Part 2, Tracking the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji

Part 1:

- Introduced Zahir Abji, CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc

- Introduced Guard RFID Solutions Inc. and the markets to which they offer solutions

- Told of his family’s risky and dangerous journey from India to Tanzania

- Transitioned into Zahir’s work that helped revolutionize global emergency response and logistics, Zahir spoke of his work there with modesty.  MDI’s contribution was anything but modest.  

Part 2 of 2

Mobile Data International,  MDI, was one of those brilliant companies that sprung up, did significant work, was bought out, and melted into another brand.   MDI gave police and firefighters the ability to communicate through a mobile computing terminal in their vehicles.  This was a great achievement… unless your rap sheet was coming over MDI’s mobile terminal.  

Zahir Abji, CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc

Zahir helped MDI develop mobile computing used by well-known global logistic companies.  He managed design for terminals used in taxicabs and recommended and developed one of the first handheld terminals capable of transmitting data, opening the gate for smartphones.

  

Running operations in Japan, Europe, Middle East, and Singapore with leading-edge technology, reliability, six sigma; becoming head of Research and Development and manufacturing for Motorola Wireless Modems; Chief Operating Officer; President for other companies providing hardware software, and interfaces with ERP systems; all of this coupled with market growth; these deep and broad experiences go into the company.  The roster of Guard RFID executives and board members runs with likewise experience. 

Guard RFID’s customer oriented global view has generated some significant work to support standards. Zahir explains, “The customer who has global operations will be uncomfortable in the absence of a framework of standards.  This is why we are involved in both IEEE and ISO. We helped the IEEE Standards Committee create the 802.15.4F standard.”

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4F standard states: "To provide a standard for low cost, ultra low energy consumption, flexible and highly reliable communication means and air interface protocol for Active RFID and sensor applications. The air interface should be able to support a wide range of needs for which Active RFID systems can be useful and enable improved performance and flexibility for future mass deployments of Active RFID systems around the world." http://www.ieee802.org/

Guard RFID insured that their physical layer is included in that standard.  Zahir commented, “Because of the attributes, our physical layer is a part of that standard.  One could say that we donated that physical layer royalty-free, without any license to the IEEE.  We also realize that IEEE is only one of the vehicles that’s looked at from a standards’ perspective.

“ISO appeared to be much more known and is respected on the non-healthcare side, especially in industrial areas, and it decided to adopt the same technology as the IEEE Standard to be included in the ISO 18000 – 7:2014 standard.  Dalibor Pokrajac, our Executive Vice President of Engineering, was a driving factor in both cases.  Again, royalty free standards are vital for adoptions and assists customers with global operations in selecting technology sources.  

“Guard RFID’s corporate knowledge, capability, and technology platform has allowed us to make major contributions because of the manner in which our technology is developed.  Healthcare tends to associate 433MHz with infant abduction.  That is within our capability but we are in manufacturing and Defense as well.  We have deployed tens of thousands of tags, helping customers with return on investment and efficiencies with personnel, materials, tools, equipment, and finished goods. 

“One place we believe we have an advantage is the power required to broadcast over a specified range.  Our tags can be smaller than WiFi because WiFi takes a comparatively larger battery due to much higher transmission power required to achieve the same range.”

When asked about the competition of other technologies in comparison to 433MHz Zahir responded, “Beside lower power requirements, there is a huge difference between UHF lower frequencies and frequencies above 1GHz.  UHF frequencies are very long wavelengths. Physically that means lower frequencies have longer range and perform better around large metal surfaces.  UHF has greater penetration. Frequencies above 1 GHz do not perform this way.  It’s just nature.  Requirements for longer range, great performance around metal surfaces, better penetration, and inclusion in both IEEE and ISO standards, those are Guard RFID strengths.”

I asked Zahir to provide some closing thoughts.  He concluded, “There are reasons that our technology has been adopted by these leading standards organizations.  It shows that Guard RFID’s technology is superior to many other solutions out there.”

Free Electric Auto Charging

I was parked at the Super Market and saw this charging station with no rate displayed.  So, I asked.  Turns out, the electrical charge is free.  What do you think?  

