Words of Wisdom from 5 Top Entrepreneurs

You’ve got the artistic part down pat, Let us help with the rest*

“Sixteen years ago, we were cold calling and struggling to land our first client, The Port Authority of New York. New Jersey called us by mistake, attempting to contact a company whose name was silmilar to (ours). We kept them on the phone and discussed their IT (informational technology) infrastructure and project needs at length. Needless to say, they became our first client. We still laugh at this.”
Ranjini Poddar, Artech Information Systems LLC, Cedar Knolls, New Jersey
Began:1992 Initial Investment: $200,000 2003 Sales: 2.2 million 2007 Sales: 182.2 million

“The biggest mistake we ever made was undervaluing ourselves. When we started, we were young and hungry and we didn’t give ourselves credit for the amount of value we brought to our clients and strategies. So the lesson learned is: Don’t undervalue yourself and your expertise, and don’t let you size dictate your value.”
Shenan Reed, Morpheus Media, New York City, New York
Began: 2001 Initial Investment: $0 2003 Sales: 2.0 million 2007 Sales: 35 million

“It is important to take an inventory of your strengths and what you like to do. Focus on those things and get help for the others as soon as you can.”
Amy Langer, Salo LLC, Minneapolis, MN
Began: 2002 Initial Investment: $150,000 2003 Sales: 3.4 million 2007 Sales: 42 million

“Be a great juggler. As a woman in business, you will always have lots of balls in the air, including activities of running your business and being strategic in your decisions to grow your business. In many cases, ( you also have) the role of being a wife, a mother, a daughter and a sister. The same traits that make us great in all of these roles are the ones that you will rely on to excel in business.”
Leslie O’Connor, Search Wizards, Atlanta, Georgia
Began: 2000 Initial Investment: $0 2003 Sales: 359,600 2007 Sales: 12.2 million

“Build an atmosphere of trust and respect. You must always respect the (employees and clients) you work with. Believe in your people. Make your word count. In addition, never lose focus on your next challenge.”
Jeni Bogdan, The Saxon Group, Sugar Hill, Georgia
Began: 1995 Initial Investment: $100,000 2003 Sales: 13.4 million 2007 Sales: 81.8 million

*The image at the top of this post is an advertisement for The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC), a nonprofit arts and culture service agency dedicated to Northeast Ohio’s success by preserving and advancing its arts and culture sector.