Reducing Overhead in a Slow Economy

Keeping overhead low is key to the success of a business, especially in a down economy. There are several easy and efficient ways to ensure low overhead while not compromising performance or quality:

• Outsource: Consider what services need to be done in-house and what can be outsourced. Outsourcing can save your business time and money if it’s the right arrangement.

• Needs vs. wants: Every business purchase should be evaluated in terms of either a need or want. Keep tabs on your desires. What expenses are necessary for maintaining operations? Less money going out means more money available to keep your business afloat during those uncertain and predictable times.

• Collaborate: Can you share resources? Sharing space, supplies and equipment are ways to keep overhead down. Plenty of businesses are in the same boat and are possibly willing to consider a collaborative arrangement.

• Do your homework: Find out about free and low-costs marketing opportunities. Social media is one place to start. Get on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. Often times, these are the first places consumers turn for information on businesses. Never underestimate the value of word-of-mouth publicity. Customers who refer their friends to your business are worth their weight in gold. Gain media attention by doing something exciting or innovative.

Low overhead can translate into peace of mind. If expenses are low, you can spend your time focusing on more important tasks, like business development and retention. There are several other ways to reduce costs. Start small and work your ways toward more drastic changes. A few simple adjustments can make a world of difference.

When genius makes you jealous

So…I’m driving home on the Interstate the other day, minding my own business, listening to NPR and watching the normally heavy, rush-hour traffic flow around me. Even though I know the route like the back of my hand, I still have to be attentive and alert with so many cars weaving in and out in all three lanes.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a small, yellow VW that is COMPLETELY covered with advertising! He makes it past me and settles into traffic about three car lengths ahead. Now, being a marketing professional, I HAD to find out what was going on with this car! “Darn it, van, get out of my way! I’ve got important business to attend to!” I was doing everything I could to catch up to the mysterious German automobile…paying less-than-normal attention to safety, or the other cars on the road.

Finally, after about 10 miles, I caught it. MuralPop.com. Plastered all over the car, windshields and all! Quite a sight to see cruising down the interstate during rush hour traffic. “MuralPop.com.” Certainly I would look them up when I got home. And…I’m betting…so will YOU, now!

And that’s the point! This company did something that made it stand out from the ordinary. They covered a car and simply drove through traffic. And if it got this jaded marketer’s attention, you’ve got to believe that it REALLY caught the eye of other drivers and passengers. When you’re looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, be inventive. Take some risks. Don’t simply settle for the same, old “tried and true.” People become desensitized to advertising. They are bombarded with it to the point where they don’t even see it anymore. Which means your message—and your money—was just thrown down the drain. Be bold, innovative, unconventional. In the end, you might just become rich because of it.

Nice job, MuralPop.com. You made me look. Which makes me jealous!

Are you ready to live a healthier life?

By Kathy Harris, guest blogger and member of the Human Resources team at Gold Medal

Most of us give lip service to a healthier lifestyle. We spend our last dollars (sometimes many of them) on quick weight loss programs, gym memberships and magic potions. Motivation, however easy it is to acquire, is always difficult to sustain. Motivation requires regular reinforcement.

As HR professionals and employers we talk about reinforcing Wellness Programs. Too often, seemingly more important issues derail these programs. They are seen only as a “nice to have” and some “frou-frou HR thing.” However, a Wellness Program can be a great business strategy. They can mean fewer absences, more production and decreased healthcare spending. Improved health translates into clearer thinking, more energy and dare we hope—sharper ideas?

In this economy where the stress is high and the budget is low, many of us are looking for Wellness Programs on a shoestring budget. Just the thing is now available thanks to Anthem, Bob Harper and Facebook. This is a fun way to build a healthy culture at the office through the use of free social media!



Biggest Loser star, Anthem team up to help employers
(courtesy of Anthem)

Better health habits are not only good for your employees, they translate to greater productivity and lower health care costs for you as an employer. That is why we have engaged Bob Harper, renowned trainer from The Biggest Loser, to help us conduct an aggressive social media campaign to build healthy habit awareness.

Harper's new 5-Day Boost video series can be found at Facebook.com/HealthJoinIn. It teaches viewers a simple health habit to incorporate each day, and 5-Day Boost can help people set goals for the exciting contest called "Join In to Win."

Five winning team leaders will get a personal training experience from Harper himself. The four-week contest runs July 18 through August 15. Team leaders set a health improvement goal for "Join In to Win", then they recruit teammates through their Facebook community.

Anthem Health Coaches will help teams pursue their goals, and leaders of the top five teams will get video conference sessions with Harper.

Help yourself and your employees by posting this flier in break rooms and other common areas. For more details, go to Facebook.com/HealthJoinIn or contact your local sales representative.

Join trainer Bob Harper in the 5 Day Boost and take the first steps toward a healthier life. Starting July 11th, a new Boost video will premiere each day for 5 days. Watch each video, then click the “I’m Ready” button to unlock access to the next video in the program. It’s that simple. So have fun, get involved and get healthy.

Health. Join In. - Anthem
5 Day Boost, and it's a whole new day to give your health goals some extra juice with help from Bob Harper. Hope you're ready to get moving! And remember, you can start the 5 Day Boost at any time!

