Are new ideas still coming from small businesses?

The Wright brothers owned and operated their own  bicycle shop before becoming the first to fly.

Thomas Edison started out small and ended up churning out inventions like the phonograph, the electric light bulb and the stock ticker from his research lab in New Jersey.

Hewlett-Packard, one of the first companies to produce early versions of the personal computer, started out in a garage.

Small businesses have always fueled innovation in this country. But it appears that smaller companies are coming up with fewer big ideas.

Numbers from the U.S. mapthai Patent and Trademark Office show that the share of patents awarded to small businesses decreased from 30% in 1995 to 20% in 2009.

Is this because the government is failing to support small business innovation, or is it because smaller operations aren’t being as creative and inventive as they used to be? Either way – it’s a disturbing trend.

The actual numbers are even lower than they appear on the surface when you consider that the USPTO considers universities and non-profits to be small entities.

The plans and creations of entrepreneurs like you have been a huge part of what made America into a great nation. Because small businesses are forced to compete with larger companies, they often are the ones who find more efficient and effective ways to get things done!

According to the Small Business Administration, small companies produce “13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.” Plus – the patents that come from those smaller businesses are twice as likely to have a significant impact.

When you get that world-changing idea and have to get others on board with your vision, you are going to need professional presentation folders to package your idea up.

Thomas Edison with his phonograph

Let The Folder Store take over those duties so that you can continue to focus on your groundbreaking work!

It doesn’t matter if you have blueprints, outlines, business plans or media packets – the custom folders available at The Folder Store will make your small business stand out from the rest.

Everyone at The Folder Store truly believes in you and your ideas – and we want to see them succeed.

Because it’s much more than just additional business for us – we could be providing folders to the next Thomas Edison!

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 now working its way through Congress, and the fact that small businesses fuel the economic recovery – a lot of of eyes are on entrepreneurs these days.

That means plenty of news stories and studies about the state of the small business. Some of it is encouraging, some of it is depressing, and some of it is downright nasty. But we’ve been offering presentation folders online for long enough to know that you can handle all sorts of news.

Let’s take a look!

The Good:

There’s good news concerning tax credits inside the small business legislation being bounced around by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. That is as long as the version of the bill that passes closely resembles the current Senate version.

What could arguably be the biggest benefit in the Senate’s bill is the fact that for the first time, Congress could repeal limitations on general business tax credits for small to medium-sized businesses subject to alternative minimum tax (AMT).

That means many smaller businesses around the nation would be able to claim a Research and Development Tax Credit, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and more than two dozen other tax credits. These benefits have been provided to major corporations for many years.

There are other tax breaks for small businesses in the legislation as well. Hopefully the extra cash will lead to the ability for smaller companies to have a little extra money to spend on things like advertising, marketing folders, and other expenditures that are sometimes seen as luxuries during a recession.

The Bad:

Where have all the entrepreneurs gone?  Back to work – but not for themselves.

According to a study by the business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, small business start-ups are on the decline. Activity among new entrepreneurs fell to its lowest rate in more than two decades.

The firm’s research found that start-up activity fell an average of almost 4% in the first two quarters of this year. The study surveyed around 3,000 job seekers including a large number who were former executives and managers. Yet these experienced business people opted not to risk starting their own small business.

Researchers are unsure if that is because there is more work to be found, or because potential entrepreneurs are still too apprehensive about economic conditions.

“Many small business owners are increasingly pessimistic about business conditions and still find it difficult to get a loan,” said Challenger, Gray & Christmas Chief Executive John Challenger.

The Ugly:

The IRS seems to be picking on the little guys.

A study coming out of Syracuse University and reported in Forbes found that in the last five years the number of hours the IRS spent auditing small business increased by 30 percent. However, the amount of time the agency spent auditing big companies plummeted by 33 percent.

In this study, small businesses are those with $10 million or less in assets and large businesses are those with $250 million or more.

The study points out that these numbers are surprising for a few reasons including the fact that “the highest levels of misreported tax dollars per auditor hour are found among the biggest business organizations.”

The study gave an interesting theory as to why small businesses were audited more often than the big guys.

