USA Means Business Akron April 2008

M A G A Z I N E

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Vol. 1 No.3 April 2008

U S A M e a n s B u s i n e s s . c o m / A k r o n

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Featuring:

In This Issue:Letter from the PubLisher 4

“how to seLL”Special GueSt column by ron finkeLstein 6

my brother’s Phonebook 8

fabuLous favorites 10

5 become a member

7 business sPotLight - Staged MakeoverS

9 business sPotLight - New directioNS

12 business sPotLight - ivaN’S JourNey

w w w . A k r o n . U S A M e a n s B u s i n e s s . c o m

3 Akron Means Business 04/2008

Kaeth S. GauthierPublisher/Editor-in-Chief

Peter “Frank” GauthierCEO

T. Mason BrownProduction Manager

Stacie WarnerSales/Marketing

Scott RobertsSenior Web Designer

Marie RotondoWeb Designer

Akron Means Business is pub-lished by PML Publishing LLC, 60 South Maple Street, Suite 203, Akron OH 44303. Copyright 2008 by PML Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited with-out prior written consent.

Contact us at 330-294-0234

Editorial [email protected]

Advertising [email protected]

STAFF

I received the perfect phone call the other day from Jeff Jones, who owns Consolidus, a promotional merchandise company. He said, “My mother was at the doctor’s office and picked up a copy of Akron Means Business. She called me and asked, ‘Why aren’t you in here?’” I told Jeff I should hire his mom to do our marketing.

Dean Corpas of Akron Family Restaurant has a basket of our magazines at his front door and let us know, “Copies of the magazine are flying out the door.” That’s the idea and we’re delighted to hearing it’s working.

Whether you find us at a local restaurant, doctor’s office or library, the message is spreading. When people call to ask if they can purchase a subscription, we tell them it’s not available by subscription. We direct them to the member’s list on the web site so that people will visit a local business (perhaps your business) to get a copy.

Help us spread the word. Join Akron Means Business and display the magazine at your location. When your copies have “flown out the door” call us for more.

We added several forms to the website to make it easier for you to send us your recommendations for Gold Stars, My Brother’s Phonebook and Fabulous Favor-ites.

Let me know what I can do to help you succeed.

Kaeth Shaughnessy GauthierPublisher/Editor-in-Chief

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Thomas Alva Edison

Welcome toSTAFF

WANTS YOU!


how (aNd why) to join

Go to www.AkronMeansBusiness.com and click on “Sign Up”

Membership is FREE

Monthly magazine is FREE

Monthly networking events are FREE

How often does that happen? You get something of value without spending money. My passion is to help new and existing business in Akron, Ohio be successful. Why? Because this is my hometown and when you succeed, I succeed.

The first issue of the magazine has a distribution of 10,000 through members, busi-nesses, libraries, hospitals, schools and turnpike rest areas.

How do we pay for the magazine and the web support? This venture is advertis-ing supported and I welcome your advertising. A full page ad is $300 which gives you 10,000 pieces for 3 cents each. This includes printing and delivery. Call us at 330-294-0234 and advertise.

Here are ways to get your business mentioned in the magazine and on the web:

Join and appear on the members list Earn a Gold Star Be someone’s Fabulous Favorite Earn a spot in My Brother’s Phonebook Email [email protected] and invite us to write about you Tell us what’s new about your business – people, products and services

Akron Means Business 04/2008 6

Wrong! Selling has nothing to do with your suc-cess. Selling is not the highest paid profession.

Selling has nothing to do with your success!

Helping others to buy has every-thing to do with your success!

What you really want is someone

who will listen to you and help you to understand the implications of your deci-sion, help you define the correct course of action and help you though the buying process.

That is not selling – that is helping someone to buy. That is treating them the way they want to be treated.

It is a totally different approach to sell-ing because through proper questioning you can quickly determine if the prospect is someone in need of your products or services.

You can treat them the way they want to be treated. Novel idea, right? It is an idea whose time has come.

