HAPPY HOLIDAYS

NY Times Small Business Interview

NY Times, Small Business—Interview
The Byne Group
-November 30, 2007

The award-winning Byne Group is a full service strategic design, branding, web and advertising design firm. Founded by Ann Mendelsohn Byne in 1990 and incorporated in 1998, it is headquartered in the historic Montebello mansion in Rockland County. Since its inception The Byne Group has become a cutting edge marketing and design firm, with a diverse client base, encompassing health, technology, consumer products and services, higher education and B2B. The Byne Group’s goal is to create comprehensive marketing programs that meet the specific objectives of each and every client, regardless of size and budget. This personalized approach has helped The Byne Group attract and more importantly, retain its clients.

Q: Design is a black art for a lot of people, plus there is the issue of taste... "chacun a son gout." But sometimes-small businesses need to upgrade their look. How do they know it's time to make that project a priority?

A: The right “look” or “brand” should be a priority for any size firm and it doesn’t have to break the bank! I tell my clients to start small, you don’t have to build a mansion, just start off with a small home with a strong foundation and lots of room to add. Assess the materials you use, are they consistent in look, do they still reflect who you and your target markets are, if not its time to update their “look or “brand”.

I don’t know if most small businesses truly understand what a brand is. It tends to be the marketing buzzword of the hour. A “brand” encompasses a company name, logo, tagline, business cards, etc. But in essence it is much more… a brand is a piece of real estate your business occupies in a persons mind, and the related impressions, good or bad that it leaves behind. Wouldn’t we all want to control that? When you meet someone for the first time we are judged on so many levels; how we speak, our demeanor, dress, color of our hair, even how we shake their hand. Think of each trait as parts of your brand, and the whole package is the overall “brand” impression you leave behind.

Q: Running a small business for the first time means lots of new challenges. What part of entrepreneurship have you worked hardest on?

A: For me it has always been learning to take a “leap of faith”. I was the middle child, and honestly I don’t believe there were ever any high expectations for me other than getting married and raising a family. I am just not a risk taker and when I read books about entrepreneurs that’s always one the top personality traits. So how I approach growth throughout my 20 years of business is probably a bit different from the norm….. I look at where I am at any given time in my business and my personal life and ask myself one simple question, would I still feel good about my business and myself if 5 in years I was in the same place? When you make yourself accountable in that way it can really motivate you to make changes fast.

I will probably always struggle with taking chances, but I feel good about where I am today and look forward to achieving my goals for my next “leap of faith”.


Q: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

A: In my generation all little girls wanted to be just like the character Nurse Nancy from the golden book series, the books had band-aids and cool stuff for playing make-believe, even then, cross-marketing existed! Unfortunately as a teenager I realized I couldn’t walk into a hospital without feeling horribly sad and sorry for everyone so my first dream was abandoned.

When I went to Pratt I had a dual major of art education and graphic design. I still teach classes on marketing and branding occasionally and love the interaction with the audience. Fortunately I have the opportunity as creative director of my own firm to mentor and teach my own amazing staff. I think if I wasn’t running my own business I would like to be a full time college professor trying to inspire the next generation of designers.

Are you LinkedIn?

I wanted to share an interesting article I read on MarketingProfs.com by
Matt Dickman
~Ann
An exerpt continues below. Read the full article here.







Are You LinkedIn?

One of the social networks that I frequent most often is LinkedIn. I've been a member of the service for years, but until recently they've not had the critical mass necessary to get traction. Over the last 6 months, however, I've seen a flood of people using the service to connect on a professional basis.

LinkedIn is a focused, professional networking site. It doesn't pretend to be MySpace or Facebook. The design is clean, but a little stark and it could use a little more personality in order to make it more engaging. In this video tour, I focus on what LinkedIn does well within their network and how you can apply the same logic and to your own community.

What LinkedIn does well:

• Security. Friendships are made and links shared only with permission.
• Focus. The site is professional and keeps social elements out.
• Communication. Alerts are stored in your inbox and messaging is clear and simple.
• Answers. The answers area is a great resource for anybody looking for advice from peers.
• Rewards. LinkedIn offers virtual rewards for engaging (profile completeness, etc.).
• Community. It's all about community and LinkedIn has found great ways of showing you what's happening in your personal network as well as your extended network.
• Trust. The site is completely built on trust. You connect with trusted people and so do they. When a message/answer/job comes through the service you know it's for real.