“Choosing to audit the smaller rather than the larger businesses would on its face help individual IRS agents meet their performance targets. But the decision to audit the small companies does not help the government collect more taxes.”

That’s basically because the bigger the company, the larger the amount of tax under-reporting and back taxes owed.

One of the problems this causes for small businesses is the amount of time it takes to deal with an audit. Big corporations can pass the buck to accounting departments and lawyers. However, with a small business, the owner usually has to stop working on his business to handle the issue of the audit.

You have to take the good with the bad and the ups with the down. แผนที่นำทาง One thing you can always count on is your friends here at  The Folder Store.

We want to see your small business thrive because it’s the small to medium sized companies that come to us for their custom folders.

I titled this post based on one of my favorite films. As an added bonus – check out the the video clip below featuring scenes from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Scouring the web for wisdom

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.” ~Oscar Wilde

We hope you’ve found our insights on The Folder Store Blog at least somewhat interesting and insightful. Our goal is to create a place for you to learn and discuss small business news and practices.

Of course in the process, we’re also going to let you know how our custom folders can make a difference in your small business.

But we aren’t the only ones talking about the ups and downs of small business and entrepreneurship on the world wide web. There are some very valuable blogs you can refer to that consistently offer top-notch advice from experienced professionals.

Here are just a few of the blogs we at The Folder Store enjoy and visit for inspiration from time to time.

(This is no particular order by the way)

Small Business Trends

Small Business Trends is an award-winning website and one of the most popular SMB blogs you’ll find. It’s been featured on many respected news sites including USA Today. MSNBC, Entrepreneur.com,  Forbes.com and many others.

Founder Anita Campbell is a former lawyer and business person who turned her focus to creating reliable content for small business owners like you. There are dozens of experts who contribute articles ranging from product reviews, to advice on social networking, to marketing tips.

Duct Tape Marketing

Speaking of marketing, head to the Duct Tape Marketing blog. It’s run by small business expert John Jantsch who based his blog off his popular book “Duct Tape Marketing – The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide.”

Jantsch also writes for Entrepreneur magazine and has a podcast on Entrepreneur.com. The site might feel a little cluttered with ads and product promotions, but there’s plenty of quality content in there too!

Business Done Now

Here’s one of the new guys on the small business blog scene. You might take one look at Jason Kienbaum and think he looks like just a kid. But don’t forget – it’s been young people who’ve come up with some of the most explosive and lucrative business ideas.

Jason adds a video to every blog post on Business Done Now. So if you’re suffering a mild case of ADHD and can’t read an 800 word article – this blog might be perfect for you.

Copyblogger

If you aren’t already writing a blog for your own small business, this website will give you the knowledge and confidence to start.

Learn about content marketing from some of the best in the business  – including Copyblogger founder Brian Clark.

More than 115,000 people already subscribe to Copyblogger. With valuable lessons on everything from writing headlines to writing persuasive copy – it’s easy to see why.

Your Turn

Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to small business blogging. What are your favorite places to turn to for advice? Let us know!

Because as Mark Twain said - “It is better to give than receive – especially advice.”

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Having a tough time staying focused?

Sometimes it seems unfair that we only get 24 hours in each day, especially if you’re an entrepreneur who runs a small business.

We’ve all had that frustrating feeling of working our butts off and still feeling like we failed to accomplish what we wanted to in a day. There’s just so much to cram into a busy schedule that by the time the sun sets you’re wondering where the hours went!

You might start out with a clear-cut plan for getting things done. But you get bombarded by distraction after distraction, and eventually your plan becomes a helter-skelter scramble as you jump from one thing to the next.

I just read a great article on Concentration Killers at WebMD.com. Here’s a look at how some of the distractions listed in the article can relate to entrepreneurs like you, and what you can do about it.

Multi-Tasking

We’ve been trained to think that the ability to multitask is a desirable skill to have. You’ll find it on just about every cover letter and resume you read. However, we may have put a little too much emphasis on doing more than one thing at a time, and it’s affecting the way we work.

Psychologist and author Lucy Palladino pointed out in the WebMD article that you might feel like you’re getting more done when you multitask, but it usually takes longer to multitask than to give one thing your full attention. Another study cited in the article found that multitaskers lose time when shifting from one job to another.

