Published: Feb 24, 2009by Anita CampbellIn Marketing Tips43
Remember back in December of 2008, we asked you for your most outrageously creative tips to save money or grow your business?
You responded with some awesome tips – roughly 75 in all.
Well, I am happy to report that wehave collected all those tips into one convenientdocument, which I am pleased to say is now available for download.
Many thanks to you, dear readers of Small Business Trends, for sharing your tips for others.
Feel free to share this PDF document, link to it or post it on your blog or website, print out copies and share with your staff — the document is yours to use and share. I invite you to use it to the fullest.
Without further ado, go here to download the PDF with all the tips now:
Collection of Outrageously Creative Money Saving and Business Growth Tips.
43 Comments ▼
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Anita Campbell
Anita Campbell is the Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.
43 Reactions
Chris
February 24, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Wow, what a fantastic compilation of ideas! This is quite the resource of information.
I haven’t had the opportunity to read through it entirely, however, I’ve gotten through the first several pages and I’m impressed by all the wonderful ideas everyone shared.
Congratulations to everyone included – its looking like this will turn out to be a very useful resource.
Peggy Duncan
February 24, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Anita, thanks for including my tip in this great resource. Looks great!
February 24, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Great work! 🙂
February 24, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Wow, this is awesome. Really cool to see everybody’s thoughts in one place.
On the Money
February 24, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thanks for the post and the PDF!
Susan Oakes
February 24, 2009 at 7:36 pm
You have compiled some great tips Anita. It is good to see the tips from such a variety of businesses.
David Turnbull
February 24, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Wow, awesome resource. Just skimmed through it, but I’ll definitely print it off later and go through it in detail.
February 25, 2009 at 1:26 am
This is really great resource Anita. Handy (when printed out) and it’s FREE! 😉
Bruce Wade
February 25, 2009 at 1:36 am
Anita
Thanks for this. Once again all our clients will benefit from your publications. Great to share ideas with the Entrepreneur community. Thanks
Chaitanya Sagar
February 25, 2009 at 1:44 am
This is a wonderful list Anita. Great compilation. Congrats everyone who got featured in the ebook. This is a great list.
Janet Giacoma
February 25, 2009 at 11:12 am
outstanding list of tips and thank you for your hard work.
Joe
February 25, 2009 at 11:27 am
Jeanne on page 7 relates how her husband lied to a German automotive company about the availability of their software in order to land a contract for their small business. Sorry, it just bugs. I wouldn’t have done it even in a desperate situation and, even further, I wouldn’t have published the fact. Perhaps this is why my business plods along with just average sales … but I’m not changing.
Anita Campbell
February 25, 2009 at 4:09 pm
@Chris, Susan, David, Amanda — glad you like it. I was happy with the tips.
@Peggy — your tip was great. Thanks for participating.
@Mary Grace — very handy. Feel free to give it to clients or use it as you wish.
– Anita
February 26, 2009 at 3:23 am
Yes. Definitely I will Anita! Thanks!
Anita Campbell
February 26, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Hi Joe, I’ve been mulling over your comment, and really appreciate your thoughtfulness in bringing up that point. I even went back and re-read Jeanne’s tip several times.
After giving it considerable thought, I am going to let Jeanne’s tip stand. I think the spirit of the tip is “do what it takes to deliver to the client.” And that’s exactly what they did — they delivered to the client.
In Jeanne’s defense let me say this:
(1) In the end they complied with the contractual requirements and delivered a complete usable product. The client was not expecting delivery that day, but in 6 weeks’ time — and got it.
(2) I feel her husband must have had confidence that they could deliver or he would not have committed to deliver it. And he wouldn’t be the first sales rep to commit to deliver something that was not fully complete yet. You have only to look at all the “Beta” products available out on the Web or the concept of “pre-ordering” to get a flavor of that.
(3) Her story is reminiscent of the Microsoft story, where Bill Gates convinced IBM they had an operating system, and then turned around and bought a piece of software from a third party to comply with the contractual commitment (without, I’m sure, telling that third party about the pending IBM deal).
