I am seeing lots of posts on social media about how much people look forward to saying “good riddance” to 2020 and getting started with the new year. These folks seem to think that all of the challenges of 2020 are going to magically disappear on New Year’s Day. Please let me encourage you to…
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Ask the Accountant… Question: My CPA always asks for a balance sheet, but I don’t know what that is exactly. Answer: A balance sheet is one of the two standard financial statements that describes the condition of your business. (The other is an income statement.) Your balance sheet is a snapshot of a particular day…
Read MoreWe have all met those people who we felt were constantly selling to us, and most of us don’t like it. So why would we want to be like that? My guess is most of us don’t, but it may take some reflection to really make sure we are being our best, most authentic selves and not just selling…
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We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and a relaxing weekend. More than that, though, we hope everyone has been enjoying the precious leftovers that come after Thanksgiving dinner. With the holiday break, we had plenty of time to cruise around the internet to check out some interesting promotional products…
Read MoreCOVID-19 has only accelerated the growth of U.S. e-commerce, with online sales growing 54 percent in 2020 alone and projected even higher in 2021. With e-commerce sales sure to continue to grow in our industry, does that mean the traditional industry sales professional is on the way out?…
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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so we felt like a special edition of the Fave 5 was in order. In honor of America’s most gluttonous holiday, this week’s promotional products are all food-related. We recommend reading them with a nice big side of gravy-soaked mashed potatoes…
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Question: Do you have any suggestions for a good way to track orders? Answer: Our industry is complicated, and each order involves many steps and details. I used to track orders manually—step by step for each order. Today there are several automated solutions…
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We’re in that weird limbo now where no one quite knows what holiday to decorate for. Halloween decorations seem out of place, and jack-o-lanterns have rotted. It’s still just a little early to go full-on with the December holidays, but some people are doing it anyway. And Thanksgiving doesn’t quite have the decoration-ready nature of…
Read MoreAnthony Bourdain was complex, prolific, entertaining and unapologetic. It’s been a little over a year since he left this world, but he left behind a legacy of fabulous entrepreneurial, leadership and business lessons that I do my best to apply daily. Here are a few of them, and how you can apply them to your own business…
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If you have ever watched the Kentucky Derby or any horse race, surely you’ve noticed the horse blinders on the heads of the horses. The purpose of these blinders is to keep the horse from getting distracted by other horses, people or even birds. When a horse gets distracted and looks around, it can lose…
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