ALLPRO Independent September/October 2018

ALLPRO

INDEPENDENT S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 018

Brilliant!

One of the world’s most spirited cities plays host to an ALLPRO get-together

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ADIOS C O R P O R AT E L I F E

PA I N T I N G THE POCONOS

3 TIPS ON TELECOM

Two ex-Sherwin-Williams managers make their mark

A tip from Dad turned into a thriving paint business

Get expert advice from an ALLPRO supplier

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Scott Morath gives you an inside look at the fall stockholders meeting

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Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

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FROM US TO YOU

By Scott Morath

some felt it was a little distracting. We decided to bring music back but tone it down to allow for easier conversations. This year’s reception will feature the Kinfolk Jazz Band, a local five-piece band. After all, New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, so what better way to get into the spirit of the city than by soaking up some of the music that made it famous.

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f you’ve never heard the saying, it’s Creole French for “Let the good times roll” and one of the many mantras of the city of New Orleans. Coincidentally, it’s also the unofficial mantra of the 2018 Stockholder Meeting. The official one is “Register by Monday, October 1st,” but that lacks punch, so we added an unofficial mantra to make up for it.

This year’s meeting will be held at the New Orleans Marriott, located along Canal Street in the city’s French Quarter. It will be ALLPRO’s first visit to the Crescent City and the first of many new cities we’ll visit over the next several years. We chose New Orleans because of its broad appeal

and unique cultural flair. We wanted to break the mold, so to speak, from past stockholder meetings and host this event in a true “bucket list” location to generate greater excitement.

Still, while location is important, it’s ultimately a backdrop for the meeting—the real appeal comes from the content. For that, we wanted to build on last year’s successes, tweak a few things that we felt could be improved upon and throw in something new. Here’s what you can expect:

Entertainment. Last year’s dueling pianos during the opening reception received mixed reviews. Many of you loved the addition of the music, but ALLPRO Independent

Keynote. Most of us are familiar with the movie 127 Hours, which chronicles the story of Aron Ralston, whose hand became pinned under a boulder during a hike through the canyons of Utah.

After several days of being exposed to the elements and having minimal food and water, he had to choose between suffering a grisly fate or severing his own arm to escape. As our keynote speaker, Ralston will share his personal story of this harrowing experience and reflect on his remarkable triumph over insurmountable odds. He’ll share the lessons he learned about the importance of examining one’s priorities and outlook on life. This will be a great opportunity for attendees to step outside the box and gain a fresh perspective on the challenges you’re facing in life, whether personal or professional. (cont. on p 2)

• Volume 1 • Issue 5

ALLPRO Leadership

About ALLPRO Independent

How to Reach Us

President Glen Morosohk

We are a bimonthly publication dedicated to

Write us at ALLPRO Corporation

Executive Vice President Mike Beaudoin

strengthening the ALLPRO community with

4946 Joanne Kearney Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619

Director of Marketing Scott Morath

relevant stories and news. Your suggestions,

Or contact us at 813-628-4800 or by email at allpro@allprocorp.com.

Marketing Coordinator Susie Fontana

opinions and feedback are encouraged.

All publishing services provided by Stevens Editorial.

September/October 2018 ALLPRO Independent

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(Top left) A New Orleans streetcar clicks and rumbles down Canal Street, passing the New Orleans Marriott where this year’s ALLPRO stockholder meeting will be held. (Top right) The three steeples of St. Louis Cathedral tower over Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. (Right) Bourbon Street is famous for its bars, but the muchballyhooed avenue is also home to some of the world’s best jazz halls and seafood eateries.

(cont. from p 1)

Breakouts. Attendees will once again be able to choose three options from a menu of breakout sessions. Each 50-minute session will be facilitated by one or more subject matter experts. Breakouts are as follows: It’s All in the Numbers: 5 Stats You Need to Know.

Dan Tratensek and Scott Wright of the NRHA will look at five simple metrics all retailers need to know and how to easily access this information, use it to gauge operational health and create a plan for improvement based on the data. This fast-paced seminar will help you start to create a roadmap for greater financial health in your business.

