3 Certain Ways to Boost Your Small Business

Running a business has its ups and downs, and that is something which any business owner is aware of. Part of the challenge to being a business owner is learning how to go with the flow in that sense. You have to learn how to make the most of the highs, and how to get yourself out of the lows. After all, that is all you can do. You cannot just avoid your business having any periods of poor performance. But you can learn how to get out of that as quickly as possible. If your business is currently experiencing something of a slump, then this post might be beneficial to you. We are going to look at some of the most effective ways you can boost your business. These are all tactics which take hardly any time at all, and yet provide immediate boons to your company. Read on to find out what they are.

Re-Engage With Your Customers

Often, business experiences a slump in sales because of a lack of interaction with its customers. If your business is going through this particular problem, then there is a solution. What you need to do is to try and re-engage with your customer as fully as possible. By far the quickest and easiest way to do this is through the use of social media. Social media offers you a fantastic platform for interacting with customers. What’s more, it’s completely free. This is a way of boosting your business without even having to spend a penny. What’s more, it keeps you on trend and on top of the game.

Why Collect Vintage Watches

Before I state the reasons why you should consider collecting vintage watches first one must define a vintage watch. There is no definite cut off date as to what makes a watch vintage or contemporary but many vintage watch collectors would consider watches that pre-date the quartz revolution as being vintage. They are also usually made with a mechanical movement of a mainspring wheel.

There are a number of advantages to collecting vintage watches over the modern replicas or contemporary watches today.

Firstly vintage watches make quality investments. They will tend to appreciate in value over time rather then depreciate so long as you look after them and keep them in good condition. This gives them greater collectible value as you can buy a vintage watch for a bargain today and sell it for a profit in a few years time. Like a modern car modern watches will depreciate in value fast. They have also not withstood the test of time like a vintage watch.

There are also aesthetic and nostalgic reasons to collecting vintage watches. These mechanical devices were intricately crafted through beautiful craftsmanship. They reflect an era gone by or a lost art. There are also many styles to choose from which make them diverse and interesting.

While there have been improvements to watches over the years such as their accuracy and their metal content, titanium watches being the most durable, the essence of how a movement is designed, made and adjusted has remained relatively the same. The major differences between vintage and contemporary mechanical watches are with design and style but even the design and style of many watches today are recreations of classic designs.

Buying Vintage Watches 

When purchasing a vintage watch you need to be aware that there are fake vintage watches out there and that some sellers scam people by selling something which is not authentic and stating it as original.

If your buying online such as from an auction site like eBay you should only buy if the seller can show photos, preferably detailed photos of the watch so you can inspect them carefully and compare them with the same watches on the official website of the watch brand in question. Also check out the sellers feedback. A seller who sells genuine vintage watches is unlikely to have negative feedback about the authenticity of the watch.

Ask the seller for the serial number of the watch in question as all authentic vintage watches come with serial numbers. If they cannot provide them then move on to a different seller as it is possibly a fake.

Vintage watches are pre-owned or worn. If a seller tells you that the watch is brand new or it looks brand new its unlikely to be a vintage watch and more likely a modern replica.

If you learn a bit about vintage watches and their value it should be easier for you to spot a bargain and you may even make a nice profit should you choose to resell it at a later date.

6 Things Every Small Business Must Bring to a Trade Show

Preparing for your first trade show can be intimidating, but if everything goes right trade shows can be highly beneficial for company growth. On the other hand, if you’re poorly prepared and show up with nothing special to offer, you might wind up going home disappointed by the fact that the neighboring booths stole the show while you sat there and watched everybody pass by. There are certain things that people just expect to see when they visit a professional booth, and if your stand is lacking any of those components, it’s going to be difficult to compete. With that said, here are five things every small business should bring to a trade show:

Attractive Displays and Signage

Nothing catches the eye better than a massive flat screen or a projector that takes up an entire wall. The more displays and signage you have, the better; you can’t really overdo this aspect. Pop up trade show displays are highly effective at capturing the attention of passersby and are therefore essential pieces of equipment to bring along if you’re looking to stand out from the crowd. Some great examples of professional displays can be found at H3 Graphics.

A practical Guide to Retirement Planning for Small Business Owners

You have put your heart, soul and most of your money into your startup, and nothing you envision could make you walk away from its success. But, no matter how much you love your company, no matter how passionate you are about your products or services; there will come a time when the prospect of retirement begins to look really attractive. Unlike your employees, you may not have given much thought to retirement planning. In fact, a recent survey showed that as many as 70% of self-employed individuals aren’t adequately saving for retirement, and 28% have no retirement plan at all. No matter how lucrative your company becomes, it’s on you to come up with a retirement nest-egg for yourself as a hedge against an unknown economic future.

Retirement Plans for Business Owners

Unless you have fewer than five employees, you should have set up some sort of retirement fund that they can buy into (there are tax advantages for your business, and it will help you attract and retain a better caliber of workers), which you can also benefit from as an employee of your business who’s drawing a salary. If you’re a self-employed service provider, and you’re the only employee of your business, there are still quite a few options for building a retirement fund. Here are a few of the better ones.