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Decorate a Sophisticated Office for Less than $2000

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You started a business.  You bought a suit.  You received your business and license and all you need now is an office where you can spend the next year of your life getting your business off the ground.  The last thing you want is to look to customers like your company doesn't make enough to stay in business.  Let's face it.  Appearance is everything.

So how do you put an office together without much money?  We found a few companies that you can bet on for all the high-quality stuff you need, at affordable prices, and no hidden charges.  Ready? Pay attention!

The most important online company we found was Versa Tables.  Never heard of them? You have now!  Versa Tables designs and manufactures high-quality, affordable, computer furniture for offices and schools, and best of all, ships directly to the consumer without a middle man.  And anyone can order from their online site.

For our demonstration, we ordered five attractive black vinyl side chairs (two for your office and three for the reception area), two 48-inch Enclosed Classroom Desks, two task chairs, and two ergonomically enhanced Deluxe Keyboard Arms and Trays for comfort.  The whole thing cost us less than $1800, leaving an extra $200 for a few framed pictures, plants, or even a fish tank.

The best thing about Versa Tables—besides their high-end, attractive furniture—is that they don't charge for shipping at all.  So what the site says you'll pay, is exactly what you'll pay.  No hidden handling fees or weight fees for shipping heavy desks and chairs.  They also accept PayPal.

In addition to the basic office furniture, you'll need some supplies:  staplers, pens, paper, desk organizers, calendars, etc.  We found an impressive variety of products from file containers to pencil sharpeners at Target online.  Another great online source is Green Light Office.  The site actually tells you if they have the lowest price or not on each item.

When decorating an office, keep in mind that aesthetics are everything.  You want your office to look inviting, clean, neat, and convey an image of success.  Avoid furniture that's too big for the space, plastic plants, and colors that don't match.  Purchase all your office furniture from one source, ensuring the colors work together and the style of the pieces you've chosen are compatible.  You don't need to be an interior designer to do this.

Purchasing everything from one source will guarantee that they'll work.

As a small business, you probably won't have retailers bending over backward to get your business, but that's okay.  Going direct to the manufacturer's websites can often give you the same prices the 'big guys' get without having to prove yourself first.  It's always a good idea as well to start building good credit as soon as you can so that your application will pass when you'd like to begin using purchase orders.  The privilege of being able to send a purchase order (which is basically a written guarantee that you'll pay for whatever you're buying so the company will process your order prior to you actually paying for it) only comes with good credit, which is priceless.

Promotional Items As Keys To A Successful Business

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Advertise your business through promotional items to boost your profits. Learn how to create and fully utilize your promotional items.

Setting up a business of your own is tough. Managing it and bringing it to its maximum potential and productivity is very challenging. In order for this to happen you must have a lot of customers. Acquiring customers is another story.

In order for you to acquire customers for your business, you should be able to draw their interest towards you. You should have products or services that they want. Entice them to what your business can offer. If they are satisfied well enough, they might keep coming back for more. Your products must appeal to customers in the first place.

If you are starting out and not a lot of people are aware of the existence of your business venture, it will be very difficult to have a lot of customers in the beginning. But depending on your business product, as mentioned earlier, customers will either flock at your business or leave it alone. You can either come up with a new product, or opt for other methods to attract customers.

Advertising your business is a great way to boost your business sales. Through advertising, a lot of customers will be informed of your business' existence. Dissemination of information through word of mouth is one basic way of promoting your business. If you have a lot of cash, try spending on TV commercials or even advertising through the internet. You can also settle for other traditional methods such as posting ads in newspapers or placing posters in strategic locations around town.

A proven effective method of advertising your business effectively is through the use of promotional items. What are these? Promotional items are certain objects that are used for giveaways to clients and other people to help spread the name of your business around. These objects have the imprinted logo of your business as well as all the vital information like address and phone number. These items come in all sorts of sizes. Smart business owners often give away promotional items that grab attention and used frequently like shirts, hats, bags, and such. Other effective mediums for promotional items are calendars. Just think about it, everyday people look at the calendar to know the date and plan schedules they have in the days to come. They will practically see the name of your business, your logo, and other endorsements and information.

Some promotional products are even not your typical everyday items. Perhaps the goal of these is to be unique in a way that it amuses people. You'll be surprised at the sheer variety of these promotional items, ranging from catchy stickers to stress balls. The options are unlimited! So think of your promotional items now and make it as unique as possible.

It is also necessary to consider that your promotional item should be relevant to your business. Upon choosing an object, you must be able to make sure that this object, when given to other people, will remind those people of your business. For example, if you’re running a tire business, you can have mini tire replicas as paperweights to be given to your clients. That way, when they glance at these paperweights they place on their desk, they will always be reminded about your business. Think of similar possible items that people will admire and want to keep looking at.

