This article was written by Dennis Kalian one of the Partners. It is an inspiring post he sent to some of his clients in his other business bears2go.com. So don’t put your head in the sand, check out and implement these tips and get your business back in gear. Feel free to post any tips you may have. 

I have spoken with dozens of our customers and have some great feedback on how many are keeping their sales flowing in these, tougher times.

Tip 1) Offer Deals - Everyone is looking for deals right now, either some packaged deals or a lower price point, either way the equation is if you offer a more aggressive package consumers are buying, if you are complaining that you have the right foot traffic but folks do not seem to be buying, most likely your price point needs to be lowered so that you can move merchandise.

Tip 2) Communication - Keep constant and open lines of communication with your staff even more so now than ever before.  Getting real time information will enable you to adjust and hit the mark with your customers.

Tip 3) Be Creative – Right now creativity can help create excitement with your employees and customers and raise their interest levels.

Tip 4) Shake it up – Do not be afraid to re-arrange your displays or move things around, put some new signs up.

Tip 5) Keep Positive -  I cannot emphasize how important this is, everyone is unsure right now and perhaps feeling a bit down, if you are positive, and energetic, those around you will feed off of it and it will help sales.

Tip 6) Keep a good amount of inventory - You cannot sell what you don’t have!  Nobody wants to buy from a shop or store that looks ravaged or empty, it’s partially psychological and part “is this store going out of business”.

Do always remember the economically rough times are always followed by better times. It’s sometimes very tough to see that good times are just around the corner, when we are navigating through choppy waters.  You want to be sure that you are positioned to take advantage of them when they do come around.

Who is the bigger hero?

We have all heard the terms:

Some days your are the hammer, and some days you are the nail.

Or, some days you are the windshield, and some days you are the bug.

Like many others out there in business, in recent months, I have felt like the bug on a windshield with a nail being driven through my insect-body by an enormous hammer. In the car this morning, these feelings, for some reason, got me thinking about the simple nature of the juxtaposition of these things: hammer and windshield vs. nail and bug.

Nowhere is the simplicity of black and white more evident and clear than it is in comic books and cartoons. My son is 3-and-a-half years old. He LOVES the Batman, Superman, and Justice League cartoons. Scarily (or maybe fortunately) enough, after having had to endure countless hours of these shows with him, I have regained an affinity for the Superheroes of my own youth. I believe that it is the formulaic nature of the shows that make them seem either engaging (to my son and I) or incredibly boring (to most normal people). There is a good guy/girl and there is a bad guy/girl. The bad guy/girl has some power that briefly puts the Superhero in a perilous position. But, ultimately, and without any real doubt, the superior powers of the hero prevail and the good guy/girl wins - every single time - walking away with nary a scratch.

While both as a child and still now I find this entertaining, even as an adolescent it struck me as unrealistic. (More than just the obvious stuff, like flying.) Something just did not resonate with me. The people that I knew were not like these Superheroes. While I recognized then as I do now that all have special talents, no one is indestructible. We all hurt, physically and emotionally. And we all win sometimes . . . but we all also lose.

That is why my favorite superhero is Wile E. Coyote.

“Wile E. Coyote?” you ask. He is not a hero, is he? Isn’t he the scrawny, scruffy-looking villain always out to get the beloved Roadrunner? And did he not always fail, usually ending up on the wrong end of a fallen boulder or strapped to an explosive rocket? The answer to these questions is, of course, “Yes.”

But to me, Wile E. Coyote represents something more, something far more identifiable than Superman or Batman ever could. He is, in many ways, like me and those that I know. He does not have any super-powers (other than an incredibly high tolerance for pain): in fact, he is driven only by the most most basic of desires: to survive. Quite simply, he is hungry, and the Roadrunner is the only meal to found on the desolate desert landscape.

What strikes me even more, though, is that he never stops and is relentless in the pursuit of his goal. Imagine always being the bug and always being the nail, but never giving up. No matter how horrific a fate he suffers, Wile E. Coyote is always back after a brief commercial break to pursue the Roadrunner with the same passion and vigor as before. He has no memory of his failures - he simply moves past them and tries again. (One might argue that he never learns from his mistakes, but that wouldn’t make the cartoon any fun to watch.) He actually believes he will catch the Roadrunner each time.