5 Day Boost ** In addition to the 5 Day Boost there are health calculators, information and encouragement for you and your employees on this Facebook Page. Check out your Health Footprint* today!

Your Health Footprint^SM score is a measure of your health, and the effect it may have on those around you. Sound intriguing? Calculate yours today.

Customer Loyalty

By Liz North, guest blogger and intern at Gold Medal

When you think about your local community and the businesses that are associated with it, what do you think of? Anyone from the Cincinnati area would instantly say Skyline or Graeters, but it’s different everywhere you go. A small town might reference the local drug store, whereas a larger city might refer to its most notable pizza place. Look at any virtually business’ history, and you’ll notice a sense of loyalty and community involvement. We all know that one place we always go to when we need to satisfy our sweet tooth. The intensity with which a community identifies itself with that particular business can be the difference between a town staple and just your average Hawaiian ice stand.

So how do you become that community staple?
1. Find a want in your community- the most successful products are items we don't need, but don’t even know we want!
2. Establish the competition.
3. Stand out from your competition! Take risks!
4. Keep them coming back for more.

If one day you find yourself in the position of entrepreneur, try to focus on building a business where you and your community have a co-dependent relationship. Find a niche, don’t play it safe and wow your audience into amazement. You may find yourself with the hottest place in town.

Where did Funnel Cakes come from?

What’s more American than fried foods and fairs? With summer here — and outdoor carnivals popping up around the nation — we’re taking a look at the history of a mandatory carnival must-have: hot and crispy funnel cakes.

Despite debate on the true origin of funnel cakes, it is popularly believed that these crispy-fried confections were created by the Pennsylvania Dutch, a group of German immigrants who landed in Pennsylvania before the 19th century. (The first ever recipe resembling a funnel cake showed up in a German cookbook in 1879.)

The name “funnel cake” was derived from the method of squeezing batter through a funnel in a circular pattern into hot oil to achieve a dizzying pattern of crispy-fried dough. The oldest recipe for a funnel cake in an English cookbook appeared in 1935, which instructed the cook to turn “the stream around in a gradual enlarging circle” and “serve hot with any tart jelly.”
Originally served for holidays and harvest festivals, funnel cakes became a natural addition to street fairs and outdoor carnivals because of their use of ingredients that were easily available and stored at these events. Concession stands employed special pitchers with funnel spouts attached to fry up the unleavened batter. The result was an automatic hit among fair-goers, who found the fun-to-eat food irresistible.

Surprisingly enough, funnel cakes are considered a lower-calorie treat compared to other fried dough (a 6-inch funnel cake contains less than 300 calories) because the steam produced by the high water content allows the batter to expand, resulting in a light and airy texture. But extra calories have piled on over the years, thanks to an increase in cake diameter and the addition of sweet toppings such as powdered sugar, nutella and jam.

Funnel cakes have become a truly global delight, with cultures around the world adapting their own variations of sweet fried dough, including strauben in Austria, tippaleipä in Finland and flancati in Slovenia. But one thing’s certain: You won’t step into a state fair this summer without spotting Americans biting into this crunchy, golden-brown treat.

10 Facebook Tips for Small Businesses

Want to Facebook, but don't know how to make it work for your small business? Glen Stansberry, Creativity Sparker, from Wise Bread has 10 tips to get you started. For the full text, go to 10 Superb Ways For A Small Business To Friend Facebook.


June 21, 2011 (Excerpt)
Love it or hate it, Facebook has proven to be a major source of traffic and income for small business websites. A recent study showed that Facebook shares are worth almost three times as much as a tweet. And these nuggets from this compelling infographic ought to give a good indication as to how important Facebook has become to e-commerce in general:

•90 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they know
•67 percent spend more online after recommendations.
If your small business is selling products online, then Facebook can be a fantastic way to add social proof and find more leads. Here are a few ways to snag some of that Facebook traffic for your small business website.

How to Lose a Customer

Recently, I attempted to purchase a dress from a maternity store. Before I could give them my money, they required my due date, e-mail, mailing address, phone number and wanted to know if I had other children. I laughed out loud, but the woman’s puckered face quickly showed she wasn’t joking. I explained that I didn’t want to be put on a mailing list and thought it was beyond invasive. She “patiently” explained it was necessary in case of returns.

They lost me forever at that moment. Not only did I give them fake information, but I was extremely offended that the store I was paying would require all this information. I would never go back in there, nor will I ever purchase anything for any of my friends/family again. I also spread the word about this outrageous privacy invasion, which turned off other mothers to be (a.k.a. their customers).

Requiring information from customers only works if they see an overt benefit—something that will make them want to hand over those treasured nuggets of marketing gold. Not only did they ask about my children, but I was in essence paying to be harassed. The only benefits I got were a cute, but probably over-priced, dress and a red face from anger.

That’s the key lesson for marketers and businesses. People are willing to let you into their lives and buying habits, but you need to reward them and slowly dip your toes into that pool. Plus, the bigger the prize, the more you will get from them. No one will give you their life story for a throwaway trinket like a pen or key chain. And the more the customer feels forced to give information, the less likely it will be valid or worth the sales you just lost.