Our New Vice President of Operations

The Inspherio Team is thrilled to announce that Glenn Durand has been promoted from Director of Business Management Products to Vice President of Operations for Span Enterprises.  Glenn joined Span Enterprises in 2010 and has faithfully served as the Product Manager for Inspherio, UnitWise, and UnitHub these past 3 years.  

As we continue to create new products, and expand our team at Span Enterprises, Glenn will be responsible for our day-to-day operations as well as our new product development.  Over the past few years, we have seen our company grow from just a few people to the large team that it is today.  Glenn has played an integral part in training our dedicated team at Span, and we are confident that he will continue to impart his wisdom to all of our future employees.

As Vice President of Operations, Glenn will continue working with Inspherio, as well as our many other products including UnitWise, UnitHub, Express Extension, ExpressTruckTax, ExpressTaxFilings, ExpressIFTA, and the upcoming UnitWise International, Span Command, and Truck Logics.

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Email Marketing Tips | Part Two

Sending Email Marketing Campaigns can be a great way to stay in touch with your clients, leads, associates, etc. In order for your email campaigns to be successful, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Include a Call To Action

Although not every email is about selling something, there should be a clear goal or purpose of the email. This Call to Action should be connected to your subject line in some way. For Example, you could add a link to your website, blog, Facebook, etc that your reader could go to see more information and make an action based on the email.

Communicate Efficiently
When writing an email, there is no need to change your writing style as if you were writing a textbook. Instead, you should communicate as you would in a casual conversation. A good test is to read the email to yourself aloud to see how it sounds. 

Keep Your Message Simple
Keeping your readers engaged is vital in order to prevent your emails from being deleted. Successful emails should not be unnecessarily wordy or complicated. Keep in mind that you have high competition for your readers' attention.

Be A Resource
In order to gain your readers' respect, you need to provide valuable information, whatever that may be. Readers will quickly loose interest if your emails become predictable or lack useful information.

Stay Tuned for More Email Marketing Tips & Tricks throughout the coming weeks.  

To Stay Updated on all Inspherio News, check us out on Facebook & Twitter

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10 Tech Basics You Think Everybody Knows (But They Don't)

As a software company, we at Inspherio take great pride in making things easier, so we thought we would share these basic tech tips to help you use the web, your computer, and your smartphone more efficiently.  New York Times tech columnist: David Pogue recently presented this TEDTalk about basic tips & tricks that can help you use technology more effectively.  

1. Scrolling
Instead of using your mouse and dragging the scroll bar on the right, you can simply click the space bar to scroll down a page.  Likewise, you can click Shift + Space to scroll up.

2. Quickly Complete Forms
Use the Tab key to quickly move to the next box on an online form.  This is a great deal quicker than moving your cursor & clicking on the next box.  Also, when entering your state from a drop down list, all you need to do is click the first letter of your state repeatedly.  

3. Zoom In / Out
If you are having trouble reading small text on a screen, you can use Ctrl + to Zoom In and Ctrl - to Zoom Out. the + or - can be pushed repetitively to make the text bigger or smaller.

4. Typing on Smartphones
Pressing the space bar twice will automatically end a sentence with a period, add a space, and capitalize the first letter or the next sentence.

5. Quick Dialing
On any mobile phone you can quickly call the last number dialed by tapping the Call or Dial key.  

6.  Interrupt Voicemail
Since we all know how to leave a message after a beep, you can skip the process of listening to the instructions by pressing the carrier's interrupt key.
- Verizon: *
- AT&T, T-Mobile: #
- Sprint: 1

7. Google Tricks
- Google can also be used to Define any word by simply typing the word "Define" in front of any word.  
- If you need to track an upcoming Flight, you can search a flight number to find whether or not it is on time, what terminal it is arriving at and even the gate number.
- Google is even a currency & Unit Converter if you need to convert Dollars to Euros, tablespoons to cups, and much more.