Decor Fusion Review. Learn about the latest tools and enhancements for Decor Fusion, including the contractor portal, RF gun functionality, delivery module, rebates and properly handling the Benjamin Moore CCP submission.

CBC will also discuss management reporting in Decor Fusion that can be reviewed on a daily, weekly or monthly

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September/October 2018 ALLPRO Independent

basis and building custom reports with the OLAP sales analysis tool.

HR: Being in the Know. Karen Seibert and Stephanie Rufa of Pear HR will return this year to discuss the ins and outs of hiring and firing, “ban the box,” questions you can and cannot ask, pay equity, paid time off, being competitive and best practices for retailers.

E-Commerce: 5 Lessons Learned. Drawing on her experience building and managing numerous industry sites, Kelly Scott of Barrydowne Paint will share specific tactics for B2B and consumer segments: what works, what doesn’t and how to get your team on board. Participants will also learn how e-commerce can be used to enhance the in-store experience and empower outside sales teams.

Selling Value. Most businesses struggle with articulating the value they offer, often deferring to price to make a sale.

Tracy Stallard of Sales Effectiveness Inc. will challenge you

and provide a framework for how to think about value and help each person on your team align with the value that is important to the customer.

Competing with National Chains. Drawing on their combined 50 years of experience as district managers for Sherwin-Williams, Mike Coffey and Don Duttine of Colorize, Inc., will offer an insider’s perspective on the chain’s strategy and tactics for competing at the local level. They’ll also discuss how they’ve used that knowledge to their advantage when competing with national chains.

Ladies’ Networking Luncheon. In addition to our usual lunch, we will host a separate lunch on Friday exclusively for the ladies in the group. This will be an unstructured event designed to provide this important segment an opportunity to network and build relationships with one another. You do not have to be an owner or business principal to attend.

Happy Hour. After a day filled with a general session/town hall meeting, keynote speaker and successive breakouts, we’re going to turn everyone loose at 4 p.m. for free time. We chose this particular hotel in part because of its proximity to the French Quarter. Attendees can walk out of the hotel and

find literally dozens of restaurants, bars and entertainment options within a few minutes’ walk from door to door. We will host a happy hour with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 6 p.m. for those who want to socialize a bit before heading out on the town.

Exhibits. Saturday morning we’ll host 60 of our key supplier partners for more than four hours of tabletop exhibits. As of this writing, we have about 75 percent of the exhibitors offering at-show promotions. We are continuing to negotiate additional promotions with a goal of having 100 percent participation. These are in addition to the cash spiffs ALLPRO will offer for each ALLPRO brand order placed at the show. These promotional buys are available only to stockholders in attendance at the meeting.

In summary, this meeting is a great opportunity to network, learn, buy and generally “laissez les bons temps rouler” with other members and supplier partners alike.

As a reminder, stockholders are reimbursed for one roundtrip coach airfare and up to three nights at the host hotel.

If you as a stockholder principal are unable to attend, we encourage you to send someone else from your company. It’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

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Scott Morath is ALLPRO's marketing and communications director.

September/October 2018 ALLPRO Independent

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n an effort to propel strategic sales and encourage growth within the company, Richard’s Paint Mfg. Co., Inc. has promoted Tom Griffey to director of sales.

Griffey boasts an impressive career in the coatings industry and has worked for Richard’s since 2001, as operations manager of the Orlando Retail Division, sales manager of the Infinity Division and regional sales manager overseeing Florida and the Caribbean.

These positions—and his continued growth within the company—have demonstrated his flexibility and ability

Community Involvement How ALLPRO members are giving back

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hile it’s true that ALLPRO member stores always do their best to serve the needs, tastes and interests of their local customers, they also love to give back to their neighborhoods and beyond.

Here are three stores that are helping their communities and causes that matter to them.

Jones Paint and Glass: The Provo, Utah–based shop donated all the doors and windows for Habitat for Humanity’s Utah Blitz Build, an annual partnership with professional builders to renovate and repair homes across the state. They also sponsored the Utah County Fair Demolition Derby.

