 |  News11.01.2017 // International Thank You Day Every year people all over the world celebrate International Thank You Day that falls on January 11. This celebration is the ideal opportunity to show your gratitude to people who make your days what they are.The origin of International Thank You Day is unclear. No one knows who established it and when. There is an opinion that greeting cards companies promoted this holiday to increase their sales. But this doesn't make the concept of International Thank You Day less appealing. Celebrate this day by showing your appreciation to people who make your life better and more beautiful. One single word can make people who surround you happier, isn't it great? Unfortunately we often forget to show gratitude to others. We think only about ourselves and don't notice all the things that relatives and friends do for us. Be polite, think of others and then simple “thank you” will make their day better. This day is considered as one of the most polite days. But don't forget thank all people who deserve it during the rest of the year!!!
| 23.12.2016 // Season Greetings!!! | 22.12.2016 // Invitation to Nürnberg SpielwarenmesseInvitation to Nürnberg Spielwarenmesse Dear All! The Company "Ranok-Creative" invites you to visit its stand at the International Toy Fair and get acquainted with the assortment and Novelties 2017!!! 
| 20.12.2016 // Revolving Topics for Social Media Post InspirationSocial media provides endless possibilities for small businesses. That means there are seemingly endless types of posts that you can share on different social media platforms. But when you need some extra inspiration, here are 50 different social media post ideas to use when creating content you can share with your followers.
Social Media Post Ideas
Quick Tips
Social media is perfect for quick bursts of information. If you can share quick tips that are likely to be helpful to your target audience, you can provide value without even requiring them to visit a separate website.
Product Photos
Aside from promoting your products with links, you can share photos of them to increase visibility and get customers more familiar with your offerings.
Customer Photo Re-posts
When your customers post photos of your products or content that is somehow related to your brand, it can be a good idea to share it on your own pages as well. Just ask your customers’ permission and then tag them in your post to give credit.
Polls
Social media can also be a great tool to gather information from your target customers. So you can post polls on platforms like Twitter and Facebook so that your followers can easily choose their favorite options when you ask questions.
Fill-in-the-Blank Posts
You might also choose to get a little more creative with how you interact with your followers. For example, you can post a fill-in-the-blank challenge to encourage your customers to respond.
Behind-the-Scenes Photos
You can also give your social media followers a look at your team and how you run your business by regularly posting photos of things like team events, product production or even your workspace.
Behind-the-Scenes Videos
Or you could create a video or two to show off some of those same factors about your business.
Infographics
Infographics are visual representations of data that you can use to share facts in a more interesting way on social media.
Interesting Stats
Or, if you want to share some quick stats, you can simply write out social media posts that include that information.
Product Input Requests
You can also ask customers on social media to share their input about your products or services.  | 15.12.2016 // 2017 toy trend: Body and MindPeople are now accessible all of the time, whether by smartphone, tablet or computer. Our digital companions have become an integral part of everyday life. Children and young people in particular hardly even remember life before WhatsApp and Instagram. On top of this, expectations on young people to perform well in school have risen. Such digital and mental strain leads to stress. According to one study, every sixth child and every fifth young person in Germany suffers from stress. Balancing body and mind is all the more important.  “Body and Mind” is one of the three toy trends for 2017. This brings together products which help children achieve physical and mental relaxation through play, leading with fitness and exercise to good balance in their everyday lives. According to a US study, children and young people are increasingly spending their time in the virtual world when not in school or doing homework, whether in front of the television or on game consoles, tablets or mobile phones. They use a digital medium almost six hours a day. Even 38% of children under 2 years of age have access to mobile devices. Getting young people physically active again is also a key element of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day to stay fit and healthy: simply getting outside again, letting off steam and having fun. This does not even mean abandoning their digital companions anymore, as proven this summer with Pokémon GO. But active fun can also be had without any technical devices. Take the Gonge Roller, for example. This roller can be balanced on by children, young people and adults alike. The versatile motor activity object teaches motor skills and coordination in a playful way. Once up on the Roller, the balancing fun can begin. Active games which can be played at home in a small space are also particularly popular. Yoga Spinner from Thinkfun is a delightful game that encourages balance and physical flexibility. Developed for children aged 8 to 10, the game offers an introduction to the world of yoga and an escape from digital life. But movement is not the only crucial factor. Mental relaxation and supporting creativity are also important to relieving stress. One trend already very popular among adults also falls into the “Body and Mind” category. Colouring books are loved by young and old alike. The mandala colouring book from Tesloff fosters imagination and creativity through lots of shapes and patterns. Colouring in helps regenerate the body and mind. Besides relieving stress, creative processes with pen and paper also promote fine motor skills and help improve our ability to concentrate.