For another fun Google trick, try Googling the phrase: "Do A Barrel Roll"

8. Text Basics
- Double-click to highlight a word
- Don't waste time clicking delete.  Just highlight something & type over it.
- Double-click & Drag to highlight one word at a time.
- Triple-click to highlight an entire paragraph.

9. Enhance Your Digital Camera Skills
To eliminate the shutter lag on your digital camera, you can half press the shutter button to pre-focus the lens before taking a photo.  This trick works for any digital point & shoot camera to calculate focus and exposure.  

10. Presentation Tips
While giving a PowerPoint presentation, you may notice your audience loosing focus.  You can attract more attention to yourself by clicking the B key to blackout the slide while you are presenting.  This does not close the presentation, it simply changes the screen to black.  To return to your presentation, you can click B again.  Similarly, the W key can be used for a whiteout effect.

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Inspherio is Moving to a New Office!

The Historic Citizen's Building from Main Street

It's official, Span Enterprises is moving to downtown Rock Hill.  After working closely with Bryan Barwick of Barwick & Associates, LLC we have made the decision to move to the Citizen's Building in Old Town Rock Hill, SC.  Our growing team will be occupying the entire 2nd floor and the mezzanine level of the Historic Citizen's Bank Building on Main Street.  

After months of searching, Span Enterprises Co-founder & CEO: Agie Sundaram met with Bryan Barwick and made the deal for Span Enterprises to move in within the next few months.  The entire 2nd Floor will serve as our Marketing, Sales, & Customer Support Center for all of our products; while the mezzanine level will be used as "Span Studios" for the recording & production of our products' help videos.

This will be the 2nd move for Span Enterprises.  We outgrew our first office in Shiland Villages in 2010.  By early 2011 we moved to our current location on the 1st floor of Shiland Villages.  After continuously outgrowing our office spaces, we are greatly looking forward to having an entire floor to ourselves.  

Built in 1925, The Citizen Building is a Historic Rock Hill landmark and we are thrilled to bring our software development company to such a unique and well maintained space.  We are planning the overall design of our new office now & will be posting our progress.  

We are proud to be a part of Rock Hill's downtown revitalization.  As a tech company, we are glad to be located in the same building as several other forward thinking organizations such as The Hive - a workforce / small business development program, and the upcoming Clemson University technology incubator.  

Our team is also excited to be so close to so many great restaurants.  Being on the same block as Jimmy Johns, McHale's, Millstone, & Erin's Restaurant is definitely an exciting change.  With such great dining options within steps of our building, our team may end up spending their days & nights in "Old Town" Rock Hill.  

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Happy St. Patrick's Day from SpanPlan

The Inspherio Team would like to wish you a

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

We hope that your business continues to prosper & that you may find your own Pot of Gold during this upcoming Event Season!

If you have any questions about how you can improve your business with Inspherio, you can contact our dedicated Customer Support Team at 704.234.6000 or send us an email at support@Inspherio.com 

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A New Year's Message from Inspherio

The Inspherio Team would like to wish each member of the Inspherio family a Happy New Year!  2012 has been a great year for Inspherio!  We would like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year full of good health, happiness, and prosperity!

  

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.

And to make an end is to make a beginning."

-T.S. Eliot

The SpanPlan Team will be on a limited support schedule for the holiday:
New Year's Eve  -  9am-4pm EST
New Year's Day - Email Support Only

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A Christmas Donation

This year, instead of a Secret Santa program or exchanging gifts, the Inspherio Team decided to take up donations for a local charity.  This made much more sense than giving each other things we don't really need, and it gave us an opportunity to reach out to our local charities. 






The local organization we decided to work with this Christmas was the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen.  This Soup Kitchen has been faithfully serving their community for 24 years, providing daily hot meals for anyone in need.  During Thanksgiving & Christmas, their volunteers provide a large banquet and also deliver to the sick & shut-ins of the community. 

It was truly a blessing to see such goodwill in action.  After seeing this work being done here in our city, we have been inspired to do more with the Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen in the future.  Especially since these organizations need help and assistance not only at Christmas, but throughout the year as well.   



