Learn about what rubber stamps to buy for your new business…

New businesses start all the time so in this Blog article we explain what rubber stamps to buy. Also, businesses change hands to new excited owners regularly. Generally, in this initial stage funds are restricted. Also, the direction the new enterprise will follow is likely to change. Short-term, low-cost systems for repetitive work are needed. The solution is a custom-made rubber stamp.

During the past two years with lockdowns and people being dismissed from their jobs alternative ways to try and make a living became necessary for many. People were at home and those little inklings of ‘one day I would love to start my own little food business’ became reality for many. They had the time. Food was still available. Online marketing these days is an excellent way to sell products lovingly made anywhere in New Zealand.

Plus, the courier service was still operational even though they were under immense pressure. Today getting your products from far flung places to another is routine. We met many from the little hot spot of start-ups in Queenstown and Wanaka. Thanks everyone we really appreciated the support too. Having diversified ourselves from stamp manufacture to adding laser work we were still able to support other stamp makers and art and craft people in places like Eketāhuna, Porirua, Tauranga, Levin, Taupo, Whangārei and Mosgiel.

This distorted economic situation created a wonderful incubator for innovation and enterprise which is just terrific to see and be a little part of. The hardest part for these little start-ups was that printing was restricted by the lockdowns. Funds for start-ups were hard to come by. How to finance marketing and packaging of your products?

Old school technology came to the rescue. A stamp on paper. Simple cheap and scalable.

Plain paper, paper bags and cardboard turned into effective marketing and packaging solutions at low cost. Even stencils became useful items for larger scale branding opportunities. Many entrepreneurs found that the cost of buying a stamp often equalled or was lower cost than the set-up cost for a printing run.

Then to do the printing run would involve a commitment to thousands of bags which may or may not even get used. It was cheaper to buy a smaller number of plain bags and mark as many as was needed as and when needed. For retail outlets staff can mark bags in between serving customers and is more cost effective in labour productivity.

That also reduces waste. There is no overproduction. Just what is needed. Marketing campaigns can be changed instantly with a different stamp mark being used. Better for the budget and better for the environment. Okay that is all nice and a fluffy story. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Which stamps help and why?

The above mainly talks about food start-up businesses. They must have Best Before dates or expiry dates for legal sale in New Zealand.

These personalised stamps we make so often we have products on the website specifically for Best Before stamps. These might be stamped on different surfaces from plain paper or cardboard to plastics and items that are frozen. Each surface must have the correct stamp ink to be effective. That is why there are different product combinations with each of those surface types. The product includes the stamp, the ink for each situation and instructions on how to use the special solvent inks for gloss or plastic surfaces.

So what rubber stamps to buy for a start-up business? You ask…

How to get paid. Crucial to survival. Beyond cash there are EFTPOS and internet banking. Start-ups can’t afford EFTPOS often. But internet banking is easily available and has replaced the old cheque system.

How does your client know which bank account is yours for you to get paid?

On your invoices will be your bank account. What if you are using an invoice book? As a start-up like a lawn mowing round, firewood deliveries, plumber or carpenter then you can pop down to the local stationery store and pick up any generic invoice book and away you go. Low cost and fast.

A stamp on the page with “please pay account # ………” makes it clear and easy for your clients to pay you.

Having got paid there are some legal issues to deal with as well. If you are GST registered those invoices should have your GST number on them.

Plus, if the value is getting higher for some work like some landscaping or construction work you should have your enterprise name and address. Whether you are a sole trader, partnership or limited liability company all of these are easily accommodated on an address stamp.

Did you know a stamp can be made to fit those lines in your own invoice book?

Use your phone to take a photo of the invoice book where the box to fill in your details is. Give us a correct measurement of the total height and width of that box. We can design your personalised rubber stamp to fit those lines for great presentation of your business.

Then with those details if there is space the GST number can be included. The greater the number of lines and the larger the height of the stamp needed, and cost goes up. Sometimes a separate single line stamp and address stamp is lower cost than one larger stamp.

If you do buy two or more self-inking stamps at one time, we give you a 10 percent discount.

Let’s follow along the new start-up paper trail and see where else a stamp can help save time.

Stamps are a tool to help you save time and make your workflow neater and more efficient. Repetitively writing the same thing repeatedly can be tedious. Your attention drifts. Your hand cramps up. Your handwriting gets worse. Can you still read it clearly? Is this a good way to represent your business and get repeat work? Is it very professional?

Use a stamp! Same print every time. Faster than by hand. Easily seen and readable. Cost per imprint is a few cents.

A paid stamp can save you time. This works for both the bills you must pay and for the clients who pay your invoices. A quick stamp mark can show you very quickly which of your pieces of paper have been processed and you can get on with some work that has billable hours.

When was that paid though? How can you tell?

Use a paid stamp with a date. There is a large selection of date stamps on our website.

However, these date stamps have a fixed word “Paid” plus an adjustable date. Using rotating rubber bands, you dial up the date you need and then stamp the paperwork. Let’s say you have sat down for half an hour to get all the bills paid. Then quickly stamp, stamp and stamp all marked and done. Next task. The best feeling is when your invoices are paid by your new clients, so good. Stamp it paid. Yes, now the job is truly finished.

Hang on a minute. You have some more work to do yet. Somehow someday you must report all this income to the Government for income tax reasons. Some sort of accounting needs to be done. That might be basic in a spreadsheet for a start-up. Or you might invest in a subscription to an accounting package like Xero.

The paperwork and bank transactions all need to get into that system. Which ones have you processed into there and can now file that paper. Never waste time looking through them twice or more because there isn’t a mark on them to show they have been processed. Yes, you must store and be able to present those invoices to a tax inspector.

A quick stamp with “Processed” or “Posted in Xero” can easily be seen. You know at once that it is done, and you will not waste time checking it again in the future. Its done. Go and play with your kids, they will really appreciate it. You can’t ever get that time back again.

Changes with business growth.

So business is going well. You’re getting a bit of an income coming in and can move. Oh no your address stamp is now useless it has the wrong address! No that is not true.

You can change a self-inking stamp mark that it makes. Do not throw away a perfectly good stamp!!

Save yourself some money and update the current one.

We will have your stamp on file. Tell us what needs to change. We can check the new design with you and quote for the part needed. You can then update your current stamp with a new rubber die you change over yourself in your stamp. We laser engrave the part with a backing tape attached already. You peel off the rubber die and mount the new one. Read here how you can update your self-inking stamp.

What if I lose my stamp? Or it gets damaged beyond repair?

Yes, that happens. Ouch. Many a stamp has been run over. Something heavy dropped on it. Fell out of a bag or vehicle and never seen again. Or the kids have played with it and its now gone!

Sorry to hear that. The good news is that we will have your design in storage on file and can quickly check it is the correct one and get it on the courier to you within a day generally.

We are a custom rubber stamp manufacturer and can make you a custom-made stamp for your exact needs. If you have some other style of stamp to remove repetitive writing from your administration work, ask us to make one for you. That’s what we do all the time.