2013 & Beyond: Where Is Your Business Going?

2013 & Beyond: Where is Your Business Going?

As part of NYER's 10-year celebration and special January issue, our community is coming together to let us know what they're doing to grow their business in 2013 and throughout the next decade.

We're asking:

What steps are you taking to grow your business over the next few years, and why?
What changes are taking place in your industry now, and what is your company doing about it?
What is the most important factor to the success of your business over the next 5 years?

Want to join in? Tell us where your business is going, and your company may be featured here.

Here are some of our favorite responses so far:

What steps are you taking to grow your business over the next few years, and why?

Hush Hip Hop Tours has thrived through the use of strategic marketing and planning, as we currently operate with very minimal advertising cost (virtually none!). In 2013 we have finally decided to do some international advertising and marketing. Our goals are to offer tours in languages other than English. As hip hop culture has a global impact, we’re exploring digital narration, live interpreters, and increasing our specialty offerings.

Debra Harris, president, Hush Hip Hop Tours

We are taking on a partner. Whereas most business when considering a partner are looking for capital, as a company that plans to lead the revolution in blended online learning we need someone with a background in educational leadership. We have a candidate with 20 years experience and feel that this person will help us define what online learning should look like for at least the next decade.

Fred De Sena, vice president, administration and business development, Innovations in Online Education, Inc.

We will expand our business by opening up new offices, as well as purchasing distressed complementary businesses. We are also exploring more international work. We are targeting the growth areas, and international is a huge opportunity.

Sandi Webster, principal, Consultants 2 Go

Instead of complaining about competition, foreign imports, and rising expenses, I am facing the challenge by investing profits into growth. I’m designing new products, buying massive quantities of inventory to lower costs, and investing in my employees and facilities improvements.

Barry Cowen, president, New Era Pump Systems Inc.

Investing in infrastructure and our people. After a massive increase of over $2 million in inventory and a third location, we are looking to improve internal procedures and clearly identify roles and responsibilities as we leave the start-up phase and enter into the growth phase.

Christopher K. Jones, chief financial officer and partner, Durante Rentals, LLC

With the shifts in the marketplace, we have had to rethink how we serve our clients in terms of our overall business model. We need to not only serve our clients as a strategic business advisor, but we are also building a repeatable framework and solutions to address their business needs to help them realize value from their business, emphasizing a high return on their overall technology investments and speed to market.

Yacov Wrocherinsky, founder, president, and CEO of Infinity Info Systems

Over the past couple of months I’ve attended various workshops and webinars on using social media as my primary marketing source. This includes being more active with blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Why? Just about everyone uses some form of social media. Social media provides various avenues to connect with people I know and people I don’t know, both nationally and internationally.

Thelma Kingsale, CEO, NU LIFE Healthy Living Network

I’m searching for a technology partner to build out and maintain a marketing solution that I believe will support small businesses in a unique way. I believe that a recurring revenue model is more efficient than an agency model, and I believe that empowering entrepreneurs is a win-win.

Gil Pagan, CEO, Lease A Sales Rep

We are committed to growing the next generation, so we reach out to local colleges for marketing interns who get real-world/hands-on experience, while we get their youthful enthusiasm, energy, and viewpoint, and we also get to see how they audition in the real world. We are also now offering our services as a fundraising tool. The charity gets happy supporters, while we get free exposure.

Lawrene Berindel, owner, PergolaNY

As a means to both leverage my time and build a larger audience, I shifted the bulk of my marketing efforts from local networking and speaking engagements to those that reside online. Additionally, I shifted the primary service I offer from 1-1 executive coaching to group and e-delivered programs, expanding the price points at which prospects can drop into my marketing funnel, which also broadens my reach.

Andrea Feinberg, president, Coaching Insight LLC

We have invested significant resources and time into building infrastructure that will allow our company to grow, from stronger technical capabilities to employee training to a stronger HR department.