Agie & Amanda meeting with Beverly Carroll of the Soup Kitchen

If you have been working with a local charity this year, send us a picture & we will share the story!

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Getting Organized With Inspherio!

It’s time to get your business organized with Inspherio - the most advanced business management program for Event Industry Professionals.  Inspherio provides solutions for businesses of any size, no matter if you are a one person operation or a full crew with many employees.  No other tool allows you to manage your entire business from one place - even employees and payroll! 

The exclusive Enterprise Version of Inspherio is leaps and bounds beyond any other program on the market today!

No other program offers a Truly All-In-One Solution, allowing you to:

• Schedule Your Employees & Assign Them to Events
  No more wasting time on an antiquated scheduling process
• Give Your Employees Account Access with Individual Login Information
  All your company information in one central place
• Automate Your Payroll Process & Track Expenses Intuitively 
  Eliminate that shoe box full of receipts & tax info
• Gather All Event Info From your Clients Automatically Add it to Contracts in Real Time
  Inspherio eliminates redundancies wherever possible
• Create Contracts in the Cloud & E-Sign Them From Anywhere
  Always Be Closing, no matter where in the world you are
• Generate Comprehensive Reports at Tax Time & Throughout the Year
  “Planning Your Success” is our motto, but can also Measure Your Success

With Inspherio, you are not alone.  Our customer support team is always available to offer heroic help whenever you need it through phone, email, & chat support.  Just give us a call at 704.234.6000 or email us at support@Inspherio.com with any questions you may have.

These are just a few examples of what Inspherio can do for your business. Join Inspherio Now to checkout the above features and more!!! Get started for Free!  NO Credit Card required to check it out!

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10 Things to Stop Doing Now

Photo Credit: J E Theriot

The following article was written by Jeff Haden & originally appeared in Inc. 


Happiness--in your business life and your personal life--is often a matter of subtraction, not addition.  Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things:

1. Blaming.

People make mistakes.  Employees don't meet your expectations. Vendors don't deliver on time.
So you blame them for your problems.
But you're also to blame. Maybe you didn't provide enough training. Maybe you didn't build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon.
Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn't masochistic, it's empowering--because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time.
And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier.

2. Impressing.

No one likes you for your clothes, your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. Those are all "things." People may like your things--but that doesn't mean they like you.
Sure, superficially they might seem to, but superficial is also insubstantial, and a relationship that is not based on substance is not a real relationship.
Genuine relationships make you happier, and you'll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself.

3. Clinging.

When you're afraid or insecure, you hold on tightly to what you know, even if what you know isn't particularly good for you.
An absence of fear or insecurity isn't happiness: It's just an absence of fear or insecurity.
Holding on to what you think you need won't make you happier; letting go so you can reach for and try to earn what you want will.
Even if you don't succeed in earning what you want, the act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself.

4. Interrupting.

Interrupting isn't just rude. When you interrupt someone, what you're really saying is, "I'm not listening to you so I can understand what you're saying; I'm listening to you so I can decide what I want to say."
Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say.
They'll love you for it--and you'll love how that makes you feel.

5. Whining.

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better.
If something is wrong, don't waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you'll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now.
Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.
And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don't just be the shoulder they cry on.
Friends don't let friends whine--friends help friends make their lives better.

6. Controlling.

Yeah, you're the boss. Yeah, you're the titan of industry. Yeah, you're the small tail that wags a huge dog.
Still, the only thing you really control is you. If you find yourself trying hard to control other people, you've decided that you, your goals, your dreams, or even just your opinions are more important than theirs.
Plus, control is short term at best, because it often requires force, or fear, or authority, or some form of pressure--none of those let you feel good about yourself.
Find people who want to go where you're going. They'll work harder, have more fun, and create better business and personal relationships.
And all of you will be happier.

