Having a business that caters to both men and women is challenging enough. When creating a logo that will not turn off men, yet wanting to show the head honcho is female, might be a bit difficult. Having a girly logo may not be the answer.

You see, Lori is proud that her company is a one woman operation. Yet she wanted her business to attract customers of both the male and female persuasion. She also wanted her logo to feel as if she was approachable and friendly as she is as well as indicating that she is an expert in help field who brings value to her clients. She also wanted to keep her logo simple.

This is very important to me as a designer, since people what to advertise all 100 thousand things they  do or are certified on.  Identifying her business with a girly logo would be detrimental to her cause. She wanted to show value, attract both sexes and be a friendly and approachable expert.

Knowing what she wanted and not continuing to research “what she thinks she wants that other people already have”, gave her the upper hand and made the job of the designer, surprisingly easy. The final logo is clean, professional and not sitting on a high horse. A girly logo that is not screaming super girly yet, my client loves it.

Immediate payment is preferred and required on projects under $750. However, clients on waiting list, may follow a fee schedule set by the designer of a 33% non refundable fee to start work and/or place the client in the waiting list. A 33% fee of the total amount owed will be due at the start of the project, and the remainder %34 will be due once the final artwork or site template is approved. All payments are accepted through 2checkout.com, and Paypal. E-Checks will be held until cleared and will delay the client`s artwork, please keep that in mind. Deposits for work are at the discretion of the designer.

Cancellation and Kill Fees: Cancellation (“kill”) fees are due based on the amount of work completed. Fifty percent
(50%) of the final fee is due within 30 days of notification that for any reason the job is canceled or postponed before the final stage. One hundred percent (100%) of the total fee is due despite cancellation or postponement of the job if the art has been completed. Upon cancellation or kill all rights to the art revert to the Designer and all original art must be returned, including sketches, comps, or other preliminary materials.

Defaulting on the payment schedule will cancel all the work on the site/artwork. Declining any part of the package will not lower the price. This contract is non negotiable. All contracts shall me mailed or faxed in order for work to start, or agreed to by electronic format, as agreeing to the terms and conditions tab on the survey shall create an electronic signature binding the client to this contract. If the client was working with another designer or firm prior to retaining me, please absolve the relationship with the other designer first! If a third party is involved, the designer will reserve the right to work with you.

2.The Survey

The survey is very important, because this is where I get familiar with what the client does, the product and what the client`s ideas for the logo are. Be as detailed as possible. It will give me a better grasp of what styles you like. The logo survey is when the client should take the time to research styles, competitors and the market you plan to target. Once the survey is submitted, do not research it further. As you continue to research different styles and logos, your specifications will change each time. Your final logos will look different as the designer was guided by the specifications on your survey.  It is imperative that you know what you want, otherwise you will need to wait to hire the designer.

3.Time Frame and Turnaround

My turn around is usually about 24 to 72 hours for logos, and 4 days to a week when there is a waiting list. Revisions take 3-4 hours or/and up to 7 days. e-Commerce Websites can take from 30 days to 8 weeks, depending on the amount of revisions. Brochure sites have a turnaround time of about 1 week to 30 days. However if you need logos/artwork/site before that time frame, the fees will doubled. The revision process can and will delay the site completion. Any projects not rendered within 30 days due to no fault of the designer shall incur a fee at the discretion of the designer.

Once the site is ready to be tuned over to you, support will be provided for a maximum of thirty (30) days after which the designer`s current hourly rate will apply.

4.Communication/Business Hours

Please keep in mind that the designer works Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST. The designer is not available during the weekends and evenings. You may contact her through email. Please, do not contact the designer outside business hours. During the design process, the designer expects to have communication with you either by email or phone. You may contact the designer by phone only during business hours, through email outside business hours.

