The 'odyssey' of two young entrepreneurs.When Johnny and Maurissa Grano first launched Creative Odyssey 11 years ago, they had a difficult time getting anyone to take them seriously. Being short on real-world experience, but big on enthusiasm, wasn't enough to convince some clients and banks to take a chance on a professionally green, young married couple. "That's probably a big stumbling block stum·bling block n. An obstacle or impediment. stumbling block Noun any obstacle that prevents something from taking place or progressing Noun 1. for any new enterprise," admits Johnny, 39. "Especially being young," adds Maurissa, 33. But check out an insert for Elliot Lake Elliot Lake, city (1991 pop. 14,089), S central Ont., Canada, W of Sudbury. The focus of a 1950s uranium-mining boom, it is now a retirement home center. Retirement Living in Maclean's magazine and you'll find the Granos' fingerprints Impressions or reproductions of the distinctive pattern of lines and grooves on the skin of human fingertips. Fingerprints are reproduced by pressing a person's fingertips into ink and then onto a piece of paper. are all over it. Today, some of their well-known clients include Greater Sudbury's Regional Business Centre, ViaNet, Dalron Construction, the towns of Espanola and Dubreuilville, and Optical Surveillance, a large North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. security company. The Westmount Avenue, Sudbury firm began as a small side venture in 1994 with Maurissa, a registered graphic designer, at the helm, while Johnny worked as a marketing manager for a real estate developer. Through their connections and hard work, it grew into a full-time enterprise that provides traditional and new media advertising solutions and expertise in trade show and event planning Event planning is the process of planning a festival, ceremony, competition, party, or convention. Event planning includes budgeting, establishing date and alternate date (rain date), selecting and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, and coordinating transportation for various municipalities, corporations and government agencies in Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron (including Georgian Bay), the French River and Lake Nipissing. Northern Ontario has a land area of 802,000 km² (310,000 mi²) and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it . The Cambrian College Cambrian College is a college of applied arts and technology in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, and funded by the province of Ontario, Cambrian has campuses in Sudbury, Espanola and Little Current. graduates met at another Sudbury advertising agency in the early 1990s, where Maurissa worked as a graphic designer and Johnny worked in sales and marketing. "I always joke I was there long enough to meet Maurissa." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But both felt the itch to start their own venture and do things their way. Maurissa describes their early years operating out of their New (east) Sudbury home as "awful" in dealing with the rejection from potential clients. "People don't take you seriously (as a woman in your early 20s)." It was a hard sell to many banks, too. But fortunately, the Business Development Bank and TD Bank pitched in and offered some backing for the young entrepreneurs with lines of credit to get them started. A few clients gave them an early break as well, including Belanger Ford, Contact North and Elliot Lake Retirement Living, whom they still retain as a major client. They do all of their external advertising in newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Being located in the North has its distinct operating cost advantages over southern Ontario, but once clients sample their diverse portfolio of work, Johnny says, distance from markets doesn't matter. "With the (way) technology has changed over the last 10 years, you don't have to physically be there." Both say what drives them is the creative process and setting an objective to promote the best message for their client's business. "We like to have our hand in the whole project and make sure what they're asking for is what they're getting," says Maurissa. "We want to make sure it's done and done right. I'm a pretty aggressive person that way." The Granos have now forayed into more specialized marketing with their launch last year of a new web-based spin off company, Capsule capsule In botany, a dry fruit that opens when ripe. It splits from top to bottom into separate segments known as valves, as in the iris, or forms pores at the top (e.g., poppy), or splits around the circumference, with the top falling off (e.g., pigweed and plantain). Marketing. The customized program is geared to helping health-care professionals market themselves. With clients able to sign up online, inquiries are coming in from every province, says Johnny, with about 15 medical practitioners already signed up. Last year, Johnny achieved distinction as a Certified See certification. Trade Show Marketer, an industry-recognized marketing program hosted by Exhibitor, a leading trade show publication. Trade shows are a "monster industry" in the U.S. and the skills training he offers helps clients eliminate the trial-and-error most companies often make in attending these events. www.creativeodyssey.com www.capsulemarketing.com By IAN ROSS Ian Ross is the name of:
Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion