business development

All business is about relationships and gift giving is about nurturing just that. By giving gifts one not only say's 'thank you' but also tells a story about one's values and their relationship. Thoughtful meaningful gifts go a long way, letting your clients and employees know they mean more than dollar signs and cogs in the wheel. Good gifts say that you're listening, attentive, respectful and honouring, all things of value in relationships, business and otherwise.

1. A good gift is a great investment. Last Christmas one of my clients sent a gift to a consultant that had sub contracted her some work over the last year. At the time the gift recipient just happened to be looking for some extra help to fulfill a contract. The gift she had sent had put her top of mind and got her the work. The $100 gift turned into a $10,000 contract, a 100X return on investment!
2. Appreciation is one of the strongest ways to build your business. People make your business what it is and appreciation can make people feel good about their contribution if its done the right way. We've got some great tips on how to appreciate people, just ask and you shall receive. A thoughtful gift basket is a lot cheaper than a raise.
3. A difference between good and great companies is healthy corporate culture. Gifts are an easy way to let people know what's important to you and your business. This works both internally and externally. Corporate gifts can tell a story about who you are as a company and why people work for you, do business with you and refer business your way.
4. When friends and family ask your employees "how's work?" during the holidays you don't want them to answer "whatevs?!?". Even a small gesture of some delicious holiday cookies can raise moral.
5. Taking care of the details shows that you're good business. If quality is part of what makes your business successful, tasteful holiday gifts that are enjoyed, are creative and respect our community and environment can tell a lot about your business. Not a fly by night opperation but here for the long haul. Who do you want to deal with?

Just Potters is a social enterprise that provides training and employment for people living on disability insurance in Vancouver's eastside. Located in the basement of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. It's a quaint opporation that makes great handmade products and provides a fantastic service to the community. After spending the last month in bed from a back injury I can relate to how it feels to be out of commission. I can only image what it feels like to be injured in the long term and unable to work full time. Part time and casual work offered by Just Potters creates amazing opportunities for people to stay active, be creative and create powerful promotional gifts.

Saying more than thank you

It's clear that gifts with a story are powerful for being memorable, meaningful and building relatinships in the long term. Over the years we've worked with them on a variety of projects and our clients have always had good things to say. Let us add a pound of fair trade organic coffee, artisan hot chocolate or fair trade organic tea to make this a great holiday gift package. The mug you see above can be customized with your branding, slogan, saying or logo. To learn more about social enterprise, the value they can bring to your organization and corporate gift, promotional products and business development programs please feel free to get in touch with us as we're happy to help you however we can.

Over the last few years, living the dream of a start up business and working out of my home, I’ve come up with some rules and mantras that seem to be working.

Rule #1 – Don’t f*&# around

If you tell someone that you can do something for them, you better be confident that you can pull it off. Provide solutions for people when problems come up and deliver on your promises. Your word is your biggest asset so don’t fcuk around.

Rule #2 – If it’s not fun, it’s not worth it

Living in a start up is a constant struggle to keep up – if you’re swimming you’ve got to paddle hard to stay afloat and even harder if you want to succeed. There are lots of tasks that have to be done to make things happen and if you don’t do them there’s no one to pick up your mess. You should see my living room! Making light of any situation will keep a smile on your face and everyone happy.

Rule #3 – Like your customers

If you’re not sure what kind of business you want to create, start by figuring out what kind of people you like and want your customers to be. Liking your customers makes going to work fun because you get to interact with these people day in and day out. You create the culture and add value to the businesses of people you like. This is the kind of service people want to deal with.

Rule #4 – Don’t take yourself too seriously

It’s easy for the ego to get in the way. Although I’m right a lot of the time, I know that on occasion I’m wrong. Egg in the face is good, especially if you know how to take it, laugh, smile and learn.

Rule #5 – Put your pants on beeotch!

Saul Good started in my bedroom while I was juggling a 35 hour/week industrial ecology job, a part time MBA in sustainable business and a long distance girlfriend. Needless to say something had to give and as I woke up early every morning after a late night struggling to keep up. I’d get up, make a tea and bring breakfast to my desk. After being distracted checking emails and checking in with people and projects it would be 11am before I realized I was still in my pajamas and had yet to work on anything tangible, with a pile of work in front of me. My mantra was created, “Put your pants on beeotch!” and I posted it on the board above my desk. Every day from that day forward I’d wake up and get dressed to go to work, nice shirt, nice pants, sitting in style in my home office and make things happen.