The weather has been turning quickly, as temperatures across the United States are plummeting. For businesses of all types and sizes, wintertime brings about a lot of changes to store policies, hours, maintenance and inventory. It’s good to begin prepping your business now so you’re fully prepared for all that winter brings.
1. Prepare Your Online Store
Currently, over half of the [U.S.] population, or 190 million people, [shops] online. This number rises in the winter, particularly around the holidays, as people are less inclined to face the storms simply to conduct their shopping. If you want to make the most of wintertime sales, it’s highly encouraged to prepare your online store and marketing strategy so you can garner as many online customers as possible.
2. Choose Your Seasonal Product Lines
As you prepare for winter, you also need to begin bracing yourself for the holidays. With the holidays, you’ll likely be updating your inventory to offer more seasonal gifts that cater to Thanksgiving and Christmas shoppers. Begin scouting out the latest seasonal trends so you can choose inventory based around the hottest-selling items.
3. Prepare Your Parking Lot
The parking lot of a business is critical to keep maintained, particularly in the snowy months of winter. Potholes and cracks in the asphalt can be dangerous at any time of year, but, [when] coupled with the icy roads, [they] could be a recipe for disaster. Scan your parking lot for any holes or cracks, and have them paved over before the first snow.
4. Stock up on Needed Office Supplies
Come wintertime, businesses are much more likely to face late shipments than in summer due to poor road conditions that limit travel abilities for truckers. As such, it’s better to be overstocked on necessary supplies than understocked in the event a shipment arrives late. Take stock of all supplies that are used daily, particularly office supplies, and be sure to purchase more than enough in advance.
5. Have a Disaster Recovery Plan Created
Disaster recovery plans are even more vital in winter, because there is much higher chance of the building falling victim to structural or technological damage. Have a plan in place that details what to do should your business lose power or be impacted by structural damage due to an intense storm. It’s wise to have all essential software and technology backed up to the cloud so business can continue to operate, even in the middle of a power outage.
In the wintertime, businesses have a lot more to deal with than in summer. The facility has higher utility costs, you’ll have more maintenance tasks ahead of you, and, all the while, you’ll likely see a drop in customers. By preparing your business in advance, you can brace your company for the worst possible circumstances. In turn, you can create more wintertime sales while avoiding the potential disasters that cost businesses money. Start stocking up on the supplies your company needs, so you always have enough on hand. Visit DollarDays today and start browsing.
Many business owners feel as though the workforce isn’t operating as efficiently as it should, yet are at a loss for how to improve productivity. Short of firing your staff and starting anew, what strategies are actually effective at boosting work performance and streamlining the workforce? Here are some simple and cost-effective ways to get more out of every workday, while improving overall performance as well.
1. Implement BYOD policies
“Bring Your Own Device,” or (BYOD), is a rapidly growing policy being implemented by businesses everywhere. BYOD policies are where businesses require employees to utilize their personal devices, such as cellphones or laptops, for business use. Not only will this save your business a tremendous amount of money, but it can encourage productivity, as well. BYOD devices typically link to cloud-based work platforms, so [the policy] offers employees the ability to work from any location and [from] all of their devices.
2. Automate, automate, automate
To truly boost workplace efficiency, take a [cue] from the robots. There is now automation technology that can streamline virtually all aspects of your digital workload. From organizing data to improving analytics, robots can conquer the menial tasks that your employees loathe.
3. Do it right the first time
One of the more common ways that businesses waste time is by making mistakes or having unknowledgeable employees. Training employees can go a long way in streamlining the workforce. When your employees are experts at their trade, they’ll complete tasks more efficiently while doing a better job the first time around.
4. Leverage technology to its fullest capacity
Today, there are literally hundreds of different technologies and apps that can help to encourage productivity, improve time management and streamline a workforce. From customer-relationship-management software to improve your customer management to sales-management software to help manage inventory and sales, investing in the right software applications can significantly improve your work efficiency.
5. Schedule breaks regularly
There has been ample research conducted into the need for breaks in the workplace, with most suggesting that businesses are shorting their employees considerably. Most employees get two 10-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch each day; however, by implementing the Pomodoro Technique, your employees can enjoy more frequent breaks while increasing their total productivity for the day, as the technique is based around the natural attention span of humans.
6. Partner with reliable suppliers
The suppliers you depend on play a crucial role in helping to streamline your workforce. With unreliable suppliers, you’ll have difficulty remaining on top of inventory. When one aspect of a business process is disrupted, it negatively impacts many other areas of business. You need professional and reliable suppliers to ensure your business thrives and business processes operate as efficiently as possible.
At DollarDays, we understand that wholesale suppliers are more than just venders—we are actively supporting your bottom line. With this in mind, we go above and beyond to ensure every order is fulfilled in a timely manner and exceeds your expectations. With all that business owners have to worry about nowadays, your product orders shouldn’t be one of them. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
When it comes to finding new customers and leads, these business owners swear by these five helpful strategies.
Advertising can be prohibitively expensive for smaller companies, and marketing efforts can sometimes seem scattershot. We asked five business owners to share the methods they used for discovering powerful new customer lines that actually worked. These grassroots efforts show that you don’t necessarily need to have to spend a lot to reach a new market and discover new customers.
Giveaways
“We do product giveaways every month for the wholesale merchandise we sell. Last month, for example, we gave away $5,000 in products to nonprofit organizations that support kids. We started these giveaways after Hurricane Katrina, when nonprofit groups came to us looking to buy blankets and other items for people affected by the disaster.
“At the time, we weren’t doing any business in the nonprofit world, but we recognized the opportunity. We started reaching out to nonprofits with these giveaways, and now half of our business is with nonprofits, including national contracts with the Salvation Army and Kiwanis.”
“The demographic for our men’s laundry detergent is very specific—22- [to] 30-year-old single males with above-average spending who care about appearance, scent [and] the details surrounding their life. Paramount Pictures and MGM reached out to us because they understood our demographic was very close to their target for the new film Ben Hur.
“We agreed to put them on a lot of our digital in late August, timed with the film release, and they gave us tickets to give away to new customers. For the customer, if you buy a bottle of our detergent and get free Ben Hur tickets, that’s a much higher value proposition than just buying the detergent. We are only two-and-a-half weeks into the partnership, but already we’ve seen an amazing decrease in customer-acquisition cost. We’ve beaten our best sales months by 25%, and we have earned 1.9 [times] our normal amount for this ad spend.”
“We do social-media giveaway promotions for our bodysurfing handboards about once a quarter, when we have a new product or something exciting going on that we want to promote. The way it works is people need to share a specific photo via their social media, [t]hen their followers see it and they want to enter. We gain a lot of new emails, which is our goal.