Tanner Paint Co.: This Tampa, Florida–based company donated paint to help create a new dining garden in Sparkman Wharf, turning old

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Richard’s Paint Promotes Tom Griffey to Director of Sales to evolve in an ever-changing industry. His new role will include developing key growth sales strategies, tactics and action plans to help Richard’s hit financial targets; given Griffey’s talents for relationship building and understanding dealer needs, it’s a position in which he should excel. “I enjoy my job because of the challenges I am faced with every day,” Griffey said. “I feel respected and valued for what I bring to the company, and I appreciate that Richard’s prides itself on providing support to its customers and its employees.”

shipping containers into bright, Instagram-worthy showpieces.

They are also involved with End 68 Hours of Hunger, a nonprofit that provides free food to children throughout the weekend who don’t have access to it otherwise.

Ring’s End: The company’s flagship store in Darien, Connecticut, is proud to offer the Building Hope Foundation Scholarship to the children of its employees. The Building Hope Foundation is an organization that supports charitable activities in Fairfield County, such as Habitat for Humanity, the Marine Corps League and Girl Scout Cookies for the Troops.

Have you been inspired to give back or get involved in your local community? Let us know! We want to hear from ALLPRO members and supplier partners about the ways they help improve the places they live and work. Please contact Susie Fontana at susie@allprocorp.com and you might see your story come to life in an upcoming issue of ALLPRO Independent!

Join us in congratulating our current members who are opening new locations and new members who have joined the group.

• Guiry's Inc. opened their 12th location in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• Custom Colors Paint & Decorating opened their sixth store in Wilmington, North Carolina.

• Regal Paint & Decorating opened their 18th location in Winter Garden, Florida.

• CR. Wallauer & Co. added six new locations to their store listing, which will operate under the name 3D Wallauer Corp.

• Drive-In Paint Mart is opening their third location in Dedham, Massachusetts.

• West Coast Paint & Design is opening their third location in Folsom, California.

Canpro Decorating Products added two new members: Leslie Street Paint & Design Centre with one location in North York, Ontario, and Automotive Sales Co. (ASCO) with two locations in British Columbia--one in Victoria and the other in Courtney. And two Canpro members are expanding their businesses. Janzen's Paint & Decorating opened their fourth store in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Southside Paint is opening a new location in Milton, Ontario.

Our New Team Member

Will Torres

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ay hello to Will Torres, an account representative who started with ALLPRO in April. Torres's duties include working as a team player in the accounting department to input invoices, apply payments to accounts, analyze data, and meet the needs of his 50 members. Joining the team has been a welcome career change for Torres, who previously worked as an accounting clerk at a major law firm for 13 years. “I enjoy the challenge of working with members, as well as the variety of responsibilities the job brings,” Torres said. His detailoriented nature and positive attitude will undoubtedly be assets to the team as it continues to grow.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Colorize

A pair of New York men took a big risk when they left behind careers at a paint industry giant to become independent retailers.

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hen two longtime district managers for SherwinWilliams struck up a friendship, they didn’t know it would one day lead to a new career for both of them. “Mike [Coffey] and I both decided at different times that the paths we were on were not the ones we wanted to continue on for another 20 years,” Don Duttine said. “We each had no idea what we wanted to do, but knew it would be something different.”

Something different turned out to be having their own store.

In 2016, Don Duttine and Mike Coffey left Sherwin-Williams to open Colorize in Clifton Park, New York. They opened a second Colorize store in Niskayuna this year. In terms of their individual talents for business, Duttine says he and Coffey complement each other.

What made two longtime Sherwin-Williams employees decide to go into business for themselves? Sherwin-Williams is a great company, Duttine said, but he really wanted to be his own boss.

“I had bigger aspirations,” he explained.

Of course, there’s a lot more to being your own boss than can be anticipated by most people who dream of being their own

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boss. Duttine admits that he and Coffey are still learning aspects of the paint business that they weren’t exposed to at Sherwin-Williams, where the company did much of the work for them. Now, though, the two men are on their own.