The point of these ramblings, I think, is that in order to survive these tumultuous and trying economic times, we must adopt some of the characteristics of Wile E. Coyote. We must continue to be driven, have a relatively high tolerance for emotional distress, be relentless in pursuit of our goals, never lose our passion, and, most importantly, be resilient.

In this spirit, I, along with some partners, have recently stopped asking “who moved our mortgage cheese” and acquired one of the most established and respected online contact lens Web sites, CLE Contact Lenses. So, if you happen to be in need of contact lenses at a great price, we hope that you will stop by.

Either way, happy hunting.

New Year’s has always been a time for reflecting on the past, and even more importantly, focusing on the future. With the unsteady economic conditions, 2008 was a crazy year for most. It was a year that saw great fluctuations and mood swings in buying a business and selling a business. People looking to buy businesses were all of a sudden left out in the cold because of the frozen credit markets. Business owners, who had been very happy and comfortable, at the beginning of the year, were all of a sudden, changing their tune, looking to sell fast. So now, with more people looking for change and a fresh start, there seemed to be a greater anticipation and excitement about 2009, than the past few. Below is a top ten resolutions list from about.com. Every year the list usually remains the same. The reason for this is most people don’t follow through with their resolutions. Did your resolution make the top 10? Will you follow through with it?

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends

Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.

2. Get Fit

Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better.

3. Lose Weight

Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese. So it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year’s commitment to shed extra pounds. 

4. Quit Smoking

If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids. Even if you’ve tried to quit before and failed, don’t let it get you down. On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life

5. Enjoy Life More

Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that “enjoying life more” has become a popular resolution in recent years. It’s an important step to a happier and healthier you!

6. Quit Drinking Alcohol

While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Many heavy drinkers fail to quit cold turkey but do much better when they taper gradually, or even learn to moderate their drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available.

7. Get Out of Debt

Was money a big source of stress in your life last year? Join the millions of Americans who have resolved to spend this year getting a handle on their finances. It’s a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead. 

8. Learn Something New

Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you’ll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year’s resolutions to keep.

9. Help Others

A popular, non-selfish New Year’s resolution, volunteerism can take many forms. Whether you choose to spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many nonprofit volunteer organizations that could really use your help.

10. Get Organized

On just about every New Year resolution top ten list, organization can be a very reasonable goal. Whether you want your home organized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim, or your office organized enough that you can find the stapler when you need it, these tips and resources should get you started on the way to a more organized life.

Buying a business is a process that takes a considerable amount of time.  Considering that it will not only be one of the biggest financial investments you make, but also – life changing, it is important to make sure you go about the process with a plan.

One all too common mistake is that buyers want to look at all businesses on the market.  The broken logic is that, “if I look at enough, I’ll recognize what I’m looking for when I see it.”  This is an approach that can waste a considerable amount of time and even hamper the process of successfully finding a business to purchase.  It is important to remember that buying a business can be one of the most important decisions you make in life and as such there are key steps to follow in the business search process:

Why do you want to buy a business? - Ask yourself why you want to buy a business. What types of activities do you like and what kind of lifestyle do you want to pursue? It is very important to understand that there may be more work and longer hours for an owner.  An owner can not hire or fire him or herself and must be there when others don’t show.  Be sure to take a look at how purchasing a business will impact your time with your family.

Establish financial expectations - How much money do you need to earn?  How much would you like to earn? How involved are you planning on being in the business?   Are you prepared to wear all of the hats necessary when owning a business?

Prepare a personal financial statement - Outline your assets and liabilities.   Do the same for any partners or anyone else who will be involved in purchasing this business with you.  Identify what you can use for your initial investment.  Your personal financial statement will serves as proof of your financial wherewithal, so be prepared to share this document with a bank, lender, landlord or seller’s intermediary.

