The RazorKnow Organisation

Well not everyone is aware that McDonalds also owns several other bands such as Boston Markets; 650 stores in 23 states, Chipotle Mexican Grill; 230 stores in 10 states, Donato’s Pizza 200 stores in 10 states, Pret a Manager 140 stores in 4 countries, Fazoli’s 400 units in 32 states and two countries. Of this the company derives 2 Billion in annual sales, this is not even counting McDonalds. Many people are unaware of this because McDonald’s has not connected the dots. However other franchise companies which franchise and have multiple brands have.

The question shall always be to you co-market to the same customers or serve separate niches. It depends, McDonalds seems to be targeting different customers althoguh if you consider in the US people eat major meals 2-3 times per day and there are 7 days a week, we are talking about 14-21 opportunities to feed them, now obviously other than single males, most of our population will eat the majority of meals at home. However how many of those meals will be eaten out side the home and of those visits to QSRs how many can McDonalds pick up.

Apparently after considering the additional 2 billion a year in sales, quite a few and remember McDonals is in 141 countries thus far so perhaps the cannibalization discussed in the franchising industry is a US thing for McDonalds and is not affecting it’s other brands here yet or all of it’s overseas markets for it’s stead fast Micky Ds Brand. Think about it Pizza, Chicken, Tacos, Italian and Pretzels? Oh yah that Hamburger thing will never work? Sure, that is what they told Ray Kroc in the beginning, guess they were wrong.

Are you sure it is just about the Real Estate? Or did you just quote someone in a Speech one day?

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name “Pajero” on the Spanish market, it became obvious very soon that the name chosen was not optimal because it immediately was the subject of jokes due to its homophony with a Spanish expression related to masturbation.

The same happened to Ford’s model “Pinto” (Portuguese for male genital) in Brazil where it was quickly renamed into “Corcel”(horse).

There is quite a long list of product names that give food to the dirty mind be they chosen accidentaly or deliberately. Obviously there seems to be a kind of tradition for this in the history of naming which originally started with place names.

Some of our ancestors obviously were too innocent to realize what burden they place on their offspring when naming places like Pratts Bottom (Kent), Brown Willy (Cornwall), Lickey End (near Birmingham), Booby Dingle (Powys), Great Cockup (Cumbria). Even places such as Thong (Kent) seem to have revealed far too much for not being the victim of lewd remarks.

The European continent, however, is also challenging the innocent mind of the English speaking travellers. In Southern Bavaria they will come across a village with the name of “Petting” and about eleven miles from there, in neighbouring Upper Austria, the shock might be inevitable when they enter the village of “Fucking”. Inspite of the fact that the inhabitants of Fucking have had enough with English-speaking tourists swiping their sign, they refuse to change their name. It goes back to the ancient Bavarian settlement and although this area was christianized by Irish and Scottish monks in the 9th and 10th century, an amendment of the name has never been deemed necessary.

No wonder that in many countries there are restrictions regarding the choice of a place name as a trademark for goods and services. One way around these restrictions is to distort the name so that it becomes indisputable but on a subliminal level takes advantage of the fact that sex sells. A recent example of successful distortion are the products of a British based fashion retailer called French Connection Group plc with the trademark FCUK. Linguists tell us that the power of a word depends on its context, and clearly the English word “fuck” falls into that category. To make it even more explicit, two new fragrances were launched named “FCUK Him” and “FCUK Her”.

On its website, FCUK demonstrates a clear picture of its marketing strategy. Whereas the linguistic allusions are close to Shakespeare’s bawdiness, the images remain subdued and innocent, which on the one hand is rather cynical but on the other hand tries to bridge the generation gap because most parents finance the quite conventional fashion attire that their children obtain from FCUK. Thus FCUK’s clients in each major market display a range of attitudes when confronted with the provocatively distorted four-letter mark. The American Family Association (AFA) promotes initiatives against FCUK such as prefabricated emails protesting against the exploitation of youngsters in such a manner.

