Should I Purchase Presentation Folders?

Owning a small business can be tough. Often a small business owner is working countless hours out of his or her home, reaching out to friends and family to establish a circle of clients or customers and looking for ways to extend their reach. My best friend has a photography business and while she loves the memories she captures for her clients, it’s been a struggle to increase her client lists. She is very active on social media, showing off what she can do for her clients. My suggestion to get to the next level? Presentation Folders. The old saying, “You have to spend money to make money” is still relevant in the digital age. Presentation folders can be a smart investment for any small business.

Often a small business invests (either in time and effort or money) in an eye-catching logo for advertising purposes. My friend has a beautiful logo for her business, but there are not many opportunities for her to use it. Getting a folder to give to her clients with that logo printed on the front will help keep her and her business in mind whenever her past clients are in need of a photographer.

When she’s on location, in a park or at a party, having a few folders pre-set with samples, pricing, and available options would be perfect for when passersby see her at work and consider hiring her as well. A business card alone is nice, and can work for networking events, but they can get lost very easily. That presentation folder can have a much greater impact. Add in a business card placed in a special slit in the inside pocket of the folder, and she’ll look just as professional as her competition. One of the reasons why a customer chooses a small business is the personalized service and attention to detail that is not the hallmark of large chains.

Large companies use custom folders for informational packets. Schools get custom folders for students and staff to use. Wouldn’t your business benefit from such an effective marketing tool?

Birthday Cards can Bring Joy to the Office

When told the words “Office job”, many might think of boring, dull, and tedious tasks. It certainly can be a mentally draining job that enforces you to do repetitive work. What if I told you there was a simple way to brighten up the office atmosphere!? Birthday Cards! Even though some don’t want to think about aging and celebrating birthdays, the atmosphere created by sharing a birthday card signed by everybody portrays a lot of essential feelings for a workplace.

  1. A card signed by everybody with sentimental words like: “I’m glad you’re working with us!”, “Enjoy your birthday!”, or anything positive, is sure to let the receiver of this card know that he/she is cared about and develops a sense of belonging in the work place. This reinforces relationships between employees.
  2. Getting one of the mentioned sentimental phrases hand written can truly bring a grin to many people’s faces! Science fact: When smiling or laughing, Neurotransmitters called endorphins are released by the brain to give us a feeling of happiness. This also helps relieve stress! Smiling = Not Stressed = Happy Employee = MORE PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEE!
  3. Birthday Cards can be very lackluster and show little appreciation when they are from a cheap dollar store. However, you can fix this by purchasing one of the Gallery Collection’s Birthday Assortment Boxes! You get a variety of birthday cards (to have many employees receive different designs) and each card has a beautiful greeting on the inside to make somebody smile. You know what happens when you smile! These cards make the receiver feel like they are worth it!

Essentially, the whole surprise of getting the workplace to sign a birthday card and give it to an employee who was not expecting ANYTHING but a boring day at work can really change somebody’s life. Maybe it will influence him/her to treat others more kindly from that day onwards. Appreciation and care can go a long way.

Fun Birthday Facts

Ah, birthdays…mostly a joyous occasion until you start to get up there in years like me in which case you may start to want to slow the clock down a bit.  All in all though, birthdays are fun to celebrate.  Before you send out those Birthday Cards, here are some interesting and fun birthday facts that you may or may not be aware of:

  • The month of August has more birthday celebrations than any other month.
  • The month with the least amount of birthdays is February.
  • If you are celebrating a birthday today, it will only be 31,536,000 seconds until your next one.
  • May 22nd is the least common birthday. 
  • October 5th is the most common birthday.  For those of you backtracking, that’s some New Year’s Eve fun.
  • The most popular song in the English language is “Happy Birthday to You.”  Because it’s copyrighted, the song makes tons of money from licensing fees which is why you rarely hear it sung on TV.
  • What goes up and never comes down?  Your age of course.
  • Upwards of two billion dollars are spent in the US on birthday cards every year.
  • In a room with 23 people, there is a 50/50 chance that someone else in the room will share your birthday.  If you increase the number of people to 70, your chances increase to 99%.
  • The first birthday balloons were made out of animal intestines filled up with water.
  • The sun will travel 584,337,600 miles from one birthday to the next.
  • Noisemakers used for birthdays originated in Europe as a way to ward off evil.
  • What did one candle say to the other? Don’t birthdays burn you up.

Happy Birthday!

The Baby Countdown is Officially On – Send a Baby Congratulations Card

   The baby countdown is officially on. I am an expecting father of a baby girl. My life is filled with excitement, nervousness and pure joy, all at the same time. The feelings are real, and the importance in being a parent has hit me in the face.  I want to be the best father that I can be. I am constantly reading articles and books for preparation. I am also actually listening to the unsolicited advice from veteran fathers at my job.

This is strange for me, because I am the type of man that separates work from my personal life. There is no person at my job that has any clue about who I really am and how I conduct my life. I don’t reveal the “complexities of me” to my co-workers. Our conversations are superficial, even when they may not seem like it to an onlooker.