Ronn Torossian, founder, president, and CEO, 5W Public Relations

New York Business Consultants LLC has opened an office in New Delhi recently and we are working with a strategic partner in Russia. We want to grow our global representation to do international business development even more effectively. Specific steps are: establishing and growing our representation in the BRIC countries; strengthening our global brand; improving our social media presence; thought leadership through cooperation with academia and research; and forming strategic partnerships with business associations.

Malko Ebers, CEO, New York Business Consultants LLC

I’ll be speaking at least twice per month. This gets me professional visibility, and clients. I’ll also be writing a series of books, which will increase my stature and professional visibility, as well as give me additional products to see at speaking engagements.

John Hadley, Career Search Counselor, John Hadley Associates

We are constantly investing in systems that reap the benefits of the service we provide: office automation. Every opportunity to improve a process, and monitor and manage that process, makes our company grow smart and sustainable. This allows our staff to focus on selling and supporting our customers while the boring, day-to-day paperwork and back office service work is almost completely automated.

Christopher Franzino, senior solutions specialist / sales manager, Accelerated Information Systems

I’m searching for a technology partner to build out and maintain a marketing solution that I believe will support small businesses in a unique way. I believe that a recurring revenue model is more efficient than an agency model and I believe that empowering entrepreneurs is a win-win.

Mardy Sitzer, president, Bumblebee Design & Marketing

Our business model is to do things right, rather than large. With that said, we focus on two core services—the design and installation of solar electricity and solar hot water systems. Also, we are looking to grow our business by continuing to do what we do best. We also are looking at possibly adding new solar energy products, perhaps consumer ones or battery backups, the latter which may help during power outages such as those many Long Islanders experienced during Hurricane Sandy.

Dan Sabia, president, Built Well Solar Corp.

I am focusing on the basics for my customers. The need to communicate the unique personality of their businesses, particularly when it comes to small businesses. The logo, company ID materials, and description of services or products needs to be honest, reflect the specifics the offer and how they differ from others. Instead of doing piecemeal marketing or communications work, I look more and more to evaluate client businesses from the beginning to help them see what is wrong and what is right. My free consultation is often the start of a long-term relationship that truly can help their bottom line.

Nancy Hiler, owner/proprietor, Creative Partners

In this completely digital world, we are taking a step back and really evaluating what is important to us as a firm, people, and what we are contributing back into the community. We are giving back to not-for-profits whose causes are dear to us, giving free advice to companies who normally would not be able to hire us, and taking the extra time to make sure everyone we come into contact with is aware of everything they could be doing to be successful. We learned that we will only be successful and grow only if the people around us are growing as well.

James Joy, managing partner, Summit Service & Associates, LLC

Our company is almost 50 years old and we, believe it or not, manufacture! Our brands have instant recognition with the established professionals who are now nearing retirement, but we found we needed to bridge the generation gap and introduce ourselves to the new generation of design professionals, who are more tech-savvy. Because of this, we have begun to market ourselves as a solutions provider as well as a manufacturer, increasing our vertical stance in our industry to become a veritable “One Stop Shop.” We are now starting to see more business as a result.

Paul Harencak, general manager, The CLI Group

We are introducing new products and transforming the company from “brick and mortar” to “click and order.”

Nadine Cino, CEO, Tyga-Box Systems, Inc.

Our organization has just revamped our logo, website, and branding. We have been stagnant for a few years, but with a new board and a new vision, we plan on raising our visibility and our fundraising to help more of our community.

Rhonda Blum, chair, The SAAGNY Foundation

To grow my new business in 2013, I am taking NYC's FastTrac program and I am currently in the process of becoming a certified woman-owned business enterprise through the city of New York.

Chelsey Donegan Pendock, strategic marketing director, Innovision Advertising, LLC

We've hired new employees and are pursuing venture capital funding to aggressively launch the second phase of our company. There is a very large opportunity that is potentially disruptive, and we want to have first mover advantage. Though we're a 6-person start-up now, we will be a 20-person company in 2014.

