>> how does a theme park get customers to celebrate christmas year-round? great ideas for making over your office and entrepreneurs flourish 10 years after hurricane ka tree that. that and more next on "your business." >> small businesses revitalizing the economy and american express open is here to help. that's why we are proud to

present "your business" on msnbc. hi everyone. i'm jj ramberg and welcome to "your business", the show dedicated to helping your small business grow. when you think of christmas, water park or roller coaster and ice cream stand come to mind? i'm guessing not. unless that is you are spending time in the white mountains of new hampshire. that's where you'll find a small family owned amusement park with a hol die theme that attracts guests from may to december. after more than 60 years the holiday is still a draw, but it's the annual reinvention that keeps staff and guests spreading good cheer. >> people love christmas.

>> don't even bother asking the date at santa's village. here it's always december 25th. >> if the you give joy you gets back. our helpers know that. >> customers are more than happy to join the celebration. >> most everybody is in the christmas spirit when they are here whether it's in june, july, august or the first of december before christmas. >> this jefferson, new hampshire amusement park is a community staple. >> it's the nostalgia, they remember coming as children themselves. they remember bringing their children here, now they are grandparents and coming back. >> norman and cecil started the company in 1952. the inspiration came from their daughter elaine. >> one day we were driving down route 2 and a fawn jumped out in front of our car. and i asked dad if that was santa's reindeer. that property happened to be for

sale. which is where santa's village is today. but he thought an amusement park might be great. >> more than six decades later the company is owned and operated by the family's third generation. as well as melanie's husband nick. >> it's fun. it can be difficult at time, frustrating, but overall it's fun. >> carrying on such a legacy is a lot of responsibility. but this trio welcomes customers to santa's village seven months a year. whether it feels like christmas outside or not. >> we call it santa's summer home, this is where he comes to warm up from the north pole, take a break from making the toys, visit with the kids. that's how we get away with christmas in july. it's a theme that we keep with as we expand. >> with attractions like rudy's transit coaster, the reindeer rendezvous and a chance to visit with st. nick marketing is easy. the challenging part is getting

families to return for in some cases generations. >> we need to create an awesome product, something that they love, that they see and want to come back again and again. in order to keep them coming back we have to keep evolving, inno straighting and keep exceeding their expectations. >> the fact that jefferson is somewhat isolated means most of the customers are making the conscious decision to come to santa's village. >> people from four hours come to our park, most of our guests come from over two hours away. >> customers are always looking for what's new. and what old reliables are still there. >> being a destination for a lot of people you have to not only keep up what you have, but you have to bring in smk every year because people expect that now. >> some of the newest additions have become favorites. >> we introduced the water park about five years ago. we added to that. elk university where the kids go around with tickets and find all of the elfes in the alphabet. >> the most arduous tasks when

the park is shut down january through memorial day when the constant brain storming of new ideas turns into reality. >> by january 1 everything is planned, it's a very short period where we can build a new building, install a new ride, we have a great maintenance team that takes apart our rides, refurbish the rides. when we open in may it's auto pilot. all of our hard work has come to fruation. >> any expansion has to be planned out. a small local population means a limited pool from which to hire staff. >> the small growth adds 5 or 6, 7, 8 employees a year and that's something manageable that we can find those excellent people to work with ugs. if we grew exponentially it would be much harder for us to staff our park. >> hiring right the first time is also key. >> for the most part people that are here now, they want to be

here, they love their job. and it shows. >> the 2% that do not, they don't last more than a few days. >> strong relationships with employees are a must. especially since they are on the front lines. the result is a low turnover rate. >> we listen to our employees, we listen to what they have to say and we try to improve on what their needs are to make it happy, if they are happy, our guests are happy. >> despite longer summer hours, the park still attracts its biggest crowds around the holidays. >> wore open at christmas time. it's our busiest time. people travel, we have snow, it's cold, but it's beautiful. the days are busier because we are only open two days a week versus seven in the summer. >> the family's work is paying off. >> our best marketing is word of mouth. our guests remark to all of their friends and family. and tell them about their wonderful experience here and that is our main form of advertising. >> numbers are up and positive reviews on line are helping

drive foot traffic too. >> the best gauge of our feedback and customer reviews happens to be through trip adviser. we were selected one of the top 25 amusement parks in the united states. >> while the times have changed, the goals for this family remain the same. improve the customer experience at santa's village and preserve this small business's legacy. >> i can my grandfather and grandmother when they started they were my age. innovative, excited, ready to go. >> what norman and cecil started is amazing. hopefully we can continue that and for the next 63 years, and keep those generations of families coming back year after year. >> the look and feel of your office can help set the tone for employee morale and productivity. though most entrepreneurs do not have deep pockets for intear year design because they are worried about pay roll and

