Best Branded Promotional Items

When companies and government organizations discover that they have a need for services, they know that they’ll be inundated with responses. To make sense of those responses, they will use an RFP (request for proposal). An RFP details how a service provider will approach the project, the timeline for completion, and the cost to complete the project. The RFP is like submitting a resume to get a job. It’s the first step in landing a large client. Read on to learn about the RFP process and how you can win a big contract. The RFP Process. There are two sides to the RFP process. There’s the side of the company creating and sending out the RFP and there are the firms that are responding to the RFP. Each has a different process to approach RFPs. Companies that create the RFP have to take the time to discover what their needs are. RFPs are usually reserved for large, complex projects. That means that there will be a lot of stakeholders involved in the decision of who to award the contra...

There’s no other way to say it: David Mimran has an impressive CV. To the disinterested observer with no prior knowledge of Mimran’s activities, in fact, it might resemble two or three CVs strung together, minus the additional individuals. And, yet, Mimran persists. The serial entrepreneur and many-hat-wearing executive is nowhere near retirement age, and despite his considerable success, he shows no signs of slowing down. Mimran credits his work ethic and team-building skills for his success, but of course there’s more to the story. We were fortunate enough to catch up with him and ask what he’s up to now, what his near-term plans include, and what he’d tell mere mortals eager to learn from the best. One of your companies, Mimran Natural Resources, is making a big bet on the future of African agriculture. Explain how. For the most part, African farmers currently import fertilizer at great cost, putting them at a competitive disadvantage to farmers in Latin America and Asia. And...

by Alex Shultz of Sure Oak To succeed in business, you have to market your business. But did you know that marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive? In this digital age, you no longer need a team of experts and piles of cash to get your message out there. With the right mindset — and a little creativity — you can get more eyes on your company than ever. While many business owners know this, they often make some bonehead marketing mistakes — mistakes they could have easily avoided. It’s true that nobody is perfect; and it’s doubly true that we all make mistakes. That being said, you should do what you can to avoid these major marketing pitfalls.  These are the top three marketing mistakes you need to avoid in 2020. 1. Neglecting Mobile Users. This is one of those mistakes that you might not even know you’re making. Everyone knows that mobile use is rising to unprecedented levels. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance you’re reading this very article on your pho...

Understanding how to motivate your staff is an essential focus of any human resources manager.  You may have worked hard to hire the best talent in the field, but now you are tasked with keeping them at the company and getting the most from them. Obviously, money and benefits packages are one of the ways to motivate staff.  A survey of professionals ranked this highest of all other factors.  However, peer motivation also ranked more highly than you would maybe imagine.  People love encouragement and recognition. So, if pay and benefits are only a small proportion of what motivates the best talent, what else can you do as an HR manager to increase engagement and commitment? Improve the working environment. Your talent will spend as much time awake in your workplace as they will in their home.  Consequently, the environment needs to be pleasant.  If you expect your employees to work in drab and uninspiring conditions all day, then you are going to impac...

No matter what stage you are at in your working life, once you are financially stable, you will most probably be looking for investment opportunities so that you can start building assets that will offer a tidy return for you to enjoy in your later years. There is, of course, your state pension, and any private pensions you may pay into, which are the most common form of investment. Although they are not labelled as such, what you are doing is putting away money now, and investing it for your future self to enjoy. Then there is the undeniable allure of investing in properties. The UK property market continues to grow year after year, making it a wise investment asset that is highly unlikely to depreciate over the coming years, or even decades. With the very different invest routes to go down, how do you decide which one is the right option for you? To help you decide, here are some key points to consider from successful investor and entrepreneur Phillip Nunn . Asset Performance. T...

by Joseph McCormack, author of “ Noise: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus “ Remember when we thought “more” was better? In a more innocent time, leaders really believed the more information people had, the smarter they’d be, the better decisions they’d make, and the greater success they’d have. Now we know how wrong we were: Nonstop e-mails, endless meetings, and 24-7 connectedness are crippling employees’ ability to think, focus, solve problems, and do the deep work a company needs to stay competitive. And here’s the real question: What are we going to do about it? Too often, the answer is “nothing”. Too many companies let what he calls “noise” squander our most valuable resource: our employees’ time and attention. It’s ironic that we’ll go to great lengths to protect our intellectual property and physical property, but don’t think twice about allowing a deluge of digital disruptions erode our employees’ ability to perform. Employees are so distracted and inundated with so ...