Tracking the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji

Tracking the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji

Part 1 of 2

Zahir Abji is the CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc., a software and hardware provider specializing in tracking people and objects using the 433MHz frequency spectrum.  Though healthcare, mostly, associates 433MHz with infant abduction prevention, RFID Guard offers solutions in Manufacturing and Defense as well.  Understanding Zahir’s path to CEO and Co-Founder is very important to understanding what drives the company’s deep work in developing international standards and delivering reliable and quality solutions. 

Zahir Abji is the CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc

Zahir was born in Tanzania.  Tanzania is bordered on the north by Kenya and Uganda, on the south by Mozambique, and to the east by the Indian Ocean. His grandparents migrated there from India in the early 1900s, making the 5,100 kilometer (3, 168 miles) journey from Gujarat, India to Tanzania.  “They weren’t sure where they would end up,” remarked Zahir.  Yet, they struck out anyway on an intrepid search for better opportunities.

In those days, automobile ownership by consumers was rare.  Writing a letter and putting it in the post was the way to communicate.  A family member getting on a boat to embark on this type of venture, minimally, meant loved ones would seldom see or hear from him or her.  In some cases, it meant never.  Nowadays, not hearing from a son or daughter for more than a day can send some into panic mode to skype friends or check social media statuses.  Imagine not hearing from someone for months or years.  Britain was building a railroad from Kenya to Uganda.  Zahir’s family, tradesmen mostly, struck out from India to take part in that expansion despite the dangers.

They settled in Tanzania where they built new lives and started businesses.  This includes a restaurant, a bakery, and a factory that made soft drinks.  His family maintained this entrepreneurial spirit though World War I, World War II, and the political upheavals that often comes with transitioning from under a colonial power to independence.  That is the persevering background from which Zahir set off to attend The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.

His choice of discipline was Biomedical Electronics.  This took much study in understanding anatomy, physiology, and the physical and chemical effects different types of energy have on human anatomy.  The course of study landed Zahir his first job in designing avionic systems for tactical and commercial aircraft.  The contrast of medicine versus weapons is not lost to Zahir.  “The availability of jobs in his area of study was not good at the time in England.”  He took the opportunities presented.

His work with military avionics placed him in an environment in which design specifications and the manner in which design was approached had very strict requirements.  He was awash in quality and reliability practice in each phase.

Zahir set his sights on North America where he joined a Canadian company called MDI (Mobile Data International).  This is where contrast turned to irony.  All of the discipline and techniques he learned paid off in work that had global implication for medical and police first responders.

Zahir spoke of his work there with modesty.  MDI’s contribution was anything but modest.  

Read Part 2

Ebola Response Team Needs Staff and Equipment

The head of the New Ebola Emergency Response Mission, Anthony Banbury, outlines 'teams are on the ground, he said, but 500 are required. The needs to aid the teams include protective gear and about a thousand vehicles To lend a hand… Posted from Caroline Clarke of linkedin.

SERVED UP

This is unexpected, I thought.  I came to the Shelter to help cook for the hundred or so people expected that afternoon.  Granted, I was shamed into guilt for not acting on good intentions.  I stood, gazing toward the far end of that small kitchen.  I felt as contrite as a little boy whose mother had baked him sweets despite his slothfulness in doing something for her.  

So, here’s what happened.  Weeks before, my wife, Stascia, and I were making arrangements with another family concerning our kids.  The other family’s schedule conflicted because they were going to help out at a place called Inner City Night Shelter. 

My wife is an educator.  She helps people every day by just having a conversation about a personal issue or helping someone attain an educationally related goal.    The family to which we spoke helped feed people trying to get their lives back.  Me, I give to causes.  I write about causes.  My articles support those on the ground doing the work.  There is a need for those types of things, but I am not on the ground with them.  In this sense, I am removed and impersonal to those whom I am ultimately trying to help support.   My perch has me away from following the timeless principles of a more personal presence like visiting, serving, and helping to bear a burden.  My more “physical presence” efforts were sporadic and far… very far between.   So, there I was defenseless against words that really weren’t directed at me or meant to cause conviction.  People were just talking.

