Great Back-Stories Makes Buying Fun

 Great Back-Stories make buying fun.  What's a Back-Story?  It's the story behind an object or product.  In your home it's the objects that family and friends are drawn to.  The objects that stimulate questions as to their origin.  And, you immediately begin relaying the story behind the item . . . its history, who gave it to you, where you purchased it.  Did you find it on vacation?  These Back-Stories then become the Front-Story.

This week, the National Grid announced that it has begun a program for small businesses that "can save them up to 70 percent of the costs of installing energy-efficient equipment" (bizjournals.com).  In order to qualify, the small business must use no more than 100 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.  The National Grid services Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island.

The majority of the savings is found in replacing lights, while savings are also found in the replacement of motors in coolers and refrigerators.  Companies are able to finance their share of the project for up to two years interest-free, or they can save an additional 15% by paying one large lump sum.  According to bizjournals.com, the average payback is 11 months. 

There are $60 million available for this program.  For more information, click here.

Finding good health coverage for you and/or your employees isn't an easy task.  The paperwork, incessant interrogation, and costs can quickly quell any plans for your business's health coverage.  Access Health Partners provides a low-budget solution for the independent retailer trying to provide medical care for his or her employees. 

Acceptance into their program is guaranteed: no one will be rejected for preexisting conditions or lifestyle choices such as smoking.  The rates start as low as $99 a month, with the average plan totaling between $221 and $224.  This average plan provides $15,000 a year in coverage for the insured party.  And the plan doesn't need to be yearly; Access Health Partners is flexible enough to allow seasonal, or month-to-month, insurance. 

For New Yorker's, Fashion Week is a holiday. Whether you work in fashion or not, you can't help but be swept up in bustle of models, shows, beautiful apparel and celebrities.
When most think of fashion labels, we think of large, international corporations, but actually most fashion designers and labels in New York are independent retailers trying to make their business' profitable like any other independent retailer.

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I spent Monday of last week at the Fancy Food Show, and I am delighted to report that it was very busy.  At times, it was actually difficult to walk down the aisles and many of the manufacturers that we wanted to speak with, were knee deep in attendees, so that we either had to miss them altogether or make our way back to their booths several times.

For me personally, it was a trip down memory lane.  I haven't been to the Fancy Food Show since I was a little girl, and my father ran the show!  Yes, a long time ago.

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