It is exciting to share with you our new coupon website. Couponsandbeyond.com is now up and running serving the Twin Cities area with thousands of local coupons.

This website available to all with free coupons for consumers of all types of items and services. Couponsandbeyond.com has local offers ranging from donuts specials to oil changes offers. Please check out our site and if you could please like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/couponsandbeyond/.

Have a great day and enjoy the savings!

Why are people using coupons?

Coupons! Why are people using coupons? Coupons are a big part of today’s lifestyle.  The economy has driven the acceptance of coupons. People choose value.

Surprising Facts:

1)  Studies show that average households with income over $100,000 want both quality and name brand for a deal or with a coupon savings. They love coupons.

2)  Families with a household income over $100,000 are twice as likely to use a coupon as families who make under $35,000 annually.

3)  Coupons help people make choices.

Clearly coupons make a difference and drive people to spend money in a particular place.  They can move the needle for any company and provide value for consumers.

Great Business Event Coming To Maple Grove

The Rotary Club of Maple Grove is sponsoring a business workshop led by Ethical Leaders in Action. This half-day seminar shows how ethical business leadership can drive the bottom line and help you with your business relationships. Here is the link to find out more. 
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/ethical-business-leadershipdriving-the-bottom-line-tickets-8704707013

Should Be A Great Year!

I needed a big event to get me going on the blog again and becoming the President of the Rotary Club of Maple Grove has spurred me into action. I will blog about all the exciting and important things our club does. I will also blog on general information about business and an occasional thought or two that I want to share.

It is exciting being part of a group of people that accomplishes so many good things in Minnesota and around the world. At our Rotary Club, some of our projects include helping to build a school in Haiti, providing school supplies to children in a small town in Mexico who would not be able to go to school without our help, and working with our local high schools to help our leaders of tomorrow grow and make good decisions. Locally or nationally we do good things!

Please follow with me during my year as the president of Maple Grove Rotary Club.

Facebook Privacy Settings

I know many of you use and enjoy Facebook. Here is a quick article about a new privacy setting issue. I suggest you read it(short) and then follow the steps. It is easy I just did it!

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=566253786&ids=0OdzcTcPcSdzkIdzwTcPkOdzoRb38Uc3wMc3oSdiMPc3wOdPsPdzkIcz8Md3oNdzoR&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod-b-ttle-80

1. Log into Facebook.
2. In the top-right corner click on Account and go to Privacy Settings.
3. Click "customize settings" (toward the bottom-middle of your screen).
4. Look for the section titled "Things others share." The permission you accidentally gave Facebook to use facial recognition suggestions is located in the "Suggest photos of me to friends" option. Click on "Edit Settings" to change that.
5. Choose "Disabled" and then push "OK

Bring on Spring and the Twins!

There is something special about the snowmelt and the start of baseball. It is amazing to see sunlight both when we drive to and leave work; it brings certain level of energy to us all. This morning when I read the paper with the list of baseball games today, I just had a good feeling.

How special is spring? It is a time of new life. One can hear it in the birds and watch as trees bloom. I love to see the flowers slowly come up from the ground knowing that they will soon be an awesome flower in the summer. It is this new work in the spring that creates such an amazing sight. Just like the trees and flowers, I believe it is time for us to put something new in action. To bottle up all the extra energy we get from the sunlight and put to good use. It is time to start a new project that you been putting off during the winter. We need to dig into that list of “to do’s” and do one or two of them. I suggest choosing one extra thing from work and one from home. If you do, your summer flowers will look amazing. Take advantage of the springtime feeling and do something special today! Go Twins!

"Frugality" Here To Stay?

Is there a fundamental shift in the way we spend and save today? I just read a study that stated that after this recession ends Americans will spend about 86% of their pre-recession level. As I read this, I could not help but realize that this change is starting to take hold of the country and will cause some companies to grow and become great while other companies will miss the train and fall apart. No matter what, it is clear that there is a fundamental change occurring in how and why Americans are buying goods today.

The Facts: Personal debt had doubled in a decade and ended at $124,000 per household in July 2009. That is a large number, and it will take years to work down this debt. With this said, the only logical thought is that people's thriftiness and spending habits have changed. We will see new behaviors over the next few years. Are you ready for these changes? Are you changing? How about your business?

The impact of these changes will affect everything from the homes and cars we buy to how we spend money at the grocery store or for entertainment. One of the fundamental shifts we are currently seeing in the marketing world is that people are shifting their thought process away from wants to a focus unlike before on needs. Are you marketing to this shift? Does your company or product fill a need not a want? This is a very important question.

When people spend they are looking for value. Many businesses and individuals have made a decision to be more frugal relative to this economic crisis. People are looking for value either through specials, coupons or close outs. When the upturn of the economy starts, be it a few months or even five years, people will not return to old spending habits. The shock and scare of this crisis has developed habits that will stick!

Many of us have no recollection of the Great Depression, but history tells us that a crisis like the Great Depression does create change. Many of us remember seeing parents or grand parents who was affected by the times they had during the economic problems of their day. It develops almost overnight a fundamental shift in how people think and process value. It will be more important than ever that you find affective marketing practices that will fill the needs of customers. What is your business doing today to fill the need of your customers and to provide them value?