ISSUE ONE - SPRING 2009 Welcome to the first issue of The Source. Written for the business community it presents interesting perspectives on a range of business and life issues. Our contributors are business experts from a wide variety of industry sectors and each offers an interesting insight from their particular profession. To receive future issues of The Source subscribe to the mailing list.     How Important is Your Brand Colour? Chris Wadsworth The Fount Colour can be utilised to create visual consistency across a company's marketing and communications collateral. If applied well, it can instantly distinguish a company or product from competitors ...       History of Insurance Kevin Smee Solutions Financial Services Most people believe insurance is a modern day occurrence, governed by money, but we could say insurance occurred with the start of human kind. In societies not governed by money, it is common to see ...     Increase Sales Using Targeted Branding Merchandise Simon Wilkinson Brand Storming Promotions How many business cards do you give away - hundreds, thousands a year? And where do these business cards go ... into a card file, under piles of paper on someone's ...       Auckland CBD Fringe Office Market Tim Gemmell Fairfax Valuation & Advisory Auckland's metropolitan office market has entered a period of consolidation largely due to the impact of the credit crisis and the ensuing contraction of the economy. As for the CBD fringe ...     Since When Did You Become a Bank? Jeremy Wilson Success Group Many business owners are reluctant to chase debtors for fear of upsetting the business relationship and losing business, but it is important to remember that slow-paying debtors are in effect using you as a bank ...       Have You Secured Your Financial Future Yet? Anthony Simpkin and Kelly Preen Action Housing Ltd Where to now?! This is the question facing investors, business and home owners, and anyone who is working with an eye to the future and the uncertainties of retirement ...     Telephones - An Essential Business Tool Too Often Taken for Granted! Terry Dartnall Communitel The first recognised telephone was invented by an Italian - Antonio Meucci - in 1854. He took out an initial patent but supposedly didn't have the necessary $10 to renew ...       Misconceptions About Marketing Renata Mathewson Maple Marketing Marketing often gets a bad rap. From a customer's point of view, it is often perceived as something manipulative that sneaky marketers do to coerce us into buying things we don't need. From a business owner's ...     The Fount Experienced and professional graphic design studio offering a comprehensive range of branding and design services for print and web media. www.thefount.com Solutions Financial Services Solutions brokers are passionate people who make sure your insurance works at claim time. www.solutions.gen.nz Brand Storming Promotions BSP works closely with our client's promotional concept creating a merchandise strategy to complete the client's overall marketing and brand activity. www.bsp.co.nz Fairfax Valuation & Advisory Independent Property Valuers and Consultants specialising in residential and commercial valuations. www.fairfaxvaluation.co.nz Success Group Success Group is a future focussed, performance accounting practice who help you discover areas of unexploited profitability. www.successgroup.co.nz Action Housing Ltd Property investment specialists, with extensive experience in working with clients to develop strategic plans to secure their financial futures. More information about Action Housing Ltd >> Communitel Independent telecommunications company, passionate about seeing clients get a fair deal - we keep it simple and make it fair. www.communitel.co.nz/business.html Maple Marketing Marketing consultancy helping businesses produce well-planned, effective marketing materials and professionally written business documents. www.maplemarketing.co.nz Would you like to contribute? Email us if you would like the opportunity to expose you brand and business expertise to thousands of businesses.   The Source is designed and published by The Fount. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of others represented in this issue.