Posts tagged as:

local-business

How two local businesses defy conventional wisdom and do well

12.05.2009

Two recent experiences have made me question conventional wisdom.

A co-owner of a small business, which is a seasonal activity destination popular with families, replied this to my question about what her customers want: “I don’t care what our customers want. They’ll come anyway and take  whatever we give them.” (I’m paraphrasing, but only slightly.)

The receptionist [...]

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Word-play business names

12.01.2009

Having recently worked on a brand-naming project, my eye has been attuned to company names around me. Out of the many, the ones using word play have stood out.

Pun: The Title Wave is Multnomah County Library’s used store, selling “books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, videos, magazines and cassettes at bargain prices”. I keep hoping they’d sell [...]

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How to communicate rate increases: Waterknot

11.14.2009

Once you clear the hurdle of setting the rate for your business-to-business services, the challenge you will surely encounter is raising your rates. Perhaps you’re shifting to serving a different market; or you haven’t changed your rates in a while and inflation has caught up with you; or you’ve learned a new skill. Whatever the [...]

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Building the People bottom line: Tanzamook Townhomes

10.31.2009

Among the three pillars of triple bottom line sustainability, the social bottom line – People – tends to be the toughest to implement (and not just because it’s the toughest to measure). Donations, grants, or sponsorships represent the low hanging fruit. Building social sustainability into your business model is a whole another story.
Yesterday I attended [...]

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Maximizing the impact of your community involvement through public relations

10.27.2009

I’m co-facilitating today a lunch workshop with this title at the Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Northwest. The event description continues:
Come join this round-table discussion about how to make sure your employees, your clients and the public know about the wonderful work you are doing in the community. Learn the best ways you can receive recognition [...]

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Engagement through Place: Mercy Corps Action Center

10.10.2009

I rarely get to experience public places before they’re open to the public. Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to visit, the day before ribbon cutting, the Mercy Corps Action Center, located in the nonprofit agency’s new global headquarters in downtown Portland.
Mercy Corps and Portland Spaces Magazine presented a discussion with Ed Schlossberg, principal of [...]

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Loving your customers means never having to say you’re sorry

10.03.2009

One afternoon last week I arrived for a meeting at The Funky Door Cafe in Southeast Portland to be greeted by a notice on the door: “We’ll be closing at 2 pm today. Sorry for the inconvenience.” No big deal: there’s another coffee shop a few blocks up the road (a Starbucks nonetheless). Still, the [...]

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How to generate word of mouth with launch events: Ecoroofs Everywhere

09.30.2009

Launch events are a prime opportunity to generate word of mouth for your company/brand, product, or service. How best to harness their potential?
Yesterday I attended the launch of the Ecoroofs Everywhere campaign, which aims to cover in 5 years more than 12,500 acress of conventional roofs in Portland, Oregon with ecoroofs. The social included a [...]

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The five Ws of buying local, Part 2

09.24.2009

The why and where are the trickier parts of buying local, though the conundrum doesn’t end there.
WHO should buy local?
You, of course. You and your wallet have control over the success of local. Because of all the advantages of buying local, your purchases benefit you and your community. You buy local because you care about [...]

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