Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 30, 2013

14

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, November 30, 2013 


LIKE MOTHS TO A FLAME


IT’S IN THE LIST

Peter Drucker said, “any business enterprise has two — and only these two—
basic functions: marketing and innovation.” 

You could have the latest, greatest innovation but if nobody knows about it, then 
all you have is a great idea; you don’t have a business. 

Loyal fans and customers (people) make a business successful. A good marketing strategy focuses on 
building a quality list of contacts of current and potential customers. Getting the word out about your 
products and services to people who care about what you offer and turning them into raving fans is 
the other part of marketing. Keep in mind that it is a waste of your time telling people who don’t care, 
or those don’t need or can’t afford your product or service.

Email is a popular marketing channel because it is affordable and most everyone uses it. But, it will 
only work for you if you have a quality list of emails. You can spend hours coming up with the most 
brilliant subject line and design, offer 75% off your best product but if you don’t send it to a quality 
list, it won’t produce any ROI.

We have all kinds of tools at our fingertips to help us create messaging but it takes real creativity and 
strategy to build a quality list. Here are a few things to think about as you work on building a quality 
list:

• Are the important people on your list – current customers, vendors, raving fans? 
• Are you collecting emails at every touch point – in store, phone, web, social media?
• Are you using tools that make it easy to join? Text to join, QR codes, simple guest book at the 
counter, form on your web site, forms on your social media channels?
• Have you trained your employees to ask for contact information from new customers?
• Can you create a VIP club for only those who are on the list and give them something 
exclusive that no one else has access to?
• When you attend events or networking meetings do you ask people if they would like to stay 
in touch through social media or receive your emails?
• Do you provide an instant reward (i.e. a special coupon) when people join your list?
• Are you following through – if someone takes the time to sign up for your emails and you 
never send them an email, it can be frustrating. This is especially true if they have signed up and 
expect to receive schedules or exclusive discounts.


Marketing to the right people is an investment in future sales. It takes time to build a good list but 
if you make it a priority and part of an on-going routine your marketing efforts will start to pay off. 

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that specializes in 
Internet Marketing strategies and Social Media. They offer social media management services and 
help their clients build a strong on-line presence. “Like” them on Facebook for trending news in social 
media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.facebook.com/hutdogs.

Sign up for their upcoming classes and presentations at: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule 

Have you done your "spring cleaning" yet? If you're selling your home, it's essential to take care of the 
details, both inside and out. Since buyers first see your property from the street, there are some steps 
you can take to pique their interest in seeing more.

Obviously, color makes an impact. Emphasize two or three colors in your flowerbeds and shrubs, 
and coordinate your blooms with the seasons, be it spring or summer. Also make sure your trees and 
shrubs are properly sized to the house and grounds, and not blocking any of your home's positive 
features.

Perfectly maintaining your lawn is critical while you’re listing, since a well-manicured lawn powerfully 
symbolizes your pride of ownership and attention to maintenance. You can reduce the time 
invested in mowing and watering if you can do some simple landscaping with rocks, ornamental 
grasses and drought-tolerant plants.

The sound of water also turns buyers on. Even if you don't have a pond, you can achieve the same 
effect by installing a small fountain in the front yard, or even running an electric fountain on your 
porch or deck.

Finally, there are a couple of architectural flourishes that add interest, such as colorful window boxes, 
a trellis with flowering vines, or even a pretty new mailbox. Contact your agent for a wealth of other 
ideas to attract buyers. 

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

A YEAR-END REVIEW CAN HELP YOU RENEW

Taking time to conduct an assessment of your business as the year comes to a close is very important. 
The information that you gather is a valuable resource to further support and propel the growth and 
success of your business throughout the upcoming year.

The first priority is to determine the overall financial health of your business by applying a set of 
standard business measurement tools. The tool kit includes at least three financial statements that 
should be prepared on a monthly basis, along with the calculation of some basic ratios. Combined, 
the following financial statements and ratios provide business owners with the means to measure and 
monitor the financial aspects of operations.

Balance Sheet – this statement provides a snapshot of what the business is worth and serves as the 
starting point to calculate how much someone else would be willing to pay to purchase the business 
if it were for sale. It includes a list of the business’s Assets (everything owned by the business), minus 
Liabilities (all outstanding debt) to calculate what the business is worth (Owner’s Equity).

Income Statement – sometimes referred to as a Profit & Loss Statement (P&L) or Operating Statement, 
this statement includes a list and tally of the total revenue (sales) generated by the business, minus the 
total expenses incurred to generate revenue during the respective time period. This statement is used 
to determine the net profit or net loss of a business.

Cash Flow Statement – this statement is prepared to reconcile the beginning and ending amount of 
cash available to a business within a specific time period. It will also indicate the range and timing 
of increases and decreases in the flow of cash, which is critical to ensuring that a business will have 
what it needs to meet all of its obligations and operational needs in a timely manner. A business 
can experience tremendous success in generating increased sales, yet may be unable to support the 
growth if there is a shortage of cash to finance everything needed to ensure the fulfillment of the sales. 

Ratios – there are numerous ratios that can be used to measure liquidity, profitability, debt and other 
financial indicators. The following two ratios that measure liquidity* are recommended as a starting 
point for small businesses:

• Current Ratio - provides a way to look at the working capital available, which is a measurement 
of the solvency that a business has to pay its obligations on an ongoing and long-term basis.
• Quick Ratio - measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations. (Current Assets 
divided by Total Current Liabilities)


These are some of the tools that entrepreneurs and managers should use to monitor and manage the 
financial aspects of their businesses.

CHANTRY FLAT CABIN FOR SALE

 Cabin 102, located in the Spruce Grove area, is for sale at $60,000 OBO. This is a cute cabin that is 
up the trail a bit from Spruce Grove so that you are not overlooking the campground. The cabin is 
a typical size of around 400-500 square feet. Unlike some cabins, this one has a very a large storage 
area built on to the cabin. It comes with a wood burning stove, a separated kitchen area, plenty of 
sleeping area. The cabin has been actively used and is in great shape. Many a good meal was cooked 
on the stove. Water is available in the creek below the cabin.

 For those of you who know the Baldwins and would be sad to see them leave the canyon, don’t 
worry. They just need to find a cabin closer in to main canyon. 

The inside of the cabin can be seen by appointment on a Friday or Saturday. If you are not familiar 
with the area, we recommend that you hike up to see it to be sure that the distance (approximately 4 
miles) will work for you. 

 Three pictures are posted on Facebook (Adams’ Pack Station). Please call the Pack Station at 
626.447.7356 or emailif you have questions: dburgess@adamspackstation.com