A new year, a new project

Hard to believe that it's already 2008 (although I'm still waiting for all those Jetson-like appliances to become part of my every day life).

With the new year comes a new project. Like most people, there are little things that seem to bug me. One of my pet peeves is going to a store, buying something, swiping your credit or debit card, and then then having a clerk hand you a pen to sign it. And the pen has the name of a bank, their accountant, or some other business printed on it. Here's my peeve -- don't these businesses realize they're missing a prime opportunity to advertise THEIR business, and not someone else's?

Chances are good the answer is no. Too often, the owners of these small businesses are so concerned with the day-to-day operations to think about marketing themselves. An ad in the yellow pages, some poorly printed flyers, and open the doors is a marketing plan. And that's hardly a plan.

We've developed a very simple way for businesses to combat a small part of their lack of advertising plans. We've developed a website -- http://www.yournameonapen.com/ -- where businesses can download a simple-to-follow form and order imprinted pens. All of the color options are right there to make it as simple as possible. Hopefully the price -- $175 for 300 Bic Clic Stic pens -- shouldn't scare anyone off. At less than 60 cents per pen (which includes tax and shipping), we think it's a highly effective, low-cost way to promote a business.

If you own a small business, we recommend to you give it a try. Sure, it's not the Jetsons, but it's still pretty cool.

Happy 2008!