In late 2011, the Wall Street Journal asked its readers “Is Facebook worth $100 Billion?”  I don’t know the answer to that question but I was intrigued.  The article explains that in a world dominated by social media, Facebook is viewed as the “exhibit A” for consumer engagement.  How can businesses capitalize on this trend?  eShakti, an ecommerce fashion site based at OfficeLinks’ 1440 Broadway location seems to know the key to connecting with its customers.  During my conversation with Carmella Heverin, a fashion executive who has been working for eShakti since September, I learned how eShakti keeps its customers engaged though personalizing its product and keeping the lines of communication open.  Consider the company’s mission statement:

eShakti wants you to look your personal best. We know that you are beautiful, confident and uniquely classic. At eShakti, we offer distinctive design and unparalleled fit. Many of our styles are evocative of the past with feminine details and dressmaker finishes for today’s modern woman. Our clothes come in a wide array of fabrics and colors in sizes 0 through 26, and our custom capabilities allow you to tailor any item to your specific requirements ensuring you a flattering fit.

Carmella Heverin, eShakti fashion executive

eShakti has a somewhat cult-like following.  Carmella described her company’s customers as especially loyal.  When I asker her why she thought this was, she credited the fashion choices and the ability to customize the product.  eShakti’s clothes vastly range in sizes; Carmella remarked that women come in all shapes and sizes but clothing usually does not.  eShakti is the exception and believes in offering plus and missy size women the same fashion options.  Further, customers have the option to customize the clothes, changing a skirt length or a neckline for example.  Customers may also tweak measurements to suit their proportions.

eShakti maintains an intimate relationship with its customers.  There is a seemingly ongoing dialogue via various forms of social media as well as blogging, emailing, and surveying.  Carmella shared that they once had 300 responses in just one day.  Quite an accomplishment!  eShakti understands the needs of women directly from the source and creates garments that make women across the United States feel beautiful.

With social shopping on the rise, eShakti is staged for a great success.  This month the company will re launch its website with an ad campaign featuring a mix of “real” and “professional” models.  They asked their customers first, of course, and by no surprise, received an immediate reaction.

Check out eShakti at www.eshakti.com.

Meet Stefania Cocozza.  Stefania is a sales executive at Fonte Micro Coffee Roaster, a wholesale-focused specialty coffee company that sources the top one percent of coffee beans from around the world, roasts the beans at its base in Seattle, and then ships to clients within hours to ensure maximum freshness.  Fonte Coffee has been a tenant at OfficeLinks’ Bryant Park location since 2008.  As a coffee lover (and a bit of a caffeine addict I must admit), I’ve often wondered how Stefania, commonly seen rushing around our halls with miniature espresso machines and packages of luxury coffee, is achieving such success at Fonte Micro Coffee Roaster.  After our interview last week I finally have the scoop.  Stefania’s passion for gastronomy started at a very young age.  She grew up in Rome with an Italian father and a Danish mother.  “I loved food growing up.  It’s all we talked about at home,” Stefania told me during our conversation.

That love affair continues on and is clearly fueling her success.  With 15 years experience in the industry, Stefania’s enthusiasm for her product, Fonte Coffee, shines through.  Managing the east coast region sales, her goal is to place Fonte Coffee in selected coffee bar retailers, restaurants, cafes, and luxury hotels.  Examples of elite customers are the St. Regis Peninsula, Wynn Las Vegas, and the Four Seasons.  She is successful at her mission and willing to share some advice for other sales executives.  Here is what she had to say:

• Love your product.  After all you can’t sell what you don’t believe in.
• Know your product.  Stefania is very knowledgeable about not only Fonte but also coffee in general.  She has experience in the restaurant business so she understands her clients.
• A good sale is about teaching.  Make sure your customer understands the product.  Stefania equates herself to a professional barista; she teaches her customers how to produce a good cup of coffee.
• Quality customer service is important.

As Stefania’s shared her pointers, the answer to my question about how companies can achieve the highest level of sales became clear.  Hire strong sales executives like Stefania Cocozza.  To learn more about Fonte Coffee visit the website, fontecoffee.com.  Even better, try it out!  Use coupon code 1307134310 at checkout to receive a 10% discount on your order.

Lori Ziesmer, General Manager for OfficeLinks in Chicago and Brian Fritton, co-founder of OfficeLinks' client, Tech@Cost on The Willis Tower Ledge during an April 28 Networking Event.

A networking event sponsored by the Metropolitan Club Business Alliance was held at Willis Tower in Chicago on April 28. Lori Ziesmer, General Manager for OfficeLinks in Chicago, sat on the planning board of this group and helped organize the event.  55 people attended, participating in “speed networking” for 45 minutes and then everyone enjoyed a tour to the most popular tourist attraction in Chicago…the Willis Tower Ledge.  It’s not often you are guaranteed to meet 50+ new people in less than an hour, view a popular tourist attraction and enjoy cocktails and food!