Sex in marketing is bound to raise demand along with a few eyebrows which in addition either secure the necessary publicity or ban the product from the market. Branding an almost swear word in order to create a cash cow is, however, not restricted to fashion clothing and related products. On a recent visit to New Orleans I was surprised by the abundance of labels for their traditional hot pepper sauces. Besides the well known Tobasco, there are more spicy brand names such as “Burning rectum” or “Hot shit”.

It shows that name design must be ready to apply wit to anything that makes the blood boil and the label sell. Obviously this does not really work with other economic fields, for instance with tourism, because the places mentioned above are not among the hot spots that travel agents propagate in their catalogues.

About The Author

Wolfgang Nedobity is terminologist and CEO of NameDesigner. More info at www.namedesigner.at

namedesigner@A1plus.at

Learning a foreign language is both challenging and exciting. The sense of accomplishment after you’ve successfully passed a language course is indescribable. There are benefits derived from learning other languages - in business, for example, it;s easier to close deals when you know the language of your client. For job seekers. It’s a great advantage to speak multiple languages, as well.

Spanish language courses have increased in popularity in recent years - maybe because more Spanish soap operas are available on cable! Fortunately for those who want to learn the language, Spanish courses are available online. You can of course, try and learn Spanish on your own, but you’ll see better results if you take proper Spanish course.

If you’d like to translate Spanish text online, it’s simple:

1. Using a search engine, find a language translation page on the web. There are many to choose from.

2. After selecting a translation page, choose the appropriate translation format - say, Spanish-to-English - indicate the languages you are translating.

3. If you’d like an entire web page translated into English, simply paste the URL into the space provided and then press the submit button. A translated version of the page will then appear.

4. If you want other text translated, you have to simply paste the text instead of the URL into the space provided and then press the submit button.

Things to remember:

• Bear in mind that the translations produced are quite rough - usually an intermediate Spanish student could do better.

• When pasting in your own text, you may be limited to one or two paragraphs.

There are also tutorials available online, offering tips on how to speak Spanish:

1. In speaking the Spanish language, remember to pronounce the letters B and V the same way they are pronounced in English. This is easy to remember.

2. Don’t bother to learn verbs in anything other than the present tense.

3. Don’t forget to pronounce the letters D, G, H, J, L, Q and Z the same as they are pronounced in English. Again very easy.

4. If ever you don’t know the Spanish word just add “o” or “a” at the end of the English word in order to make into a noun or “ar” at the end to make it into a verb.

5. Remember that if a Spanish word looks like an English word, it probably means the same thing.

6. Also bear in mind to forcefully pronounce all consonants and to muddle the sounds of vowels.

7. Don’t forget to study courtesies such as “por favor” (please) and “gracias” (thank you) are important in Spain and Latin America.

8. Speak using the “t” form of “you”

9. Avoid redundant pronouns

10. Hopefully, learn something!

It is still recommended that you take a professional Spanish course in order to learn correct grammar and pronunciation. Be sure to practice what you’ve learned in order to become more fluent in the language.

Jeff Linaker has an interest in Travel & Holidays related topics. To access more information on learn spanish online or on learn spanish spain, please click on the links.

The oven is a central appliance to any kitchen. There are an assortment of varied models and styles of ovens currently available. Yet, having several different choices can make your time hunting for a replacement oven a particularly tricky and incomprehensible job. One of the central factors of your decision is that you should procure an oven that will both meet your requirements plus your set funds. The cost of ovens can easily range from three-hundred pounds to £1,500. Here are a couple of handy recommendations you are advised to consider before procuring an oven.

One of the first things you are advised to dwell on is if you need to cook with a gas oven, an electric oven, or otherwise a duel fuel oven. In general, gas ovens warm-up more rapidly than electricity operated ovens. They also help keep food fresh whilst cooking due to the damp heat that they give out. Electricity ovens typically cook food a great deal more consistently and more rapidly when put side to side with gas ovens, though they do take a lot longer to warm-up. You will be able to cook quite a lot of diverse styles of meals all at once in an electricity oven because they are considerably more likely to be warmer near the top and cooler near the bottom. A duel fuel oven is an electric oven with a gas hob. This oven will offer you a much quicker cooking period than that of an electricity oven.