Be creative in formulating promotional items. Don't use typical dull products. Be intuitive of people's needs. Clients will just ignore these or even throw them away if they’re not useful.

After thinking of what promotional product to use for your business, try to internalize on what to do with them to help you and your business. You can't just place it anywhere or give it to any passerby. Try to target those individuals who have the potential to be your market. For instance, if you’re running a business on baby toys, you can’t just give your promotional items to teenagers, unless of course they happen to already have children.

Once you've secured your promotional items, you can also do wonders for your business by participating in trade shows. Trade shows are social gatherings where companies sharing the same theme manage booths inside a huge location and people are free to browse and look around. It is an advertising gimmick to boost business ventures. In order for you to maximize your booth and get a lot of attention from the people, you should make use of your promotional items. Use them as baits to lure the people to your booth. That way, the more the attention, the better the reputation and popularity your business will have. This will help boost your revenues a thousand fold.

After going through all of these your business will definitely by one step ahead. You'll come to appreciate the wonders of promotional items in advertising and marketing.

MS Connectors

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The MIL-C-5015 MS circular connectors have been around the longest, and are often referred to as MS Connectors. MS connectors needs no tools for coupling and assembling of the connectors when attaching cables to equipment. MS connecor can be coupled by inserting the coupling nut of barrel into the receptacle and turning to the screw direction.These MS connectors are designed for use in fixed or mobile military equipment, industrial machine tools, robotics and automation, trucks, buses, ships aircraft etc.

Jetronics India, established as Manufacturers of Ms Connectors in 1985, has grown into a leading producer and exporter of MS connectors, MIL C 5015 grade electrical connectors and related accessories like MG Connectors, Circular Threaded Coupling Connectors, MS 25042 connectors, MS 25043 connectors, Reverse Bayonet connectors, 121B connectors, Military connectors, MIL 5015 connectors, VG 95234 connectors, Military connectors.

Originally designed as military connector, current applications widely centre on industrial uses.

Circular Threaded Coupling connectors

These connectors are thread coupled and are in conformity to operating requirements of MIL C 5015 specifications for various industrial applications and are used in both military and commercial applications. MIL-C-5015 are the most popular of all cylindrical connectors for general use in electronic interconnection systems. These connectors are known for their supreme reliability, high power carrying capacity, their inherent ruggedness and capacity to withstand extreme environmental conditions. Typical circular connectors have pins mounted into an insert within the connectors. Disposed around the insert is a movable coupling nut which can be twisted to allow the coupling nut to threadedly engage the mating receptacle connector

Jetronics Connectors

Jetronics India's continuing mission is to focus on quality connectors, high level of services, cost effectiveness, innovative solutions that satisfy interconnect needs of customers while exceeding their expectations

The Worldwide Battery Trade Powerhouse Going Strong

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The world wide battery market is now worth roughly fifty-five billion US dollars, of which roughly 6 billion dollars is allocated to rechargeable (secondary) batteries. The growth is estimated at five% annually through 2012. Indonesia, Pakistan, Ecuador, Germany and Japan will record some of the strongest market gains.

Presently the strongest growth area inside the battery sector is the automotive market, which is having strong double-digit growth.  In the automotive space, HEVs are driving a tide in demand for lithium and other chemical technologies, while the core SLA battery market continues to sustain revenues and show steady growth due to after-market sales and the expanding global fleet of motor vehicles.   Almost 50 percent of the current 13 billion dollar lead acid battery market is due to the replacement category.  Despite recent increases in lead prices, the Sealed lead-acid battery market is likely to experience continued growth owing to its reliability, tough construction, low cost of maintenance, better performance compared with other technologies, and the inability to develop a commercially viable alternative technology that could replace SLA batteries in all these aspects.

Another fervent growth sub-category is the PC battery market which is expected to rise from one point five billion dollars in 2006 at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 8 percent.

The reality above are abundant grounds of just how hot the battery market is for venture capitalists at the moment, and what a vast return they expect if a battery technology breakthrough should occur.  A revolution in this space might be akin to the holy-grail, due to dependency on batteries for portability.

Of the many chemical technologies, the Lithium rechargeable battery market is projected to be seven billion dollars in 2015.  Of this growth, the Lithium rechargeable battery market for Hybrid Electric Vehicles is envisaged to rise from virtually zero in 2006 to roughly  US two billion dollars in 2015 – the equivalent of a 50% year-over-year CAGR.  The overall market for Lithium batteries is increasing much faster in terms of quantity, but due to device cost reductions due to improved efficiencies in the manufacturing processes and increases in production volumes, aggregate revenue growth is not forecast to quicken so quickly.