Michael J. Evans, CEO of The Cogent Advisor

After recently speaking with Michael Evans about his company, The Cogent Advisor, it is clear to me that he heeds his own advice.  Michael was a trader for 20 years before starting The Cogent Advisor, based out of OfficeLinks’ Willis Tower location, in 2010.  What made him want to go out on his own?  I asked that very question and the answer is evident: his passion.

Well, there is some back story to his transition.  While trading, Michael was also managing his own money.  One day he lost 44% on a “safe” investment, leading him to become a plaintiff in a class action law suit.  Lesson learned the hard way, he adopted a strategy for avoiding this type of single-holding risk. It also inspired him to become a financial advisor, to help individuals and families avoid making similar mistakes with their own life savings.  His goal in creating his company was to serve clients like himself, to whom he can deeply relate.  The Cogent Advisor helps successful financial professionals make informed decisions with their money to free their wealth for something more – such as giving back to their communities.

Michael’s vision is reflected in his company from the inside out.  The Cogent Advisor is a Registered Investment Advisor firm that operates on a fee-only basis; Michael and his team is not incentivized by percentages of gains nor is he product-based.  This helps ensure that Michael’s interests and his clients’ interests are well aligned and his role is always a fiduciary one.  The Cogent Advisor coordinates a team of experts and design solutions for clients’ unique situations focusing on five key areas including:

1.    Preserving wealth

2.    Minimizing income tax

3.    Preserving legacy

4.    Protecting wealth against liabilities

5.    Making charitable pursuits more meaningful

I found Michael’s long-standing devotion to his work inspirational.  In closing, I think we should all consider some of his final words from our interview. “Get into an industry you are passionate about, believe in what you are doing, and desire to produce the best outcome for yourself and others.  Not only is this a powerful force for success, it’s also more fun.”  To learn more about Michael and The Cogent Advisor, visit thecogentadvisor.com.

Enter AlpVision, a Chicago-based OfficeLinks’ client and the world’s leader in invisible technologies for product authentication and counterfeit protection. In 2001, the company invented a breakthrough authentication technology for various packaging components and layers which is widely used by Forbes 2000 companies, in particular prescription drug and tobacco industries. In 2005 the company invented yet another breakthrough authentication technology for molded parts.

Essentially, AlpVision assists companies that provide products where the consumer would experience significant health ramifications if the ultimate product were not authentic. For instance, if an ingredient in an over-the-counter cold medication was not authentic in composition and was sold at the neighborhood drug store, consumers who bought and then took the medication would then become ill due to the fraudulent ingredient. AlpVision works to prevent this from happening.

This is a particularly valid topic in the United States right now because, let’s face it, Americans are watching every nickel and dime – heck, every penny – that they spend. And yes, that includes our business owners and decision makers. AlpVision sees America as a significant area of opportunity and decided it was the right time to branch out from Switzerland to bring their service and product to us here in the United States.

Quincy Mattingly of AlpVision was the Regional Manger in Europe. He helped build their customer base there and after three years, he is now launching the United States office. After growing the firm’s Europrean base, he brings with him to America a great deal of patience and perseverance. He is committed to building relationships and sharing the compelling value the AlpVision brings to customer-driving companies. Quincy is pleased to report that AlpVision’s debut in America in October has yielded significant interest amongst American Fortune 2000 companies.

OfficeLinks is delighted to welcome AlpVision to our Chicago offices. We look forward to having them ensure American consumer stay safe.

 We here at OfficeLinks are rather fortunate to have Tim Fielding, a thought-leader in the world of mobile media, as a client in our Bryant Park office location.   He and July Systems know a thing or two about mobile media.  In fact, July Systems is a true pioneer in the mobile media industry.  July Systems helps companies extend into the mobile environment via platforms on mobile phones through mobile Internet sites and applications.  Simply put, they help businesses make an app for that – and keep that app going. And it is Tim’s job to work with companies to create appropriate mobile strategies, developing a series of mobile properties and then keeping the mobile properties going.

The July Systems’ client roster is rather impressive – to say the least.  The firm powers more than 80 major media and sports brands globally, including some of the most popular brands in the United States, including CBS Sports, Vh1, Fox Entertainment Group – Fox Mobile, Fox.com, Fox Reality, FX, Speed, National Geographic, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NBA, NASCAR, PGA Tour, GOLF.com, Indy Racing League, NBC Sports, Travel Channel, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Lifetime Network.  

 This all sounded fantastic to me – but the OfficeLinks team was wondering who should incorporate mobile media into their marketing outreach.  Tim explained that there are companies who see mobile tools as something they can push off – something that others can pioneer and that they can come around to later on down the road.  Obviously traditional media still has its place but, if done right, mobile media as a key component of a firm’s marketing outreach is a powerful tool for businesses today – allowing consumers to have up-to-the-minute information, buying opportunities and customer service at their finger tips, on a piece of equipment that is omnipresent with consumers. 

