IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A NATION.

We all know business this year has had the ups and downs of a roller coaster - but does it really help to continually rehash it with one another?  My answer is NO!  Positive thoughts lead to positive actions and will eventually lead to positive results.  Ho-hum talk about the economy will only drag things out even longer.  Think about it.  What good ever comes out of discussing something negative over and over and over again?  Would a psychiatrist tell a patient to drown in their sorrows...or would they teach the individual to learn from the situation, think positive and grow from it?  We need to take the same tact on the business front.  Now is the time for the village to band together, lift one another up and raise our nation!  

Have a fun and happy Thanksgiving.  Gobble-Gobble.

WOOD packaging stands out!

Termites aren't the only ones who love WOOD packaging - people do, too!  Want to get your company, client, or product noticed???  Use WOOD!   Everyone has received invitations or promotional materials made out of paper, corrugated, plastic, etc.  What if you received a marketing piece and the package was made out of wood?  You can't tell me it wouldn't stand out and grab your attention.  I'll bet $100 bucks that you show it around the office and then take it home to show your spouse, too.  It's unique, different and my company can create the wood packaging for your next marketing campaign.  Contact Brady at (636) 391-6525 or brady@idreamsolutions.com

THE SKY ISN'T FALLING, YET!

Marketing in a recession is critical to maintain growth and keep your business afloat, too.  Studies have shown that companies that continue to market during tough economic times often experience growth during those times, while businesses that cut their marketing efforts will see a decrease in sales.

A McGraw-Hill Research study of over 600 businesses found that:

• businesses that maintained or increased their marketing spending during this time averaged higher sales growth during the recession and in the following three years

• sales rose 256% for those businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending during the recession over those that had cut back


A 2001 study found that aggressive recession advertisers increased market share 2½ times the average for all businesses following the recession.

During tough times, the worst thing you can do is hide from your customers or prospects. In fact, with so many companies doing just that, the marketplace is quieter—and ripe with opportunity for those businesses with the courage to continue to market!

Binding sheets of paper should be simple, right?

Not so fast!  Folks, I hate to say it - but the Binding Industry doesn't have the option of inventing a truly revolutionary binding method.  The simple truth is there are only a handful of ways to bind sheets of paper together.  I'm in the business of creating presentation materials and my clients continually ask if there are any new binding methods available.  The short answer is no - but there are plenty of options to get the job done!

Loose-Leaf: Don't cringe.  Loose-leaf binding is the BEST binding method around!  Allows you to add, update or replace pages easily.  No special hole punch required.  Pages easily flip over the ring metal and lay flat when you reach the page you need to read.  Loose-leaf binding does NOT have to remind you of the binder you took to school in the 80s. You can make them sleek and sexy by using materials such as metal, acrylic, leather, recycled paper, wood, etc.  Here is one example.

Screw Post: Inexpensive and can make for a cool look!  Only drawback is that pages do not lay flat when you open up to the page you desire.

Spiral or Comb Binding: Inexpensive if you have someone else bind the materials.  Costly if you choose to do on your own in-house since it requires purchasing a binding machine.  Upside is that pages flip easily and lay flat - but spiral and comb binding tend to give a dated look and do not allow the user to add, remove or update the pages inside.  They key to making it stand out is creating a case similar to the example below.

Saddle Stitch: Common for small booklets, calendars, etc.  Sheets of paper are folded and staples are placed in the fold. Inexpensive.

Perfect Binding: Paperback books are one example of perfect binding. Perfect binding is quite durable and has a low to medium cost. However, the pages do not lay flat when the book is opened.

Thermal Binding: Heat-fused cloth or plastic strips are fused to the edge of the document.  Desktop machines are available for home or office use if choose to do it on your own.

Case Binding: Used for hard cover books and involves sewing the pages together and then affixing inside a hard cover case.  Lasts a long time.  Quite costly.