Local companies who "Built it."

So, who did build your business?  Who made your marketing, sales, finance, department successful?  The firestorm spreading across social media, the airwaves and our television gives way to American passion.  The passion of the American business rooted in big ideas and self-preservation. The guts of a business owner to design his own "Built This" t-shirt to every "thumbs up" on Facebook in defiance to some very poorly chosen words. 

We love American business -- big and not so big.  We understand businesses are built by people for people, and they all started somewhere.  And, we understand that point in history was one built on sweat, anxiety, skill, extra miles and smart plans.  They were also helped by friends.  And, we'd like to brag on a few of our friends.

They did build it.
L'Nique Specialty Linens / www.Lnique.com (Valley View) / I need to brag on one of our clients.  Angela Klodnick (Brecksville resident) and Deidre Dockman (North Royalton) created L'Nique Specialty Linens literally in their garage (sound familiar). In 2004, team L'Nique moved to a 16,000 square foot facility in Valley View, Ohio.  Angela is reportedly finally reclaiming her garage.  What took so long?  Angela, Deidre and their team of over 20 employees have been working their tails off -- growing L'Nique to double-digit growth annually even during this hard recession. 

How did they do it?  I know Angela and Deidre know their stuff, are committed to quality and had a smart business plan from the beginning.  But, as an observation, team L'Nique are masters at relationships.  They are fully committed to relationships.  No one needs to remind them to send the personal thank you note.  Instead, they throw an out of this world personal thank you party for over 500 of their colleagues that has everyone talking the next day on every social media channel. 

Challenge:  L'Nique has great linens.  They have even greater friends.  Don't let your marketing approach ever lose site of your friends.  Whether those friends are clients, prospects, neighbors or family -- everyone matters.  You might not be in the position to throw the thank you party of the century, but you can send the personal thank you note.

PNC Bank recently named Angela and Deidre "Women Who Achieve."  Read more.

Proximity Marketing / www.ProximityMarketing.com (Brunwisk, Ohio) / I need to brag on one of my former employers.  Some people look at their resumes and it becomes their list of what not to do.  If you ever met Mark & Alison Priebe, owners of Proximity Marketing, you know exactly why I need to brag.  After being a member of the Proximity Marketing team for 6 years, I chose to move on, but I am still a huge fan.

Established in 1994, Proximity Marketing had a humble beginning.  Mark's not a big fan of sharing the inside scoop, but let's just say there were many, many sleepless nights and days Mark and Alison wore many hats.  They were risk takers but had a g great concept called personalized marketing.  When I started working with Proximity Marketing in 2000, Proximity Marketing had already built a robust infrastructure for distributing personalized, mass email communications (e-marketing).  That year and years after, Proximity Marketing continued to grow, win awards and offer it's clients exceptional customer service.  Back then, we used to say "We do the work.  You get the results." And, we lived as if we were only as good as the last campaign. 

Proximity Marketing also knew some friends helped their success along the way.  From mentors to customers to devoted employees, we all drank the Proximity Marketing kool-aid.  At Christmas each year, Mark and Alison threw (and continue to do so) the best Christmas party for their employees.  It wasn't one of those traditional dreaded holiday parties filled with conspicuous behavior that you wished you could rub off the aroma of facade and alcohol.  It was fun.  From the "$250 Pyramid" to "Not So Newlywed Game" to the "Proximity Wii Olympics" it was a total blast.  My spoils included tons of cash, an ipod and player (big deal back then), lifetime subscription to Tivo and most importantly genuine gratitude from my boss. 

Challenge:  Proximity Marketing is great at interactive marketing.  They are even better at creating lifetime ambassadors.  Whether you are a business owner, a department head or a regular ol' staffer, don't forget to say thanks to those around you.  In the private sector, we are not bound by time clocks, simply our will to achieve.  Even you can throw a good thank you party for your employees, even if it is just the "$50 Pyramid."  Make the effort.

KcGrowthGroup.com
Melanie Kirin is the Senior Strategy Partner at Kc Growth Group Marketing, an organization helping emerging organizations grow their businesses through smart marketing approaches.