| 06.12.2016 // The 6th of December is Saint Nicholas Day | 05.12.2016 // Tips for Retailers When Dealing with the Holiday Labor ShortageWith unemployment rates dropping and retail wages rising, small retailers who need seasonal holiday employees are facing stiff competition from big retailers this year, Monster.com (NYSE:MWW) reports. Adding to the crunch, since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, more consumers are projected to head to brick-and-mortar stores for last-minute gifts since they won’t be able to get products shipped fast enough. That means more customers and potentially less help. How can your business successfully compete for retail employees at this critical time of year? First tip: Start hiring now. Here are seven more. How to Beat the Holiday Labor ShortageOffer Employee DiscountsAt holiday time, employee discounts can be a good motivator for taking a job. Even if the employee doesn’t personally want what your store sells, they likely have someone on their gift list who does. Make It FunWorking retail during the holidays is about as stressful as it gets so re-energizing your staff is key. Hold contests or dress-up days. Bring in treats to keep energy levels high. Help your staff blow off steam after hours by planning parties or coordinating activities like roller skating, bowling or happy hour get-togethers. Give Out BonusesOffer an end-of-season bonus for employees who make it through the entire holiday season. You can also offer intermediate bonuses along the way for accomplishing goals you set for employees, such as a perfect on-time record or sales quota. Bonuses don’t have to be cash, either: Give out gift cards to a local restaurant, movie theater or even to your store. Offer Longer Hours for Those Who Want ThemHiring fewer employees and offering longer hours can save you money in the long run because you have to train fewer people. Many seasonal retail workers want as many hours as they can get, so this can be a selling point. Set Regular SchedulesRetail employees hate “on-call scheduling” where they don’t know their schedule until the last minute. Using employee scheduling software, you can easily plan retail schedules ahead of time. Try to give employees similar hours every week and provide at least a week’s advance notice of schedules. When inevitable changes happen, employee scheduling software also makes it easy to request substitutions at the last minute. You can text or email employees and they can choose to take the shifts or not. Pay Higher WagesKnow what’s competitive in your area in terms of retail wages, and be willing to pay at the top end of the scale for quality employees. After all, during the crazy holiday shopping season, store staff are a key differentiator for a small retailer. While paying on commission may seem like a smarter move, higher wages tend to lead to better service. Commission-based employees may “hard sell” to boost their own income, leading to regrets (and returns) later on. Well-paid employees are more likely to provide thoughtful service and take the time to really listen to customers’ needs. Spread the WordExisting employees and regular store customers are a great source of potential employees. Email customers on your email newsletter list and ask if they know anyone looking for seasonal work. You can even offer a hiring bonus for those who refer someone who successfully completes training and works throughout the season. How do you plan to look for seasonal workers this year?  | 25.11.2016 // RAP Your Way to More Sales!Let’s face it, sales is a grind. The daily slog of cold calls, follow ups, and client maintenance, combined with the stress of trying to hit your monthly, quarterly and yearly numbers, can take a toll on you. As the old saying goes, working smarter not harder can help to ease the burden. Three key factors — research, attitude, and persistence (RAP) — can impact your bottom line: How to Be a Better SalespersonResearchWho is it that you need to speak to, and what do they do? It seems obvious, but using LinkedIn can be a tremendous asset towards saving you time by pointing you directly to the decision maker that you need to be talking to. Targeted list building via tools like LinkedIn will save you time in the long run by whittling your call list down to just the essential people, and weeding out the time wasters. A LinkedIn message rather than an email shows that you’ve taken the time to learn about your prospect, and turns a cold call slightly warmer. This also gives your prospect a chance to look at your profile before responding, which can help eliminate some early questions. Aside from learning about your contact, take the time to learn a little about the company. This will help you to better identify their potential pain points and how you can provide the solution. Part of this research will also illuminate their target markets and buying cycles, so you can make sure you’re calling them at the right time. AttitudeSales is a business of rejection. Even the most optimistic of ratios would have you hearing a “no” at least half the time. When several of those rejections come consecutively (especially on the same day), it’s easy to let it get you down. But each new call or email is potentially the streak-breaker. Even though you’re not face-to-face with your prospect, your mood impacts your tone of voice on the phone and your word selection in emails. Negativity breeds negativity, and having a positive outlook each and every time you reach out is critical. Part of this attitude is not just a belief in yourself, but a belief in what you’re selling. You have to know your products inside and out. Additionally, you have to know your competition inside and out. How can you be expected to solve your prospect’s problems if you don’t fully understand how your product provides the solution? Knowledge is power, and that power brings a confidence which is perceptible to anyone hearing your pitch. Your prospect will quickly understand that you firmly