One more essential thing to contemplate when searching is the type of oven you will want for your house. One type you can obtain is a conventional oven. The temperature will alter right through with a conventional oven seeing as they are either heated up from the top or heated up from the bottom. The bottom will be colder than the top and the midpoint will be at a modest temperature. These particular types of ovens are terrific for making Sunday roasts; whereas a fan oven will cook dinners more consistently. Multi function ovens are a blend of fan ovens and conventional ovens and are therefore the best for cooking a wide variety of meals. Finally, steam ovens are amazing for those interested in healthy cooking as you don’t have to use any oil or fat. Furthermore, you also can’t burn food in a steam oven.

The actual dimension is an added factor that needs to be looked at when trying to hunt out the most appropriate oven. Single ovens are the most fashionable type and come in countless different looks and colours together with a number of cooking functions. Double ovens are twice the size of the single ovens. If you love to entertain or have a big family then this oven is right for you, whereas small ovens are great for people who have restricted room. Find a diverse selection of electrical products such as; ovens, hobs and electric fireplaces from leading brands online.

Qualities that you are suggested to look for in an oven comprise of; self cleaning and electronic controls. An oven that includes electrical controls is brilliant for cooking meals that demand a precise cooking temperature.

Better Legal Billing: Time Slips for the Future

Options Abound, But It’s Often Up to Clients to Suggest Them

In the old days of legal billing, lawyer’s invoices usually a single page of elegant letterheadcontained only the phrase, “legal services rendered,” and a hefty dollar amount. No time breakdowns, no list of activities performed or equipment and supplies usedjust a final, usually shocking, charge.

But client demands and the evolution of sophisticated billing software have led to more detailed invoices today. Itemized statements have triggered discussion among businesses about whether hourly billing is the best way to be charged for legal services. As the legal profession becomes more competitive and dependent on high quality customer service, lawyers need to embrace alternate billing methods.

Fixed or flat fees, contingency fees, non-refundable retainers with discounted hourly fees, blended hourly fees and variations on those themes are becoming increasingly common. But many law firms have been slow to join this trend lawyers still perform approximately 95 percent of their corporate legal work on an hourly basis.

What does that mean for your small business? If your company is currently working with a law firm or looking for legal counsel, try requesting alternate billing options. While many law firms rarely initiate different options, they’ll negotiate when brought to the table. If you want something better than the old “bill by the hour” deal, try presenting one of these billing structures:

Project billing for routine issues

Questions To Ask Your Legal Counsel

Is the attorney experienced in business law or just practicing it between drafting wills and selling homes?

Does the attorney give advice in plain language or does he use a lot of jargon?

Is there good “chemistry” between you and the attorney?

Are the attorney’s ethics and goals clear?

What’s the attorney’s track record with other businesses similar to yours?

If your legal needs include large but repetitive tasks, consider a flat-fee approach, also known as project billing. If you need legal assistance on a large research project involving several repetitive tasks with a fair amount of predictability for cost estimation and time duration, request a dollar cap for predetermined services. Be sure to compare estimated costs at the equivalent hourly ratea projected cap that far exceeds any likely bill is really no cap at all.

Once you get a project billing estimate, don’t hesitate to shop around. Making an informed decision shopping around, comparing prices and services with other law firms is good business sense, especially if you intend to hire a firm for a single project. If you anticipate establishing a long-term relationship, mention this as you’re negotiating a project amount a firm may provide a better deal if it expects future work from your company.

Results-oriented options

Forget the image of personal injury attorneys taking a third of any verdict or settlement. Consider instead contingency fees fees based on the outcome of the case and the performance of your counsel. Creative use of contingency fees can create efficiencies in even the most high-level corporate settings. If you retain a lawyer to help your company avoid litigation, couple a reduced hourly rate with a bonus for successfully lowering your litigation outlays.