marketing there are some simple things you can do with a relatively small budget to make your space look better. we spent the day with the founders of a new york city based start-up that provides affordable interior design help by the hour. >> our office actually has become kind of a test ground for experimental designs. so, a lot of things that we test out in this office we try and see if they work, don't work and we bring them into spaces like for instance we have a green wall that will eventually become an entire green partition wall. we place add track on the ceiling and we have taken white rope and pull it down and tie it to the plants. we have anchors on the floor. as the plants grow we can raise the plants up and it will be a full partition green wall which separates the reception area from the co-working area. >> adding something living to

every space i think is an amazing sort of asset or design asset to draw from. and so adding something like a plant wall is not terribly expensive. we're trying to design solutions that gives the maximum effect for the minimum spend. >> the wall is made out of found objects like a suit case, we use round apple baskets as well. these are vintage wine crates, there's around 20 to $60. you can find them at a vintage shop or a flea market. it's a cute way to show off snacks or product without it being a plain ikea shelf. >> i think you are working in this paradox of how do we give a space a feeling of permanence while giving it the actual impermanence it needs to grow with a company.

and that is a difficult gray area to navigate and i think we use solutions like the green houses, so you don't have to spend two or three months in contractor getting board approval or using an architect to get a conference room up because you may not be there in six months or eight months. why waste time when you can construct something prefab, disassemble it and take with it you. >> it's one of the first things that people notice when they walk in. of course we named them after beyonce's songs, halo, video phone and run the world. >> on this wall we've placed three decals of our core values. they are amazing price point, we do them a lot for companies when they want to place their logo on walls. >> the post it wall, people write notes and put it on to congratulate people or sort of mask how they align with our three tenets, they are so inexpensive. have fun with it.

>> this standing desk is a great example of how a design start-up around mobility. people are breaking out in teams of four and six, and it's unnatural for people to sit down for 8 to 12 hours a day. so a lot of people requested standing desks. they are so expensive, around 800 to $1,000. in this case we just took an ikea countertop and attached pipe legs with casters so it can move and it turns into a bar when we throw events. it's a great multifunctional piece and it's half the cost. >> one of our favorite add-ons, a great way to inspire employees. we put fun quotes up. we use it for company lunches, so we try and keep it positive with a nice message and this is from thomas edison. a great quote.

we're always experimenting with lighting. i think lighting is something that can really make or break a space. in this particular office we wanted to exparent with residential lighting, commercial lighting can tend to be or feel cold or sort of boilerplate boring. so we used chandeliers, we wanted to see how do chandeliers function on dimmers. what kind of feeling does it give. i think the result was great. >> i mentioned desk space. one of the things we wanted to experiment was using vintage and found tables and how you can create a cohesive look when every table is different so we used something as simple as a paint color. we took the tables and painted them all the same color and saw what happened and actually think it gives unity to the space f. i suddenly need to sit six more

people or 20 more people i don't want the whole aesthetic to fall apart because i have to introduce a different desk or chair. so it's how do we find these solutions that allow the transyept flexibility in a work space. i think that's something that we are constantly trying to push the boundary of. >> bringing your business to the forefront of your audience's smind no easy task as we know. maybe you should try this list of five creative ways to expand your market and create brand awareness courtesy of small biz trends.com. one, push your handle. put your handles on your business card, speaking and all relevant places to share with people in your targeted audience. two, make a vine. the quick 6 second video platform can be a way to garner followers quickly. three, watch the competition. use facebook's pains to watch

feature which lets you select pages you want to keep tabs on and examine what and how often they post. four, mix it up with info graphics. people are more visually engaged. design and share to convey important information. and five, a podcast. they can be down loaded and listened to. the options of what you can cover are limitless. from relevant breaking news in your industry, to interviews with experts. there is a whole lot of confusion out there about what makes someone an employee versus an independent contractor. and if you are categorizing people incorrectly you could be whit a costly bill. believe me, this is not something you want to have to worry about. so, we wanted to help define each for you so you can better understand how you're hiring. david lewis is the president and ceo and founder of operations ink, a human resources consulting form. the rules are pretty clear and

yet still people are miscategorizing employees as independent contractors left and right. >> i don't know, it's not that they are so clear, it's that they are so subjective right now. that's the difficulty is that i think the irs and the department of labor feel like they put clear rules out there, but then the business owner, the average person looks and says well, i think i have more discretion than i do. and that's not necessarily the case. >> so let's go through the check list you have to think about. number one, how they are paid. hourly versus project. >> so, the idea here is that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it's probably a duck, and the duck in this case is employee. so the more the independent contractor looks like an employee, the bigger risk you have. so if you can pay them on a project basis, if you have a document that shows that they are doing a project for a fixed fee, much easier to classify them as independent contractors. >> so if the someone comes in and they are working 9-5 and they are using your computers and next to your other employees. >> they are a duck.