“Our bump is anywhere between 200 to 500 new emails per promotion. Then, right after each campaign, we set up targeted emails to those new, potential customers with a coupon offer. About 30% of our sales come from our email campaigns, so that’s why our big focus is on growing that email list.”
“We hosted a beer-tasting room at the Insight Innovation Exchange in June 2016, where visitors played one of our gamification-based experiences as part of the beer-tasting exercise. We published real-time results of the most- and least-favorite beers on tap, but, more importantly, we were able to capture over 100 leads for a total cost of under $10,000. The sales cycle is fairly long in our industry, so many of these leads aren’t likely to generate revenue for another three to six months, but in just eight weeks, we’ve already converted enough beta participants to cover the cost of the event. As an online subscription service, this was tremendously effective for us.”
“I started doing a listening tour during the Great Recession in late 2008, early 2009 to strum up new business. I was already scheduled for some travel around the country in Q4/Q1 for meetings, so I used the trips as an opportunity to hear from current clients and prospects about how they were handling the downturn.
“Themes started to emerge. For example, on one trip everyone was asking about social media and whether or not they needed a blog. After several discussions, I summarized my notes and sent them out to share what I was hearing. Then, given all the questions around social media, I offered to put together a talk and workshop to discuss current trends. I immediately got replies asking me to book, and it all led to more work. Now it is just something I try to do regularly to keep a pulse on the market and find new work.”
Business owners need to possess multifaceted skillsets. Not only is it imperative to possess exceptional work ethic and business management skills, but you need to be an excellent writer, a mathematician and a creative thinker, as well. When it comes to finding the ideal profit margin, it requires both excellent mathematical skills and innovative thinking. Here is a guide to help you hone in on that ideal profit margin without zapping your mental energy in the process.
Determine What an Appropriate Profit Margin Looks Like
Small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) can anticipate lower profit margins than their big-box competitors due to […] scale. Before honing in a perfect profit margin, you need to determine what an appropriate profit margin will look like based on the size of your business, the number of years in operation and the industry [in which] you’re operating.
While profit margins will vary by industry, Butler Consultants reports that, for retailers, the average profit margin is around 48.46%. By striving for an unrealistically high profit margin, you’ll be driving customers away with unreasonable prices; however, settling for a low profit margin could increase your risk of business failure.
Maintain Low Overhead Expenses
When striving to achieve healthy profit margins, businesses often turn to their pricing to see how they can squeeze more money out of each sale; however, overhead and operational expenses can actually have a tremendous impact on profit margins. [B]efore raising your price tags, examine your business model to see how much you’re spending and how you can reduce costs.
Take office supplies, for example. According to Gartner, the amount of paper produced by companies has been growing by a shocking 25% each year. It’s estimated that businesses spend about $200 per year per employee on office supplies. By finding lower prices on office supplies of the same quality, you can reduce this cost on an ongoing basis [and enable] your business to increase its gross profit margin. Compare the cost of office supplies among a variety of suppliers to ensure you’re getting the best price available.
Partner with Top Wholesale Suppliers
When choosing a wholesale supplier, price should certainly be a primary concern; however, you need to consider other factors that will influence business performance and productivity, ultimately shaping your overall profit margin. How easy is the supplier to work with? Can they accommodate your needs? Are they able to scale their offerings to fit your demands? Do their shipments arrive on time and in excellent condition? All of these will partially contribute to the gross profit margin of your business, so it’s important to take all of it into account when choosing the right supplier.
DollarDays Puts Customers First, Encouraging Business Growth
At DollarDays, our primary concern is customer satisfaction. We understand that, in order for your business to thrive, it depends largely on the performance of the suppliers you partner with. We take our commitment to customer satisfaction seriously by offering the lowest prices possible on all of our merchandise and ensuring we are well-stocked to accommodate orders of varying sizes. Contact us today, and talk to us about your needs from a wholesale supplier.
What’s the status of your back-to-school marketing plan? According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average family will spend more freely on school and college supplies this year. It expects total spending for K-12 and college to reach $75.8 billion, up from last year’s $68 billion.
The annual NRF survey, conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, suggests that more than 50% of shoppers will start back-to-school shopping three weeks to one month before school starts, while 22% will start shopping with only one or two weeks left.
As we head toward September and into the final few weeks before students head back to school, Small Business Computing asked small-business owners to share details of their most successful back-to-school promotions and tips.
Be Helpful: Back to School is Stressful
Getting ready to head back to school can be stressful for your customers—both the parents and the students. Nicole Gardner, Dormify‘s COO, recommends that business owners personalize their back-to-school campaigns to their audience and to be helpful to their customers.
“Be helpful. It’s a stressful time for many parents and full of anxiety for students. Offer resources and accommodate customer requests where you can,” she advised. “Figure out if you’re speaking to the student or to the parent, and adjust your tone, your messaging and your offers accordingly. Use all the customer data you have and get hyper-targeted; we find email to be the most effective marketing channel for accomplishing this.”
Mike Catania, CTO of PromotionCode, works with 15,000 retailers, a third of which are small businesses that regularly compete against national brands and big-box retailers. When it comes to the back-to-school rush, Catania recommends coupons as a particularly effective marketing strategy for local businesses.
“Because they’re local, these businesses can tailor their offers not only to a specific school name (to build associative brand recognition), but they can also provide tiered offers based on different grade levels,” says Catania. “For example, a coupon offer that gives X% off storewide (where ‘X’ represents the grade level of the incoming student) has been an extremely popular offer.”
Celebrating students also creates a positive back-to-school promotion for retailers. Doug Messer, co-founder and CEO of University Beyond, said the company’s most successful back-to-school promotion was a holiday they created.
“We call it ‘National Student Discount Day,’ and last year, we had more than 100 brands participate,” said Messer. This year, “[A]ll participating brands will come together to promote our website via Twitter, drive a mass audience to view and use the available discounts, and sign up for our site. We already have major enterprise companies reaching out to participate again this year.”
Use Social to Talk up Back-to-School Promotions
Social media is a good way to cash in on local back-to-school shopping. “Local social media is far more influential than national. Posting that coupon to social media and tagging the school for which it applies will help move it along to parents who, in turn, can make it go locally viral with minimal advertising efforts on your part,” says PromotionCode’s Catania.
Daniela Arango, public relations specialist for DoItWiser, also supports using social media to boost back-to-school promotions. Arango says that small-business owners can create excitement around back-to-school sales on social media by launching a pre-sale ad campaign to generate expectations around your offers and products.
She also recommends offering online coupons or promotions to visitors and clients on your website in exchange for subscriptions to your mailing list or follows on social media. “Your customers get a discount on their back-to-school purchases, and you build a community around your brand.”
Arango suggests that businesses take advantage of user-generated content to show how your customers use your products at school. This gives your future clients a sense of closeness, trust and familiarity with your brand.
