Smart Business Magazine, January 2016

6 Smart Business Columbus January 2016 More than a business Capturing the imagination of your customers through a little luck and a lot of strategy Sparking growth This month also features the Medical Mutual 2016 Pillar Awards for Community Service which honor employees who continually give back executive directors who stand out and board of directors who go above and beyond One of the honorees is Pelotonia Now theres something that has captured the imagination of Central Ohio so much so that cities are starting their own charity bike rides like Clevelands VeloSano and there are discussions about how to make the Pelotonia brand a national one Although becoming more than a business can take a bit of luck being in the right place at the right time with the right product or service is also a strategy that takes into account industry trends Do you want to ride the wave of a rising trend or buck it and strike a cord by being completely different Trending ahead Last year Smart Business columnist Kelly Borth introduced me to the J Walter Thompson Intelligences annual report of the top 100 trends I found it to be a fascinating read so this year I sought out The Future 100 report on 2016 trends myself It didnt surprise me that food and drink are central to consumers lives that social good continues to wrap itself into new sectors or that people are becoming more comfortable with adaptive technology and irritated with targeted advertising When you see it all in one place however it cant help but give you new ideas and help with the illusive quest in business to be noticed to be more than just a commodity and to gain real customer loyalty Smart Business Columbus 835 Sharon Drive Suite 200 Cleveland OH 44145 O 8009884726 F 4402507001 Smart Business Magazine Events PRESIDENT MAGAZINE EVENTS Joe Artiste PUBLISHER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Dustin S Klein GENERAL MANAGER John Lotenero DIRECTOR OF SALES Melissa Gottlieb VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Janet K Valore TaKeysha Cheney Angie Berresford Joanna Reese Megan Smith Roz Taylor EDITOR AT LARGE Dennis Seeds SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mark Scott ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jayne Gest SENIOR COPY EDITOR April Grasso CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jim Mericsko PRODUCTION MANAGER Mary Kay Bukowski DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Adam Burroughs PROJECT MANAGER EVENTS Danielle Catteau SALES MANAGER EVENTS Meredith Rankin SALES EXECUTIVE EVENTS Lisa Walker CUSTOMER SERVICE AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Somer Karim AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT Tammy Frank Smart Business Magazine Events are a division of Smart Business Network Inc PRESIDENT CEO Fred Koury MANAGING PARTNER SBN INTERACTIVE Lee Koury MANAGING PARTNER SBN INTERACTIVE Michael Marzec CONTROLLER Kathy Deutsch EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Jill Brown ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE Marilyn Homolak Smart Business Magazine is published in Akron Canton Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Florida Houston Los Angeles Northern California Orange County Philadelphia Pittsburgh St Louis SMART BUSINESS JAYNE GEST EDITORS NOTE JAYNE GEST Associate Editor Smart Business Columbus jgest@ sbnonline com 800 988 4726 ext 281 www sbnonline com At The Book Loft of German Village one of the original owners was fond of saying that the bookstore isnt just a business its a destination And that might be partly why the independent bookstore with 32 rooms of books has been able to stay in business when so many other independent bookstores have had to close their doors because of competition like Barnes Noble or the rise of e readers You can learn more about the Book Loft in this months Uniquely Columbus If you can capture the imagination of your customers with originality quirkiness or by just being different enough to stand out while meeting a real need then youve got a recipe for sustained success