End of Year; A Time to Re-Assess

I can't believe that it's the end of 2008 already! This year flew by, and considering all of the melt-downs we were bombarded with I think I'm definitely ready to move on.

The last quarter of the year is a very busy time for a lot of us, not just because of school starting again and the holiday season, but because those of us with businesses have a lot of year-end preparation. Looking at where we stand tax-wise, making certain the books are in order and up-to-date, looking at what is and isn't working and making plans for the coming year.

I own several businesses but the main one is one that my husband and I started over 21 years ago. We've been through bad times and recessions before and we always planned for the worst-case situation because it was our only source of income and we had a baby under a year-old and my 80 year-old mother living with us. No room for making mistakes. And because we were so focused and careful we did well, even in economic bad times.

In this last quarter we realized we hadn't been as focused as we could have been. So out came the sharp pencils and the lengthy conversations between my husband and me and our management team and we found a number of ways to save money, tighten our belts and ways to keep ourselves in front of our customers, at a lower cost than mailing catalogs and flyers.

One of the best ways we keep in contact with our customers now is in a non-commercial way; we're not asking them to buy anything from us, we're just sending cards and postcards to say "hi," and keep our name in front of them. Basic relationship building.

The system we use is easy and reliable. We have regular campaigns where a card goes out to thank them for their business, wish them a happy holiday (all months but June and August have one); a postcard goes out periodically with a picture of our most current catalog on it in case they didn't receive one, etc., etc. The cards are especially good for saying "sorry we goofed" or thanking them for a nice comment about us.

The economy isn't going to turn around quickly, so it's important to stay connected to your customers. And it's important to stay in-touch and connected to friends and family. I don't know of anyone who is not stressing or affected by this economy. I stopped sending holiday cards a couple of years ago because it was too time consuming, but this year I feel compelled to reach out to friends and family and even acquaintances to wish them well and let them know I care. One of the worst things about a bad or sad situation is how lonely it can make you feel.

And I've made a commitment to not just send holiday cards this year, but "thinking of you" cards, birthday and anniversary cards, Valentine's cards, etc. Reaching out and making a connection with a card makes me feel good because I know it will bring a smile to someone...and who knows, maybe it will be the one good moment they have in a crappy day!

The system I use for both our business and also personally is easy to use and much less expensive than buying cards at the store. And it's automated so I can send them with a click of the mouse but they are real cards that are put in good 'ole snail mail. Perfect for some of my older relatives (Grandma!) who don't use the internet, and more personal than a e-mailed greeting. Finding something in your mailbox instead of bills or advertisements is nice.

So join me in making an effort to reach out to the people in your life on a regular basis; life is tough right now and I think we all can use a sense of community that has been lost over the last couple of generations as we as a society became more mobile and more high tech.

If you're interested in the system I use, drop me an e-mail (it does have its place! LOL) at bridgewayconnections@hotmail.com and I'll be happy to tell you more about it.

Great Deals For You to Check Out Today!

Well I am happy to say one of my new websites is up and running and getting lots of attention! Check it out for some of the best deals and tips you can find on the internet! www.thisnthatgreatwebsites.com

This is the kind of stuff I love to do...find interesting information and blog about it and find great tips and deals and put them in one place for you to find easily!

My newest website is under construction and when I get it up and running I hope you'll visit. This one is going to be all about how to find out the "secrets" of your competition and use them to your advantage! For existing businesses or someone who is just doing research in order to launch a new business, this site will provide fantastic insights and information to exactly what you need to know.

I can't wait to launch it and get your feedback! Keep an eye out here on my Blog where you'll be the first to know the secrets I'm about to share!

Why Starting a Business NOW Makes Good Sense

I've been a business owner for over 30 years now. Back in the late 70's I had a Word Processing business. For those of you too young to understand that concept, stand-alone word processing machines were the "big thing" before personal computers put word processing on everyone's desk. Now this was before spell checking and grammar checks and I had to have every document proof-read by a live person. And it was the world of dot matrix printers...it seems like an eternity ago!

