"It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not yet a winner."
--- Vince Lombardi
The media has been reporting lately that the economy is on the upswing and that businesses have begun to hit their stride again. A quick glance at the numbers does reveal that things are improving, but if you were to poll a random sample of small businesses from each state in the US you might get a different reading.
Some of the sign businesses we hear from are beginning to see more business and notice that the business environment is improving. However, many are still sluggish and are looking for ways to grab onto the reported recovering economy.
"To me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle."
--- Walter Chrysler
One of the things that winners do in times like these is to stay positive and know that things will improve. Perhaps your locale has not yet seen a positive change; just know that it is coming. The reported stories of recovery have been in the West as well as the East, North and South, depending on which network you tune into. Even if there was not a real recovery taking place, the fact that it is reported persuades people to believe that there is a recovery which actually creates positive change.
"An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while the pessimist sees only the red stoplight. The truly wise person is colorblind."
--- Albert Schweitzer
When business is down and you've done all that you can to improvise and create new or different products and services to offer, you are generating your own recovery. Although we need to be informed and not lead our business blindly down the wrong path, sometimes it is best to just tune out what we are told is to be and create our own reality.
Running naked down the street is not a wise thing to do in most cities on account of laws and well… it just ain't right. But, thinking along those lines, (not the running naked part), doing something with your business that is far away from the way you normally think, might just be needed to create your own recovery.
"It is a mistake always to contemplate the good and ignore the evil, because by making people neglectful it lets in disaster. There is a dangerous optimism of ignorance and indifference."
--- Helen Keller
Of course, the thinking-way-outside-the-box strategy must be peppered with a good dose of common sense. If it breaks the law or goes against your value system or the value system established by your mission statement, then you need to reconsider your steps. Remember, there are a million and one ways to operate a sign business. You don't have to stick to your original business plan if a storm has caused your ship to stray off course. It is time for correction.
"An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life."
--- Jim Rohn
If you are one of the businesses that the talking heads included as a sign of recovery, good for you! If not, consider the wild and outrageous. Write down all of your big, hairy, audacious ideas and truly consider implementing then. Before long you might just be "recovering."
Turning Finishing from a Cost Center into a Profit Center
By Stephen P. Aranoff
While finishers are easy to use and do a great job with timely and accurate finishing, are your estimators capable of accurately determining the true costs associated with finishing? Based on my experience, this is still more of an art than a science and most printers do not estimate finishing very well.
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Designing Digital Signage for Your Audience
By Chris Heap
Whether you are developing a digital signage network for a client or for yourself, the one person who takes precedence above all others is the viewer- the person you want to engage. The old adage, "know your audience," is as true to developing digital signage networks as it is for other communications methods.
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