Monday, May 31, 2010

Manufacturer succeeds by switching focus to customized products

Showcasing experienced entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can share solutions to unique business challenges that might be the answer to a similar challenge with which yet another entrepreneur is struggling. This openness of information flows with the following story offered by

Michael Boskovic, Chief Strategic Officer
Lingraph Services Co.
Michael@lingraph.com
www.lingraph.com
630-924-7771

ABOUT OUR BUSINESS
Lingraph Services Co. offers a real broad product mix. We focus in three main areas – printed products, packaging materials and promotional items. We go pretty deep vertically within these areas trying to be a one-stop-shop. And, within each of these disciplines we manufacture products as well as subcontract and distribute products.

OUR UNIQUENESS
What sets us apart is that we make it possible for our clients to buy printed products, packaging materials and promotional items all under one roof. It’s our mix of machinery and know-how that allows this. Most often in these areas, manufacturers are set in their product mix and in what they’re willing and able to produce. Clients are stuck within these limitations. Conversely, we are a very custom shop building many items from scratch according to the client’s particular needs. We really try to meet the client on their terms being more solutions-driven rather than confining ourselves to pure product specs.

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE
We really do well for big clients that have robust needs and have what we call program needs meaning something is happening on a daily or weekly basis. These kinds of clients tend to be larger B2C type companies. For example, a retailer with a large national consumer base, or a cataloger, or an Internet-based marketing firm that is selling to a broad populous. That way they are dealing with one entity and they can funnel their broader needs down to us again and again.

OUR BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Our biggest fundamental challenge was the whole differentiation issue that led us to becoming a manufacturer. The problem that we were seeing, years ago, was that a lot of the product that we were distributing as a broker was becoming very commodity-like and out of our control because the manufacturers were dictating what could and could not be made. Many items were becoming price driven. There was a lot of overseas influence followed by bigger companies buying up smaller companies. It became all about the bottom line and not about relationships. At the time, our existing client base wasn’t looking to us for anything innovative and long-term. We saw this as certain death. Somehow, we needed to reconnect with the clients in a very interactive way. We wondered how we could do that in a way that would make us unique. Manufacturing some of our own wares and controlling our own destiny was the solution. Having no previous manufacturing experience became the biggest part of the challenge. Suddenly, we needed to become proficient in machinery and workflow. From a financial capital perspective we now needed to secure the machinery, the infrastructure, the power and, of course, the people.

RESOLUTION
We did become a manufacturer allowing us to be the end source for our clients. From a strategic viewpoint, it positions us well. We continue to look for a fit in the marketplace - to see what works and then leveraging that to finding new clients. We’ve learned from sources and clients that there are few, if any, companies that are doing exactly what we’re doing – in-house printing, and packaging product and promotional items manufacturing. Now, we have enough breadth and innovation to be doing things that people in the industry, as well as potential clients, are not used to seeing. So, that’s a good thing!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Correcting management/employee behavior brings new business to HR entrepreneur's client

Showcasing experienced entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can share solutions to unique business challenges that might be the answer to a similar challenge with which yet another entrepreneur is struggling. This openness of information flows with the following story offered by

Andrea Herran, owner
Focus HR

http://www.focushr.biz/
andrea@focushr.biz
newsletter sign-up: http://conta.cc/a98j1n
773-531-8199

MY BUSINESS
Focus HR helps entrepreneurs and business owners become great people leaders. I help them work better with their employees in becoming more effective, efficient and more customer-focused. By working closely with business owners, I learn what their goals are and how they are trying to achieve these goals through their people. Ultimately, I put programs in place to get it all done. In addition, I offer all the traditional HR services that are the foundation of reaching that higher ground of having everyone working in the same direction toward the same goals.

MY UNIQUENESS
What’s exceptional about my business is that I actually go on site once a month. I am not one who works exclusively over the phone or via email. This is an entity that you rarely see in my industry. By being at the client’s location, I’m able to experience the working environment. I sit in on employee meetings, answer questions, address their concerns, and whatever else is needed of me. Another facet of Focus HR that sets it apart is that all of my services are flat fee. This fee covers all the work I do with no additional charges for extras. Small business owners are very cost-conscious. By offering a flat fee, they know what to expect and how to budget. No one needs to worry what it’s going to cost just to pick up the phone.

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE
My ideal client is any business with less than 70 employees and an owner who knows that changes need to be made – especially in HR – for the business to grow.

UNIQUE CHALLENGE
One of my clients was experiencing a high turnover in one of her two employee positions. After visiting the office I was quickly able to see the cause of the problem. My client had a disruptive manner of communicating with others. It wasn’t necessarily what she was saying, but how she was saying it. So, I recommended that we work on her style. She needed to say things in a way that this one particular person would understand. My client needed to know how that person takes in and processes information. She had to learn to look for the clues that would tell her what kind of learner her employee was so she could communicate accordingly. At the same time, her employees had no idea of what their exact roles within the company were or what what expected of them.

