No shame in couponing a small business excursion. I’m doing it. Take advantage of “FREE”, there is a lot of it to be had. Just a couple tidbits from me to you.
I can’t say enough about Vistaprint. Honestly, from free mugs to free banners, never mind the initial 250 free business cards, they have allowed me to coupon my small business endeavor for only the cost of shipping. And the logo is a beautiful, personalized picture of Garvins Falls, right here in Concord taken by a local photographer. Cost me a whole $3.50 to use that picture instead of a standard template. I sincerely recommend that if you are starting a small business, you open every email from Vistaprint. You just never know what freebies are lurking inside.
Utilize free bogging sites like mine, and install Paypal for services or sales. This negates the monthly cost of a bank fee for accepting credit cards. No, Paypal is not free, but you only pay per use. This is huge when your resources are limited. Installing Paypal is really quite simple, and there are even free tutorials on Youtube that guide you step by step.
I also recommend joining a small networking business group with other entrepreneurs. The idea is loyalty within the scope of personal recommendations for each other’s services. Essentially word of mouth, but at a more professional level. These groups do have an annual membership fee. Find a way to afford it. Chances are good that the first contact you obtain from the group will pay for the cost of admission.
Stay positive. You will experience setbacks for sure. Cancellations, investments of your time that don’t seem to pay off. But listen, everything you do is a test. How you accept a temporary “failure” will define your success.
