Category Archives: Starting Out

Eco-Friendly Event Planning Business Tagline?

Names + Taglines, Services, Starting Out

I am starting up my own event/wedding planning business. I would like the tagline to reflect the fact that I have the resources to create eco-friendly events but at the same time not draw any non-eco clients away. The name of the business is Mulberry Events.

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Jay’s Answer: You’re trying to do too much in too little space. Let me explain.

First, wedding planning isn’t the same as event planning from a client’s perspective (from your perspective, an event is an event…). When I think of event planning, I think more corporate events than a simple party. A business client has different needs than a bride/groom.

Secondly, either you specialize in eco-friendly events or you don’t. While eco-friendly is a concern for many people, it’s not a primary benefit they care about. They want a great party. Great food. Great music. No headaches. At a great price. Oh, and it’s eco-friendly? Bonus points. It may well be the niche you go after to differentiate yourself from the other planners. The problem you may have is in perception: If the event is eco-friendly, is it less fun? Less tasty food? Less spectacular?

Here are a couple of ideas to get you thinking:

  • Specializing in Earth-Friendly Wows
  • Spectacular Event Planning From The Ground Up

How To Find Work In Gaming Industry?

Starting Out

I want to work in the Marketing/PR or Product Management field in the gaming industry. I had a plan in doing video game testing seeing though there is a high demand for testers, this was so that I could get a feel of the industry and network toward PR or management. Any suggestions?

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Jay’s Answer: If you want to do video game testing because it’s rewarding to you, do it. Don’t do it to get an “inside peek” because if you’re not enjoying what you do, people won’t see you as someone special.

Instead, do informational interviews. Identify companies that are interesting. Read everything you can about what the company has done, is doing, and is planning to do. Play their games. Then, contact people who do what you want to do at that company and ask them for 15-30 minutes of their time. Come prepared with specific questions and listen well, and write a personalized thank you note. Keep in touch with them to ask them more questions and network with them into the future (if necessary/appropriate).

How To Launch My Photography Business?

Starting Out

The current economy has stimulated me to “reinvent” myself again. While I’ve always had a passion (and some talent) for photography, I decided that it might be a way to augment my marketing communications and copy writing career. Since then, I’ve made inroads via local organizations to cultivate clients. I started out doing family portraits. But the price I’m charging (base $195), while lower than the competition, isn’t enough to sustain a business. I then surveyed the bar/bat mitzvah market (our daughter is having hers this summer, as well) and discovered that the main players are pretty much the same. My creative style allows me to slice up a niche for those who want something different. Same for weddings. My question – at last! – has to do with positioning and pricing. I was told by a vendor in this market, though not a photographer, that “you don’t want to be stuck in commodity hell.” And another advisor stated that
once you’re perceived as low price provider, it’s almost impossible to climb out of that hole.”

How do I communicate my position, hold up a a high-quality price, while not losing business due to the almost overwhelming cost-consciousness out there these days? Eventually the economy will return and I don’t want to be at the bottom tier in my field.

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Jay’s Answer: Your problem isn’t what you do, it’s how your business is perceived and the value you provide to your clients.

As you know, photography/video professionals are not only competing against each other but also the average consumers (who can now easily create/edit their own photos/videos). That means that your offering has to be clearly better than anything the average person can do and worth the price.

Can you create value-added services for your clients: video thank you cards, YouTube uploads, etc.? Or, create a on-going service (capturing a baby turning into a teen by videoing them over 18 years, and being on retainer for the family) that keeps you involved not just in the major milestones, but keeps you top-of-mind for the smaller events (graduations, school performances, sporting, etc.)?

If you can show why your services are worth the price, then clients will pay.

First Time Selling Clothing In Booth

Services, Starting Out

Hi, we are a small clothing label setting up a stand at a clothing event for the first time, how can we stand out other than just displaying the clothes?

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Jay’s Answer: Don’t think that your primary goal is to sell your clothing. It’s to start finding out what people are looking for, how your clothing compares to others, and what would make the casual shopper into a raving fan. Also, if you have a story to tell about your clothing (how a <specific demographic> are HUGE fans, or how your clothing helps disadvantaged youth, or how you’ve been designing clothing for years for other labels, etc.), tell it. People may not remember the clothing you’re showing, but they will remember a remarkable story, and share it with others.

Also, make sure you at least have a simple website so people can continue to look at your clothing post-show (or for their friends to see, etc.).

How Much To Charge For An Article?

Starting Out

How can I propose the price to my customer?

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Jay’s Answer: Price is a function of perceived value of your offering. So, you’ll need to show why your articles will help their business. Have previous articles that you’ve written increased sales of other company’s offerings? Have they increased the number of leads? Increased circulation of a magazine? Make your price based on the expected return on investment that your customer will get from using your articles.

How Do I Start My Small Business in Japan?

Starting Out

I am living in japan, sapporo. and now I am trying to start my own business. I am going to start a scrap-booking class in this year. I studied youth marketing in my college, but I don’t what I have to do first.

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Jay’s Answer: Start by thinking of your ideal class. How many people are in it? What ages? What gender? Why are they attending it? Why did they pick your class (instead of any of your competitors’)?

Next, see if your idea is of interest to your “ideal class”. Start talking to the types of people you identified and ask them about scrap-booking. Would they pay to take a class (how much)? Have they tried it before? Are they members of club or group? This will give you some idea if your ideal class is interested in you.

