The best gifts – whether you buy them for yourself or someone else buys them for you – are practical gifts that make life more comfortable and help you help others.

Image Credit: Dereck Willis Photo Restoration and Preservation

There are key products that those who work at a desk really need that can greatly increase productivity.

In this post I’m going to start laying out what they are as the first step into researching the very best products of each type.

The first thing a blogger or other worker at a desk needs in the winter is to stay warm.

Cold fingers are simply not conducive to typing -
and cold feet affect overall well-being.

Staying warm is a greater challenge because many of the heaters being sold today are junk.

We must stop focusing on “cheap”
and go instead for quality and safety!

Saving a few bucks is NEVER going to make up for
burning down your house and losing everything
or losing your loved one’s lives!

USELESS HEATERS:

• FeatureComfort H0301 This thing is little more than a toy. You’re more likely to burn yourself on it trying to get a little warmth than stay warm. As I type this I have one leg on either side of it and can barely keep just my legs warm. Putting it 3 feet away would be joke. Save your money to buy a heater that actually makes an entire room or at least part of a room warm!
• Pelonis H0221 Ace Hardware doesn’t list the H0301 model on their Website, but they do have this one that is very similar that reviewers have given only 2.5 stars for similar reasons I’m calling this heater almost worthless.  They do have a helpful types of heaters page.
• SQH310 This heater is sold under brand names Sunbeam, Jarden Consumer, Jardennsumer, Westpointe, Quartz Tower heater. This heater weighs next to nothing which was the first indication of poor quality. While it put out a lot of heat it lasted less than 30 hours before it croaked. That might actually be a blessing in disguise because this particular model is a heating fire hazard!

YOUR HEATER INPUT WANTED:

We all need to be at least somewhat comfortable to be truly productive so I’m asking for your input:

1. What heaters are worth having that won’t endanger your life and surroundings?
2. Do you know of any that are more economical to run and better for the environment and your health?
3. What favorite INDEPENDENT small businesses sell heaters that we as bloggers can support? Ace Hardware immediately comes to mind because they are a co-op of independent hardware stores.  There is an Ace Hardware Affiliate Program which unfortunately is NOT on the most trusted Affiliate Network ShareASale.

There are no doubt others worth promoting so do please leave links to any your use and recommend in my comments so I can link to and support them.

HEATERS WORTH TESTING?

• Floor Mat Heaters ~ Anyone who uses a computer knows we don’t want our electronic equipment to get too warm (or cold), but WE want to stay warm. Heating that radiates upward to keep our feet and bodies warm while not overheating our computers could be a great idea. Is anyone using these kinds of heaters? Can you recommend any that warm you without being too hot for stocking feet?
• Picture Frame Heaters ~ Manufacturers and sellers of this type of heater claim it is extremely economical to run and I suspect they might be ideal for cool weather but I’m not sure they would really do enough when it is really cold outside. It might take a combination of a floor mat heater and a convection infrared heater both close to your desk to stay warm.
• Stoves and Fireplaces that burn alternative fuels including wood, pellets, oil, etc.  Suggestions on the best choices are greatly appreciated. Businesses and their agents ARE encouraged to leave information including links to related additional details in the comments of this post.

TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:

If you’re a small business, RELATIONSHIPS are the key to surviving challenging economic times.

• Treat your customers like friends so they won’t shop elsewhere to save a few bucks!
• Make it easy for your customers to recommend you:
  • Have business cards readily available where they can see them without asking.
  • USE TWITTER and put your Twitter username on your site, blog, and business cards. Add Twitter sharing buttons like the ones at the top of this post. Influential social media users and bloggers use Twitter as their primary means of first contact. It is easier to remember a well-chosen Twitter username than the name of your business or the URL of your Web site.
  • Provide them with tips on how to review your business and products. See my Supporting Small Businesses post for details.
• Reach out to bloggers – especially LOCAL bloggers – and share this information on blog outreach services with them.
  • Consider having bloggers whose audiences are the same as yours (same location or write about topics related to what you sell) review your products. Select wisely and provide the products either on loan or outright gifts to the bloggers who are the best fit for your business. If you don’t know how to do that, contact me and I will assist you.
  • Be memorable. Interact regularly with key social-media savvy bloggers so you develop a relationship with them. They’ll tip you off to opportunities and recommend you any time the opportunity arises. Remember that they spend A LOT  more time online than you do!
  • Send key fans of your business practical promotional gifts so they are constantly reminded of some combination of your company name, address, phone number, Web site, or Twitter username. (Whatever you have printed on what you send.) I will do a future post on what types of gifts to send bloggers if you want them to have your business info handy. YES we all have programs but NO we aren’t constantly thinking of EVERYONE we know. That would be impossible. But we do appreciate having something useful handy especially when it comes from a business we know and love as a constant reminder to recommend you!
• Contact me for free advice, introductions, or for additional information on Priorities for Small Business Online Marketing.

