Mammoth, miniature & one-of-a-kind By Melissa Hart Sculptors this season promise whimsy, color, and endless surprises in the form of a giant metal sculpture of a rock topped by a sheet of paper and bisected by red-handled scissors, a 6-foot leopard-print stiletto trimmed in red fur, or a couple of professional tennis players forged from a family’s heirloom silverware. This…
Lisa Schuster had graduated from business school and was running an art publishing business before she ever tried her hand at painting. Someone who had always appreciated art, she’d never considered herself an artist, and, when she finally allowed herself the freedom to test out her skills at age 30, she found that she had considerable talent. Today, though best-known…
Golf is a game that people either love or hate. A lot of money is spent by players at every level trying to improve their game. A serious golfer will use any tool, gimmick or gadget to enhance his swing or improve his distance. Most of these tools actually work to give the golfer an edge and help him to…
Did you make big plans for 2013? A few months have passed since our annual turning of the calendar and it’s probably past time for some of us to check in with the goals we casually sketch out on notebook paper. If you’re like me, you’ve got big hopes for your business, but if you want those hopes to become…
We all are well aware of a simple fact in marketing – Acquiring new customers is five times more difficult and expensive than retaining existing ones. We also understand that customer satisfaction and loyalty are inseparable from the well-being and long term growth of the company. In other words, the success of our businesses depends on how satisfied and loyal…
Wanted: A marketing event that pays for itself, generates positive, free publicity for a business, and builds name recognition, all while supporting the local arts community. Great news – I’ve found it! Each year, Finer Frames hosts a juried art competition in the spring to build name recognition and highlight the work of many talented local artists. Fifty area artists…
Ordering my usual grande non-fat, no whip mocha at Starbucks this morning got me thinking. Starbucks has built a powerful brand selling a very familiar product, not too far removed from framers selling picture frames. If framing entrepreneurs can model themselves after one of the most successful brands in business, we could strengthen our own companies in the toughest marketplace…
How many times have we heard the most famous phrase in business “The customer is always right”? Knowing it is one thing, but believing it is much more difficult when the customer is (dare I say it?) is actually wrong. Recently, I had an unhappy customer that tested my beliefs. Fortunately this doesn’t happen often, but being properly prepared to…
