Catamount Institute has (re)started the Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network. This is a group that was started several years ago, but did not get very far. They have really done a great job recently of revitalizing this group. I met with Jackie at Catamount and she gave me a great overview of this new group. If you are interested, please contact Jackie Rockwell at 719.471.0910 x101. The price is $250.00 for small businesses. (The cost varies by company size)
If you would like more information, please go to their website at www.ppsbn.org.
Information on Pikes Peak Sustainable Business Network
February 18, 2009Seeing Green by Going Green
February 16, 2009It was not long ago that most employees received a physical paycheck, their employers printed voluminous payroll reports that they dutifully placed into filing cabinets and government agencies and other third parties received their entire required payroll reporting via paper. Over the last few years, the Internet has begun to change all of this by allowing companies to transmit information to each other, move the required payroll liabilities electronically, receive their reports online and place greater emphasis on their employees direct depositing their paychecks into their bank accounts. But even with all of these advances most small- and mid-sized companies are still printing way too much paper. This causes an unnecessary burden on the environment, costs onto the employer and inconveniences to the employee. So why haven’t most companies gone green and embraced a totally paperless payroll operation? First is awareness. Many companies today are just beginning to understand and embrace all of the choices, options and regulatory changes that allow employers to offer employees options outside of receiving a physical paycheck or deposit advice, such as Pay-cards for employees who don’t have bank accounts. The second is choice and cost-effectiveness. Going paperless required a considerable investment in software and internal capability. Payroll service companies previously offered half-solutions, thus limiting these conveniences to mid- and large-sized companies. But now, thanks to innovative payroll services companies, any size business can go completely paperless. By doing so, the employer saves money by not printing checks and reports and by not having to pay delivery costs. Employees can access their pay information online as needed. Companies can now save as much as 20 to 25 percent on their payroll processing, while gaining internal efficiencies and doing something good for the environment. An example of such innovations is a real-time payroll processing engine that allows employees to select direct deposit or Pay-card as they are hired, and access to their pay information online, which eliminates the need for a paycheck. It is a robust reporting tool that allows employers to securely store, access, transmit and archive all of their payroll and tax reports, rendering printing them obsolete. Payroll information can be presented in a graphical format that allows employers to make the information immediately actionable and make better business decisions. With companies and people getting increasingly comfortable with the Internet, becoming more aware of the positive impact on the environment they can make and the constant search to save money, these services makes good sense for small and mid-sized businesses in the Colorado Springs area. For more information, call Meike Alberts, local agency owner of Perquest Payroll, at (719) 650-5424 or visit www.easiestpayrollservice.com.
Pikes Peak Earth Day Sponsorship, A Smart Business Move
February 12, 2009Pikes Peak Earth Day Sponsorship a Smart Business Move February 7, 2009, 6:59 pm Filed under: Green Marketing If being “green” is the new… green… how does cultivating your business marketing image as environmentally friendly help? As a smart business owner, are you maximizing all of the opportunities there are to position yourself as green? Back in the ’60s the environmental movement began to take shape. In the ’70s, it took off. One of the single most iconic marketing images from those years comes from the television commercial that featured a Native American Indian standing next to a crowded, trashed out highway with a tear stained cheek. Parenthetically, the “Crying Indian” PSA, as it was called, was a part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign which very effectively touched upon our emotions. The purpose was to use this imagery to create a negative association with littering. More to the point, to stigmatize those who do. It worked. The Keep America Beautiful campaign caught on and helped propel the environmental movement into our collective stream of consciousness. In 2009, can green market positioning work for your business? Yes. Marketing is about touching emotions to induce a response, to influence your audience to buy. It’s about manipulating sensibilities in order to garner a reaction. Being “green” has a potent emotional component. In today’s cultural climate, your prospective clients need to understand that doing business with you benefits the environment in some way. Through you, they are helping to advance the mission of protecting the Earth. Market positioning in this context is used as a means of responding to, and demonstrating sensitivity to, what is happening in the world outside of your business. The green movement and message is resonating throughout our culture and promises to become even more poignant with the coming on of the new presidential administration. As long as that is the case, use the opportunity like a carrier wave. Piggy-back your selling message on the messages of the “green” movement. Plug your business into the “green” culture. Case in point, the upcoming Pikes Peak Earth Day event. This is the perfect time, venue and opportunity to jump start, reinforce or expand your green market positioning. This year’s event will be held at Colorado College, one of Colorado’s most prestegious universities, in the green-built Cornerstone Arts Center building. The Earth Day committee marketing team is busy reaching out to all segments of society which means a broader audience than in past years and more exposure for the vendors attending and especially for the sponsors. You want your business name on this event. But, beware. If your business is not legitimately green, or does not engage in green business practice, steer clear of this marketing strategy. Abusing the sensibilities of your prospective audience by telling them something about you that is not true will work far more efficiently against you than can imagine. The green community is quite savvy and comprised of closely knit networkers. Make the smart business marketing decision. Maximize every opportunity you can to position your business as green. One of the best of these is to become a sponsor of Pikes Peak Earth Day. Information is available at: http://pikespeakearthday.org/index.htm; Written by Ted Robertson
Pikes Peak Earth Day
February 6, 2009Pikes Peak Earth Day will be held on April 25th at the Cornerstone Building (corner of Cascade and Cache la Poudre) in Colorado Springs. The event will be held from 10:00am until 3:00pm. There will be many things to do. There will be workshops, Children’s Activities, Music, Environmental Presenations, Art, Food and an Eco-Makeover Fashion Show! This is a FREE event. The theme this year is “Bringing Earth Day Home”, going one step further on the road to sustainability of our Earth.
If your business would like exposure at such a great event, Vendor space and Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Call 719-650-5424 for more information on this event.
