Don’t Go Unnoticed!

I have always been big into branding, not surprising since our company offers branding solutions, but branding means different things to different people. There is the splashy branding of a car wrap or the subdued branding of a simple website url on your car. Branding your vehicle or should I say not branding your vehicle may be a huge mistake. Many people don’t like to brand their vehicles because it is hard to see the return on investment. It’s like having your name on your T-shirt, did anyone notice? I didn’t go for the big splash with my vehicle, but I made sure the colours are striking. My illustration business uses black, light blue, and white as the three colours for the company. They may be used in any combination depending on background but must appear together on any coloured promotional material. When I bought my car I bought a black car, tinted the windows and then created a highlighted strip on either side in cyan blue. Our logo sits above that with our website in the same colour on the back of the car and thats it. I wanted it to be clean, but noticeable. I have many colleagues that have their cars covered with a car wrap and that also is effective, the only problem with that is if you change products or services you may have to change the wrap on your car. Think about it, we all like to look at nice looking cars and people do notice, whether it turns into business or not I don’t know but I get many comments from people on my vehicle and it isn’t anything special, but it looks good and draws in the looks. Branding is important, don’t let good marketing opportunities go to waste, we all get stuck in traffic at one point or another. Claibersblack

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is an entrepreneur and business consultant. Bruce is the author if several business and leadership books, for more information visit his website at www.outridge.ca

Entrepreneurship is Like a Road Trip

There is nothing like a good road trip to get you out of your normal routine and give time to reflect on life, the sights, and your passengers. My wife and I love a road trip and sometimes our vacations become like trucking. We have just arrived at places and we have that urge to set out again. To people that don’t like to travel it can be dazzling. On a recent day trip I was thinking how much the road trip is about the trip itself and not the destination, sure you need a destination, but many times you get there and are bored and want to go again. A few years ago we went to California stopping to experience cities along the way, we were four days in California and twelve days on the road and had a blast. Maybe it is my trucking background but I often enjoy the time on the road, the destination is often just an excuse to go. Every trip however had a destination in mind even if the trip was the highlight. Plein-Air-Artist

Entrepreneurship is much like that, we all have that destination of success whether it be money, time, or other success goals. If you don’t enjoy the trip however you may not enjoy or even get to the destination. The goal of success is so far away for most entrepreneurs that if you aren’t enjoying the journey you won’t have enough determination to see it through the tough times. Just like a road trip the car could break down or a tire goes flat, that usually won’t ruin the whole trip if you are enjoying it. If you hate the trip and break down three times you may never travel again.

We all want the destination of success, and if you talk with many people who have reached it you may also find that the road to getting their was much more fun. Success brings a different set of problems with it. The road trip helps you read the map, adjust the course, find new towns, meet new people, and see new sights. Entrepreneurship helps you plan for success, adjust your lifestyle, find new opportunities, meet new people, and set new goals. It sounds just like a road trip to me. Like any trip you wouldn’t venture 2000 miles away without reading a map, in business do your homework, know which way you are heading, and you will reach that destination. Get started on your road trip and see what success it brings you, enjoy!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant and author of the books Running By The Mile, Driven to Drive, and How to Start an Artistic Business in 12 Easy Steps. To purchase books or learn more about Bruce please visit his website at www.outridge.ca

Facebook for Transportation

Have you thought of using Facebook to communicate with your team of drivers and help improve company morale. Bruce Outridge shows you how to do just that in this video on Facebook for Transportation.