You also can establish an incentive based on a percentage of money won or saved in trial. If you’re a defendant in a case where the plaintiff has a strong shot at a $1 million settlement, negotiate a flat fee if the case goes to trial, plus a bonus if the plaintiff ends up getting less than $1 million. If you’re a plaintiff and estimate your case is worth between $1 and $2 million, you might negotiate services for a flat fee plus a percentage of any settlement over $1 million.

Contingency fees turn the matter into a shared risk or shared incentive, making the law firm your business partner, not just representation. Contingency fees can work well with both flat fee and reduced hourly fee arrangements. Because a number of variations on the “pay-according-to-success” theme exist, you should ask firms for the options they’re willing to discuss.

Multi-layered tasks

If you’re shopping for a firm for substantial legal work involving a number of legal specialties, consider using blended hourly fees. Rather than each attorney billing at the usual hourly rate, the firm calculates in advance an “average” rate based on the anticipated time each attorney spends on the matter.

The value of this arrangement is twofoldit helps define responsibility in a project and it provides a fair price schedule for the client, who avoids paying a senior partner’s hourly rate for research that should be conducted by a junior associate

Legal “Insurance”

Firms without in-house counsel that frequently hire legal services might consider contracting with a firm. In this legal billing option, firms and clients agree to a specific charge per month in exchange for a predetermined set of legal services. The contract fee permits the client to pick up the phone and talk to the attorney without needing to eye the clock. This approach works like a legal insurance policy. It encourages companies to contact their counsel on non-litigation, non-crisis matters, and to save money in the long run by engaging in more preventive legal action.

Just as in business, the impetus for change comes from consumer demand. The sooner businesses take the lead in securing more effectively tailored billing methods from their legal counsel, the sooner they’ll get better, more cost-effective legal assistance.

Dan Harris is an attorney with the international law firm of Harris & Moure, pllc. Website: http://www.harrismoure.com

firm@harrismoure.com

If you are looking to save money by buying a used car, it can be a very viable tactic. However, even though you are on a tight budget, buying a used car should not be immediately decided upon and should take a lot of consideration. Why? This is to avoid throwing your hard earned money away.

Below are some pointers that may help you decide when to buy or not to buy a used car:

1. You should consider your budget.

If the reason why you choose to purchase a used car is because of your budget, then it should be the same reason why you should be careful and meticulous in choosing a used car. Thus, if the car needs a lot of maintenance, repairs, and other modifications, it is best not to buy that used car (or else you lose the benefits of buying a used car).

2. You should be wary of buying used cars from owners that do not have complete and pertinent documents.

This could mean a lot of negative things and you are the only one who will be at the losing end. Documents are crucial especially if the car is second hand. It is the only solid guarantee that you can get hold of when buying used cars. If this is the case, then, you might as well not pursue the deal.

3. If the you are not comfortable after test-driving the car, then it is best not to buy it.

There are instances wherein some people tend to opt for used cars because of the model of the car being sold. It is their dream car and there is no other way they can purchase them but to buy them second hand. However, if you are not comfortable with the car after test-driving it, then it would be better not to pursue the deal, even if it means the world to you to have that car.

The bottom line is that buying used cars should never be your sole alternative if you cannot afford to buy new ones. This means that you should value the process of choosing a used car like what you would do when buying a new car. In the end, it is your money that will be put to risk. Thus, it is extremely important to consider all the factors in order to have the best buy ever. Happy hunting!

Dr. Drew Henry maintains a network of auto-related sites, including Luxury Car Secrets, Exotic Car Secrets and Car Speaker Secrets. Visit his sites today!

How do you decide to create a new speech? A new report? A net product? Most of us have an idea, then start to work on it. It’s only when we are well into the creation phase that we determine whether or not it will sell.

By then, it’s too late! We’ve put time and effort into the production. Either we don’t want to “waste” that time and effort, so we go ahead with a product destined to lose money or we “scrap” an idea that we’re just SURE could have been productive…if it only had time.

What if we reverse this “create, then market” paradigm? Let’s determine FIRST if there is a market, then create the product the market wants. The Internet provides the ideal venue for this process because it’s cost-effective to distribute your survey, and it offers quick turnaround for responses.

