The secret to making a small fortune in this business? "Start with a large fortune!" Or, a really great idea.

This is a two-part series, to jump start the Autumn season with a few ideas to put a spring in your step ;)

Today, we will diet on concepts that would make Pythagoras happy. He lived from 582 BC to 497 BC, a Greek mathematician of tremendous influence. Not just for his theories, but for his philosophy that bore fruit which physicists enjoy today. He said,

“A thought is an idea in transit.”

Your business is young. It’s old. It is enjoying tremendous growth. It is stagnant. It is something new every day. It is the same thing every day. It is making you giddy with joy. It is feeling ill from the economy, and you are feeling concerned. Congratulations: You have survived the recession. Now what?

“Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.”

Good old-fashioned fresh thinking can move mountains. Do you still call your digital sign business a “sign company?” Maybe it’s time to get into a different business… In case you hadn’t noticed, sameness is out.

If you remember nothing else from this blog, just keep this one statement in mind, as you look at your business in the midst of a collection of such businesses in your city: Sameness is OUT. It is time to differentiate. And it is time to define what your business is today and tomorrow.


Here are some thoughts which you can look over, slather on a few more thoughts of your own, until it is a full-blown idea that charges you up and breathes fresh vitality into your “vinyl and print and LED” balloon, until it much, much bigger and better. Until it flies higher than you ever imagined.


We’re off to discover new treasures in the industry… or hidden gems that you missed this decade. Here’s a round-up of the coolest stuff, big and small, for your consideration. Each hints at worlds unexplored…promises of new markets…or simply the giddy joy of offering something new that no one else has. Sometimes, we all need to stop and smell the possibilities!

  Locally-Grown Products: The "buy local" ethos has its roots in the farmer’s markets movement: There are almost 5,000 farmers markets across the country, the result of more than 5 percent annual growth for the past five years, according to the Department of Agriculture. Nearly 60 percent of consumers say they try to shop at a farmers market. Wal-Mart and Safeway recently added "Locally Grown" sections to their produce departments, and the USDA launched a "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" marketing campaign. Can you take this thought and translate it into your own operation’s marketing messages? YES, YOU CAN. Businesses in your market – that 10 mile circle around your shop – are buying long distance visual communications products. Shame on them. They need to support the local community. You ARE the local community. Run with it.

Heavy Metal: Wrap your vehicle with the most stunning and passionate image you can find that shouts out the business of your business. “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising,” said Mark Twain. Got the new VS-540 or VS-640 from Roland? Put some cutting edge metallics in your wrap – hundreds of colors, in fact!

 No Double Dip: Spending a lot of time “double dipping” your backlit translucent jobs? Selling a lot of flags? Get it all done in one pass with an HP latex printer.

Green with Envy: Thanks to government incentives and changing public sentiment, clean energy is the most popular kid on the green movement block. The stimulus plan poured billions into renewable energy, automakers are all but predicting electric gridlock within the next few years, and everyone who's anyone in the electric power industry is investing in the "smart grid." Biggest little thing you can do is to really go green. How? Easy. Start with the EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Check out SGIA and ISA as they offer webinars and resources for digital, visual communicators like you.

Last month, the Chairman of the Board of POPAI UK said to me, “Anyone who gains a little expertise in “green” products and services is already seen as an expert.” It’s a ground floor opportunity in the visual communications industry. Right now. You can be the consultant for your clients, especially for thousands of new, green companies.

Bag Some Business: Promotional products that work six ways to Sunday: Want e-commerce at the push of a button? Want to support green efforts? Then consider adding specialty advertising to your list of credentials. This ain’t your poppa’s pen! Today, imprinted promotional products are building brands, supporting green efforts (think reusable fabric bags) and giving instant e-commerce options for your clients. Check out the variety of companies that will give you affordable on-line options. Buy some fantastic, cloth bags of recyclable / recycled material, branded with your company name and message, and give these to your clients. Let them use these wherever they shop to advertise YOU. The free plastic bag may soon be a thing of the past, and banned as in the case of San Francisco. Reusable lunch bags are big. Be the “go-to bag man” or “bag lady.” (Okay, maybe don’t say it like that.) Someone has to provide the new bags. Why not you?

Alright, I could go on, but will end here for today. As I mentioned at the outset of this post, there will be two parts published. One today, and one next week. Because as Pythagoras said,

“Do not talk a little on many subjects, but much on a few.”

See you next week!  Search Amazon.com for eco friendly bags