So, considering everything, it strikes me that Jeanne’s company lived up to their contractual commitment and met the client’s needs through hard work and a commitment to get it done within the time frame the client was expecting it.
— Anita
Ivana Taylor
February 26, 2009 at 3:48 pm
These tips must be good because I just heard a friend say she’s forwarded it to 4 people!
Carla
February 26, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Great ideas! I will go over this list again and outline the ones I’m going to start using now.
Dorothy Suter
February 27, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Thanks for the tips. This is quite the compilation, not to mention a great cross-section of business owners we’ve now met. Keep this up and you’ll have a book!
Dan
February 28, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Nice – good tips. What do you think about using tiny amounts of equity to get services in order to save money? I’m thinking of places like http://services4stock.com. Could be a good way to sit on cash to build a cushion.
March 6, 2009 at 3:02 am
More and more, we see Anita’s work and ideas being shared around the web and at prominent and very respectable publications.
Check out Kelly Spor’s short mention in her Friday Memo section. Thanks Kelly!
http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2009/02/27/friday-memos-15/trackback/Sarah
March 18, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I wish I had known about your site back in December! These tips are great, but I have one more for you.
Small businesses that do a lot of shipping can really save money if they print postage on-site. A lot of people use the Pitney Bowes meters, but I found that my savings were better when I joined Stamps.com because I can print postage from my home office printer. It only costs a little under $16 a month plus the cost of postage, which is really good for small businesses like mine that are hoping to make it through this recession.
Justin
March 28, 2009 at 3:17 am
There are some great tips in this article. Thanks to all who shared.
Franchise Information
May 13, 2009 at 7:59 am
This is a fabulous list! Thanks Lisa, this publication is another good lesson for Franchises.
Steve Lin
August 20, 2009 at 3:11 am
I was able to save 40% off my credit card processing fees when I switched my credit card processor to Nebo Associates (a Wells Fargo ISO). Call: 978-683-1005 for a free credit card processing fee comparison. The website is http://www.neboassociates.com
May 3, 2010 at 11:04 am
The real secert of saving money is in self awarness
a great web site that deals with it is http://www.anigam.com
it is free ,very simple
and the trick is very niceEllen S.
May 15, 2010 at 11:56 am
I think most people would agree that saving money is something “easier said than done”. Personally, I believe it’s a mind-set that needs to be developed by creating good money-saving habits.
Here are some things I’ve done to help change my spending habits:
– Cook more at home Eating out is very expensive especially if you do it a couple times a week
– Try shopping online You can find better deals than in the store and you save on gas (I recommend http://www.shoptivity.com)
– Pay the full balance on credit cards each month Interest charge is like giving away free money
– Don’t forget to pay yourself Set up an online savings account (they pay higher interest than a normal savings account)
– Set a budget and goals It’s good to have your goals written down so you see them everyday and don’t lose focus on your ultimate objectivesAgain, saving money requires a lot of patience and hard work. However, you’ll thank yourself later on in life. Good luck everyone!! =)
Ellen S.
June 5, 2010 at 1:09 pm
I think most people would agree that saving money is something “easier said than done”. Personally, I believe it’s a mind-set that needs to be developed by creating good money-saving habits.
Here are some things I’ve done to help change my spending habits:
– Cook more at home ( Eating out is very expensive especially
if you do it a couple times a week
– Try shopping online ( You can find better deals than in the
store and you save on gas (I recommend
“http://www.shoptivity.com” )
– Pay the full balance on credit cards each month ( Interest
charge is like giving away free money
– Don’t forget to pay yourself ( Set up an online savings
account (they pay higher interest than a normal savings
account)
– Set a budget and goals ( It’s good to have your goals
written down so you see them everyday and don’t lose focus
on your ultimate objectivesAgain, saving money requires a lot of patience and hard work. However, you’ll thank yourself later on in life. Good luck everyone!! =)
Hal Merrill
October 5, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Ellen S, I think you have summed it up pretty well. You do all these things and it will start to work for you. An additional note I would make is to have an emergency fund, anywhere from $500 to $1000, hidden away, so if the car breaks down or something like that, you can have it covered without blowing everything else out of the water.
Hal