The storage battery market is extremely competitive and vast sums of money are invested on research and development each year.  Advanced New chemical technologies, along with advancements in old technologies leads industry experts  to predict improvements in battery capacity (for equivalent size and weight) of 3 to 4 times over the next 4 years.  This doubling of capacity every 2 and a half years is similar to moores law in the computer sector which sees cpu power doubling every sixteen months.

In terms of single-use batteries, ordinarily a consumer purchases these types of batteries 4 times per year.  Single-use batteries are gauged to have the highest margin per sq foot in most retail stores, and they are often an distress purchase by the consumer.  These kinds of batteries are sold in more retail establishments than any other products, period.  This is obviously due to the vast array of products that are heavily reliant on batteries – Many experts view sales pretty much recession proof.

From an environmental view, expendable batteries are obviously problematic, due to their very nature.  The worlds landfills are full of the often toxic byproducts of the disposable battery boom.  In light of this the European Union has come to the table and introduced legislation called the European Directive on Batteries, which has finally been agreed to and will come into force in 2008, introducing recycling to the market.  It is hoped that the US and other notable countries will follow this development closely and introduce their own environmental bills.

The Importance of Good Feedback

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Getting good feedback from customers and employees is vital for any business that expects to grow.  Without knowledge, business leaders can not make educated decisions.  Uneducated decisions lead to a higher rate of failure, which can have detrimental impacts on a business.  Without high quality information, a business owner is flying blind.

When flying an airplane, pilots depend on their instrumentation to tell them how they’re doing, where they are going, and where they need to go.  The artificial horizon helps them control their altitude, a compass helps them navigate, and other instruments give them vital information.  Even data received over the radio from airports  is crucial.  All this information is vital for the safety and success of the flight.

Just as a pilot needs feedback, so do business owners.  A pilot would never fly blind except in extreme situations, and a business owner is doing the exact same thing if they don’t educate themselves before making important decisions.  Of course, the best way to educate oneself is to ask the experts.  In a business situation, the very best experts to ask are your customers.  After all, they’re the ones who are buying whatever it is you’re selling.

Grabbing data is one thing, but grabbing the right kind of data is entirely another.  When the title of this article says "Good Feedback," it means high quality feedback, not just positive feedback.  Negative feedback can be of high quality and is often more crucial for businesses than positive feedback.

Anyone serious about making educated decisions should have a great, scalable survey solution in place.  Scalable means you can use it for a small business all the way to an enterprise level system.  A survey solution should give you full control over the types of questions and the types of answers you can use (i.e. multiple choice, essay, etc.).  This will give you the ability to customize the type of feedback you receive.

The best way to form a good survey is to start with your ultimate goal in mind.  Think about what types of information you will need to build your ultimate report.  Ask them same questions a few different ways to account for errors, and lay out your format in the simplest, easiest way possible.  The easier the survey is to fill out, the more likely people will fill it out with accurate information.  Accurate information is the key to good data.

With a well though out survey and lots of information, we can now start running reports on the data.  If you got enough information, you should be able to figure out several things with the data you have.  If you only want the answer to one question, a few additional questions can give you more answers as well, even if they are unrelated to your most important questions.

Any good survey system worth it’s own weight will have a great reporting system.  Different ways of aggregating the data can show different trends and information, so it should be easy to manage every aspect of your survey campaign.  Your flexibility for reports should match the flexibility of the survey itself.

Surveys can be sent out via your email list (just make sure people know when they sign up that they might be getting these types of emails), filled out online as an opt-in during the checkout process, or sent out to rented lists.  Whatever way you decide to go, just be sure that your survey is targeting the demographics you are most intereted in.

With a good survey, you can increase your knowledge manyfold.  Decisions will become clear.  For small outfits to enterprise level operations, collecting data and feedback is the ultimate way to make educated decisions.

Custom Printed T-Shirts – Top Seven Tips for Using Them in Your Business

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When you decide to create your own business you often find that there are a number of expenses that you do not think about.  Uniforms, advertising, things to raise employee morale, and promotional items are all costs that people often overlook but can quickly add up.  Custom Printed T-shirts are a great way of taking care of all of these things.  This list will give you seven tips that will help you be successful when choosing the right company to use and the right products purchase.  We hope to remove some of the information asymmetry that small businesses, especially those which are new to the process.  We want you to know what to look for so that you can be a more educated buyer.