---

Image Credit: Twoakhuskies ~ Three Dog Night refers to it taking 3 dogs to stay warm! Natural heat source.

IMPORTANT: Please Read for your own safety!

In the U.S. where power is USUALLY pretty stable, many people do not consider what would happen if you had no power for any length of time. Until you go without power in the winter for days or even weeks few give it any thought at all.

A storm in north Texas once left residents without electricity for several weeks during the dead of winter when temperatures were below freezing. Since most homes in that area were newer, all electric, and did not have fireplaces that meant weeks with no source of heat at all and broken water pipes when the power came back on.

Believe me when I tell you there was a boom in sales and
leases of alternate heating solutions including
propane tanks, propane heaters, wood burning stoves,
and stoves that burn pellets and alternative types of fuel!

Something else few think about is the impact of down-sizing on the number of skilled employees available to get the power back on after storms and natural disasters.

Most companies have greatly reduced their workforces
and what that means to you is it will take MUCH LONGER
for power to be restored – and the more widespread the
disaster the longer that will take!

DURING EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES:

The time to prepare for emergencies is BEFORE they happen. Every home and business needs alternative sources of heat and light.

Remember that flashlights are only as useful
as the number of batteries you have on hand
or when they can be recharged!

• Make sure you have essentials like water, food, and toilet paper on hand to last at least several weeks. For food that means STAPLES like beans, rice, pasta, and canned goods. If you have never eaten that kind of thing now would be a good time to experiment and stock up. FOOD PRICES ARE CLIMBING RAPIDLY and will CONTINUE TO CLIMB!
• Oil-filled lamps for lighting or at least candles and plenty of matches.
• Heaters that burn alternative fuels including oil, pellets, or wood.
  
• Consider wind or solar power if you can afford them. They are not nearly as expensive as they once were.
  
• A camping shower kit that warms water using either propane or the sun. Most truck stops and RV parks have showers you pay for per use so find out where the closest showers are BEFORE you need to know.
  
• Keep phone numbers of friends and neighbors IN HARD COPY. Failing that immediately write down the most important numbers BEFORE your phone, PDA, or other electronic device’s batteries run down!
• Conserve your batteries by using devices sparingly for essential purposes only.
• If roads are clear, find out how widespread the outage is and consider relocating temporarily or at least visiting others for showers and to recharge batteries.  If you have a vehicle, invest in 12V power cords so you can charge your cell phone and laptop batteries, but remember you need to run the engine periodically even if you can’t drive anywhere to recharge the vehicle’s battery!
  

This is a guest post about one of the sponsors of the FamousBloggers CommentLuv $3550 CASH PRIZES Blogging Contest by Donna Fontenot (aka DazzlinDonna) who says about herself, “I’m a near-dinosaur in the SEO world, but I don’t really consider myself an SEO. I’m an online entrepreneur, affiliate marketer, and ebusiness coach among other things. Mainly, I’m a geek making a living online.”.

Raise your hand if you know someone who is considering supplementing their income by making money online – or someone who is ready to ditch the cubicle completely by becoming an Internet entrepreneur. These days, very few people wouldn’t raise their hands. Starting an online business is both exciting and scary, so help your friend start right by showing her that you believe she’s got the right stuff to make it big.

Anyone starting a new business of any sort – on or offline – needs some business essentials. You can help show your support for your friend’s new venture by giving a gift that says “This is a gift for success!” and it can be a gift that fits right in with the essential business tools she needs. Want some examples?

Head on over to Executive Gift Shoppe to choose a stylish gift for your budding CEO such as a swanky money clip, a “green” gift like the bamboo cell phone / MP3 / PDA charging station, or a beautiful and useful padfolio that’s perfect for organizing all the new tasks she’ll be taking on.

Remember how exciting it used to be when you’d go to school on the first day of the new year? What was one of the most exciting parts of that experience? If you were like me and many others, it was the chance to buy all new accessories – pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. Business accessories are just an adult extension of that same excitement. Starting a new business is even more exciting, so give a gift that the new entrepreneur is sure to love. You’ll find something just right at Executive Gift Shoppe, I’m sure.

Speaking of gifts, you can give the gift of your thoughts at my contest entry 5 Steps To Impressing A Longtime Jaded Blogger With Your Comments. It’s free to share your knowledge gift, so please do. Everyone would love to know what you think. Or, if you’d prefer, tweet a link to my entry using the hashtag #FCBLcontest.

