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Years ago, before our business venture began, we had grand visions of what being a business owner would be like. Go into the office, check in with the staff, meet a client for lunch, cut out early and spend the rest of the early afternoon on the river; relaxing. After we woke up from that glorious dream, we realized that business would be a bit harder than we first imagined: that was 16 years ago! Since that starry eyed view of business ownership so many years ago, I can tell you one thing for sure- we’ve logged tons of OVERTIME! Last week’s blog talked about proper email etiquette and as I was pondering the topic for this week- these thoughts about how we thought it would be versus

What am I? Your use me every day… I can be very efficient or easily turned into a time sucker… If screened properly I can provide valuable information… Left unscreened I can make your life a spam filled mess… EMAIL! Sometimes it pays to consider the basics of business communication. Most businesses use & rely on their email very heavily. However many business owners do not stop to think about the way that their email messages reflect on their businesses. Recently, I read an article from Constant Contact regarding the use of the Welcome Email and that link is listed below. Before we get to that specific message for your clients/customers, let’s look at some basic email etiquette tips: 1- Use a Proper Format Cheri PerrySunday, October 7,

My son has taken a real interest in mobile technologies, especially when it relates to our business and mobile payments. He is always sending me text messages with links to interesting articles and today, I would like to share one related to the recent release of the Apple iPhone 5. It is also fun to mention that Tyler has graciously agreed to give his Father his older iPhone so he can figure out how to use the NEW iPhone 5 (You have to LOVE that kind of family committment!). Before you read the article below, consider this: Mobile payments have literally transformed the payments industry within a very short time frame. There are a myriad of mobile devices available and NFC- Near Field Communications is something that is

Sir Smiley here- This week, the President of our company will be speaking at a business conference in Portland Oregon; her topic? Embracing Social Media I thought it might be good to learn a bit about the topic from the KING of Social Media; yours truly! That’s right! There really is nothing more ‘social’ than a good old fashioned smile. We speak every language, cheer most everyone we see and we can lighten up a room just by showing up. Today Social Media refers to more than a smile (but it is a great way to start don’t you think?), it refers to the following: Social Bookmarking Interact by tagging websites and searching through websites bookmarked by other people. Social News Interact by voting for articles and commenting

Over 200 years ago, our founding fathers felt strongly enough about our personal freedoms, that they fought for them! Today, we live under the protections (although somewhat splintered) their passions afforded us. One of the greatest privileges we enjoy was granted to us in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America: our freedom of speech: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Last week, we posted a picture of Don & Jo’s business sign on our Facebook page- the message on the sign generated a

For years, Visa & MasterCard prohibited the practice of surcharging: tacking on an additional fee when customers choose to pay with their credit card. The recent 6 Billion Dollar Settlement has changed all of that. Merchants (in most states) can now assess a surcharge on their customers. The states that are still prohibited (due to State laws) are: CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT FLORIDA KANSAS MAINE MASSACHUSETTS NEW YORK OKLAHOMA TEXAS As a business owner, it is worth considering WHY Visa prohibited surcharging in the first place: One of the core tenets of the consumer experience is that the stated price of an item — as advertised — is the actual price paid at checkout. This fundamental consumer protection has been recognized by governing bodies around the world. Visa supports