For example, marketing was something Duttine didn’t have to think about before. “We are the ones who have to

Benjamin Moore color consultant Fran Ducharme talks to group of local designers at Colorize’s Clifton Park, New York, store in November 2017.

generate the excitement,” he said. “We have to introduce the community to Colorize. That’s been a big challenge.” The stores’ customer mix at the moment is 80 percent contractors and 20 percent do-it-yourselfers. Duttine wants to see that 20 percent double as a percentage of their overall business.

One way they’re trying to build the retail customer base is

through something Duttine calls “The Colorize Experience.”

It’s a service philosophy, but Duttine makes it sound like a solemn vow. “We want to see every project through to completion,” he said. “This is my livelihood. We want to be the neighborhood paint store in a few different neighborhoods.

We want to make sure our customers are taken care of and

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that they tell their friends and family about us.”

To fortify their vision of “The Colorize Experience,” Duttine and Coffey make sure to hire only staffers who have paint-industry acumen.

“The people we add to our team, these are guys and girls who come from the industry. They’re passionate.

They’re excited and believe in what we’re doing.

Benjamin Moore has provided invaluable help in spreading the word about Colorize. “We’ve partnered with a company in Benjamin Moore that has given us a very, very well-respected name and amazing product that delivers great quality,” Duttine said.

Colorize holds events like Free Paint Fridays, whereby customers can walk away with free pints of Benjamin Moore product. “We at Colorize have decided to give two free color samples every Friday to help our customers make their color selections,” he said. “It’s becoming a fun day, and many customers are beginning to look forward to Friday. Once they pick their colors, they return to purchase their gallons.”

Other Colorize marketing strategies include holding

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local home shows and advertising in church bulletins. In October, when Benjamin Moore announces its color of the year, Colorize will throw a party. Duttine will have Benjamin Moore designers come to the store and unveil the color.

Duttine said he and Coffey are still learning all the ways ALLPRO can help their business, but they’re grateful thus far. The purchasing power ALLPRO is able to provide for independent retailers is impressive, he said. But what he really loves about ALLPRO is the tappable network of retailers, meaning all the people he can go to for advice.

“The ability to reach out and see what other dealers are doing [is valuable],” he said. “We can pick up the phone and easily call somebody and say, ‘Hey, you know what? You’ve already created the wheel. We don’t want to reinvent it.’ It’s wonderful.”

Specifically, Duttine said he called a store “out west” to get advice on improving Colorize’s wallpaper selling strategies. “Being able to work closely with other small businesses and help overcome challenges is a key part of our business,” he said.

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MEMBER PROFILE

Gleco Paint Stores A former ALLPRO president teamed up with his brother to build a family paint and decorating business in eastern Pennsylvania.

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s kids, Brooklynites Michael Gleason and his brother Stephen used to vacation with their family in the Poconos. On one such trip, their father said, “You know what this place needs? A paint store!” So Michael and Stephen went ahead and opened one.

“I was 22 and my brother was 20,” Michael Gleason said. “Our joke has always been ‘We were too young to know that we couldn’t open a paint store from scratch, so we opened it.’”

The Gleason brothers’ father was familiar with industrial coatings thanks to years spent in the steel business, but his motivation for encouraging his sons in this direction may have had more to do with the proverb “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” than anything else. “My father believed kids who are working are kept out of trouble,” Gleason said. “Whether that necessarily worked out or not, I can’t say. But that was his thing. So all of us from a very young age worked in a deli and did other things after school to keep out of trouble.”

The Gleason brothers may not have had prior paint-

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industry expertise, but they had other essential qualities: true grit and courage in the face of adversity, to name two. One thing they didn’t have was fear of hard work. The Gleason family fortitude is the reason Gleco Paint & Wallcovering, with three locations in eastern Pennsylvania, is a success today, Gleason said.

Family businesses are intriguing in that relationships that were formed in the home are brought into a business and must adjust accordingly. The brothers say they work well together because they’re very different people. “The reason we are still in business after 31 years is that we’re complete opposites,” Gleason said. “We both value customer relations.

But I am more type A analytical, and my brother enjoys the social part of it. We have a really good relationship where we can talk about our strengths and weaknesses.”

