Look Like a Professional Brand, Even If You Operate From Your Garage
Entrepreneurship is alive and well! With the aid of online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Ebay, being a shop owner can be a reality. Website host companies, with user-friendly interfaces, like WIX, Squarespace, Shopify and Wordpress, make it simple to create a stunning looking site, fast. It’s not impossible anymore to have a professional brand face in just a few hours with the resources we have at our fingertips. But there are some other resources and things to consider to help your small company operate at a professional level. Here are 5 little things a small business can do in one day to operate like a pro:
1. Have a professional email address
It’s always the first piece of advice I give to my clients. If you are making the effort to start a business and you’ve already purchased your domain, take another thirty minutes to set up a company email. Having your company on name followed by hotmail, yahoo or aol.com just won’t cut it anymore. Did you know some of the world's largest companies use Google’s Gsuite as their email provider? Anyone can have a personal gmail and it’s just as easy to set up your business on Gsuite to get an email like name@yourcompany.com for as low as $5/mo.
2. Have a professional email signature
Take the time to go to your email settings and set up a professional signature, do this on your phone as well, as your desktop settings don’t always carry over. There are programs that help you create excellent professionally designed signature at zero to low costs. Wisestamp.com allows you to insert a picture, add company colors, logos and social media icons that link to your accounts. Setting up an account with Wisestamp is easy and opens up incredible features if you really want to get creative with your signature. You can feature a promotional banner and promote a product that can click through to your website’s shopping cart. The sky’s the limit, but don’t go crazy. Keep it tasteful. Less is more!
3. Have easy access to your information
Your new email account also comes with Google Drive with 2GB of cloud space where you can share and store large files. It includes collaborative programs like Google Docs, Sheets and Presentations that are so similar your favorite Microsoft Windows programs, which are accessible to you anywhere you can login to your account. As a business owner on the go, you would benefit from the Google phone app which allows you to access all of your emails, images, documents and folders in the palm of your hand.
4. Invest in good business cards
It’s all in the details, your card says more about your brand than you do. Investing in high quality business cards with professional custom design is investing in yourself and your company. There are online printing companies with templates for creating cards yourself, but why settle for a template when the brand deserves to have its own identity.
5. Invest in a brand identity and styling
Give your business an identity. Get a strong custom logo and graphic, identify and assign a color palette that you use across all marketing materials and assets. Have business cards, and professional letterheads designed around your brand. Give yourself the chance to make the best first impression.