It was hard work and long hours, but it allowed me to be my own boss and chart my own course. I've owned several other businesses over the years and have more than a couple right now including one that does about $5 million in sales. The one thing I can say with absolute certainty is I don't have to worry about losing my job(s).

I was just reading an article that was saying right now is probably a good time to start a business, and I'd agree. Maybe not a full-time one if you're employed, but a small business that you can start with little money that will provide you with some additional income; ultimately I'm a big fan of multiple streams of income. It all adds up and it also gives you a sense of security in times of cutbacks; you'll already have something that can generate income if you were to lose your job.

The article can be found in the October 15, 2008 issue of Bottom Line Personal http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/article.html?article_id=46533

And if you're interested in exploring one of the businesses I'm involved with that I highly recommend, visit my website page at www.SendOutCards.com/cardgallery - a business with a product that everyone uses is a "no brainer!"

An Early Morning Networking Meeting

This morning I was up at 5:00 a.m. in order to go to a networking breakfast at the invitation of a new friend. Mind you, I am not a morning person!

I have never been an outgoing, social, networking type of person, but with my two newest businesses the personal interaction is most likely necessary, at least to get them kick-started. I've tried using AdWords and Facebook Visa ads to test the water and get familiar with these two ways of getting traffic, but haven't been overly impressed with the results for anything except my blog.

One reason may be because I'm sending people to "mirror" sites designed by others that frankly I find confusing and overwhelming myself. So no wonder I've gotten lousy CTR's. But my question is that if I create a landing page that I design myself they still need to go to the other sites in order to take action. Is this going to add a layer that will help, i.e., condense what they need to know before sending them to the link or just frustrate them that they didn't get directly to the information they thought they were being directed to?

Any comments, ideas, experience from people out there?

The Difference Between Winning and Losing - A Wonderful Blog by a Friend

I'll give you a snippet here, but please follow the link and read the entire thing. It's a must read! By my good friend, Diane Kennedy.

"Ever so often I send an email that resounds with a number of people. The one I sent a week ago, 9/3/08, was one like that. Here it is again. Thank you all for your kind comments.

The past year and a half has been the most challenging I’ve ever faced since I’ve been in business. And last week, in the worst storm in Phoenix’s history, a tree went through our roof. It was a bad enough storm that I looked under the trunk the next morning for little witch’s feet, but apparently it wasn’t that bad. (That was a Wizard of Oz reference, by the way.)

There was a time in my life when this would have been devastating. Now, it’s a hassle, but not the end of the world. Since our son David came to join our family, I’ve found that I think a lot more about my reaction to things. I strive to be the adult that I want my son to become. And I’m better for that.

So, what is the lesson that I should take away, and teach my son about, from all the turmoil that’s come our way? There are a number of them..."

http://www.taxloopholes.com/connect/trackback/1235

Diane Kennedy, CPA and Tax Strategist is co-founder of Diane Kennedy's Tax Services, a leading tax firm that works with clients throughout the U.S. and founder of taxloopholes.com, an award-winning online tax education site. Diane is the author of The Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestsellers, "Loopholes of the Rich" and "Real Estate Loopholes," and co-author of "The Insider’s Guide To Real Estate Investing Loopholes," "The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in Real Estate," "The Insider’s Guide to Tax Free Real Estate Investing" and "Tax Loopholes for eBay® Sellers."

I admit it, I'm an Information Junkie!

I love information, just ask my husband...there are magazines, newsletters and books all over our house, not to mention the internet articles I print so I can read them later. He knows better than to throw out anything; even junk mail might be of interest to me (I get ideas for ad copy, etc.)!

I participate in several online Forums, sometimes just to read, sometimes I post. I come across such a wide variety of interesting topics in all of this blitz of information that I decided to share what I find in a Blog. There will be links to articles and internet sites of interest, comments on a wide variety of things - no one area could contain my thirst for knowledge and information! News of the day, comments of interest on other sites, "how-to's" on saving money on most everything, tax savings and issues, information on starting a business - you'll never know what I might come up with to blog about!

So join me while I share "a little bit of this, a little bit of that."