On Saturday, March 15, 2014, I arrived at Inner City Night Shelter, Arnold St, Savannah, GA.  The shelter provides services for men and women.  Individuals can spend the night, take a shower, and have a meal.  Through transitional services, the shelter provides help into a more stable situation.  This includes helping former inmates as well.  

I took a moment to look around the room.  The door was about ½ meter behind me to the left.  A walk-in refrigerator and a walk-in freezer made the wall directly behind me.  White cabinets lined the walls to my front left – doors up top, drawers and doors on the bottom topped by a counter.  The counter had a sink in it.  A stainless steel table stood in front of me.  To my right, there was a gas stove with a hood.  Next to the stove was a small sink.  About six steps away, on the far wall, was a three-basin stainless steel sink with a commercial dishwasher to the left of it.  And there I was, staring at the dishwasher, dumbfounded and undone by what should have been obvious.  That is, in this one place, as in many other places, there are many needs.  Those needs range from something as simple as putting a sandwich on a plate to something more complex that actually required a philosophically dyed in the wool life-cycle asset manager. 

Dishwasher All Shiny and Back In Action

I walked over to do a visual inspection.  The detergent lines were cut.  I figured the device wasn’t working.  The Shelter is not a place to just let something that works go unused.  Someone had probably used the lines to serve another need.    I asked some of the other food preparation team members about it.  They said it had been broken for some time.  The team introduced themselves and went to work preparing sandwiches and a hot meal.  They told me to connect with the center’s director, Yvonne Pryor.  The machine would have to wait until we were done preparing food.   

Later, Ms Pryor and I spoke about the dishwasher.  She had planned to purchase a new one because of the information she received that it was better to buy a new one.  We made arrangements for me to come back and troubleshoot the machine.  

A couple of weeks later, Ms Pryor and I looked at the dishwasher again.  She helped watch the detergent pumps to see if they were all cycling while I watched the camshaft that controlled the pumps, listened for solenoids, and checked the hot water pressure.  I hadn’t been able to find a service manual for the ten to fifteen year old machine.  Yet, there was still a certain amount I could tell about its operation.  The hot water flowed.  The water pumped worked.  The camshaft turned.  The detergent pumps cycled.  The water drained.  Granted, without a manual, there was no way of telling if every cycle was correct.  But, it did not look like Inner City Night Shelter needed a new one.  From previous research, I saw that parts were still available.  Only a minor repair was required.  What Ms. Pryor needed was an economical, simple, and self-sustaining method that maintained the machine, trained the staff, helped with continuous health department certification, all in a manner that was basically effortless for her to manage. Without going into the detail, that’s what we accomplished.

·       Writing about causes and helping to support those on the ground in places I cannot be present are still very important.  I continue to do them.  As they say, the rub is the commitment to take the time to be present where I can.  In the hustle of taking care of family, of bridging a strategy to results that generate revenue, of filtering the noise to meet a customer’s needs, of writing, posting and supporting the next blog post, of marketing my novel, of just hustling from one moment to the next in a calm and collected manner… how do you turn good intentions into physical presence at a place that serves others.  Those already on the ground need more team members.  As in the case of Inner City Night Shelter, it may require physical tasks and your professional know-how.

Click This Link To Find Out More About Inner City Night Shelter

Population Health and Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky

Andrey Ostrovsky is a pediatric physician, CEO and co-founder of Care ^atHand, and social entrepreneur.  While there is a place, he believes, for healing one patient at a time, he wants to affect entire populations, starting locally, then regionally, across the globe.  Read Part 1

Begin Part 2 of 3

Dr. Ostrovosky set out on an unusual thread right out of high school.  While his “not so tactical grandparents” were happy that he decided to go through medical school.  The seams zigzagged well outside the pattern.  

“What did you do after high school?”

“I went to Boston University for undergraduate.  I took six month off to move to Geneva and work for the World Health Organization as a data analyst.  That was my first large scale, high-level work experience.  There, I started to get a better understanding of health systems and just systems thinking in general.

“During my time at the World Health Organization, I helped organize a conference.  The memorable from that conference was a nonprofit called the Health Systems Action Network.  Throughout the end of undergrad and into medical school, I had been an advocate for involving trainees into global health to help strengthen health systems.”  The program came about from meetings in 2005.  “I was invited by the board to run that organization.  I ran that organization while I was in medical school.  My pathway of early acceptance into medical school allowed me to do that.”