Back-to-School Promotions for B2B
B2B businesses also find success with back-to-school promotions by taking advantage of email campaigns, social feeds and good deals.
Marc Joseph, former CEO and president of DollarDays, a B2B business that sells 225,000 general merchandise products by the case at wholesale and closeout prices to entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofit organizations, explains.
“Today, our banners feature office and school supplies, back-to-school clothing, accessories, writing instruments, and backpacks. All of these products tie together because we want to be the one-stop shop for all back-to-school needs,” says Joseph. “This also works with brick-and-mortar stores or online B2C sellers. Once a customer comes into your store, you don’t want them to leave. The best promotion is to offer everything they need.”
For example, DollarDays sells backpacks with a per-unit price starting at $3.19. Email campaigns and social media promote the item to draw people to the website. Once prospective customers land on the site for a backpack, they can see all the school supplies they need to fill the backpack—all in one place.
How to Promote Back-to-School Outside of Retail
Many back-to-school promotions center heavily on retail stores and online shops, but many small-business owners can capitalize on students and parents shopping for school-related deals. Ajmal Saleem, owner of Suprex Learning, a startup tutoring company, says the back-to-school promotion is especially important.
“Parents commonly seek our tutoring services during the summer to help their kids keep up their skills during the break; however, back-to-school is an excellent time to offer promotions, and parents are willing to spend the money if you can show them it’s a good investment,” says Saleem. “We offer bulk tutoring packages right before the school year starts. When a parent purchases more hours of tutoring, it not only provides us with sustained business, it helps parents keep their children’s momentum going.”
Even vCalc, a crowdsourced calculator-creation platform, offers back-to-school promotions. The vCalc platform invites people to use math knowledge to solve everyday challenges and to build and share free equations, algorithms, constants and collections.
Kurt Heckman, vCalc’s president, said they ran a student contest last fall that went so well that it’s now an annual back-to-school event. Called Coding for Community, this contest encourages students to use the vCalc platform to create free online calculators for the benefit of their communities. Prize money ranges from $25 for honorable mentions up to $1,000 for two grand-prize winners.
“The results have been surprising. Students have built free calculators that are now being used all over the world,” says Heckman. “This annual contest is a terrific way to get our product into the hands of more students every fall, and it’s now an ongoing part of our back-to-school promotion regimen.”
What makes a company good and sustainable and a place where people want to work? According to BusinessKnowHow.com, there are five traits of a good company:
[T]he leadership team must have a great ambition for the company.
[This ambition must address] an unmet customer need.
Good companies stay focused on what they know and can do well.
[These companies] devote relentless attention to execution.
[S]mart companies engage all of their associates in building businesses—from idea creation to delivery to the customers—so ideas just don’t come from the top down, [but] from the bottom up and every direction in between.
If everyone in a company feels they own a piece of the product and are held accountable, a good company will become great, [s]o human capital has really become the most important asset of just about any company, big [or] small.
All big companies started as small companies run by entrepreneurs with good ideas. Apple and Amazon were created in the founders’ garages. Google started as a dissertation project. […] According to Fortune, entrepreneurs with good ideas come from all walks of life; [f]or example, 33% of new entrepreneurs are college graduates, 20% of startups seeking venture capital have a female cofounder, […] and immigrant entrepreneurs account for 28.5% of all new business owners. [T]here is no true definition of what type of person will start a company.
[W]orking for a giant company does have its perks:
Big companies are large because they have done something right.
They have already developed a competitive advantage in the marketplace, so jobs can be quite stable.
[I]t is possible to change positions and move to a new area without having to leave a big company.
[E]mployees may get a higher starting salary, and opportunities for income growth may be superior to small companies.
Benefits also tend to be better.
More training becomes available, and a clearer promotional path may be offered.
Large companies [can] provide better equipment and access to newer technolog[y].
[As for one of the major drawbacks to] working with a large corporation, […] size sometimes is an obstacle, with layers of management slowing down not only personal fulfillment goals but great ideas that may take too long to be accepted.
On the other hand, […] working in a smaller company can be quite rewarding. [According to the Small Business Council, there are 5.73 million employer firms in the United States, and those with fewer than 20 employees make up 89.6% of these companies. These small businesses produce 46% of the non-farm GDP.] [Accordingly], in a small company:
[Y]ou can influence and directly contribute to the company’s success.
Changes can be quickly implemented, which is one reason smaller companies are often more innovative and can swiftly adapt to new opportunities. These options can make small companies quite interesting for individualists who thrive in an innovative environment.
Small companies can give the feeling of being part of a family, which […] can strengthen the relationship between coworkers and conveys the feeling of being more connected to the work. […]
Small companies give employees the opportunity to exhibit their entire skillset, because [you’ll] often wear several different hats. […]
It may also give employees the chance to lead earlier in their career.
The disadvantages of being in a small company include less job security and more pressure, because failures will be more visible and have a major impact of the existence of the entire company. […]
Having to make a decision on what type of company to work for follows us throughout our careers. According to About Careers, the average person changes jobs 12 times during their lives, [s]o we have many opportunities to decide if we want to work for a big company or a small company. […]
I would tell you to find a small business that you can help build, [b]ut if you do this, [keep in mind that] healthcare costs continue to be a major issue, and small-business owners are still worried about economic conditions and how they might impact their business, which could affect your job. Small businesses have much smaller safety nets in place than bigger businesses, which makes owners more vulnerable to threats like market shifts and new laws and regulations, that could be the catalysts the loss of your job. […]
If you like swimming in a bigger pond even though you may feel like a small fish, there is merit in working for larger employers with their extra resources, formal structures in place and the big pool of people to interact with throughout the day.
[I]f you thrive on getting involved in all kinds of new and varied projects, which causes you to develop new skills and knowledge where you feel you become a vital part of company growth, then smaller businesses may be right for you.
So ask yourself what size fish in what size pond you want to be, so you will not be hooked into being a fish out of water.
DollarDays is an innovative online wholesale distributor on a mission to level the playing field for growing businesses. By taking manufacturing and distribution to the digital marketplace, the site provides small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and nonprofits with the economic security necessary to take on the challenges of 21st-century entrepreneurship.
SMEs have always been the backbone of North American industry, but, in recent years, vast changes in the domestic economy have threatened the livelihood of small businesses everywhere. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the last year alone, over 470,000 U.S. businesses died, with only 400,000 new ones created. Despite these daunting statistics, the reality is that many small firms are still fighting the good fight, and, today, DollarDays may just be the solution.