Who is doing it best? According to Tim, the sports, financial services, retail banks, food and wine businesses and traditional brands (think NIKE) are sectors that are most effectively utilizing mobile media.  Some apps he suggests you check out: Lonely Planet (travel section), Kraft (food section), CBS Sports (and ESPN deserves a nod, too). 

 Looking to tap into the power of Mobile Media to help your business thrive?  Check out July Systems.

Media, and subsequently how companies reach consumers, is rapidly changing.  How can businesses keep up?

Monica Taylor, founder of MOMS Made Easy, a brand that provides mothers with a host of organizational products designed to make life easier, faces this challenge daily.  Monica believes her biggest lesson in building her business has been to adapt marketing strategies to current times.

Considering the same day I met with Monica she appeared on the Today Show I was surprised to hear her speak of challenges from a marketing and branding standpoint.  It seemed like she is doing “OK” to me!  In fact, as a writer and member of the OfficeLinks team, I was honored to interview a client of ours on the same day she appeared on such a reputable show. 

Despite her experience as an Emmy-nominated producer, former host of “Pure Oxygen,” and marketing consultant, Monica said her past experiences prepared her for some challenges, but not all.  Through trial and error (Monica emphasized to me the importance of not fearing mistakes), she learned to evolve her marketing strategy to realize the power of today’s technology driven world.  Entrepreneurs must be open to change.  MOMS Made Easy utilizes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, a Blog, and its creation of a mobile application for iPhones to reach its targeted audience of parents.  Monica says the TV spots that were valued five years ago are no longer really relevant because companies can have the same impact online.  Monica pushes herself to keep learning; a quality she believes is the essence of entrepreneurship.

Monica recently moved her office from OfficeLinks’ Chelsea office space location to our newest space, Grand Central West, on 1140 Avenue of the Americas office space.  Like Monica, we strive to evolve our products and services with the latest technology.  I hope our next-generation design will provide MOMS Made Easy with the environment needed to thrive.  For further information on MOMS Made Easy please visit http://www.momsmadeeasy.com/

Her business has her working all over the world and has given her an interesting perspective on how we in the United States function – in business and life. In Jennifer’s experience, she’s noticed that Americans panic if something is not instant – we forget that many times, especially when working internationally, things don’t happen instantly simply because they can’t. 

Though the internet has changed many things for the better – everything from allowing for mobile offices to connecting to people across the world at the push of a button – Jennifer has seen this technology affect business relations.  Not only has it created this feeling that everything should be done so quickly, but it has removed some of the face-to-face time that many businesses used to have. Jennifer emphasizes that it is still important to connect with people face-to-face – especially in sales – and that an email shouldn’t replace that important time.  She also feels that businesses should not to take the easy way out by delivering bad news via email – that’s an important thing to do in person or over the phone.  Though the internet makes things convenient, it shouldn’t be the only way business is conducted.

Interested in working with the European and/Asian markets – and succeed doing so?  Jennifer strongly advises that you go there, meet people, check the facilities, put faces to names.  She believes it makes all the difference in the world.

When asked how a business can be successful, Jennifer was able to summarize in one simple sentence: Only promise what you know you can deliver; don’t promise what you can’t follow through on.

Words businesses everywhere should live by.

Prior to my interview with David Flink, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project Eye to Eye, I held the common belief that for-profit and not-for-profit are two very different business models.  However, I now know that the two sectors can be more similar than I originally perceived.

Before we look more closely at this paradigm, let us examine how Project Eye to Eye, a non-profit focused on empowering students with learning disabilities through mentorship, came to be.  As is often the case, David’s own experience led him to the creation of his organization.  Diagnosed with dyslexia during the 5^th grade, he struggled with school and self-esteem issues.  With proper instruction and the support of a series of mentors, David learned to read and ultimately went to Brown University.  Happy with his own achievement, David yearned for other young people with learning disabilities to know that they too can achieve their goals.  And so Project Eye to Eye was born.

Back to business.  Project Eye to Eye may be a non-profit but its model isn’t all that dissimilar from for-profit companies.  In fact, many of David’s keys to success are best practices in the business world.

1.  Diversify your revenue stream.  Project Eye to Eye is acclaimed for its model.  Unlike non-profits that function solely off grants, David’s company thinks of itself as a business and diversifies its revenue stream; that way if the economy affects one area, another will sustain.   

2.  Networking.  It’s all about making friends.  David believes the best PR are people so he empowers students and mentors as the faces of his company.

3.  Prize professionalism.  First impressions are key.  Little details like returning phone calls quickly count.

4.  Build a stellar website. 

5.  Remember, all people learn differently.  This last lesson comes from the essence of David’s organization.  Entrepreneurs are often multifaceted learners.   Adjust your teaching methods for each individual.  After all, firing someone and retraining another is far more expensive than explaining something another way.

Project Eye to Eye is based at OfficeLinks’ Bryant Park office space location.  Never without a smile, you cannot miss this self-professed “employee to the students.”  Check out David’s website at www.projecteyetoeye.org.  Even better, support David’s passion by donating funds, reaching out to a young person with a learning disability, or simply building social awareness about his cause.