It's inevitable. It will happen at work, at a party, or a job interview. Even a client meeting. If you're in marketing communications biz long enough someone, some time, somewhere is going to ask you question: "Where do you get your ideas?" The first thing to remember when this happens to you is to remain calm. Nobody who asks this question expects you to bore them to tears by actually discoursing on "creative process" (which someone once described as "making sausage and you don't want to know.") On other hand, you don't want to sound totally clueless either. So, here's what to do: Plant your feet firmly, look your questioner in eye and let one or two of following witty and wise sayings flow smoothly off your tongue. They're short and sweet -- and guaranteed to make you sound brilliant. And by way, don't feel guilty about borrowing any of them because, as Voltaire said, "Originality is nothing but judicious imitation."

"I don't know where my ideas come from...however ... one key ingredient is caffeine. I get a couple of cups of coffee into me and things just start to happen." - Gary Larson

"The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas." - Linus Pauling

"I shut my eyes in order to see." - Paul Gaugin

"Some men see things as they are and say, why. I dream things that never were and say, why not." - George Bernard Shaw

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen

"An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on talent that rubs against it." - Bill Bernbach

Advertising costs are a bitter pill to swallow for many small businesses. Many businesses rely on advertising to keep customer traffic up, but cost of a continuous advertising presence can be overwhelming for some small business owners especially in today’s sluggish economy. Here are 3 tips to help you reduce your advertising costs while maintaining your advertising effectiveness.

Piggyback: Do you regularly send out flyers or mailers to local market? Why not share that cost with another small business. If you normally buy back page of weekly community newspaper, why not split that page with another reputable retailer? Piggybacking your ad on another ad, or allowing another retailer to piggyback on your ad essentially cuts your cost in half. While it may also reduce your ad response somewhat, it is an excellent method of maintaining a continuous advertising presence and saving money. The key is to piggyback with a reputable partner. If you reduce size of your ad you put control over who gets other half in hands of newspaper or magazine. Instead, buy ad yourself and work out a deal with a pre-selected small business in your area to ensure that your shared ad is not shared with a competitor, or a company that you would prefer not to be associated with.