5.Logos/Illustrations/Web Sites

If you will be displaying your logo and/or artwork in your website, a link must be placed crediting the designer, regardless of print/ownership license. This link shall not be removed by the site owner or third party. Those found in violation will have their print/ownership licenses revoked and sites taken down for violation of this contract. A credit line suitable to the design of the page will be used. Client agrees to pay an additional fifty percent (50%) of the total fee, excluding expenses, for failure to include credit line. Credit line is required independent of Artist’s signature, which shall be included at Designer’s discretion unless otherwise agreed in writing above.Editing the logo or illustration, animations, website templates, auction templates is strictly prohibited. That includes but not limited to editing through any type of software which distorts or changes the artwork and/or code from its original state or any edited artwork by anyone else except the designer, is subject to copyright infringement, will be asked to be taken down. You are not allowed to provide the template to another designer. You are also asked not to edit the template as it can render the site useless. All artwork rendered will be displayed in The designer`s portfolio as reference. All artwork not chosen by the client, remain property of the designer. Any concepts provided by the client, remain your property. Any concepts, ideas, color schemes that the designer created are the property of the designer and a the client agrees to Nondisclosure Agreement for Idea Submission.

5.Licensing

The license only gives the client the right to print the logo not the illustrations made for the project. Once payment and terms are set, the artwork is converted in printable formats and made available to the client for the purpose of promoting YOUR business.

Any work that is found abandoned, licensed or not, the ownership will return to the designer. Any work found on someone else`s site other than the client will be subject of copyright infringement. All work rendered by the designer falls under Licensed Work. You may buy out the designer for a royalty fee or a flat fee at the discretion of the designer.

Reselling your business does not entitle the new owner to the artwork. They would have to purchase a new licensing agreement with the designer.

6.Revisions/Revision Requests

Revisions are any modification, alteration, or changes done to your logo, template or artwork that will alter its original state. All logo/Illustrations have 10 revisions. Site templates have three revisions. If you need more revisions, a fee at the discretion of the designer will apply. This is non negotiable and logos will not be revised unless this fee is paid. If the client chooses not to proceed with the logo package purchased at this point, you will NOT be entitled to any refunds. If changes are needed due to an oversight on the designer`s part, the client will not be penalized. Site templates have 3 revisions. Business Card/Postcard/Letterhead/Hand Tag have 3 Revisions. Layouts of the Business Card/Postcard/Letterhead/Hand Tag will be chosen by the designer based on the design. Any misspelling errors due to no fault of the designer will incur a fee.

Requests

If the client emails the designer 3 modification requests in one email, the designer counts it as one revision request. If the client emails the designer 100 modification requests in one email, the designer counts it as one revision. All revision request must be emailed. Any emails following the request will be consider a separate revision request and it will be treated as such, no exceptions. Keeping your requests together will save the client and the designer time.

7.Extra Work Outside of the Outlined Agreement

Any and all extra work will be discussed prior to agreement, outlined, estimated, amended and agreed upon and paid in full before rendering the work. No data entry or picture editing shall be done by the designer.

8.Refunds

Please keep in mind that all design work is custom work and the client is paying for the designer`s time which cannot be refunded. Therefore refunds will not be issued.All the artwork ownership returns to the designer. Usage of said artwork/concepts will result in legal action.

9.Payment Arrangement

Whenever a payment arrangement is in place, any default on a payment will result in your website being suspended and the artwork ownership returns to the designer. Any claims made through Paypal or 2chekout.com will be disputed. However, anyone wishing to carry on with the project and payment schedule, will be honored will a time limit of 30 days.

Under no circumstances are third parties shall be involved, This includes but not limited to, friends or family who are not business partners, business counselors-you may hire them after the product is finished, programmers, other web or graphic designers. If the client`s spouse does not support your business decision, please, do not hire the designer.

11.Software Compliance, Gateways, Content Management, Hosting, Third Party Hosting and Security

Although the client is not required to purchase a license for the cart or content management script, it is recommended as it will add extra support to the e-comerce or content management site. A list of payment gateways will be made available to the client that are compatible with the e-commerce site. The designer is not responsible for managing the content, adding text, keyword or any meta data or pictures to your site. A software fee may apply.

Although not required, the client may not update the software to the latest version without interruption. If the e-commerce site has had modifications, in which turn a programmer will be needed and recommended to upgrade it. Programmers will be recommended, however any outsourcing without the designer`s consent to any web site rendered before the time designated, will be considered a breach of contract. In doing so you may render the site useless.