>> but let's say you have someone who, i need i don't know, a marketing plan done or i need -- something that is a project. >> so i think you're on the right path there. the more you can segment the more you can specify that they are responsible for a particular project or function, that has a defined beginning and end to it that can be done anywhere. it doesn't have to necessarily be done in your office, it's fine to threat independent contractor in your office by the way but having them look like an employee and come in and start to feel like they are following the rules and the guidelines of the company, that's where it starts to blur the lines. >> what if there is a project, i need to -- redesigning my home page let's say, it's a project, it starts here, ends when you're done, but i use you in the office when my other employees are working and i need you to interwakt these and come to the meetings. >> as long as the independent contractor shows that they are controlling the schedule to a great extent, that they are not being subjected to a schedule that is set by you just like you

would for your employees, show up at 9, leave at 5, then the line gets less blurry. it's when you start to give that person projects that you know, yes, i have you doing the website but i want you to start updating these other documents, i want you to own our data base project and i'd like you to create a social media program for us and now suddenly that person is consuming all or most of their time working for you. now they lost other clients, you have become the only client, you started to become the employer in the eyes of the government. >> that's the other checklist, are you the only client or do they have many. >> and you know, that's a tough one because we don't know from an independent contractor, we don't sit there and ask them hey, are we your only client or are you doing something else for some other companies. again it's really about that control piece. and usually what winds up happening you have a clear cut case when that person is just doing the defined beginning and end projects, relatively short in duration and intermittent. in fact, they may om be there

once a week or a couple times a month. the more they start morphing into an employee the more you have to worry. >> working from home a lot or somewhere else it puts you on the independent contractor. >> it helps. you get audited for independent contractor status, one of the things that the subtle aspect of that audit is seeing if your name is the on the door or the name on a cubicle. >> and finally, so the people pay attention scare us, what happens if i have hired ten independent contractors and then there is an audit and find out they were employees? >> so you can wind up with fines, back wages, back benefits to those individuals and now with the affordable care act other.qoá÷ penalties assigned t idea that you did that to hold yourself under a certain threshold of requirement under affordable care act. all of those numbers add up not into hundreds but thousand, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars for a business with 50 or more employees. >> okay. so, pay attention. if you have questions go see a professional and have them clear it up.

>> get professional input and advice. this is not a do-it-yourself project. >> thank you for clearing this up. it's really important so many are doing it wrong. >> when we come back, what you need to know about finding a distributor and the spirit of entrepreneurship is flourishing in new orleans 10 years after the city was devastated by hurricane katrina. we thought we'd be ready. but demand for our cocktail bitters was huge. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding. fast. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. you can't predict it, but you can be ready. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself. realize your buying power at open.com.

>>. >> this week's your biz selfie from michael mccord of atlanta who owns fire bud brands. take a selfie and send it to us or tweet it to@msnbc your biz. do not forget to use the hash tag your biz selfies. the spirit of survival remains strong in new orleans, 10 years after that city was devastated by hurricane katrina. rebuilding is fleekted in a group of entrepreneurs helping the big easy re-invent itself as a creative economy. ♪ >> passionate, my name is kyle. time creator and ceo of feel good flip-flops zbrxt in the

name of my company is lia molly. i make knit wear. >> 10 years after the devastation from hurricane katrina new orleans is experiencing a renaissance, small business owners are leading the way. >> new orleans has become a laboratory of the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. >> created an energy synergy of committed natives as well as enterprising newcomers. >> those that stayed in new orleans like matt from turbo squid and ken, were considered pioneers. >> it's not like the wild west and it made us feel like we were rebuilding something from the ground up. >> when everyone was fleeing and businesses were closing and the news was piling on about who is leaving town next, i said you know, i'm going to do something right. this is an opportunity for me to take a gamble. but for me to do something i

believe in. >> new orleans has been growing thanks to a low cost of living, generous tax credits and a rich culture. >> 30 to 40% less than new york or san francisco, so why off shore when you can to new orleans. you can come here and do it better and do it cheaper and do with it more enthusiastic people. >> there are some pretty exciting digital media and film-related tax credits that are available and the tax credits are second to none. >> at the epicenter of all of this entrepreneurial activity is the ip building. entrepreneurs row and the ice house. inspired by silicone alley in new york, the three have some of the companies. >> what you have here is a community of entrepreneurs that have moved into this building in the last year from the fastest

growing companies in the country to feel goods, what this board represents is the entrepreneurial community within new orleans and it's one of the few innovative hubs springing up around the community. >> kyle and craig met at the ip building and found that they could collaborate. >> we're shipping out margaritas, why not add flip-flops. sure enough a joint venture was formed. >> the desire to help rebuild was so strong she left her job in new york as a sweater designer to follow her dream of starting her own clothing company. >> the enthusiasm for a new business here is just incredible. i mean, they rolled out the red carpet for us, you know, and was like whatever we can do to have you succeed we want you to succeed. >> new orleans is on the rise,

