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Barrie’s top five… DirectBuy of Barrie celebrates fifth anniversary.

BARRIE, ONTARIO…

For five years, DirectBuy Club has been offering consumers in the greater Barrie area a new way to save on home improvement projects, furnishings and accessories.

“Five seems to be a magic number for us,” said Christine DeMarsh, owner of DirectBuy of Barrie. “We’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth since we opened our doors, both in the number of members and the number of manufacturers who want to sell their products through DirectBuy. That’s got us even more excited about the next five years.”

The leading home improvement and furnishings club with direct insider prices, DirectBuy of Barrie offers products ranging from light fixtures to televisions to kitchen cabinets, from more than 500 manufacturers or their authorized suppliers at direct insider prices. DirectBuy Club also offers design and delivery services to its members, as well as a listing of local contractors who offer installation services, many times at a discounted rate.

“The economy of the past few years has made DirectBuy Club even more important to families looking to save money on their home improvement projects and home furnishings,” said DeMarsh. “We’re thankful for the relationships we’ve established over our first five years and look forward to helping even more families in the years to come.”

Since 2005, DirectBuy of Barrie 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 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. Conveniently located at 2500 Williams Parkway, Unit 37 in Brampton, Ontario, DirectBuy Club offers consumers a comfortable setting where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

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 500 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in Canada and more than 700 brand-name manufacturers or their authorized suppliers in the U.S.

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.

Brenda Milestone Joins Webster One Source as Mailing Specialist

Webster One Source, providers of fine commercial printing, promotional specialty premiums, and complete mailing/fulfillment services with locations in the Worcester area and Hanson, has recently appointed Brenda Milestone, a Worcester resident, as Mailing Specialist.

Milestone has 20 plus years of experience in the mail and fulfillment industries and will be Webster’s lead mailing specialist managing all mailing activities in West Boylston. She is the former Vice President and co-owner of Global Business Express (GBX) mail fulfillment and digital printing company (formerly of Worcester) where she oversaw the company’s operations for 10 years. Since then, Milestone has been active in local business. Milestone is a native of Webster, MA.

According to Milestone, “I was attracted to Webster One Source because of their ability to be a one stop shop for MY customers. Although my expertise is in mail, I look forward to growing my knowledge in being able to provide high quality offset printing. There has been a lot of (printing and mailing) turnover in this area and a printing and mailing company with complete fulfillment services under one roof will allow me to grow my book of business.”

“Brenda has the knowledge and experience that is absolutely essential to this position and we’re pleased to welcome her to our talented team,” noted Ernie Foster, president of Webster One Source who is also a Worcester native.

Webster One Source is growing substantially in the Worcester area and will be hiring for future positions. To inquire, contact Brenda Milestone via email at brenda.milestone@websteronesource.com.

One Source. Unlimited Possibilities™

Since 1955, Webster One Source has provided fine commercial printing to local, regional and national clients. Led by Ernie Foster, a Worcester native, Webster One Source, was formerly known as Webster Printing and Mailing of Hanson and Webster Fulfillment of Worcester before the two merged in 2008. Renowned as a “one-stop-shop” and named a “Boston Top 25 Printer” by the Boston Business Journal, Webster One Source’s niche is “space on demand” storage along with complete fulfillment “pick/pack” services. Their complete suite of services includes digital and offset printing; next generation online print solutions and e-procurement; advertising specialties and promotional materials; storage and fulfillment; distribution and warehousing; full-service bindery; integrated marketing support and complete direct mail solutions.

One of the first green printers south of Boston, Webster One Source is an FSC Certified printer. Additionally, the company has recently invested $3M in new environmentally friendly presses that use fewer chemicals and less energy.

Webster One Source is located at 1069 West Washington Street in Hanson and 100 Hartwell Street in West Boylston. For more information, contact the West Boylston office at 508-835-6234 or Hanson office at 781-447-5484 or visit www.websteronesource.com.

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.