Franchise-builder David McKinnon discusses his passion for franchising and key advice to grow your business. As co-founder of Service Brands International, he built nine brands with nearly 2,000 franchises in eight countries. Here, he talks about the importance of trade associations and his involvement with the International Franchise Association…
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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…
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In the world of promotional products, many make the mistake of trying to be like Jim Beam, thinking that simply because “everyone” buys branded merchandise, everyone is a potential client. But trying to be everything to everyone is a precarious position that undermines your brand…
Read MoreWhile sales forecasting and budgeting can be a draining process with so many unknowns right now, the positive side is we are now taking a new and closer look at our businesses than during “normal” years. We are spending more time strategizing and being reflective of our businesses and our own careers…
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Since selling has shifted to digital-first and digital (mostly) interaction, we need to not make the mistake with our marketing by relegating it to lead-gen only or reduce it to branding, image and identity. Marketing is the key driver of new business and existing client sales. Here are two shifts we should make in our marketing to grow sales…
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“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 MoreGetting 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…
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After yesterday’s story about Forward Madison FC’s QR code jerseys, we’ve been thinking a lot about sports jerseys. This week, our fave five roundup includes a new promo product from Uni Watch (the internet’s preeminent sports jersey website), some very punk rock blankets and more…
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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…
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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…
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