The firm’s hybrid business structure blends the accessibility of the Web with the professional tradition of personalized service, an approach that has propelled the site to the forefront of the sector. With 3.5 million registered users and an average of over 1,500 new customers a day, DollarDays has emerged as an unlikely competitor in the high-stakes world of manufacturing and distribution. With statistics showing over 50% of customers ordering from DollarDays.com four times or more, the website is an example of not only how to gain, but to keep customers coming back for more.
The website’s ongoing growth has garnered widespread attention internationally, but, according to Marc Joseph, the CEO and president of DollarDays, this success is more than accomplishment; it’s a pursuit of passion. “I am very passionate about making sure we support growing businesses. It’s our mission to support them in any way we can to keep them alive and growing.”
DollarDays was created in 2001 as an answer to an evolving sector and a changing global economy. Soon after the global recession hit, the significance of DollarDays.com grew even more apparent.
“We always put ourselves in our small-business customer’s shoes, and we ask ourselves, ‘What do they need to compete?'”
As many small businesses felt the pangs of economic disparity, financially driven changes in the manufacturing and distribution sectors made commercial success harder than ever.
Traditionally, manufacturers and distributors relied heavily on salespeople. Following the downturn, many of these companies moved to diminish their operating overheads by limiting the number of sales representatives on staff. This seemingly small change had a significant impact on the ability of SMEs and nonprofits to source quality products. This change, paired with the price of shipping and increasing credit restrictions, pushed the cost of operations so high that there was little chance of any small firm surviving in the monopolizing marketplace.
This is where DollarDays comes in.
Leveraging the Internet as a new channel of distribution for wholesale and closeout products, the company’s Web-based platform became a hotspot for SMEs and nonprofits seeking an alternative route to sourcing stock. “We felt the Internet would give us the ability to level the playing field for these small businesses, giving them a chance to compete, survive and thrive against the chains in the area.”
It brings to the table several major benefits [that] are based on the company’s unique hybrid approach. From a product standpoint, there are few companies with the range and affordability of DollarDays, which carries over 300,000 products at any one time.”We are [a] one-stop shop in terms of products [businesses] can promote, products they need and products which show their customers that they are relevant with the trends.”
The site is easy enough for clients to navigate quickly and independently, as high-resolution images and descriptions provide customers a clear view of products. As the site is a favorite for many nonprofit organizations, the range of back-to-school essentials and seasonal goods [is one] of the most diverse and affordable on the market.
One of the primary benefits of using this Web-based supplier is its uniquely accessible format. Any business owner knows running your company is an around-the-clock responsibility. For thousands, the company’s 24-hour accessibility is a priceless, timesaving asset that accommodates those who simply cannot take time out of the workday to browse and restock. Often, one of the site’s busiest times is the early hours of the morning, when thousands place orders from the comfort of their homes.
“I am very passionate about making sure we support growing businesses.”
Marc Joseph, CEO and President, DollarDays
When it comes to serving growing businesses, the price point is inarguably the most important factor. The cost-saving benefits of DollarDays are twofold, as both the starting price and order minimums are substantially lower than the typical manufacturer or distributor.
It gives smaller businesses a chance at buying power that has typically been reserved for powerful multinational firms. “Closeouts help businesses buy more with the dollars they have.” The company provides unparalleled closeout deals throughout the year, which spell[s] serious value for companies looking to increase inventory or offer deals.
Most manufacturers and distributors require companies to order products by the truckload, which can be a very expensive or risky move for those with smaller budgets. These requirements make it difficult for businesses with less working capital to expand their range and test out new products. DollarDays has a minimum order of one case, which enables customers to grow their businesses sustainably with peace of mind. “We want our customers to try stuff so they can see what works for them,” said Joseph.
Sometimes, in Web-based businesses, customer service is the last thing that comes to mind, but DollarDays has worked relentlessly to change that, and customer service has remained a primary component of [the] firm’s success. The tradition of door-to-door sales may be dying, but the company has found a way to bridge the benefits of the Web with the appeal of personalized service. “The thing that really separates us from other businesses on the Internet is our customer service in sales.”
The site has an extensive team of inside sales representatives, many of whom come from a background of small-business ownership themselves. “We are able to maintain the backbone of our business, because our inside salespeople are really working with our customers to help them grow their business.”
Buying products is a very personal business, and the company takes this commitment very seriously. Although thousands of customers access and place orders on the website with no assistance, a substantial number of clients choose to work closely with the in-house sales team. The sales team moves through the site with customers, providing insights and tips on everything from regional popularity to the price point of similar goods.
“The company’s Web-based platform became a hotspot for SMEs and nonprofits seeking an alternative route to sourcing stock.”
Similar to SMEs, the nonprofit sector has faced the very real threat of severe losses. In an industry predicated on helping others, the importance of a dollar extends beyond the cost of goods. Nonprofit organizations are an increasing portion of DollarDays’ business, and assisting them to grow is a primary mission for the firm.
As a substantial part of the company’s client base comes from the nonprofit sector, the in-house sales experts are experienced in providing the insights and sensitivity necessary to help novice buyers make economically strategic decisions. “It is as important with our nonprofits as it is with our businesses that they are working with people who understand their budgets and business. Nonprofits aren’t professional buyers—their mission is to help people—so, as experts in how nonprofits work, we can offer exactly what they need.”
The site’s Wishlist Program (similar to a bridal registry) is a free initiative that allows nonprofits to register a list of desperately needed items online. Through this registry, patrons can purchase and ship tangible donations with the click of a mouse.
What really sets it apart is a corporate culture that starts with dollars but is driven by something much bigger. The firm’s relentless commitment to U.S. development is practical, but, at the core, it is ethical, and, in the end, it is this mission that has made DollarDays a company to watch.
There are 28 million small businesses in the United States, according to the [U.S. Small Business Administration, or] SBA. [These businesses] created 63% of new private-sector jobs [last year] and [account for] 42% of private-sector payroll[s]. Headlines are grabbed by young entrepreneurs who are starting high-tech companies, but, in reality, people over 50 own 51% of small businesses, while those […] under 35 own [just] 16%. [Additionally], On Strategy reports that 66% of new businesses survive for at least two years, 50% make it at least four years, 40% make it to six years, and one-third make it to 10 years.
[W]hy do new businesses fail at such a high rate?
Running out of money too quickly. When starting a business, you need to plan as if you had no sales for six months and have that money sitting in the bank to cover all the startup issues. Before the recession, business owners could borrow against the equity in their homes, but we don’t have that same home equity in 2015. New business startups are rolling the dice and not having as much in the bank, hoping they won’t have to face this issue. Established small businesses also face cashflow issues, because […] their clients are paying slower, so payrolls get missed and lights go off.
Overconfidence in their product. […] If you don’t test [your] market first or you are not keeping up with the trends, there is a good chance customers won’t purchase your goods.
Poor pricing strategy where [the] competition may have a cheaper solution. If you must lower your price, there still needs to be enough margin to pay the bills.