Your first step is to create a survey that you’ll send to your target market. Your survey includes four parts:

1. Create a list of problems or issues that are typical of your target market. For the speakers market, for example, topics could include marketing materials, topic choice, product development, demo videos, office productivity, etc.

2. If appropriate, list several formats in which you can deliver the information. For example, as a speech, a special report, an audio CD, a videotape or a DVD.

3. List related questions. These could include:
a.How much would you pay for…
b.How likely would you be to…

4. Gather relevant information that could be useful now or in the future. These questions may be about the professions responding, types of computers or connections used, equipment available, etc.

When you’ve completed your survey questions, you’ll need to decide on the technology you’ll use to deliver the survey - and to gather the answers. You are more likely to get a higher response if you send your survey via email. However, that means you’ll need to compile the responses manually. If you’re looking for a small number of responses, email works fine. For larger surveys, use a web-based survey service. Zoomerang is one of the better-known services which offers both a free and a fee-based survey service.

As the last step in the Ask then Create system, invite people to participate in your survey. You can do this as a link from your website, in a pop-up window, or in an email message. You can increase the number of responses by offering a reward - a free article or report, a gift certificate, a copy of the results, an entry in a drawing, a donation to a charity. Be creative!

What’s YOUR reward? You get an exact description of the problem your target market wants solved. You’ll see how they want the information delivered, how much they’re willing to pay for it, and how likely they are to purchase.

And THEN you create the ideal product.

To see a survey in action, visit http://www.Tech4Speakers.com/survey1.htm

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com

If you are a passionate author, writer or a small to medium creative enterprise eager to disseminate innovative insights or possibly make your personal imprint on the fanatical world then the more traditional publishing might commonly be a bitter stumbling block to getting your lovingly crafted innermost ideas and concerns out and about, into the world. Take heed you who may be dismayed, there are clever digital and ground-breaking online choices available which could take the bother, distress and some of the trying difficulty out of broadcasting one’s textual hard work. No doubt you will probably be over the moon to discover that one might evade all of the editors, sub-editors and egotistical publishers through undertaking your own actions to broadcasting your very own craft. Self publish your book, poems and commentary with a digital solution to avoid all the headache and heartache.

So you have a fantastic chronicle which you have been working particularly hard on for possibly many years, or feasibly very indispensable information which you just know many folks would sell their souls to acquire. You could possibly have fascinating data from an expert research enquiry, or maybe even an anthology of photographs, original designs or additional creative artwork that you would like to compile as a unique compilation of special works to show off one’s artistic ability or to get priceless exposure to the exclusive services you supply and get your specific products acknowledgment. How about only having your analysis concerning the things that really worry you; bothersome people, controlled politics, vacillating society, culture and distributing you own outlook with other concurring people.

Now you might find yourself in a magnificent position where you have put in the gruelling effort and have got the goods; a superb piece of creative work which is decidedly valuable, yet you could will still need to collaborate with a publisher and persuade them that your carefully crafted inspired work is worthy to be forever eternalised in print. Regrettably this can often be the finish of the line for legions of motivate authors, wordsmiths, poets, scribes, reporters and biographers. Even if the publisher has been able to be satisfied another exasperating stumbling post will probably be brought to light. All of the high charges of all those annoying extras; editors, designers and other resources required to convert a terrific scheme into an actualised reality can fall just outside of what it is possible that you feel is reasonable or you might may not be able to give good reason for the financial outlay.

The money needed in publishing is not the only deterrent or frsutrating stumbling block, for many people the turn around times for more traditional broadcasting are far too long. This is often the case in the instance of stories, data or information that is decidedly fresh, respecting hot trends or subject matter and may typically devalue as time passes and the narrow window of opening for impression begins to disappear.

