Supporting Small Business & Local Community

It is very important to Shawn and I that we support other small businesses and our local community. When you support each other, you build a stronger foundation and are more effective and productive!  We don't look at other businesses as competition but rather as potential partners, suppliers or places to refer people to.

What better way to celebrate your anniversary than to do so with another small business? We invited Pete & Meredith Skinner of PC Service On Site to join us as they were celebrating their first year of operation in the Barrie area after moving from the GTA. PC Service On Site looks after your tech needs, at your location thus they do not have a physical office.

To further our commitment of supporting local business, lunch featured Pulled Pork sandwiches covered in Crazy Bitch BBQ Sauce and cupcakes from Cheeky Treats!  We also wanted to add a special touch to our event and decided to make it a charity lunch with all lunch donations going to the Barrie Women & Children's Shelter and non-perishable food donations going to the Barrie Food Bank.  In 2 hours, we raised $225.00 and over 70 lbs of food!

I also had a crazy idea!  What if we helped promote Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a major fundraiser for the Women & Children's Shelter, by having the men try on shoes and then dance Gangnam Style?
See the results below!

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes takes place October 14, 2012 at Heritage Park in Barrie.  The walk, triathlete and obstacle course start at noon but be there by 11am for shoe fitting.

Cool Temps and Your Garage!

The temperatures are falling and winter will soon be here.  Many of us have already started to put away the summer patio furniture, garden accessories and more.  Now its time to put the bikes, golf and other warm-weather sports equipment away as well.  With winter, comes hockey season, and with hockey season, comes skates, helmets and other equipment.  Overall, winter means one jam-packed garage!

So imagine if your garage could look like this:

or like this:

One method to combat the clutter is garage organization.  A series of special slatwall fixtures, designed for a variety of purposes, will help you organize and declutter.  You will even have room to move in a one-car garage!  The hockey sports organizer allows storage of skates with a basket for helmets above.  The golf organizer will allow you to put away the clubs.

If you are looking for a nice way to finish your garage and organize it at the same time, drop by our showroom at 166 Saunders Road, Unit 8, Barrie.  You can also see more at www.totalgaragesystems.com

Also ask about the remote control garage door bug screens!

Celebrating Small Business

As an entrepreneur, I make it a goal to support others in a similar situation.  I also make it a point to support my community.  Often, these two goals coincide with each other as supporting local business will benefit your community.

Recently, while chatting with another small business, we realized that we were both celebrating our first anniversaries - mine as a full-time storefront and theirs as a new business in Barrie.  As this company (PC Service On Site) did not have a physical location, I suggested they join us and celebrate together.  Thus, the event has been booked and on October 11, 2012, we will both celebrate our first anniversaries.

To add to our lunch-time event, we have decided to include hot sandwiches with all proceeds going to the Barrie Women & Children's Shelter. In addition, in support of their upcoming Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on October 14, we have invited male participants to test-drive their favorite heels.  There may even be some extra entertainment (stay tuned to see if we pull it off!).  This is just one way we, as small business owners, can support our community.

In small business, the first year of business is vital.  Many businesses fail right out of the starting gate; others fail by the six month mark.  As you talk with entrepreneurs, you will realize that many businesses have a rocky first year and the important thing is to keep adapting and push through.

If you are an entrepreneur, think about how you can help small businesses in your community. Make it a point to offer some advice or encouragement to another entrepreneur, or join forces to accomplish a mutual goal.

Small Business Week is October 15 - 19.  Get out and meet your local business owners!

Events:

October 17 - Barrie Chamber of Commerce Business After 5 - Barrie Food Bank
October 18 - Ask the Experts at Barrie City Hall Rotunda
October 19 - Speed Networking

Visit www.barriechamber.com or www.barriebusinesscentre.ca for more information on the above events or contact me at Rebecca@simcoenorth.ca and I will update you!

Business After 5 - July 18, 2012

Recently, we hosted the Barrie Chamber of Commerce Business After 5 at our office at 166 Saunders Rd., Unit 8, Barrie.  It was quite a crush with well over 110 people in attendance!  I wish I had pictures but the camera was left behind!  Stay tuned for the August Snap as there are bound to be pictures in it.

Thank you to all who visited and an extra thank you to Buffalo Wild Wing for providing hot wings throughout the night!