Other reasons for business failures include an over-dependence on one customer. This country is littered with manufacturing startups that were thrilled to get Walmart as a customer. They put too many eggs in one basket, and when Walmart decided to go overseas to knock [out] their products [for less], [these startups] soon went out of business, [especially] if Walmart accounted for more than 50% of their sales. Small-business owners do not know how to say “No.” Some small-business owners promise the world, but going after all the business at one time drains your cash and profitability, and you may lose sight of quality, delivery time and followthrough. If you miss the mark with an inferior product or late delivery, your customers will put you out of business.
Many of my relatives […] are in a family business. According to the Curchin Group, 70% of family businesses never get past the first generation, 85% don’t make it past the second generation, and 97% never get past the third generation, leaving only 3% of family businesses making it to the fourth generation. There are all kinds of reasons for the death of family businesses, but, in reality, they are not much different than what happens in real life. According to The Globe and Mail, over half of family businesses do not have a succession plan. Entrepreneurs are hesitant to place their passion into the hands of others, and so they lack the plan to create a business roadmap. Internal family conflict—where not everyone has the loyalty to go in one direction—causes breakups. Generational conflict—where there is a disagreement in core values and business missions and where the next generation rejects established methods and the entrepreneurial vision—can bring down a business.
So the odds seem against you whether you want to open your own business or join your relatives in their business. It is much safer to join a big business, work hard and get your gold watch, [b]ut the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that the average person born between 1957 [and] 1964 has held 12 different jobs, [a]nd Forbes reports that 91% of those born between 1977 [and] 1997 expect to stay in a job for less than three years, which means they will have 15 [to] 20 different jobs over their lifetime. [I]s taking a chance and opening your own business any different than working for a big business?
If you want to take the plunge into opening a business, America is there to help. One way is through a new program, Big Ideas for Small Business, [which] was launched last year by the National League of Cities in partnership with the City of Chicago’s Innovation Delivery Team. They have produced a toolkit that helps local leaders create ecosystems [to] support small-business growth with city resources and provides business owners with access to new sources of capital. Another resource is SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), […] whose mission is to foster small-business communities through mentoring and education. […] The NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) […] is [also] a great resource for information and interaction with other small businesses.
This alarming failure rate of small businesses is a concern to every community. For our cities to recently jump in and realize this is a local issue that must be solved reinforces that these entrepreneurs are not in this battle alone—they have their village looking out for them. This is a good start to reverse our small business death trend, [b]ut it also takes individuals in our communities spending in small businesses. […]
America has been great since our independence, because, on the back[s] of small businesses, we have built an exceptional agricultural, industrial and intellectual powerhouse economy. We can’t afford to let these small businesses die, because just about every impressive economic accomplishment in our country started in the mind of an entrepreneur.
While writing a good press release is more of an art than a science, there are some tried-and-true strategies that work. To help your next press release land media coverage, we’ve compiled 40 examples of actual press releases that were able to successfully garner publicity. We’ll take a look at each and provide you with actionable advice to create your own successful news release. […]
1. Fit Small Business Promotes Priyanka Prakash To Managing Editor
First, we are going to look at a press that we at Fit Small Business recently sent out so that we can point out the attributes of a good press release. You should look out for these points when viewing the other examples below.
Headline and secondary headline. The headline is crucial to your press release, as it is the first thing that will catch the reader’s attention. Keep it short, interesting and descriptive. Having a secondary headline is a great way to give more information without taking away from the main headline.
Get straight to the point. Press releases are sent to people that are busy, so make sure the essence of your release is in the first two paragraphs.
Easily quotable. Journalists will want to pull parts of your press release to use in their own stories. Make sure you have sentences that will make an impact when used separately.
Include a photo. Sending a picture along with the press release is crucial, as it personalizes the release and makes it stick out in people’s minds. The picture we included was able to immediately put a face to the name and hopefully made people want to learn more about the woman in the photo.
You also want to make sure the press release is newsworthy. This doesn’t mean that you can only send out a press release for information that would make the front page of The New York Times. It does mean that you have to find an angle that you think journalists will find interesting and want to write about.
For our press release, we decided to take a women-in-leadership angle. This is because we noticed a lot of buzz recently about women in leadership roles, which, in the past, was dominated by men. This approach worked well for us. We had our press release written about in over 30% of the outlets we sent the release to, including coverage in Talking New Media and Street Fight Mag.
2. TV Ears Unveils the First Senior-friendly HDTV at Consumer Electronics Show
I drafted this press release on the first-ever senior-friendly TV put out by TV EARS. The timing was ideal since it was leading up to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES). This release was published on numerous sites and also resulted in feature stories and live interviews at CES with national media outlets. There are a few tips from this particular release.
To increase your chances of getting coverage on your press release, it needs to have an attention-grabbing headline. It’s also imperative to send along images of the product to accompany the story. Don’t use the “spray-and-pray” method; instead, tailor your press release to each person separately. That includes writing their name at the beginning and why the news is relevant to their audience. If possible, distribute your press release around a relevant event. Luckily, the product launch on the TV was right around CES, so that helped with exposure.
Faded Banner Publications has made its mark in Civil War and regional history titles, so a book on the paranormal meant taking a whole new approach to our publicity.
We were looking to target the paranormal field but not limit ourselves to that field. We were looking to establish I Met a Ghost as a mainstream book, a serious look at the unexplained phenomenon so prevalent at many historic sites. As such, we emphasized the book as a journalistic endeavor. The press release worked and worked well—we attracted the attention of a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as numerous radio interviews across the nation and in Europe. The release landed me an hour-long PBS interview, and, of course, we achieved the main goal of the press release: selling books.
4. Shopify Plus/VL OMNI Official Partnership Announcement Press Release
What made this press release successful was the intersection of the exclusivity of the announcement (there were only a select few companies who were made official Shopify Plus partners in the first round, and we were one of them), the fact that it was newsworthy, and having a great partner tied into the announcement itself. The latter point was especially critical to the PR, and the notoriety of the Shopify brand really gave the release “legs” in terms of how far it was distributed and the impact it made.
5. The Powerline Group Announces New College Scholarship Program for Long Island, National Students
Our most recent press release, which actually went out today, has been picked up by Business Insider and Yahoo. Successful press releases include information that is well-written, worth sharing and provides value to those reading. Craft a catchy title to garner the attention of notable sources and publications. On the other hand, get to the point with your actual press announcement while remaining professional and communicating an effective message. Be sure there are no grammatical issues or spelling errors. Last but not least, always include relevant contact information so you can be reached by potential consumers, partners, representatives and anybody else interested in the contents of your press release.
