Posted by Sean Kennedy on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 @ 10:21 AM
Having been a part of growing small business for the past year there are many lessons I have learned. Some are obvious, but I feel the need to repeat them anyway. Here at EnviroColor® we strive to provide deliver a product and service that the customer believes in completely. We attempt to exceed the customers "expectations" to keep that customer loyal in a very competitive market place and we try to do these things consistently. OK, so everyone knows this and they are doing the same things, so what has helped us grow in this struggling economy. My one word answer is marketing. Inbound marketing to be specific. By learning to optimize your website (SEO), using social media to get your message out to the masses and following up responsibly with the leads that these techniques generate are essential for all start ups. There are several tools available ranging in price and the metrics and feedback they provide.
Google, where 80+% of internet searches are done has unbelievable tools and are free. Taking the time to learn the how's, what's and why's can make a tremendous impact. And speaking of small company growth, businesses that specify in inbound marketing are popping up all over the place. My favorite is Hubspot. You can go to their site and have them "grade" your website for free. Their platform is easy to use and the amount of advice and tools for you to use are second to none. My only issue is the cost. It seems they must pay their marketing mavens and gurus well based on the cost of their service. I feel it is worth it, but if you plan to use Hubspot make sure to budget your dollars and time appropriately. I came in know absolutely nothing about SEO, social medial, landing pages, keywords, etc. I don't claim to be an expert now, but at least I have a real concept of how the search engines spiders work, writing blog articles that someone might actually read and using Youtube, Facebook and Twitter effectively. SEO is a moving target. It seems what is important for a high ranking today may mean nothing tomorrow. If you are a small business owner and have a website, have Hubspot grade it and learn what you can do to improve. Like I said, my expertise lies in exceeding our customers' expectations by providing products and services they believe in and doing this consistently. I need to focus on pine straw, mulch and grass paint and the advantages they provide. I let the inbound marketing experts help me with the rest. I look forward to your feedback and ideas.
Cheers.
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Nov 25, 2009 @ 08:47 AM
Normally I use this space to promote the benefits of our product and services or provide tips for mulching, planting, water conservation and other environmentally sustainable projects. Today I just want to give a "shout out" to everyone involved in making our global community the best it can be.
In the US the Holiday season is here and the social media is ripe with "Black Friday Boycotts" "SEO" techniques to get your paged ranked #1, "MLM" concepts for you to get rich and just about anything imaginable depending on who or what you follow. I guess the irony here is that next week I will be up to the old tricks of the trade of trying to keep my subscribers informed and improving my Google ranking, but today I just want to thank the folks that made this all possible.
Before anyone, I want to thank our armed forces. Their sacrifice to protect our way of life so I can do what I do is remembered on a daily basis, but rarely do I thank them. For you, I give thanks!
My wife, family and friends always come first. They support me every way imaginable and I am fortuante for such a great support system. Having this pillar to lean on makes coping with the unknown bearable. For you, I give thanks.
The team I work with, who ultimately fall in the friends category, and could be considered family since we all spend so much time together, are tremendous group who share in providing excellence. Anthony and Antonio are always ready to assist with my projects as I try to provide any and all support they need in the field. Our President and CEO, Bob Russo, has empowered us all to make decisions and move his vision forward to create growth, quality and provide our patrons with every tool necessary for thier landscape projects. For you, I give thanks.
The associates of Pike Family Nurseries should get a great big thanks too. I am very fortunate to have their knowledge and ideas to bring our product to the masses. They have provided so many great ideas on ensuring the EnviroColor® brand is one that stands for integrity and sustainability. We are proud that Pike is our launching pad into the retail arena and are looking forward to being in all of there stores in 2010! For you I give thanks.
Finally, all the customers who have taken the leap and tried EnviroColor®, I give many thanks. Especially those of you who take the time to send me photographs and tell me your success stories. Keep them coming! For you I give thanks.
Without any of the above mentioned individuals this blog and all the others wouldn't have the same meaning. Thanks again. When I gorge myself and sit down to watch my Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions tomorrow I will be thinking of and thanking you all.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 @ 10:26 AM
Fall is the time everyone recommends mulching your garden beds. Garden calendars, magazine articles, websites, and blogs (like this one) all tout the benefits of mulching and the advantages of doing it in the fall.
Mulching in fall -
- adds organic matter to the soil to lighten and enrich it
- prevents erosion by winter rains
- helps keep roots from freezing
- warms soil for earlier spring planting
- prevents weed seedlings from getting started
So, you're sold. Mulching is good. But, what do you use - exactly? There are quite a number of bags in the nursery or garden center to choose from.
A mulch can be any type of organic material - bark dust, bark nuggets, shredded bark, compost, compost/bark blends, pine needles, fallen leaves, straw, and so on. There isn't really one "right" choice.
Fallen leaves are best chopped up before being used either in the garden or in the compost pile. Straw may not break down fully over the winter season, but it is a great garden cover and can be tilled into the soil come spring.
If you desire color for your landscaped beds EnviroColor is an inexpensive and safe way to top spray the color you desire. We know color is a choice or opinion and is not for every gardener. We are proud that our product meets the Mulch and Soil Council (MSC) Colorants Sub-Committee meet the requirements.
EnviroColor recently went the so called "six-pack" test for toxicology. The test is commonly used to check the toxicity of things like pesticides and insecticides and is used to ensure that products are labeled properly to guide consumers use of potentially toxic products. Six test are performed, checking the material on:
- Acute oral toxicity
- Acute dermal toxicity
- Acute inhalation toxicity
- Eye irritation
- Dermal irritation
- Skin irritation
Depending on the toxicity discovered in each test, different labeling must be on the packages containing the product.