We’re packing our bags for a great ski weekend in Vermont! Saturday is the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge finals at Okemo Mountain Resort. Representatives from 11-year series presenter Chevrolet will be there, and from the other generous sponsors we’ve been working with this past year: D’Angelo, Frito-Lay, Irving Oil, Muscle Milk, Neuro, and Rockstar Energy Drink. If you missed seeing the Infusion …
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Mar
Recommended Reading Round-up: For Those Whose Life Doesn’t Move at the Speed of Twitter
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Doing Business, Reading Round-Up
Tags: business, family, juggling work, reading, recommended reading, small business, Twitter, women business owners
For women business owners juggling work and family, the thought of kicking back with a cup of coffee and spending a free hour perusing some of the excellent business sites and blogs out there seems about as likely to happen as an afternoon at the day spa with your girlfriends. Who has the time?! The amount of material is overwhelming. …
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Mar
Design Pick of the Week: The White Apron
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Design
Tags: chef, design, Jay Curcio, logo, logo design, The White Apron
“Really elegant and mouth-watering” was what one team member said when viewing the home page for this week’s Design Pick. “Yum!” were the words of another. The logo for Dover-based catering company The White Apron is set against a full-screen close-up photo of asparagus on the website – as effective a design treatment as crisp white linen napkins against a …
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Mar
Design Pick of the Week: Windblown Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Design
Tags: Al Jenks, cross country skiing, design, design pick of the week, logo, logo design, Monadnock, skiing, snowshoeing, Windblown Cross Country Skiing
For my third Design Pick of the Week, I’ve selected the logo for Windblown Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing in New Ipswich. Owner Al Jenks purchased the land in 1963 for $15,000 borrowed from his grandfather. He was just 16 at the time, and pursuing his dream would have to wait for college and time in the Army Corps of …
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Mar
Design Pick of the Week: LaBelle Winery
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Design
Tags: Amy LaBelle, Cesar Arboleda, design, design pick of the week, LaBelle Winery, logo design, New Hampshire, wine, winemaker, winemaking
I started the Design Pick of the Week last Monday – and everyone on the Infusion Studio team has been having a great time sending suggestions my way. Some are website banners, some are corporate logos, some are store signs seen while out running errands. But they all have one thing in common: They are all New Hampshire businesses. And …
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Feb
Design Pick of the Week: Seacoast Social Media
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Design
Tags: design, design pick of the week, logo, logo design, Seacoast Social Media
We’re starting a new feature on my blog… the Design Pick of the Week! I find there’s nothing like seeing someone else’s clever business logo or billboard or ad or some other graphic design element to infuse my own creativity. I hope that by sharing my favorite discoveries, I can inspire other New Hampshire business owners to infuse their own enterprises …
Read More12
Jan
How Fast Can you Bounce Back? Why Even a One-Woman Operation Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Doing Business
Tags: business, computer backup, disaster recovery, emergency preparedness, small business
Blizzards. Tornados. Hurricanes. Floods. Riots and acts of terror. The unexpected can leave small-business owners floundering – often for much longer than necessary. In fact, many businesses forced to short their doors temporarily during such times of crisis never reopen. From dealing with simple hurdles (cell phone dead and power out) to major problems (“I’ve been meaning to start regular computer …
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Jan
Say No to Networking?
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Doing Business, Social Networking
Tags: coffee dates, Forbes, Ivan Misner, Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, small business networking, Stephanie Chandler
I recently read a Forbes article by a successful businesswoman who proposed that “saying no should be your top resolution in 2013.” A few years ago, Stephanie Chandler was feeling so overwhelmed, she decided to trim her schedule, drastically. The first thing to go: “all those darn networking meetings.” For her, it worked. But it’s not the answer for everyone, …
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Jan
Think Outside the Starbucks
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Doing Business
Tags: business, business accelerator, business fads, business incubator, PivotDesk, shared space, small business, Starbucks
Sometime last year I heard about a new “fad” with entrepreneurs, specifically in the biotech industry – incubators and accelerators. At the time, I remember thinking, “Wow, what a neat investment idea.” Too bad I didn’t have the capital myself to invest in this little windfall. Turns out more than just scientists are looking for space to test out their …
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Dec
Year-End Promotions a Good Idea for Small Business
By: Heather Clifford
Category: Doing Business, Marketing
Tags: Erik Sherman, marketing, mistakes, small business, year-end promotions
The title said, “Don’t Make This Common Year-End Mistake” – and the first thing I see is a pair of holiday socks that eerily resemble a pair I’m fairly certain I own. Uh-oh! Was I relieved to see the writer was talking about promoting your business and not questionable taste in footwear. But Erik Sherman (whose Inc. article I tweeted …
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