A Business Without a Sign is a Sign of No Business

That monument, ground or pylon sign standing outside your building should be a reflection of your image and brand. I once read, “A business without a sign is a sign of no business”. True enough. Not many businesses can survive without a sign to direct traffic to their doors unless they are a web-based company that relies on other methods. Not so the larger retail companies we recognize regularly. Shell, Esso, McDonalds as well as The Bay, Sears, Canadian Tire and other bastions of retail excellence. Their pylon signs are not the only things that bring customers to their doors but it is an important part of the corporate strategy. It reflects the brand and broadcasts for blocks, where you should turn in.

Not every company can afford a huge pylon sign like the major corporations. But it still must be a part of the corporate strategy. Many companies share space on a pylon sign with other tenants or condo owners. While your space may be limited, don’t give up on making the most of what is available to you. This means maximizing the available space. Let’s say you are negotiating a lease for a building in which you share space on a pylon sign. Try to negotiate with the landlord to increase the number of places or size of space available on the sign.

If part of the sign is vacant, you might be able to negotiate using that space until the vacant space is required. There are benefits to both parties here. You gain extra signage for the beginning of the lease (when it is most important for customers to find you) and the landlord’s property will appear fully occupied (which benefits all the tenants since prosperity begets prosperity).

I remember my days in the gas station business when, if a station had no customers, we advised the managers to park a car or two at the pumps. You’d be surprised how this technique brought customers onto the lot! An empty lot looks deserted and forbidding. But a lot with cars on it attracts other customers.

How much information should go on a pylon sign? As little as possible! Remember my mantra: “The best sign says the least.” Of course, custom signs are always preferred and will have the bigger impact. Certainly the name and logo of the company must be the largest and most prominent items displayed. After that, any further information will only detract from the main message. The pylon sign is there to broadcast who you are and where you are, not give out a lot of information about your company. There are other vehicles for that.

Let’s talk about the layout of the logo and company name on the pylon. Sometimes, the configuration of the sign does not allow you to lay out the name and/or logo in the normal fashion. Unless you are designing and building a pylon sign for your own purpose, be prepared to re-configure the layout to maximize the available space. For example, your logo may quite square but the available space is long and thin.

If you don’t allow the designer to change the layout of the logo/name, it will be very small and very hard to see from a distance. That’s a short-sighted policy. I’ve seen this happen in many instances where a corporation, with strict rules on how the name and logo can be displayed, moves into a rented property. The head office refuses to bend on the layout of the sign. The result is a smaller than expected presence on the sign and an ineffective sign.

In summary:

  • Be prepared to negotiate additional space for a short period of time
  • Be flexible on the layout so that you maximize the space available
  • Only put the essential information on the sign – name and logo

Why You Should Invest in a Boat Cover

A boat cover can prolong the longevity of a boat by 50 percent, as compared to the boat which is not covered.

How to Choose the Best Boat Cover for Your Boat

You may be overwhelmed by the choices of boat covers available in the market. Your choice of boat cover depends mainly on the climatic conditions your boat is exposed to. The most reliable boat cover should cover the boat completely. A customized boat cover will fit like a pair of gloves.

Which Material to Choose for Your Boat Cover

Canvas and polyester are the main materials used in the making of boat covers. The best ones come in waver polyester alternated with non-waver polyester. Canvas is also popular material for boat covers because it is tough on dust and allows air circulation.

It is important to ensure that the boat cover you use is totally waterproof. Some covers will also protect your boat from ultraviolet rays (keeps the color of the boat fresh for a longer period of time). Before you decide on what boat cover would fit your boat best, check out all the available material and the cost.

Baby Rear-View Mirrors

Auto baby rear-view mirrors are a great way to keep an eye on your child and drive safely. There are many options available and most have universal fittings that make it easy and convenient to attach a mirror for any auto.

Driving with your child in the rear seat of your car can be quite stressful. It is dangerous to try and communicate and engage with your child and keep your eyes on the road. Also, it can be dangerously distracting not knowing what your child is doing or why they may be upset.