Their smooth workplace interaction provides an example that other family members can follow. Their kids have seen the two men work through problems together. This balanced professional relationship has helped the business weather changes in the local marketplace and the paint industry as a whole.

Three decades ago, the Pocono region was chiefly a tourist destination for the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Urban-dwelling couples and families went there for honeymoons and vacations. As a consequence, a lot of second homes were being built. So at first, most of the Gleasons’ business consisted of new home construction. That’s what got them started.

But a housing market collapse in the 1990s changed the dynamic. The brothers saw it coming and expanded into industrial coatings. “That was something the majority of our competition around here was not doing,” Gleason said.

A second housing boom transformed the region into a bedroom community for the aforementioned cities. During that

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economic upswing, the new home construction was focused on primary homes rather than secondary homes. A lower cost of living and excellent schools transformed the Poconos from a tourist destination to a permanent residence for many former urbanites. That second boom went bust during the financial crisis that began in 2008. The one that hurt so many independent paint retailers.

The brothers resolved to turn the recession into an opportunity. Gleason knew that even the national chains were going to cut staff and reduce inventory. “We talked to people in the industry and what we heard was ‘The sky is falling.

The world is coming to an end. You’ve got to budget for a 20 percent decrease in your retail business.’ And my brother Stephen and I were like, ‘That’s crazy. How is that possible?’”

The Gleasons saw this as overcompensation. “They were making the situation worse by not having the right products, not having the right staff,” Gleason said. “We made sure we kept the staff. We never laid anybody off. We made sure we had the right products in stock. We made sure all our services were there.” This strategy paid off in spades, to quote the winning bridge player. Customers in the Gleasons’ market, upon discovering that something was seriously amiss in other stores, found their way to Gleco.

An unconventional approach to a common problem also helped immensely after a big-box home-improvement chain

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opened an outlet 500 feet from the main Gleco store. The brothers didn’t panic. They reasoned that chain stores mean traffic—traffic that could be siphoned away. They remodeled their store to include digital signage, and their retail business actually increased.

Gleason purposely constructed a third Gleco store, which opened a couple of years ago, as close as possible to a bigbox store for precisely that reason: proximity to the traffic generated by a national chain. “We wanted to be as close to that model of business as we possibly could be. It’s going to give us the drive-by traffic we want, and it’s traffic that is home-improvement oriented.” Gleason reasons that some of those customers will want a better experience and come to his store to get it.

Gleason thinks that what constitutes a better experience for a would-be chain-store customer is service. When he and his brother need to fill a staff position, they seek out people who have similar thoughts about exceeding customer expectations.

One thing that helps make service more efficient at Gleco is technology. The business makes use of customer relations management (CRM) systems. “We have outside salespeople and inside staff, and CRMs are a way for them to effectively engage the customer and follow up with the customer. There are reminders; it’s all automated. And it’s integrated with our

point-of-sales system.”

Gleason said ALLPRO has also helped Gleco compete with the national chains. “We have found through ALLPRO a culture of sharing ideas and experiences from member to member that has proved invaluable,” he said.

But here’s where we arrive at a conundrum for the independent retailer: How does one stay current while retaining a certain cozy charm? Gleason sees it as a challenge to continue to exude a mom-and-pop aura, but he also thinks it’s important. He wants to have “that [independent retail] feeling yet still be able to do the things that the national chains are doing.”

What the national chains provide, if not exemplary service, is a consistent model. People know what to expect from the chain stores and grow accustomed to the consistency of that, even when the customer experience isn’t necessarily superlative.

Gleason knows the independent model has to improve if it’s going to compete against those national chains. This, too, will be a challenge going forward.

The future success of independent retailers will very much depend on the innovation and value consciousness of their suppliers. “Our supply side has to make sure they keep their products relevant in the marketplace,” Gleason said. “A lot of us aren’t paint manufacturers, so we rely heavily on paint manufacturers to make sure we have the products and pricing to compete in the marketplace.”

