How To Design Your Business Card

The truth about making money from home

In order to promote both yourself and your business to customers, a business card is one of the most important tools you can use.

A business card will ensure that you always have something handy that you can give out to people whenever the opportunity strikes. But while a business card can be a useful tool, it can also be a waste if you do not know how to make your business card effective. Not only should your business card list a name and phone number, but it also needs to inspire people to call the number!

One thing you have to remember when you hand out your business card is that the people you give your business card to will not always remember who gave it to them. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to end up with a pocket full of business cards every day! In addition to clearly stating who you are and how you can be reached, your business card should also clearly state what you do. It is especially important to make sure the card clearly states what it is you do if the name of your business does not make it clear!

Another thing you should add to your card is your logo, but you should be aware of its placement; do not allow it to take over the card! The logo should be noticeable, but it should not be the focal point; after all, the logo is an important element, but it is still only one element.

A high-quality business card will reflect well on your business, so pay a little extra money to make sure that your card looks professional. If someone is looking for a plumber, for instance, and they have nothing to go off of but a few business cards, they will choose the highest-quality, most professional-looking card.

It is not difficult to make sure your business card helps your business stand out, but it is also not difficult for your business card to detract from your business! Make sure that your card is effectively designed, and make sure that you spend a bit of extra money to have a card that looks great!

Tips For Taking Care Of Your Fountain Pen

The truth about making money from home

Owning a pen was a thing of beauty back in the day; back before the advent of ballpoint pens, fountain pens were the rule of the day, and everyone not only knew how to take care of their fountain pens, but they also had a healthy adoration and respect for the fountain pen they owned. While fountain pens are certainly not a necessity these days, there are still many people – either because they are collectors, or simply because they prefer to write with a truly grand writing instrument – who prefer to use fountain pens, and while you can get a great fountain pen for under one hundred dollars, this investment will do nothing for you if you do not know the proper way to take care of your pen.

The first thing you need to know about your fountain pen is that you should always store it upright (with the nib facing upward); if you store your pen with the nib (the writing portion) pointing down, the ink will have a tendency to coagulate – or clog – in the nib, which will make the pen rather useless.

One of the reasons many people derive great pleasure from writing with a fountain pen is that they write much more smoothly – with far less strain on the hand and arm – than does a ballpoint pen; when you write with a fountain pen, however, make sure you remember that they write more smoothly, as pressing down too hard while writing with your fountain pen will ruin the nib.

And of course, cleaning your fountain pen periodically will be important; generally speaking, you should rinse out your fountain pen after every two refills of ink – running cold water (not hot, as this can ruin the nib as well!) through the inside of the pen and allowing it to dry for a few hours before filling it with ink again.

When you take care of your fountain pen with the proper approach, you will be able to write the way people used to be able to write – with a priceless instrument that required attention and care, and that paid the user back with hours of pleasurable writing!

Managing Upset Customers

The truth about making money from home

When you run a business, one of the keys to reaching success will be making sure that you know how to manage customers who are upset, or who have a complaint about the way they have been handled by you, your employees, or your company. When an upset customer has a legitimate complaint, they can ruin a lot of business for you if they share their complaints with others, but when you are able to fix a situation with an upset customer, they will often be so impressed with the way you handled things that they will end up sending more customers your way!

Regardless of whether you feel their complaint is legitimate or not, the first thing you need to do is to acknowledge the problem; when you acknowledge that their complaint and convey that you understand the complaint, you will be on the right path to making the situation better.

Secondly, you should start taking steps to resolve the problem - but the mistake that many people make when trying to resolve a problem with a customer is that they allow the customer to dictate the terms of the resolution. Remaining helpful while keeping the power in your hands is a delicate balance, but this is an importance balance to maintain - otherwise, you may end up with a customer who is not satisfied no matter what you do.

Finally, it is important for you to recognize the fact that some customers actually will not be satisfied no matter what you do; these are the customers who tend to complain with every company they deal with, and the best way to deal with such customers is to do the best you can and then send them on their way!

Managing upset customers is not always easy, but it is one of the most important aspects of keeping your business in good shape - and when you can start to do this effectively, you will maximize the positive news that customers spread about your company.