Implementing a sales strategy of treat-ing others the way they want to be treated allows you to:

- not look like a slick sales repre-sentative but a trusted advisor

- eliminate the fear of rejection because you will understand why people do what they do

- close more sales because you are meeting them on their terms and treating them the way they want to be treated

- take the stress out of sales be-cause you are selling from a position of strength.

Many people think sales is about sell-

ing, doing trial closes and manipulating people to buy from you. There are sales people who do that and they hurt all of us. They eliminate any possibility of repeat sales.

We’ve all met sales people that made you wonder why you purchased their product. What happened? You weren’t ready, you did not want that product and you don’t feel like you were listened to. Yet you still made the purchase.

That approach works if you are selling and you don’t care about the people you are selling to.

That approach works if you don’t care about repeat business.

That approach works if you don’t care what people think about you.

That approach works if you want people to run the other way when they see you.

That approach does not work if you want to create long term relationships with your clients or customers.

Remember people prefer buying and not being sold.

You sometimes meet people that you bond with immediately and taking them through the buying process is easy. It doesn’t feel like selling. There is instant rapport. They buy from you and enjoy it.

I was in a meeting yesterday and I heard a comment that blew me away. “I pay your full fee and I pay it because I want to and I am getting great value for the price.”

Do you want your customers to feel that way about you?

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein “The Small Business Success Expert”330-990-0788www.businessmasterynow.com

� Guest Column �

by Ron FinkelsteinAMB Special Guest Columnist

How to Sell

� Business spotliGht �

“We have a passion for making peo-ple’s homes more beautiful so they can enjoy them more or sell them faster,” says Sharon Kreighbaum, owner of Staged Makeovers. “Our team brings great design to your home and enhances your environment whether you want a makeover or are putting your home on the market.”

Her services include home staging, interior redesign, shopping, full-service interior design and staging classes. Full service design may include selecting furniture, fixtures, wall and floor treat-ments as well as colors and art work. Kreigh-baum tells us, “We can completely redesign a home for around $150. We use the homeowner’s items – furniture, art, ac-cessories – and re-position them for optimal effect.” The most rewarding part of her job is seeing the reaction of people when the redesign is complete. Customers enjoy a profes-sionally designed new look and can see the result in two hours.

When your goal is to sell your home, Kreighbaum states with confidence that buyers want to purchase a home that is clean, well-maintained, uncluttered, well-organized and up to date with the latest fashions. Buyers want to visualize spaciousness, with lots of room for their own belongings. If you’re moving, it’s best to pack as much as you can before you show the house for the first time.

Your home should be showcased with “wow” factors and be organized for ef-ficiency. Kreighbaum and her team cre-ate luxurious environments in any space. When asked what inspired her to do this work, she answered, “When I was

nine years old and toured the Biltmore Estate, I made it my life’s passion to be involved with beautiful environments.” Besides majoring in interior design and fashion merchandising at the University of Akron, she is an accredited staging professional with more than 15 years de-sign and staging experience. By attend-ing design shows and events, as well as reading trade magazines, Kreighbaum stays well-informed about design trends.

Clients include homeowners, build-ers, realtors and investors. She designs model homes and consults for inves-tors who purchase homes to renovate and resell quickly, known as “flipping.”

She does home staging for realtors to generate faster home sales. One client considered lower-ing the price of her home $20,000 to speed the sale. Instead she had a Staged Makeover and sold her home without changing

the price. When Kreighbaum shops with cus-

tomers she advises them to start with ba-sic pieces, like a sofa, in a classic shape and color. You can learn to accent with the things you love. You can change ac-cents as your tastes, or seasons change. A basic sofa should last for at least ten years and could then be re-upholstered.

Staged Makeover’s website has fun features and whimsical graphics. Be certain to read the gossip page and be ready for some chuckles. The Little Black Book feature is a wonderfully generous way they share links to favorite goods and services. Call Staged Make-overs to make your home and garden more beautiful to live in, stage your property to sell fast at a great price, or learn about their class schedule.

by Kaeth S. GauthierAMB Editor-in-Chief

Staged Makeovers330-472-6607

[email protected]


Makeover

Magic


Give out

Gold Stars!Gold Stars are submitted by Akron Means Business members, staff, and management. Information is edited by AMB staff. If you wish to request Gold Star Cards© or submit a Gold Star of

your own, please contact us at [email protected]

My Brother’s PhonebookLoan me your phonebook. Tell me

about a service or product you used and why you recommend them. When you’re searching for a recommendation, let me know. I’ll post your request and let other members open their phonebooks to you too.