7. Criticizing.

Yeah, you're more educated. Yeah, you're more experienced. Yeah, you've been around more blocks and climbed more mountains and slayed more dragons.
That doesn't make you smarter, or better, or more insightful.
That just makes you you: unique, matchless, one of a kind, but in the end, just you.
Just like everyone else--including your employees.
Everyone is different: not better, not worse, just different. Appreciate the differences instead of the shortcomings and you'll see people--and yourself--in a better light.

8. Preaching.

Criticizing has a brother. His name is Preaching. They share the same father: Judging.
The higher you rise and the more you accomplish, the more likely you are to think you know everything--and to tell people everything you think you know.
When you speak with more finality than foundation, people may hear you but they don't listen. Few things are sadder and leave you feeling less happy.

9. Dwelling.

The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Then let it go.
Easier said than done? It depends on your focus. When something bad happens to you, see that as a chance to learn something you didn't know. When another person makes a mistake, see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding.
The past is just training; it doesn't define you. Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how you will make sure that, next time, you and the people around you will know how to make sure it goes right.

10. Fearing.

We're all afraid: of what might or might not happen, of what we can't change, or what we won't be able to do, or how other people might perceive us.
So it's easier to hesitate, to wait for the right moment, to decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives.
Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by.
And so do our dreams.
Don't let your fears hold you back. Whatever you've been planning, whatever you've imagined, whatever you've dreamed of, get started on it today.
If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or offer new products or services, take the first step.
Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything.
Otherwise, today is gone. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever.
Today is the most precious asset you own--and is the one thing you should truly fear wasting.

_______________________________________________________________________

As Jeff explains in this article: the most important part of beginning something new is taking the first step.  
Inspherio is here to help you take that first step to improve your business.  You will be able to manage your business with just one tool, which will reduce your stress and work load, so that you can focus on the things you love.  Inspherio helps you eliminate excessive paperwork & gives you more time to actually Achieve your goals for your business!  

Check Out our Free Trial to Learn More!

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Using Inspherio for your Family Entertainment Center (FEC)

Photo Credit: KissHeartofFL, Aloha75,
Joo0ey, AnnieWong

When running a business as complex as a Family Entertainment Center, you have many different responsibilities and many tools to use for running your business.


Most Family Entertainment Centers are using a Point of Sale (POS) or swipe card system for most business activities. However, when it comes to organizing special events like birthday parties, skating parties, bowling leagues, paintball, and laser tag events to name a few; a POS system may require you to purchase an add-on "Event Scheduler" software that can cost thousands of dollars.


Wouldn't it be great if there was a better way?


Well there is, and it's Inspherio . With Inspherio you can manage all of your special events with one web-based program. You can even assign certain employees to certain events.

Inspherio is the perfect addition to your existing POS system. With Inspherio, you have the ability to manage your business more efficiently with all of the following features:

• E-Sign Contracts From Anywhere
• Organize Special Events With Our Intuitive Calendar
• Organize Your Employee Duties & Payroll
• Create Your Own Party Packages
• Collect Vital Data with our Exclusive "Know Your Event" Form
• And Much More...

Try Inspherio for Your Business Free for the first 30 Days!  There is No Credit Card required to try it out!

Click Here to Get Started!

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The Span Enterprises Family of Business Management Products

As you may already know, Inspherio was created by Span Enterprises: a software company based in Rock Hill, SC.  Inspherio is just one of their business management products.  Other web-based business management products offered by Span are UnitWise & UnitHub.  While these products have some similarities, they are meant for different audiences.

UnitWise is for Mary Kay* Consultants, Directors, and NSD's to Manage Their Entire Business Online. 

UnitWise can be used for every aspect of an independent beauty conultant's business.  From tracking inventory & creating sales receipts to sending email marketing campaigns & creating a custom website.