grasp the challenges they’re facing, and will trust that you can provide a solution. PersistenceIt should take you at least five “no” answers in a conversation before you actually take no for an answer. Think of it this way. If for every 100 people that tell you “no” the first time, you get 10 to change their mind to a “maybe,” that’s 10 more detailed pitches you get to make. From those 10 pitches, if two of them decide to turn their “maybe” into a “yes,” that’s two more sales than you had before just by not giving up. The other 98 rejections were rejections the first time they said “no,” so you haven’t lost anything. Each time you hear a “no,” ask for a reason. If you’ve done your research and know your prospect and product like described above, you should be able to counter their “no” with a valid reason why they should hear you out. Part of persistence is also a dogged determination to keep grinding. It’s simple math: regardless of your closing percentage, you’ll sell more by making 100 calls than you will by making 10. The constant rejection can wear you down, but if you follow the RAP guidelines, you’ll have better targets, a better attitude and a determination to turn “no” into “yes” that will carry you to better sales. | 23.11.2016 // Meet the Rule Breakers – Small Businesses Making WavesOnly a tiny fraction of the nation’s 28 million small businesses are honored with an award. But seven small businesses bucked that trend. They were recognized last week in the 2016 Rule Breaker Awards. “Those honored were chosen from over 2,000 nominees. It’s a stunning accomplishment,” said Barry Moltz, co-founder of the Rule Breaker Awards. The seven businesses were recognized in a ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona, for their unconventional paths to success. The winners of the Rule Breakers Awards are sure to inspire you. Let’s take a whirlwind look at each of them. ZippedMe (Jody Harris Inc.) Owner Jody Harris’s invention, ZippedMe, solves the problem of how to zip the back of a dress when there’s no one to help you. The ZippedMe product looks like a string of beads with a hook. It is amazingly innovative — yet so simple you’ll be left wondering, ‘now why didn’t I think of that?’ Harris’s motto is “don’t quit.” She lives it everyday with her portfolio of businesses. And she is a best-selling author and motivational speaker. Harris won in the New Small Business category. She also was named the grand prize winner during the ceremony. Adam and Lisa Schulte founded Quarks American Bento. This fast-casual restaurant serves healthy, customizable meals based on six food groups. “A person can eat Quarks every day and actually improve their health.” That claim, say the owners, is one most other fast food places can’t make. Doesn’t the food above look mouth watering AND healthy? Quarks American Bento is located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It was named the winner of the Retail Business category. Owner Nigel Bennett’s company, Aqua-Guard, provides state-of-the-the-art solutions to clean up oil spills in water. The company’s mission is crystal clear yet profound: To protect the world’s most precious resource. Aqua-Guard’s patented oil skimming technology has been used to clean up oil spills in waters from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Egypt to China. The company is based in North Vancouver, Canada. Aqua-Guard won in the category of Established Small Business. A few years back, MobileComply would have been little more than a bright futuristic idea. Today, it’s a real business serving a nascent industry. MobileComply provides workforce training and credentialing for professionals in the connected and autonomous vehicles industry. Don’t know what “connected and autonomous vehicles” are? Think driverless cars, trucks and buses. Think WiFi enabled vehicles. The business is the brainchild of Elaina Farnsworth. It grew out of her ability to communicate complicated concepts to others. MobileComply won in the Tech Services Business category. Diversified Industrial Staffing A headhunter firm for machinists and welders? Yes — and for all types of skilled blue-collar jobs in manufacturing. Diversified Industrial Staffing says it is the “only exclusive provider of skilled trades labor” throughout the United States. Todd Palmer founded this service for blue-collar workers in skilled trades by applying white-collar headhunting tactics. The company has helped over 4,300 people in the skilled trades secure employment. Diversified Industrial Staffing won in the Professional Services Business category. It delivers fresh, healthy brown-bag lunches to students, parents and teachers at local schools. Jennifer and Michael Young have a history in commercial food service. One of the company’s delectable treats is pictured above. The brown bag service started out with a Facebook posting by the Youngs’ children. They got such a great response that a family business in brown bag lunches was born. The Domesticated Dad won in the Manufacturing Business category. BIGG Success didn’t make the cut for the Rule Breaker awards. But did co-founders Mary-Lynn Foster and George Krueger let that hold them back? No! Their company, BIGG Success, got a special mention as a “Rule Maker.” Foster had appealed to the judges with a simple request. She wanted to know if the amazing social media support from BIGG’s followers could count toward their score. No dice on amending the rules, said the judges. But BIGG got a special mention based on their rule-breaking attitude. BIGG Success is an e-learning, coaching and consulting firm. BIGG’s mission is to help customers make more money, more dependably. The husband and wife team co-host the BIGG Success Show Podcast. They also host the nationally syndicated BIGG Success in a Minute radio feature. The Rule Breaker Awards Ceremony “We had an amazing group of impressive applicants this year. If you want to see innovation and creativity, this group exemplifies it,” said Rieva Lesonsky, co-founder