In many cases small business owners take on too much at once and end up overburdening themselves. That can eventually lead to complete burnout – which definitely isn’t good for business.

Try to cutback on the multitasking. Set your focus on one thing at a time and see if you end up completing more.

You can also delegate responsibility to others in your business, or hire people to do the things that are bogging you down. The extra time you have to focus on what’s important could lead to a more efficient and profitable business.

For example – why waste time trying to come up with a design for custom pocket folders when you could have the experts at The Folder Store do it for you?

Electronic Distractions

Technology can be a helpful tool as well as a major concentration killer. Sometimes it’s amazing how we get any work done at all with cell phones ringing, emails pouring in, computers crashing and social media screaming for your attention.

We recently wrote about how communication tools can become traps. One of the biggest traps is email. But you don’t have to let your inbox take control.

Let’s say you get an email from John at The Folder Store with some questions about the design of your letter size folders. John probably isn’t expecting you to email him back right away. But many of us see that little “new message” box pop up on the screen – and we immediately stop what we’re doing to answer the email.

You don’t have to do it. That’s a distraction. You know the email is there so finish the task at hand and then reply to John about your new folders. He won’t mind – we promise!

Check your email at set times during the day if you have to. Then silence your cell phone and try doing a little less social networking and more actual working!

Personal Concerns

The WebMD article also listed mental distractions as a something that can destroy your focus.

Worrying about  money issues, relationship problems, even menial things like obsessing over whether you turned the bathroom light off can make your mind wander when it should be focused.

It is important to get your personal life under control before you concentrate on your job. But at the same time – don’t sweat the small stuff (as they say).

Find someone you can confide in about personal problems. Make lists for the things you need to get done at home so you’re not trying to remember what you did and didn’t do while at work.

Lack of Sleep

When you’re super busy all the time, a good night sleep can take a backseat to your business. Maybe you’re even pulling all-nighters because you feel so far behind. That’s not a good idea!

Skipping out on sleep is unhealthy, and in the end it will have a negative effect on your job performance. Studies show loss of sleep slows down mental functions like attention span and short-term memory. I don’t care how much coffee or 5-hour energy you drink. You need some shuteye!

Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night and you’ll find it much easier to focus during the day.

We’ll do our part as well. Because you should never lose a wink of sleep worrying about the presentation folders you ordered from The Folder Store!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Harvey Pekar, 1939 - 2010

Cleveland may have lost NBA star Lebron James to Miami this week, but it also lost a much more influential cultural icon.

Prolific comic book writer Harvey Pekar, the creator of the comic book series American Splendor, died this week at his home in Cleveland Heightsat the age of 70.

Pekar was not extremely wealthy, or at least didn’t appear to be that way.  He kept his job as a file clerk at a Veteran’s Administration Hospital until retiring in 2003.

He may have been an old curmudgeon who built a career around complaining, but Pekar was also able to experience a great deal of success doing what he loved.

There are some things we can learn from what Harvey Pekar did right, and what some may call mistakes he made along the way.

1. Harvey Found a Niche

“It was clear that you could do anything with comics that you could do with any other art form, but less of it was being done.” ~ Harvey Pekar

The world of comics had not seen anything quite like what Harvey Pekar had to offer with American Splendor. Instead of being a comic about the adventures of sexy superheroes, it was about Pekar’s own mundane and often painful life.

He found an audience for his work because it was something everyone could relate to. It was real. It was in your face. Sometimes it made readers laugh, and other times it made readers think.

As Pekar said, “That’s why I write, so people can understand what we got in common, and they’ll see they’re not the only person in the world that’s like that.”

If a few other comic books already existed that were similar to Pekar’s work, would he still be considered as groundbreaking? Probably not. But Pekar saw big open space for his style of writing in the comic book industry and people paid attention.

“It’s the 99 percent of life that nobody ever writes about,” he once said.

We chose a specific niche at The Folder Store as well. We focus on selling professional pocket folders tailored for use by small businesses. What’s your company’s niche?

2. Harvey Found Others to Do What He Could Not

“I decided I was going to tell these stories. I went around and met Crumb. He was the cartoonist.” ~ Harvey Pekar

Pekar had more than a dozen of his works published, but none of it ever featured his drawings. That’s because he hired others to illustrate his stories.

