While some things come out of nowhere without warning, there are always ways to prepare for business challenges. Recognizing that problems are inevitable—and committing to making the sound and sometimes difficult decisions—is easier said than done, but certainly key to enjoying the work more…
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Promo Industry M&A Q&A With Boundless Investor Charley Dean
Boundless was acquired by a private equity partnership in June of this year. With the industry seeing more changes than ever in ownership, mergers and acquisitions, I thought this would be a good time to sit down with one of the investors and interim president of Boundless, Charley Dean. He shares his perspective on how he views the industry’s greatest opportunities and challenges…
Read MoreCritical Lessons From Baseball Cards
For decades, Topps owned the baseball card market. The company had an exclusive contract with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. A few weeks ago, Topps was blindsided when MLB and MLBPA announced a new exclusive contract with the online sports merchandise retailer Fanatics Inc. There are two big lessons here…
Read MoreWhat Is a Chart of Accounts?
A chart of accounts is a list of financial accounts set up in a company to record financial transactions. Accounts fall into six general categories. When your financial transactions are recorded into your accounting system, they are assigned or recorded into the appropriate categories…
Read MoreThe Power of Confidence and Taking Risks With the Former Executive Leader of Coca-Cola
“Don’t be afraid to take risks. Be innovative and differentiate yourself,” says John Sheppard, former executive leader of Coca-Cola’s international divisions. Sheppard discusses his experience working with both private and public companies and offers advice about effective communication, building confidence and knowing when you need to adjust your leadership style…
Read MoreHow to Increase Conversions on Your Distributor Website
Getting people to your distributor website is a challenge in and of itself. Getting them to take action and convert to a prospect is a whole other story. But there are ways to increase the number of enquiries coming from your website from the traffic you are currently getting…
Read MoreThere’s More Than One Way to Skin a Cat
Many years ago, I was in an appointment with a new prospective customer. I gave my spiel. She told me some of the challenges the company was having, and asked what solutions we could offer. My response: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” She politely told me that the sales call was over and I needed to leave…
Read MoreThe Easiest (and Most Accurate) Way to Calculate Sales Tax on QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online (QBO) is one of several options from QuickBooks. It is very different from QB Premier or Enterprise, which are more robust and better suit our industry. For instance, QBO does not have customer sales orders, which are pivotal in QB Premier and Enterprise. That being said…
Read MorePromo Customers Are Demanding More From Technology
For years, the primary promo industry client technology solution was a simple website where buyers could search for product and request a sample or quote. But now, due to technology advances in other industries, companies are demanding more from their promotional vendors…
Read MoreGet Busy Living
I love the movie “The Shawshank Redemption.” In that movie, there’s a famous line, “Get busy living or get busy dying,” where the lead character, Andy Dufresne, is focused on getting out of prison and living the life of his dreams. Truth is that many of us have been in a “prison” of sorts just…
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