One important, but often overlooked, factor of Business is stationary. The impact of professional stationary, and what it says about your business, should be as important as the business itself.

If you have a local brick and mortar company in Houston, you may have already branded your business - customers know your location and you can be easily found, but what about customers that are not local or even potential customers? Plain drab stationary with your logo centered at the top may be easily lost in the swarm of mail that individuals receive each day, but a clean professional design and logo will always stand out.

Your letterhead and envelopes should be attractive and easy on the eye- something that your customers will remember. Besides the letterhead, you may want to consider your business cards, correspondence cards, self-sealed envelopes for returning correspondence, and even invoices and envelopes for billing purposes.

Professional stationary serves as more than paper for sending correspondences; this can also be used as a way to brand your business. When individuals see your logo, they will automatically associate it with your business-- exactly what you want.

If you are just starting a business and have not thought about stationary, don't forget to incorporate it into your business plan. If you have an existing business, but never thought twice about your stationary, think again; it could make the difference of having your correspondence opened or diverted to the recycling bin.