In fact he actually got in to comics through his relationship with cartoonist Robert Crumb. Crumb drew the pictures for Pekar’s first edition of American Splendor.

Crumb wasn’t the only illustrator. Pekar worked with a wide variety of artists including some of the biggest names in the comic book industry.

Harvey would draw crude storyboards with stick figures and show that to the artist to communicate his ideas.

It’s very similar to the relationship The Folder Store has with customers like you. You are the Harvey Pekars who need Robert Crumbs to help bring your vision for custom presentation folders to life.

When Harvey needed illustrations he turned to the best. If you need high quality folders you should turn to The Folder Store.

Allowing others to do the drawing enabled Harvey to focus on his writing, which is what he did best. Are you focusing on what you can do best for your business, or are you struggling to complete tasks without any experience or knowledge?  That can lead to frustration while you only end up wasting time and money.

Sometimes entrepreneurs want so much control, they try to do everything themselves. But a good leader knows how to delegate and knows when to trust others with more expertise to get the job done right.

3. Harvey Turned Tragedy Into Triumph

“It makes you feel good to know that there’s other people afflicted like you.” ~ Harvey Pekar

The majority of  Pekar’s writing was about his normal life and the things that annoyed him. But none of it was as personal as the award-winning Our Cancer Year. It detailed the struggles Pekar and his wife Joyce Brabner went through as the writer battled lymphoma.

Harvey consistently found a way to find inspiration in the rough patches of life. He may not have been positive about it, but he did take what could have been negative energy and created art from it.

Harvey did the same thing with other situations in his life. His embarrassingly awkward appearances with David Letterman in the ’80s eventually got him temporarily banned from the show. But those situations ended up becoming material for his comics.

If you’re running your own business there will also be plenty of ups and downs. You can choose to call it quits, or find a way to take a negative situation and look for an opportunity.

4. Learn from Harvey’s Mistakes

I try and write the way things happen. I don’t try and fulfill people’s wishes. ~ Harvey Pekar

There’s at least one big difference between small business owners and Harvey Pekar. Harvey was an artist who stuck to his guns, we are the business world and have customers to make happy.

He could have gone along with Letterman’s talk show game and let the host poke a little fun at his expense. Pekar would fight back and launched a verbal tirade against GE, which owned NBC where Letterman was working at the time.

That would have made sense if you were really interested in promoting your comic. But instead of becoming a beloved Letterman regular – Harvey found himself banned from the show.

Pekar felt disgruntled about his lack of commercial success, but it was the price he decided to pay for being so dedicated to making comics the way he wanted to make them. He could have made his work more commercially palatable, but instead he sometimes went as far as ostracizing his biggest demographic.

Pekar said “I really don’t have a lot in common with the people who attend the Comic Con,” and “I think the people who would be the least interested in my work would be people who read lots of comic books.”

If you want your small businesses to be successful, you need to be in touch with potential customers and develop relationships with them. That was something Harvey had a hard time doing.

He didn’t try to make others happy, but that was his choice as an artist. If you want your business to thrive, your number one goal should be fulfilling the wishes of your customers.

At The Folder Store, we aim to grant your wishes and meet your needs when it comes to promotional folders.

If you still want to learn more about Harvey Pekar, I suggest you read some of his work. The feature film “American Splendor,” based on Pekar’s life and work is also an amazing movie that’s been compared to Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall.” You can also check out one of his notorious appearances on Letterman in the video below.

Image Credit: DavidKPhoto

Do you have to shout for customers to hear you?

Does your small business stand out from the crowd or do you blend in with all of the competition?

Every business needs to find a way to break through all the noise and grab the attention of potential customers.

Sometimes it feels like you’re yelling and screaming about special offers and one-time deals. But any business you get just disappears away when the offer is over.

Here are several things to keep in mind when you’re trying to create an image for your company that’s original, exciting and effective!

Don’t be a Copycat

You’ve probably been told that a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is crucial. “Unique” is a very important word in that concept. Too often, we look at our biggest competitors and mimic what they are trying to do. That’s not being unique.

Looking at your competition to find out how they are trying to attract your customers is important. But use that research to come up with NEW ideas.

