New Hire at Powerhouse
Jessica Yost joins the Powerhouse Planning team as an analyst.
Jessica is a public relations consultant who specializes in streamlined messaging and building client-customer relationships. Her professional background spans the hospitality, technology, and beauty industries, as well as not-for-profit organizations. Jessica earned a B.S. in psychology from Towson University and a master’s in strategic public relations from The George Washington University.
As a military spouse of nine years, Jessica has served in various leadership positions within military family organizations. She is currently an active member of The Milspo Project and In Gear Career, and is the creator and administrator of the Navy JAG Spouses and Partners Facebook page.
In her spare time, Jessica is a makeup artist and enjoys teaching others how to put their best faces forward. She is also an avid baker, dancer, and runner who currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with her wonderful husband, Adam, and their two beagles, Clark and Kent (they’re on Instagram: @TheSuperBeagles).
February 2016
Powerhouse president published in SpouseBuzz
Retired Soldier Launches Coffee Business Using Skills Learned in Military
By: Bianca M. Strzalkowski 
No compromise.
Army veteran Carl Churchill had an entrepreneurial spirit since he was a kid. He took on odd jobs, even throughout his time in the military, allowing him to flex his leadership skills. After retirement, he transitioned into a career that suffered as a result of the financial crisis hitting the country. Churchill and his wife Lori made the decision to start their own business – all in the name of a love of coffee and a desire to continue helping his brothers in arms.
Lock N Load Java – an online retailer of premium coffee selling directly to consumers, was launched on September 11, 2010 with a philosophy of “no compromise.” Churchill explains the phrase means the company won’t give up “quality to make a quick buck.”
“It means not compromising customer service – we offer 100 percent customer satisfaction, period,” he said. “It means not compromising our mission to support the troops and the military community. And it means not compromising our integrity – we ALWAYS do the right thing.” (more…)
Did You Know?
Each month on Facebook we focus on a theme that can help your business grow. Follow us: www.facebook.com/powerhouseplanning
8 Ways to Build Customer/Client Relationships on Facebook…and Keep Them
By: Joanna Guldin-Noll
If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably complained about Facebook. Facebook throttles views. Facebook constantly changes. Facebook makes things difficult. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Sound familiar? I know I’ve said some of these exact things. Until recently, that is… because I’ve figured out how to make Facebook beneficial for my followers and for my business.
If you’re feeling sluggish about your Facebook presence (or maybe downright hostile toward it), you can absolutely take steps to change the way you interact with your customers/clients. It’s easy to take just one or two of these strategies and consistently apply them. You’ll be building relationships through Facebook easily in no time! (more…)
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…)