7.  Know what it is that you need the shirts for.  Many times, people will call a firm that they have found and ask for a quote on custom printed T-Shirts.  While we don’t discourage the effort and enthusiasm, the truth is that when you approach a deal, you need to know more about what you want.  This does not mean that you need to know the inner mechanics of screen printing and embroidery digitization, but you should know what the shirts are going to be used for.  If you are using them as an outdoor uniform, then you might want heavy material.  If you need jerseys for a company basketball team, perhaps a less expensive and cheaper 50/50 blend would be better suited for your needs.  The point is you don’t need to know the exact product that you are wanting, but you should know why you need them and what you expect to get out of them.

6.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  This is more than a way for you to figure out if you are getting what you want or if you and your printer are on the same page.  Screen printing is not something that just anyone can one day decide they want to do.  It requires technical knowledge as well as equipment and time.  By asking a few questions about the process and the product, you can often gain insight into the condition of the business.  Why settle for doing business with someone who doesn’t deserve your trust.

5.  Take into account the additional costs.  Custom printers often deceive their customers by not including details like artwork, shipping, and setup.  Make sure that if you need artwork or graphic design that you figure out whether that is included and if not how much extra it will cost.

4.  Don’t forget about additional items.  While screen printing and custom T-shirts are one of the greatest advertising tools and great for a number of things for you company, they aren’t the only product available.  We assume that if you are reading this article that you have already discovered or thought about the advantages of custom printed T-Shirts, but there other promotional products that can complement your T-Shirts.  I recommend you find a firm that can do both.  Usually they are able to offer discounts and if not it is still much more convenient to deal with a single firm then to try to deal with multiple companies all trying to sell you the same thing.  In addition, often you can save on shipping and digitizing fees if you use the same company.

3.  Order a few extra.  One mistake that people often make is that they order too few or just enough of the custom printed shirts that they have nothing to spare.  This seems like a good idea because people don’t want to get suckered into having a bunch of extra T-Shirts, but that is a short term strategy that many people end up regretting.  The problem is that when people do not order enough they often have to go back and reorder one or two T-Shirts.  This seems fine, but screen printing makes doing a single shirt not cost effective.  The benefit is that you receive economies of scale, so going back to reorder a single T-Shirt means that you may have incur a significant rise in cost.

2. Know when you need your product ready.  Many customers call up too late and find that they are either going to be charged more money for a rush job or that it is simply impossible to do the job in a short period of time.  Giving yourself extra time means that you will be less stressed and that your product will turn out great.

1. Use the internet and don’t worry about local.  The internet allows people from all over the country to have access to the best deals and products.  So even if you are located in New York, NY and your screen printer is located in Portland, OR, you can still get the same service and coverage that you would from a local printer.  In fact, it may even work out better because it gives you, the customer, and access to the best from a much larger geographic area.  The internet is your friend.  It has helped the printer, now let it help you.

I hope that you have found these tips helpful.  As a screen printer, I often find that my customers want to be educated and my own company www.taylormadetshirts.com wants to work with educated customers.  That is why I am offering you some insights into getting screen printing and custom T-Shirts done.  I hope you will give my website a chance and see how I can help, but if not I at least hope that you can use this information to help your own small business.

Mike Thompson

Seven Steps to Cold Calling Follow-Up

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Here are seven important steps to follow:

1. Don't assume the sale.

Prospects are used to the traditional buyer-seller relationship. They assume you’ll pressure them. Therefore, they may decide not to tell you things that make them vulnerable to pressure. Until you’re sure you know the complete truth, you can never assume the sale is yours.

2. Keep making it easy for potential clients to tell you their truth.

Toward the end of your conversation, ask, "Do you have any more questions?" If the answer is no, follow up with the 100% final truth gathering question: "Now, are you 100% sure that there’s nothing else that I can do on my end to make you feel more comfortable with this situation?"

You’ll be amazed how often people will reply, "Well, actually, there’s one more issue..." It’s at this point that you really start to hear their truth.

3. Call back to get the truth, not close the sale.

Most potential clients who suddenly disappear expect you to chase them down. They expect you to call and say, "Hi, I was just wondering where things are at?"

Instead, eliminate all sales pressure by telling them you’re okay with their decision not to move forward, based on their not having called you back. In other words, take a step backward. Most of the time, this will open the door to a new level of trust-filled communication.

4. Reassure them that you can handle a "no."

Of course, we’d rather hear a yes. However, the only way to free yourself and your clients from subtle sales pressure is to let them know that it’s not about the sale – it’s about the best choice for them. If that means no sale, it’s okay with you.

5. Ask for feedback.

Whenever prospects disappear, call them back (e-mail only as a last resort because dialogue is always better). Simply ask, "Would you please share your feedback with me as to how I can improve for next time? I’m committed to understanding where I went wrong."