Israeli startups have gained international recognition as cutting-edge enterprises with game-changing potential. While Silicon Valley remains a hub of technological innovation, it is not the only hi-tech enclave where big ideas are brought to the fore in the commercial arena. As the world’s second largest start-up nation, Israel has witnessed unprecedented success in this sphere. This pint-sized Middle Eastern country certainly packs a punch in more ways than one, with a smorgasbord of highly-successful start-ups in recent years. Israel is the go-to destination for big ideas, and Israeli start-ups are making tremendous strides in this direction. There are scores of promising Israeli start-ups on the horizon, and these 5 are leading the way in terms of innovation, dynamism and outsized potential: 1. Drivenets. Drivenets is an exciting new Israeli start-up with an ambitious mission: ‘… To build the network of the future. ’ This start-up is headed by industry-leading professionals inc...

For many people, an investment will mean buying shares in the stock market. However, investments cover everything from shares, bonds, gilts and property through to vintage cars, wine and art. There are of course risks associated with investing in anything, but some investments are seen as a lot riskier than others. An investment portfolio will help your money work harder for you and is often designed to spread this risk (although it should be noted, it is not without risk).  In this guide we’re going to look at how to build an investment portfolio in order to maximise returns on your hard earned savings. What is an Investment? An investment is clearly very different to putting aside money in a bank or building society account. Essentially, it is a gamble with the risk of losing money; potentially a lot of money. When you invest, you trade off the security of a guaranteed smaller return on a savings account for the chance of far greater returns from investments.  There is,...

According to Inc. Magazine’s “The Most Valuable Company in America,” more than 10 million small companies are likely to be sold in the next 5 to 10 years. Because of this development, many business owners are concerned about business valuation and ideas for transitioning their businesses. There are a number of trusted methods on how to value a private company , describing some of the common business valuation principles. For many, your business is your baby. You’ve nurtured it for years and you’d want maximum returns on your investment when it comes to selling it. But selling a business can be a major setback for entrepreneurs. Besides the complexity of the process and the emotions involved, you have to focus on the key areas which are critical to building intrinsic value, which is easier said than done. Here are 5 strategies to improve your business value: 1. Focus on Increasing Cash Flow. Cash flows are the number one factor that investors look at to justify the valuation pla...

For anyone who is thinking of starting a new business, entering a niche market makes a lot of sense. While some may think that offering a product or service that has as wide a potential take-up as possible is the best way to go, in fact doing this has many pitfalls. The mainstream markets are typically over-saturated and it’s a lot harder to get noticed or to offer something that isn’t already available. Generally, a new company can’t undercut the established players in terms of pricing or get wider distribution, but a new idea gives you an advantage that money can’t buy. Niche markets are a way to avoid competing with the many bigger legacy firms that have far greater resources than you do, not to mention an established customer base. If your idea connects, you’ll find an underserved or ignored customer pool who will be fiercely loyal to your brand as it is offering something previously unavailable. Finding the right niche, and finding the community that this niche serves, is the wa...

One of the best ways to improve your bottom line is to keep costs in the supply chain under control. Fortunately, there are some fairly simple measures you can take to achieve this. However, before you focus on reducing costs, you need to know which areas to focus on, as the right adjustments in the right places would potentially lead to higher returns in the right areas. What follows is an overview of the best ways to cut supply chain costs and increase your profits. Utilize Storage Space Better. If you make the most of the available space, you will save money at the end of the day. As you know, storing supplies and products in your warehouse is expensive. But with a spacious and smart garage door in your property available to use, you can cut significant costs.  Experts at A1Garage advise that storage security and easy access should be high on the list of your priorities. They add that companies should also “evaluate whether or not they make the most of the space available...

