Digital Hitchhiker

I’ve talked about or rather joked about getting swag or schwag for LooseKeys before. Maybe some t-shirts, pint glasses or iPhone cases. But I’ve never bought any of these because I know they are really just a waste of money. None of my clients want a LooseKeys shirt, the only people that would wear one are myself, maybe some friends and the shirts probably wouldn’t be worn often. So in that case the whole point of swag as a marketing tool to remind clients about me is missed. A useful piece of swag would be something that serves as a constant reminder of a company; perhaps a coffee cup that could sit on someone’s desk everyday. If your logo is on that cup, the customer is continuously exposed to that logo in a neutral setting. Over time, hopefully they will grow favorable towards it and be more likely to call you rather than a competitor. But really I don’t see that happening. This isn’t the 1950’s; a list of competitors, their prices, ratings and recommendations are just a few clicks away online.

I think Mark Cuban said is perfectly “if you really think people are going to wear your branded polo when they’re out and about, you are mistaken and have no idea how to spend your money.”

How about using that money to train yourself on new technology or buying updated equipment. I bet a new computer or some extra RAM in that computer would help you a lot more then a box of umbrellas with your logo on them. 

If you really want to have a giveaway for an event or conference, be creative and unique. Don’t go through the catalog and just find stuff to stick your logo on. If it’s not something unique that has that same creative spirit as your company and people who work there, then don’t do it just for the sake of doing it. It’s a waste of resources and time. Daily Planet ltd. has the right idea, they do swag and giveaways well. They often do hand screened t-shirts usually without the Daily Planet ltd. logo on them. The designs are always fantastic, showing off the talented creative team and giving clients something they are happy to wear.

The only thing I’ve given out for LooseKeys as of right now is stickers. I enjoy stickers and always had them growing up; my skateboard deck was covered in them at one point. So the stickers are a part of me and the culture at LooseKeys. They are inexpensive and easy to carry around. Hopefully the people I give them to have a place to stick ‘em near where they work. But if not I have a neat sticker that I’d be happy putting up someplace.

If you really feel like you want swag for your company then get creative and personal with your swag but if you can’t do that then maybe you should just spend your money on something better.

Week 126 of Type Tuesday. Each week I try and share five free fonts that I’ve come across for you to use and enjoy. I hope you like what I have picked out this time. Be sure to comeback next week for another great set.

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It seems like everyone avoids dealing with taxes until the last minute. Having to go through all that paperwork just dosen’t seem like fun. By law you have to send out 1099s to your contract/non W2 employees by the end of January. But it seems like very few people follow that rule. Over the years I’ve received 1099s as late as March, just days before I was meeting with the accountant to file my taxes. I have no interest in breaking any laws. Getting audited just seems like a nightmare. 

As a freelancer I’ve received many 1099s from companies over the years but this is the first time I had to send out 1099s for LooseKeys. So I wanted to share my first time experience with the hopes of helping out others. I picked up the 1099 documents at Staples, there is a large display with pretty much all the documents you need. You can also order them from the IRS website, I’m not sure if they are free or not. Save the ink and pick up a pack from an office supply store and don’t just print them online. The official printed version of the IRS form is scannable, but if you find one online and print it from a website yourself it is not. A penalty may be imposed for filing forms that can’t be scanned. Just cough up the $20 for a package at Staples or Office Max. Avoid any chance you have for incurrent filling. When I first went to Staples I didn’t know there were different 1099s and just grabbed the first one I saw. Which was the 1099-R. Those are used for distributions from Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, and Insurance Contracts. After realizing those weren’t correct, I headed back to Staples and grabbed the 1099-MISC. All set, I began adding up all the checks I had wrote to all the talented people who worked with LooseKeys over the last year. I started using Quickbooks late into the year and all my numbers weren’t there. You can count on me keeping better track with tools like Quickbooks, Mint and Lemon this year. It would be much easier then flipping through checkbooks and adding up invoices. I think that’s the main reason people avoid doing taxes and sending out the correct documents on time. Once I had the right paperwork and the totals, it was very easy. Just fill in the correct boxes and make sure there are no typos. There was one box in the 1099 that threw me for a loop, it was the State Identification Number. I noticed on previous 1099s that I had received from other companies in the past, that this box was filled out. But after talking with the accountant, I discovered that no state number is required for 1099s. I’m not totally clear why but I’m going to go with what the accountant told me, she knows what she’s doing. Well now 1099s have been stamped and mailed out. I have a few documents that I need to send to the IRS by the end of February. And that was it, pretty painless.

I was a bit worried about dealing with 1099s this year since I hadn’t had to before but as of right now, everything seems to be pretty straight forward. Hopefully I didn’t forget anything and I don’t have the IRS knocking on my door later this year. Yikes!