Looking for something for a fledgling business owner?

When the magazine was just a wee baby, I was living on a gnawed and knotted shoestring.  I've told the story before, but those first couple of years were rough.  I'd shave off a 16th of an inch from the 3 non-bound edges (working in the printshop bindery, on a guillotine cutter) until I got it down below 3 ounces to save 10 or 20 dollars on postage each issue.
Eventually we had enough subscribers to get a bulk rate on postage, but at that time the magazine was all work and no pay and pulling together the $150 it took to set up the account might as well have been a million.  I mentioned it to my mom in passing.

She went to the post office and set it up for me as a Christmas/birthday gift that year.
It was one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone ever gave me.  It made an enormous difference.

It told me that she believed in what I was doing, and wanted to see the business succeed.

Paying for business cards, maybe finding a monogrammed portfolio, or picking up a few months of their website hosting fee can make a huge difference when every penny matters.  Get their labels printed or give them a gift certificate to a local printer.

Not many small businesses need a bulk mail permit, but just about all of them could benefit from something else that they might not feel like they can afford, and that is advertising.

Print advertising continues to exist as long as the magazine, and hardly anyone throws out their copies of The Essential Herbal.  It gives a business a solid impression and when the ad is repeated several times, people start to remember the business and feel familiar with it.  On the internet, 1000's of ads fly past us everyday, but on paper they have the same quality of the publication in which they are included. 

If you know someone starting out in an herb business (or even someone fairly established), consider this option.  Here's a link to our advertising page with rates:
COLOR 
 BLACK and WHITE
Feel free to email me at EssentialHerbal@gmail.com with any questions regarding this gift.
Most of our advertisers have been with us for years, and a couple have been with us since we started offering advertising in our third year.