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Mash Bonigala Articles

Written by: Mash Bonigala

Logo Design and Website Design Packages - Click To Read Article
If you are starting your own business, then you must realize that advertising it is one of the most crucial points. There aren\'t many businesses today, small or large, that don\'t have a website and logo because they have learned that those two items are absolutely necessary. Granted, if you live in one of the small rural towns, you may have a few shops that haven\'t gone hi tech yet, but those are basically only interested in local business anyway. Even a lot of the “Mom and Pop” stores are selling, not just from their location, but on the internet as well.

So Much Can be in a Logo Design - Click To Read Article
There is so much that be in a logo. A log doesn't even have to have letters or words if it is done right. Some very well known logos around different areas of the world are known on sight. The creators of these logos used their artistic talents and ingenuity to create logos with hidden meanings, but once the logos became known, the meanings were evident.

How to make a movie using Windows Photo Gallery - Click To Read Article
The windows photo gallery is a fun program for do-it-yourselfers who would like to show off their photo art work in an interesting way. Anything you want from fan art of your favorite band to pictures of your family reunion. While it is not a Top of the line movie making software program, it is fun and simple to use. I have included here my step-by-step instructions on how you can make your own movie in a small amount of time using your home computer.

Choosing which Photo Editing Software is right for You - Click To Read Article
A few months ago I became overwhelmed with the urge to buy a photo editing software program to make my poor photography skills seem more professional, thereby eliminating the need to hire actual professionals. After several hours of internet surfing and review reading, I decided that photo-shopping my poor pictures was not a cure-all. I realized that even a half-way decent program is not the best way get around my lack of skills.

Why Should I Care About the SBA? - Click To Read Article
Most business owners know that SBA stands for Small Business Administration, but I wonder how many of us know more than that. The SBA mission statement is to “to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses and by assisting in the economic recovery of communities after disasters." Well, that sounds all fine and good but how do they accomplish that goal and how can they help me overcome my business challenges? The SBA is organized into many different offices and each of those offices has the directive to complete the mission of the SBA as a whole. Here is a list of the different SBA offices:

Why you should Select a Good Logo Designer - Click To Read Article
A company logo carries the brand image of its products or services in the market. A business owner can get a distinct logo design created to exhibit good quality, forte and professionalism of his company. The graphic symbol today plays a very important role in conveying the originality of the company’s persona. A good quality design logo communicates professionalism as well as quality of a business enterprise. The logo designer will provide you with a logo which will provide you with a distinct visual depiction of the kind of business you run.

What Do I Need to Know About Marketing? - Click To Read Article
The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the process of planning and executing to create exchanges that satisfy individual or organizational objectives.” But how does that relate to me. As a small business do I really have the resources to complete an effective marketing campaign? Well, I do want my potential customers to hear about the services I offer. So, I guess I had better do some kind of marketing.

Web Content: Quality Over Quantity - Click To Read Article
There are many theories running around out there about web content and design. One of them is more is better. The more theories suppose that getting a higher hit rate because of random phrases can get better search hits. These companies there, go out and hire cheap writers to create their blog content, and suppose the website will do well.

Web Design for a New Decade - Click To Read Article
The Internet is bursting with ideas these days on how to design a more interesting website. There are more ideas than website archetypes it would seem. Trying to design from an original perspective can be difficult at times, so this piece will be going over a design idea in a few broad steps. To start, image there is a website dedicated to home decorating and design products, think curtains, couch covers, wall papers etc. Imagine instead of a series of drop down menus there were a picture of a room. This room would be non de-script with clickable images and perhaps furniture.

Ways to Design Business Cards - Click To Read Article
It doesn’t matter whether you are starting a new business and want to design business cards or you want to customize your existing business cards or have your personal card with family details, the Internet has come up with a whole lot of ways from which you can select to get the job done as best as possible. There are a whole lot of websites today that can help you achieve your corporate identity design. You can pick a logo designer or a logo design company to satisfy your requirements in getting the best possible logo for your company.

The Importance of a Logo Design for a Company - Click To Read Article
Logos are said to be the face of a company no matter whether it is a small one or a multinational giant. Today, having a business logo is an absolute must even for those conventional brick and mortar businesses which have only recently branched out into online marketing. So if you want to have a marked presence in the market you need to get some logo designs made by a professional logo designer so you can choose the one that best meets your requirements. A logo design should bring out everything that the company stands for and markets.

Software Programs for Logo Design - Click To Read Article
I’m not trying to say one software program is better than another; in fact, this is not a comparison between various types of software. It is to give people who have never designed a logo an idea of the types of programs they can use to design a logo, other than drawing one and giving it to someone to make into a logo for a website.

Logo Use in an Ad Campaign - Click To Read Article
Logos tend to be the face of a company, or at least the face a company or entity wishes to put forward. This face can be put toward all types of potential customers from investors to consumers. Incorporating that logo is an important way of putting your company’s personal stamp of approval or seal on anything a company approves of.

