Here are some management tips that I thought would be useful somehow in the world of business.

There are a lot of them but to be a great manager I believe that you need at least some or all to make your team the best that they can be. It all starts from the top and I wholeheartedly believe if you are not a manager you will become one with these nifty ideas!

Do your job  - Sounds easy enough doesn’t it?

If you do your job and I mean do it well everyone will respect you and follow your lead. Who wants to follow someone whom is totally lame at their job. No one. Do your job at the best of your ability and everyone will respect you for it. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

Be real with people- To be real with people means you need to show the human side of yourself, not the cyborg side. Be open and honest and just be yourself. So many people believe to get ahead in business or life in general you have to be cold and heartless and step on everyone to get to where you need to be. Nope, that is not true. At the end of a long day would you rather feel good that you made a difference and made folks smile? Or feel terrible that you yelled and made a conniption over something silly? I would always choose the first one.

Lead by example- I remember an old boss that i use to have and i will always remember him very fondly. He was the kinda guy that led by example. He was always on time, caring always light hearted and was always concerned about folks and how they were doing. He was the best boss that i ever had. A lot of people felt the same way. He cared more about the people than the business but at the end of the day who helps you run your business… The people who work for you.

Acknowledge the positive- Take time to tell everyone that they are doing a good job. Do not look over little accomplishments. they are indeed still accomplishments after all. let your peers know how neat of a job they are doing for a little extra boost in their confidence! Everyone loves to hear that their efforts are not overlooked. Even you!

Take Responsibility- If you do something wrong call yourself out on it first. Just because you are the boss doesn’t mean that you can’t make mistakes!! People like people who can admit when they were wrong. Not many can do that these days. It takes a big person to actually admit that they said or done something out of line. Don’t you hate it when someone is wrong and everyone knows it and nobody says HEY NOW!!

Be tolerant- if someone messes up and they feel bad for it, don’t yell at them! That’s just mean. There are other ways to resolve problems than going crazy mad. Other alternative methods to the madness of disagreements. A conversation. Hmm?

Be self aware- Everyone is watching you!! Especially if you are the boss or trying to be the boss. They will pick you apart! “they’re just standing there?” Always be conscious of every little thing you do. People hold bosses to a higher caliber for some reason. Just know you’re on candid camera. Help as much as possible and be a team player.

Alrighty then that just about sums it up on the tips. I’ll be back next time with some more ideas about some topics!! Take care.

Anissa- intern

In the dictionary is says that process of promoting is the act or process of making a product, cause, or organization more widely known or more successful. Activities have a lot to do with promotions. You need to take action to get the customers in the door, After all its your business! Taking action in the business world means you need to take advantage of everything.

Lets use this as an example. Everyone likes hot dogs! How about selling some cheap hot dogs for a quarter, or popcorn or something like that in front of your business as like a special thing for the customers! When they walk into your store you can do a special buy one get one free or something like that. Everyone loves a sale especially if they think they are getting something for nothing. As business folks you know as well as I do things are overpriced just for this reason. Lets take a look at the mall and everywhere you see “50% OFF! Buy 1 get one FREE!” everywhere. (You know you stop and look lol.) All i am saying is people flock to sales and food. Knowing this could help you think differently about some things! When in doubt follow your gut… no pun intended! .

Anissa- intern

Networking in the dictionary states that it is the practice of gathering of contacts: the process or practice of building up or maintaining informal relationships, especially with people whose friendship could bring advantages such as job or business opportunities

You can never have enough contacts of any kind. You will never know if that (particular person you ignored the whole meeting) might be someone of great importance in the future.

Networking helps get the customers that maybe wouldn’t know about your business by getting in touch in other areas like the computer. There are so many free networking sites available that can get you out there and on the public’s mind. Facebook is a great tool to get your name and what you offer out there. All you need to do is make a page and ask for friends!!! Its that easy!!
You don’t have to use the computer for this though. If you are a people person, you can go to meetings in your area and hand out business cards and tell them if they ever need anything you will be there. E mails are helpful also.

Remember passion is what drives the successful to succeed.

Anissa- intern

My experience has been great so far! Brushfire Design is a wonderful place to intern. My first day i was a little nervous; but everyone put me at ease right away. I am very excited to intern here and i believe it was a good choice. I am learning a lot about different things and my time here flies by. I have noticed that their clients/hosts mean a lot to them; and that is a very good thing! Advertising has always interested me and it is neat to see how you can get your product out in all different kinds of ways! For a TV/Radio Broadcast student like me, it’s pretty cool.

Anissa

We design a lot of logos for companies, churches, and other organizations. It never ceases to amazes us how varied the definition of logo is to people. The biggest faux pas are using clipart, cluttering the design,  and confusing images. Below is an a few thoughts on making a logo that really stands out.

Historically, logos have been more of a luxury than a necessity. Businesses once attracted customers because they were the only game in town, so to speak. But that’s no longer the case. Today’s highly competitive industries, global markets and visually oriented consumers have catapulted the logo to prominence. Now your logo is one of the most critical components of your brand. So how can something so little make such a big difference to the success of your business?

1. Your branding efforts not only start with your logo but are dictated by it. Your logo appears on all your sales tools, from your business cards and stationary to your website. As a result, your logo design influences the design of all your sales tools–for better or worse. A professional-looking logo can be leveraged to create professional-looking materials. A poorly designed logo can’t. In other words, you need a “brandable” logo–one you can make use of when designing other materials to brand your company.

Brandable logos are scalable, memorable and meaningful. If people can’t remember what your logo looks like, they won’t remember your brand. Think of the logos of some of the popular brands today. Do you think of M-shaped arches, a shell or a swoosh? All are simple concepts, effectively employed by McDonalds, Shell and Nike. How can you tell if a logo’s going to be memorable? If you can’t look at a logo for fewer than 10 seconds and re-draw it with decent accuracy, it’s probably too complex to be easily remembered. (Besides being difficult to remember, most complex logos can’t effectively be reduced in size or rendered in black and white, making them useless for such elements as fax cover sheets and other business forms.)

2. Your logo is a quick visual cue that conveys the essence of your brand in an age when image is everything and time is short. Perhaps you’ve heard the writer’s lament that “nobody reads anymore.” In today’s markets, not only do you face ever-increasing competition, you also face an audience accustomed to visually stimulating media, convenience and instant gratification. Sure, a few people may read your entire ad, more may read some of it–but everyone will SEE it. The overwhelming amount of choices faced by time-crunched consumers forces them to identify shortcuts. Your logo is such a shortcut: it instantly conveys your brand message and emotional appeal.

3. Awareness and familiarity are keys to growing your business, and your logo is instrumental in both areas. Your logo is your brand’s most basic graphic element. It ties together all your sales materials–in fact, your logo may be the only visual element your materials have in common. The right logo helps solidify customer loyalty while differentiating you from the competition.

4. Your logo may be the only thing by which a potential customer can judge your business. Think of small newspaper or Yellow Pages ads. Often all that fits in these small spaces is your contact information and your logo. If your logo projects the right image, it may be the sole reason someone decides to try your company. Conversely, if it looks unprofessional or unclear, it alone may be the reason they choose to look somewhere else.

5. Your logo affords a unique opportunity for you to look like a bigger (that is, more established) business than what you are. With the right logo, you can look like a larger company that’s been around for awhile even if you have only one employee and just opened your doors last month. People who see it will associate the positive attributes of big companies–like security and financial stability–with your company. And you can still deliver the entrepreneurial qualities–like personal attention and superior customer service–that you’re known for.

Building a solid brand identity is pivotal to success in business today. Lay the right foundation with a professional, brandable logo.