'Touchy feely' becomes new marketing mantra for entrepreneur

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

Marianne Guinee, group leader
Private Quarters
www.4cimgmt.com
mcguinee@4cimgmt.com
847-858-3610

MY BUSINESS
Private Quarters provides luxury bed and bath linens and gifts at affordable prices. We service consumers and businesses, do wedding registries and bridal party gifts, work with health & wellness professionals to ensure individuals get the best night's sleep possible. We offer 'green' materials such as bamboo and seacell fabrics in addition to those more traditional including fiber and feather & down.

OUR UNIQUENESS
We're unique in the sense that we provide high quality, individualized customer service and attention via one-to-one appointments and reviews, along with small group interactions. We really aren't faced with strong, same-level competition. Retail stores could be labelled competition, in a sense, but they don't provide the same quality, variety, unique exchange/return policy or shopping and satisfaction quotient that Private Quarters does.

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE
Whether a business or a consumer, our ideal client is someone who recognizes quality and customer service while still looking for a good value for the money spent. We are not your big box discount retailer, nor are we the highest end provider. We look to service the mid to upper-class market with exceptional value and customer service.

UNIQUE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Our challenge is simply getting in front of people in person so that they get that 'touchy feely' experience with our products that can't be described adequately any other way. As soon as a potential customer touches our bamboo linens, for example, they instantly 'get it.' Just seeing a picture of the same product in a catalog invariably raises the question, "So how are you different than any other supplier?" Just hearing how great a product is often times is not enough. Our clients need to feel it first before they will make that next leap to our other product offerings.

SOLUTION
Our experience has shown us that marketing in the normal sense doesn't bring in sales. So we have gone to the word-of-mouth/network marketing approach. This includes friends telling friends, home parties, vendor shows, fund raisers, etc. All of which are methods in which we can get in front of people. A number of interior designers have 'seen the light' now as well and are either representing our products or providing us with referrals to their customers. Even some of the higher end bed and breakfasts have started coming to us to use our linens. All these new avenues support the crux of our business which, ultimately, is relying on the human element to make the sale.

Unique art gallery revamps marketing efforts to better target niche customers

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

Sandy Guenther, president
Guenther Gallery and Design
www.guenthergallery.com
sandy@guenthergallery.com
630-773-4278

ABOUT OUR BUSINESS
Guenther Gallery and Design is an art gallery and conservation framer. We provide comprehensive services and art consultation for both corporate and residential customers. What we offer includes original artwork such as oil paintings, watercolors, lithographs, glicee and art glass. And, we frame unusual items some of which include medals, machetes, papyrus, clothing, musical instruments, sports equipment, and dolls.

OUR UNIQUENESS
The first thing that makes us unique is our conservation framing. This is a process in which we use only acid-free materials – acid-free mats, backer boards, backer paper, tape and UV glass which is all we ever use to frame pieces. We also provide art restoration and Photoshop™ work, plus, we are one of just a few who offers professional needle art lacing. Guenther Gallery carries a line of green frames that is continually growing and becoming ever more popular. Actually, 75 percent of the frames that we sell are green frames produced in green factories. Corporate clients, in particular, really favor the eco-frames.

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE
We like to say that all our clients fit our ideal client profile, but in reality we are specifically targeting the small to medium-sized business looking to redo their visual image to create a more exciting customer and employee environment. This includes businesses that prefer unique items that are not catalog pieces.

UNIQUE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Our number one challenge continues to be marketing our business to new customers. We have tried many conventional methods without great success. Direct mail, phone calls, coupons, and fliers just don’t seem to work for framers like us because we are in a unique type of business. Not to mention that we are currently trying to market our very unique business during a time when both corporate and residential clients are very mindful of their discretionary spending.

SOLUTION
Banking on the popularity of social networking, we recently began a Facebook™ page which, in its short existence, has already generated some interest. Our website has been very productive in helping customers find us. As a result, we will be updating it more regularly which includes a blog that features current events. We will be working a second blog on which we will be posting useful information on unique pieces, as well as talking about the latest eco-friendly items in the world of custom framing. To round out our reformatted marketing plan, we will continue with face-to-face networking since word of mouth has worked best for us, and to try to move into more corporate work. We believe that this new direction will help us create new business and we look forward to tracking what we hope to be a successful marketing effort.

