And There It Goes

It's that time of year again - there's just so much money going out right now and not too much coming in as we prepare for what we hope will be a really busy trade show season, holiday season, Emmy Awards Show Season, etc etc etc. Essentially everything that could potentially bring in a good deal of money is hitting in the next three to four months which means we're doing everything possible to prep in advance and that's a lot of money going out. Money for trade show booths - trade show furniture (did you know that with your 10x10 booth space you have to "rent" carpet?) - travel expenses for those trade shows - marketing material that has to be printed in advance of the trade shows - product that has to be made and packaged in advance of trade shows, emmy awards, etc. Honestly the list is never ending and it's freaking me out. I'm just hoping that everything will go well over the next few months or we'll be tapping out of cash.

One of the biggest expenses I'm struggling with lately is for PR. I know that one needs PR but I'm just having a hard time swallowing the amount that's being spent on PR and when I think of all the other things that money could be spent on it makes me want to cry (I've wanted - heck, NEEDED, to get a new printer for about a year now and never seem to have enough "untouched" cash to draw from to go out and get it!). It's not that I don't think PR is valuable - it's just that I'm not wholly convinced that the professionals are worth the price they're being paid.

Now I know that PR is one of those tough things to measure and that if it works a lot of it is going to come down the line later - right now we're essentially laying the groundwork. But still...I'm just not sure I couldn't do an equally good job for a fraction of the price. And yes, I realize that it's insane to think that I can be doing everything. But really - compare the amount I've committed to PR for this year versus what it could cost me to get a ProfNet subscription and do it on my own...that's more then enough for that new printer. That'd be enough to perhaps even pay me a small salary!

I'm pretty committed to seeing 2007 through as planned with the PR plan in place. But I have to admit that I need to see some pretty significant results to make it worth it for 2008.