Black republicans 08

Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

Whatever you may call them, poly bags are here to stay; and for good reason. This light weight, water resistant, economical packaging option is now the modern way to display, ship, and protect your products. Depending on their purpose and usage there are a multitude of names available (i.e. plastic bag, plastic shipping envelope, poly mailer, poly pak, plastic mailer, poly envelope, heavy duty poly bags), the list goes on and on. Call them what you will but more and more companies are recognizing the value of upgrading their operations to include this brand centric, economically sound, eco-friendly poly bag option.

Companies have made the switch for many reasons, with each having its own motivations and goals in mind. But there are a few reasons they all share when making the change and upgrading their operation.

Reason #1: You can put your Brand anywhere. So you should!

A first of many reasons is that poly bags can be fully customized and used as a platform to market your brand(s). The packaging your product is displayed and arrives in is yet one more avenue to get your name out, and your brand recognized. This is a huge opportunity to differentiate your brand since many companies still use plain poly bags or bulky boxes that give no brand value. Packaging is the last thing a customer will see after making a purchase, it should make a statement.

Branded packaging is a strong advertising platform that many are not taking advantage of. Using custom branded poly bags gives you a larger advertising reach without a huge initiative or budget. By something as simple as their company name, logo, and website you give all who see the bag the necessary information to reach out to you.

Reason #2: What do you mean we can get better packaging for less money?

What do you and your competitors have in common? Well yes you probably have similar products. You also likely examine every avenue to save money and keep overhead to a minimum. A successful business is always looking to reduce costs, streamline processes, and increase efficiencies. An often overlooked opportunity is in custom packaging.

Would it surprise you to know that poly bags don’t register on a freight scale? Added freight costs, due to packaging, are virtually eliminated. Since the poly bags are customized to your products the packaging fits much better compared to a standard size box. You might as well eliminate the cost of filler or foam to fill the open spaces in a box. While you’re at it why not get rid of packaging tape as well. Since most poly bags have self sealing adhesives there’s no need for it anymore.

Poly bags also cost substantially less to make than corrugated boxes. Not only in terms of production and delivery to your warehouse, but in the man-hours to use (no box building required). For comparison, a corrugated box has approximately 17 motions to build and seal, a poly mailer has 3. In addition you don’t even need packaging or return labels since you can write directly on the bag if desired.

Reason #3: Will You Need This Planet When I’m done With It?

What does “Going Green” mean to you? For most it means you and your company are committed to being responsible residents on this planet. And you should be proud of that commitment. So why not display your efforts to produce and promote environmentally responsible products and operations. It may not be readily apparent but poly bags can help.

A majority of plastic shipping envelopes and poly bags are made with LDPE or Low Density PolyEthylene. You’ll know this when you see a small recycling triangle with a number four “4″ in the middle. This means that with the proper processes these poly bags are 100% recyclable. And many producers provide poly bags that are made with post consumer recycled (PCR) content. This is plastic that is already on its second life but blended to maintain many of the same qualities and standards of virgin resin. Using this environmentally friendly packaging option, your company can promote its environmentally conscious initiatives on the bag, website, products, etc.

If you are considering opening a small business, you may not have any idea where to start. Keep in mind that the first step with any business is the idea. If you are considering opening a small business, you probably have the idea, but need to know what the next steps are.

A good place to start is to create a business plan. A business plan is a written plan of your business and is needed to obtain financing, through financial institutions or investors. Business plans generally contain three different sections of information. The first section is the business concept. In this section, describe your business, its structure, its products or services and your plans, as the business owner, regarding how you will make the business successful. The second section is the marketplace section. In this section, describe who your customers are, who your competitors are and what sets your business apart from others. The third section is the financial section. This is where you will predict your revenues and expenses. You will create pro forma financial statements as well as financial ratios using your best estimates. Pro forma statements are statements that contain predictions of financial information. Many people starting a business will create a pro forma income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement.

To create these statements, many companies use business software. Business software is a valuable thing required to start a business anyhow, so it’s often a good idea to invest in this software during preliminary planning stages of the business. As a business owner, you are likely to have employees. With employees come paychecks. To handle this, you must also purchase payroll software. Iris Software is one brand of payroll software that is highly recommended for business owners, and people beginning new businesses.

Continuing with the business plan; this plan will help you outline details of the business and make important plans. It is vital that you create it as realistically as possible and that you complete it prior to opening the business. A good business plan can help you attract investors, and can also help make the financing go through.

When starting a business, there are many other factors to consider and decisions to make. Many of these things must be done prior to making a business plan. For one, you must choose a location for your business. As you look into locations, keep in mind several things, but primarily the convenience factor. Look at several locations and decide if it is strategically located for customers to easily see it and come to it. Is there enough parking? Can you afford the rent? Choose the best location based on these, and other, factors.