6. Turkey Day Juice Kicks off Shoreline Lake’s New Wine-tasting Series
In addition to being picked up by journalists, this press effort has also resulted in additional write-ups and mentions since then and continues to bring Shoreline Lake to the attention of oenophiles and others wanting unique wine-based—and related—experiences in Silicon Valley. This was not a standalone effort, however, but, rather, a tactic used to achieve some very specific market communications goals (which were all met).
Press releases should always be written according to the comprehensive and cohesive market communication strategy already in place, which is based on an in-depth analysis (demographics, psychographics, and socio-graphics) of your target audience, and framed to help reporters convince their editors of your topic’s newsworthiness.
Be judicious, and only write press releases when you have real newsAl impression of desperation (and amateurishness).
7. The Biggest Loser Trainer, Pauline Nordin, Launches a New Brand, App to De-fatten America
Here’s a press release that was created for fitness expert Pauline Nordin. It starts with the most important information—a new app release—and follows with a reason why you should care (Nordin outsold famed fitness trainer Jillian Michaels). It was effective because it gave all of the facts and was easily quotable for journalists interested in the story.
8. TicketCity Celebrates 25th Birthday by Giving Everything Away
I originally wrote a more traditional (read: boring) release around our company’s 25th anniversary, but, after getting bored just proofreading it, I decided to scrap the whole thing and make it something people would actually enjoy reading. The press release not only conveyed our message, but by taking a tongue-in-cheek approach, it also conveyed our brand’s fun-loving personality.
—Ashley Kubiszyn, Marketing and Communications Director, TicketCity
9. Cupcakes & Rubber Ducks—What’s Not to Like!
When you have done something as unique and fun as we did, such as returning the whole rubber duck industry back to America where it began, it’s a cool emotional story that strikes an emotional chord in people regarding U.S. manufacturing and, thus, gets a lot of attention in the media. In fact, the HGTV/DYI/Discover network filmed our N.Y. factory for a show that went out to their 60 million viewer reach in the spring on making ducks in America!
10. Robert Graham of “Bachelor Nation” Enjoys Brighter, Straighter Teeth with Porcelain Veneers from Desert Smiles
Our team had the opportunity to be creative with this press release by tapping into the lingo common among the fandom of the “Bachelor” TV shows and connecting it to the world of dentistry.
The press release is also effective because of its multifaceted storytelling. It highlights a public figure’s connection to the local community (the same area served by our client). It balances writing about the dentist and his practice with the famous person who became his patient, and it uses multimedia—Graham spoke about his experience with our client on camera and appeared in a number of pictures in the client’s office, which enriched our press release with unique content that is worth more than a thousand words.
In my experience, if it reads like the lead to a story, then it makes it easier for a news outlet to publish as is or for a reporter to pick up the ball and run with it from there. I am not saying every news outlet will use your exact lead or even publish the release in full, but it does give them a good idea of how they might approach your story. I have had a lot of success having my press releases picked up and run as is.
One of the strongest things of this particular release is our headline. With so many sexist problems that are flying through the media, we decided to highlight while she is just one woman, she truly is changing the business game for everyone. We also tried to highlight her past and how that plays into her career now, as well as showcase how others perceive her. There is nothing better that speaks to someone’s leadership and integrity than actually hearing from followers.
When writing a press release, it’s important to remain consistent in your language but naturally make your writing engaging. There are thousands of releases every day, and, as PR professionals, we are to make our own news engaging and exciting. You want people to read your work and 1.) think it’s cool and 2.) be impacted in some way.
13. Rentec Direct Releases Ultimate Guide on How to Rent an Apartment
A good press release immediately grabs the reader’s attention by explaining why it’s relevant. For a product release, like the free e-book mentioned in this example, readers want to know who the intended audience is and how the product will benefit them.
Since press releases are also designed for the media to pick up and share with their audience, a reporter or editor wants to know how many people will be interested in this product or service. This particular release is targeted at renters, and since there are over 40 million renter-occupied households in the United States, we knew that the media would be excited to share a free educational guide with such a large audience.
14. Day Translations Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary
We recently launched a press release for our 10-year anniversary. It was picked up by nearly 300 news publications in a few days. It is a great press release, because it highlights our anniversary. Any big landmark in a competitive industry is worth celebrating. It also has quotable content about our company stats and gives the audience value since we are offering a 10% discount on all translation services.
This press release is also very concise; it states the facts right away, then follows up with value for the audience. We also add a quote from our CEO, which is valuable, and quotes Day Translations’ first employee, who is still with the company today.
15. Search Engine Marketing for Small Business Works
This press release about search engine marketing for small business was quite successful, because it was picked up by 182 online publications with a potential audience of 195 million readers, including International Business Times and The San Jose Mercury News.
16. ‘Tis the Season for Shopping Local: Prime Now and Amazon Handmade Team up to Add Handcrafted Items from Local Artisans for Ultra-fast Delivery
In time for the holidays, this press release from Amazon announced that they have made their fastest delivery service available to select small businesses using Amazon to sell their products. The article said that “a specially curated list of products from Amazon Handmade artisans are available through Prime Now this holiday season.” The press release is expected to increase Amazon seller and Amazon Prime subscriptions, as well as sales for small businesses that sell on Amazon.
17. The Special-needs Community Has Made News with Survey Highlighting Disabled Reporter
I specialize in writing press releases aimed at small businesses and have been doing this for many years. One of the ways that my press releases are successful is that almost all of my press releases make it to Google News and/or Bing News, thus giving them a much wider exposure. This particular press release is an example of how to tie in your piece with a headline-making story. It also received a very high pick-up from web services.
18. The Southern Bank Celebrates 80 Years—Then & Now
This press release celebrated a big milestone by acknowledging both past success and planned future expansion—then and now. A community bank exists because of personal relationships and hometown service, so it was important to recognize this strong legacy and presence in our community after 80 years. At the same time, finance and banking have changed drastically over the years, and we wanted to show our customers that we are poised for the future. This press release achieved our goal of celebrating past and future.
The following is a great press release example. It has a sales aspect to it (something you typically want), it’s on a topic that’s worthy of being written about, it reads like an actual article (another key attribute), and it’s got some good quotes in it, as well.
An effective press release takes time and effort in order to be put together correctly. If you are just sending them out with no strategy or purpose involved, most of the time they simply fall on deaf ears.
20. iPartnerMedia Donates Website to Vengeance Woodworks in Recognition of Military Appreciation Month
In [our press release], you will see that the first sentence or two tells the whole story (what we call “the five ‘W’s”). There are also multimedia components to the news release, such as logos for the companies, social media links and images of the products the company sells.
