Clifford Business Services, LLC

Hello world, it is I, Justis Clifford, Vice President and Co-Owner of Clifford Business Services, LLC (CBS).  I just wanted to take a minute to expand on our last post, the one my beautiful wife wrote about why we do what we do.  If you haven’t read it, check it out here.  The short answer is, Love.

Basically, she said that we aren’t here to get rich, we are here to make the world a better place.  In addition to my wife, Melissa, volunteering countless hours at the Oberlin Heritage Center, I recently found myself in a unique opportunity to give back doing what I love.

In November of 2016, I happily accepted a position on the Board of Directors for Friendship Animal Protective League (FAPL).  I don’t usually bring the spotlight on myself for the things that I do; however, this isn’t about me, it’s about the animals.  The FAPL is a unique organization, one of a kind really and I whole-heartedly believe that is because of the crazy awesome volunteers, staff and Executive Director, Greg Willey.  These people devote TENS OF THOUSANDS of hours every single year caring for THOUSANDS of dogs, cats and other small animals.  Do they do it for the money, glory or fame?  No, they do it because it is the right thing to do.

So, what does all of this have to do with us?  First off, I’d like you to take a minute to check out Friendship APL, either online or their Facebook account.  But I also want to say that this is what life should be about, helping each other, whether we are dog, cat, rabbit or human.  We each deserve to be treated with dignity and believe that the person helping us is doing so in our best interest.

Well, to bring it all back to the beginning (and what my beautiful wife was talking about).  This is what we do at CBS.  We aren’t here to make some obscene amount of money off of you.  We aren’t here to exploit you or your weakness.  We are here to make you bigger, better and stronger as an organization.  You see, this is a family business.  And this is a side business.  My wife and I both have full time jobs, a newborn, volunteer responsibilities, a dog, a rabbit…. We do this because we love to do this.  In the end, that is what you really need.  To find a place that will treat your business like that cute little puppy (or kitty, we don’t discriminate!) like you do.

-Justis

I’ve been asked the same question a couple times recently & it’s a good one so I thought I’d jot down a few of my thoughts. The question was: “If you’re not in it to get rich, why did you even start a business?” To me, the answer is simple. I inventoried the skill set of myself & my husband and I wondered, “How can I use these skills to help my neighbors?”

To me, the American dream isn’t about a get rich quick scheme or some idyllic picture-perfect world. It’s about leaving behind a memory your children can be proud of and your community can benefit from. My combination of a B.S. in Chemistry, minor in English, and a MLIS degree means that I’m an analytical thinker who can handle numbers, a dreamer who cherishes the written word, and a ninja when it comes to organization, cataloging and preservation. Well, all that plus maybe I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to be when I grew up! Anyways, I digress. I look around and I see how these skills can combine to solve the problem of a passion-project collection with no direction, or a mess of customer information with no logic. While my skills may seem odd, they really do work together.

My partner in work and life has the same combination of skills. He has an innate understanding of how to communicate with and to people, and he’s a natural leader. When you combine his charming personality with his knack for technology and design, you end up with a guy who can not only graphically design a gorgeous webpage, but he can generate the content, too! (He also told me that I forgot to include his “rugged good looks”…?)

So, with that said—why do we keep this business? It isn’t about getting rich, it’s about helping our neighbors. We’re not here to gouge you because we know how to code a website, or catalog your nonfiction collection using the Dewey Decimal system. We honestly want to help your business succeed and your collections to be manageable. We want to help in any way we can. That, folks, is the whole truth & I promise you, our philosophy will never change.

-Melissa

On April 6, 2016, Melissa Clifford and Eileen Telegdy were honored as the Volunteers of the Year at the annual meeting of the Oberlin Heritage Center’s (OHC) board meeting for their work on the oral history project at the local museum.  According to the Oberlin Heritage Center:

“The work of the Oberlin Oral History project has spanned more than 35 years and involved the dedication of many volunteers.  Two Oberlin Heritage Center volunteers in particular, Melissa Clifford and Eileen Telegdy, devoted hundreds of hours in recent years to bring OHC’s oral history collection into the modern age by digitizing the bulk of the cassette tapes on which the interviews were first recorded.  Their attention to detail, patience, and perseverance allows the collection to be more accessible to the public and assures that this history is well-preserved for future generations.  The Oberlin Heritage Center recognizes the team effort that volunteers make to long-term projects such as this one and salutes the dedication of Melissa Clifford and Eileen Telegdy for their extraordinary efforts in literally preserving the voices of the past.”

This is a huge honor and my husband can attest that when I learned I was named for this award in the mail, I was literally dancing around the house.  I can’t really put into words what this organization means to me.  When I met with Liz (OHC Executive Director) three years ago as a Graduate student looking for experience with a museum, I never intended to not be able to leave when I was finished with my degree!  She brought me into this project and it is fascinating.  I encourage everyone to stop by and to listen to one of the interviews.  I really have to thank Liz for letting me help and my husband for his immense patience when I say I am going to the museum for an hour and don’t come back home for six.  I really appreciate this honor and can’t even express what it means to me.  Thank you.

–          Melissa Clifford

I, like Melissa, came down thinking I would just be there for a little bit and found myself there for hours just fascinated by the stories.  At one point, I remember telling Liz that I was afraid if I didn’t come back soon enough, somebody else would finish digitizing the tape I was working on and I didn’t want that because I definitely wanted to hear the end of those stories.  These oral history stories are just a treasure that you all have access to and it’s been a pleasure for me to work on all of them.  It was truly my pleasure.

–          Eileen Telegdy

We, at Clifford Business Services, LLC (CBS) are pleased that our CEO, Melissa Clifford, was able to assist in such an important venture.  We are proud Business Members of the Oberlin Heritage Center and encourage everyone to check out OHC’s website, museum and all of the fine work performed by all of the volunteers, staff and board.

For more information about the Oberlin Heritage Center, visit: http://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/

For more information about Oral History Project, visit: http://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/researchlearn/oral_histories

We are pleased to announce that Clifford Business Services, LLC (CBS) recently made a move towards expansion with the purchase of its own high test professional printer. This will allow us to save our clients’ money by doing more in-house production for all of your marketing and branding material needs.

While this allows us to do a whole host of items in house, to ensure our clients get the best possible quality for their hard earned money, some items may still require printing through our third party vendor. You, of course, will be notified if this occurs and will be made aware of all costs prior to printing.

Thanks to our clients, we, at CBS, are thrilled to be able to expand our capabilities and, in turn, save you more. It is our hope to be able to cut your production related costs by at least 25%. This will depend on your individual needs and materials.

At CBS, we understand that every dollar you spend is a dollar that you worked hard to earn. Therefore, we want you to know that dollar is going to work just hard when it comes to your business.

If you have any questions or comments, we would be pleased to answer them. Feel free to contact us at CliffordBusinessServices@gmail.com