Imagine you own a house and it needs paint. In days of old, you would open a Phone Book (an antique method of looking up businesses and people’s names), scan through the options and pick a few to call for a bid. The painting companies would show up (usually) and provide quotes for you. You lay all three next to each other on the kitchen table and find yourself scratching your head: didn’t they all look at the same house? Today, you might do an Internet search or you might even use a service like Angie’s List but guess what- you still end up with the painting companies showing up (usually) and providing quotes. In order to determine which company will beautify your home, you have to determine

There are lots of great reasons to consider gift cards but here are a few of the most basic to consider as the holiday season gets ready to make its big debut! WHY ARE GIFT CARDS BETTER THAN GIFT CERTIFICATES? Gift Cards are secure, unlike gift certificates, so they can be placed on display to spur impulse buying. If the Gift Card value is not fully used, the balance remains on the card. Gift Cards are perfect for chained accounts (think Saturday Markets, multiple locations). Gift Cards reduce the administrative costs that often accompany paper certificates. Often times, customers will spend beyond the amount on their Gift Card. People LOVE to give & receive gift cards these days so they might as well have yours as an option.

Growing up my Dad always told me that we make our own economy. He watered our souls with phrases like, you can be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do. He prepared our spirit with life truths like, you get what you pay for and hard work always pays off. For the most part, my Dad was spot on. His words of wisdom have served his family well. But today we are in a different and strange season- nothing makes sense and everything seems to be jumbled up. Right, wrong, respect, courtesy, and the things I was raised with seem to be standing on the sidelines of some Twilight Zone reel- wondering what in the hell happened. I’ve always been a glass half

In his book ‘The One Thing’ Gary Keller mentions that a BALANCED life is a myth and I think that we all really know this instinctually. But there is a still, small voice that keeps calling us to be balanced– to make sure we are not spending too much time at the office or too much leisure time (yes- that’s a thing). Being ‘balanced’ has a nice- even ring to it- ‘I am so balanced’ (if you stand there for a minute and just close your eyes and repeat that statement you will see that it even FEELS good to say it!) Now open your eyes and let’s have a REALISTIC chat about this so-called ‘balanced life’. The truth of the matter is that any career path (business

Selecting a Merchant Services Partner for the RIGHT Reasons Lots of industries struggle with extreme competition. In some cases, there is so much competition that the impacted industry, products, and services become somewhat ‘commoditized’. They are relegated to the long list of items and services providers who no longer care about your overall experience. Webster defines a commodity as: com·mod·i·ty noun \k?-‘mä-d?-te\ : an economic good: as a product of agricultural or mining : a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (service, brand, etc) other than price. In other words, things like service, reputation, and overall product satisfaction cease to carry much importance as price becomes the main determining factor for consumers of the product or

In order to reach our goals and dreams, oftentimes we have to venture outside of our comfort zones because that is where life gets interesting! You might be thinking ‘interesting’- GREAT! I do not need any more ‘interesting’ in my life and operating every single day is tough enough without moving outside of my comfort zone! But hear me out- there truly is LIFE: Outside of Your Comfort Zone. COMFORT ZONE DEFINED: (Psychology) a situation or position in which a person feels secure, comfortable, or in control. I’m Doing Fine in My Comfort Zone: How bad could it be? Secure, comfortable, controlled? If you think your comfort zone is exactly where you should be operating- then its time to ask yourself a few questions. Have you taken your