Moonlight Blogging

Do you have an area of expertise? If you own your own business, chances are you know a heck of a lot about your own product or service. My dad has often said that he knows more about printing than anyone would ever care to listen to. What can this information do for you?

I'm proposing that you can use this wealth of knowledge to bring you a bit more cash during the year.

Want to pay off some bills? Go on a vacation? Re-landscape your yard? Fill up your gas tank? Well then, you should consider doing some moonlight blogging. An avenue to bring in some extra cash with zero cash investment and minimal expense of time. Starting a blog is incredibly easy. Take this blog for instance- it was created using www.blogger.com: Choose a username and password, select a template, and start typing. It's that easy.

You can begin sharing your expertise on your blog. For instance, since we're printers, I may blog about the best equipment for our size of a shop, printing techniques that save time and money, software that's a waste of time or the delicacy of cash flow. Just pick a topic and make it as specific as possible. Since we live in the information age, people are always looking for experts on just about anything. Even if you're not an expert, you can add valuable wisdom on your topic.

Once you get some content established, consider adding ads to your blog using Google AdWords. These pay-per-click ads can generate quite a bit of traffic and cash. Pretty soon, you'll be driving traffic to your blog and receiving a check in the mail each month.

If you decide to embark on this adventure, post a note here on our blog and let us know how it's going. Questions and comments are always welcome!

Tightening up on Small Business Spending

Does the economic squeeze have your wallet gasping for air? Do gas prices have you wincing everytime you see your delivery truck take a right hand turn out of your parking lot? Are consumables at an all time high?

Well before you take your SUV on another sales trip to bring in more money, consider cutting down on some of the costs inside the office walls.

1. Analyze your monthly bills.
The advantage to living in a capitilistic society is that you can afford to shop around and get the best bang for your buck. When's the last time you looked at your phone bill, your broadband provider, your vendor bills? Well, you probably look at them every month but were probably too nauseus to notice how much you were paying and what you were paying for. One of my favorite websites is www.clarkhoward.com. Clark is a radio jockey that has made a name for himself because he's cheap. His entire broadcast is dedicated to finding the best deals and lowest prices with the best service. His site is divided into searchable categories such as: "insurance," "computers," "telephones," etc. If you think you're paying too much for a service or product, check out his website for tips to find the best deal.

2. Unplug your Vampires
You may have seen some recent reports that indicated that electronic devices, even when not in use, drive up the electricity bill and suck up your spare change. Actually, these devices that are not in use account for 5 cent of every $1.00 of electricity that you pay for. That doesn't sound like a lot but if you have a large facility, this could amount to a few hundred in savings per year. Instead of crawling on your hands and knees unplugging every overloaded socket in each cubicle, try putting each desk on a power strip and just making it policy that the power strip is turned off at night and on the weekends.

3. Shop local.
Cross-country shipping wasn't always a big deal, in fact, the cost was negligable considering the money you saved by shopping internationally. Now however, shipping prices have doubled and even trippled in certain circumstances. Anything moved by petroleum has gone up, food included. Consider what products you are receiving from distant places and survey your local market to see if you can get just as good of a deal down the road. You save money, you stimulate the local economy and promote small business in your community. It's a win-win situation!

4. Cut down on Consumables
How many post-it notes do you go through in a day? Do you print out your emails? Do your co-workers drink out of throw-away cups or do they bring coffee mugs to work? Consumables can be spent faster than a dollar in a candy store. I went to a graduation party last weekend at a picnic site where the hostess provided plastic cups for beverages. I realized by the end of the 100 degree day that I had used at least 5 plastic cups simply because I could not remember which one was mine. I wasn't about to risk getting a stranger's germs! I'd rather pile up plastic cups in a landfill! Seriously though...consumables are those little things we use all day long and throw away without thought or care. Just a bit of mindful monitoring would go a long way for your monthly expeditures.