In his third year of medical school, he went to work with the Doris Duke Foundation.  He moved to San Fransico, California to work on a technology project for the health department in finding correlation between brain volume using MRI and neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with congenital heart defects.

Yet, another break, he spent six months of his senior year working for U.S. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland.

It was during the stretch of time he spent in San Francisco to the time he spent in the U.S. Capitol that Care ^atHand began to take shape.  The idea came about when Doctor Ostrovsky’s friend, Jeffrey Levy, came to understand the challenges of caring for aging parents. It wasn’t until April 2011, that Andrey’s friend contacted him.

            “I knew he had ideas and frustrations regarding care for his parents.  He reached out to me as a physician and someone who had done some technology stuff in the past.  He quit his very lucrative job in Silicon Valley.  He asked me over.  I flew to San Francisco for a full day of brainstorming and meetings.   That was the beginning of Care ^atHand.

            “The name came from simplicity. We had a vision of something lightweight, something mobile.  We focused on a mobile, low-skilled workforce.  A mobile device would be carried in these caregivers’ hands, helping them to collect and communicate important information on patients they encountered in the community.”

            “How has that changed over the years?”    

“Initially, we wanted to automate workflow within home care. Typical home Personal Care Assistance services - we wanted to help with the activities of daily living.  We thought there was a big opportunity in this community to introduce mobile into that workflow and workforce.  We had a very innovative scheduling system.  We had very simple design, easy to deploy.  It was easy to use by a workforce that may be technology illiterate.  We saved a little money for our customers in homecare   but we did not have the impact we imagined. 

"We did this for about a year, year and a half and decided to take a step back.  We looked at where our passion was, where our strengths were.  When we looked at the intersection of the two, we realized that we were definitely on the mark with the workforce.  We are on the mark with the non-clinical folks.  Especially those that were unaccounted for, the gray workforce that’s not official.  It doesn’t have a MEDICARE reimbursement code behind it, a family care giver, a community health giver.  So we knew a lot about that workforce .  We are experts in that workforce and we are already experts in care coordination and transitions.  We are experts in big data, at least from the financing side of it.  So, what don’t we fit all this expertise together and focus in on digitizing care coordination.  We wanted to make care coordination a smarter process and in doing so, always emphasizing - how do we leverage the benefit of the community health worker and at the same time a clinician like a nurse?  That is the germ that led us to where our software application is now. “ 

ATLANTA FALCONS HONORS 3 GOOD SAMARITANS

The Atlanta Falcons (American Football Team) honored three people who helped a woman with fading vital signs.  On July 29, 2014,  Jordan Gray, David Hardy, and Vanecia Williams noticed something wrong with another passenger on their train.  After a quick assessment, they responded by rendering first aid, stopping the train, and continuing treatment until Emergency Medical Technicians arrived.

The Falcons honored them during the Falcons versus Miami Dolphins game on August 8, 2014.  This occurred through corporate sponsorship from Georgia Power's Everyday Heroes Program.

View Original News Report AT WSB TV

From the reader's Right to Left  

- Vanecia Williams is a Certified Nurse’s Assistant and seeks to become a physician.  Her hometown is Atlanta, GA.

- David Hardy was born in RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, United Kingdom, https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhardy62.  He has language skills in Mandarin and is passionate about public relations and working with people.

- Jordan Gray is studying to become a Patient Care Technician and is CPR certified.  Her long-term goal is success in the music industry as a performer and rapper.  Her hometown is Wetumpka, AL 

The original event was covered by WSB-TV news reporter Carl Willis.  The Atlanta Falcon's presentation was managed by Corey Miller of the team's marketing department.

ON THE JUMBOTRON AT THE GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA
WELL DONE!  THAT'S THE WAY TO RISE UP! 

Fibers of Change - Andrey Ostrovsky, MD

The Fiber of Andrey Ostrovsky, MD Part 1

by Al Hardy

“When we left Ukraine, I thought I was on a field trip.”  Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky chuckled.  This was the type of chuckle that only retrospection can bring.  The type that emphasizes a few things: first, it’s really not all that funny;  second, sometimes, life was pretty tough; third, there is still only a partial understanding of how we made it through.

Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Care ^atHand

Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky is a pediatric physician, CEO and co-founder of Care ^atHand, and social entrepreneur.  While there is a place, he believes, for healing one patient at a time, he wants to affect entire populations, starting locally, then regionally, across the globe.

But what is a social entrepreneur?  For that matter, why does the designation even matter?  We will not even bother to drift into the deliriously distracting debate as to the value of social entrepreneurs in capitalistic societies.  A social entrepreneur’s initiatives may be focused on people or problems that are not seen as prime for investors.  Simply put, a social entrepreneur often sees success as both:

- a resolution of a “social” issue in a way that benefits the targeted populations

- the solution will still render good returns for investors

Dr. Ostrovsky understands the criticality of patient by patient treks back to health.  He even goes to the point of helping patients understand the interactions with her/his environments.  He will get down to the dirty details to figure out what’s going on within the patient’s ecosystem.

            Dr. Ostrovsky remarked, “I am not just concerned about treating asthma in a child.  I want to know about what is setting off the asthma.  For example, are there cockroach feces in the apartment?”

The value of the work at Care ^at Hand as a social entrepreneurial venture may be best understood through Dr. Ostrovsky’s journey to becoming a physician.  Dr. Ostrovsky was born in Ukraine.  Just before the infamy of the Berlin Wall was transformed into market demand for pieces of collectible relics, Dr. Ostrovsky’s parents were classified as refugees and fled to the U.S.  His father, who ran a construction company, buckled down into the hard hustle life of a cab driver.  His mother left her position of running a metal refinery to being paid under the table in a pizza parlor.  Imagine this transition for his parents.  Dr. Ostrovsky was a child and had a child’s perspective.  
   

“When we left Ukraine, I thought I was on a field trip.  Later, we lived in Baltimore City Housing Projects. I thought it was normal hearing gunshots. I remember going to work and having to make pizza boxes in the back room.  I was awful.  I was terrible because I kept eating pizza.” 

The family lived in Baltimore City Projects for three years.  That could have been the perpetual ending of the story.  Not everyone wins the fight to find a way out.  Not everyone wins the fight back to the semblance of a previous life.  His parents did.  I am sure with great costs and great rewards.  Those of us, who have never had to escape home and permanently settle in a foreign country and call that home… we may never really be able to appreciate the depth of those losses or gains.  I certainly would not want to experience such a thing just to gain that appreciation.  But, I can surely appreciate those who do live that experience.

His parents built new careers.  His father owns and manages Network Solutions of Maryland. His mother is the Vice President of Technology at Deutsche Bank.   It is obvious that Dr. Ostrovsky did not follow in their footsteps - career wise.  I asked how that happened.

           “You don’t have much choice as an immigrant child.  You have to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer,” he gave a quick laugh. 

            I asked, “Were you resistant to it?”

            “I had no idea.  It is only in retrospect did I come to understand the grooming that was laid out before me.” He chuckled.  My parents were very supportive and always said they would be proud of me no matter what.  I see, though, the subtle suggestions by them… and the not so subtle suggestions from the not so tactical grandparents.  They said.  You will shame us unless you become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.  It was never anything I was forced into.

“I was very lucky at the time.  When I was about eight or nine years old, my mom and my then step-father were running one of the largest Russian restaurants in Baltimore.  It kept them very busy.  During my most formative years, I grew up raising my sister, this small child.   I coached basketball for several years.  I was good in science in high school.  I fell in love with being around kids and voilà, pediatrician.

“But, when I look at all the privileged kids or the kids that were able to escape that environment and compare it to all the kids that weren’t able to escape that environment, why is that?  These are the things that piss me off on a daily basis and why I do what I do.”

Part 2 Coming Soon,

Someone Noticed - A Generation Without Labels

WSB-TV, Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta, Georgia interviewed David for his part in helping an unresponsice woman.  Yes, David is my son.  The report should air tonight on the 11:00  News. We will post a link to the interview when and if it becomes available.  Say a prayer for the woman he helped.  See the news video intro below.