How to Get Your Website Noticed: Forum posting. - Click To Read Article
Forums are a great way to get people interesting in your website. They can have interesting bits of information, as well as speculation. Forums have been around as long as the internet in one fashion or another. Forums have a few advantages to lives chat and are archived, so when an internet search is done, it can pop up website forums.

How to Strengthen Your Business in a Slow Economy - Click To Read Article
The American economy’s downturn affects every small business, yet some businesses are thriving and some are failing. What are the essential differences between succeeding and failing during an economic downturn? The most critical difference is the ability to take a fresh and objective look at your business. We all need to look carefully at our business plan and be willing to make significant changes in that plan in order to strengthen our businesses position in the market place. In addition, we need to be willing to seek help from others. There is that only saying that two heads are better than one. Sometimes we are so immersed in our own plans for our business that it takes a fresh set of eyes to see new potential.

Get a Custom Logo Design and watch your Business Grow - Click To Read Article
If you ever want to fix something or improve it you first need to know what is wrong with it. This applies to just about anything and your logo design is no exception. So if you already have a custom logo design with which you are not happy enough you will first have to identify the problems with it. Evaluate it by being a critical judge and find out whether your logo has to be improved to make it work for your business. On the other hand, if you are yet to design a logo, you can take a look at logos belonging to other companies to get a fair idea of the kind of design logo that you would like for yourself.

Get Graphic Design done for your Website - Click To Read Article
Hiring the services of a graphic designer or a graphic design company are normally the only options available to businesses to assist with their branding requirements but very often it might turn out to be a very expensive option. Hence, you might find that a company’s logo, image, sales and advertising strategies are not updated as often as they ought to be. But today with the Internet technology that we have, it is possible to get an affordable web design including graphic web logos created for your business. With such low rates, you have absolute control over what you want to achieve and you might find that your budget stretches even further than you expected.

Creating Customer Loyalty - Click To Read Article
Think back 50 years. Most people shopped from the same supermarket, ate from the same restaurants, and frequented the same retail stores over and over again throughout their lives. These small business owners needed to do little beyond good customer service to retain the loyalty of their customers. Today, even excellent customer service, will not keep many of your customers coming back. It is too easy to shop online for the best deal, or go to the mall to do our shopping. As business owners, we need to go beyond the ordinary, to create customer loyalty and maintain a strong customer base to ensure financial stability.

Designing Web Sites for New Computers - Click To Read Article
Computers have the same basic components they have had for over twenty years. However, there are new ways to design a website to take advantage of these innovations. These innovations can bring new depth and innovation to web design. Staying on top of current trends separates an average web site from a great website.

Advertising and Branding - Click To Read Article
Branding is an important aspect of building a business. Every aspect of a business must contribute to the branding aspect in order to give a unified approach where all energies are focused on putting out a single image. Advertising is one of the most important aspects of branding. Advertising puts a face on what the brand does and how it functions to the general public, especially potential customers.

Branding Concepts - Click To Read Article
Branding is one of the most important aspects of a business. It is the identity of the company and as such needs a great deal of respect and work put forth for every aspect of a company. This identity is transferred to each product or service a company puts forth, creating a strong image or brand.

A Good Mascot Design leads to Effective Advertising - Click To Read Article
If you are looking to launch an advertising campaign that will be very effective, then there are a few things that you have to do. You should have a good name for your company that is easily remembered and stays in the minds of people. Then you must have a logo design that speaks out the attitude and style of your business. If you also have a catchy slogan, it is so much the better. And today you can even add a mascot to represent your company’s identity. Although this might not work for all kinds of situations, a good mascot design can take your advertising campaign to a whole new level. There are quite a few online logo design companies that will provide you with mascot samples to meet your requirements.

Why Should I Care About the SBA? - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Most business owners know that SBA stands for Small Business Administration, but I wonder how many of us know more than that. The SBA mission statement is to “to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses and by assisting in the economic recovery of communities after disasters." Well, that sounds all fine and good but how do they accomplish that goal and how can they help me overcome my business challenges? The SBA is organized into many different offices and each of those offices has the directive to complete the mission of the SBA as a whole. Here is a list of the different SBA offices:

Top Reasons Small Businesses Fail - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
If you are like most small business owners you will pour your heart and soul along with every last penny into your new small business during the first five years of operation. Unfortunately, for the majority of small business owners their businesses will still fail within five years. Why do so many small businesses fail? And what can a prospective owner do to increase their individual odds?

Introduction to Franchising - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Starting up a small business takes money, time, and skills and luck to succeed. What if you could put your money, time and skills into a business that has already been proven to succeed? In a very simplified nutshell that is the purpose of a franchise. Franchising allows you to take a proven business that has already obtained name recognition and use their products and services to build your own business. You pay a fee to that business, and pay royalties on your profit. In return you have a license to use their name, trademarks, and products, along with their proven business system.

How to use SWOT to create a competitive advantage - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
SWOT is a method for analyzing both your own businesses position as well as your competition’s. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Every business has competition and the key to creating an advantage over your competition and gaining market share is honestly analyzing your competition’s strengths and discovering how your own business measures up against them.