Rear facing child seats require a Baby Car Mirror that attaches to the headrest of the rear seat and can be seen either from your rear-view mirror or preferably, a secondary mirror attached to the windshield or rear-view mirror. You will find the best baby car mirror deals on the internet from online shops.

The advantage of a second mirror is that it can be placed and arranged for quick and easy viewing of your child and helps you keep your eye on the road.

Front facing seats require a secondary baby rear view-mirror attached to the existing mirror or by fixing to the windshield or rear-view mirror. This allows you to view your little one easily without compromising the view of the road through your rear-view mirror.

The Financial Case for Telecoms Expense Management

The functional groups that get involved in developing a business case for Telecom Expense Management often include: IT, Sourcing, Finance and Global Technology Infrastructure Management.
The business case typically includes a detailed review of technology, projected productivity gains and savings for each project.

The refunds and savings to be made from utilizing a Telecom Expense Management program can be used to create a Return on Investment (ROI) business case to cost justify the investment in a system.

Typical identifiable and substantiated savings categories include:

  • Refunds due for unpaid past credits and billing errors.
  • Creation of asset register and asset record cleansing; plus inventory reconciliation with billing.
  • Client identified reductions through inventory reports e.g. obsolete modems previously used on lines that have since been removed.
  • Optimization recommendations.
  • Sourcing savings from new contracts at lower rates.
  • Improved transparency and visibility of expenses.

A return on investment is computed from the following calculation.

ROI = (“Gain from Investment” – “Cost of Investment”) divided by “Cost of Investment”

The cost of “no action” or delayed action should be considered too. Each month, organisations may be forfeiting opportunities to optimize their technology expenses, to save money. Claims for refunds, owed for billing errors, may be subject to a limited claim time period. Without a Telecoms Expense Management system it can be difficult to provide the evidence and documentation needed to support claims. Organisations should therefore recognize that there are real costs if they fail to invest in TEM services.

Safety Tips in Using Propane Tanks

Propane is often used in areas where natural gas is absent, held in pressurized tanks. These tanks can be tapped, enabling the use of the fuel for different purposes like cooking, heating, clothes, etc. Some people see danger in storing a large amount of fuel near their houses, but even natural gas supply can be dangerous. The truth is any kind of fuel is potentially dangerous if the users are not careful in using them. Since in this age, we cannot live without gas supply, we only need to be cautious in our actions. Here are some safety tips in using propane tanks:

Avoid using tanks that show signs of damage. Do not try to repair the propane tanks in case you found that they are indeed damaged. You should bring them instead to their suppliers for repairs or better yet, for disposal.

Use water with soap in checking if the tank or its valve is leaking. Turn the appliance off before opening the valve. Check the labels of your propane tank for any specific instructions for leak detection.

When the tank is not in use, it is best that you turn the valve in the “closed” position.

When using propane tanks with gas grills, never store the tank under the grill. This also applies even if you think that the propane tank is already empty. It is also best that you disconnect the tank from the grill when they are not in use. Of course, you need to turn the valve off when doing this.

Vertical tanks should always be stored in an upright position. It is also advisable to store them outside the house. Still regarding the storage area, the propane tanks should be placed where the temperature does not exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

When you are transporting a propane tank, secure it upright in an area in your vehicle that is well-ventilated. It is advisable that you head directly to the place where the propane tank will be used for safety reasons.

Types of Propane Storage Tanks

Propane is the fuel used in areas where natural gas is not present. It is stored in pressurized tanks in liquid form and vaporized before it is used in the various appliances that need this kind of fuel. Propane storage tanks come in many sizes and types. Some have the propane tank gauge already installed and for others you will need to buy a propane tank sensor. They can be used in different functions and in various settings, such as residential and industrial settings. Here are the different types of propane storage tanks:

Bulk propane storage tanks: these tanks are very large and are often used to store propane supply for a locale or for an industrial company that is in need of great amounts of propane fuel.

Dispenser tanks: this type of propane tank can act as storage but with less capacity that the preceding kind. They can as well refill small propane tanks so they can be used as a business with the right paperwork.