Look for ways your customer-base could be better served. Find a common problem and offer a solution. Customers will be banging down the door before you know it!

Look at the Little Things

It may not be easy to find major differences among your competitors, but there could be small separations that are a big deal to your customers. Do you take the time to go the extra mile? What little bonus do you give people that impresses them? What do your customers appreciate about your service that they don’t get from others in your industry?

If you can’t answer any of those questions – maybe it’s time to make a change and start actually DOING something that sets you apart instead of just saying you are “the best.” It doesn’t have to be mind blowing.

Maybe you’re always on time.

Maybe your employees are always ready with a smile.

Maybe you’re open just a little later or on the weekends.

If you still can’t think of anything that sets you apart, you can always turn to your loyal customers for help. Find out why they keep coming back to you. Ask them why they choose you over the competition?

The little things could be the deciding factor between choosing you or the other guys.

At The Folder Store, our options are one of the things that give us an edge. You have the option to design your own folders, or we can have your experts design custom presentation folders to meet your needs.

We also offer blank folders with no design at all. That’s an inexpensive alternative to custom folders.

Sell More Than a Product or Service

When people think you’re just another law firm, just another restaurant, just another financial planner – why would they choose you from anyone else?

Your competitors may be selling the same product or service – but you could be selling something much bigger.

Think outside the box and consider what emotion your selling.

If you install air conditioning units are you selling that service or are you selling comfort?

If you offer insurance are you selling policies or peace of mind?

If you are a travel agent are you selling vacations or happiness and relaxation?

Make Your Marketing Message Consistent

Once you come up with a good marketing plan for your business – try to stick with it for awhile. How will people remember you if you’re always changing your logo, switching up your slogan and creating new commercial campaigns?

The more consistent your different forms of marketing are, the more recognizable your business becomes to the public.

That means the message on your radio ads, should match what’s on your billboards, what’s in your newsletter and even what you print on presentation folders.

Don’t Go Overboard

Being original can be a lot of fun. But you can have too much of a good thing. Sometimes we can try a little too hard to be different and it can hurt us in the end. You probably don’t want people making fun of you because of the ridiculous image you created for you business.

Check out his local commercial and tell me what you think. I think it could definitely set this business apart, but could it be just a bit too much?

Image credit: maf04

Small businesses lead economic recovery

The success of the American small business and an economic recovery go hand in hand – according to many economists.

But a new study from a payroll services company suggests things are slowing down for smaller companies, particularly in the area of hiring new workers.

Some analysts say that’s bad news for the nation.

Intuit Inc. tracks the data from 56,000 customers around the county that it considers to be small businesses. In this case that means companies with less than 20 employees.

Intuit’s findings indicate small businesses hired 18,000 new employees in June. While that’s still in positive territory, it’s the fewest new hires since October of 2009.

The downward trend started in February. That’s when smaller companies added 60,000 jobs, and it seemed like employment numbers would keep rising. But Intuit found small businesses consistently hired fewer people throughout the spring – dropping to 40,000 in April and 32,000 in May.

The reason economists pay such close attention to the hiring practices of small business is because they typically lead the way in an economic recovery. If the little guys are reluctant to hire new help, then big companies are going to add jobs at an even slower rate.

Brian Headd with the Small Business Administration points out that while companies employing less than 20 people make up 1/6 of America’s workforce, those companies have added 1/3 of all new jobs in the private sector so far in 2010.

Experts believe small business hiring is what drives the unemployment rate down. If small businesses are struggling, then problems that can lead to recession are growing.

At The Folder Store, small businesses like yours are our main customers. Our custom marketing folders are designed to meet your needs. That’s why we want nothing more than to see your company thrive!

We strongly believe that using presentation folders can give your small business a competitive edge.

Brian Headd of the SBA points out that it’s very possible hiring figures will rebound this month. Small businesses also added jobs sporadically following recessions in 1992 and 2003.

In the meantime, when your company needs a marketing solution that includes the use of professional pocket folders, you can turn to The Folder Store for quality and service that is never sporadic!

Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is technology taking up too much of our time?

The tools we use in the business world have changed dramatically in the last two decades. Technology has enabled those tools to have multiple functions, be faster and more efficient. Not to mention…it’s given us some super sweet gadgets.