* - UnitWise is not affiliated with Mary Kay
(Learn More about UnitWise)

UnitHub is an easy to use, web-based program to help Direct Sellers flourish. It's a convenient, safe and secure way to manage all of your contacts, send Emails, & Build your online presence! UnitHub is for Anyone in a Direct Selling Business like Mary Kay*, Avon*, Pampered Chef*, Scentsy*, BeautiControl*, Stella & Dot*, Tastefully Simple*, Beachbody*, Thirty-One Gifts*, Lia Sophia*, etc.
* - UnitHub is not affiliated with any of the companies above

(Learn More about UnitHub)

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UnitHub Has Launched

The Inspherio Team is very excited to officially introduce UnitHub - Launching Today, Sept 18th.

This New product from SPAN Enterprises, our parent company, has been in development throughout the year, and is now ready to be used worldwide. UnitHub serves as an international website, marketing, and contact management tool for anyone in a direct selling business, anywhere in the world.

UnitHub includes the following features:
- A Fully Customizable Website
- SEO Tools
- Email Marketing
- Contact Management
- Facebook & Twitter Integration
- An Interactive Calendar
- Online Training Center
- Inventory & Accounting modules will be part of the second version.

With packages starting at just $14.95, and a free 30 day trial to check it out - There is no risk to try it out.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, you can contact our heroic support team through online chat at www.UnitHub.com, give us a call at 704.234.6946 or send an email to heroes@UnitHub.com

UnitWise | UnitHub | Inspherio
The family of successful business management products from SPAN Enterprises

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4 Signs of a True Entrepreneur

This article was originally posted on Inc.com by Mayra Jiminez

People often wonder how the kid who rarely talked or wasn't particularly popular in class went on to become a start-up genius. What was it about that person that helped him or her blossom into an icon of entrepreneurship? And how can you make sure you have what it takes?

It's a combination of factors. Start with these:

Passion
Passion is the fuel that drives the creation of dreams. This is a no-brainer. You have to wake up every day wanting your success. You have to become obsessed with the idea of achieving your goals, with attaining the grand objective that will yield meaning of great personal significance. The trick, of course, is to channel that passion into action. Sometimes the idea is so exciting that it becomes scary to try. And it's scary to fail. Successful entrepreneurs know that failure is part of the journey, and that without failure, there is no success.

Conviction
Passion without conviction is like a shooting star that fizzles before you even fully realize it's there. What keeps your passion alive? Conviction streamlines your passion into a steady flow. After all, most people have innovative ideas at some point in their lives. It's conviction that determines what you do with those ideas. Do you let it die? Or do you go for it?

Lunacy
Let's face it: You have to be a little bit crazy to achieve extreme success. It takes a particular type of lunacy to never want to quit, to believe in something so much that it defines you. It's this lunacy that takes you to a state of euphoria in which you think you can tackle some unachievable goal that others have never attempted to tackle. If you're not defined by what you want to accomplish, you'll impose limits on your efforts. People who change the world would never do such a thing.

Need for approval

Before the "how they did it" question comes the "why". Many experts believe that most entrepreneurs who have made history have been driven by a need for approval. Instead of creating a lack of confidence, this "I'll show 'em" attitude can foster an entrepreneur's conviction. It is the force that makes him or her fight harder. At the end of the day, everyone who told you no deserves some credit: He or she helped you become who you are.

If the list above describes you, congratulations. You're ready to be an entrepreneur. You are equipped with a set of virtues that are built to yield big things. You were born to make a difference. Get on with your idea if you believe you have something special. Challenge the paradigms that bind you, and go change the world.
________________________________________________________________________________
Mayra Jimenez and her husband founded The Orchid Boutique, which specializes in designer swimwear made in their native Colombia. Today Orchid Boutique is a multi-million dollar business with both online and brick-and-mortar stores.

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It's More Important to Be Kind than Clever

Photo taken from Flickr
Originally by JD Hancock

This Article was originally posted in the Harvard Business Review Blog Network by Bill Taylor

One of the more heart-warming stories to zoom around the Internet lately involves a young man, his dying grandmother, and a bowl of clam chowder from Panera Bread. It's a little story that offers big lessons about service, brands, and the human side of business — a story that underscores why efficiency should never come at the expense of humanity.

