| Sylvia Acevedo needed a break from her | | | | such a huge need to solve the communication |
| technology job so she bought an old Victorian | | | | problem that he approached her about |
| house to remodel into a bed and breakfast. | | | | investing in the company. She accepted, and |
| "Being an engineer working in technology, I | | | | for a stake in the company, he paid for the |
| really felt I didn't do a lot of tangible | | | | initial production of the cards.The company |
| work. But with the bed and breakfast, at the | | | | is now in the middle of its second year and |
| end of the day, I felt like I had actually | | | | sales are increasing. So far, they've sold |
| done something."And, of course, she | | | | thousands of the cards, but it's slow going. |
| had-because as she renovated the house, she | | | | Sylvia originally thought the product would |
| transformed it into a beautiful B&B. She had | | | | be sold through retail stores, but she found |
| no problem communicating with the | | | | that her previous distribution experience was |
| construction crew, who were mostly Hispanic, | | | | no longer valid."My experience was dated. It |
| because she grew up speaking both Spanish and | | | | was years before Wal-Mart had taken over and |
| English. "My mother was from Mexico and all | | | | many of the people that I went to call on in |
| of my grandparents lived there," she | | | | the industry were no longer there. In fact, |
| says."People would see me talking to a crew | | | | the businesses were gone."Finding a roadblock |
| of workers and I literally would have | | | | in the path to retail distribution was a big |
| contractors stop and hand me the phone, | | | | disappointment, but the company simply |
| asking me to translate for them," she says. | | | | adjusted its thinking and found another way. |
| That's how she realized communication between | | | | Now, instead of selling through national |
| Hispanic construction workers and | | | | retail chains as she had hoped, CommuniCard |
| non-Spanish-speaking supervisors was really a | | | | products are sold through trade associations |
| problem.Being a software engineer, Sylvia's | | | | and the company's website, as well as through |
| mind immediately went to solving the problem. | | | | a few local retail stores.To promote the |
| "I think it's because I've always been an | | | | innovative product, Sylvia doesn't use |
| innovator and I see things maybe in a way | | | | traditional advertising. She has found that |
| that provides a side-door solution. I don't | | | | public relations works best because it's such |
| just look at the situation and say, 'Okay, | | | | a new product that requires too much |
| it's a bottleneck'. I try to look at new ways | | | | education and explaining.It's a |
| to solve the problem. And in this particular | | | | low-price-point item, with the housekeeping |
| situation, the problem was communication." | | | | cards selling for $15.95 and all the others |
| But she didn't follow through on her ideas | | | | selling for less than $10, so Sylvia has |
| for a few more years.After two years of | | | | found that tradeshows are not particularly |
| renovating and running the B&B, Sylvia was | | | | effective, either. "You're competing with so |
| ready to get back into the technology field, | | | | many giveaways at tradeshows that I found it |
| so she hired a manager for the bed and | | | | really diminished the value of our brand. |
| breakfast, and started a software development | | | | People would say, 'Gosh, they just gave me |
| company with three others. A few years later, | | | | this really cool saw that's worth 30 bucks |
| Sylvia and her partners later sold the | | | | and you're not going to give me this for |
| software company."That was really | | | | $10?' So I found it to be very expensive and |
| interesting," she says, "because we sold it | | | | unproductive," she says.Nevertheless, in its |
| for stock and then the stock market crashed. | | | | first year of business CommuniCard -- found |
| But that was an important learning lesson | | | | at -- sold well over 5,000 units of the |
| because I learned a lot about creating a | | | | housekeeping cards, and somewhat less of the |
| company that supported intellectual property | | | | others, generating just under a $100,000 in |
| and taking it from literally concept to | | | | sales.The company has branched out into |
| actually building a company."By this time she | | | | consulting as well as product sales because |
| had also sold the B&B for a tidy little sum | | | | there's a need for the expertise Sylvia has |
| and was ready to solve the communication | | | | acquired through all her research. "Most |
| problem she saw a few years before. She | | | | marketing firms focus on selling consumer |
| realized there were a lot of | | | | products to Hispanics," she says. Instead, |
| non-Spanish-speaking people in the United | | | | she focuses on solving problems. For |
| States who were hiring people who only spoke | | | | instance, the bus company hired her to find |
| Spanish for service jobs. "And you have a | | | | out why so few Hispanics ride the bus.Sylvia |
