It’s my favourite season again. I mean, how can you not love spring? Unless, of course, summer is your favourite season. I’ll let that one go! Although I’m learning (’learning’ being the operative word here) to accept things for what they are - to live in the moment - it’s nice that there are certain things I find intrinsically uplifting. The arrival of spring is one of those things. It’s better than nice when feeling good about something is easy.

Back Stage Pass
In the interest of making things easy for yourself, have you read our new email newsletter, SIGNED UP? If you’re not on our list of subscribers it’s time to do so. That’s easy, too. Just go to signequip.com or corbingraphics.com, and click on the sign up button at the top of the right-hand info bar. Really, you do want to do this. It’s been said, “With membership comes privileges.” As a recipient of SIGNED UP you’ll receive special bonus offers you won’t get otherwise. So, the next time you’re online, it’ll only take you a minute to sign up for SIGNED UP. Don’t worry, you won’t get a sudden slam of unwanted email from us. We don’t like that, either. We promise to keep it to once - occasionally, maybe twice a month.

Sign Show Express
Moving right along.... If you have read the April edition of SIGNED UP, you’ll have noticed the emphasis on attending industry trade shows. Blair, George, and Diane have recently returned from the ISA Sign Expo in Orlando. The importance of deciding to attend was magnified once we stepped inside the doors. We had no doubt it was an absolute necessity to participate. Things are changing so quickly these days; the sign industry is no exception. How can you expect to keep up with the trends if you haven’t a clue what they are? Possibly there are other ways, but here’s the deal - manufacturers and other innovators tend to keep things under wraps until they officially unveil them at a major trade show. Those that attend these shows are first in line to get on board.

Always, being first with a popular trend is the most lucrative. If you can be first to capture a market you will not only realize a sudden influx of cash flow, you’ll also harness new clients. You’ll build your client base - your list - and there’s incredible value and power in that. (Something else you can read and learn about in SIGNED UP.)

High Wire
You don’t consider trade shows to be important to the sustenance of your business? Your clients are happy with the way you do things now? Okay. What does your financial statement look like? Take a close look at the profit column. Is there room for improvement? Does your balance sheet tell you the profit column is superceded by the loss column? All the more reason to step outside your box, and check out the industry. If your expenses aren’t generating larger figures on the opposite side of the balance sheet, then either you’re spending money on the wrong stuff - or you’re not spending it on the right stuff. As a concept, it’s pretty simple. What to do about it?

Let’s address the, “My Clients Are Happy With the Way I’m Doing Things Now - They’re Not Asking for Anything New” argument. Once again, refer to your balance sheet. Are you completely happy, too, or do you dream frequently of bigger profits? For every happy client you already have, there are dozens more out there looking for something new in signage. How would you like to have these people on your list?

Green Light
Remember, the money is in your list. Will the list cost you money? Absolutely. Another thing to remember is business is an investment. That means you will have to invest both time and money. Learning how to do it wisely, without wasting either commodity is the key. Learning to leverage both time and money is crucial. If you thought going into business for yourself was a no-brainer, if you thought you were taking the easy way out - WRONG!

Don’t misunderstand, I’m not insinuating having your own business is the wrong move. On the contrary, I believe it’s what everyone should do. If you wish to have abundance in your finances, whether or not you work for someone else at your ‘day job’, it’s ultimately necessary at some level to go into business for yourself - in other words, to be an investor. So, if you wish your business to be lucrative, you must recognize it as an investment, not just a job. And to that end, you must be willing to work hard, and to learn. Take responsibility to educate yourself. Learning does not stop just because you decide to be your own boss. Conversely, in order to achieve excellence, it’s when it must begin. The great thing is you get to decide how you want to do it. After all, you are the boss.

Red Light
This brings me to the book recommendation: “Stop Working: Here’s How You Can!” by Derek Foster. This is another of Blair’s picks - tells you what’s on his mind! Just as long as he finds someone to pick up his slack, I’m all for it. Something tells me it will be a tall order, though. Well, we’ll see. I’ve been advising him for a long time to cut back on his work load, and focus on what he does best for the business. There’s no doubt he’s the glue, and it would be great all around if he had more energy to simply be - well - gooey! (It’s clear I’m not ready to quit my day job!!)

Even if you enjoy what you’re doing, and aren’t ready to stop just yet, it’s valuable to learn how to properly apply the brakes. There’s freedom in working only when you want. Learning how to own a business without actually ‘working’ in it appeals to me. Then, when the time is right, selling it to the right buyer for the right price is something to which every business ‘investor’ can aspire.

Fulcrum
How can we help your business investment grow? Starting right now, you can leverage our experience and service to your advantage. Give us a call. Drop in. We can’t wait to give you a hand.

From our heart to your business,

Team Corbin
 

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