Are you & your team qualified? - Sellers and lenders want to be sure that the business will continue to operate successfully.  They will certainly want to see your experience quantify if you and your team is qualified to succeed post acquisition. 

Create an outline of your acquisition criteria - Define the parameters of your search. What are the targeted industries, geographic area and transaction size you’re most comfortable with? Defining your criteria will help you avoid looking at transactions that are not right for you and will allow you to hone in on transactions that make more sense for you.

Search the web, classified ads and enlist help – Put the word out.  Let your professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, financial planner, insurance agent, business broker) know you are looking for a business. Be sure to locate and contact business intermediaries who represent businesses within your targeted market. These firms will notify you of available companies that meet your criteria and qualifications.

Many intermediaries work for the seller and are paid by the seller. That means you can enjoy their services at no cost to you.  There are also firms that specialize in representing buyers.  These firms will use their professional network(s) and years of experience to help you locate a business.  Using a firm to locate opportunities is an approach that many mid to large organizations employ because it puts the onus on them to find opportunities.  It also helps keep the emotions out of the process.  Buying and Selling a business can be a very emotional process and having a professional intermediary involved can help keep the seller and buyer’s emotions in check.

While this post wasn’t intended to go to into depth it is intended to remind those of you who may be looking to purchase a business that this needs to be a process.  A successful business person is one who takes the time to prepare.  Create your outline, define your search parameters, set realistic goals and use professional help whenever possible.  Buying a business can be a frustrating experience or one of the most life-changing, important things you do.  Make the most of it, be patient and enjoy the process.

Have you had enough yet? 

Are you now completely discouraged, disenchanted and in a full fledged panic about what 2009 will hold for you and your business? 

I’m not and neither are my partners.  Let me tell you why…..

You’re reading this so you’re obviously (I hope) still alive…

If you’re reading this then you obviously still have a roof over your head, a computer and if you have a computer, I’ll assume must’ve paid your electric bill this month. 

Let’s put all of our personal and business woes aside for a moment and remember simpler times.  You may have been 5, or 10 or 18.  You were undoubtedly more innocent than you are today, idealistic, light

hearted, and maybe even…..

truly happy 

Time ticks away.  It’ll tick just as fast if you sit in front of your computer screen watching the doom and gloom as it will if you take a few minutes to cherish your life.  So give yourself a break, turn off the news and computer screens for a day and be thankful that you’re still allowed to walk this wonderful planet.    

Oil broke $140 a barrel…

It was one of the scariest times financially that I can remember.  I think for me, in many ways worse than the crash of ’87 or the market after September 11th, 2001.  For me, even worse than seeing a storied, 150 year old institution like Lehman Brother’s, collapse over a weekend.  It was something we never imagined could happen and certainly not with the speed with which it did.  Suddenly, we were all exposed to one of our nation’s greatest weaknesses.  Our addiction to foreign oil .  That’s over.  We’re not “off the habit” but I’m hopeful that we have something we didn’t have in 2007 or even early 2008.  Resolve.  People are now committed to changing their oil habits anyway they can.  Dramatic changes to our nation’s economy will begin in 2009.  These changes will fuel a resurgence we can’t yet quantify economically.  There will be jobs created, an industry created, entrepreneurs and investors will flourish and our nation will become ever more energy independent.   

The sun is still shining in Puerto Rico, Florida, the Bahamas and even outside your house…

I was fortunate enough to visit these wonderful places over the last few years and must report that as bad as things get, there are those times we spend with our families and loved ones that bring out the best in all of us.  Spending a weekend in the sun can work a magic that can’t be explained.  The stock market and your biggest client(s) don’t seem to matter as much.  They’ll wait.  Do it.  Spend some time in the sun.  Go away, even for a day.  Or take a moment to get out and soak up some sun on your back porch, your front steps.  No matter how bad it gets – the sun is still out there and it’s still waiting to warm you up.

For the first time in many of our adult lives – people are actually spending less money than they’re making….

