Things change, including opinions. When I started my blacksmithing I started thinking about marketing strategies. One of the first things I did was design a business card on my computer and print a few to carry in my wallet. I thought this gave me just one step up in credibility above the smiths who didn't have a business card.
A bit later I decided to get some professionally printed cards on better paper to give me just a step up in credibility above the smiths who printed their business cards on their computers.
Over the next 18 years I handed out a couple of thousand cards and I'm not sure if any one of them ever brought me any business.
A couple of years ago we decided to drop our landline phone and all advertising. I went through the remaining supply of business cards and lined out all his old phone numbers and handprinted the new cell phone number. That took me a while and as I work on the project I pondered how I once thought that the practice seemed somewhat tacky.
However I was now operating on the basis of actual experience and I was not interested in spending any more money on business cards that didn't actually yield business. My opinion now is that the hand-edited card sets me one step above the smith who just jots down a phone number or scrap of paper. Eventually I may work my way back around again to using that method.
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| If I were going to get new cards printed, this would be the design. It has the correct cell phone number. |