As a business owner, it is important to be aware of the fact that you are your brand. Many business owners spend tons of time and money trying to discover and develop their own branding, when the truth is you are your own brand. If you realize this early on you are aware of how easy it is to take your own personality, your own strengths and who you are to develop a strong, personal brand that can be a powerful marketing tool for your business.Business women in particularly can use this to their significant advantage. More often than not women are intuitive and in touch with themselves and enjoy discovering their own unique personality, gifts, talents and strengths. Once they do so, they are then able to turn those things into a winning brand for their business. So, what is an enjoyable journey for most women becomes a powerful business tool as well. Why not use what you may already enjoy learning about yourself to add an element to your business that can truly allow you to stand out and be even more successful.Using yourself to build your brand can save you time, money and headache. It really is simple. There are a few things you’ll need to remember.Determine your “style and tone”. You will want to utilize this when choosing a graphical representation of your brand and you’ll want to stick with it. This can mean your colors, fonts, and other graphics. You will want these to be a clear reflection of who you are and how you want others to view you. You will want to use the same graphics across the board wherever you represent yourself both online and off.You will also want to stick with a particular tone in your business. Will your business be all serious or will you choose to use a bit of humor or sarcasm here and there. Again, this will need to be a direct result of your own personality and will vary from person to person.Mark your territory. This may sound a bit odd but you want to make sure that you secure your brand’s place everywhere you can from social media sites to domain names. Be sure to claim your preferred user name on all the major social networking sites and the domain names that go with your brand. It is highly suggested that you secure your own name as a domain name as well. Secure your user name on the different sites even if you aren’t currently utilizing them. You can’t obtain them once they are gone.Spread the word. Once you’ve determined your brand, you’ll want to begin spreading the world about who you are and what you are able to share with the world. What do you have to offer, what do you want to become known for? This is what you’ll begin to share with the others, one tweet at a time, one article at a time, one promotion at time.Now that you know how easy it is to take who you are to build your brand why not get started? It really is a strong powerful tool for your business.
What to expect when buying a home in Oregon?
Some people don’t feel comfortable in their hometowns and seek to live somewhere with more opportunities. Others are studying or pursuing a career that makes them relocate. It’s good to research the state where you plan to live. For the past years, Oregon has been one of the hottest states that attract newcomers. But what makes Beaver State so attractive? How does the housing market look?
Is it worth it to hire a real estate agent in Oregon? Those are the questions you might ask yourself. Laws and customs in real estate might indeed vary from state to state. You need to know the market to avoid running into troubles and make the moving process a lot easier for yourself. Whether you’re looking for real estate agents in Salem,Guest Posting OR, or Portland, OR, there are some customs you should be aware of before buying a house in Beaver State.
Reasons why Oregon attracts newcomers
Being one of the most popular states for relocation, Oregon has plenty of exciting advantages to offer. Let’s discover the main reasons Americans choose Oregon as a new home.
1. A paradise for nature lovers
Except for stunning beaches on the Pacific coast, Oregon has a crazy amount of great lakes and rivers. If you love water sports or fishing, you will find your happy place here. For hiking or biking lovers, there are many trails, forests, and mountains that you can enjoy in each season.
2. The state economy is looking bright.
The financial future of Oregon is bright, attracting more investors and business owners. The employment rate increased by 46% in the last ten years. The tech and IT sectors are getting bigger, creating a new “Silicon Forest.”
3. No sales tax
Significant relief for people coming from out of state, there is no sales tax, so you pay what you see in the price tag—no more surprises at the check-out.
4. Relaxed way of life
One of the main reasons why Oregon attracts new homeowners is the quality of life the state has to offer. Extensive job opportunities combined with fresh air and fantastic nature create a combo for perfect and worry-free living. You can easily find a scene for any of your hobbies and interests, from water sports and hiking to the big art scene in Portland.
5. Diverse political scene
You can always fit in Oregon, whether you’re liberal or conservative.
6. Famous vineyards and breweries
The wine and beer industry is what attracts lots of tourists. Oregon is the place for you if you’re a fan of good-quality wine and love to explore different kinds of beer.
Real estate market in Oregon
Moving cross-state could be challenging, but the construction industry is strong and can provide new affordable houses to match demand. The quality of life in Oregon is high, so there is no problem finding a property for different budgets. Finding a property is accessible regardless of whether you’re interested in Portland or smaller Salem.
What laws and customs do you need to know about buying a house in Oregon
The real estate market might play by different rules than you used to. In that case, by familiarizing yourself with how Oregon people handle the housing business, you gain some advantages for making a successful purchase. Here’s what you have to be aware of when entering the housing market in the Beaver State:
1. Know who the real estate agent represents
Oregon has many dual agencies, meaning the buyer and the seller are represented by one party. Is it beneficial for you as a buyer? Not always. After all, you cannot expect the same agent to protect the interest of both seller and buyer. When you have the first contact with the agent, you will receive the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet, which will describe your cooperation with a real estate agency. Remember that having a buyers’ agent won’t cost you extra. Commission money from the sale price would be divided between sellers’ and buyers’ agents. That way, you can make sure you have a representation of your interests.