Mark Hirsch, CEO, CreativeWorx

There is a surge of companies looking for good talent. We plan to be more selective about who we take on as clients, and plan to go much deeper with them. We plan to expand our retained C-level search business, as well as add to our service offering. We plan to double our staff in 2013, with about one-third in the Midwest and West Coast, while simultaneously increasing the standards of who we hire.

Alan Cutter, CEO, AC Lion

Want to join in? Tell us where your business is going, and your company may be featured here.
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What changes are taking place in your industry now, and what is your company doing about it?

With the possible changes in tax laws the retirement plan industry should continue to grow. Since we are in the niche area of self-directed retirement accounts, we will see the largest growth.

Jaime Raskulinecz, CEO, Next Generation Trust Services

Reactive support is becoming a thing of the past. Sure, we're always here for "My computer won't start" or "The server rack is on fire! The humanity!", but we're moving our business towards a much larger goal. We offer training on anything from word processing to cloud computing. Not just how it works, but specifically how it can work for our customers and their specific needs and goals. When a customer needs a mobile app or a website redesign, we not only create something that feels human, but something that becomes a natural extension of their lives.

Brandon Lynch, Mission Communications Officer, Rocket Science Consulting

Labor is moving away from China and back to the US. People are becoming more aware of what happens overseas in clothing factories. Also, with the boom in the technology industry, Chinese clothing factories are forced to compete with technology companies for workers. Before, they were able to have workers living at the factory in dorms and working constantly. Now, they are forced to provide better conditions and pay more. Thus, the cost of labor in China will soon not be cost-effective for American designers, when the shipping costs are factored in. One of the premises of our line is that we are designed and made in America, specifically in the Garment District of NYC. We anticipated this shift and have built our business model on local resources.

Tabitha St. Bernard, co-founder and designer, Tabii Just

The financial planning industry has been in need of shaking up, as it's historically been inaccessible and unaffordable for most Americans. We fundamentally believe that financial planning should not be a luxury. By creating a dynamic online platform (complete with a LearnVest app), we're making the process of getting a financial plan as easy as joining a gym.

Alexa von Tobel, founder and CEO, LearnVest.com

The biggest influencer has been the growth of social media in marketing. There has been a change from IQ (intelligent) marketing toward SQ (social) and EQ (emotional) marketing. The game is now, more than ever, about winning consumers’ hearts, engaging and touching them.

Steven Lauterback, founder and CEO, Lauterback Marketing

Pricing models in the legal field are constantly changing and we are constantly coming up with new, creative manners to charge for legal services so both client and lawyer are happy.

Sam Rosen, managing partner, Rosen Law Group PLLC

Most of our clients are looking for organic products. We are looking to secure new organic vendors to keep our product competitive in the organic market.

Michael Bishay, CEO, DoggieChop NYC

The tone of web content, thanks to the transparency of social media, has shifted from industry jargon that talks at people to “real-talk” human conversations. As creatives, we’re now able to take advantage of new technology and progressive design to craft and deliver content that audiences can relate to and experience. We're focusing on providing interactive opportunities that engage and change the way people experience brands online.

Megan Murphy, founding Partner, new business and strategy, Get The People Branding + Web Design

In the communications industry, social media has moved from a novelty and add-on to a core element of every communications program. Team members' skillsets need to span a broad spectrum, from traditional writing, storytelling, and media relations to driving engagement via social media channels.

Katja Schroeder, president, Expedition PR

Consolidation and commoditization. We are aggressively looking to grow organically and through acquisition, as well as evolve our solutions to enhance value and maintain margins.

Adam Eiseman, CEO, The Lloyd Group

There has been a trend in our industry towards larger corporate clients seeking national solutions such as roll-ups and franchises. We have taken steps to work with independent market leaders from around the country to develop a national network of non-competing companies within our industry to work cooperatively to provide national solutions with consistent standards, while retaining our individual ownerships and identities.

