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Designing your home office… DirectBuy of Fort Mill provides tips on setting up your home office.

FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA…

Not too long ago, the home office meant the corporate headquarters of a company. With more and more people running businesses out of their home or telecommuting to their “day job” a day or more a week, the home office has had to become every bit as functional and comfortable as the cubicle or office at work. To that end, DirectBuy of Fort Mill, the leading members-only home improvement and home furnishings club with direct insider prices, has some helpful tips on setting up your home office.

For starters, DirectBuy recommends drawing a floor plan of the room or area where your home office will be. Your floor plan should include markings of where the electrical outlets are and accurate measurements of the heights of the windows, doorways and any closet space to give you additional design options.

“If you’re going to be spending significant time in your home office, from eight to 20 hours a week or more, you’re going to want a space that’s a little more comfortable, functional and aesthetically pleasing than the spare room or corner of a room that’s passed for a home office in years past,” said Brian Harris, owner of DirectBuy of Fort Mill. “Many of our members work with our designers to create not only a comfortable workspace for one or more members of the household, but also a room you’ll want to show off to guests.”

Some of the things you may want to consider in planning your office space:

●       Ergonomic chairs, desks, and other office pieces.

●       Lower shelves so you can reach for books, folders, and other items without strain.

●       Lighting under workspace shelves to make it easier to read.

●       A mount or platform for your computer monitor so you can look at the screen without tilting your head up or down.

●       Neutral, soothing colors for your walls like teal blues, soft cool grays, and warm Tuscan colors to create a relaxing work atmosphere.

●       How much natural light does the room get and how much do you want? Do you prefer curtains to blinds? There are a wide range of innovative blinds, sheers, louvers, and shutters to achieve the look you want.

●       The depth of the pieces you’re putting in your office. There’s nothing worse than trying to add a desk to a spot that fits length- and width-wise but leaves no room for the chair.

●       Installing additional outlets to give you more layout and design options.

●       Avoiding wall-to-wall carpeting if possible; offices are high traffic areas and wear will show on your rugs the more time you work at home. Use carpet tiles for the areas you want carpeting, so that you can replace them if they fade or show stains, and use hardwood or ceramic tile for the rest of the space.

DirectBuy of Fort Mill carries a large selection of brand-name office furniture at direct insider prices from manufacturers or their authorized suppliers. DirectBuy of Fort Mill also employs product specialists and designers who can help members create the home office that works best for their individual needs and for family members if it’s a shared workspace.

Since 1971, DirectBuy Club has helped consumers enjoy enormous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, flooring, and accessories, by providing an avenue to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Conveniently located at 2180 Carolina Place, Suite 103, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, DirectBuy of Fort Mill offers consumers a comfortable, welcoming setting where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

For more information on a DirectBuy Club membership, visit http://www.directbuycares.com.

About DirectBuy Club

For more than 39 years, DirectBuy Club has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes – from furnishings, home improvement and flooring, to entertainment and outdoor products, accessories and much, much more. With more than 160 locations in North America, DirectBuy Club offers its members access to more than 700 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in the US, and more than 500 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in Canada.

Consumers interested in seeing DirectBuy Club’s savings, service and selection up close may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

ActionCOACH takes to the airwaves…ActionCOACH Master Licensee Sheri Winesett appears on “On Track with Vanessa Womack” show on WLEE – 990 AM

RICHMOND, VA…

The emergence of business coaching is helping many small, local businesses in this challenging economy.  Yet, the concept of coaching is still a fairly new one in the business world. With her recent appearance on the “On Track with Vanessa Womack” show on WLEE 990 AM, ActionCOACH Master Licensee Sheri Winesett discussed several ways business coaching can help the small business owner.

“The small business owner has to wear many hats and it’s perfectly natural that some of those hats might fit better than the others,” said Winesett. “When we work with small business owners, we tailor our coaching accordingly. That could mean teaching sales skills to owners without a sales background or management techniques for the owner who’s always been a sole practitioner but now has staff, etc.”

So what can a business coach help accomplish for the small business owner? Here are some examples:

  • Time management –A time management evaluation and plan should be part of the package with definitive steps for improvement put in place.
  • Increasing sales – This should not only include a plan of how to increase sales, but a clear timetable of by how much and by when and within the structure of your organization.
  • Increasing profitability – Increasing sales is great, but it doesn’t automatically translate to profitability.  You want to work with a business coach who can look at the entire financial picture—sales, operations, etc.
  • Inspiration or exasperation? A business coach should be a mentor and motivator for business owner.
  • Goal-setting and accountability –A business coach should work with you to create goals and objectives. Those require actions and deliverables on the part of the business owner, who is accountable to the coach. As a business owner, that’s what you want.

“To get results out of a coaching relationship requires accountability on the part of the coach and the business owner and that’s what I tried to get across to Vanessa’s audience,” said Winesett.

“On Track with Vanessa Womack” airs on WLEE 990 AM Talk on Saturdays, 11 – 12 noon. “On Track with Vanessa Womack” delivers edgy, exciting information for entrepreneurs in the areas of business development, marketing, networking and building a successful enterprise. The show is also archived on The SHED Group LLC’s Web site, www.shedgrp.com. Womack is the SHED Group principal.

