As we enter the holiday season our minds will start to drift to family, turkey, presents, and relaxation. For small businesses around the country though, the holiday season often means a ramp up in production and hiring. Essentially, small businesses can use their mobility to take advantage of times when larger industry shuts down for the holidays. When millions of Americans are sitting by the fire roasting marshmallows, small business owners will be ardently pushing their companies towards success.
Sounds stressful, huh? That's why I've created a holiday gift list for small business owners: odds and ends as well as cutting edge products that can take a bit of stress off their backs.
1. Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine: The Rancilio Silvia has been continually voted by consumers as one of top espresso machines over the past several years. What can help a small business owner in a time of need more than a hot, steaming espresso pick-me-up? This well-crafted stainless steel and brass appliance not only looks great, but also makes a top-notch espresso or cappuccino, with an incredible foaming capacity.
2. Zazzle.com Gift Certificate: Zazzle provides a great interface for a small business owner to create branded paraphernalia like coffee mugs, t-shirts, and business cards. Although some of these items appear somewhat trivial, having branded equipment can be essential for a growing business that is still searching for its identity. Having a sweet logo, catch phrase, or design to show off to the world can boost a team's solidarity and collaborative abilities. Zazzle's business card UI is simple but effective, and provides an easy interface for a startup's first business cards.
3. Applicant Tracking Software: When a small business begins to grow, an owner will embark on a difficult and complex applicant tracking process. Finding the best suited talent for a small business requires a great deal of organization and detail management. Luckily, there are applicant tracking software solutions that can drastically increase the efficiency of a company's hiring process. Many hiring solutions are easy to use, effective, and priced at a point that allows small business owners to compete with the big boys in the corporate recruiting arena.
4. Herman Miller Mirra Office Chair: For those small business owners that work on a computer all day, this ergonomic king of office chairs will offer some necessary comfort and support to their aching backs. The Herman Miller Mirra was voted by consumers as one of the best ergonomic office chairs with a one size fits all saddle as well as adjustable lumbar support and arms.
5. Frog O Sphere: The Frog O Sphere is a self-contained eco-system for two dwarf african frogs, sold by Brookstone. You're probably asking how the heck frogs can help small business owners. Budding entrepreneurs spend many, cold, lonely nights in the office, finishing reports, sending out packages, and preparing presentations. It's unrealistic to have a dog or cat at the office, but a self-contained and easy to maintain Frog Ecosystem can fill the need for a healthy distraction and great conversation topic.