Then why is it that the more technology we possess the busier we seem to become? Shouldn’t these so-called communication tools allow us to have more free time? They may allow us to get more work done, but that means we also end up having a lot more work to do! It seems that no matter how useful or efficient a tool appears, there are always pitfalls that can become time-consuming traps.

It’s easy to forget about communication tools that have stood the test of time. I’m talking about things like good old snail mail, lunch meetings, and even custom presentation folders.

Here are a few examples of how technology can get in the way.

1. Email

Imagine where you’d be without access to your email account during the day. Lost, right? Email is an extremely valuable tool for communication both inside and outside of your office.

But how many of your email conversations would be better as real conversations?

My wife used to be part of a smaller company’s sales staff, and everyday her manager would send out dozens of emails to the entire sales team as well as individuals. Some were meant to be motivational, others reminded people they were behind on certain goals. But even though his staff was right outside of his office, the manager rarely ventured outside to speak to people face to face. The sales team assumed the only thing he did was send emails all day long!

We can all probably sympathize with this manager because we’ve all spent half-a-day emailing back and forth about an unimportant issue before finally coming to a resolution.

You write an email and think a little too hard about what you want to say, then you proof-read it for errors and make some changes so you don’t offend anyone, then you have to resend it because you forgot to include the attachment, then you have to wait for the person or persons to reply so you can start the whole process over again — SIGH!

Imagine how much faster things could have gone if you just picked up the phone or walked over to your co-worker’s desk to work things out.

2. Cell Phones

Ten or 15 years ago, the average business person could have gotten away without having a cell phone. Now that’s become pretty much impossible. There are plenty of first-graders with their own phones, even Amish business owners use them!

Cell phones keep us connected. You can get driving directions, find the nearest hospital, contact friends and family and more from just about anywhere. Remember the days before GPS and Mapquest? How the heck did we find our way around before all of that?

There are a lot of nice things about mobile phones, but they have the potential to be another communication trap.

Text messaging is the perfect example. Much like email, we can spend much more time texting back and forth when a quick call would have gotten the job done five times as fast. Plus, if you’re like me and have chubby sausage fingers, sending a text message is just a pain in the butt anyway.

Our cell phones can also cause us to develop bad habits.

I used to work as a news producer and all the managers at the TV station were issued Blackberry Phones. I can remember trying to get through a meeting with the executive producer, news director and assignment editor while all three were playing Space Invaders and bragging about their high scores.

Cell phones have a lot of fun features and frills. But those things can become major distractions if you aren’t careful. Show some self-control people!

3. Social Media

Social networking has become an important communication tool in just the past couple years. If used correctly, it can have a major impact on your connection with current customers and clients as well as developing new relationships.

But just like cell phones, there are a lot of distraction that come with social media.

Last year, I spent a few months on unemployment. I decided to brush up on my social media skills and do a little networking with the hopes it might help me find a new job.

The truth is — it did! But I also learned how easy it is to waste an entire day away on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and even LinkedIN.

You’re clicking on link after link, reading pointless updates, spying on old classmates, looking at photos, watching videos on YouTube – and all of a sudden you realize you’ve spent an entire Tuesday in your boxer shorts.

More and more companies are allowing employees to use their social networking sites at work because of the positive impact it can have. Just keep in mind that it may be distracting them (and you) from what really needs to be done.

Don’t Forget About the Real World

Ignoring the advantages of technology would be extremely foolish. You have to find a middle ground where you are running the technology and it’s not running you.

What’s most important is that you don’t let technology disconnect you from the real world.

Instead it should be a way to connect you to real people and face-to-face situations.

Use an email to set up a business lunch – don’t use it in place of one.

Use your cell phone to get your foot in the door with a potential client, then let them know how valuable your small business’s products or services can be with marketing materials inside of professional pocket folders.

Use social media to make new connections that are REAL – not just a number in a popularity contest.

What do you think? Leave us a comment and tell us about other technology traps you’ve noticed, and how you overcome them.

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is it possible? Can the corporate world and the small business world team up?

The clash between mom and pop businesses and large companies has been compared to the story of David and Goliath many times. The scrappy small business tries to take on the giant corporation.

