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Many portable sanitation businesses maintain their success using a few basic marketing strategies. They keep a Yellow Pages ad, they follow local construction project bids by reading Dodge Reports (McGraw Hill Publishing), they prospect with phone calls and sales visits, and they maintain visibility with a memorable company name clearly posted on all their units in the field. This may be all you need to survive.

A board can help jumpstart a business that needs to become more competitive. Owning your own business means being the master of your destiny. Many people get into the portable sanitation business for that reason alone. So if you like making your own decisions, why in the world would you consider hiring a board of directors? The main reason is that even though you make all the decisions, you don’t always have all the answers.

Ken Cooper, Information Systems Manager, PolyJohn Enterprises Corporation ken.cooper@polyjohn.com Who’s afraid of the World Wide Web? Actually, many people older than 30 who don’t use a computer in their daily job may be reluctant to use the Internet, let alone advertise their business on a website. If you’re one of these people, you’ll probably change your mind once you learn how easy it is, and how much you can save by moving some of your advertising dollars to the web.

Growing your business isn't always about getting more customers. A less expensive and more effective way is to provide additional services to the customers you already have. Add a new customer and that adds transportation costs, sales and service costs, account management costs and capital costs. Sell new services to an existing customer and you add just a little extra time and some capital expenditure. It adds up to a lot of savings and profits when you increase customer share.

Jake Groen, Plant Manager Rama Plastics, Inc. The Pope’s visit to Toronto in 2002 and the SARSstock Concert in 2003 were events that drew over a million visitors. They were too large for any one portable restroom company to handle. To win the bid over much larger competitors from the US and to get the job done right, the two largest providers in the Toronto area, Chantler’s Portables and Nature’s Call, created a strategic alliance between themselves,

In the history of our growth from PolyJohn’s first foothold in Europe to a rapidly growing international operation, we have taken a route that any corporation can follow to grow and develop new geographic markets. Although we didn’t see the connection at the time, our route to expansion follows some of the same principles that history teaches us were used by “empire builders” before us. Think of how England and other countries settled the New World.

Ken Cooper, Information Technology Officer PolyJohn Enterprises ken.cooper@polyjohn.com According to the MassMutual Financial Group/Raymond Institute American Family Business Survey, revenues from family-owned firms grew by more than 50 percent between1997 and 2003. During a time when most other businesses experienced a recession, American family-owned businesses grew at a robust pace.

For the past decade, special events have created the fastest growing market for portable restrooms. More people are getting outdoors on weekends to enjoy parties, parades, festivals, music and fairs. Here are some tips to help you succeed in this growing market. Start Small The most common way to get into the event market is to start small. Put aside a few special-event units and market them to small towns, social clubs, church groups or party planners.

Didn’t your mother ever tell you, “Don’t talk to strangers?” Most people have taken this warning to heart. That’s one of the things that makes sales a tough profession. When you are a stranger, people don’t want to talk to you. However, if they know something about you or your company, they are more likely to open their door to you and invite you in for a conversation.

Building the Shelter of Strong Relationships By Steve Baie, Southeast Area Manager When money, services and goods are being exchanged, you’re in a negotiation. Negotiations that don’t treat both parties fairly can build conflicts over time. If you always strive for win/win in your negotiations, you can build long-lasting relationships of trust and friendship that will shelter you through the tough times.