Runaas Resources Public Relations

Upcoming Houston Event – Business

SCORE is a volunteer association and a partner of the US Small Business Association. They are recognized as a great resource for entrepreneurs and I highly recommend meeting with one of their counselors for ideas on how to create a business plan, network or manage your business. If you are able to make this event, it will benefit your business. Enjoy.

Starting and Running Your Own Business, Saturday, Dec. 8, 8;30 a.m. – 4 p.m., University of Houston Hilton Hotel Conference Center, 4800 Calhoun. Hosted by SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business. Cost: $35. Information: 713-773-6565 or http://www.scorehouston.org/

Third installment of SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

Opportunity is behind every door. Each holiday provides a good chance to promote your company or organization. Every newsworthy event can be a breaking story for the services you provide.

For example, accountants thrive during tax season, which is an ideal time for marketing their services.

But what about May?

When students are graduating from high school and college, many parents and young adults are looking at how that change will affect their tax standing. This could be an opportune time to offer suggestions to parents of the 18 to 24 age group. Your company could offer sound advice on how to teach and guide young adults to make wise financial choices. A well-written article to a few local publications offers a valuable community service by assisting parents in preparing their graduates for the “real world.”

Get started today. Peruse your neighborhood newsletter, the local papers and headline news. Use this information to “ride the wave” of current events and creatively tie this into promoting your business. Prepare a press release (no more than 2 pages long with standard font) and send your information to the media. Your local reporter is always looking for a great story to share with readers. Understand that all reporters receive several press releases a day and not all stories will make it to print. That’s okay. Keep trying and sooner or later, the doors of opportunity will open wide for you. Just step inside.

Nutrition is our friend and that is why I refer to myself as a Nutrition Ally. Nutrition-ally speaking. I love eating foods that are good for me and it’s a blessing to share that information with others. My articles have been printed in several local publications and I get asked all the time about how I lost weight, lowered my blood pressure (allowing me to get off the medication) or just plain questions about how to change a recipe to make it more nutritious and less junky.

For instance, I just wanted to make something tasty for lunch this afternoon, so I scanned my pantry goods and the fridge/freezer and came up with the following:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup wheat couscous

1 lb. ground turkey (lean)

1/4 onion (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

6 cherry tomatoes, each sliced into halves or quarters

1 teaspoon each Oregano, basil, thyme

black pepper and liquid aminos to taste

1. Boil water in small saucepan. Once water comes to a boil, add couscous and remove from burner immediately. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. While couscous is sitting, in a frying pan, sautee the onion until almost clear. Add ground turkey and cook until brown. Once turkey is cooked, add garlic, oregano, basil and thyme. Sautee for about 1-2 minutes.

3. Scoop out desired portion of couscous to plate. Mix in a portion of turkey meat mixture. Top with cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is very much like soy sauce, but lower in sodium and, I believe, better for you.

You can add anything to this recipe that you like… I have added cooked green beans, fresh spinach leaves, shredded carrots… it is basically a clean out your fridge dish that can be good for you and nutrient packed. If you choose other foods not mentioned here, I would love to know about it.

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy November 11th, 2007
We have had a lot of requests to replay the phone call that Pastor Mike played during our church service on Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2007.(Happy Are The Merciful – Listen now – 22.0 MB MP3)To the right you’ll find the video clip that was created just for you. We’ve placed the video on YouTube so that you can watch it and share with family and friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years. Since airing the audio of the phone call and now the making of the video clip, it has taken on a life of its own. People are forwarding it all over the world. We encourage you to share the love of Christ with anyone you can.

(**Sky Angel is a family safe broadcasting service that is offered on satellite. KSBJ is a local Houston Christian music radio station. Video clip produced with love by Frank Lozano.)

This is the second installment of SWOT – (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Although it may seem a bit scary, you need to take a good hard look at what might be perceived as your weakness. Once you decide what that is, then you need to change your perception from the glass being half empty to an almost full glass of mimosa. (Mmmmm.)

Problem: My business is too small.
Be honest. If you have little to no staff – look at the advantages. This is a great plus. Let your customer(s) know that you are able to keep your prices low because you don’t have the overhead of larger companies. Many businesses choose to remain small simply to provide competitive pricing.

Problem: We can’t afford the latest technology yet.
Be selective. Only choose jobs that you know you can handle. Outsource, if necessary. This allows you to offer exceptional customer service since you can be specific to your clients’ needs.

Problem: My business is just starting out.
Be competitive. If you are a new company, offer incentives such as “Buy one, get one free” or “50% off initial visit.” Then, wow your customers once they arrive.

Problem: My location makes it difficult for others to get to me.
Be creative. If you are working out of your home or located in an area of town that may not be convenient or considered safe, offer to provide delivery options for products or meet clients for coffee at a cafe near them for meetings (pastries are on you, of course).

Problem: I am gifted when it comes to crafts, but I can’t do numbers.
Be smart. Face it. If you are organizationally-challenged or the thought of handling purchase orders and invoices causes you to break out in a sweat, then get expert help. Whether you choose to purchase a software program, hire an actual person to provide a service, or take a class at your local community college, there are plenty of resources out there to handle these simple tasks and give you peace of mind.

Ultimately, it is imperative that you look at what challenges your unique business must overcome to succeed. Even if you have to ask an objective party, including your own customers. Creating a short survey on what you can do to improve their experience with you is all that may be necessary.

Take the time to evaluate yourself, your product or service and you will see that your weakness might just be what causes your business to thrive.