The story, as told in AdWeek, goes like this: Brandon Cook, from Wilton, New Hampshire, was visiting his grandmother in the hospital. Terribly ill with cancer, she complained to her grandson that she desperately wanted a bowl of soup, and that the hospital's soup was inedible (she used saltier language). If only she could get a bowl of her favorite clam chowder from Panera Bread! Trouble was, Panera only sells clam chowder on Friday. So Brandon called the nearby Panera and talked to store manager Suzanne Fortier. Not only did Sue make clam chowder specially for Brandon's grandmother, she included a box of cookies as a gift from the staff.

It was a small act of kindness that would not normally make headlines. Except that Brandon told the story on his Facebook page, and Brandon's mother, Gail Cook, retold the story on Panera's fan page. The rest, as they say, is social-media history. Gail's post generated 500,000 (and counting) "likes" and more than 22,000 comments on Panera's Facebook page. Panera, meanwhile, got something that no amount of traditional advertising can buy — a genuine sense of affiliation and appreciation from customers around the world.

Marketing types have latched on to this story as an example of the power of social media and "virtual word-of-mouth" to boost a company's reputation. But I see the reaction to Sue Fortier's gesture as an example of something else — the hunger among customers, employees, and all of us to engage with companies on more than just dollars-and-cents terms. In a world that is being reshaped by the relentless advance of technology, what stands out are acts of compassion and connection that remind us what it means to be human.

As I read the story of Brandon and his grandmother, I thought back to a lecture delivered two years ago by Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, to the graduating seniors of my alma mater, Princeton University. Bezos is nothing if not a master of technology — he has built his company, and his fortune, on the rise of the Internet and his own intellect. But he spoke that day not about computing power or brainpower, but about his grandmother — and what he learned when he made her cry.

Even as a 10-year-old boy, it turns out, Bezos had a steel-trap mind and a passion for crunching numbers. During a summer road trip with his grandparents, young Jeff got fed up with his grandmother's smoking in the car — and decided to do something about it. From the backseat, he calculated how many cigarettes per day his grandmother smoked, how many puffs she took per cigarette, the health risk of each puff, and announced to her with great fanfare, "You've taken nine years off your life!"

Bezos's calculations may have been accurate — but the reaction was not what he expected. His grandmother burst into tears. His grandfather pulled the car off to the side of the road and asked young Jeff to step out. And then his grandfather taught a lesson that this now-billionaire decided to share the with the Class of 2010: "My grandfather looked at me, and after a bit of silence, he gently and calmly said, 'Jeff, one day you'll understand that it's harder to be kind than clever.'"

That's a lesson I wish more businesspeople understood — a lesson that is reinforced by the reaction to this simple act of kindness at Panera Bread. Indeed, I experienced something similar not so long ago, and found it striking enough to devote an HBR blog post to the experience. In my post, I told the story of my father, his search for a new car, a health emergency that took place in the middle of that search — and a couple of extraordinary (and truly human) gestures by an auto dealer that put him at ease and won his loyalty.

"What is it about business that makes it so hard to be kind?" I asked at the time. "And what kind of businesspeople have we become when small acts of kindness feel so rare?"

That's what's really striking about the Panera Bread story — not that Suzanne Fortier went out of her way to do something nice for a sick grandmother, but that her simple gesture attracted such global attention and acclaim.

So by all means, encourage your people to embrace technology, get great at business analytics, and otherwise ramp up the efficiency of everything they do. But just make sure all their efficiency doesn't come at the expense of their humanity. Small gestures can send big signals about who we are, what we care about, and why people should want to affiliate with us. It's harder (and more important) to be kind than clever.
_________________________________________________________________________

Bill Taylor is co-founder of Fast Company magazine and author of Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself, published January 4, 2011.

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Fall Wedding Trends

Photo taken from Flickr
Originally by whoalse

As the month of August comes to an end and the Summer heat begins to subside, it's nice to think of the next season to come.  