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IN PICTURES

Networking for Women A

LLPRO hosts its first-ever Women's Networking Luncheon at this year’s fall stockholders meeting. The unstructured event is exclusively for women and designed to facilitate relationships that will help attendees expand their real-world business knowledge and gain access to the collective wisdom of the group. One does not have to be an owner or business principal to attend. Marketing coordinator Susie Fontana said ALLPRO wants to do something special for women in the industry. “We want people to bring business cards and come ready to network,” she said. “Someday they’ll be glad they did.” Contact Susie at susie@allprocorp.com for more information.

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H e y , A L L P R O m e m b ers .

Everybody’s got one. Or ten.

So let’s hear ‘em.

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ave you overcome tremendous obstacles to succeed? Do you have a strong opinion about a new trend? Has your job taught you important lessons? Are you well-informed about something important to the industry? Do you have a incredible employee? Have you had an emotional or uplifting experience with a customer?

Contact Susie Fontana at susie@allprocorp.com and tell her your story.

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Things Retailers Need in a Telecom Vendor

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y husband is a general contractor.

He calls our local Regal Paint store here in Jupiter, Florida, when he is looking for paint or other products to make sure what he needs is in stock.

In that way and others, the phone is

September/October 2018 ALLPRO Independent

as essential to his business as it is to yours as a shop owner. So how do we make sure to choose the best telecom provider? It isn’t something anyone wants to spend their time on, but it is an important decision. No one wants to get stuck in a contract with an unreliable provider that is too expensive.

Customer Support You pride yourself on giving your customers the best support possible, so find a company that emulates your passion for service. When issues arise, the last thing you want is to be stuck on your cell phone, waiting in a queue to speak with someone who isn’t going to be able to help you. Find a telco that is going to give you a personal rep, with U.S.-based, 24-7 customer service. Find someone who knows the names of your team members and your history as a customer and who has your best interest in mind versus a company where you are just another number.

Try This

products are more efficient and will save you money, which you can then put into other areas of your business.

Customization

All retailers are different, so make sure you find a telecom partner who will tailor its services to your conditions, prioritize customization and be a one-stop shop for your telecom needs.

When you have more than one location, Go to npsbenchmarks.com for you might have different carriers for each shop an index with ratings ranging from and different carriers for each service. That -100 to 100 measuring customers’ means a lot of bills. When you’re able to get willingness to recommend a your bills for internet, phone and wireless from company’s products or services. one provider, your accounts payable staff can Partner, Not Provider spend time on more important things, instead of sorting through and paying all these different bills. Find a SD-WAN, DIA, VoIP, MPLS… These telecom terms provider that can also customize these bills with each shop’s are common trends in the industry, and trends are always name, an easy-to-use portal and flexible paying options. changing. When you work with a company that is a partner, not just a provider, they will know your store and what new solutions will fit it best. You can be comfortable asking them McKenzie Cherry is a relationship development manager for Granite Telecommunications, an ALLPRO supplier partner based questions and knowing that if a new, better solution arises, in Quincy, Massachusetts. your rep will bring it to your attention. Often, the newer

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SPOTLIGHT

Guiry’s

The Color House

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Regal Decorating & Paint Center

Custom Colors Paint & Flooring Center

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Colorado President Sean Guiry guirys.com hile none of its original locations are still in use, the Denver location of Guiry’s has been a Colorado mainstay since 1999. President Sean Guiry took over management duties in 1999, along with his brother, after their great-grandfather passed away. And while he never thought he’d become its president, “I took a lot of pride in working for the family business,” Guiry said.

“I thought I would end up doing something different, but the more I learned about it, the more I liked it.” His inquisitive nature and the family’s dedication to growing the business has paid off.

Florida Co-Owner Steve Rasmussen regalpaint.com he dedicated staff at Regal Decorating & Paint pride themselves on being experts in the field of paint and home decor, and helping every customer who visits the store with a mix of honesty, integrity and respect. And with 15 locations in Florida, customers throughout the state shouldn’t have to drive far to find a product to fill their home-decorating needs: Each store stocks a wide selection of paints, stains and other products by Benjamin Moore, Corona Brush, Coronado and 3M, as well as accessories, wood stains and solvents to make every DIY job look professional.