Damon Gersh, president and CEO, Maxons Restorations, Inc.

We are in the technology industry, specifically audiovisual systems. Anyone following that industry knows that technology is rapidly changing. It's impossible to design a solution today that won't be outdated in less than a year. This issue used to cause our projects to be delayed or placed on permanent hold as clients waited for the latest technology. We changed our approach to clients recently and basically told them that it was going to be impossible to stay ahead of the technology curve; however, if we build in the right infrastructure and the solution meets your current needs with a look to the future, then waiting will only delay your implementation and cost you money over time. Explaining our systems and solutions this way has helped us bridge the gap between the technology changes in our industry and the clients concerns over outdated technologies.

Amanda Jankelovics, CEO, Custom Media Environments

One of the biggest challenges I have faced in recent times is the tightening of bank lending to small businesses. I have had to find other ways to finance my company to achieve the goals I have set out to accomplish. In addition, the marketplace has gotten more competitive which has put more pressure on profit margins. Therefore, I have to constantly explore new ways to acquire and retain customers to attain the necessary margins to fuel the growth of my business.

Jordan Finger, CEO, Ardis Health

For us, in the content management and e-commerce space, perhaps the biggest change is the movement to mobile platforms. That is our focus for 2013, providing our clients with the tools they need to connect with their clients, members, and customers via responsive sites, mobile sites, and apps.

John Flanagan, CEO, SiteCaddy

The foreign language service industry is teetering on the edge of a major shift in how we provide our service and what skill sets are necessary to do so in a timely and effective manner. With the growth of the technology in this sector, we expect to see a serious shift from translators becoming editors working on machine-translated documentation, rather than translating with humans alone. We are working towards developing systems and tools here at G3 Translate to ensure we are not left behind once this shift truly comes to pass.

Nancy Hernon, CEO, G3 Translate

With exchange rates fluctuating and economies constantly changing, companies are always looking for new channels of distribution. We are now working with several Colombian companies due to the Free Trade agreements recently signed between the US and Colombia.

Clare Posnack and Louise Connor, co-founders, Global Beginnings

Want to join in? Tell us where your business is going, and your company may be featured here.

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What is the most important factor to the success of your business over the next five years?

One of the most important factors to the success of Ovation over the next five years and beyond will be increasing our current employee base in order to keep up with the demands of today’s travelers and travel managers. Despite the fact that disintermediation of travel consultants was predicted and that the internet was to take our place, we have hired 140 new employees from 2008 to 2011 and continue to actively recruit new staff year over year.

Michael Steiner, executive vice president, Ovation Travel Group

The most important factor to our success will be our ability to inspire change, which in turn will magnify our clients' abilities to do greater social good.

Mary Pisarkiewicz, founder and Chief Creative Officer, Pisarkiewicz Mazur+CO

The most important factor to our success will be the acquisition, development, and retention of top talent.

Eddie Solomon, co-founder, Net@Work
A continuation of quality service.

Timothy Askew, CEO, Corporate Rain International
Maintaining our culture of innovation and great service.

Shenan Reed, CMO and founder, Morpheus Media

Our ability to adapt. An industry in its infancy can take many different turns, sometimes very quickly, so we are looking to stay for the long haul, grow slow and steady, and maintain our little part in our local niche.

Dan Sabia, president, Built Well Solar Corp.
Google's algorithm changes.

Christina Zila, director of communications, Textbroker International

Diversifying our services and as a dually certified minority and woman owned

business enterprise, continue to form strategic alliances which will allow us to

provide our clients with robust service options.

Angelique Barniak, president and CEO, One Call Staffing, Inc.

Quality products consistently delivered at a fair price to the public.

David A. Daniel, founder, David A. Daniel

Recognizing opportunities before anyone else.

Felix Brutter, founder, Venfino

Finding great people to get the work done.

Raj Thakkar, founder & CEO, Charter School Business Management Inc.