However, I have forced myself to slightly change this philosophy. In reality, I have no idea about the complexities of my co-workers as parents. “Parent” is not just a title, like the respective ones that we have when we punch in. Parenting may be the most important responsibility that there is in life. The importance is the same no matter race, religion, or orientation.

I am finding that it is actually ok to peel back a layer of complexity. It’s not just about me. It’s ok to overlap this part of my life with my work life. Parenting doesn’t have a time off button. It is continuous. I will need guidance and support. Big and small. A simple baby congratulation card is a great reminder that parenting is a special thing.

Should I send Anniversary Cards to Employees?

Should you send your employees Anniversary cards? It makes your employees feel special. Not only did you care to remember, you went a step further and congratulated them in a quality card. Some long-term employees might even keep your cards every year, so this can really be a distinctive way to thank your employees for their commitment. It’s not often that employees get thanked for their diligence, so sending a card is an extra sentiment that will perk your employees up.

If you are worried about the cost, there is a simple solution. Buying cards in bulk reduces the price. This is especially helpful if you have a large company with many employees. The Gallery Collection offers specific card designs, in quantities of 25, or Assortment boxes (which contain 35 cards each). There are many ways to customize your cards, but if cost is your concern, many features are included in the price. For assistance, call at the toll-free number 800-950-7064 or contact The Gallery Collection via the website.

If you want your employees to feel proud of where they work and appreciated for all they do, consider getting them Anniversary cards. You could even have the inside include something to the effect of: “Thank you for your _______ of continued service!” and in the blank fill in the number of years you have had the honored employee.

17th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest – Round 7 Finalists Announced!

Congratulations to our Round 7 Finalists!

Business Birthday Cards to Boost Morale

A fact of life is that we all get older. As much as we like to avoid the aging process, it is inevitable. That being said, as long as we are having a birthday, we may as well celebrate another year of life. We get that from family and friends and it gives us a lift. However, since we spend almost one third of our lives working it is nice to be acknowledged when we are on the job. Business Birthday Cards can be a morale booster.

Imagine being an employee coming to work on their birthday, they are dragging a little with the added year and suddenly they see a card on their desk. They open the birthday card and it’s from the company wishing them a fabulous birthday. Can you see the smile on their face? You have just lifted the spirits of your employee and made them feel appreciated. For you to remember their birthday will increase their morale for longer than just that one day.

Another scenario is business associates. You deal with many people when conducting business. So whether the person is a client or a customer, they will really appreciate you taking the time to send greetings to them on their birthday. It says you care about the people you deal.

Business birthday cards are an asset to any company. They raise the morale of employees which in turn increases their level of commitment to doing a good job. They also increase the probability of having repeat customers. A business that cares – succeeds.

17th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest – Round 6 Finalists Announced!

Congratulations to our Round 6 Finalists!

3 Reasons to purchase Calendar Cards

Happy Holidays! And, I’m here to tell you that it isn’t too late to send a calendar card. Instead of purchasing regular holiday cards, go with calendar cards! If you need some convincing, here are three reasons to go with calendar cards:

  1. Calendar cards are useful: Unlike the ordinary holiday cards that get sent out and eventually thrown out, calendar cards can be used every single day for the entire year!
  2. Year-long advertisement: Calendar cards allow your company to leave your business information at the bottom. Be sure to include your telephone number, address, website and an email address if possible. Your recipients will have your information right in front of them every day!
  3. Designs are endless: Choose a standard calendar card design such as the “Four Seasons” card to represent the seasons throughout the year, or make the calendar more personal toward your business and upload your own photo. Choose a photo that shows off your business team or retail products. With calendar card designs, options can be endless.

In turn, calendar cards benefit your recipients as well. Not only do they receive a beautiful card from your business, but they also receive a free calendar that will surely come in handy.

Is it Necessary to Send Business Christmas Cards?

If your company is working under budgetary constraints, not sending out holiday cards may seem like a no brainer. Why would you spend money on that, when there are so many other things that are needed to run a company? Inventory, supplies, salaries, to name a few. If you are trying to get the word out, you are likely spending money on some type of advertisement. If you run an ad in the local newspaper, you are likely putting out a good chunk of change. You have no guarantee that your customers or potential customers will even see it. So, is it necessary to send business Christmas cards? That is the question!

Sending Christmas cards may not seem like a very important task. However, when you think about it, it becomes clear that it is. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and thought of. The holidays are a cheerful time of year and a perfect time to remind people of how much they are appreciated. By sending Christmas cards you are letting your customers and clients know that you are thinking of them. Not just when they are utilizing your services, but for the rest of the year as well. Along with great service, these small measures are what keep customers coming back.

You may wonder how this would attract potential new business. Most offices that receive Christmas cards, hang them up on display. People are walking in and out and most likely will stop to look at the cards. When they do, they will see your company name, proudly printed on the inside. While spending a very nominal amount per greeting card, you have sent out an advertisement that will be seen by many.