Modern technology comes to the rescue once again, offering you a fast track alternative method. In our frantic, technologically advanced crazy world a vast array of services which have generally been offered offline are fast making the incredible migration into the unearthly ever changing online world, making these services far more available to all who needs to use them and often at a much lower price to the user too. Intelligent digital publishing is just one of these services and it allows you, the prodigious young writer, with the ability to publish you own product yourself with none of the hindrance and high charges associated with the more “historical” mediums.

Digital publishing will also offer you the flexibility you could be eager for in terms of the effortlessness of updating information, data or even adding entire divisions to an already published craft. Then there is the growing appeal of rich media such as; interactive applications, animations, videos and widgets. With an online or digitally published labour this the felxibility is fully probable and a broad range of extras and rich media are easily integrated into the magazine, article, or e-book.

In summary, a developing writer, small research business or photographic studio no longer needs to kiss up to egotistical publishers or hold up a small bank to see their pieces out and about in the marketplace. We live in today’s digital age and the extreme world of sharp digital has come to rescue to help you realise your publishing dreams.

Choosing your jewelry is no different than choosing your wardrobe. Most important is to stick within your comfort zone and your personal fashion style. That said it never hurts to step out of the box once in awhile.
What’s most important is that your jewelry matches up with your outfit. Your jewelry is the finishing touch on your total look. Make your fashion statement count!

You need to determine what you want your jewelry to do. Do you want it front and center stage? Do you want it to compliment? Do you want it subtle? The occasion or event you’ll be wearing your jewelry to is also important - make certain it is fitting. A sexy oversized choker might be perfect for a night on the town but may not be fitting for the boardroom.

Although you may have a favorite designer. There’s really no need to stick with just one designer. In fact there’s no need for the pieces to actually be designer. There are plenty of wonderful pieces on the market that are unsigned but certainly make a fashion statement. Mix and match your jewelry to give it character and a little pizzaz!

Costume Jewelry, both signed and unsigned, is an affordable way to complete your look. Costume Jewelry can be bought for a low price and has plenty of life. Heck we see costume jewelry back to the 1920s still in excellent condition. What’s great with costume jewelry is you can use it, get tired of it, put it away or give it away and have still gotten good value for your money.

Designer pieces tend to cost a little more, last a little longer, and they usually follow more traditional lines so you can wear them for more than one or two seasons.

Sterling Silver is affordable and very versatile. If you don’t want to spend the money for sterling, then purchase some silver plate pieces. Silver is a must have to any wardrobe! You can go from dainty and delicate to large and noticeable. It can be dressed up or down and is acceptable for any event or occasion.

We always recommend have some gold plate or gold tone pieces in your wardrobe basics also. 10-14k gold may be a bit too pricey for many but gold plated jewelry is quite affordable and will give you good value for the cost. Gold like silver can be dressed up or dressed down and is perfect for a very classy look.

When purchasing rings you can have great fun - again the choices are endless from large and overwhelming to dainty and feminine. The length and size of your fingers plays an important role in what will look good. For example long skinny fingers don’t look good with huge oversized rings, yet a woman that has long thicker fingers they look exquisite. Long nails? Short nails? it all makes a difference. Play and see what you like what looks good. Also determine where you will be wearing these rings. For example if your working around fine fabrics you’ll not want any rings that have sharp edges that could snag. Your rings are also part of your total statement.

When purchasing necklaces be certain you know your neck size so that you get a good fit. This is very important when purchasing on line as you don’t get a chance to try. If your neck is average in size then a 16″ necklace will look great, however if you have a somewhat larger than average neck then a 16″ necklace could be too tight. Measure the length of some of your favourite necklaces you already own. This will give you a good indication of what length you prefer. Opera necklaces which are over 30″ are terrific. They can be double wrapped, knotted, or whatever else your imagination comes up with. When choosing colored necklaces make sure its a color that compliments your skin tone. It may match your outfit fabulously but if it doesn’t match or compliment your skin tone your look could be lost.

When purchasing bracelets you’ll need to decide where you’re going to wear them, and how noticeable you want them to be. The availability of size and shape is endless - you can go from large bangle bracelets to dainy gem bracelets. If it is a slip on bracelet be sure that it will fit over your hand. Make certain to measure your wrist as the fit of a bracelet is very important. To large and it will look sloppy and may even slide off. Too small can constrict your wrist movement.