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

To learn more about ActionCOACH, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

Taking the Beltway by bike…Todson attends national Bike Summit in Washington D.C.

 NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASS…

Imagine a bike path extending from coast to coast, much like Interstate 95. Or legions of commuters, sick of bumper-to-bumper traffic, abandoning their automobiles to travel to work by bicycle. These are just a few of the items more than 700 bicycle advocates, including Todson Event Director Dorothy Nichols, discussed with legislators and executive branch members during the 2010 National Bike Summit.

The 10th annual meeting, this year’s summit, took place from March 9 to March 11, carried perhaps even more weight as Congress and federal agencies set goals and national targets for 2020. 

“Congress is in the process of writing transportation, climate, health care, natural resources and other critical pieces of legislation that will shape our future,” said Dorothy Nichols, event director for Todson, Inc., the U.S. distributor for Topeak bike products. “We’re here to let our voice be heard that bicycling must be prominently featured in these important pieces of legislation, documents, funding streams and programs.”

As part of the three-day Summit, Nichols and other representatives met with several lawmakers and federal agency leadership members, including Department of the Interior Director Ken Salazar, newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and legislators from Colorado.

The Bike Summit wasn’t all work. Summit attendees also took part on a short ride of our Nation’s capital and a local bike trail.

 “It’s really amazing to see how the National Bike Summit has grown in 10 years,” said Neal Todrys, president of Todson, Inc. “Nowadays, many people talk about being greener but bicyclists figuratively walk the talk and that voice does carry some weight with our legislators and other government officials.

World Class Sports Accessories

Todson, Inc., the exclusive importer for Topeak for the U.S., is committed to providing the best in sports accessories to consumers around the globe.  Over the past 16 years, Topeak has risen to become the top cycling accessories brand in the world. 

In addition to Topeak cycling accessories, Todson is the distributor of renowned OnGuard line, the toughest line of power sport, bike and gear security products in the world.  The OnGuard line is available only through authorized dealers. Recognized for their legendary anti-drill and pick-proof M-Cylinder mechanism and flat key lock system, OnGuard’s locks, whether key or combination lock, are tested, approved and certified to guard bikes or power sport vehicles the world over.  OnGuard is the leading lock brand in Europe, in particular, Amsterdam, the bike theft capital of the world. 

Todson has successfully marketed recreational goods for more than 50 years. Now in its third generation of family ownership, Todson specializes in strategic sales and marketing, distribution, brand management and e-commerce. For more information about Topeak cycling accessories and OnGuard Locks, visit www.Todson.com or contact Todson at (800) 213-4561.  The company is located at 73 N. Washington Street, N. Attleboro, Mass.

Staff at King Collision Centers in Raynham Becomes I-CAR Gold Class Certified Professionals

King Collision Centers (http://www.kingcollision.com) providers of collision repair services to thousands of customers south of Boston, recently announced that the staff in their Raynham location has obtained the trusted I-CAR Gold Class certification. King Collision Centers is one of the only collision repair shops in Massachusetts with I-CAR certified staff.

King Collision’s staff from the Raynham collision repair shop has attained I-CAR Gold Class certification, which is one of the highest levels of certification obtainable within the Collision Repair Industry. I-CAR is a world wide, not-for-profit training organization that is renowned for training collision repair technicians and insurance company appraisers on original vehicle manufacturer recommended repair procedures, for restoring collision damaged vehicles back to pre-accident operation, safety and value.

In their commitment to excellence in their profession and dedication to the consumer, King Collision invested $45K overall for staff training in I-CAR’s latest collision repair technologies in order for them to become certified through the I-CAR training program as Gold Class Professionals.

I-CAR Gold Class Professionals offer consumers a symbol of trust. This superior training will bring additional peace of mind to all King Collision customers by knowing that their vehicle will receive the latest factory approved repair technology, faster repair cycle time, with guaranteed customer satisfaction at King Collision Centers.

“Our goal is to continue to have the best trained professionals in the business. We intend to use I-CAR certification as a recruitment tool as well. Any individual applying for a position at King will have to be a certified I-CAR Gold Class Professional as a condition of employment. We’re dedicated to providing the best service possible to our customers and to do so, we employ the best trained professionals,” explained Bruce King, owner.

I-CAR Gold Class Certification is now required by a number of national insurance providers.

About I-CAR

Founded in 1979, I-CAR is an international, not-for-profit training organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and efficiency of auto collision repair for the ultimate benefit of the customer. To learn more about the rigorous training and I-CAR Gold Class certification, visit the website at www.i-car.com.

Anyone Can Remove Dents – King Collision Centers Removes Doubts

Founded in 1984 by Bruce King, King Collision Centers provides superior collision repair and extraordinary customer care to thousands of clients south of Boston. The company is dedicated to earning customers for life and their team of professionals’ help clients through the collision repair process every step of the way – from coordinating a rental vehicle; providing accurate damage appraisal; assisting with the insurance claim process and ensuring that the vehicle is returned to its pre-accident operation, safety and value. King Collision Centers have been selected to participate in the Repair Shop Referral Programs of 20 different insurance companies.

King Collision Centers continues to build strategic alliances with auto dealerships that want to offer collision repair services on-site, through strategic alliances such as the one with Mastria Auto Group in Raynham.

King Collision Centers are located in Pembroke, Plymouth and Raynham, MA.