 David, your family is even more proud of you!

David Hardy
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhardy62
#WSBTV #pass2drescue
WSB TV News Intro to the story http://2wsb.tv/1u1Inxq 

Part 2, Developing a Brand? Spend Your Money Wisely

Part1 introduced Allan Hess, discussed the definition of a brand, and what entrepreneurs should be doing to establish a valuable brand, especially during the initial phase.  

Begin Part 2:
“So, Allan, in maintaining and using a brand, what are some key concepts there?”

            “You have to move toward a Type A personality when it comes to your brand.  It’s a control thing because you don’t want people recreating your brand logo, jingle, or whatever.  Your brand is your image, and you need to manage it, or its value can be lost quickly. Don’t place a logo on any and everything.  That mistake can be made by employees, owners, executives, even business partners or well-meaning people trying to do a good thing.  Going back to the food scenario, placing your logo on the bottom of a baby diaper may not be a good idea.”

“Yes, especially a custard or chocolate shop….”

Allan chuckled.  “So, control the look, the feel, the sound of your brand, not for control sake, but for consistency – to build that correct mental (brand) image.”   

“Okay, Allan, we have talked about the creation of a brand and some of the physical presentations of that brand.  We have hinted at maintaining the value of a brand.  What happens when a brand needs to be retired?

“As far as value, basically, don’t let your brand or brand representation be associated with anything that does not support your core business and direction.

“Retiring a brand, sometimes it’s not about retiring a brand as one would normally see it.   That is, replacing one logo and name with another.   Sometimes it is subtle tweaks.  The physical representations of the brand logo or slogan may change to keep current.

            “At other times, when it comes to retiring a brand, a new direction does require retiring everything that is associated with a poor customer experience.  The automobile industry gives a great example of an old brand retired because of perceived quality and reliability issues.  With lean initiatives and manufacturing improvements, a better company emerges.  That may be time to retire a brand to reinforce the new image of quality or just a different company.  This would be similar to the case of Datsun changing to Nissan."

The Nissan GT-R is one of my favorite cars.  I figured I could work that in effectively. “I understand that happened quite some time ago.  But, I did notice that, more recently, Nissan re-launched the GT-R with a price structure that would seem to be a better fit for Infiniti, their luxury brand.  I think that is very interesting.  I saw one on the street before I knew the new model was out.  I thought, ‘What’s that?’  A few luxury brands went through my mind but nothing really fit.  I maneuvered in traffic to get a better look.  ‘Nissan! You gotta be kidding me.’   My view of the Nisan brand changed that day.  The history, the race videos, successfully pitting the Nissan GT-R against other brands that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more, Usain Bolt’s gold GT-R announcement, I say that’s a great way of maintaining and utilizing a brand.

  

“One can be retired as part of an acquisition as well, continued Allan added. “There are cases where the acquired brand takes the lead because of the strength of the brand.  This was the case with SBC Communications and AT&T.  AT&T had a long history of telecommunication development and global brand recognition. The consumer did not know the SBC brand.  It was better to leverage the AT&T brand than to establish the SBC brand to the consumer.”

“Allan, thanks for your time.  Can you give us a wrap up of some key points on the lifecycle of a brand?”

“You are welcome, Al.  I’ll be glad to. 

1.                          Your brand tells a story.  To businesses that are relatively new to seeking customers inside the U.S., there is a difference between translating a story well and telling a story well.  Translations are not enough.  I suggest investing in someone you can relay your value proposition in a way that resonates with the population.

2.                         Know your current audience and your future audience. Understand what they are looking for, and what they think.

3.                         Build your brand assets to consistently convey the image that you want, in the most economical manner. Work to get it right the first time, while understanding that as a company grows, the brand assets may need to change to reflect that growth and positioning.

4.                         I always recommend to work with a professional marketing company with experience in branding. That logo designed by your neighbors kid might be fine, but maybe not, or maybe it needs the right tag line or slogan to solidify it and make it more powerful.

5.                          Lastly, be a Type A about your brand; control the look and the feel of the physical representations – The logo and any tag line, image, jingle etc. and be diligent in where and how you allow it to be used. The brand assets are your image, your promise to the market. You need to deliver on your promise.