When purchasing earrings - the shapes and styles are endless - from dangles to chandeliers to hoops to studs to buttons. From enamel to beads to gems to metal to wood. Size of the earrings is very important to the statement your making. The larger the earring the more noticeable and the more incorporated they become into your total look. Large earrings aren’t for everyone - depending on your face size and shape they may actually detract rather than attract. Experiment and find what looks best on you.

Your jewelry choices are endless - no matter what your tastes, your likes, your dislikes. You’ll be able to complete your look just the way you want it with little effort. So be sure to make your fashion statement!

Sher from Estate Jewelry International have been serving customers for over 20 years, providing affordable estate jewelry, and a wealth of information on jewelry, fashion, designers, and beauty with on staff industry professionals. Please visit us at Estate Jewelry International.

To begin, let’s define “Brand Identity,” which is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic Brand Identity Kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a website, brochure, folder, flyer, or any other professionally designed pieces.

Having a Brand Identity is incredibly important to your business’s success. However, many business owners have some misconceptions about brand identities that can damage their businesses, and I’ve discussed those below:

My cousin can design my brand identity (logo, website, and marketing materials)
There are some very significant areas of your business that should be left to the professionals.

First of all, while your cousin may have been “great in art class,” this doesn’t mean that they have the knowledge and expertise required to create great graphic designs. Designing a logo, business card, or website is much different than painting a picture or making a collage. You must make a brand logo scalable, meaningful, and symbolic. See my article on the “9 Keys to an Effective Logo” for more information on what factors to consider when creating a great logo.

Second, by having a professional designer on your business marketing team, your projects will be a top priority. I have many potential clients who start their designs with a friend or relative, who are then “put on the back burner”, and then have their project drag on for months. After much frustration, they come to me and are amazed at how quickly things are completed. As a professional, I make your projects the most important items on my to-do list.

Finally, would you trust a friend to do something really important requiring unique skills for your business? Make an important client presentation for you, or give a speech? You probably would not, unless they’re a sales professional or a professional speaker. Would you trust a friend who’s “good with math” to do your corporate taxes? If you wouldn’t trust an amateur with an important business function, then why would you trust an amateur with your brand identity - the key to your marketing success?

Designing a custom brand identity is too expensive
It’s true that having your marketing materials designed is an expensive proposition. But, it may be even more expensive not having a high-quality, custom brand identity professionally designed - in terms of lost business, lack of respect from your clients, not being taken seriously in business. The list continues.

A strong brand identity quickly pays for itself. For most businesses, if just a few - two or three - new clients call you over the course of your business because of the equity that your brand identity develops, this new business would pay for your logo and brand identity design package. New customers will contact you because they remember your logo, hold on to your business card, or are impressed by your brochure. It’s likely that many more clients than the required few will contact you, and your business will grow from the (relatively) small initial investment in the brand identity.

Consider also that a brand identity is a sustainable expense. Once you’ve had a timeless logo and set of marketing materials designed, you can use them for years to come. And, once you have a strong logo, then creating consistent, targeted marketing pieces and programs is an easy addition to your existing system.

I don’t need a brand identity
If you are a professional in business, you need a brand identity. You wouldn’t imagine being in business without other important business essentials - your own computer, perhaps, or a business name or bank account. A brand identity is another of these basic business essentials - it’s the central piece to the marketing and promoting of your business.

My professional experience has taught me that there is nothing that looks less professional than not having a professional brand identity. If you don’t establish a clean, high-quality, and consistent look and feel to your materials, you’ll have a much more difficult time gaining the trust of a potential client - and signing them on to use your services. All of the Fortune 500 companies have a logo, and for a good reason - it makes them look more professional. If you want to be perceived as offering a high-caliber service, you have to look polished and “put together.”

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic
design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and
effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers
the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one-
on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works
closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and
memorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent
way. For more information about elf design, please visit:

Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com