Certain browsers and/or other software may conflict with the proper function of the cart, in which case recommendations will be made to assure proper function. Elaine Biss Designs makes no guarantees in regard to security. Proper secure certificates must be acquired and it is the responsibility of the client. Hosting must be in compliance with the requirements of the shopping cart system and content management system.

Hosting may be done under one of the companies from the list the designer provides. The client may take your site to another host, however, the designer will not support the transfer and this is done at the clients own risk.

12.Legalities, Arbitration, Indemnities, Privacy and Confidentiality

In the rare and very extreme case that, any act of abuse, communication harassment either though email, phone or postal mail, unfair leverage, name calling, libel and slander and threats of any kind will not be tolerated and will be reported to the proper authorities, forwarded to the designer`s attorney and prosecuted. Details of the transaction are to be kept in confidential by both parties.

The clients agrees to indemnify the Designer from any penalty, legal fees and damages occurring from any lawsuit or claim of copyright infringement from any third party in cluded but not limited to damages, costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees, incurred by reason of any breach of the clients` warranties provided herein; or any acts or omissions of the client, its agents, contractors, or employees, arising out of this Agreement. If any action or proceeding is brought against  the Designer by reason of any such claim, the client (upon notice by Designer) shall defend the same at Agency’s expense by counsel reasonably acceptable to Designer.

Any matter needing legal attention, will be forwarded to the designer`s attorney. His contact information will be provided upon request. Any and all matters will be litigated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Any third parties asked to participate in an arbitration must be discussed prior to meeting as well as subject matter for the meeting.

elainebissdesigns.com will not sell, share or compromise your private information, payment information, electronic and street mail addresses. All information transmitted to Paypal and 2checkout.com is encrypted. 2checkout.com never shares sensitive or identifying information with anyone. Information disclosure will only be made available to law enforcing agencies in legal matters and to comply with the Patriot Act. Information will NOT be disclosed with any individual regarding transactions, phone calls, electronic communications, work rendered, agreements entered into, or any matter as long as the client is a client of elainebissdesigns.com. You are bound to this contract to not disclose with any individual regarding transactions, phone calls, electronic communications, work rendered, agreements entered into, or any matter as long as you are a client of elainebisshdesigns.com, unless the individual is your legal counsel and you are seeking his counsel.

elainebissdesigns.com will not render logos to promote adult websites, religious entities, political parties/sites, hate/paramilitary type organizations and sites or organizations that give destructive, dubious, offensive or morally reprehensible information. Refund will be issued if that is the case. Any manipulation by the client of the designer`s time and resources will not be honored. This includes but is not limited to excessive emailing, weekend phone calls, changing designs after execution and exorbitant requests. I reserve the right to refuse service to any one at any time with or without cause.

Client Signature________________________________________ Date_______________________________

Name of Business_________________________________________________________________________

Designer Signature________________________________________Date____________________________

Fax to  (206-350-6420)

U.S Mail

Elaine Biss

P.O.Box 72

Bausman Pa 17504

Today the same is done by the big brands who still believe you are so hypnotized watching reruns of Friends, that you won`t notice their game.

1. WALMART-Summer costs less at Walmart. I really despised Walmart. After their lawsuits over no breaks, forcing workers to stay and work without pay and sexual harassment, I can`t say I would ever purchase anything there. I rather go without. But this commercial has in fact softened my heart. But I am still not buying!!! It has a catchy tune, sunny scenery and of course, a solution to not having enough when kids are home for the summer.
   
2. Coca Cola-Open Happiness. Truly the best one I have ever seen. Very sexy, hypnotic and suggestive with the shape of a classic Coca Cola bottle being displayed everywhere, this sweaty guy gets “happy” by quenching his thirst with a Coke.
   
   Or if you are into cute, this commercial will be the one that will get you to buy a Coke.
   