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Rhode Island Owner Jean Hauser; Ops Manager Grahame Ermer thecolorhouse.com ven though he spent Sunday afternoons visiting flea markets, antique stores and consignment shops with his mother—and readily admits he was exposed to the smell of paint stripper at a young age—Color House operations manager Grahame Ermer had no idea it would lead to a career of 20-plus years in the industry. “My interest in collecting antiques and building furniture melded with the world of paint and design,” Ermer said. “I enjoy translating my interest in understanding how things work, why they are made or what they are made of.”

North Carolina Vice President Caroline Johnson customcolorsnc.com ith five locations in North Carolina, Custom Colors Paint & Flooring Center prides itself on providing custom solutions to a variety of decorating needs, whether you’re looking to spruce up your home or business. Each shop carries a wide variety of multi-pigment and environmentally friendly paints by brands like Aura, Eco Spec, Scuff-X and Natura, as well as flooring designed to complement whatever color you choose. The trained specialists at each shop will educate you on each product before you make a selection, giving you the tools you need to transform your space.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Marketing the Old-Fashioned Way

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contacts. Arranging public speaking engagements at community centers or at meetups for like-minded individuals is also helpful and will establish you as a professional in your field.

No matter which medium you choose, make sure all of your branding is consistent and that your contact info is accurate. You’ll want to make sure your connections can reach you virtually, no matter where your business might take you.

f thinking of all of the ways to market your business online is enough to make your head spin (or, worse, cause you to do nothing at all), don’t fret: You can still build a successful business by using tried-andtrue techniques that require no internet connection.

You can network by talking with other business owners in your local community, joining a local organization, creating and posting eye-catching signs advertising your services, and handing out business cards to new

Tech Mistakes Small Businesses Make

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few years ago, most small business owners struggled to find technology options that would modernize their stores. .These days, that’s not the case: So many options exist that many people choose an option that’s too expensive, says Tirena Dingeldein, senior analyst and content manager at Capterra, a software company whose goal is to simplify the process for small businesses. In addition to identifying the needs most business owners are looking to satisfy with software, Dingeldein advises clients to look for free trials or to schedule a demo before buying. Also important: Take cybersecurity seriously. According to a Ponemon Institute report, the average amount lost during a data breach is $148 per data record, which translates to more than $2 million even if fewer than 15,000 records are stolen. “That’s a significant amount of money, which could take a business down overnight,” Dingeldein said. Your best bet: Stick to the basics—like CRM or HR software—to allow your business to grow and become profitable.

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The Paper Trail What to keep and how to organize it

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2.7

%

The average increase in hourly pay for small business workers in the U.S. from April 2017 to April 2018.

- Source: Biz2Credit Figures

hough it might seem as if you’re drowning in paper, maintaining proper records and saving paperwork is one of the keys to running a successful business. While the papers one needs to keep vary for each individual business, important documents often include accounting and transaction records, expenses, invoices, contracts and licenses. While software and inventory programs can help you stay organized, you still might need to enter information manually to ensure the numbers are accurate. Not convinced you’re up for the task? Enlist the help of a bookkeeper or consultant. No matter which route you choose, be sure to backup your records using a cloudbased data service, such as Carbonite or Mozy.

That way, even if your systems crash, you’ll still have a record of all of your files.

4946 Joanne Kearney Blvd.

Tampa, FL 33619

Network Meeting Learn Buy Have Fun 2018 Stockholder Thursday November 8 to Saturday November 10 New Orleans Marriott French Quarter

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oin us for the 2018 ALLPRO Stockholder Meeting in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. The old square is rich with the sounds of music, art and commerce making it the perfect environment for an event aimed at creative business people. We’ll have live entertainment, guest speaker Aron Ralston of 127 Hours fame, focused training sessions with professional subject matter experts, and over 60 of our top vendors exhibiting. Attendees will also have free time to explore the Big Easy’s famed nightlife.

New Orleans Marriott 555 Canal Street New Orleans, Louisiana For more information, contact ALLPRO or log in to allprocorp.com and click “Events.”