Thank you to all who joined us at our Lunch and Learn on Oct. 29th

Welcome to our new blog—created in direct response to lessons learned at our event. We hope this blog will give us an opportunity to share insights, provide a forum for discussion, and let you know what The Byne Group is up to. We will soon be launching our new website so stay tuned.

For those of you who missed it, our speaker, Howard Greenstein, a social media evangelist, introduced us to the new world of online social networks, and took us gently through a maze of terms at our first Lunch and Learn program. He touched on powerful ways for us all to harness the power of the online community and answered ethical concerns we all share.

Its obvious that new media such as social networking can pack a powerful punch and you should put these new tools to productive use in telling your story. These days, strategic branding across all media is essential and must include the right mix to meet your goals. We all know the obvious ones: Print the brochure, but make sure to get a pdf of it on your site. Send out the invites to your event but don’t forget the e-mail blast, Get that video you produced for an event onto your site. Just remember to make sure all the pieces all carefully branded! If you haven't done it yet consider an e-newsletter, there are many companies, Constant Contact.com and Ask Emma.com to name a few that inexpensively allow you to track who opens it and when as well as, who clicks through to check out your website.

I thought the event was a great success. Over 25 clients/friends joined us. Lots of networking, and even reconnecting for some old friends (you know who you are)...and the chocolate chip cookies were outrageous!

I hope to hear back from many of you with any comments and thoughts about what you took away from the seminar and how you might use the information, as well as other topics you'd like to explore in future lunch and learns.


~Ann
Please see our links section for some interesting books and resources on the subject of social media and using it to your advantage.
Photos of the event
Howard Greenstein's Website
We Are Smarter than Me (book)
photos courtesy Howard Greenstein

We "Indulged Our Health And Our Spirits" at Nyack Hospital

"Indulge Our Health and Our Spirits", the 10 Best Ways to Save your Life--an evening of interesting conversation and indulgent chocolate with Dr. Michele Blackwood was a huge success!

It was truly a delight to be part of such an exciting and engaging evening at Nyack Hospital, where over 100 women from the community were in attendance. Of course, it was Dr. Blackwood herself the new Director of Breast and Women's Health Prevention Services at Nyack Hospital, who made it an amazing, insightful, informative and memorable evening.

This was the Byne Group's first official event planning project, although two members of our team have experience as event coordinator for the Black Bear Golf Club, event coordinator for Chase Bank, and travel event coordinator for Maxwell House for the 1988 Winter Olympics.

We would like to thank everyone on the project team for their hard work and creativity as well as Nyack Hospital for giving us the opportunity to plan this fun and important event for them.

Thank you also to Chef Paul of Cook For You Gourmet in Sloatsburg, NY who generously donated and served an array of amazing chocolate delights-from fondue to gelatto, and mostlychocolate.com for donating the fabulous Lily O'Brien chocolates.


For more information on Dr. Blackwood visit
Nyack Hospital's Website

Ann Byne to Speak at the 9th Annual WeDC Networking Roundtable

Friday, November 9, 2007, Ann will be speaking on "Making the Most of your Marketing Dollars". This event is designed as an opportunity for women business owners to develop new skills and be inspired by other successful women entrepreneurs. For more information go to the WeDC website.

Ann Attends the County-Wide Symposium on Autism

As part of a strategic analysis assignment for Camp Venture, Ann Byne attended the 2nd Annual County-Wide Symposium on Autism. With standing room only, it was attended by over 500 parents, educators, lawmakers, and related service providers. The featured speakers included Fred Volkmar of Yale University's Autism Program and a nationally recognized professional in the study and treatment of autism, Raul Silva of New York University's Child Psychiatry Program and executive director of Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center.

The Byne Group's goal is to provide a strategic basis for Camp Venture's future marketing initiatives through market research, interviews, and an understanding of the local and political climate surrounding these issues. Interacting at events such as this is an important part of The Byne Group's strategic analysis process.

Camp Venture is a Nanuet-based nonprofit that offers services to people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. In addition to John Murphy, the symposium was planned by Janet Wheeler of OMRDD's Hudson Valley office; Dan Lukens, chairman of the Rockland County Community Service Board; and Mary Ann Tozer, the county's commissioner for mental health. Opening remarks were given by Senator Thomas P. Morahan.



Camp Venture