As part of a truly entrepreneurial family, I was exposed to businesses at a very young age.  All of our family members were in business for themselves.  We made lots of stupid mistakes over the years but being around folks that had to switch hats, get things done day and night, be responsible for their own actions – was an amazing experience.  Two of the greatest things I learned were – you buy something for one price and always sell it for more and you always spend less than you make.  These lessons seemed to have been lost by millions of our fellow American’s even one’s as “smart” as the CEO’s of GM, Chrysler and Ford . While cutting back on spending will hurt the consumer driven economy, we will all adjust and survive.  If the market can’t justify 3 U.S. automakers then maybe we’ll have one.  That one needs to sell things for more than they cost and spend less than it makes. 

This post is not meant to make light of all the economic horrors unleashed in 2008 but rather to keep them in perspective.  A positive outlook was bread in us as children.  I think in part because we grew up around business.  There’s a problem – you find a solution.  If there is no solution then you move through it, take your lumps and move on. 

In this wonderful holiday season – the folks at Ridge Partners and our affiliated companies Bears2Go, CleContactLenses.com  and Demar Dental Labs  want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Prosperous New Year !

How to create and implement a successful marketing plan for your business during these challenging and uncertain times? 

These are indeed crazy times but businesses are growing while others are dying.  How can your business be one that is moving in the right direction?

Let me answer a question with another question and go from there…. are you actively trying to grow your business right now?  If not, your business is dying! 

In our last blog post we talked about growing your business through education.  Marketing by using educational seminars is not right for every business.  One of the businesses we are involved with is Bears2Go.  This is a wholesale supplier of unstuffed plush animals, accessories and outfits.  Think Build a Bear then think about where they get all of their wonderful products and you’ll better understand what Bears2Go does for a living.  While we don’t supply Build a Bear, we do supply more than 1,000 private stores, party businesses, theme parks and family entertainment centers worldwide with their product. 

So what are we doing to grow a niche business like Bears2Go? 

A)    We started with a plan.  We’ve put together a marketing plan.  This plan is born from a basic analysis and discussion about the industry Bears2Go is in and where our customers come from.  The plan includes not only who our clients are but an out of the box discussion about where new clients might come from (i.e.: special markets like children’s hospitals, charities etc).

B)     We identify different marketing strategies:

a.       Space advertising

b.       Direct mail

c.       Telemarketing

d.       Seminars

e.       Trade shows and;

f.        Web marketing

                                                               i.  SEO

                                                              ii.  Adwords

                                                             iii.  Viral marketing

                                                             iv.  Outbound email marketing

                                                              v.  Affiliate marketing

g.       Video marketing

C)    We allocate a budget to each item that make sense and if a particular strategy does not make sense for a particular business (i.e.: seminars for Bears2Go) we assign zero dollars to that line item in the budget. 

D)    We test, test and test some more.  We quantify what our expected results are vs. what our actual results are before during and after various stages of a marketing campaign.  This is easy to do when it comes to direct mail and web advertising as you can set up special landing pages or phone numbers that let you know that a client or prospect is responding to a particular campaign.  It’s not as easy to measure results for intangible marketing strategies like seminars.

E)     We tweak & adjust.  We will fund elements of the marketing plan that work well and cut back on areas that don’t. 

F)     We keep it up.  Many businesses are committing a cardinal sin right now.  They are freezing up their marketing spend because of uncertain times.  When others are pulling back successful businesses are pushing forward. 

While there is really no secret recipe for success that can be generally applied across the board to every business, what can be said is this: a business that continues to promote, adapt and change in the face of adversity is a business that will be stronger because of it. 

Growing up we all heard the mantra from our parents and teachers…. “A good education will enable you to succeed in life.”   Unfortunately things never seem to resonate at the time they should.  Thankfully, hindsight is 20/20 and now that I’m able to look back at that mantra through the eyes of a business owner – it makes a hell of a lot more sense. 

