Nashville Start Ups: How to Succeed in the 7th Fastest Growing City in the US

According to money.cnn.com, Nashville is receiving 31,153 people every year and growing. With this growth, consumers simply are inundated with choices. This is a growth city but it also means that you’ve got to market and make calculated moves to stay in front of your audience here.

In order to start a successful business in Nashville – we’ve compiled a list of 4 things that you must have done before you cut the big red ribbon.

1. Be an active part of the community.

Join the Nashville Chamber of commerce: https://www.nashvillechamber.com/membership/investment-levels and get involved in what makes Nashville unique. Your membership will help you gain visibility, build a network and grow professionally. In addition, the Chamber will listen to your needs and advocate on your behalf regarding key legislative issues. Get connected with important players in Nashville business and create a network to help grow your brand.

Join the Nashville Entrepreneur Center: http://www.ec.co/ This non-profit supports entrepreneurs by providing valuable mentorships to help them navigate the path of a startup lifecycle. The Nashville Entrepreneur Center provides year-round initiatives in the music and healthcare communities as well as physical communities, where startups can have a home with options like co-working space and dedicated desks. Your membership will provide you valuable advice and networking.

What other local groups does your business work with? Research and join. You’ll make connections that will grow your business organically – through relationships. Nashville, despite its growth, will never be a New York or San Francisco. We are still a tight knit, helpful, and relationship-centered city. To grow here, become engrossed in the community and help. Cut throat business will get you nowhere but lending a helping hand without asking for anything in return will put people in your corner southern style.

2. Budget and Enlist Experts.

A common mistake new business owners make is thinking as long as they can get a large sum of money, they start a business checking account and surely it will suffice to cover expenses. It doesn’t work. Don’t get so busy in other aspects of the business that you lose track of spending and carefully curated books. Make a detailed budget before you spend a dime. If you aren’t an expert at budgeting and finance, enlist the help of someone who is. “So many startups make the mistake of hiring professional help after crucial moves have been made. Hire a professional early. You’ll save money and you’ll save yourself from making critical and costly mistakes” said Tommy Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs Cohen CPA, working with Nashville businesses for over 25 years.

Considering that a lot of entrepreneurs tend to be more “big picture” thinkers, crunching numbers is not a favorite task. As such, is too often glazed over. Think about every aspect of your business budget and make a plan, then stick to it. Be disciplined and thoughtful or you’ll be out of business. (forbes.com)

3. Spend Marketing Money Strategically.

If you want to be seen in the 7th fastest growing city in the country, you’ll want to make smart marketing materials and investments. This can mean staying prepared and printed with everything from business cards to banners. We like Advocate Printing https://advocateprinting.net as they have skilled designers on-hand, quick turnaround time, and good pricing.

When you create these materials make sure that you are thinking about the Nashville consumer, inundated with new choices. It would be wise to include your location or city subset in your marketing materials: “Edge Hill’s Finest Eatery” so that Nashvillians can find you. Don’t get caught up in a “cool vibe” and forsake functionality, websites, and basic information so that the inundated consumer is able to find you.

4. Start a social media following.

You don’t need brick and mortar or customers to start your buzz. Get on social media in as many avenues as possible. Nashville is full of artists, musicians, families, and professionals – reach out to each of these demographics within your target market and start somewhere. This might mean tweets like “Can’t wait to join the ranks of Nashville success like ______.”  <-insert competitor” to bandwagon followers. Don’t wait until your grand opening. Do this now.

According to Entrepreneur magazine: “For those willing to hustle, the Nashville sense of community, camaraderie and friendliness opens some big doors.” In a city of 650,000+ we trust that you will feel right at home with your new business in the biggest little city in the country. Welcome ya’ll!

How AMP Can Partner With You for Your Holiday Parties

Everyone loves the holidays. From watching festive movies, attending countless parties, spending quality time with family and friends, to eating all the holiday food, it’s a joyful season. Who doesn’t love all the decorating that takes place during this time? This time of year really brings people together and what better way to kick off the season than with embellishing your home or office space? In this particular post, we want to focus on the importance of decorations for your holiday parties and how AMP can partner with you to throw a wonderfully festive party. Banners, Baby Nothing is as simple and noticeable as a holiday banner to decorate for your holiday parties. At AMP, we make all sorts: bunting banners, letter banners, and wide print banners. Pick your favorite holiday motto and pair it with a well-designed background that reflects the colors or themes of your chosen holiday and there you have it. A simple but mandatory staple for any holiday party. Holiday Cards Say cheese! Holiday cards are the perfect gestures to express goodwill and holiday cheer. At AMP, you can customize these holiday cards and express your season’s greetings for all. Every time you or your guests see these cards, it represents other’s thoughtfulness. Hang holiday cards on your mantle, around a door frame, or stacked on a table to bring personalization to your holiday parties. Holiday Coasters It may not be well known, but at AMP we design and print coasters. Even though a holiday coaster might not seem common, it adds that extra oomph to any holiday get-together. Why not add a little variety to your decorations? These also make for a fun gift! Chalkboard Sign We’ve all seen chalkboards and have been amazed by the detail and artistry displayed. A fun and unique way to decorate for upcoming parties is with a holiday chalkboard sign. At AMP, we work with you to create an amazing chalkboard print for any event. All we need is your inspiration and we’ll take it from there. Before the holiday seasons are upon us, get a jump start with your planning and preparations. At Advocate Marketing & Printing, we have all the necessary tools and imagination to help you create a memorable and beautiful party. Let us partner with you to create an unforgettable holiday experience for your guests.

