickr.com/photos/linsight/

Teach a young man to fish to empower him. Photo from:. flickr.com/photos/linsight/

Business pride is not a bad thing. I hope that you have pride in your business.

In April, I will receive the 2012 Career Achievement award from my undergraduate college, Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia. One of the questions they asked me was what was I proudest of in my career.

It’s a great question and complex for me to answer. The short answer is the business I built with my husband. This year our business and our marriage celebrate 30 years. That’s a big payoff. I have a lot of business pride in what we’ve lived through and built together. As you begin another year in business, celebrate it with pride. You deserve it. [Read more…]

2 Ways Your Business May Be Guilty

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Franklin was right. Photo by Paul Hudson.

Franklin was right. Photo by Paul Hudson.

In 1789, Benjamin Franklin said in a letter that there are only two things you can be certain of death and taxes.

He was certainly right about the taxes. Especially sales tax. We are hearing from clients and accountant colleagues about the increase in sales tax audits. These are turning out not to be friendly, let’s talk audits but somewhat nasty, prove you’re innocent audits where the assumption is that your business is not paying what it should.

The real issue is not whether you’re paying but whether you’re collecting, then paying. Since that’s what you are really doing. You’re the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John wants his due. [Read more…]

Urbane Direct Mail Piece That You Gotta See

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I have done direct mail pieces over the years that I liked and got great results with. One memorable black and white piece even got a 20% conversion  because we had the right list, the right offer, as well as the right creative graphic.

You may not agree, but I really think direct mail still has an important role to play in marketing strategy. No, Virginia, it’s not dead and this piece proves it.

Just look at it. It’s a Happy New Year card with a purpose. It came in a clear wrapping to intrigue me. Sent to my home address. I LOVE IT. [Read more…]