This is not being feeble or weak. It’s being humble. This invites the truth.

6. Don't try to "close" a sale.

If your intuition tells you that the sales process isn’t going in the direction it should be going (which is always toward greater trust and truth), then trust those feelings.

Make it safe for prospects to tell you where they stand. It’s simple. All you have to say is, "Where do you think we should go from here?" But be prepared because you might not want to hear the truth of how they’re feeling. You can cope with this by keeping your larger goal in mind, which is always to establish that the two of you have a "fit."

7. Give yourself the last word.

Eliminate the anxiety of waiting for the final call that will tell you whether the sale is going to happen. Instead, schedule a time for getting back to each other during your conversation. This eliminates chasing. Simply suggest, "Can we plan to get back to each other on a day and at a time that works for you? Not to close the sale, but simply to bring closure, regardless of what you decide. I’m okay either way, and that’ll save us from having to chase each other."

You'll find that these suggestions make selling much less painful because you stay focused on the truth instead of the sale. The truth is, the more we release the idea of needing to make the sale, the more sales we will likely see.

Nonprofits Looking for Ideas – Not Plans

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Most nonprofit organizations that I know run in a very efficient and business like manner, so I hesitate to criticize the hardworking folks in this sector. But there is a tendency in many non-profit organizations to look for quick, short-term results rather than develop and stick to a strategic plan. Some search results I ran across support this observation.

According to Overture, there were about 25,000 searches last month for the term “fundraising idea” and another 5000 or so searches for related terms like “school fundraising idea” or “sports fundraising idea”.  On the other hand, the term “fundraising plan” was searched only about 350 times, with another 100 or so searches for related terms.

Compare this to searches made by business or people interested in business. The term “business plan” was searched 66,000 times and the term “business idea” was only searched 11,000 times.  Based on these numbers it would appear that far more people in business are interested in a plan more than just an idea. People in nonprofit organizations or charities seem to be more interested in ideas than plans.

One can't draw too many conclusions from a single observation and to be fair, there are lots of small nonprofit organizations that just need an idea for an event or something to make a few bucks. But I think this observation should also make managers of nonprofit organizations ask themselves how much time their staff, volunteers and board members spend trying to come up with or imitate the latest great idea, and how much time they spend in strategic planning.

Strategic planning for a nonprofit organization can be complicated. There may be historical reasons, traditions and values of the founders to consider when making fundraising decisions that may preclude some options. The reaction of the community and relationships with government and major funding organizations like the United Way may need to be taken into consideration.  A few strong willed volunteers may exert undo influence on the organization. The priorities of the C.E.O. may not include fund development.

In spite of these complexities, a nonprofit organization should still be able to determine a long-term vision for what it wants to accomplish as an organization, the resources it has at hand to start it down that road, and a fair assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. Too many organizations try to be all things to all people and should focus on achievable, quantifiable goals.

Improving Manufacturing Cycle Times With Machine Tooling

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Machining center manufacturers are all looking for and touting the ability to reduce part cycle times by offering faster and more efficient machines. That is what the job shop and part production customers of these products demand, because their end-product customers are driving a purchasing philosophy of lower costs per part.

While the choice of a high-speed machining center makes a major difference in operational productivity and part cost, the tooling utilized on that machine can be another dominant factor. The efficiency of such new, special purpose proprietary tooling can even further enhance the output of a horizontal machining center. It can provide a wide degree of flexibility in compressing several machining processes, especially in parts production.

Makino, a global provider of advanced machining technology, says that the use of special-purpose and multifunctional tools, like the SmartTools it manufactures, helps in this process compression. These specially designed and patented tools reduce cycle times as well as production costs, which saves money.

As an example, there are a number of unique, special tools that can reduce the initial capital investment and drive out substantial process time in the machining of engine blocks. Cylinder bores can be finished and honed with a precise closed-loop boring system that automatically compensates for tool wear or thermal distortion and produces exceptional repeatability.

You can also grind bimetallic surfaces utilizing a cubic boron nitride superabrasive grinding wheel all on a standard machining center.

Machines incorporated with this special, multifunctional tooling will outperform a number of individual specialty-purpose machines when used in an integrated system. Mid - to high-volume parts manufacturers often invest in state-of-the-art machine tool technology, and can further enhance their flexibility and productivity with the use of such special-purpose tooling.

With more and more demand to streamline processes and production cycle times, especially from original equipment manufacturer outsourcing operations, there is a growing need for more valuable and cost-effective solutions for jobs shops and production facilities. And, the solutions exist to allow them to "work smarter."