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Name: Sandra Holtzman

Business: Holtzman Communications, LLC, PR & Marketing

Industry: Marketing & PR

Location: New York, New York, U.S.

Reason for starting: I’m driven and that drive pushed me to start my own business. It’s the first time in my working life that I felt I had achieved everything I was capable of. I work harder than ever before and love every minute of it.

How do you define success? Doing what I love and having fun at it. Being able to service clients at a higher level than being on staff somewhere. Having flexibility in my personal and professional life. Solving creative and strategic problems. Bringing my clients high ROI. Money.

Related: 4 Expert Tips for Growing Your Business

Biggest Success: There are four. One was launching a new product that increased sales 1,000% in three months as a result of the market research and subsequent website we put up for them (and also a client willing to take a risk and focus their entire marketing effort on what their customers wanted). It also changed the entire way the sector marketed and helped the company achieve the exit they were seeking. The second was being an unofficial agency-of-record for 10 years to a division in a Fortune 500 company. The third was putting up a website for a sole proprietor / service provider and having his bookings increase by 60% within four months of putting up his website. The fourth was writing a book on marketing for entrepreneurs and start-ups called Lies Startups Tell Themselves to Avoid Marketing: A No Bullsh*t Guide for PhDs, Lab Rats, Suits and Entrepreneurs.

Related: Read about another NYC entrepreneur working in Marketing & PR here.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? Staying nimble in a highly dynamic market and changing client roles. I continually update my “products” (blogs, business offerings etc.) to meet the current market demand and to stay fresh.

Who is your most important role model? My business mentor and friend. He always provides extremely useful advice on navigating the business world and how the foundation of all successful business is good relationships which in turn are based on good communications.

[box_light]Website   www.holtzmancom.com 
Twitter   @holtzmancom 
Facebook   www.facebook.com/HoltzmanCommunications[/box_light]

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Edited by The Story Exchange