During the process of establishing your new business, keep in mind that everything you do will be judged.
The people doing the judging will be all your potential customers. So to make a long story short, the “details” matter.
We have talked quite a bit about “perception“, and how important it is to the overall success of your company. This “perception” also extends to your paperwork (bid forms, invoices, envelops etc…). By putting some zip in your stationary, you will create some distance between you and your competitors (which is exactly what you want).
In the beginning your budget may not allow you to spend a lot on printing, and that’s fine. Your stationary is not exactly mission critical on day one. Bit with that said you do eventually want to get around to improving upon it.
Some low cost ways to stand out include purchasing some heavier stock paper, as this gives your papers a nice firm feel. Another idea is to be aware of the “brightness” of the paper. Most packs of paper have a brightness number on the front, the higher number is the better choice.
You may also want to consider colored paper, as a nice light pastel is sometimes a welcome change from the usual white copy paper. Even envelopes can be purchased in colors other than white giving you endless combinations to choose from.
If you are creative and possess some computer skills, many graphic programs allow you to design professional looking documents without ever needing to go to a printer. Use your imagination and think about how to make your stationary stand out with the tools you have available for free.
Everyone would love to go to a graphic designer to have a stunning logo on day one of their business, but that is not always in the budget. The more you can do on your own will save you a lot of money in the beginning.
Down the road when you are rolling in the dough, you can go and have the logo (and everything else) designed professionally, but for now take the low cost route and let your imagination run wild.
The one takeaway for today is this, you will be judged on everything you do, so pay attention to the details, as they do matter!
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