This Fall season brings its own new styles and trends that can be useful when planning your next wedding or other event.

An overall trend that has become quite popular over the last few years is an Organic / Natural style.  In the spirit of this style, many Fall events like to incorporate organic objects from their season.  

Bare twigs can be used for many different types of decorations, whether they are used around a candle, or incorporated into a centerpiece.  Bare twigs reflect the season by showcasing the beauty of nature even after the leaves have fallen.

Since the leaves have begun to change and fall to the ground, it is also nice to bring them into your event.  Your groomsmen can use brightly colored leaves as boutineers or the ladies could create a corsage with them as well.  

Another trend that also commonly goes along with an organic style is a Vintage theme.  Incorporating antiques or aged items into your event will match the organic theme perfectly.  for example, programs can be made with a vintage style and typeface.  This helps set the overall tone for the event from the beginning.  





In order to manage your business as efficiently as possible, you can use Inspherio.  This allows you to spend more time planning your event and less time on meticulous paperwork.  So give Inspherio a try.  There is no credit card required to get started.  

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Use A Great Program to Manage Your Event Business

If you are in the Wedding Business or if you would consider yourself to be an Event Professional, you are probably too busy preparing for your events to worry about all the meticulous details to run your business properly. 

If this is true, you are not alone.  Thousands of event professionals around the country are not taking advantage of the full potential of their business.  This common trade-off occurs when an event professional decides to go after more work and make more money, or devote less time to new jobs, and more time organizing their business. 

Thanks to Inspherio, no one should have to choose between staying organized & staying busy with new jobs.  Inspherio allows a business owner to manage their leads from start to finish as well as manage their finances, receive online payments, send Electronic Contracts, and much more! 

With a web-based event management software program for any type of Event Professional, you can stay busy doing what you love, because Inspherio helps you take care of all the meticulous details behind the scenes.  just think of how beneficial it would be to only enter your contact's information once, and from then on, it will auto-populate on all the required forms like contracts, invoices, an agenda for the event, and more.

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Happy Indian Independence Day

The Inspherio Team would like to wish a Happy Indian Independence Day to our Tech Team.  Many of our programmers and analysts for Inspherio are from India, and we would like to wish them a Happy Indian Independence Day as well as thank them for their hard work in creating such a great program. 


Did you Know?   Today marks the 65th year that the country of India has been a sovereign nation.  On August 15, 1947 India was able to achieve independence from British rule through peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress.

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Learn Some InspherioTerminology

As you become more familiar with Inspherio, you may notice some words or phrases that you aren't familiar with, or perhaps you aren't sure of the context in which they are used in Inspherio.  Today, we can clear up some of this with a blog all about some of the Terminology within Inspherio.

Incoming Leads:
With Inspherio, you have the ability to import your leads directly from your website, your Inspherio site, or even a .csv file.  The "Contact Me" form on your Inspherio site automatically sends any lead information to the Incoming Leads section of Inspherio.  If you already have a website you use for your business, you can embed the "Contact Me" form onto your website easily so that your website leads will be automatically brought into your Inspherio account.

Active Leads:
An Incoming Lead is automatically changed to an Active Lead when you begin interacting with them using Inspherio.  You can use Inspherio to send them pricing information, create a custom quote, and even create a contract.  

InActive Lead:
If one of your leads falls through or if you are unable to work with them, you can change a lead to "inactive."  This way, you can retain their information that has been provided for your records, but this will not be kept with your active leads or events.

Booked Events:
Once an Active Lead accepts a contract, it becomes a Booked Event.  There is nothing to manually update, it is an automatic transition just like the transition from an incoming lead to an active lead.

Past Events:
After an event is concluded, it will make it's final transition to become a Past Event.  This is another automatic transition.  There is nothing to update manually for this, but you can view all of your past events through your Inspherio Account by selecting Events >> Past Events.  You can also create reports 

Cancelled Events:
A Cancelled Event is just as it sounds.  An event becomes a Cancelled Event when a Booked Event falls through.  The difference between a Cancelled Event and and InActive Lead is the fact that a contract was sent, whereas an InActive Lead cancels before a contract is sent.

