Hearts, Bunnies, and Moms: Marketing Springtime Holidays

Marketing Spring Holidays Can Be a Challenge The post-holiday sales cycle can bring both a sigh of relief and a new source of worry for small businesses. On one hand, you don’t have to create quite as much holiday specific content as you did in the months leading up to Christmas, but you may also …

Word of Mouth Still Beats All Other Marketing

Picture of Fairbanks Masters Swimming Practice

I thought I heard Coach Kristina wrong. Did she really say 21 masters swimmers had showed up to Saturday swim practice? Attendance had been down during vacation. We thought everyone was suffering from guilt. Then it happened again on Thanksgiving morning. 26 masters swimmers showed up for a holiday swim. I asked her exactly who …

LinkedIn Company Pages Available via App–FINALLY!

Picture of LinkedIn Company Page and Phone App Together

The master of professional social networking were on the right track for so long. LinkedIn differentiated itself from Facebook, Instagram, Google +, Twitter, etc. by focusing on professional development, sharing expertise, headhunting, and hiring through a carefully crafted resume-style profile page that allowed media-rich portfolios. Around 2010, LinkedIn release Company Pages for entrepreneurs to highlight …

A New Approach to Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday Picture with Pop-Up Market Info

I learned about Small Business Saturday 3 years ago when I saw someone walking around with a Shop Small canvas bag. What is Small Business Saturday? The quick history: In 2010, small businesses are hurting from an economic recession. American Express deems the first Saturday after Thanksgiving as “Small Business Saturday” and launches a campaign to …

A Successful Startup Requires All Professions

Picture Outlining Start Up Concept

*Note: Pagesculptor Studios is proud to once again sponsor Fairbanks Startup Weekend, a 54-hour focus session where participants generate new ideas, develop them into a viable business model, and present in front of a panel of judges. Coming from a tech background and an even more technologically-based marriage, owner Rachael Kvapil likes to remind people …

Do Your Products Reinforce Stereotypes?

Picture of Asphalt with 'Men' and 'Women' sprayed into the ground with opposing arrows

I don’t spend a lot of time in tourist shops. I visit one whenever I travel assuming all the rest carry a variation of products with the town/city/state/country name. The exception is Skagway, Alaska.  For the past decade, I have made an annual trip with my run team for the start of the Klondike Road …

Don’t Let Ego Ruin Good Customer Service

Picture of Touch Screen Register

I entered our local grocery store at 5pm on Friday to purchase beer for a post-work celebration. The liquor department had a number of people selecting items, but the lone cashier only had three people in line. Already knowing what I wanted, I grabbed my 4-pack quickly and made my way to the counter. There …

Planning for Startup Weekend Fairbanks Begins!

Picture from the First Meeting for Startup Weekend 2019

What business would you build in 54 hours? Alaska is a big place where people have big ideas. But until you can talk about it, and test drive your idea to learn if customers actually want it, the odds are against it becoming a success. Where do you start? Startup Weekend Fairbanks is a great place to …

Names Matter: Setting Up Expectations Without Knowing It

Man Holding New Member Card

Marketing articles often use terms like ‘customer,’ ‘client,’ ‘consumer,’ and ‘patron,’ interchangeably. For the most part it doesn’t matter, but my friend did identify one instance where it does. He was interviewing for a manager position at an athletic club when the General Manager began describing their ‘customers.’ My friend stopped her for clarification. “Are …

Recommended Book of the Week: 3/12/2018

Picture of the Book Get Over Your Damn Self by Romi Neustadt

Get Over Your Damn Self: The No-BS Blueprint to Building A Life-Changing Business by Romi Neustadt My rating: 5 of 5 stars Written for network marketers, but a lot of very useful information for all entrepreneurs. It is well-organized so that one chapter builds into the next. The last chapter is the best, but I …