What Coca-Cola’s Logo Teaches Us About Branding

by Catherine R, January 31st with 0 comments

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized brands on the planet—surveys consistently find that around 94% of the world’s population recognizes the red-and-white logo. More than one billion bottles of Coke are sold every day, and people claim to prefer the drink over its main competitor, Pepsi. Why the everlasting popularity? While sound business practices and global reach certainly have huge impact, Coca-Cola has one huge advantage its competition does not: logo longevity.

Does Your Signage Do More Harm Than Good?

by Catherine R, January 29th with 1 comments

Signage has several purposes. It provides information, gives direction and promotes businesses. When your signage is well-designed, properly installed and in good condition it is an asset to your business. But when those elements aren’t in place, your signage can do more harm than good.

Three Shopping Resolutions For the New Year

by Catherine R, January 3rd with 0 comments

It’s that time of year again… time to declare resolutions that I know I won’t keep for more than a week. But today, instead of sharing with you all my big plans to lose weight, learn Mandarin Chinese and stop texting at the dinner table, I’m going to share a few shopping resolutions. Ones that I will do my best to keep… at least until May.

7 Ways to Give Your Business a Fresh New Look

by Catherine R, January 2nd with 0 comments

At the beginning of a brand new year, we’re often compelled to think about fresh starts. A brand new list of resolutions is stuck to our fridges (which we’ve cleaned out and filled with healthy vegetables). We’ve put away our holiday decorations and cleaned out the closets at the same time. And the truly dedicated have frozen the credit cards in blocks of ice (or cut them up) in resolve to clear out the debt and make a fresh start financially.

Your business could use a fresh start this month, too. And often a fresh start begins with a fresh new look. Here are a 7 ways to freshen up your business without spending tons of money.

The Signs of Christmas

by Catherine R, December 17th with 0 comments

There was once a time when I would go shopping during the holidays and just… shop. I’d enjoy the music, the lights, the festive atmosphere. And then I was hired at Signs.com. To write about… signage. A lot. So now everywhere I go, I see signage. Turns out, those darn signs are everywhere. And you know what? Once you notice them, you can see how cool they are. So today, I thought I’d share a recent shopping trip with you, so that you can see the signs for yourself… the signs of Christmas.

Tiny Java and the Challenges of Entrepreneurship

by Catherine R, November 29th with 3 comments

This week the articles on the Signs.com blog have been all about home-based entrepreneurship. Brad Manuel’s guest article on Monday told us about Nothing Knew, the business he started from his home in order to keep track of his three busy teenagers. On Tuesday, our copywriter Catherine interviewed the owner of Pear Tree Preschool. Libby Monson’s in-home business allows her to spend the day with her four-year-old and be finished with work in time to care for her two school-aged boys. On Wednesday, Catherine shared seven of the traits she’s seen time and again while interviewing successful small business owners.

How to Avoid Mutiny This Holiday Weekend

by Catherine R, November 20th with 0 comments

Ever heard of the Mutiny on the Bounty? Sailors on the HS Bounty were tired of swabbing the decks and working long hours on a boring ship. So they mutinied, burned the ship and set up housekeeping in nearby Tahiti.

We’re not talking here about mutiny on the high seas— we’re talking about mutinous store employees. And the stakes are much higher. Black Friday weekend is a billion dollar business for the retail industry; store owners eagerly await the hordes of shoppers and large sales numbers that will bring the year’s profits higher. But while owners love these four biggest shopping days of the year, employees dread Black Friday weekend.

Here Come The Holidays: 3 Tips to a Successful Season

by Daniel R, November 19th with 2 comments

The Holidays are Here

Walk into any Walmart at 11:59 pm on October 31st and what do you see? Pallets of Christmas products, decorations and other assorted holiday items. Employees hover around like a pack of ravenous wolves waiting for the OK to pounce. The clock strikes midnight and the walkie-talkies light up like a trucker convention. The holiday season has arrived. Let the madness begin.

Top 10 Signs You Didn’t Shop Local

by Catherine R, November 16th with 2 comments

Buying local on Black Friday weekend is a good idea for so many reasons: you’re helping local businesses, more of your money is staying in the community and you can find unique, distinctive gifts that will wow your family and friends. But sometimes, the call of those Big Box stores is just too tempting, and you succumb to Black Friday madness. Here are the top 10 signs that you didn’t shop local.

Are You Ready for Cyber Monday?

by Catherine R, November 14th with 0 comments

Small local businesses have a lot to offer the holiday shopper over Black Friday weekend. You can draw in local customers with your unique, one-of-a-kind merchandise, your stellar customer service, your quality products and the fact that you’re giving so much more to your local community than those big box stores.

But what about Cyber Monday? OK, so you’re not Amazon. You don’t have huge warehouses full to the brim with discounted merchandise. But that doesn’t mean you can’t capitalize on the madness of Cyber Monday. Last year, billions of dollars in sales were generated on this day. Grab some of those sales for your business!