The “members of a club or group” questions will help you further find these ideal class members. Contact these clubs/groups and offer a special class just for their membership. Since you’re starting out, consider making it a fundraiser for the group (splitting the profits) in exchange for them helping you with the advertising.

How To Drive Your Business

Creative Business Ideas, Starting Out

Driving Your business...
Photo by Kyle May

When you first learned to drive a car (or bicycle), you probably looked at the road immediately in front of you. You were looking for potholes, the edges of the road, and other obstacles/hazards that you were heading for. You were focused 10% on the distant road and 90% on the near road. Your driving was probably a bit overreactive – jerking the wheel or quickly hitting the brakes to avoid something. As your confidence and skills improved, you no doubt learned to scan the road (not just ahead, but surrounding you) and to anticipate problems. You focus shifted to 80% of the distant road and 20% to the near road.

The difference in your driving perspective applies to your business perspective as well. The difference between a small/startup business and a big/established business is planning strategy (and yes, resources as well). A new business is mostly focusing on their near-term issues (because the fear is: “if you don’t focus on near-term, you won’t have a long-term”). Long-term issues is a luxury they can’t imagine. As a result, small business mentality involves a lot of sudden stops and starts. Surprised consequences. And white-knuckled driving.

An established (big) business understands the need to be aware of the current market situation, but trusts that they can safely navigate through short-term problems. The bigger success is achieved by focusing on the long-term goals. Anticipating problems. Creating opportunities.

If you want to keep driving yourself crazy, keep focusing on short-term issues. If you want to drive like a professional, devote more resources on your long-term goals.

What Can I Do To Succeed At My New Job?

Starting Out

I’m about to be hired in a company that manufacture filters, in the marketing department, i have worked mostly in the cordination of promotional events in large supermarkets like Walmart. My questions are:

  1. What are the best strategies that i can introduce in order to create an immediate impact in my superiors
  2. What is the very first thing i have to do to to coordinate my work team?

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Jay’s Answer: Start by asking questions and listening a lot. Only once you understand the various issues and needs can you truly offer solutions that the company can benefit from.

Ask for help, find out how it’s been done, why the previous person left, and what milestones are coming up that you need to pay attention to.

How Can I Promote My Online Business?

eMarketing, Products, Starting Out

I’m just recently setup a Etsy store to sell handmade body scrubs and I am seeking tips on how to effectively promote an online business to those not on the Etsy site. Could you assist me with promoting and/ or marketing my online business. My perspective customers are that of women, but not limited to. I have found a big marketing arena within the Blog world. Do you think there is a way to expand on that?

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Jay’s Answer: Start from the inside-out:

1) Make sure that you’re first maximizing conversions (people that visit your site become customers): How many of the people that visit your site currently purchase from you? Have you looked at the analytics? How many have started to purchase from you but stopped mid-order? Why?

2) Next, focus on how easy it is to find your store/site. How does your website rank on Etsy and Google? What words do people use to find your type of products?

3) Finally, get the word out. That means identifying specific websites, magazines, newspapers, and/or clubs whose members are likely to be your customers. Not just women, but women of a certain age, demographic, location, who are looking for a specific “edge”. If you’re trying to sell scrubs to anyone, no one will find you. By narrowly targeting a niche (say, women ages 40-50, with 2 kids, also has a day-job, and is looking for something to make her feel special nights/weekends, for example) you can talk to these people in the right way (and find them).

Good luck.

How Much To Charge For Directory Subscription?

eMarketing, Starting Out

I am starting a website that is basically a directory catering to the Indian Casino Industry in my state and players alike. I am going to offer monthly/yearly subscriptions to casinos to be listed. Each casinos page content will change each month and will be a page each telling what all the casino offers, what is going on each month such as gaming contests, promotions, tournaments, entertainment, dining, etc. Currently most of the casinos each have their own website but there is no site where you can find all the casinos in one place and find out what is happening at them each month. I have yet to see a site similar to this, so I have no idea what to charge. I know the casinos in my state are very profitable…but I do not want to price myself too high or too low.

How difficult would it be for someone to copy your idea (including the Indian Casino Industry)?

It wouldn’t be difficult for someone to copy my idea…yet no one has even attempted anything similar, yet it would be difficult for an actual casino to do so.

What added value will your site have for them? What additional traffic for their sites can you realistically achieve?

Secondly, it is not so much that I am going to drive customers to their site as much as it is I am going to drive customers to their casino. Many casinos in my state do not advertise very well…a few billboards, radio ads…unless you know of them already there is no way to learn of them…I know if I went to the Eastern part of the state and wanted to go a casino, I would not have a clue of where they are, what the names are, what is being offered at them, etc..me being from the Western part of the state.

I see a great opportunity for me, the casinos, and players. This idea was generated due to me being a player who likes to travel around to various places, and saw a definite need. Over 100 casinos in the state, just have no idea what monetary value it actually holds…I want to say that I could easily charge $150 a month…less than $5 a day for the casino, and if 1 player came to the casino because of it, would get their return on their investment! Will they pay $150 a month, or much more or less?

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Jay’s Answer: From their perspective, the casinos care about the additional prospects. If you can show how your site can help them get more customers, it’s worth a lot to them.

I’d suggest starting small, getting some casinos on-board for a very minimal fee. Then, measure the traffic. Ideally, have a way of tracking # of customers that show up at the casino because of your website (for example, can you provide free drink card or chips that the casino will redeem on your behalf?).

Once you’ve shown the ROI of your site, the value for other casinos will become quite clear and easy to price.