One common response from many of our guests was "I didn't know you do this." It is an ongoing issue for us to find exactly how to best market the company as we truly do a wide variety of things ranging from store fixtures, promotional materials, packaging, printing, garage systems and more.  Overall, all of our products and services go together to make us a "one-stop shop" when setting up or promoting your business.

We can help businesses in a variety of ways:

• Business cards
• Storefront signs, vinyl lettering for windows or walls
• Vehicle lettering or graphics
• Banners, promotional displays or stands
• Pamphlets, brochures, stickers, labels
• T shirts and other promotional items
• Wall systems for product displays
• New store set-up and design
• Packaging for goods including bags, tissue paper, boxes & ribbon

Please drop in to see us soon.  Regardless of whether you need our services, we like to meet and get to know the people in our local community so that we may refer people looking for products or services we do not provide.

Rebecca and Shawn Palmer

How Twitter Has Helped My Business

Twitter is the People You Want to Meet; Facebook is Who You Already Know

 

Can 140 characters truly help you build relationships on a personal and/or business basis?  Yes!  It can!

When I joined Twitter in February of 2010, I did not know how to use Twitter - I didn't "get it".  The program simply did not make sense to me.  I could see Tweets from other people but did not know how to interact with them or how to find direct messages or mentions.  In essence, I was stuck and thus, I gave up on Twitter.

But, sometime in late 2010, I attended a social media information session that taught me about Hoot-suite (we will talk about it later), and soon, I was a very active Twitter user making lots of Tweets and connecting with lots of people!

And thus, the story of how I benefited from Twitter begins...

The Early Days

As I started to learn how to use Twitter, I wanted to expand who I was following and who followed me.

By following lists of people made by fellow tweeters, I was able to meet more people in my community and also those with similar interests.  I have now met many people through Twitter and have gotten to know them through their Tweets.

Fellow tweeters will also help you learn Tweet Etiquette.  Some important rules to follow:

• Do Not Spam.
• Use regular case for posts (do not use all caps or numbers).
• Follow users who follow you (Spam bots excepted).
• Give credit for Retweets (RT) and Mentions.
• Engage people by responding to their tweets or asking questions or sharing information/links.
• Make sure to explain a link when you post it instead of simply posting a link.  this prevents people from fearing it is spam/phishing scheme.
• Promote other people.  If using #FollowFriday #FF, remember to tell us why we should follow someone.
• Be social.  Be humourous. Be informal but in a professional way (particularly if tweeting for business).
• Space out your tweets throughout the day to avoid over-cluttering the timeline with just your posts.
• Provide value with your tweets.

Benefits of Twitter

Locally, I have discovered food venues and other businesses because of recommendations and posts on Twitter.  Without Twitter, I may never have experienced the bliss achieved by consuming Laurie's Sweets & Treats PMS Bars (@lauriewarwick) or learned the delights of Pie Wood Pizza (@piewoodpizza).

I have also met many new friends and acquaintances through the power of Twitter.  We share common likes (food, golf, reading), common interests (supporting community, kids, business, entertainment). Twitter has also helped me meet people new to Barrie and build relationships with many people outside of Barrie.

In terms of business, without Twitter, I may not have connected as well with many other local business people had I met them solely at local networking events. The reason?  Many networking events can be overwhelming and you meet a lot of people!  You may not remember much about a person through a brief meeting.  But, seeing occasional (or numerous) tweets from a person gives you a more thorough insight about what they do, who they are and what they are interested in.
Also, Twitter as a community is very helpful.  If you have a question and "Tweet It", chances are, someone can answer it or direct you to the answer.  Wondering why the power is out or if there was an earthquake?  Why traffic is stopped?  Twitter may also be able to tell you that.  Breaking news travels very fast via Twitter - faster than traditional media.  Thus, Twitter is one of the first places I turn to for answers.

Twitter can also provide leads for your business in real-time.  If someone you follow posts a need for an item or service you offer, you can respond to the post and contact the person at the exact time of need.  You can also use programs like Hoot-suite to set up a stream which lists only posts from a certain group of people (a list), posts that contain a certain keyword or words (ie: window for a glass company) or posts relating to a specific hashtag such as #Barrie.  A hashtag is a word or letters combined to represent a specific subject.  Many cities use them such as #GTA (Toronto area) #Barrie, #Orillia and more.  Hashtags are also used for events like #CGTA (Canadian Gift and Tableware Association), #HockeyNight (hockey night hash tag for playoffs) or #Blogathon (today's blogging event hosted at Creative Space).