Residential tanks: for our homes, we can use propane storage tanks of different sizes, depending on use of fuel for us. If you merely need propane for cooking, then a smaller tank will do. However, if you also need the fuel for other purposes like heating the fireplace, drying clothes, warming your pool, or even for your outdoor lighting, then you may want to invest on a bigger tank. Residential tanks may either be above-ground or underground.

Gas grill tanks: propane storage tank for such a specific purpose may be very small, such as one pound, as preferred by those who also have portable grills for outdoor use. Bigger varieties, such as 20-pound tanks are also common.

Reasons To Sell Your House Quick

There are many different situations and reasons to be motivated to sell your house in Hartford, especially in today’s market . Sellers are faced with many situations that didn’t exist in the past. Banks are resistant to loan, home buyers can’t get financing, picky buyers, inspectors and lawyers killing deals.

Not to mention inexperience with Foreclosures in Hartford just to name a few. So if your looking to sell your home now and are negotiable on terms and price, then it may be in your best interest to do your research and consider selling your house to an home buying company in Hartford, such as Sell My House 7 – https://www.sellmyhouse7.com/we-buy-houses-ct/hartford, for cash.

Reason # 1 : Home Buying Companies Are Cash Buyers And Will Not Kill A Deal To Sell Your House Last Minute

If you have been in the market to sell your house in Hartford for a while now and have had a few deals fall through and were hoping for a quick sale, then you can definitely appreciate this quality in a buyer. Home buying companies have funding available for multiple deals and do not have to deal with time consuming loans and processes that a retail buyer would have to pursue to buy your house.

Unlike retail buyers, buying houses is their job so they have experience dealing with creative solutions. They make a living purchasing homes for cash and have vast experiences with sellers, banks, lenders and agents. They can close on deals others would walk away from whether its minor or major repairs or a complicated situation with a lender it is nothing an investor has not seen before.

Reason # 2 : Home Buying Companies Buy Properties As-Is, No repairs Necessary

It is very common for retail buyers to request repairs or upgrades from you as a seller and also many necessary steps you must take to make your home marketable when having a house for sale. Whether its paint the property, replace the roof and siding, or just fix the door knobs and face plates on the second floor. All of these costs add up to thousands of dollars very fast and not to mention the head aches and stress if your planning on doing these repairs yourself.

Possibly the best quality home buying company posses is the ability to buy houses as-is, where-is. This can save the seller much time and stress and if you don’t have the money to perform these repairs will save you money in holding costs in the long run when your property sits on the market because buyers think its an ” ugly house”. These problems do not worry them.

They have teams of contractors and resources to fully rehab houses and will not be frightened by issues found in an inspection during a home sale.

How to Make Your Event The Best It Can Be

If you are planning a corporate event but do not have the proper furniture or set up to do so it can be very beneficial to use an outside party to help you out. While you may be able to scramble and put something together with what you have it more than likely will not look nearly as professional as if you had someone else help you and do the set up for you.

You can simply contact a professional event hire company to get exactly the right items to make your party, get together, annual meeting, or whatever go as smoothly as you hoped.

A new product launch can be an exciting time and the best way to celebrate is to have an exhibition featuring the product. Be sure to show it in the best light that you can by having an exhibition furniture hire come in and assist you in setting up.

This way you can free up yourself and your staff to plan the party and not worry about all the little details. In addition you can bring in a bar hire so that you and your employees can relax and have a good time at the product launch. You could do this yourself but the people you use to staff the bar will no doubt regret not being able to participate.

In addition it looks much more professional to bring in an outside staff for the event. Your customers and employees alike will thank you for planning ahead and doing everything to make the event the best it can be.

Farm Tractors Safety

Around the world, more people die in the agricultural industry than any other industry. And tractor deaths and injures account for 38% of the people that are hurt in agriculture. The most dangerous part of a tractor is it overturning. Because of the tractor’s uneven weight distribution it’s frequent to rollovers.

To protect against rollovers, most modern tractors have a Rollover Protection System (ROPS), which is basically like a cage to protect the operator. The health and safety of tractor operators is so important that in 1959 Sweden passed a law that every forklift had to be with one. Rollover deaths, where particularly common in Sweden because the country has a lot of slopes and steep hills that can contribute to a tractor’s overturning.