 When my partners and I got involved in 2003 with The DocuServe Group our vision was to create an integrated litigation support organization that would enable law firms and corporate law departments to deal with one vendor when it came to manage all of their complex litigation support issues.  The vision came to life and our concept truly worked. Worked so well the NY Times took notice! Click here for NY Times Article

As I look back at what some of our core selling strengths were, one in particular stands out.  We offered for-credit CLE seminars to our clients.  What does this mean?  Professionals like attorneys, accountants and dentists need to take continuing education courses.  It is mandated for them at the state and in some case, federal level.  We figured, what better way to get the ear of a prospective client or maintain the loyalty of an existing client, than to offer them something they needed.  No strings attached.  We hosted for-credit CLE Seminars in exchange we got an audience of thankful clients and prospects.  It worked very well.

By the end of 2007 after our company, Consolidated Dental Labs made a series of acquisitions of some dental laboratories, we decided to employ a similar sales strategy.  By adding a coordinated marketing strategy that was built around offering CE (continuing education) seminars to our dentist clients we hoped that bringing them something they needed in the way of continuing education credits would - resonate and be appreciated. 

The strategy was so well received that in early 2008, with the help of a partner company, Tri-State Dental Supply, we added a fully operational operatory inside of our new facility in Mahwah, NJ.  This state of the art dental operatory is being used to offer live CE courses to dentists.  Three of the newest seminars that will be offered in early 2009 range from Atlantis Abutments to Implant Direct Implants to state of the art Ivoclar E-Max all ceramic restorations. Each of these seminars is open to our clients and prospective clients who can sign up online for Dental Seminars

Growing a business in these difficult economic times is no walk in the park.  However, it is being done.  With our decision to bring our clients and prospects in two completely different businesses real, true helpful information and continuing education credits – we have struck a chord. 

Blauvelt, NY November 11, 2008 - Convenience has always been the hallmark of retail sales. The Internet has provided one company the opportunity to enhance a ten-year tradition of eye care service to customers.

Michael Starvaggi, President of EYE CARE ASSOCIATES, LLC, which owns the CLE Contact Lenses brand (http://www.clecontactlenses.com) indicated, “No one should have to be confined to a specific sales region when it comes to the care of their window on the world – their eyes. CLE is consistently serving customers throughout the United States.”

Since 1998 CLE Contact Lenses has provided customers a low-cost solution to replacement contacts. The site further provides the following resources…
• Ask the Doctor;
• Blog;
• Chat Room;
• Deals/Coupons;
• Eye Care;
• Medical Articles;
• Newsletter.

VisionWatch recently conducted a survey of Americans who use contact lenses. They discovered 44% of all contact wearers use them on a daily basis. The total number of Americans that wear contact lenses stands at 19%. “If that sounds like a small figure,” said Starvaggi, “that equals almost 60 million Americans, which is why we have worked to make CLE Contact Lenses a premier and trusted resource for contact lens users.”

With ten years of success behind them, CLE Contact Lenses announces a management restructuring and capital infusion that is designed to further accelerate company growth.

“Bringing both medical and web-based experience to our team is Dr. Jay Stockman,” Starvaggi announced. “Dr. Stockman has received the prestigious 10 year membership award from the American Optometric Association, is a senior examiner for the National Board of examiners in Optometry, and has published numerous articles in the fields of Contact lenses, ocular pathology and general health.”

Stockman’s experience will be relied upon to advance the overall quality and performance of the CLE Contact Lenses website.

CLE Contact Lenses (http://www.clecontactlenses.com) delivers a comprehensive network of information and competitively priced optical products since 1998.

For additional information, contact:

Michael Starvaggi
CLE Contact Lenses
Telephone: 1-877-536-7373
Fax: 1-845-398-6655
Email: president1@clecontactlenses.com
Web site: http://www.clecontactlenses.com

Eye Care Associates, LLC. is an affiliate of one of the largest New York eye care practices with over 20 years of experience. CLE Contact Lenses is the online presence of ECA. A team of eye care professionals, Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, and Opticians supervise the company to best service the needs and questions of consumers. CLE Contact Lenses remains a trusted source for contact lenses and eye care information.

The Ridge Partners Blog has come to life!!!

On another note:

Clecontactlenses.com has released its new look website. For over 10 years, www.clecontaclenses.com has serviced more than 50,000 customers contact lens and eye care product needs. For more information visit Clecontactlenses.com.