Dear AMBC Members, Many of you have asked recently whether you should stay open, modify hours, or close completely during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting local, county, or state-wide stay-at-home orders being enacted. While we can't make this very important, tough...

The outbreak of COVID-19 has knocked us all for a loop. It seems like every day we hear of something else that’s being affected. Schools are closing, whole cities and towns are quarantined, states and municipalities are issuing states of emergency, concerts and events...

An update from FedEx on Covid-19 (03-17-2020): We recognize the trust you place in us when we deliver to your doorstep, shipping dock or place of business. That’s why I want to share an update on the actions we are taking at FedEx to keep you – and our team members –...

by Norman Froscher As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we know that we all wear different hats and work long hours to make our stores and operations succeed. Things are continually changing in our industry and the market pressures are only increasing. Often,...

Shipping Supplies Overseas: In response to the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, and its spread globally, we are seeing and hearing accounts of many of our AMBC Members offering programs and subsidies for their clients to ship masks, gloves,...

by Seema and Fahim Mojawalla 2020 is being hailed as the “Year of Perfect Vision.” What’s your plan for it? When we meet store owners at industry events, we always ask them to make a goal list for the following year, divided into months. Every month, we ask them to...

by Lisa Blanton and Norman Froscher It’s now 2020 and, as the year implies, it’s time to think about vision. Is your vision 20/20 or are you constantly thinking in hindsight? Are you thinking and acting strategically? Is your vision being impaired by blinders? In this...

by Marty Johnson “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” – Glinda New year’s resolutions often get a bad rap. In my experience, rarely do they last longer than a few days—a week or two at most if we go by my record. Their...

AMBC recommends that you encourage your clients to ship by these dates for the best chance of getting their domestic, contiguous state shipments delivered by Christmas. Please note that guarantees and time commitments may be suspended or extended during peak shipping...

Dear Uncle Marty, I need to hire someone new. I know you’ve written about this before, and I’ve tried some of the methods you suggested but am not having any luck finding the right person. Any other ideas? Thanks, Understaffed in Utah ... Dear Understaffed, It sounds...

by Tobye McClanahan This edition of Tech Talk is going to be a little different. Instead of telling you about some great new app, I’m going to re-introduce you to a free app you’ve all heard of, but unfortunately many aren’t using to its fullest potential. Twenty...

by Norman Froscher The dog days of summer are gone and soon we’ll be gearing up for another holiday shipping season. But often in this glamorous industry we can get a little bedraggled, feel a little unmotivated, and just get plain weary. As entrepreneurs and small...

by Michele Zajac, Owner of The Boxes etc. in Naperville, Illinois When you own a shipping store, you learn to deal with the unexpected. Every customer and every package is different, every day. It keeps life interesting. Maybe too interesting. Lunch time can span from...

I’m sitting in my little office in the back of my shop, listening to Aleah and Clark have conversations with our clients. I can trust what they’re saying. I can hear their smiles. And I smile. Over the past year, these two Uncle Marty’s team members have gotten to...

by Marty Johnson I just got back from a vacation—the first real vacation I’ve had in over eight years. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve traveled plenty, but it seems it’s always been for a conference, summit, gig, meeting, funeral, or some other event that I needed to be at....

Time for Change By Marty Johnson “The only thing that is constant is change.” – Heraclitus Things are not the same today as they were yesterday, very different than they were a few years ago, and entirely different than they were decades ago. Our world, communities,...

A few years ago, I had a call at my store from a student asking if I did key duplication and how much it cost. Being a shipping and office services center, I indeed did duplicate keys, at the time only charging $2.99 per key. So, I told her, “Absolutely!...

There’s this guy that works in the brand new building across the street. He looks official, and my suspicion is that he’s not an office worker there, but rather a foreman or contractor–the lead on one of the few remaining small teams putting...

What to expect at AMBC’s epic event, October 27-29 You’ve heard buzz about it for months now. You’ve read e-blasts, seen the schedule, and started to make plans. Many of you have already booked your tickets and made your reservations. You’re excited. And so are we!...

Seema & I were truly honored to host the Shira’s at our store last Tuesday, the 12th of September. We had an amazing learning and growth experience, exchanging ideas and experiences. (Thanks to ShipRite Services for hosting their regional workshop in Utica,...

Sometimes we need to take a step back to see how far we’ve come in order to realize, even just a little, the enormous scope of the future’s potential. I want to share a blog post that I wrote today for my store, in celebration of my sixth anniversary....

Do any of you have an insurance agent? Do you know who they are? Better yet, do they know who you are? I want to tell you about my friend Frannie. Probably about five years ago now, I decided I’d switch my business insurance. I didn’t really have a good...

I wanted to share this podcast with you about my CAGE Method, one which I spoke about in Vegas last year at the RS Expo Breakout sessions for Social Media 201. It’s important to note that consistency, authenticity, generosity and excellence are winning qualities...

I’m from a New York Italian community where pizza is a way of life. I’ll take on anyone and debate the merits of crust, sauce, cheese blend, hand tossing, oven styles, fresh or canned mushrooms, anchovies, or any other topic or topping. I know good pizza;...

Independence Day is just around the corner—a day on which we celebrate the tremendous freedom we have as Americans, look toward a future full of unlimited possibilities, and remember the cost at which our freedom came. And then we eat too much, drink too much, and...