The US and Australia also have similar legislation, but it has become obsolete because most of the tractor makers have made safety their number one goal and have implemented ROPS in all their standard tractors.

When you look at the different farm tractors you will see that there are different types. You should check what types of tasks these tractors are capable of performing. This is important as different farms have varying needs. The best place in Australia to search for tractors, tractor service, parts or anything related to tractors is the AFGRI company.

Other ways that you can look for farm tractors will include the newspapers, farm auctions, online farm auctions and second hand farm suppliers. By looking in these various places you can find a selection of quality tractors that you can use.

Installing A Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System

If you have considered purchasing a water filtering system for your home or business, you may be interested in learning about the reverse osmosis water purification system. This term may sound like a complex system for filtering drinking water, but the process is really very simple.

Reverse osmosis water systems have been used for years to turn seawater into drinking water. All of the systems available to the consumer today basically work in the same way. Household water pressure is used to push tap water through a filter or membrane that allows only the water to pass through, leaving the salts, chemicals and impurities to go down the drain. How well this filtering system works can be influenced by incoming water pressure, the number of dissolved solids in the water, water temperature and finally the quality of the filters or membranes. The quality of the filters has the most impact on performance.

The filters used for reverse osmosis water filtration remove impurities and particles found in tap water by forcing tap water through the system using pressure. Although there are 3 and 4 stage systems available, the 5-stage system provides the most purification benefits as the water passes through 5 filtering before leaving the system and into a drinking glass.

They can be installed at the kitchen sink with the under counter or countertop models that are available. These are called point of use systems and filter ½ to 1 gallon of water per minute. Point of entry systems or whole house systems are installed where the main water line enters the building and can filter from 5-20 gallons of water per minute. A basic reverse osmosis water filtration system for home use will cost any where from a few hundred dollars and up and can be found at online.

When considering the weight and size of the system, plastic systems are available and lighter weight than the metal versions. The metal version is considered superior for holding pressure and preventing leaking. Some consumers may be weary of water touching metal, however the water is encased and never touches the metal while traveling through the membranes and filters.

Manufacturers of these systems usually provide detailed installation instructions and the consumer may need a little prior knowledge of plumbing terms. Filters need changing every 6-12 months depending on the model and usage and again this can be done by following manufacturer guidelines.

Shoppers should look for products that used approved components for materials and a come with a factory warranty. A reverse osmosis water filter system produced in other countries may come with a lower price tag, but do not always meet the standards set in the United States.

Technical support and service are important features when looking for a manufacturer. A good system will cost more than 250.00 and although this amount will not guarantee a quality product it is a good place to start when considering pricing.

Repair or Buy New

Your old appliances are likely to break down or have problems at some point. For many, this is the time that you trash it and buy a replacement or do some quick work on your own. While they may seem like the best options, they are far from that. Buying new is highly expensive in New York and repairing something yourself is dangerous.

They can both lead to unwanted problems that either put you in harm’s way or cost you a lot more than you thought that you would pay. This is why you need to reach out to appliance repair NY professionals the moment that something goes wrong. This gives you quick and effective results that will actually save you money.

Choosing a repair is always the better option. If you are worried about effectiveness, remember that the people doing the work are professionals. These are people who are trained and experienced, giving you the opportunity to have the greatest results possible.

This will help you to improve your appliance with ease, and in a much better manner than you could alone. Since the pieces in older appliances are made to last, a repair can give you your appliance back for many years, which is incredible considering how short of a lifespan that newer appliances often have.

For many people, doing the repairs yourself is simply easier and better on the budget. What you forget, however, is the fact that these repairs are not always going to be so simple. Sometimes, you may make mistakes and you may end up ruining the entire appliance. Other times, you may hurt yourself or cause issues.

This is dangerous and unneeded, especially since repairs are not terribly expensive. You can have your appliance fixed and ready to use at a small cost, one that is much smaller than what you would have to pay if you make a mistake during a DIY.