VoIP (‘Voice over Internet Protocol’) has become a major player for a lot of companies. And we understand that plenty of businesses favour internet telephony over analogue lines, because it has many benefits. Are you curious to find out what VoIP is, how it works and what the possible benefits for your company are? Then read on and find out.  What is VoIP? VoIP makes it possible to call without using a landline or mobile network. You use one uniform method for telephone traffic – and other unified communication services – via the internet. VoIP makes use of the existing internet and therefore doesn’t need its own infrastructure. And because VoIP uses the same UTP cables or WiFi connection as your computer, laptop or printer, you can say goodbye to a NT1 box, ISRA point or ISDN cables. And that provides financial advantages and many other benefits. How VoIP works. VoIP technology transports speech through packet-switched protocols, instead of the old fashioned use of electroma...

Applying for loans can take a lot of time. If you are denied for the loan after application, you just wasted your valuable time and being rejected is frustrating too. Luckily, there are a few tricks to know beforehand if you will be accepted or not. One way is using a loans eligibility calculator . With a few simple steps, you will know if your request for a loan has a high chance to succeed. Fill out the calculator with the preferred loan amount and duration. Furthermore, you have to put in some personal information, income, and the reason for the loan. Press the calculate button, and you will have your answer. Of course, this is a generalized test and will not give a 100% guaranteed acceptance from a particular lender, but you already have a strong indicator if your request seems eligible or not. To be sure about acceptance, check the requirements of the lender you are aiming for. If you fulfil all the requirements, you are almost certain to be accepted by the lender. Typical requ...

Have you ever heard the word PEO and thought, what is that? Well, you are not alone, but PEOs is something you should pay attention to if you own a small or medium-sized business. What is a PEO? PEO stands for Professional Employer Organization, and PEO companies work with smaller businesses to help them in managing payroll-related taxes, human resources, and other employer-related administrative functions that are needed to run a business. PEO is a subcontracting firm that provides services such as human resource consulting safety and risk mitigation services, workforce management technology, training, and development. Here are item’s that a professional employer organization will help your business with: Payroll. PEOs help administrators organizing payroll payments for full and part-time employees, both salaried and hourly, vendors, and contractors. They can help with setting up automatic deposits and payroll administration. Benefits. A PEO company can help with benefit admin...

Advertising your business through social media is a necessary task today. Most people find social media to be useful and engaging. This is why in recent time most of the biggest companies in the industry advertise their products and service wisely on Facebook and Instagram. If you are interested to know more about advertisement tips on Instagram and Facebook and how the processes on these sites work, here is everything for you. Focus on Making Your Advertisement Appealing. If you ad is appealing enough, has all the right aesthetics and engages your potential customers, half the battle of the market is won. Your ad needs to be short crisp and clear so that your target audience feels that your ad can be trusted. If you ad is transparent enough, your potential customers will understand the advantages of using your products and services. Thus your ad needs to interesting and clever. Some companies go the extra mile and buy real Instagram likes on their posts and videos. These ads the...

by Dan Lauer , founding executive director of UMSL Accelerate Change is unavoidable in business. When Netflix began streaming media directly to customers in 2007, it changed the face of home entertainment. When Uber coordinated its first ride in San Francisco in 2010, it changed the transportation game. Change is constant, and one of the biggest change-drivers facing business leaders at the moment is sustainability. In December 2019, Amnesty International released a survey detailing how  climate change is the biggest concern  for young people. Consumers want to patronize businesses that engage in more sustainable practices, and they’re putting their money where their mouths are by  buying more products that prioritize sustainability . You have a few options as a business leader: You can become a sustainability leader. You can follow others as they inevitability innovate ahead of you. Or you can be left in the dust. How to Drive Sustainability. If adopting more env...