My Brother’s Phonebook is compiled by AMB staff from staff recommenda-tions, member submissions, and personal experience. If you would like to submit a business, other than your own, for pos-sible mention in My Brother’s Phonebook, please contact us at [email protected].

Car Repair Cartel AutoRecommended by Joe Boyle, Cutler Real Estate Agent

I recommend an auto service place on North Main Street in Akron that repairs foreign and domestic cars. The name is Cartel Auto and they are very honest and not expensive. They are very nice and explain everything to me. They are tops in my book. I’d trust them with any vehicle I have.

Cartel Auto, 965 North Main Street in Akron 330-376-3003.

Retail / Gifts The Market PathRecommended by Donna Perdue, Executive Coordinator, Greater Akron Chamber

My husband and I shopped here during the holidays. Having just opened November 2007 right next to Chipotle’s in Highland Square, it’s a peaceful spot, filled with beautiful fairly traded authentic goods from around the world (Kenya, Ethiopia, Chile, Mexico, Afghanistan, Croatia, etc). Featuring home decorations, collectibles, children’s toys, books, drums, inspirational items, jewelry and accessories, we found something for almost everyone! The staff is exceptionally friendly and accom-modating. The store is a wonderful place to explore, reflect, appreciate and enjoy the variety of cultures, personalities and talents expressed by various artisans. The soft world music they play is a great part of the experience. We found The Market Path to be a place of honesty and integrity, upholding practices of fair trade market-ing. I think it is truly the place to go if you are looking for a unique gift for yourself or someone else.

The Market Path, 833 West Market Street, Akron, www.TheMarketPath.com, 330-258-9003


Ned Parks, owner of New Directions, knows how to have fun and teach at the same time. In fact, “have fun” is included in his vision and values statements for his company. Parks is former military, a trained mediator, and a dynamic speaker. Learning from Parks is like having a wisdom session with a good friend. Parks talks about the passion of training. “Our learning company allows the talent and passion of the trainers to enhance the learning pro-vided to the customers.”

New Directions pro-vides performance and process improvement sys-tems for individuals, teams and organizations. Parks and his team offer services that include training, keynote presentation, retreats, strategic planning, and assessments. Their programs are used to unite and inspire teams, retain good people, and teach leadership skills. Patty Strano of Pam-pered Chef writes, “Ned, your program was extremely informative and fun. You introduced me to a whole new way of thinking as a leader in regards to inspiring and motivating my team.”

Training programs are designed for specific company needs, using methodolo-gies and formats best suited to the client. Your company may need several days of interactive workshops designed to improve and develop skills and knowledge. Or, you might benefit from outdoor adventures for team building.

Topics offered by New Direction

include computer skills, leadership and management, team building, time and project management, personal develop-ment, business development, professional communication, employee training and retention.

The website is well worth the journey. An informal beginning has a brief video with Ned’s daughter Sammy letting her dad know that the customer is looking for him. The visual and auditory variety on the site contributes to a good learning experience and a valuable demonstra-

tion of what is offered by New Directions. Select “See Ned on Video” for a helpful taste of his training style.

Ned is the author of five audio CD’s you can find in the web site’s com-

pany store. His first release, Simple and Easy, teaches the little things you can do that will have a big impact on your perfor-mance, success and happiness. Ned and a colleague from Florida just released a series of audio CD’s titled, Talking About Your Business, which focus on four main areas of customer service. Ned has also writes two blogs and hosts a live call-in radio show blog. You can read or listen to his blogs at: http://got2bekiddingme.blogspot.com, www.talkingaboutyourbusi-ness.com, and www.blogtalkradio.com/talkingaboutyourbusiness

When you need an entertaining and educational message delivered, New Directions will fill the need with a format and topic designed for you.