—Randy Mitchelson, Vice President Sales & Marketing, iPartnerMedia
21. The Frame by Samsung Featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2017 as a Must-have Item This Holiday Season
This press release from Samsung features their new Smart TV designed to unite entertainment with elegant art display. When a product lands on Oprah’s wish list, the “Oprah effect” often occurs. By virtue of the TV mogul’s popularity, the product gets instant brand recognition and an increase in sales. [This makes it] definitely worth a press release, and it’s something that the company can continue to talk about for a long time.
22. MoonGlow PR Offers Signed Editions of Beatles Books
The press release was an announcement that my clients’ books were available at the Fest for Beatles Fans event in Chicago and they can be purchased already signed by the authors. Not only did this create a boom for my author’s books, it generated traffic to the Fest website which has won me brownie points with the owners. This release is also timeless and can be linked to on social media again and again.
23. Thrill of the Hunt to Host Dog Scavenger Hunts Nationally
The subject alone caught people’s attention and gave Thrill of the Hunt exposure to increase ticket sales, further promoting our events without additional effort. It was used as a vehicle for interested parties to reach out to Thrill of the Hunt asking for dog scavenger hunts in specific dog-friendly areas or for fundraising opportunities for communities and charities.
This press release gave us exposure in several dog magazines, including San Diego Dog and NOVADog (Virginia), online media such as Edge Media Network, a local radio station, and with local charities who promoted the event in their area.
The press release also promoted our event to potential sponsors, local businesses and national brands. After the launch of the press release, I had potential sponsors interested in one or several of our dog scavenger hunts and sponsorship opportunities.
Giving back is what separates one company from another, [according to] a recent poll. Our customer base of B2B companies and nonprofit organizations crosses all generations, so we thought it was important to remind our customers that DollarDays’ social mission to help communities is a core component of our identity—[a]nd what better way to do that but to double the donations during the month of March.
25. The Bethel Inn Resort Celebrates 100 Years of Hospitality
Here’s a link to my favorite press release that I wrote for the Bethel Inn Resort’s 100th anniversary a couple years ago. Celebrating an anniversary is always a newsworthy event, especially if it hits the century mark. I particularly like this release because it brings into context other major events of 1913. Carrying on the major events theme of 1913, the resort posted a “This Day in History” [for] 1913 at the front desk. I discovered that the first crossword puzzle was published and that Robert Mondavi was born (parking a wine special in the tavern), among other exciting happenings, including the institution of the dreaded federal income tax.
26. Survey: Majority of Employees Would Choose Certain Perks over Standard Salary Increase
We conduct research studies throughout the year on various topics that we feel are relevant and of interest to our target audience. We sent out a press release a couple of months ago featuring our data-monitoring survey that received a lot of positive feedback. It was picked up by various publications, including TLNT and Recruiter.com.
Our study found that 56% of office workers deemed perks were at least moderately important when evaluating a job, and we were surprised to discover that a majority of employees would prefer certain work perks over a raise, including flexible hours and remote work opportunities.
27. My Single City: All-new Mobile App for Singles
The idea behind this press release was to educate people about a new dating app (small business) as well as empathize with any single person who reads it. We placed a small insert about why we developed the app and let readers know that we, too, are single and feel what they’re going through.
I believe the press release was successful because we let readers know that we, too, are like them, and that was the reason behind developing the app.
—Shari Linton, My Single City
28. Sleep with a Ghost—Guaranteed
The results speak for themselves—near-100% occupancy in the hotel in October. It was picked up in Historic Hotels of America’s “Haunted Historic Hotels” release and also sent out nationwide to radio, TV and newspapers. We have had very good luck over the past 10 years of having our annual ghostly story picked up and run all over the world. I have done radio interviews with stations from England, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and from all across the 50 states.
Most people think that you can only submit a press release when your business releases a new product or wins an award. This creative press release plays on people’s fascination with the supernatural in order to gain traction in the media. It also has an attention-grabbing title and was sent out at the end of September in order to be perfectly timed with the upcoming Halloween holiday.
29. Terranova® Celebrates Mother Earth with the Arbor Day Foundation
The idea behind this press release and why it’s effective is it was written to promote our commitment to creating products that use natural ingredients while showing our support for reputable nonprofit organizations—like the Arbor Day Foundation—that give back to the community and help our planet. This press release reinforces our commitment to being green, shows philanthropic support, and creates goodwill with our new and existing customers.
30. “Early Bird Café” a Vividly Written Love Story
This was sent out by my publisher to market my novel to the public and to bookstores worldwide. [Was it] effective? Yes—this helped my book to be picked up by bookstores and websites from here to Russia, China, Australia, etc. By including a description of the book in the press release, we were able to get people interested in the novel. I’m even in my local Barnes & Noble. It was a great way for me to debut my writing and get out there in the publishing world!
—Carrie Aulenbacher, Author
31. Former Casino Employee Takes Gamble on Provocative Tell-all Insider Book on Industry
This press release was successful because, obviously, the content was of interest to the media, and it had a catchy, attention-grabbing headline. I feel that we used the narrative to not only gain interest in the story but to gain sympathy and understanding of the author’s plight, which contributed to the press release success (more than 5,000 hits). One must tell a compelling story in a limited amount of space in a press release. It’s more than the who, what, when and where model—you want the reader to be drawn in immediately.
At Media Minefield, we believe there are more effective ways to get the message to the media rather than press releases. That’s why we created a press release announcing the death of the press release (headline: “Death of the Press Release”). We posted it on our website and on social media on April Fool’s Day as a #KiddingNotKidding.
It’s gotten attention on social media from members of the media who support what we believe about press releases, and it’s gotten our point across in a fun way.
—Allison Ortiz, Media & Messaging Specialist, Media Minefield
33. Emirates, FlyDubai Partnership Announces First Shared Routes
Emirates Airlines have always been known for their service quality, while FlyDubai is popular for low-cost fares. By announcing their collaboration, both service providers benefit from gaining access to customers who would normally stay with one of the airlines. This opens up opportunities for more travel options and more flexible price points for airfares. The press release effectively relays these points to consumers and is expected to increase sales for both airlines as they gain access to a wider consumer base.
34. E-Complish Announces PCI 3.0 Compliance, Making It One of the First Level-one Payment-processing Companies in the World to Achieve This Level of Certification
We wanted to craft a release that went beyond simply patting our company on the back and, rather, explained the relevance that achieving this milestone meant for the industry. Within the release, we pulled together an explanation of why PCI 3.0 certification is important for credit-card processing companies with day-to-day consumers in mind.
Rather than focusing singularly on the client, we felt it was important to focus on implications this certification has on the end user and really, the industry as a whole.