2. You might never meet the seller while buying a house in Oregon
As it’s common in Oregon for both parties to be represented by the agents, buyer and seller don’t even meet on a closing day. Most communication and signing are performed through the agents or even in their office.
3. Should you hire a home inspector?
If you’re in Oregon, you must provide a property disclosure statement. It contains all the information about the state of the house, like the water supply system, repairs on the roof, etc.
4. Closing and signing procedure
Closing and signing in Oregon is relatively quick and takes around 40 days from the moment you accept the offer. Another thing is that all official business is performed in the office. Don’t be surprised when you get the keys to your new place in the real estate agency.
5. Laws regarding the purchase agreement in Oregon
As a buyer, you construct a Residential Real Estate Agreement with your agent stating all the terms under which you will proceed to purchase. After that, the agreement is handed to the seller to review and accept the terms. Usually, the procedure is handled by the clerks.
Are you ready to move to Oregon?
Finally, it’s time to answer the main question after knowing more about Oregon’s housing market and quality of life. Would it be the right place for you to move? Oregon became home to many Americans and foreigners. It’s an excellent venue for your career and educational opportunities and has a variety of scenes. You’ll be able to relocate to Oregon smoothly and worry-free.
Group Discounts: A Benefit or Burden to Small Businesses?
Group type discounts, local discounts or whatever else you what to call them, still implies the same thing: A discount geared toward consumers from a business owner in a specific locality. The two main players in the market are Groupon and Living Social with many other start-ups out there.
The main premise behind most of these “brokers” is that consumers have to purchase a coupon within a set period of time, say 24 hours. Then the consumer is given some type of access to print out a coupon for the specified business. That’s pretty much it.
On the surface it sounds like a “no brainer.” If I can get 1000 new customers in my door, works for me. I stress that if thought out properly and used in conjunction with other elements of your overall business plan, it could be a huge success. But, if you’re captivated by the cute sales rep that walks through your door, taken in by the smoothness of a “canned” speech, and don’t think things through, you could be in for a very rude awakening.
First, you need to really look at the costs or fees that will be paid to this “broker.” For a small business owner, you’re looking at somewhere in the 50% range. A more established business with a huge brand name, most likely pays a much lower fee. Let’s face it big brands pretty much call their own shots. Anyway, this hypothetical 50% is taken from the fee that is collected from consumers. So, if consumers are buying a $20 coupon that entitles them to one of your $40 Surf and Turf dinners, then you’re only collecting $10. Oh wait, you have to pay the entire credit card fee, so it’ll be $9.50 +/-.10.
Second, I’m not 100% sure but I’ve heard through many people, that you won’t see the $9.50 or a large chunk of the $9.50 for at least 60 days. OK……..
Third, if this isn’t thought out properly, will you be able to handle the extra flow of customers through your door? How will you know when they’re coming in? Unless you have contingencies on your coupon, they could come in at any time. So, you’ll wind up staffing more employees in anticipation.
Fourth, you have to take into consideration, your everyday customer’s needs. What happens if you’re slammed with a pack of coupon-bearing old ladies? How will your current customers react? Will you be willing to comp existing customers the same deal if there’s an issue? If no, why not?
Those are the main negative points with regard to using a group discount for your business.
On the positive side, if thought out, planned properly and used in small doses, it could be a huge added element to your current marketing plan. If you don’t have a defined and set marketing plan in place, you need to work on that first. And I also stress small doses. Look at Papa John’s, does anybody even bother looking at their “discounts” unless they’re an avid customer. They’ve pigeonholed themselves into a corner, but that’s a future article.
To me, this “group discount” business model has a short life span.
For one, most businesses can’t afford to pay anything close to a 50% fee. Sorry, the numbers just don’t work, at least for the retail and food industry. Which happen to be the types of discounts that most people want. But, the service industry is different. You’re still generating positive income by selling a $200 massage for $40. And I’ve heard owners say “But, I still have to pay my help $100/hour.” Nonsense, you’ll sell your employees on the same concept that was fed to you.
Secondly, the one facet(huge sales force) that gave these business’ their meteoric rise will wind up being their downfall. Why? One word: overhead. As this business model becomes more competitive, the bloated companies will have a tough time competing and the “lean and mean” businesses will be the ones to endure. Let’s face it, it’s not like some new amazing product is being offered here. Do you really think consumers care whether they get their 50% off a Maggiano’s dinner from Groupon or TheCouponClassic? No way.
So in closing, adding a group type discount plan to your marketing mix could be very attractive if it’s well thought out and you plan for any potential pitfalls. But nothing beats a rock solid marketing plan to go along with effective small business branding.