Ready? Set? GROW!
Welcome to this edition of M45 Momentum, a bi-monthly e-newsletter for the business community featuring tips, trends and trivia from the experts at M45 Marketing Services.
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Ahhh, springtime. It's nice to feel the embrace of the sunshine, see flowers bloom, and hear birds singing through open windows.
May is symbolically a time for planting and growth in the world of nature. Why not make it a time for personal and business growth, too? The year is almost half over. Come out of your shell, take stock, and plant the seeds for future growth. 
VOTE:
Do you have a specific, measurable growth plan at your business?
Are all employees aware of your growth plans?
| Annual "Peeps Show" Includes Garden Entries
 We at M45 had a little fun in April, concocting a multitude of creative entries for our annual Peeps contest. Employees, clients and friends got in on the action, submitting everything from "Changing of the Peeps at Peepingham Palace" to a Plant-a-Peep test garden.
Winners were announced in several categories and
fabulous prizes were awarded. Take a peek at our Peeps! |
Speaking of growth...have you added to your staff or expanded your facilities? Why not utilize your own digital camera to document your success? An inexpensive photographic record secures an accurate historical perspective and provides tangible proof of your additions. You may want to use a professional photographer for photos in your advertising, sales promotions, or publicity efforts. In any case, be sure to use a flattering picture of your new employee or photograph the building in different seasons (so you don't show snow on the roof in your 4th of July ad)!
For more tips on using digital photography in your business, check out this article in USA Today.
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"Growth is the only evidence of life."
-John Henry Newman
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Twice as creative and at least a third less serious than your average newsletter copy |
We all can identify John F. Kennedy as an American Hero, but who is Leila Verde and where is Octavia Hill? OK, we're familiar with Big Ben too, but who's ever heard of Charlotte Armstrong or Dainty Bess? Mister Lincoln had Charisma, but what could he possibly have in common with Julia Child and her Lemon Meringue?
If you recognized that the italicized names above are all names of rose varieties, you are obviously botanically advanced!
To keep everything coming up roses for your business, pay close attention to the subtleties of each growing season. Prune, weed, feed and nurture your new opportunities. Tenaciously tending your "growth garden" will increase its yield!
For information on the enjoyment, enhancement and promotion of the rose, check out the American Rose Society. |
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MAY 2006
 Make Your Business Blossom |
Do you want to grow your business? Kind of a silly question, perhaps, but after many people answer a resounding "YES" they don't strategically plan the next steps to success.
To get started, ask yourself these questions:
- Do we want to grow slowly or quickly?
- Are we prepared for the changes that come with rapid growth? What are
 the drawbacks?
- Are market conditions right for us to expect a certain growth level?
- Do we want growth in all our target segments, or do we want to focus on
more specific sub-markets?
- Are we using traditional sales channels, or should we look at online options?
- Have we looked for growth among current customers? Do we have any customers that aren't a good fit?
- Is growth always good? Or are there reasons we might want to limit our growth rate?
Once you've answered these questions, M45 can partner with you to help meet your goals...whether you want gradual or gangbuster growth. We can plant the seeds of awareness, establish a root system for future sales, cultivate leads, nurture new product introductions and tend to public opinion. If the sales climate is right, you gain a bumper crop of new business and harvest the profit!
Tip: Help a colleague's garden grow: forward Momentum!
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Fastest Growing Fields
The U.S. Department of Labor monitors the country's fastest growing industries and occupations. Their predictions for areas that will experience the most growth through 2008 include:
- Computer and Data Processing Services
If it has to do with computers, it's hot.
- Health Services
Already employing 11.3 million people, health services are growing at a "healthy rate".
- Residential Care for the Elderly
Nursing facilities, hospices, adult day cares, personal homes and assisted-living facilities are all in need of extra staff.
- Legal Assistants
Paralegals and legal assistants are in great demand as they perform many tasks formerly done by lawyers (albeit for a lot less pay).
- Temporary Personnel Services
Those willing to work on a short-term basis will be required for all kinds of positions.
- Social Services
Social workers, home health aides and counselors are in demand.
- Museums, Botanical and Zoological Gardens
With more than 400 art museums, 300 history museums and 100 science and technology museums in the U.S., more individuals are needed to keep them staffed.
- Security and Commodity Brokers
Careers in this competitive field are fueled by a plethora of investment opportunities.
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There's no place like Gnome...
What would a Momentum issue with a gardening theme be without a nod to the ever-popular garden gnome? Test your knowledge of the magic little creatures at www.funtrivia.com. |
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"The best way to garden is to put on a wide brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig."
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