You can also receive referrals from Twitter.  If someone finds value in your posts, he/she may refer other people to your business.  I have received and given many leads relating to products, restaurants and services through Twitter.

Overall, Twitter has changed my life, both personally and professionally, as it has allowed me to connect with people I would not have otherwise met, both locally and throughout the world.  By participating in Tweet-ups, I am also meeting people in person.  I have made friends throughout Ontario and look forward to opportunities to see them.  These people have also shared events and places within their own community to enjoy.

Twitter has expanded my horizons and allows me the interaction I need to keep abreast of happenings in my local and surrounding communities.  I learn something new every day.

To me, learning new things and meeting new people are the ultimate benefits of Twitter.  Join today and start interacting.

Washroom Advertising: Capitalizing on a Captive Audience

If you own a restaurant or business with multiple washrooms, have you considered advertising as an additional revenue stream?

Several businesses already feature marquee boards on the back of washroom doors.  Advertisers then pay to promote an event such as a concert, or support activities such as Kids Help Phone.  Chances are, if you are in a stall with an advertisement, you read the ad.  Unless you are in a washroom with interesting graffiti, there is not much else to stare at.

Many businesses will also post flyers in the bathroom but the look is often unattractive and the flyer easily damaged.  Another washroom option is the Marquee sign.


But marquee signs are permanent and posters may look ugly...

Yes.  Advertising signs are often fixed permanently to the door.  The poster can be changed, but the frame remains.

 

 Marquee signs provide the benefit of protection for posters and easy changes at the end of advertising campaigns.

QR codes

QR codes are everywhere so lets take advantage of them.  QR codes are a small square shape.  They are usually black but other colours have been known to work. QR codes could be the only object on a poster or, used in conjunction with another image. And, they can be made to go on removable material!

 QR codes can be scanned by your smartphone. The code then brings you to a selection of targeted information such as a website or contact information.  As gross as it may be, studies have shown a large number of people to use their smartphones in the bathroom!!

Removable stickers

The best choice for a bathroom door would be a vinyl sticker.  It is a little harder to remove and may damage paint.  But, the look is clean and there are no glaring pictures taking away from general bathroom ambiance (yes I like a fancy Moxie's style bathroom).

Another option is removable adhesive wall stickers.  These stickers can simply be peeled off the wall when the campaign is over or to be saved for another day.  In addition, removable wall stickers can be used around sinks, on outside of stalls, and on bathroom walls.

In all, the back of your bathroom door can be used to obtain additional revenue or share news about events or issues.  Restaurants may wish to feature specials or upcoming events.  Casinos could advertise upcoming concerts or gambling assistance programs.  Another option is to promote organizations such as MADD or Canadian Designated Driver.

Put your washroom to work!

Choosing a Retail Wall System Part 1: Slatwall

When setting up your retail store, you need to consider your wall system options.  Your needs will be based not only on look, but also on functionality and type of product carried.

This post will look at MDF slatwall (aka slot wall or slat wall).

Slatwall

Slatwall (or slot wall) is traditionally found in many retail stores.  The product is made from MDF board (pressed fibre board) and is often finished with paint or laminate.
Many companies now offer metallic finishes or textured finished to represent metal, brick or other fancy patterns.

Slatwall often comes in a 4' x 8' sheet and holds approximately 10 - 15 pounds per square foot, on the centre of the sheet.  As you move towards the edges of the sheet, the weight load decreases as more pressure is put on the slat.  Each sheet weighs about 75 pounds.

You can strengthen standard slatwall with aluminum inserts that can be inserted at manufacture or after purchase.

Slatwall works best for light weight items.  If clothes or shelves are too heavily loaded, slats may break.  This results in broken, unattractive slatwall than can only be repaired by replacing the entire sheet.

A wide range of hooks, baskets, shelves and other accessories are available for this product.

Slatwall is just one of the many options for wall systems and the first of a series of posts.  We will explore grid wall and slat grid next.