Need Some Extra Cash? Plan A Garage Sale!

By on July 25, 2014

With the summer months coming up, this is a great time to tidy up your home and earn some easy cash. Here a 4 easy steps to bag some extra cash through a garage sale!

Step 1 – Gather inventory

It is important to have enough to sell in order to raise interest and make it worth your time. If you have a few items for sale, it may be better to post individual listings and have interested customers contact you. If you do not have enough to sell, consider searching through your storage for suitable items. Check storage spaces, closets, attics, and basements. Ask your children for things that they no longer need.

Step 2 - Planning ahead

You may need more than one person to help run the garage sale. Recruit from friends and family ahead of time, and have them sign up in shifts if necessary. It is possible to hold a garage sale on your own, but if it gets too busy, a few things can go wrong. There is always a chance that someone might take items they like. If you walk away from the cash box, there is a cash risk as well.

Also necessary is tables for laying out your goods. Keeping your goods clean helps with the sale. Extra points go to visually appealing displays. It is also a good idea to have chairs if you do not intend on standing for the entire time.

Step 3 - Advertise

After deciding on a time and date, make sure that you include that information on all your ads, along with the address. Different ways to advertise include:

  • community newspapers
  • signposts on major streets nearby
  • bulletin boards at coffee shops and community centres
  • online, such as Craigslist

You will need to make dozens of signs and bulletin board postings. For signs outdoors, it may be a good idea to make them somewhat waterproof. Post this information in the days leading up to the sale.

Step 4 - Sale prices

It may be hard to part with personal belongings that you may have purchased at full retail price. It is a given that you would not be able to profit from the sale, unless it is a collectible or antique item. The more used, outdated, or common the item is, the less people will want to pay. Draw a line for what you believe is a fair price, and make sure it is clearly marked. You can organize the items by price and make a visible sign.

There is nothing more exciting than filling the pocket by selling the things that you dumped. When such items are piled up, it make your garage storage spaces look clumsy and dirty. Moreover, the changes of damage is also very high due the careless dumping and wear and tear. May be they you don’t use become useful to others. Therefore an occasional garage sale is a good idea for those who have the habit of dumping things to the their garage.

Featured images:
  • License: Royalty Free or iStock source: shutterstock.com

Gina Brewton has been in the home improvement industry for the past 7 years. She is presently working at a residential cleaning company in Toronto. She is also a part time interior designer. She has her interests in cooking, photography, craft and painting. Follow her on twitter@ginabrewton.

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Trade Show ROI: Measuring Guidelines

By on July 24, 2014

What is ROI?

Return on marketing investment is something that every company and business should consider when they try to invest into something big or if they want to visit a trade show. Their presence at trade shows can be crucial in securing a good and positive ROI.

Trade shows are also very important as customers can check out the company’s exhibition design and their trade show displays; this way the companies can have more personal contact with their potential customers. Furthermore trade show stands can be very inviting if done properly, and can be very lucrative as they are a good way to promote a company’s business.

Trade shows are a must

Not only can you gather new potential customers, but you can also generate new leads or identify new business opportunities. Furthermore, if you check out your competitors’ exhibition stands you can also gain some invaluable information that could give you the edge in further development.

Furthermore, custom stands can also be a deal maker because if they are put together well then the stand will promote your company without you having to spend money on additional advertisement.

Trade show events are especially important to reinforce brand awareness and to send a strong message to your customers what your new plans will be and what can be expected from your business. ROI can be calculated based on your company’s success at a trade show. Furthermore, if you can get an insight on how your business is going then you can specify and focus your advertisement in all the right spots.

Online presence

Measuring your ROI online is similar to entering a trade show event. Think of your online presence as having a virtual display stand. Moreover, website traffic and how well your business performs on organic search can also show how your ROI measures.

It is crucial that you interlock your offline business with your online presence, utilizing landing pages with specific information. Also, keeping your customers informed and posting updates regularly will prove that your company is caring and your customers will respect that.

Social Media

Being present on social networks is extremely important as this is a very rewarding investment for any business. Sharing vital information with your customers will only improve your overall ROI. Furthermore, social media ROI depends on your business’ social media impact, in other words, how well you utilize social media networks.

And on the other hand, if you are planning on going to a trade show event, social media is also a good idea to share information to customers so that they can know where and how to find your business. Also, if your marketing team can do a good job then you can attract new and potential clients and partners.

Sponsorships

You can use banners to further decorate and create intricate trade show stand designs and you can also show how big your company really is by introducing your sponsors and partners who are standing behind your company. Furthermore, if you are sponsoring events it will only prove that you are a good reliable company that not only takes but also gives back.

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How Technology Patents Benefit Innovation And Humanity

By on July 23, 2014

At least in the smart phone world, patents are what drive innovation, according to many experts. This is because new devices are being released on a regular basis where there’s intense competition and in such a fast-paced environment, companies want to protect their devices by ensuring they’re patented, which makes sense.

But others say the system is broken, mainly due to patents being issued to non-specific and non-original inventions, which may be the reason for so many lawsuits circulating around technology today. And the public has now caught on to the patent wars going on with smartphones, thanks to the highly-recognizable company names which recently begun lawsuits against those they accuse of using their technology.

Changes in the Patent Office

Apparently, many changes are taking place inside the patent office these days, as well as in the Federal Court of Appeals. Some examples include the release and usage of tools that will both greatly reduce costs and allow both the public and the patent office to create patents which are clear in their direction and help both parties to more easily move through the dispute process.

But in addition to the above, evidence is showing that patents are assisting those living in impoverished communities around the world. Although these communities are not thinking about when the next model of the most popular smart phone will be released, there other patented technology that is helping them improve both their standard of living and their income.

Saving Lives with Modern Tech

Among the many benefits of patented technology to poor countries is the fact that patents can offer security where life-saving assistance is needed. Think medical technology involving vaccines and devices for the purification of water. In the biotechnical arena, food can be provided at low cost due to the creation of international manufacturing and distribution networks.

Simply thinking about all of the devices which improve our safety can reveal literally hundreds of products, each of which at some point in its development obtained a patent so that the product’s original idea would stay intact.

Keeping Scientists at Home

Patents also help to keep scientists, researchers and other professionals in their home countries. Or at least, they would if those in developing countries would work to reconstruct their patent systems. Doing this would allow foreign inventors stronger patent protection while increasing economic growth in the tech sector of the country itself.

A country with good technology growth is also one where quality of life has improved. And a higher quality of life will be more likely to successfully tempt talented individuals to remain in their own country as opposed to traveling abroad for a career in the science or research fields.

Licensing and Its Impact

For those inventors not having the cash that a manufacturing plant for patented products requires, licensing a patent can ensure distribution. Any inventor can grant a license to anyone wishing to sell, import, sell, make or use their patented product. This allows the inventor to profit significantly, while using the money to further the research and development of future inventions.

Like systems which improve the quality of life for developing countries, licensing agreements can do the same, albeit in a different fashion. Licensing allows new employment to be created. This does result in the stimulation of the economy, although it will occur in the long term.

While there are still a number of challenges to the patent arena, and many wish there was an easier way to assist the world with its economic and health issues, it can’t be denied that patents have been responsible for a lot of positive change in the world already.

Featured images:
  • License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1185407

Guest author Jodi Grant writes on a variety of topics, particularly related to technology. She recommends www.high-speed-internet-service-providers.com as a resource for comparing options in broadband.

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