RESOLUTION/OUTCOME
The resolution was two-fold - changing the client's management style and developing the proper HR programs for her employees. I attended meetings to observe the client’s communication behavior and critiqued it afterward. I also conducted supportive sessions over the phone. She came to learn the different personality types with which she was communicating. With regard to the employees, creating job descriptions and defining their position expectations contributed greatly to the company's growth. After a year and a half, the results have been dramatic. The client has become a better manager. There no longer is employee turnover. And the business has been increasing month after month. The change has enabled her to concentrate on selling and not on the day-to-day operations of the business. A productive management style and employees' clearly understanking their roles have become the norm. Now, my focus is on helping the client and her employees keep these thought processes top of mind so the business continues to prosper.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Social media certification results in new business for VA

Showcasing experienced entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can share solutions to unique business challenges that might be the answer to a similar challenge with which yet another entrepreneur is struggling. This openness of information flows with the following story offered by

Jackie de Boer, founder
Accredited Virtual Assistance
www.accreditedva.com
accreditedva@comcast.net
www.linkedin.com/in/jackiedeboer
www.facebook.com/jackie.deboer1
www.Twitter.com/JackiedeBoerVA
847-358-5688

MY BUSINESS
I provide administration, executive and social media virtual assistance support. Unlike a traditional administrative or executive assistant, a virtual assistant works from an off-site or remote location on client projects on an as-needed basis – short or long-term. The major benefit of using a VA is that we don’t require any benefits paid to us by the client as do the hired employees of a company. I began Accredited Virtual Assistance five years ago. At that time, I strictly offered administrative and executive support. However, last year I introduced the social media services.

UNIQUENESS
The added bonus of social media support skills sets me apart from other VAs. With technology changing all the time and with clients needing to keep up with those changes, my ability to support them in these new areas is rather unique. I am continually re-educating myself and keeping up with the latest advancements in social media platforms such as Facebook™, LinkedIn™, and Twitter™ along with virtual assistance advancements, in general.

IDEAL CLIENT
For the administrative and executive support sides, my ideal client would be the small business owner who is a home-based entrepreneur needing to be more focused on growing his or her business and not tied up with routine administrative responsibilities. Many of them aren’t necessarily skilled at handling certain tasks and spend too much time unsuccessfully trying to manage them. Those with this profile would be perfect candidates for my services.

CHALLENGE
Like many businesses during this recession, I lost a few clients. My challenge was to figure out how to replace them as well as how to retain my current client base. Coincidentally, many clients began asking about social media. Apparently, keeping up with this new communications technology had become a serious issue for many of them. I quickly saw this as an opportunity to possibly generate new business and to offer a new value-added service to existing clients.

RESOLUTION
I immediately began taking a 2-month online social media specialist course through VAClassroom. I learned, and continue to learn, more about the three most popular social media platforms as well as blogging. Once I became certified in the field, I began giving presentations to networking groups on social media. As a result, I actually have gained new clients, and am now able to help my existing clients keep pace with this new social networking technology. I would have to say that, today, nearly 70 percent of my new business is made up of social media clients. I help them develop strategies regarding how social media will benefit their business and assist in setting up the various platforms. For those clients who already have a social media presence, we work together to see how they can best use it moving forward. Recognizing the importance of social media and capitalizing on its popularity became a great client acquisition and retention solution for Accredited Virtual Assistance.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Self-confidence comes from believing in the value your business offers

Showcasing early entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can guide other aspiring business owners around avoidable obstacles and toward a path of attainable goals. Sharing their insights begins with hearing their stories like the one offered by

Pamela DeVos, Partner
A’nuyu, Lincolnshire, Illinois
anuyu@aol.com - www.anuyustyle.com
847-347-3831

OUR MOTIVATION
My business partner, Diane Smith, and I had been in the fashion business for years. When I retired from it a few years ago many of my clients asked if I would still continue to buy for them. So, when I would attend North American style shows I’d have my list of clients for whom I would shop. This rolled over into Diane and I starting our own personal shopping business we named A’nuyu. We began simply by refreshing people’s closets with jewelry, wrapped scarves, handbags, and accessories. Then we began getting requests for T-shirts, beach cover-ups, and other basics. As a result, we began expanding the lines we carried to the extent that, today, we’re even offering a line of cowboy boots hand-made in Mexico.

OUR UNIQUENESS
What makes A’nuyu different from other personal shopping services is that it’s comprised of three distinct parts – personal shopping, trunk shows and fashion consultancy. While there are other personal shoppers in Chicago, we don’t run up against many in the suburbs. And, unlike your major department stores who offer style assistants, we are not limited to shopping in one store for our clients. What’s more, we’re able to shop at the various style shows. Consequently, we don’t pay retail. So, our pricing is generally 20 percent less than retail. And, about 95 percent of the fashion lines that we work with are produced by women-owned businesses.

IDEAL CLIENTS
We’re targeting everyone from their late 30’s to 70’s – especially women who, over the years, devoted all of their efforts toward caring for their families and less effort toward themselves. Now, they are coming to the startling realization – what happened to me? Often it is truly emotional to see women literally change before your eyes. We look for people who you might hear say – “I have nothing to wear,” yet have closets stuffed with clothing. Our clients need to be open-minded because this sort of change is very personal. They must have the will to empower themselves. In the end, they become more enthusiastic and confident because no matter what anyone says, when you look good you feel good.

SHARED ADVICE
What surprised us the most when we started A’nuyu was how much work it would be. When you’re doing it all on your own you’re not able to chose the fun aspects of the business for yourself and delegate the rest to staff members. While we did have a business plan in place when we started, we probably should have stuck to it more closely. We tend to follow opportunities that come along that aren’t part of our plan. As a result, we often find ourselves in a “catching-up” mode. Just as we tell our clients that they need to “own” their new images, I’d tell new entrepreneurs that they need to own their new businesses. Listen to your own advice. Remain self-assured. Don’t become intimidated among other, more seasoned business owners. You business offers a worthwhile product or service, so stand tall and represent it with confidence.