Identifying New Opportunities for an Old Business - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Is it time for your small business to have a make-over? Every business gets a little stale at times and needs some new ideas to shake things up. When you find your sales lagging or your customers less than enthused it is time for a change. There are lots of ways to change your business to excite your current customers and bring in new clients. You can choose to rebrand or repackage your products or you can mix up your marketing strategy. This article is going to focus on finding and implementing brand-new opportunities into your existing business.

Changing My Small Business - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Most small business owners begin with a dream. It can be a painful process to realize that your customers may not buy into that dream. Inevitably, if a business is to survive, it must change. These changes can be small like changing the color of your package or building a website for your business. Unfortunately, at times drastic changes must occur. It is remarkably easy to keep to the status quo, so how do you know when your small business is ready for a change?

Introduction to Accounting - Click To Read Article
As a small business owner I have very little extra money available for extras. For me this includes a highly qualified accountant. Fortunately, for most small businesses hiring an accountant is not necessary. All small business owners should know the basics of accounting so that they can keep accurate records. When every penny counts then every penny should be counted. In essence this the definition of accounting. So, what does every small business owner need to know about accounting?

How Can I Win Government Contracts? Part 1 - Click To Read Article
I know the government has specific initiatives to recruit and hire small business contractors for governmental projects but how can I get these jobs? I started my search on this topic at the source, the government. On the SBA website there are tutorials on how to apply for and win government contracts. By taking one of these convenient online courses all of my questions were answered. I want to share some of this information but I would also recommend that anyone interested in acquiring government contracts take this online course themselves.

How Can I Win Government Contracts? Part 2 - Click To Read Article
I know the government has specific initiatives to recruit and hire small business contractors for governmental projects but how can I get these jobs? I started my search on this topic at the source, the government. On the SBA website there are tutorials on how to apply for and win government contracts. By taking one of these convenient online courses all of my questions were answered. I want to share some of this information but I would also recommend that anyone interested in acquiring government contracts take this online course themselves.

How Can My Business Use the SBA’s SBDC - Click To Read Article
I am like most tax payers and am extremely curious about where my tax dollars go and how they benefit me. Because I run a small business out of my home I am also curious about the Small Business Administration, and how the tax dollars it uses provide benefits to entrepreneurs like me. Recently, I visited the SBA’s website and started looking into the various services they provide.

How does the 2009 Recovery Act Affect My Small Business? - Click To Read Article
We all know that the economy has been suffering over the past couple of years. We also know that the government has thrown billions of dollars at the problem. I remember hearing that small businesses were supposed to be a key part of the nation’s economic recovery, but I have not seen any of that money. So I did a little research to see what the Recovery Act could do for my small business. The main, small business provisions of the bill include tax benefits, easier access to capital, and a temporary stop on loan fees for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans.

Follow the Leader, a Web Design Philosophy - Click To Read Article
In advertising there are a few principles which translate well to web design. Principles such as product placement, putting a product close to an industry leader etc. The Principle that will be gone over today is following the leader where the idea is to have a very similar name to a well known website and have the same kind of content. Following the leader is having the same design philosophy, implementation and a product. While the finished product should have several features to make it unique, it should not be all together different. Take search engines as an example. The leader is obvious, Google, who uses a very simple set up.

Colors: A Primer for Color Psychology - Click To Read Article
Art and advertising share a great deal of common ground. There are the psychological impacts of colors, how the eye is drawn from one place to another, and the emotions of the shapes. This is a highly simplified explanation of how to use these design elements in web design. With these simple concepts, you can increase the recognition of you website.

Am I Ready to Purchase a Franchise? - Click To Read Article
The first step to jumping into any new business is to determine your objective. What do you want in life? Are you content working for someone else? Do you simply want to own your business for financial indolence sake or do you have a very specific dream you want to build? What are your skills that you will bring to your business? Some people will answer these questions and find that though they are tired of working for someone and want to become financial independent they do not have a business plan.

Accounting Basics - Click To Read Article
In part one of this article I detailed what accounting is and why it is important to your small business. In part two, I will go into greater detail on the three parts of a financial statement: the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement.

Three Easy Ways to Encourage Customer Loyalty - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Customer loyalty is a difficult issue to measure and an even more difficult one to procure. Many businesses offer an excellent product with exceptional service and still see their customers drift over to the competition. This can be devastating to a small business because it leaves you constantly in a price war and marketing battle to win over a fickle and highly mobile market. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to keep your customers coming back for more.

Is Your Business Color-Blind? - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
If your company is like many others, you may have chosen your color palette based on what you personally find pleasing. While your opinion as a small business owner certainly matters, color can be not just a pretty visual, but a subconscious way of communicating with and invoking emotion in your customers. Here are the colors most often used in logo design and business brands, along with what they convey. By understanding the power of color in logo design, you can make logo and branding decisions that help ensure the future viability of your company.

Five Factors that Will Make (Or Break!) Any Small Business - Mash Bonigala - Click To Read Article
Everyone involved with business tosses around figures regarding the odds of success of any given business achieving success. However, these general figures are not very accurate because there are so many factors that can make a business successful or significantly reduce its chance of surviving. Here are the five factors that will make the greatest difference in your personal chances of success in business.





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