5 Reasons Why You Should Print Your Convention Materials Locally

We highly recommend printing your convention material locally. Having high quality convention material is important. This is the material that will represent your company among hundreds, if not thousands, depending on the size of the convention. This is the material that will give people their first impression of your brand, and first impressions are known to stick around. It might surprise some, but finding the biggest printing company and ordering convention material from them is not always the best decision. Most of the time, local printing companies can deliver the same quality as large printing companies while completing your order in no time at all. We compiled a list of five reasons why we think you should print your convention material locally. Less Time to Complete Your Order Local printing companies do not have the volume of orders that bigger printing companies take on. This mass of orders (sometimes hundreds) can take a good chunk of time to complete. When you choose to order from a local printing company, the turnover time is much shorter. This way, if you need materials quickly you will receive your order promptly and you have more time to double check that your convention materials are exactly what you want for your business’ need. No Hassle Travel Traveling is hard enough as it is. Before you leave for your destination you need to align all your ducks in a row. You need to make sure you have everything necessary for your trip packed and ready to go. Now, add the hassle of safely packing and transporting your convention materials on your to-do list. Not only are there expensive shipping costs and more time needed to ship your order, but there is a chance that your material might become damaged. No matter where you place your order, there will be transportation involved; however, there is less of a chance of damage if there is a shorter distance to cover. Ordering your convention materials locally will save you from high shipping/traveling costs, and will decrease the chances of your materials being damaged. Better Customer Support Local printing companies are eager to build client relationships and will go out of their way to aid their customers. Receiving customer support from a local printing company will be much easier than trying to get ahold of a national printing company. You will not have to worry about being placed on hold for long periods of time before you speak to a human who can help you with your printing needs. Plus, communication between your printer and yourself will be easier. This is especially important if an emergency were to arise. Support Local Businesses Your local community’s economy will be improved by your purchase. Ordering your printing materials for any convention from a local business will build your community by stimulating your local economy. Not only will you receive top-notch materials, but you will build the business, grow your economy, and in return, benefit yourself. Local businesses are eager to help, dedicated to quality, and want to build credibility. They want to grow. When a company is dedicated to growing, they will go above and beyond expectations. The same is true for your local printing company; especially with creating your printing material for a convention, they will go above and beyond to make sure you are satisfied. Build Ongoing Relationships In any business, building and maintaining healthy relationships is important. You never know who can help you down your professional and personal roads. Building relationships with local businesses build trust, and when you build trust with your printer, you know your future printing orders will be taken care of and made well; you can rest, assured quality is there. Furthermore, a long-term relationship with your local printing company could mean discounted prices in the future, which never hurts. At AMP, we understand the importance of having high-quality printed materials which represent your company. We understand the importance of appearing at a conference (many, many people will be exposed to your brand) and why you need your printed materials to be perfect. If we can offer you advice, we would urge you to consider ordering your needed printed materials from a local printing store next time a convention comes around. Try it at least once, and let the quality of your order and the ease of ordering locally persuade you first hand.

Why AMP is a Great Partner for Your Nashville Events

Here at AMP, we partner with a lot of great local and non-local businesses. We help businesses promote their brand in unique ways through our print and design services. Whether your business is coming to Nashville for an event or if you are a local business, we can help. If you’re coming to Nashville, the hassle of packing up your signage or flyers and keeping them intact can be a difficult task. This is where we can step in. Location Since we are just four blocks from Music City Center in the heart of downtown, we are a great partner for your events. Whether local or national, we can help you brand your entire event, big or small. Since we are not far from MCC or downtown where several events take place year after year, it is nice that we are easy to find! Bandwidth Our team is able to handle any project that comes through our doors. Whether you need business cards printed, outdoor signage, banners printed, or even chalkboard prints, we have you covered. We even create beautiful designs if you’re not sure where to start with your printing needs. Our designers are in-house and are ready to create something great for you.  Expertise The AMP team has years of experience with not only printing and design, but with taking care of clients’ needs. Customer service is very important to us. Our top priority is to offer great customer service and to make sure each client is happy with their product(s). Whether you’re visiting Nashville for an event or are a local business, we are here to help! Let us know if we can assist with your next design or printing need.