| challenge because how do you direct the work | | | | was also recognized in 2004 as the National |
| that needs to be done?" she says.The | | | | Businesswoman of the Year by the U.S. |
| solution? The CommuniCard, easy-to-use | | | | Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.CommuniCard |
| Spanish/English communication cards. There's | | | | recently introduced a new set of cards for |
| a deck of housekeeping cards with pictures of | | | | law enforcement, and police departments have |
| the tasks and English/Spanish translations, | | | | had great interest in them. Sylvia offers to |
| and several accordion-folded, laminated | | | | customize the cards with the police |
| pocket cards for the construction industry | | | | department's badge, and this requires an |
| showing tools, tasks and translations, and a | | | | order of hundreds, which customers are |
| similar pocket card for the lawncare | | | | readily doing.The company has also been |
| industry. This allows the supervisor to | | | | researching other languages to see what new |
| merely show the card to the worker to | | | | products might be developed, but so far they |
| communicate. For instance, one of the cards | | | | haven't found the right match. "When we |
| shows a person cleaning a big window with a | | | | tested the (original) cards in Chicago, |
| spray bottle in one hand while using a | | | | people wanted cleaning cards in Polish. But |
| squeegee in the other. The wording below the | | | | that's such a small market. We'd only be able |
| illustration says, "Clean the windows. Limpia | | | | to sell those in New York, Chicago and maybe |
| las ventanas." So if the worker cannot speak | | | | Boston. Whereas the housekeeping cards in |
| English, or even read, it is clear what is | | | | Spanish/English are selling across the |
| being asked.Before putting it into production | | | | country," she says.One of the things that |
| she tested it extensively, first in Texas, | | | | Sylvia made sure to do was protect her idea. |
| and then across the United States. "I went to | | | | She has a patent pending and, of course, |
| Northern California, Southern California, New | | | | everything is copyrighted and trademarked. As |
| Mexico, Colorado and across the South and | | | | a result of her software engineering |
| Texas. I found the biggest needs were in | | | | background, she knew how important this was. |
| construction and housekeeping," she says. She | | | | She says she often urges other women |
| began by interviewing the people who hired | | | | inventors to protect their assets, and she |
| these workers-everyone from Junior Leaguers, | | | | has helped several either copyright or |
| to people in office settings who hired | | | | trademark their ideas.One of the things that |
| workers, to companies and construction firms. | | | | has surprised her is people need these |
| She also began to go to day-labor sites and | | | | products so urgently they are willing to pay |
| construction sites to interview the workers. | | | | FedEx delivery charges to get them overnight. |
| But the supervisors weren't appreciative of | | | | "I bet we get no less than three orders per |
| her being on jobsites, even if she only spoke | | | | week where people want the product so fast |
| to workers while they were on their | | | | that they're willing to pay more in shipping |
| breaks."So I would approach them at bus | | | | than the product costs," she says, which |
| stops, churches, and schools." And what she | | | | leads her to wonder if the product is |
| learned was very informative. "We began to | | | | correctly priced. "We're constantly |
| get a lot of feedback and the product changed | | | | evaluating," she says.Lois Carter Fay, APR, |
| dramatically as a result," she says.All in | | | | is a 30-year veteran in the P.R. and |
| all, she spoke to over 4,000 people. After | | | | marketing field. She works with women |
| the informal research, it was time for | | | | business owners and small business owners to |
| something a little more elaborate. "We've | | | | help them improve their marketing and |
| done many focus groups, and we do them on all | | | | business success. She now produces three |
| the products," Sylvia says. The interviews | | | | marketing ezines, Brainy Tidbits, Brainy |
| are conducted by a professional, trained | | | | Flash, and Success Secrets of Women |
| moderator who's bilingual."And that's a very | | | | Entrepreneurs. All are free. She's also the |
| important issue," she says. "When you have a | | | | co-author with Jim Wilson of "Sales Success! |
| vision for a product, you really need to get | | | | Strategies for Women," a quick-to-read ebook |
| customer input. But there's also a fine line | | | | containing 52 easy-to-implement sales tips. |
| between getting too much input and not | | | | The ezines and ebook are available through |
| enough. I didn't want to go into analysis | | | | her websites.Visit or to learn more sales, |
| paralysis or information overload."One of the | | | | marketing and publicity ideas and subscribe. |
| important outcomes of the focus groups was | | | | Claim your free special report when you |
| that one person in the first focus group had | | | | subscribe. |