
Nancy asks…
What are the positives and negatives of attending Berry College?
i am in high school and am thinking about attending berry. I know Berry has some great aspects (campus, size, christian, student life, etc..) but i have also heard about drug problems and such. I want to major in Business/Marketing.
please help me expand my knowledge of Berry and give an idea of what if would be like to attend there. any tips for acceptance/scholarships would also be greatly appreciated!
thank you in advance!

Steve Cockrane answers:
Hello! I’m Jordan, an admissions counselor at Berry College. We’re glad you’re interested in learning more about Berry!
Berry has a large, beautiful campus (26,000 acres!) with a small student body at around 1900 students. Our Campbell School of Business is internationally accredited and offers many opportunities for firsthand experience.
We’d love to help answer your questions and help you decide if Berry is a good fit for you. Please visit our website at www.berry.edu/admissions to learn about the application process and to request more information.

Daniel asks…
What is the best way to advertise a small business locally?
I just need some tips? How effective is house to house flyers? Should I be nervous if I didn’t receive any responses for my flyers in 24hrs. Thank you

Steve Cockrane answers:
Run some type of gimmick that attracks a lot of people- make it a “price/loss leader” where you litterally lose money- yes, lose money for a day by almost giving something away. You will generate a lot of the best advertizing- WORD OF MOUTH which in the long run will make you a lot of money. A local guy sold pizzas for $1 in 2003- I am writing about it today 2009- not bad. He had a line around the block and the pizza was great- guess what? It was a VERY succesful campaign. Sure, he lost money that one day but…he more than made up for it. It didn’t hurt that his product was great as well. Sure beats a dry ad in the paper. Do all the typical things that work but then you must also DEMONSTRATE YOUR VALUE.
Your product or service has to be great so that you get return business otherwise don’t even bother. The idea in marketing (and in what you sell) is to differnetiate yourself from your competition- offer value. Know what is important to your customers- take your own ego out of it (what YOU think is good doesn’t matter AT ALL).
Actionable
Val Pack Flyers that get sent to homes.
Craigslist- DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS RESOURCE and post often or you will get buried by other ads.
Put flyers up at all the area Supermarkets
Work with the local schools- offer them a deal and attract the crowds and teams after their sports events.
IT WOULD HELP IF YOU GAVE MORE DETAILS- what you do.

Sandy asks…
I like to start a small business any suggestions?
I’m tired of working for someone else and feel very ready to run my own show. Any good buisness ideas out there.
I have a computer science degree and a minor in business. I also live in the Orlando area.

Steve Cockrane answers:
A good idea to open a small business is begin thinking on what you would like to do, and what you will like to serve.
There are many opportunities in the business, you can open a small restaurant, a barbershop, mini-market, Pizzeria, Internet-Cafes, Coffee Shops (Like Starbucks), Bookstores and others.
First you need to look for your area and look the interests that the people are seeking: (Food, Entertainment etc)
Another good tip is look for a:
1. Local
2. Good Area
3. Opportunity Costs
4. Excellent Interests
5. Customer’s Satisfaction
The other trouble is the money, if you have money you can start and open your business in a correctly manner, in which it can help you alot.
Other option is to get a loan from a bank (shared money) and pay to the bank monthly the fee plus the interests (if applicable)
Florida is a state that has alot of population and many seniors, you can think in the people interests, for example seniors do not like to cook at home, so you can open a restaurant in which the seniors can go to the restaurant and use your service.
So think in that way, you may be able to open and start your business! So go ahead…Open it now what are you waiting for?
Regards

Susan asks…
What are the basics of a Freelance Art Business?
A have a friend who is an artist/painter and she has a small art business she is trying to get off the ground. She hasn’t studied alot of business and I told her I’d try to help. Would anyone have any tips, or knowledge of the basic things that form a freelance art business? Thanks in advance.

Steve Cockrane answers:
Forget promo and marketing, success as a freelance commercial artist is all about great samples and great word-of-mouth from clients.
Get your samples together and set up meetings with art directors and creative directors anywhere you can find them (advertising, publishing, toys, entertainment, product design, etc.). You might think this sounds hard to do, but it isn’t. Just google “advertising agency” plus the name of the biggest city near you. Then call the front desk on the phone, say “hi I’m an illustrator and I’d love to speak to an art director please about showing some samples.” If they don’t fwd your call, call another agency. Generally speaking art directors love to meet with illustrators (it gets them away from their desk for a few minutes, makes them seem important, etc.). Your purpose with these meetings should really be to just chat, and gather any more names or recommendations (art directors talk to each other.. And the next time one of them desperately needs something in your style, you hope that they remember you.)
Be sure you have something to leave behind (a single sheet of paper with samples on it, web link, email, your name). Something easy to file in a stack with other illustrators’ pages. Also set up a simple web page with links to samples.
Mailing out promo pieces might work sometimes, but there’s no substitute for the human connection of a face to face meeting. Particularly because you can learn so much about other places to go and other people to talk to.
I do agree with Vince M that you need to always learn more and more about digital production, since it’s always nice to provide one-stop-shopping for your clients.
It takes a while to get a critical mass of clients, but if you stick to it after a while you have constant work flowing in and you’re overworked and have a whole new set of problems!

Richard asks…
What are the most typical ways to market a new small business?
For example with the Chamber of Commerce, Local news paper ect.. Like a basic getting started list for a new business.

Steve Cockrane answers:
Choose your sources wisely! There is a site referenced above which may have had some very valid points, but because of all of the grammatical errors it lost credibility, in my opinion. Not only that, but if your business is advising other small businesses on how to make a profit, wouldn’t you think that one of their first tips would be on the importance of first impressions? If you can’t even proofread your own work, you give a sloppy impression…are these people you want to have tell you how to run your business?
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