of the Awards. The Awards ceremony took place at the Talking Stick Resort. Moltz emceed the event dressed in a tuxedo. He said he felt he owed it to the award winners to honor them by dressing for the occasion. “Everyone here traveled long distances on their own dime, because the award means so much to them,” Moltz added. Several of the honorees also wore tuxes or long gowns. Actress and former Mrs. Arizona, Rosalie Michaels, presented the awards at the ceremony. The Awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the NextCon business conference. NextCon, hosted by Nextiva, a business communications provider, brought impressive speakers such as Steve Wozniak, a founder of Apple. Over 2,500 signed up for the conference. “Nextiva has enjoyed fast growth and success. We wanted to give back to the business community by holding a learning event to educate and inspire,” said Yaniv Masjedi, Nextiva’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We spent almost a year planning NextCon. We brought in top tier speakers as well as business experts.” Nextiva donated all after-expense proceeds to charity. “Giving back is also why we chose to support the RuleBreaker Awards as sponsor,” Masjedi added. “We serve businesses from small to large. At Nextiva we feel it’s important to recognize small business leaders for their economic impact.” About the Rule Breaker Awards This was the third year for the Awards. Mike Michalowicz, a co-founder of the Awards, called out an important rationale behind the awards: risk taking. “It is the entrepreneurs who break the rules who have the biggest impact,” he said. “For what seems like forever, businesses have been celebrated for growth. For their size, for their numbers. But now there is finally a major award that recognizes entrepreneurs who challenge the industry. ” Michalowicz added, “The RuleBreaker Awards recognize just that!” The winners were chosen by an expert judging panel, including Ken Yancey, CEO of SCORE; Yaniv Masjedi, CMO, Nextiva; Anita Campbell (yours truly!), CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends; Brian Scudmore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?; Shama Kabani, CEO of Marketing Zen Group; and JJ Ramberg, co-founder of Goodsearch.com and host of MSNBC’s Your Business. | 17.11.2016 // Interview Simba Toys: dolls as a reflection of current trendsHardly any other toy portrays social developments and trends as realistically as dolls. Both retro dolls and modern fashion dolls with technical components are a firm favourite of buyers all over the world. That is why there is no “either...or” in the Simba Toys doll range, but a clear “and”, as explained by Maximilian Stork, Senior Product Manager, in our interview. Spielwarenmesse®: Dolls are a classic among toys. Is their appearance simply based on prevailing tastes or are there true innovations?  Maximilian Stork: Dolls are still one of the classic toys to be found under any Christmas tree. The fundamental role-playing behaviour has fostered children’s development and will continue to do so. While playing, the child can give free rein to their imagination, feed and change the doll and potty train with it.
Of course there are true innovations in this product category as well. Technical enhancements play a key role here, but so does digitisation. Nowadays, dolls can speak, respond and interface with smartphone apps. Your company operates internationally. What differences are you seeing in the demand for dolls in the various regions of the world? M.S.: The Simba Dickie Group does indeed operate worldwide, and has its own subsidiaries in many countries. Essentially, there are different demand patterns in the various markets. This affects dolls only to a limited degree. In southern Europe, customers prefer dolls with elaborate functions, while greater value is placed on traditional doll and play worlds in northern countries. However, in principle, it is important to recognise that children all over the world just love playing with dolls! Current market research may produce an unclear picture when it comes to dolls as dolls are literally on offer everywhere - from funfairs to factory outlets. How high do you think is the annual turnover in the German retail trade, for example, and is there momentum? M.S.: Dolls are still absolutely synonymous with toys and are therefore offered in almost all sales channels. In Germany, we estimate the annual volume of turnover in the toy trade to be approx. 260 million euros. The market environment and its development are characterised by momentum. The doll market has grown by 7% compared with last year, driven not least by market leader Zapf Creation and other leading manufacturers such as Bayer, Heless and the Simba Dickie Group. There seems to be a bitter fight going on at the moment between the traditional and modern when it comes to dress-up dolls. Presumably, this does not perturb the SIMBA DICKIE GROUP as it has a foot in both camps? M.S.: There has always been a balancing act between traditional and modern when it comes to dress-up dolls. This is the nature of the category. Fashion dolls are all about current styles and trends. For example, we have a new addition to the range in the form of Steffi Love with a selfie stick. But you cannot lose sight of traditional play themes either, such as Steffi Love as a horse rider. We really are backing both horses in the race in this regard. What role do licences play in the doll business? M.S.: At first glance, traditional dolls are of only minor importance in the area of licences. The licensing topic predefines the product category and associated target group and can therefore automatically limit the role for dolls. However, the right licence can also offer enormous potential, as with the soft body and functional dolls from Simba Toys under the “Masha and the Bear” licence at the moment. These represent the perfect symbiosis between traditional play values and a licence.
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