Business Buzz: May-bee it’s not so complicated
Business and entrepreneurship aren’t for the faint of heart. With so many entrepreneurship centres and business programs available, finding the information you want can be daunting. The entrepreneurship world can be a sticky business (pun intended), but it doesn’t have to bee! (Okay, last pun.)
My name is Hannah, and you’ve probably seen me and my sticker and stationery business, The Aesthetics Studio, do pop-ups around campus. If not, then hopefully I’ll see you around soon! I’ve been running my business for three years now, and there’s nothing I love more than talking about the behind-the-scenes of what it’s like to run a small business.
I plan to talk about marketing campaigns, running a small business, managing inventory and finances, selling wholesale, pitch competition, and more in this column. I hope Business Buzz is a source of insight into all things small business and entrepreneurship. But I have to say: I’m not a business expert. I’m not even a business student, so please don’t take what I say as professional advice in any regard. Assume everything in this column is my opinion from my own experiences unless I specify otherwise.
Now that we’ve got the boring stuff out of the way, let’s talk about something interesting (and perhaps an unpopular opinion): I find most business cards to be boring. Why? Usually, people just throw away the card unless it’s truly something special. The only cards I’ve kept are ones that bring me value, whether that’s information about the business itself, the design of the card, or a combination of qualities I like.
One way to spice up your card design is to make them into membership cards. They’re popular with many coffee shops because you collect a stamp or a sticker for each drink you buy, and you can redeem a drink once you’ve collected enough. This concept can be applied to other services, like a nail tech shop or home bakery goods. Membership cards are a fun alternative you can easily incorporate into your design and ensure your customers will keep them. If you want a physical item to share your business, you can also try it out as bookmarks or stickers. For my business, I have special membership cards for my monthly sticker club, and I make my own stickers. They’re always a hit whenever I do pop-up events!
Anyway, that’s it for now.
Stay buzzing,
Hannah.
Arts & Entertainment Editor (Volume 50); Staff Writer (Volume 49) — Hannah is in her final year double majoring in Communications, Culture, Information and Technology (CCIT) and Professional Writing and Communications (PWC). In her spare time, Hannah runs her sticker shop The Aesthetics Studio and listens to podcasts while drawing. Hannah’s previous publications include PWC’s official journal of creative non-fiction in Mindwaves Vol. 15 and research in Compass Vol. 9 and 10. She also served as an Associate Editor for Compass Vol. 9 and Vol. 10. Hannah was a Staff Writer for The Medium Vol. 49 and 50 before becoming the A&E Editor. You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.