“Understand that it is often difficult, expensive and even prohibitive to fix a broken brand. I strongly recommend getting experienced professional marketing/branding assistance.  Don’t be afraid to spend money, and do it wisely with where you are at the moment.”

Developing a Brand? Spend Your Money Wisely

“When it comes to the lifecycle of a brand, entrepreneurs should understand how to best spend money for where they are at the moment,” stated Allan Hess, Director of Digital Marketing Automation and Customer Relationship Practice for Ascension Growth & Innovation Strategies, LLC .  Ascension offers growth strategies for businesses by improving client engagements (http://www.ascensionstrategy.com/) 

Allan’s interview is intended to follow up on comments from the December 2, 2013 post on RFID/RTLS markets on my healthcare blog.  The post talks about market segmentation and how it can be used to help manage the lifecycle of tangible and intangible assets.   A brand shares similar characteristics.  A brand can be purchased.  A brand has to be maintained.  A brand is utilized.  A brand can be retired.  A brand can be resold once the owner no longer wants it. 

Allan started our conversation by saying, “A brand is a promise or an image, a reputation, an intangible.  It can be physically represented by a logo, name, tagline or other types of designs.”

I added, “All connected in the mind of the audience?”

“…connected in someone’s head, recognizable to products and services.”

“Allan, what is important at the beginning of establishing a brand?”

“When it comes to the lifecycle of a brand, entrepreneurs should understand how to best spend money for where they are at the moment.  They need to understand who they want to be.  Not everyone starts at the same level. If you are working out of a garage and money is tight, it’s not like you can go spend a million dollars on market research for logo and slogan design and testing.  But, there are ways to get the information you need to focus on your audience and the feel that you want your brand to convey. “

I thought about the words, where they are right now.  A brand is abstract.  A vehicle has physical mass.  What Allan implied is very similar when starting a courier company or logistics company - anything that requires a vehicle.   If an entrepreneur has the capital and the business plan to match, buying 20 new vehicles may be a great way to start.  If he/she is starting out of a garage, buying one used vehicle may be the best way to start.

Allan continued, “A logo pulled together by a high school student may be good for a very short while.  When the bottom line and customers increase, that logo may be insufficient for what’s needed to increase market presence or even sustain business.

“For a logo, choose something clear, distinguishable, and recognizable.  Be consistent in reproducing that image.  The key is that a consumer recognizes the image as associated with the company and what’s sold.   For example, people know what a white swoosh is despite the fact that no word may be associated with it.

            “Terminology is important as well.  There are nuances but the fundamentals are the same.   There is a need to understand, who is your target audience?  What resonates with that market?   What problem is your audience trying to solve?  There is a difference in calling something sushi versus cold, dead, raw fish.  This has to do with developing the image you want to portray and understanding what the market will buy.”         

Allan made a great point that resonated with my personal experience.  I grew up in a place where deep-fried fresh or salt water fish went from the wire basket to the plate.  Eating sliced, raw-looking, or nearly raw meat… that was not even close to acceptable.  That included raw oysters.  The word sushi helps a great deal with me when it comes to thinking of cold, dead, raw fish… with cold rice and seaweed as a delicacy.  Even the root of word sushi has more to do with rice than fish.  Yet, while I do have my limits, I do eat sushi. 

Part 2 will cover maintaining brand value, retiring a brand and some closing thoughts from Allan.

Soweto Gospel Choir in Atlanta, Georgia by Kerri Hardy

Members of The Soweto Gospel Choir and Me

THE SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR!! The concert was amazing. It gave so much life. The singers lives were all rapped up in their voices. In their singing, I heard their feelings and their passions' for life and for music. Then their song jolted from the stage and touched my heart. Everything was so colorful. Everything was one fluid movement. They were all one bright voice, one bright color, and one bright sound! I LOVED IT!!! Nkosi Sikelel' iafrika! (God Bless Africa!) - Kerri Hardy

Me with Best Friend Althea

The Soweto Gospel Choir performed at the Rialto Center for the Arts, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Soweto Gospel Choir - So much life!  We've had tickets for four months.