Business & Personal Finance

Help in Writing a Press Release For Your Small Business

There is so much talk about social media these days, but don't forget: the traditional media (television, radio, newspapers) is still out there. Do you want to get the media's attention?  One way is to write a press release.

But how do you go about it?

Canada One has a great tool that will help you through the process: Press Release Builder. This tool takes you through the steps involved, including:

• Identifying when to use the press release
• Rules for writing press releases
• Preparing your information
• On-line news release template
• Distribution of your release.

The Toronto Public Library also has some books on the subject. Click on the titles below the book covers for more information on each:

 

6 Steps to Free Publicity	Public Relations Made Easy	Publicity, Newsletters and Press Reseases

Government Grants and Financing for Businesses

Small business people spend a lot of time looking for sources of funding for their endeavors. Is there a place where information is gathered all in one place about this important topic?

The Toronto Public library has some great books on available funding, including both government and non-government opportunities. Click on the book titles to discover the location of these items:

• Canadian Subsidy Directory

• Guide to Canadian Grants & Assistance Programs From Government & Private Sources

• Handbook of Grants & Subsidies, Federal & Provincial (Private Enterprise)

The Canada Business Network has an excellent list of Government Grants and Financing for businesses. The list includes:

• Grants and Financial Assistance
• Loans and Cash Advances
• Loan Guarantees
• Tax Refunds and Credits
• Wage Subsidies
• Equity Investments

You can also sort the information by business location and purpose of financing.

These sources should get you well on your way to finding the funding you need to succeed.

Don't forget to come into the Library and speak to a librarian - we are here to help!

 

 

 

 

 

An Interesting Business Thriller

One of the most well-reviewed business books on the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 is the title Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin.

The book is described as a"true-life financial and political thriller that goes behind the scenes of the financial crisis on Wall Street and Washington."  Andrew Ross Sorkin "vividly details the backroom deal making and secret alliances made in the rush to save the world economy from collapse".

Andrew Sorkin discusses "the process" or "how the book was created" on BookTV. 

 

The New York Times Book Review states "Sorkin's prodigious reporting and lively writing puts the reader in the room for some of the biggest-dollar conference calls in history.  It's an entertaining book, brisk book...Sorkin skillfully captures the raucous enthusiasm and riotous greed that fueled this rational irrationality."

According to The Atlantic Monthly,  "Andrew Ross Sorkin pens what may be the defintive history of the banking crisis".

The Toronto Public Library has copies of this title in various formats.  They are:

BOOK EDITION	eBOOK EDITION
eAUDIOBOOK EDITION	AUDIOBOOK CD EDITION

For more titles on this topic, search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the subject heading Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009.

This month's business quote is...

... "My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income."  Errol Flynn (1909-59) American Actor

Source:
Boone, Louis E.  Quotable Business:  Over 2,500 Funny, Irreverent, and Insightful Quotations about Corporate Life.  New York:  Random House, 1992.  Page79.

The Canadian Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms defines Budgeting as "financial planning for the future by individuals and companies to cover projected costs, finance planned investments, and to accumulate cash."

Check out the following current titles in print on Personal Budgets at the Toronto Public Library:

Romans, Christine.  Smart is the New Rich:  If You Can't Afford It, Put It Down.  Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, c2010.

Roulston, Marjorie Hillis.  Orchids on Your Budget, or, Live Smartly on What You Have.  London: Virago, 2009.

Karp, Gregory.  The 1-2-3 Money Plan:  The Three Most Important Steps to Saving and Spending Smart.  Upper Saddle River, N.J.:  FT Press, c2009.  Also available as an eBook.

The following eBooks are also available:   (Note:  An active Toronto Public Library card is required for access)

Hamm, Trent.  Managing Your Personal Finances Better.  Upper Saddle River, N.J.:  FT Press Delivers, c2011.

Hamm, Trent.  How to Break Free from Your Own Debt Prison.  Upper Saddle River, N.J.:  FT Press Delivers, c2011.

Karp, Gregory.  The Top 10 Things You Must Know about Saving for the Future.  Upper Saddle River, N.J.:  FT Press Delivers, c2011.

Benz, Christine.  30-Minute Money Solutions A Step-by-Step guide to Managing Your Finances.  Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons, c2010.

 

For additional titles on this topic, search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the subject heading Budgets, Personal.

For those interested in finding titles on the actor Errol Flynn, search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the subject heading Flynn, Errol, 1909-1959.

 

 

 

 

Movers and shakers

 

I visited the new Loblaws at Maple Gardens the other day and was very impressed by how the building was used to create a retail space while at the same time preserving its architectural heritage. Not an easy task.  Loblaws has been a fixture in Canada since 1919 when the first store was opened in Toronto by Theodore Pringle Loblaw.

Theodore came to Toronto from Alliston, Ontario with only a few dollars in his pocket.  He quickly found work in a grocery store and decided that one day he would own his own business. He began a partnership with J. Milton Cork and together they started a chain of grocery stores making their mark by using innovative merchandising methods that continue to this day.