35. FreightCenter Plans to Create 40 New Jobs in the Tampa Bay Area in 2016
There were two purposes to the release—to increase our number of applicants and to create a little buzz about our expected growth. My strategy was to present FreightCenter as an exciting place to work [with] many opportunities to grow. Right away, I supported this claim in my lead when I said FreightCenter will announce “a major overhaul of its company positioning and brand.” This statement was purposely used to create curiosity so the reader would continue reading. […] To further support my claim and satisfy the reader’s curiosity, I included a quote from our COO, Doug Walls, in the third paragraph. The quote should answer any questions the reader might have.
My best press release was the use of a survey we did for eDiets.com. We asked our website visitors and e-newsletter subscribers to complete a poll about the best celebrity bodies and “butts.” In the poll results, Jennifer Aniston was rated higher than Jennifer Lopez, who, at that time, had the most talked-about derriere.
We sent out the press release, and the media loved [it]. Well over a hundred media outlets ran the story, and it was even used as a question on the game show “Hollywood Squares.”
This was so successful because we added survey questions to intentionally generate PR-good headlines through the on-site polling.
37. FocalPointK12 Offers Free Practice Tests for Schools
“Free” is one of the most persuasive words in the English language and makes this press release title eye-catching. Also included in the press release is a link to the free practice test. This gives the reader immediate information without requiring back and forth emailing or other inconvenient actions.
38. Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Justice League” Teams up with AT&T to Take over Times Square
Prior to the movie release of “Justice League,” Warner Bros. Pictures announced in a press release an event, in collaboration with AT&T, to advertise the upcoming superhero movie. AT&T has three stores in Times Square that are perfect for a massive advertising campaign, and by letting Warner Bros. deck their stores with the movie’s iconic figures, AT&T benefits from the increased attention and foot traffic. This press release generated excitement for the movie premiere while [allowing] AT&T […] to increase its marketing opportunities.
39. Four Gooey-good Reasons to Love Yumbutter™
We wrote a press release called “Yumbutter by the Numbers.” There are multiple reasons as to why this press release was successful. We successfully demonstrated the brand’s fun and playful energy while engaging consumers with informative but easy-to-read content.
40. Adigica Health, Inc., Launches BioClarity™ for Acne Treatment in Teenagers, Young Adults
Our parent company, Adigica Health, is an e-commerce company focused on the development of healthcare products. We recently developed a new proprietary skin care regimen specifically formulated for the treatment of acne in teenagers and young adults, and we sent out a press release announcing the new product.
We included statistics in the press release of how many teenagers and young adults reported clearer acne after using our product, which, I believe, is what helped us gain over 8,000 followers on our Instagram and 3,000 on our Facebook account.
The Crunch: Buying wholesale and bulk goods used to be difficult for small retailers, especially those without the big budgets larger businesses wield. DollarDays, a premier online wholesale distributor and closeout company, extends “the same kind of buying power” to small businesses and nonprofits by buying in bulk themselves and selling products affordably from their inventory. Clients can buy single cases of a product or a single item from over 200,000 goods in stock. Whether you’re buying hats for school fundraisers or purchasing holiday décor to sell in your store, DollarDays offers a wide selection of affordable products that meet the needs (and budgets) of small retailers.
We arrived that day at Casa Shalom, an orphanage nestled on a mountain in Guatemala, with duffel bags of arts-and-crafts supplies for the kids. Hundreds of toddlers, older kids and teens would be coming to the small, blue room throughout the week to make beaded necklaces and other crafts. Buying enough supplies to last the week wasn’t a small task; we had to start saving up and purchasing items as early as the day we got back from last year’s trip. It would’ve been easier to buy supplies from a wholesale distributor, but we couldn’t afford to buy tons of bulk cases. Had we known about DollarDays, the buying process would’ve flowed smoother and, perhaps, saved money that could’ve been spent elsewhere.
There are thousands of small retailers and nonprofits like us that need access to wholesale and bulk goods every day. That’s why DollarDays is so important to the retail community. Known as the “secret weapon” of small businesses, the online wholesale distributor offers over 200,000 high-quality goods in its inventory. Retailers can purchase anything from backpacks to leggings to toothpaste and have their order shipped to their businesses right on time. DollarDays is celebrated for giving small businesses the same kind of buying power that once was only available to big-box retailers.
“Our mission is to provide low-cost products to companies and support nonprofits to stretch their dollar,” said Marc Joseph, the CEO and founder of DollarDays.
A Man’s Vision on How the Internet Would Change Distribution
In 2001, Marc and his business partners saw the opportunity to launch a wholesale-distributing website and pave the way for delivering goods to small- and medium-sized retailers across the country. Big-box retailers could afford to purchase wholesale items in bulk quantities, but, without access to the resources of their larger competitors, it was difficult for small businesses to compete. Marc wanted to level the playing field. His vision allows small businesses to buy bulk goods in smaller batches and give larger retailers a run for their money (literally).
“We thought the Internet would level the playing field so that small businesses could compete with the chains in their marketplaces,” Marc said. “Initially, we started off to serve small-business owners.”
Fifteen years later, DollarDays has changed the landscape of the wholesale distribution space for the better. Small retailers can buy anything from clothing to household items to beauty products whenever they need them, which makes ordering flexible and easy.
Simplifying the wholesale-buying process has revolutionized the way small retailers and nonprofits do business. With access to similar resources, small businesses can compete with larger brands and fight for their fair share of customers.
Small Retailers Can Pick from over 200,000 Goods at Any Time
Let’s say you own a kid’s hair salon called Pearls and Plunder Hair Cuttery Salon. As one of your unique selling points, you reward kids with a prize from the toy chest after they’ve received a haircut. Because you have a small (yet growing) client base, you wonder where you can buy small cases of toys and games without spending an excess amount of money. That’s where DollarDays steps in.
You can head to DollarDays.com, click on the “Toys & Games” tab, then start the peruse the different types of toys available. Your options include buying as few as one toy or purchasing a small case to save money. Once you select all the products you need, you can swiftly complete your order at checkout. Even if you remembered at midnight that you’re running low on supplies, you can place an order right then and there.
DollarDays stands out from wholesale competitors for one simple reason: the company’s flexible ordering system. Retailers have the option to try out a few products without “committing” to buying in bulk. In fact, DollarDays encourages customers to test out different products to see what works for them. If it ends up working out, the customer can then place a bulk order at DollarDays.com, eliminating waste for the retailer.
“We have become a one-stop for any business or association,” Marc said.
Let DollarDays Be “a Secret Weapon” for Your Business or Nonprofit
Even though we’re a small nonprofit with a smaller budget, using DollarDays is a smart way for us to buy all the future arts-and-crafts supplies we need to take to the orphanage. Whenever your small business or nonprofit needs to buy any type of bulk items, shopping at a wholesale distributor [like DollarDays] will help you save money. […]
DollarDays will continue to offer more quantities of low-cost goods to help small businesses compete with larger players in the space. The wholesale company is eager to help your business grow, one bulk case at a time.