Sometimes the little guys win, but sometimes they get stomped on by the giant.

This time…it looks like a couple of the most gargantuan giants are stretching out a hand to the David’s of the world. Both Walmart and JPMorgan Chase are offering some interesting new incentives to small businesses.

Walmart is probably the first company you think of when it comes to small business killers. But wholesaler Sam’s Club (a division of Walmart) says it plans to start giving out loans to small business.

Sam’s Club is working with Superior Financial Group – which is not a bank but is a Small Business Administration lender – to offer loans from $5,000 to $25,000 for local businesses that are also Sam’s Club members.

This could be a pretty smart move. According to Sam’s Club – “Only half of small businesses that tried to borrow last year got all or most of what they needed.” In fact, 15% of Sam’s Club business members said they’d been turned down by the banks for a loan.

Sam’s Club knows that if its customers can’t get money, they can’t spend money either. It’s all one big circle isn’t it?

Chase is also trying something to spur the small business economy. It plans to offer lower interest rates on credit to smaller companies that hire new workers.

Chase would actually lower the interest rate 0.5% for each new employee (up to three employees). The bank will lower the rate another 0.5% for customers that open a business checking account. That would mean the rate is lowered as much as 2%.

The Folder Store is far from being a corporate giant. But we have been helping small businesses for years. Our custom presentation folders can be a very useful tool for small businesses.

One of the biggest problems with the nation’s economy right now is that small businesses are stuck because it’s so difficult to gain access to capital.

When you order folders online, you want to work with a company you can trust. The Folder Store shares the same values as small business owners all over America. Just like Walmart and Chase – we want to see small businesses succeed because that’s what fuels our business.

If you need to design a folder and put a finishing touch on your business plan. We’re here for you! If you need professional marketing folders to send media packets to the press. We’ve got them! You’ll find letter size folders, legal size folders, and even extra small folders. And we can customize them however you want!

Call us at 1-800-480-1338 our visit www.thefolderstore.com to find out how presentation folders can have an impact on your business.

More information on Sam’s Club Small Business Loan Program

More information on the Chase Loan for Hire Program

Have you heard? The boom box is making a major comeback. It’s ready to take on those puny little mp3 players and reclaim the throne as king of the music players.

Wired.com just reviewed a few of the most popular new models of boom boxes or ghetto blasters or jam boxes as they’ve been called.

Maybe boom boxes are returning because they fill some sort of need for 1980s nostalgia, but maybe there’s another reason for the comeback.

For one thing, I could never get into the idea of playing music on a puny little cell phone. They never have a decent speaker and it just sounds like junk in general. But with a nice boom box the whole neighborhood could hear your favorite tunes.

The iPod is great because you can store so much music on one little portable device. But it obviously couldn’t fill the shoes of a boom box. Why do you think they started selling iPod docking stations, which are getting bigger and bigger?

Of course I grew up in the ’80s so I might be showing a little favoritism.

But I think the boom box is staging its triumphant return because people are starting to realize that it gave them a quality listening experience. They’re realizing how much fun it was to have a big boom box in their bedroom.

I’m not saying the boom box will take down the iPod, but the two have obviously found a way to co-exist. Music lovers want both.

That’s the way it goes with running a business as well. New technology pops up and new avenues for reaching customers are created, but there are some things that will always stay the same. There are things your customers will always want.

Good customer service is one of those things.

If you can use Twitter to reach your customers and answer their questions – then it’s a useful tool. But if you are wasting away the day sending out Tweets no one is listening too – you need to rethink your strategy.

That’s why quality customer service is important to all of us at The Folder Store. When you order custom folders online, you’re going to find the advice and assistance you need to get the product you want in the end.

The more digital this world becomes the less we tend to make human contact with people. We text instead of call. We send emails all day long instead of talking things out over lunch. We’ve replaced a hand shake and a smile with emoticons.

For those of you who still believe in the power of face-to-face contact, our presentation folders are the perfect thing to make your next meeting with a big client stand out.

You can ask them to become a fan on Facebook, or you can make them a real fan by using attractive and professionally designed marketing folders to sell your products, services and ideas. Or you can do both – it’s your choice!