3. The Battle of The Taste KFC Grilled Chicken-I`ve always loved their chicken, but the word “fried” throws a damp towel to my diet and I just don`t feel like running 2 hours on the treadmill just to burn off a chicken thigh.  But when KFC said “grilled”, I jumped for joy and ran to buy some. Only to find out how gross it tastes. Never mind grilled, just fry it. Their commercial, clean and simple mirage of people repeating over and over Kentucky GRILLLEEDD Chicken, get stuck in your head until you spring the cash for it. It literally talks you into it!
   
4. Ecoimagination-GE. What to do when you have to buy an appliance but you don`t want to feel guilt about saving the planet? Then buy ecofriendly with the only company that has ECOIMAGINATION! When there are so many companies doing the same, making up a word makes you a cut above the rest, no?? So let`s milk it, show off how we do it and add a little social responsibility with a touch of green for good measure.
   
5. Tostitos and the Consumer Thought Process. Okay I found the one I really wanted to find which was the one where the girl reads the word hint, and she goes off on a tangent where people are “hinting” she should get married and have babies or her baby machine won`t work-Or something to that effect. The thought process makes me feel like my I.Q. is abnormally high for the average girl. It`s a bit insulting to think we reason or justify purchases with our life experiences. But the fact is, when there is little money on the grocery budget, we do justify buying that bag of Oreos or the Tostitos. The best part, they are doing it for you.  So go have a bag!

No I was not paid for doing this post. This is just a small sampler of the gimmicks used by big corporations to get you to buy their product when you could buy, less advertised and less costly brand. Not only can you use these ideas when advertising, but now you will be wise to their ad campaign.

From Wikipedia an UPC-The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode symbology (i.e., a specific type of barcode), that is widely used in the United States and Canada for tracking trade items in stores.

Guess what, if you want your items to be carried in big chain stores, they need and request an UPC code. UPC codes will cost anywhere from 20 dollars to 40 a piece. This can be a costly investment if you don`t know where to get it and every different kind of item you have in stock, will need one.

You can buy multiple UPC codes and get discounts depending on the company. I googled the information and found several companies willing to sell multipe codes for very low fees. Please note that many companies out there are not legit and you will have to call them and venture on your own. I personally used two UPCExpress.com and www.mozian.com/.

UPC Express provided me with an UPC code instantly for $30 dollars. It was the easiest of them all, yet expensive if I had more than one item to do, and I did. Mozian was easy as well, provided a discount for multiple items and it took one hour for me to receive the UPC codes.

Enjoy!

The Legislation- Along with all the costs involved with running a business, Congress is proposing the implementation of lead testing to ALL hand made goods made for children under the age of 12, as the legislation requires certificates to show that there is less than 600 ppm of lead in the fabric, many if not all fabrics have no lead in them and if there is any it is well below the eventual maximum of 100 ppm.

What does this mean? Any certified lead tester may gauge your eyes out as payment  just to test your goods or shut you down.

How does this affect you? Probably it doesn`t, unless you buy or sell from Etsy, eBay or FuzzB or sell hand made goods made by others from your site. Small business owners will be the most affected.

What do I propose? I propose 8 things,

1. Ask your suppliers to disclose what is the lead content and certify their items are safe for children under the age of twelve.
2. Once you know DISPLAY the amount of lead in the item right on the packaging or whether or not it is deemed “safe”. Below are some downloads, free labels for business owners to use freely on their goods declaring their status. Educating your customers of the wholesomeness of your items. PDF JPG TIF
3. FIND out what the EPA`s Standards are for lead, here.
4. TEST your own items!!! Here is the start!
5. EDUCATE YOURSELF! Don`t get your information from just any source!! Double check and verify that what you are reading is true. Here is a website dedicated to that, Page supporting it, goverment Site.
6. Sign the petition denying it.
7. Diversify-don`t just sell for children sell for EVERYONE!!
8. Continue your work. Don`t stop. You will prevail.

Burrowed from my business coach, Michelle Pippin “In his book, The Innovative Mind, Dr. Gene Landrum addresses why big corporations and large companies will fail in this economy.  Essentially, today’s economy demands INNOVATION, he says, which is defined as being willing to destroy what IS, to create what is NOT.  He goes on to say that this “creative destruction will be too ungovernable for modern [companies] to tolerate.”

