The Customer is Always Right – Tell Them
By: Bianca M. Strzalkowski
Nadia Martinez says her customers are always right and she goes out of her way to make sure they know it. The Marine wife is owner of Kallie Shoes, LLC, a not-just-for-profits footwear company that gives part of its proceeds to organizations that support veterans and wounded warriors. She used her education and professional experience to get started, then met up with some of the brightest minds in business at an Inc. 5000 conference late last year. The interactions there gave her tools to grow her business even further.
Kallie Shoes targets a specific customer: people who love shoes, people who are animal-friendly, and people who support the military. The PETA-approved vegan company delivers products made with the safety of animals in mind. Because she knows her customer base so well, Martinez put flexible policies in place to ensure her shoppers always know they are right. (more…)
Client Profile: KOVA Global
Powerhouse Service Provided: External Communications
The Powerhouse team works with businesses to provide external communications support in a variety of ways.
- Product/service campaigns
- Speech writing
- Media crisis management
- Analyst relations
- Branding
- Brochures
- Social media
- Website development and maintenance
- Graphic design
- Contributed articles drafting
- Press releases (writing and targeted distribution)
- Media relations
- Press/media tours
- Magazines
- Annual reports
- Script development (video, commercials, and radio ads)
- e-Newsletters
For the past two years we’ve been fortunate to work with KOVA Global on an ongoing basis.
“The Powerhouse team has been critically important and valuable to KOVA’s increasing growth and success. Powerhouse is consistently responsive and quick to provide top quality marketing solutions, be it graphics work, public relations efforts, or full-on marketing campaigns. In KOVA’s fast-moving world, we proudly rely on Powerhouse to not only keep up with us, but keep us exceling and succeeding even faster.” – Chris Just, Founding Partner, KOVA Global
Interested in learning more about how Powerhouse can help you with your external communications? Email us at [email protected]. If you want to learn more about KOVA Global, visit their website at www.kovaglobal.com.
Never Stop Learning
Small business ownership has many layers, from accounting to marketing to human resources and more. There are several avenues to receiving extensive education, for free and tailored to military-affiliated entrepreneurs. Did we mention these are all free? Let’s explore some of the options.
Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF): business owner training for any stage of ownership. Dr. Mike Haynie, a veteran, helped found the program in 2006 to assist veterans and their families in crafting a vocation that defies the traditional barriers to employment. IVMF offers various types of programs for all branch affiliations and roles within the military community. Classes run throughout the year and include online and in-person opportunities.
- EBV – Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities
- EBV-F – Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families
- V-Wise – for female veterans
- Boots to Business – for transitioning military members
Check out IVMF for a full listing of dates and program components.
Inc. Military Entrepreneur Program: for veterans and military spouses looking to start or who are currently running a business. Events are offered each year (for free) to connect military-affiliated entrepreneurs with successful CEOs in all sectors.
- The next conference, known as GrowCo, will take place in Las Vegas in May. A special delegation will be chosen to attend. Check their website for application information or contact Natalie Thomas for details at [email protected].
VetToCEO: offers programs to active duty military, transitioning military, and veterans interested in small business ownership.
- Virtual training
- Options include self-paced and a structured, seven-week program
Nonprofit Profile: The MilSpo Project
When these two military spouses saw a need, they filled it.
Elizabeth Boardman and Nicole Hope, business owners, devised a plan to support other military spouse business owners by founding an organization called The MilSpo Project. The idea for the nonprofit was developed when the two friends were out on a hike. The co-founders learned through their own experiences that business ownership was a natural fit for their on-the-move lifestyles. They made the decision to turn a thought into action after recognizing there was an underserved segment of the military spouse community: entrepreneurs.
“All of our friends at the time had chosen business because growing with another company was almost impossible. Given the large number of military spouse business owners, we realized there was no business conference that brought all of them together so EMBARK (our annual conference) was born,” Boardman said.
In addition to the yearly conference of business leaders, The MilSpo Project offers an opportunity to network through local chapters, online training, a business book club, and monthly webinars with experts. For spouses looking to add to volunteer experience, the organization has a host of opportunities that range from running a chapter to assisting with fundraising.
If you are a military spouse business owner looking to donate your time, talents, or monetary support, visit The MilSpo Project’s website at http://www.themilspoproject.com/donate/ or email [email protected].
Stay tuned to the group’s online community for information about its two-day EMBARK conference happening in Norfolk, Virginia along with an e-course launching this year.
New Hire at Powerhouse
Bianca Strzalkowski joins the Powerhouse Planning team as a technical writer.
She has experience in writing, editing, and social media management. A proud Marine Corps wife of 14 years, she was named the 2011 Military Spouse of the Year for her advocacy within the military community. As a mother of three, Bianca has spent her time volunteering with various organizations, such as the National Military Family Association and the Marine Corps’ Family Readiness program. Because of her volunteerism, the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, awarded her with a Certificate of Commendation.
Prior to her freelance writing career, Bianca was the Deputy Director of Membership for Blue Star Families and former Managing Editor of The Onslow Times. She is media trained and has appeared in interviews for television, radio, and print to include Fox News, CNN, and Oprah.
Currently, Bianca resides in Jacksonville, NC where her husband is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River. She is a member of the Military Reporters & Editors Association.
Meet Rachel Brenke, CEO of The Brenke Group
She’s a business coach, lawyer, and author… all of us can learn something from this dynamic entrepreneur!
Rachel Brenke has created multiple successful businesses from the ground, up. As a lawyer and MBA, she is currently helping entrepreneurs all over the world initiate, strategize, and implement business and marketing plans through various mediums of consulting resources and legal direction. While specializing in photographers at TheLawTog and bloggers at BlogLegally, she has successfully helped business owners across various industries.
Q: What made you decide to start your own company?
A: Carrying a typical job was difficult while my husband was in the military, so I decided to go another way. I took my strong desire to help others, along with my drive, business, and legal training and put it all together to form my business. (more…)