Tracking social trends keeps life coach at the top of her profession

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

Jacqui Neurauter, owner
Harmonize Your Life Pathways
www.harmoniouspathways.com
Jacqui@harmoniouspathways.com
LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueneurauter
847-359-6391

MY BUSINESS
As a life, professional and personal coach, I help people create and manifest their goals and help them realize more passion in their lives. I do this through personal coaching, writing, workshops, support groups and courses that I teach. My approach to all this is multi-faceted. It’s helping individuals get to know their real YOU, so to speak, in hopes of their living their lives with more vibrancy, joy and passion. My clients work in the business community, are business owners, and people who are deciding what they want to do next in their lives. Many are experiencing life transitions. I help ease them through these milestones.

MY UNIQUENESS
In my work of creating harmony and balance in people’s lives, I take a holistic approach to body, mind and spirit. One method of achieving this is using Feng Shui. I visit a client’s home or office to evaluate their environment and use the analyses as a base from which to begin working with them. I like to bring more of nature into their space to create an environment that does not compromise their health and well-being. Another part of my uniqueness stems from individual style and personality. It’s a matter of people easily connecting with you or not. If they don’t they should know that there are other professionals available with whom they might be the perfect fit. I find my ideal clients to be people between 40 and 70 years old – someone near retirement or experiencing a transition in their life.

UNIQUE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
As a businesswoman, my greatest challenge has always been trying to look ahead and stay on top of the curve. To keeping up with trends in order to be informed and flexible enough to continually improve and stay sharp. I am always asking myself if what I’m doing is working not only for my clients, but also for me. Are there any other things that I need to add to complement my services that people are beginning to seek out? I’m always challenged by wondering what have I learned and what can I do better?

EFFECTIVE SOLUTION
To continually improve, I do intensive research on methods to enhance my business. I talk with people and keep in touch with all media to identify the next trend that might affect my work. I need to have the latest available coaching tools to help bring out the best in people and help motivate them to reach out and find answers that they can’t find alone. By following these effective methods, I’ve been able to connect with so many different people on so many different levels. It keeps me open and aware of what is going on in the world. As a result, I’ve become a better listener which helps me better find out what’s behind what a person is saying. I see myself as more compassionate because I’ve worked with so many people who are trying to do the best they can. For me, it’s been a gift to have learned that.

Entrepreneur turns centuries-old art form into 21st century business

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

Annette Kandell, owner
Quangels
visit via browser - http://www.quangels.wordpress.com/
quangels@yahoo.com
224-200-4497

ABOUT MY BUSINESS
My business started as a result of my being in a job that was very routine with limited opportunities to use my creativity. I really needed to be doing something creative and came across quilling. Quilling is a very old art form practiced as far back as the 13th or 14th centuries. The artist takes very thin strips of paper and turns them into coils and other shapes to make decorative pieces. I started making little gift boxes and one thing led to another. I coined the brand name Quangels which are quilled angles. The heart of my business is “Quangels for all occasions.” These can be ornaments, wedding cake toppers, mobiles or anything else that can be crafted with paper. I could say my business is unique in that I really don’t have direct competition. There may be some companies that create cake toppers, but none that are quilled.

IDEAL PROSPECTS
I have a couple of unique market niches. One would be young girls from nine years old through teens with whom my quilled Quangel Drops earrings are popular. The second niche is comprised of women who want something more elegant for a special occasion. For this market I created my Quangel Drops Elegant earrings in gold and/or silver. My products are ideal for people who say – “I’m looking for something really unique.”

MY MARKETING METHODS
The best marketing for me has been word-of-mouth. In addition, I’ve started a blog featuring quilling of the past and pictures of some of my work. It’s also a way for people to connect with me for custom orders. And, I’m starting to contact niche businesses in the Barrington area that would be logical partners for me – more of the independent boutique retail shops.

ADVICE TO SHARE
The one thing that I would have done differently would be to go with my instincts more. I’m all for taking advice, but many times my instincts were right, yet I listened to others. Now, I have to redo some things that others did for me and reclaim them as my own. I’d encourage new business owners to write down your road maps of where you are and where you want to be. Be flexible and focused. Ride out the hard times with humor and cultivate a few close confidants who will tell you the hard truth. Find your cheerleaders! What surprised me the most when starting to show my products was how much young boys were interested in them. Not for their uniqueness or beauty, but in more of the mechanics and engineering of the quilled characters. I always thought of them to have more a female focus. As a result, I plan to conduct classes soon on quilled objects for anyone and everyone.

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!

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.

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.