“It is HERE we find HOPE.  While the “big names” are worshiping tradition and resisting change, we can embrace change and become agile.  While they remain steeped in bureaucracy and commit to protecting the status-quo, we can be BOLD, CREATIVE, and PRO-ACTIVE. While they analyze and seek approval, small companies – LIKE OURS-  can take action and seek a profit.”

“THIS is why Henry Ford, Walt Disney, and Estee Lauder outperformed their “bigger” competitors. THIS is why we have just cause to be optimistic and allow our actions to follow suit. Because in the end, optimism (or pessimism) will – ultimately – guide our actions.”

Resources

• Testing for Lead in Consumer Items for Children
• Lead in Jewelry – Materials Chart
• Sign the petition denying it.

Without giving to much detail, this year was a lot like being pregnant. For those who have had children, you understand the sacrifices made, the discipline and commitment it takes just to have a healthy baby. That is all diminished, with the pain of labor, the hours in pain and agony just seem to be “forgotten” when you see your baby. It all was justified.

This year I learned one (out of many) really important lesson: You can. What ever you dream, what ever you wish, no matter the long shot, no matter the odds, you can. But above all else, You are worth it.

From the bottom of my heart, my most sincerest thanks to you my clients, readers and friends. Big thank you to Dior(Merci mom amie! Je suis très heureux et reconnaissant pour l’occasion du Adore Dior! Basiers Cherie!), Glamour Magazine Glambassador Michelle Rossi, DivineDiamonds.com Diva Ruta fox and Marketing Dynamo Sherri Baldi. AND for She Takes On The World`s 2008 Woman of the Year Award. I could barely read it through my tears-Thank you! A big kiss to all of you!

Have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Love, blessings and kisses,
Elaine Biss

Starting on the right foot will make 2009 “your year.” Here are 8 ways to claim it;

1. You are a priority-That`s right! YOU. If you don`t believe me ask yourself, if you are hospitalized today, who knows how to manage your business? Who knows your passwords? Your vendors? Your customers better than you? Glad you get it! How do you care for you? Have a set “time” schedule. Work your work hours and then stop. Take lunch breaks (would you give a lunch break to your employees? If the answer is yes, then have a daily break. See what happened to Walmart.) Studies show people are more productive when they take  breaks in equal intervals. Here is a nifty article on software that helps you with just that.
2. Set a Mark-Just like when you travel, you map out your journey, the same should be done with your business. This is not about being greedy, but about having direction and making a steady profit. Per example, how much do you want to make? What is your monthly sales goal? Do you even have a monthly sales goal? Where do you see YOURSELF in 5 years? Where do you see YOUR BUSINESS in 5 years? They are not the same and require you to do some soul searching. If you think this may be a long shot, please listen to the audio below. Click here for A Touch of Greatness.

Simply Click Play to Begin


Sample audio is approximately 10 minutes in length.

3. Set Your Standards-When I worked at the hospital, the standards were set very high for anyone wishing to acquire employment. Slackers need not apply. How would you set standards? Nix the time wasters-people or activities when working. Focus when working, play when playing. Don`t accept less than what you are worth. Make quality NOT quantity a priority.  Make work time holy and YOU TIME sacred. Firefox has a nifty timer that allows you to track how long have you been online. If you minimize the browser, it pauses.
   