recession proof eager to support new businesses with entrepreneurs working together to succeed. >> new orleans is my huge business partner. it's on the label and it will stay on the label. business partners invest in your business and new orleans invests in my business. both people on the street, in the community, my friends, the businesses here. i mean, they want me to succeed. and you know, and in ways that are beyond just capital investments. time to answer some of your business questions. let's get our board of directors in to help us out. aimy is the editor-in-chief at entrepreneur magazine, and serial entrepreneur jen grubber the founder of the lifestyle brand empowered by jen grubber. thanks for being here. our first question is about getting your products to your customers. >> we've been doing all self distribution, at what point should we look to go to a

distributor? how much should we be paying for their services? >> i'm going to have you start. i know you have created products like the butler bag. how does he decide? >> well, i think the key question is, if you took that same amount of time and effort that you're putting toward packing boxes and shipping and all of the distribution challenges that are in front of you, and use that same effort toward marketing, sales, social media, customer service, would that be more effective in scaling your business? and usually the answer is yes when you're asking that question. there are so many distribution strategies it's different from the fashion industry to the food industry, i use licensing as a scaling distribution strategy for all of my companies, where you are never losing money, you're gaining money. >> amy, is there a point, though, when you are too small for a distributor to be interested? >> i love this question and i think it is a very important question to ask, it's a very

beginning of your business. because really, it's a part of your growth strategy. and i think if any distribution strategy, if you are doing it yourself, if it's costing you too much or if it's slowing down your growth as a business, that's when you need to entertain calling in a distributor and i completely agree with everything jen was saying and i think it's -- it's a question you need to ask yourself before you even start your business. how big do you want to be? >> how big do you need to be to get a distributor? jen, do you know the answer? >> it really, again, it varies industry to industry. you have to have traction, you have to have a proven product, and they also like to see a lot of marketing efforts behind your company because they don't want to have to do it all on their own. >> the next question about getting advisers. >> i'm looking for advice on best practices and formalizing a board of advisers, everything from structure to expectations to compensation. >> i love this question. because it can be such an

enormous help. but you have to be clear and you have to be clear with your advisers about what they are going to get out of this. >> you do. and you have to know what you want them to give and provide to you. i mean, there are so many different ways to structure a board of advisers. and it's wonderful. like to call in people who have subject matter expertise on things that maybe might be your weaknesses in your business, like financial, marketing, you know, going public. to bring all of this intelligence together at the very beginning of a start-up is a very smart thing to do. but having said that you need to -- some advisers don't need compensation but you can also offer up stock, there are different ways, or put them on a retainer. >> what do you think about that paying or not paying your board of advisers? >> well, i agree with amy, it varies. if you're a nonfrooft a stafort

500 company. the key thing is that your advisers have to be passionate about what you're doing. no matter how much money you're paying them, if they are not passionate they are not as engaged. be very clear what everybody's skill set is and give them expectation to perform in that area of expertise, give them very clear guidelines like your job is create the curriculum or a handbook or develop the website equity. >> thanks both of you. good to see you. now if any of you have a question for our experts we answer them every week here on the show. so send us an e-mail and get advice from our panel. yourbusiness@msnbc.com. thanks everyone. if you missed anything go over to our website. it's openforum.com/your business. you'll find all of the segments we had on the show today plus a lot more information to help

your business grow. you can also follow us on twitter, it's@msnbc your biz, and we are on facebook and instagram. next time, what do the founders of a company that turns t-shirts into quilts do when nobody wanted to invest? >> it made us very scrappy because we have gosh, only $1,000 to spend on this advertising campaign or om $1,000 here. so we had to be really smart how we're going to get more people to our website. >> we'll tell you why the project team is happy now that they kept hearing not interested early on. till then i'm jj ramberg. and remember, we make your business our business. our cosmetics line was a hit. the orders were rushing in. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding fast. building 18 homes in 4 ½ months? that was a leap. but i knew i could rely on american express to help me buy those building materials.

amex helped me buy the inventory i needed. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself? realize your buying power at open.com good evening, rachel. >> you're great, chris hayes. you're great at your job, thanks. well done. >> thank you, rachel. >> thanks to you at home for staying with us this hour. he is great. i mean it. all right. the largest island in the mediterranean is sicily. you know how italy is shaped like a boot? sicily is like a little soccer ball that's being kicked off the toe of the boot. that's sicily right there. largest island in the mediterranean. second largest island in the mediterranean is sardinia, which is also italian. basically, if the italian boot had kicked the soccer ball of sicily up into