The Impact of Dropping Oil Prices on Three Austin Businesses

Posted by: Stacy Perman on October 22

When oil prices surged, reaching an all-time high of $147.27 a barrel in July, small businesses like many, found themselves on the precipice of yet another painful hit to be endured in the course of running their businesses: a hit that was 360 degrees in scope. Those dependent upon transportation of goods and services saw their own costs soaring while their profit margins began to head south. Many found themselves with few options to consider outside of passing on their own costs to consumers whose spending had begun to shrink alongside the economy.

Now with the price of oil dropping – to nearly half of what it was at its peak last summer – I spoke with a diverse group of small business owners in Austin, Texas to see what kind of impact the current decline in prices was having on their businesses now.

Stephen Shang, the owner of Falcon Storage, a portable storage firm, says the volatile cost of gas actually forced him to be more creative and efficient in conducting his business. For starters, Falcon purchased a 3,000 gallon gas tank in order to stabilize the firm’s own gas prices at least on a monthly basis. “Before we just went to the pump and bought as needed,” Shang told me. “We’ve been able to buy at volume and save money. And our drivers now that when gas drops they can buy it from the tank.”

Secondly, Shang says that when gas prices spiked he ended up passing on the higher cost to his own customers — by some 20 to 30 percent. But as result of that, he also told me it pushed the company to make improvements in efficiency. “We had a big discussion. We couldn’t just pass this onto customers without doing something,” he explained. “So we ended up improving the level of customer service.” Shang says Falcon refined its own systems considerably shaving off the amount of time customers waited for a container delivery: from all day to two hours. “Ok you’re going to pay more,” he says. “But we are providing better service. Actually it’s helped us gain some market share.” Read more…

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When it comes to environmentally friendly trade show give-aways, few items give more bang for the buck than imprinted tote bags. Trade show attendees are constantly looking for quality bags to put their catalogs and handouts into, and a heavy-duty tote bag will be used over and over again—long after the trade show has ended.  Tote bags are light in weight, fold up easily and they help prevent dozens of plastic bags from ever being needed.

Robert Piller, president of Eco Marketing Solutions, notes, “Imagine the return on investment that a reusable tote bag offers, when you factor in the hundreds of people who will be carrying your billboard sign around a trade show floor promoting your company.”

With all the choices of eco-friendly promotional tote bags, how do you choose which is the best tote bag for your budget?  Below are the five most popular types of eco-friendly tote bags and information to help you choose the correct tote bag for your needs.

1.  Cotton/Canvas Tote Bags: Cotton/canvas tote bags are probably the strongest and most durable of all tote bags.  Cotton tote bags come in various weights and offer possibly the best value, as well.  For trade shows, choose a cotton tote bag made with a minimum of 6 ounce cloth in order to carry and support substantial weight from catalogs, thus ensuring that the tote bags will actually be used. You can order these in natural color or dyed, depending on the impact of your logo and message.   The canvas material is not smooth, so small fonts and detailed logos should be avoided.

2.    Organic Cotton Tote Bags (Organic Canvas Tote Bags): Organic cotton tote bags have Read more…

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New Imprinted heavy Duty Cotton/Canvas Tote bag

(Austin, TX) Eco Marketing Solutions has just introduced a new heavy duty  natural cotton imprinted tote bag which can be imprinted with your company name and logo.  Specially designed for carrying added weight from catalogs at trade shows, this environmentally friendly tote bag measures 11″ x 14″ x  5″ and will keep your name and logo traveling around the trade show floor—serving as a walking billboard sign.  Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, asks, “What is the value to your organization if you hand out 250 of these environmentally friendly tote bags at a trade show and people throughout the show floor see your name and booth number?  It pays for itself right away.”

“We chose this tote bag design for maximum imprint– 9.5″ x 11″, he continues.  “That is larger than a standard 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper, making these the ultimate eco-friendly trade show promotional item.”

Each all natural tote bag also come with a shoulder length, sewn handle made of natural canvas fiber.

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Robert Piller is President of Eco Marketing Solutions, which helps companies promote their brand and image at trade shows and in direct mail with environmentally-friendly imprinted promotional products that won’t end up in landfills.  He is a frequent guest writer and speaker on issues of green marketing.   He can be reached at robert@ecomarketingsolutions.com or visit his blog: www.greenspotblog.com.

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