Unique Gifts

Seriously, what is better than giving a gift like this to your clients?  This mini bubble-gum dispenser is empty now, because my co-workers pounced on it when I brought in.  A perfect mixture of nostalgia, distraction, colour, and advertising!

Re-Shuffling Time

Lately I've determined what's important to me in reaching my career and personal goals.  Reaching them means that certain activities are not conducive to my life.  Going out several times per week with friends, constantly eating out, wasting time on too many social media platforms, buying objects that clutter my household.... those activities have pretty much gone by the wayside.  I now focus my spare time on either relaxing, or working on my career or hobbies.

It was an impulse that I fought in the past, mostly to fit in with friends who pressured me to act more "fun".  It's definitely important to regularly have fun in your schedule, but too much and suddenly you've got less money, you're too tired to work, and you're grumpy to your loved ones.  I find being picky about what I do socially, helps me stay on track with my goals.

Looking Young

Almost everyone wants to look as young as possible.  In everyday life, this is a bonus.  But in front of the camera, looking too young can hurt your credential with the audience.

Ask yourself: What is the age of the audience I'm trying to reach?  In terms of general news media, usually the people watching you are conservative and middle-aged.  Note also that that is usually the age range for news staff - anchors and reporters.  Your image should match these people.  If you naturally look younger, your clothes and accessories can be adjusted to match the audience's mindset.  Consult an image specialist to convey that conservative look, yet look up-to-date as well.

Empty Malls

A few nights ago, idly spending time, I dropped by one of the biggest, busiest malls in Canada.  Except it wasn't this particular night.  Being January, the hallways were CLEAR.  There were signs advertising massive sales and markdowns, but hardly anyone was shopping. 

I wonder if retailers are advertising this?  Focusing not only on lower prices, but on the pleasantness of shopping with hardly anyone else around?  There was lots of parking, I wasn't getting bumped or squeezed by crowds, and salespeople had time to chat with me.  Shopping was an actual joy that night!

Christmas and Your Business

How does Christmastime affect how you run your business?  Do you or your employees leave a smidge early each week, to attend parties or get tasks done?  I actually work harder now, because everyone else around me wants to leave early to get to social events.

Do you give thank-you gifts to your clients?  I am terrible at this tradition.  Even amongst my close friends, I almost always don't get around to writing thank-you cards.  I fantasize about hiring a card-writing service.  Besides not having lots of time, the other problem I have with this task is that I have a really creative mind, so I don't want to just churn out generic cards.  I want to hand-make and tailor each one to each special person.

Do you go to all of the holiday events?  I am actually going to a sunny, warm beach soon, so while wrapping up loose ends in my business, I don't have time to say hi and meet new people in local networks.  But if I was staying home, believe me I'd be attending as many parties as I could!

Flurry of Activity

I'm very excited with the increased amount of work I have been doing for Van Media.  Last weekend I attended a show and met a number of small business owners.  I was attempting to increase business by trying to find out if people needed photography done to market their products.

It's funny, I was not intending to buy anything at all.  But I walked out of that show with a small handful of products, for myself and for friends.  A (pleasing) cost of doing business, I guess!

Summer to Fall

This morning I was reminded, as I pushed piles of fall leaves off the sidewalk, that the beginning of a season marks a time to push forward with our businesses.  Many entrepreneurial colleagues are trying new ways to drum up new clients.  Some are innovative -- creating information booklets targeted to specific clients -- some are not so effective -- mass mailouts.

On the former point, I know someone who saw a need for a pre-fab product, to save money, time, and hassle for his clients.  He is developing his idea further by chatting with veterans in the industry.  He has also printed up manuals for clients, which he has dropped off for them to peruse.  This guy has the hard-working attitude and unique ideas, which will help him develop a small business venture.

For myself, I have decided to push for a larger networking base.  I have renewed my interest in attending social events, and meeting new people.  I will admit I had been working mostly behind the scenes, shoring up budget details and technicalities.  It is now time to venture out again, taking time to say hi and see what others are up to.

What is a new push that you are doing this Fall, for your business?
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Looking back at summer 2010, this was one of the photography projects I worked on:

This wedding was shot at Van Dusen.  It was not too sunny, but there was enough light that I could just use a reflector.  Shooting with these clients was easy, considering I had joined them the week before the wedding, to scout locations.

From one season to the next, we can all look back and see if changes need to be made, to improve our work.