Ask the Accountant… Question: In QuickBooks Online, I have gotten used to the options on the left side of the screen that included things like Dashboard, Banking, Sales, and Expenses. Now an entirely different list of options is showing with things like “Get things done,” “Business Overview,” “Bookkeeping,” and “Commerce.” What happened? Answer: QBO offers…
Read MoreWhat creates the greatest opportunity for long-term success for a print industry company? Culture. Culture, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “the beliefs, customs, arts . . . of a particular group” and “a way of thinking, behaving or working that exists in a place or organization.” It is the industry leader’s responsibility to set the…
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An Engine Room Has No Windows The engine room on a large cruise ship or yacht has no windows. If the captain commands, “full speed ahead,” the team in the engine room obeys, even if the ship is about to hit an iceberg. If the captain commands, “hard left rudder,” the team in the engine…
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Ask the Accountant… Question: My QB Premier is having problems. Can you suggest anything to try to fix this? Answer: The problem might be that you are missing an update. Go to Help > UPDATE QuickBooks Desktop > Update Now. This will download and install any updates you don’t yet have, provided your QB Premier…
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As the market for shorter-run, more personalized, and serialized labels continues to grow, we are only beginning to fully understand the opportunities that arise for distributors. Small brands can look like big brands, and big brands can have the flexibility and agility of small ones. It’s not exactly like having a magic genie at your…
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The older I get the more I hear people talk about being forgetful. Forgetting where people put their keys Forgetting why people went into the kitchen Forgetting where people parked their cars In my view, being selectively forgetful is a great thing. Most people will never achieve their full potential because of fear: Fear of…
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Ask the Accountant… Question: I get frequent requests for names of accounting or legal professionals “who know our industry.” They are few and far between. I was recently introduced to an attorney who indeed “knows our industry,” and you might want to meet her. Answer: Amy Williams is an attorney who is also an ad…
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Labeling has become a marketing and branding tool every bit as critical as any other tool in a marketer’s toolbox. Distributors who understand the label market put themselves in a position to expand their books of business and add more value to their customer relationships than ever before. They can do this by helping their…
Read MoreWhat’s sexy about an outdoor power equipment label? Profit. While industrial labels like those that go on outdoor power equipment may not be sexy, profit always is. What makes industrial labels so profitable? They are custom products that your customers can’t buy “just anywhere.” They require a precise match between the label material and the…
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Many business people take a “peanut butter approach” to the way they manage their time and resources. Simply stated, the “peanut butter approach” is when business leaders spread their time and resources thinly across many tasks, similar to the way peanut butter is spread evenly across bread to make a sandwich. While this approach may…
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