Laugh Out Loud!

I wanted to post a follow-up on my last blog to talk about another fabulous humor card line we sell at Collage Greetings.

If you haven’t already, you must immediately check out F.S. Press.

F.S. Press offers greeting cards in the form of vintage black & white photos with scathingly witty commentary. Her cards have been flying off the shelves. They’re the type of cards where each one is funnier than the last. You inevitably end up with a stack of cards, try to choose among them, and then end up buying ‘em all because you know everyone will love them. Carla Cain is the genius behind F.S. Press and her card line has been nominated for the prestigious Louie Award (the Oscar of the greeting card industry). It’s easy to see why. Even though I practically know her cards by memory, I can always count on her to give me a good belly-laugh in the middle of an otherwise crazy day.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

I know that everyone says laughter is the best medicine, but I have to tell you, some of the cards Collage Greetings is debuting will totally leave you in stitches.

We’re so excited about our latest card line, Greetings from Uranus, and the amazing talent they’re bringing to the humorous card segment. And the timing couldn’t be better. Despite the slow economy, humorous cards are flying off the shelves with people looking for a reason so share some laughter and fun.

I’m the first to admit that I’m a sucker for any genre of greeting card, but humorous cards hold a special place in my heart. The best and funniest cards inevitably get passed around at parties; and people coming into my store will stand around for an hour or more poring over funny cards to find the right one…or two…or six.

At Collage, we’re lucky to work with some amazing talent to offer a fantastic selection of humorous cards. I’ll blog about some of our other talent in upcoming blogs, but I wanted to use this week to welcome Greetings from Uranus to the Collage family! You can check out their cards here.

What genres of greeting cards do you love? What do you love about ‘em?

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business

If you’re anything like me your New Year’s resolution probably reads something like this: get in shape, grow my business, and take a VACATION. And if you’re anything like 99% of Americans, you will probably make it about two weeks before falling off the wagon and right back into old habits.

I agree with the experts who say that the problem with New Year’s resolutions is that we take the step of articulating WHAT we want to accomplish but fail to address HOW we intend to accomplish it. It’s like the saying goes “if you’re not planning to succeed you’re planning to fail.” And it makes perfect sense, really. I mean when you were starting your business you forced yourself to put a plan into action to make it a reality, right?

So this year, I am taking a little longer than usual to put together my resolutions. I’m creating first quarter goals, for myself and my business, and mapping out how I can accomplish them. Then I’m going to make time to evaluate what works, what doesn’t, and why, so that I can develop second quarter goals based on what I learn. I know some things will take more than one quarter, but by taking stock on a regular basis I’ll be more prepared for whatever comes my way. With respect to business, I think this will make me more prepared to take calculated risks rather than drifting along trying to ride out the stormy economy. I’m bracing myself for the work that lies ahead and getting back to the basics by building a plan that will make this year even better than the last. Enough about me, what are your resolutions this year?

How are you planning on making this year better than ‘08?

Making 2009 Magnificent

I know that many small business retailers are feeling like this holiday season amounted to a big lump of coal in their stocking. But I’m trying to take heart by reminding myself that a little coal and a lot of pressure are how diamonds are formed.

As we head into the New Year now might be a good time to take stock of how your business is doing. Try to take a big picture view of where your business has succeeded and what things you can work on improving. The economic downturn contributed to issues that were beyond our control, so focus on your “circle of influence”. Capitalize on your company’s successes and identify areas where you can make changes to improve your business model. That could include your inventory, merchandising, customer service, or any number of areas. Although it requires a lot of time and energy to look inward and make those changes, exerting the right amount of pressure can create the right environment for turning your business into a gem.