To manage your business more efficiently, and learn some more Inspherio Terminology, you can sign-up for a Inspherio account.  Inspherio is the premier Business Management Solution for Event Professionals. 

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Your Desk is a Double-Edged Sword

As a business owner, you must spend a great deal of time at your desk in order to build your business.  In this modern era, everything is moving online.  Your business prospects and colleagues are all on Facebook, your banking can be done remotely, and if you are ahead of the curve, you also use a web-based program to manage your business entirely.  

Although there are obvious reasons that it is very necessary to spend a considerable amount of time at your desk in order to run your business more efficiently, a recent article on Inc.com by Jessica Stillman cites several recent scientific findings that spending extended periods of time at a desk contributes to poor health and also poor memory.  
The idea that sitting at a desk all day is bad for your health is old news, but the fact that it can actually decrease your working memory is a little frightening.  The British Psychological Society's Research Digest explains that in a series of findings, working memory was much more accurate for all age groups while walking at their chosen speed.  

What does this mean for your business?  Obviously, you want to be in the best physical and mental condition in order to run your business appropriately.  Depending on your personality and preferences, you may be able to incorporate more activity to your typical business day through several different ways.  Not everyone can just go out and buy a Bicycle Desk and others may not be cut out for a Donald Rumsfeld style Standing Desk.  

It is important to take short breaks to walk around in order to boost your mental health and recharge your batteries so to speak.  Studies suggest that it can especially help to take a stroll outdoors for as little as 5 minutes to boost your mood for the day.  These simple activities throughout your day can help boost your overall performance in a similar way that taking a shower helps give you good ideas.  Sometimes when you step back and separate yourself from what you are focusing on, you can see the big picture more clearly.

Of course, when you do come back to your desk it also helps to use efficient programs to run your business.  If you are not already using the all-in-one solution to manage your business, you can try Inspherio for Free.
Inspherio is an All-in-One business management tool for event industry professionals.

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Understated: the Latest Wedding Trend

By Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez, AFP/Getty Images

One of our biggest movie stars of the decade: Natalie Portman was recently wed to the French dancer, Benjamin Millepied.  Despite the fact that this couple certainly had the means to host an extravagant wedding with all the decadence and opulence that you would expect from a movie star's wedding, they decided to tie the knot with a relatively small crowd at a private residence in Big Sur, California. 

As Donna Freydkin wrote in a recent USA Today article about the couple's nuptials: "Portman joins an increasing number of stars who opt for nuptials not in lavish hotels or swanky resorts but in homes far away from prying eyes, invasive lenses and interlopers."

Freydkin goes on to mention several other celebrities who opted for a more intimate wedding ceremony such as Maggie Gyllenhaal & Peter Sarsgaard, Matthey McConaughey & Camilla Alves, and Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman.  But this trend does not necessarily only apply to celebrity weddings.  Many couples throughout the country are opting for a smaller gathering without all the extravagant details we have grown to expect from modern weddings. 

A smaller setting creates a more personal and relaxed event.  Since this is becoming more and more popular, wedding vendors should not be worried if a bride tells them that they want a small wedding.  It should even be encouraged. If a client does not follow their desires, especially for their wedding, it could easily end with an unsatisfied bride with a much bigger wedding than she bargained for.  Small weddings do not necessarily mean that they will cost less.  Most couples will still want to capture their big day with photos, videos, great food, and of course a beautifully styled location. 

This Understated style fits in with other recent styles that differ from the traditional large wedding.  While this new style may be popular now, there will of course be many couples that will still want to Go Big on their big day.  As we all know, each client is different and it absolutely essential that you realize what their expectations are for their event. 


To manage your event business more efficiently, you can use Inspherio. 
Inspherio is an All-in-One business management tool for event industry professionals. 

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