by Kaeth GauthierAMB Editor-in-Chief


New Directions330-328-8309SelfBest.com

[email protected]

Trainingon Wheels


From Jo Bethea, Senior Sales Associate, Greater Akron ChamberBravo to the whole crew over at the newly opened BRAVO under direction of General Manager Kevin Lambes. Food and atmosphere are great…ev-eryone is upbeat and attentive. Sure makes for a fun night out. (Especially on Wed…. martini discounts!) Bravo www.BravoItalian.com 330-835-9583

From Rachel Shutte, Student at The University of AkronI like the Spaghetti Warehouse because of the entertaining atmosphere and great service. The food is delicious and I very much enjoy their sauce and bread.Spaghetti Warehouse www.Meat-balls.com 330-374-0025

From Lindsay Barba, Student at The University of AkronI like going to Ray’s Pub in Highland Square. They have a good variety of

beers available and friendly staff and the atmosphere and patrons are always unique.Ray’s Pub 816 West Market Street

From Debbie Price, IJN1 FoundationVillage Thrift on State Road is one of my favorite places to shop. There are terrific bargains at this re-sale store. They have clothing, decorative items and furniture. Village Thrift

FabulousFavorites

Want to sing the praises of your favorite Akron area spot? Send us an e-mail at [email protected]. Please include your name, your business name, & the names, phone numbers, and web addresses of the places you love.


Is Akron ready to be a film-making center? A diverse team of professionals believes that we are and they are devel-oping and seeking funding for the film, “Ivan’s Journey.” It is the intention of the creative team to shoot the majority of this project in Northeast Ohio.

“Ivan’s Journey” is a supernatural thriller and psychological mystery. Abandoned buildings and industrial settings in our area are ready to provide the backdrop of burned out and de-cayed structures experienced by Ivan.

Author Matthew Gregor is a writer, direc-tor and actor with more than 20 years experience in the industry. He de-fines this film as high concept. Gregor’s in-depth research shows the wealth of distribution and money-making options for this type of this film.

Producer Eric Vaughn says, “Akron is a magical place. I see “Ivan’s Jour-ney” as the first step in establishing a very lucrative industry in this area.” Vaughn has moved to Akron from Salt Lake City to produce the film.

Carmella Calta, is a corporate con-sultant for the company and tells us, “I believe in this project. There is an enormous amount of acting and techni-cal talent in this area. This project can be a catalyst for more films in Northeast Ohio.” Calta is the Founder and CEO of Staffing Solutions Enterprise.

Other local talent involved in this project include G. Michael Skerrit, Inda Blatch-Geib and PR Miller. Executive Producer Skerrit is a founder of the 31-year-old community theatre group, the Happy Ending Lyric Players. He also spent 20 years with the Cleveland

Orchestra Chorus. Blatch-Geib is Production Designer and has worked throughout the world. She says, “This is a wonderful opportunity for the many talented people here. I’ve looked at sites throughout the area and we have so much architecture that works for this film.” Miller, Scenic Artist, will bring his unique design sense and use of recycled materials to reinforce the mood of the film.

The mission statement for this com-pany includes these goals: “To make efficiently produced independent films with the goal of returning a profit to its

investors. To prove that great films can be pro-duced for lower cost in Northeast Ohio. To pro-duce work that contains

responsible messages.”Independent movies have been

made Akron for many years and some of those films are featured at the Ak-ron Independent Film Festival www.AkronFilmFestival.com. Those film-makers already know the cost benefits of filming here. The financial return to the community can be enormous. Pittsburgh added $37 million to their community in 2007 through film pro-duction.

Many people involved with this project see a dynamic future for film-making here. If you have longed to be a patron of the arts, you have the oppor-tunity now to be a financial backer for “Ivan’s Journey.” Ivan’s Journey LLC is looking for local investment for the film. To be a part of the investment team for Ivan’s Journey contact Matthew Gregor through the website.


by Kaeth S. GauthierAMB Editor-in-Chief

Ivan’s JourneyIvansJourney.com

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USA Means Business Akron April 2008

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