Why Your Business Needs You To Take A Vacation

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If you are a small business owner, the word “Vacation” may cause an odd stress reaction. Likely, this is either because you don’t remember the last time you took one, or because the thought of taking one causes a mild panic attack. But the reality is that vacations are good for you and your business. In addition to the well known health benefits of relaxation, you also recharge your creativity, making you even more productive when you return.

 

Manley Beach

So, instead of throwing the vacation out the window, here are a few ideas to make it easier.

Don’t Think All or Nothing: It doesn’t have to be a cruise or a month on the Riviera to count as a vacation. Sometimes a long weekend can be just what you need to re-charge. Start small. Pick someplace close by that’s a favorite place you’ve always wanted more time to explore. Or try a “stay-cation” and do all the local tourist activities you’ve never had time to experience.

A Little Preparation Goes a Long way: If you’re gone for more than a couple days, look through your calendar to see what you would be working on during that time. Pay the bills, assign your regular tasks to specific employees, let your clients know you will be gone and who their contact person is, and don’t begin any new projects right before you leave.

To Call or Not to Call – That’s Really the Question: Decide before you leave if you will be in contact with your office, how much and when.  Also clarify with your staff what constitutes an emergency. If the thought of completely unplugging stresses you out, set yourself a time limit, say, 30 minutes each day, for the most urgent business.

A Little Extra Wiggle Room: Give yourself an extra day at the end of your time off to re-group. You will have email and snail mail to catch up on, and the mental process of getting yourself “back in the game.” And there are bound to be personal items at home that you will need to handle. Even a half day can make it easier to slide back into your ergonomic desk chair.

Anticipation: Just the process of planning a vacation can be fun. Even if it’s only a short one, it focuses you on something outside of the day to day. When you return and realize that vacations can work, you have the anticipation of planning the next one.

So take a break! Caring for yourself should be a priority. After all, you are your business’s greatest asset.

It’s Official, Spring Has Sprung

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TulipsYou may not have noticed, since we’ve been having such great weather this year, but spring is officially here! One of the advantages of living in Portland is the close proximity of rural areas. There are a lot of great places to visit in the spring, one of which is the Tulip Festival. Located in Woodburn, just 30 minutes south of Portland, more info here.  Every spring 40 acres of tulips burst into bloom, quite a sight. There are also a lot of other activities and attractions for the whole family.

Here’s a tip: head out early, as the crowds and traffic can back up on a sun filled weekend.

Keep your website fresh and up to date, as us how!

 

Tulips

How Bone Marrow Ice Cream Can Help Your Business

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Sounds disgusting right? But deep down, you kind of want to try it. It’s a seasonal flavor at Salt & Straw a uniquely Portland ice cream shop. So what does Bone Marrow ice cream have to do with your business?

#1 – If I said “how plain old vanilla ice cream can help your business”, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. Bone Marrow ice cream is outside the expected parameters of flavors, and as such draws attention. Think of ways your business could garner extra attention, go ahead, I dare you to put a 5 gallon barrel of coffee on the menu.

#2 – If you’re into bone marrow, and I know some of you are already salivating, you’re pretty much guaranteed to go to Salt & Straw ahead of any other ice cream shop in Portland. This is the essence of niche marketing, even if you didn’t order bone marrow, you’d still go, just to have the option. What niche can your business fill?

#3 – Once you’ve cracked open a pint of bone marrow, really, everything else seems pretty tame. If you’re selling something strange or expensive, nothing helps sales more than having something even MORE strange or expensive to offer. Your customers can rationalize it with “At least I didn’t get the OTHER one!”

 

So go ahead, eat a squid tentacle sandwich wearing a speedo in the rain, then put the pictures up and proudly declare “THIS, is the REAL me”. There are others like you out there, maybe more than you think. Permission granted to take a break from normal!

 

 

The Mission of Modern Interface

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Every business should have a mission. It should be the guide for every decision made and the standard to which every action is held. Modern Interface has such a mission statement. It seems appropriate to list it here in the first blog post.

The mission of Modern Interface is to employ the best available means of internet technology for the lowest possible cost to help small businesses grow – constantly improving and adapting to new methods with keen discernment.

People are constantly inventing new ways to do things. Working with digital and interactive media is an exciting position to be in! Helping you make sense of it all is what we like to do.