So, what does it take to be successful in business? Is it persistence, competitive drive, vision or just plain luck? Every successful entrepreneur has their own idea of what it takes to make it big.  Do you have what it takes?  Want to find out? The library has many biographies of famous entrepreneurs that started out with an idea, just a few dollars in their pocket and lots of ambition.  Check out these new titles:

 

Look no further for innovative business thinkers

The Harvard Business Review recently published a list of the world's top 50 business thinkers.  And of those 50, 4 Canadians were included on the list.  Weighing in at number 6, was Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, number 9 was Don Tapscott, adjunct professor at Rotman, number 10 was author Malcolm Gladwell, and number 30 was Henry Mintzberg, professor at McGill's Desautels Faculty of Management. 

The list is quite fascinating - most are authors of books that could be considered "mainstream" and certainly have been best sellers.  Criteria that was used in narrowing down the list included how original or practical their ideas were, their research, and how much of a following each person had in their respective fields.  The top award went to  Clayton Christensen, a professor at Harvard, who is an expert on innovation.  TPL has both of his books - The Innovator's DNA and The Innovative University.

Check out some of the books that our Canadian four have written:

              
 
Is there a business thinker that you follow that you think should have been included? 

 

Funny Business or Is It?

Humor in advertising can be very effective if it is "done right".  Humor, at times, works very well because it can attract attention to your business or product. 

Adweek recently released a list of the 10 best commercials for 2011.  Here are a couple of advertisements that used humor effectively and thereby gained attention.

1.  Cravendale - Cat with Thumbs

    

"Why do cats stare when you're pouring milk? The answer seems obvious. They're cats. They love milk. But this irresistible spot by Wieden + Kennedy for British dairy Cravendale wondered if the cute little kitties might not have a more nefarious agenda. After a lifetime of waiting on their owner's generosity, perhaps they want to take matters into their own paws. Maybe they're ready to band together and raid your milk supply. They would need just one thing, and this spot humorously gives it to them—opposable thumbs. Suddenly, the polydactyl felines are seen picking up balls, filing their nails, flipping through books, and doing a little needlepoint. But they're just biding their time and honing their sinister plot. Sure enough, soon they're snapping their fingers, West Side Story style, and preparing to gang up on the selfish, cereal-eating human and steal his milk. Cats are always big in ads, but this spot chased off all rivals this year."  Source:  The 10 Best Commercials of 2011 : The Year's Most Impeccable Craft and Storytelling in Advertising by Tim Nudd.

2.  Volkswagen - The Force

   

"Resistance is futile. At 7:33 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Volkswagen unleashed one of the great crowd-pleasing TV ads of all time on Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XLV. "The Force," from Deutsch/ LA, ingeniously conceived and perfectly executed, more than lived up to its name.  It took two familiar ad themes—kids and Star Wars—and merged them to create that most rare species: a true global (who knows, maybe intergalactic) pop-culture phenomenon. Backed by the imposing sounds of "The Imperial March," a child in a Darth Vader suit roams his suburban home, attempting to bend inanimate objects (and the family dog) to his will with Jedi mind tricks. He fails utterly—until Dad gets home in his Volkswagen Passat. The kid races out to the driveway and focuses all of his metaphysical energy on the midsize sedan. It roars to life obediently—thanks to Dad activating the remote starter from the house. The boy steps back, thunderstruck by his own supernatural powers. The spot's metrics are astounding: 44 million views on YouTube, a reported 6.8 billion impressions worldwide, more than $100 million in earned media—all from such a simple execution. The spot, while visually strong, isn't a wonder of craft or technique. It's a triumph of fun, unadorned storytelling, which clearly goes a long way. Few ads in history have been as charming, as clever, as perfectly paced, or as well loved as this. Simply the best of 2011."  Source:  The 10 Best Commercials of 2011 : The Year's Most Impeccable Craft and Storytelling in Advertising by Tim Nudd.

As indicated, these two "best" ads for 2011 have apparently used humor successfully. 

But, there are also potential drawbacks to humorous commercials .  According to an article entitled "Repetition, Social Settings, Perceived Humor, and Wearout" by George M. Zinkhan and Betsy D.Gelb at the Association for Consumer Research web site, a possible drawback is potential "wearout" due to repetition.

For more information on the use of humor in advertising and its advantages and/or disadvantages, check out the following titles at the Toronto Public Library:

Beard, Fred K.  Humor in the Advertising Business : Theory, Practice, and Wit.  Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, c2008. 

Danesi, Marcel.  Why It Sells : Decoding the Meanings of Brand Names, Logos, Ads, and other Marketing and Advertising Ploys.  Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, c2008.

For additional books, search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the subject heading Wit and humor in advertising.

For articles on this topic, try searching the following online databases at the Toronto Public Library website:  (Note:  An active Toronto Public Library card is required for access)

Academic OneFile
Recommended Subject Search:  Humorous advertising

Business & Company Resource Center
Recommended  Subject Search:  Humor in advertising

Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA)
Recommended Basic Searches:  Humor and Advertising
                                               Humor and Advertising campaigns
                                               Humor and Television advertising
                                               Humor and Marketing

Expanded Academic ASAP
Recommended Subject Search:  Humorous advertising

General Reference Center Gold
Recommended Subject Search:  Humorous advertising

JSTOR    
Recommended Advanced Searches:  Humor and Advertising
                                                      Humorous advertising