How do YOU feel when someone gives you a gift – especially a carefully selected gift that you can use regularly? Does the gift change how you feel about that person? Do you think of them every time you use it? Would YOU appreciate receiving more gifts?

Although the true meaning of Christmas is infinitely more important, the holidays do provide the perfect excuse to give anyone a gift for any reason:

• In appreciation for assistance they’ve given you
• Because you truly enjoy their company
• To serve as a regular reminder that you’re in their life

Even if you suspect that someone may be giving you a gift to enhance their own business relationship with you, wouldn’t you still appreciate the thought? I believe most people would – especially if the gift were thoughtfully chosen just for them. If there are relationships you would like to strengthen, read on.

We are not talking about promotional gifts sold in bulk although those are a good idea for promoting a business. Today we are talking about selecting a gift specifically for a particular person – something useful that they will use and that will also remind them that you were thinking of them.

I have pulled up dozens of articles on this subject and found them less than useful, so I’m going to offer my own suggestions on what I believe would make excellent business gifts – things I would appreciate receiving and would use myself.

Disclaimer: These links are to an online gift store owned by a long-time friend. This is not a paid advertisement and they are not affiliate links (although he does offer many affiliate programs and I am not opposed to using them).

I have worked with him for years and recommend him here and elsewhere because he has always been my favorite client. He is honest, dependable, and offers exceptional service. He is also intelligent and his business model allows him to offer quality products at very competitive prices. You can confirm that others share my evaluation of him by reading his testimonials.

So, yes it will benefit him if you buy from his store – but it will also benefit YOU as much or more.

That out of the way, here are some items I believe would enhance your business relationships and help you grow your business (which is, after all, what the GrowMap blog is all about).

Business Card Holders

Business Card Holders – Who doesn’t carry business cards these days? I have never seen a selection larger than the amazing variety they carry.

Many – probably most – can be engraved with a special message, their name, or monogrammed. I chose this one from the hundreds or maybe even thousands they offer for the distinctive color and room on the back for three lines of engraving.

If you want at least twenty-five you can even have your company logo and business name on the front as shown in this image and engrave a personal message on the back.

In the “old days” Corporations used to give engraved gold or silver Cross or Colibri Pens as performance awards or after so many years of service. Get free engraving on their entire selection of personalized pens and save 34% off on all Cross pens left in stock.

Laser Pen Projects the Time

Know someone who could use a new toy for their presentations? Check out the laser pointers from $10 up to $689 for the Phire Blue Light Laser Pointer. That is some expensive light, isn’t it?

They even have a time projecting red laser. Not sure what you’d do with it (check the time in the dark?) but someone else must know, right?

WIth the number of road warriors traveling and presenting you’re bound to know someone who could use a laser pointer. $10 isn’t much to spend to enhance a relationship with your favorite presenter.

Desktop Alarm Clock Organizer

For people that spend time in an office choose from these practical desk accessories:

1. Desktop Business Card Holders – unique styles – some with clocks – from $13-$230
2. Desktop Pen and Clock Sets – Cross, Movado, and Bluestone Designs
3. Inspirational Desktop Sculptures – unusual items including sailboats and horses and gifts for golfers
4. Blackberry Holders, PDA Stands, Cell Phone Caddies
5. Desktop Organizers – many with Howard Miller TableTop clocks

Atomic Travel Alarm Clock

For those who travel here are some ideas to make traveling more fun:

1. Coffee and Tea Travel packs with insulated stainless steel thermos bottles in totes, duffels, or travel packs. (While these don’t show engraving options you could ask if they could be.  They were a good idea for those who commute so we’ve included them here anyway.)
2. Eliminate the time and stress of changing between time zones with an Atomic Radio Controlled Travel Alarm Clock that changes itself for you. They have a nice selection starting at only $24 with three Atomic Travel Alarm Clocks that can be engraved.
3. While actually embossed rather than engraved, someone who travels will appreciate quality leather toiletry bags and travel grooming kits.
4. Make the hassle of airport check-in easier with Passport Holders and Airline Ticket Holders.  ($27 and up)

If you know someone on a more personal level there are far more gifts than I’ve mentioned here.  I created a post in a gift idea blog I’m developing that explains all the reasons I recommend Executive Gift Shoppe and provides links to even more of their products.

See anything you like? Would you be interested in reviewing any of the gifts? Would you like to WIN free gifts or gift certificates? Leave a comment so we’ll know and we’ll be in touch.