The Best 2018 Black Friday Deals for Your Small Business

Whether all you need to do is upgrade your tech or put together a new office space, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are the perfect opportunity to get the things your business needs to succeed!

If you haven’t thought about investing in some products for your business, you may want to now. Your business can only succeed with how much effort you put into it -- which includes investing in tools to help your business function daily.

Maybe you need a new printer or camera so you can post higher quality images on your eCommerce website, or maybe you need a new truck for your handyman business. Whatever it is, definitely take some time to look into the Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) weekend deals!

Here are some of our top suggestions for your Black Friday & Cyber Monday Shopping Weekend:

LAPTOPS

According to researchers at BestBlackFriday.com, laptops will be “cheaper than ever” during 2018’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Every business needs a computer – even if you are a handyman and your work isn’t on a computer, it’s smart to have a laptop where you can keep track of emails, expense reports, and other important data (such as day-to-day purchases, traveling costs, time sheets, etc.).

Make sure to check out Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy – which will have, for example, a 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Air laptop on sale for $799. Need a desktop computer? They’ll also be selling the 21.5” iMac (the latest model) for $899.99 – both Apple models are $200 off their original price.

Image from Best Buy

Even if you aren’t into Apple products, you’ll be able to find other laptops and desktops at great prices. Dell is currently hosting an early black friday sale - which even includes Chromebooks.

TABLETS & SMARTPHONES

As highlighted in our article on online payments, tablets and smartphones are super helpful for accepting digital payments with clients. If you need a client to fill out a form before you can do any work, pull it open on a tablet to make the process quicker and more effortless than it would be to print out paper and keep it safe in a file cabinet. You can also easily access other documents on a tablet or smartphone, which could make client meetings easier.

Check out the Amazon Fire HD Tablet that comes with Alex Hands-Free, starting just at $89.99

Target is offering $150 store gift cards for purchasing the iPhone 8+ or iPhone 8 and $250 store gift cards for purchasing the iPhone XS or XS Max models. Walmart is offering even more: get a free $400 gift card for an iPhone 8+ or iPhone X, or a $300 gift card for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and the XR. Both stores require that the phones be activated through Verizon, Sprint or AT&T to receive the gift cards.

Image from Amazon

Have a lot of phone calls you need to make? One of the best alternatives to the Apple Earpods are the Jabra Elite 65t Alexa Enabled True Wireless Earbuds. Easily switch from your favorite playlist to a client call, and enjoy the mobility without the earphone wires. With the bluetooth, this means they usually work with computers for Zoom and Skype chats too. Plus, they have an Alexa built into them.

MARKETING MATERIALS

If you need new marketing materials – such as business cards, posters, or window decals to stick on your storefront, Vista Print offers a lot of great Black Friday deals. If you have special holiday hours or if you are a landscaper who does snow plowing in the winter, print out a batch of postcards that promote your seasonal change of services. By doing this, you can ask current clients to share the info with their family, friends, and neighbors. Or, you can go around your local neighborhoods and hand-deliver them yourself to every mailbox.

OFFICE SUPPLIES

All major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy, and other popular online retailers such as Wayfair will offer a lot of great Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on office supplies. If you need a good printer or two, or some new TV monitors for hosting large Zoom meetings, now is a really good time to think about buying those things.

If you can make it out to Staples, they’re selling monitors and great printers – such as the Brother HL-L2320D at 50% off for Black Friday.

Image from BFAds

CARS AND TRUCKS

Whether you need to drive a lot to meet with clients on site or need a big truck for carrying supplies to a project, Black Friday has some potential be a good opportunity to purchase or lease a new vehicle. However, you definitely need to be prepared going into it. There’s a lot of “fine line” details to pay attention to, so make sure you are careful and thorough reading between the fine lines so you don’t feel scammed. Look at your local dealership and test drive any cars or trucks before the sale to see how they run and feel.

Before you get to the dealership, begin looking at prices ahead of time as well. Do your research like you would if you were purchasing a car at any other time of the year – don’t get caught up in the heat of the moment for the sale. If all is well and it seems like the Black Friday deal is worth it, get to the dealership early and have all of your paperwork done ahead of time – reach out to the dealership before the sale so they can start working on the paperwork. This will expedite the process and get you out of the dealership before the big crowds and long lines hit.