4. Make Your Standards Visible- Besides my prices, my “rules” and my goals are visible all the time. If you are still asking why, listen to the audio.
5. Make a Commitment-If a successful marriage is a product of 2 people making a commitment to forsake all others, then a successful business is the product of your commitment to the guidelines, standards and goals you have placed for yourself. It takes discipline, a product of commitment, and ACTION to maintain a successful business. Reaffirming to yourself the love for what you do, will create momentum for you to move forward and create success.
6. Make Space for Better-If a certain item doesn`t sell, why carry it? If a old computer makes you waste time because it`s old and slow, why keep it? Donate it or give it to the kids.  You deserve to have tools that work and products that sell or else space is made for better. Also as I wrote in one of my Feng Shui articles, getting rid of the old allows you to have space to RECEIVE the NEW.
7. Dance me through the panic- When I first heard this phrase, I was clueless as to what it meant. After reading Fearless by Steven Chandler, I understood. It means to have fun when others worry. If you don`t have fun doing what you do and the panic is greater that the activity, you are more likely to give up. I love what I do. I have fun learning new things, new software new ways of managing my business.  If I didn`t love it as much as I do, I would not have endured the hardships, the crazyness and the lows only to be rewarded with the sweet taste of success.
8. Be fearless-Just take the plunge. Be smart and calculate your next step, but do it. Fear and panic can be paralyzing can even take you back a step or two. Your actions towards a healthy goal always pay you in a positive manner when everyone else is petrified with fear.

You have already taken the greatest leap of faith there is, you have employed yourself based on your skill. Why not act like you believe in you and create the income you desire? Have a prosperous 2009!

Resources

• Tom`s 12 Laws of Life
• Feng Shui your Desk
• Productivity
  

However I was taken by this particular one.

NAME: Emily Gordon
TITLE: editor-in-chief, Print; founder, emdashes.com
2009 PREDICTION(S): The good, the bad, and the Ghost of Media Future: Newspaper veterans will unite to create the greatest online resource of all time and overthrow all the sites that put them out of business. Newsday (snappy URL, right?) will rise again as a megasite that dwarfs other news aggregators. PR and journalism will merge to become flackalism. Someone will design an online course called “Multimedia for Magazine Editors in Five Minutes a Day” that will make that someone a whole bunch of money; why not you? Professional bloggers nationwide will unionize, with the encouragement of President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg, and demand full benefits and reasonable work conditions. Readers of long, focused stories online will get tired of scrolling and pay for well-designed paper versions—even more for signed copies from the right authors. (This I can prove.) And someone’s got to start paying for the Internet, maybe with a package subscription to favorite sites, which would come, Salon Premium-style, with magazines, music, party invitations, and meaningful community privileges.

I am particularly excited about that. The power is returned to the masses and they in turn, make money.

If you want to see what the corporate wigs are saying, watch the video. I think we are about to see the birth of a new era in print media and I for one, can`t wait to see it. I have no predictions, but if I had one, Emily`s would be close.

“The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell”
–Confucius

As I hear the complains on the economy, and how some businesses are not doing as well as they should be, I can`t help but wonder what is it that they are doing (and not doing). You see, if what you are doing is not working, then it makes sense to try something else.

It doesn`t always mean you throw out your old site or business concept, but it does mean finding a new angle or venue to capitalize on your idea.  Selling is just one way to make money. Here 5 easy things you can so to maintain your sell, (from easiest to hardest to do)

1. Blogging for Dollars-Selling space on your blog to advertisers like Google Adwords and AdBrite and make money selling ad space there. Because blogs can be about anything, you would not be selling ad space to competitors. Per example, If you blog about stationery and you are a clothing boutique, the ads placed on that page will be about paper.
2. Newsletters that rock-Displaying your items in a way that appeals to the masses is not rocket science. Use your logo to brand, pick three items you want show off and use graphics to highlight what matters. You can even sell ad space here!



3. Join The Affiliate League -If you can`t afford to advertise, then offer an incentive to promote! Affiliates at the Pepperjam Network offer from $1 to 50 per sale brought from your blog. Share the wealth and everyone makes a buck.
4. Be a Guru-There is always something you know more of, of know how to do better than anyone else. So why not write about it? Start a blog, blogger.com and wordpress.com are free, and just write. This can in turn make you an expert and you can become a consultant.  You can also make $$$ by selling ad space!
5. Diversify with in your field-If you only sell baby stuff, sell items for the whole family. If you have a service for small businesses, offer it to big ones. If you make bows, make custom ribbon bows! If you sell gifts, sell corporate gifts.

There are many ways to create income. Finding yours can be a great adventure!

Resources

Jump Start Your Business After the Holiday Slump