Interview with Digital Gorkha Founder Hitesh Malviya

Hitesh Malviya is the co-founder of Digital Gorkha. The company is revolutionising the way consumers interface their registration details providing fast and secure service to users.  

What is Digital Gorkha and what problem does it solve?

www.digitalgorkha.com

Everywhere we go, any office, any society we need to fill our details in an old eared visitor book. That can be tampered by filling wrong details and mobile number ( no verification of identity here).  If any criminal tamper with this data and get access to premises and check out safely. There will be no trace back will be behind in these visitor records. And even we want to view old records, we found them inked and not proper format to understand. So security of a resident is a concern here.

We replaced visitor book with an android application. Gorkha brings a paperless solution to make visitor registration things more easy and faster.  It verify mobile number of first time visitor, capture his/her image , get his required information and send and confirmation SMS/CALL to resident/recipient. They can only check in once get confirmation from recipients. Their data is instantly uploaded on a server,  residents can view visitor information with their check in/checkout time from their dashboard.

How did the idea for Digital Gorkha come about?

Wherever I go, any society or office, front desk ask me to fill my details in Visitor register, many people write fake details, no one cares to verify you. They just ask you whom your meeting and write your details and send you in. I thought about this process deeply and found if some guy checks into the premises and comes out cleanly after murdering someone. Do you have any proof to recognize him rather than that visitor book and low pixel CCTV Camera.  If he tampers his details in visitor book and everyone does, how will you find him. No clues and thousands of such incidents happen every day in every corner of the world.  I decided to make a solution to make this process more sleek and secure. I and Suraj (Co-founder) discussed and designed the concept of Visitor registration app and named it Digital Gorkha. The Application is developed by the team of Ramakant Yadav and Vinay Thakar.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I come from a small town of Rajasthan. Hacking excited me in my earlier days in college. Started a blog on hacking in my 2^nd year of engineering, Later I started an online discussion form and built a cyber army with few of my hacker friends. We named it Hindustan cyber force. Released a Book Hackdecoders on hacking techniques. I don’t wanna stop, I was always in hurry to do something BIG, still I am. Later I decided to start a company to provide ethical hacking training, penetration testing services.  HCF Information and security private limited (www.hcf.co.in) incorporated in Noida , while I was still studying in final year of my college. I stayed with HCF infosec for two years, Later I took an exit from the company to start another venture. I Moved to Mumbai and cofounded Sriyaan technologies. Sriyaan technologies helped to me to make my ideas into reality. I am currently working on three different startups, Mediico- a platform connecting patients with healthcare (www.mediico.com), Digital gorkha- App which store visitor info in the cloud(www.digitalgorkha.com). And Xpose- a parental control app.

Digital Gorkha Founder Hitesh Malviya

What has been your biggest challenge so far as an entrepreneur?

Cash flow is essential to small business survival, yet many entrepreneurs struggle to pay the bills (let alone themselves) while they’re waiting for checks to arrive. Part of the problem stems from delayed invoicing, which is common in the entrepreneurial world. You perform a job, send an invoice, then get paid (hopefully) 30 days later. In the meantime, you have to pay everything from your employees or contractors to your mortgage to your grocery bill. Waiting to get paid can make it difficult to get by – and when a customer doesn’t pay, you can risk everything. Even though cash flow is fine, it seems you never have enough in your budget to market your company to its full potential. An entrepreneur’s life is not enviable, at least in the beginning. It’s extremely easy to get discouraged when something goes wrong or when you’re not growing as fast as you’d like. Self-doubt creeps in, and you feel like giving up.

What do you think are the most important factors that will make a Digital Gorkha success?

First Factor: everywhere we go, we find an visitor book, we can replace that with our application, So there is huge market opportunities in India and rest of the world. 

Second Factor: we are the first mover in the industry who came out with the visitor registration mobile application, this factor can lead us to success. 

Third Factor: People don’t compromise on their security & we providing security to residents in some way.

What words of advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

Do what you love and start what you think, this is the right time, An Idea is nothing without execution. Start doing rather than only thinking. If your steady on your business progress, no one can stop you to touch a billion dollar mark, it might take time but one day you will achieve anyhow.

Visit Digital Gorkha @ www.digitalgorkha.com

Interview with Derek Joseph, Founder of Social Photo Booth

Derek Joseph is the founder and CEO of Social Photo Booth. The success of the innovative Canadian based company has seen its rapid growth from its beginnings in Ottawa to now being available in both Montreal and Toronto. 

Describe your entrepreneurial story, including the genius behind the 
Social Photo Booth.

Social Photo Booth started as an idea in late 2012. I was at a wedding and there was a DIY basic photo booth which was starting to get a little popular. At that time the idea came to mind of commercializing it & doing it in a professional way to target more than just weddings but also businesses & help them in their marketing strategies using a fun & creative way. The company started as a small experiment with a bunch of different ideas being tested until some solid services were established.

What is some of the new tech behind the Social Photo Booth?

Social Photo Booth uses state of art technology with high end equipment to produce the best quality of pictures which is instantly evident in comparison to other companies. We use photolab grade printers that print in less than 8 seconds on a water proof, tear proof & smudge proof paper.

Weddings are an obvious use of the photo booth, what other sorts of events have been big?

Social Photo Booth's clients are both individuals & businesses. Weddings makeup the biggest majority of the individual clients in addition to birthday parties, reunions, anniversaries, bar & bat mitzvas while the business side of business consists of corporate events, staff parties, product launches, new store openings, conferences & christmas parties.

What have been the challenges as you've grown?

One of the challenges we had was how to be able to replicate the success we had in our local market in other markets where competition is stronger & customers have different level of expectation. Social Photo Booth started in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada. Then expanded to included services in Montreal where have a dedicated team of bilingual staff to cater to the french community in Montreal & we have just recently launched in Toronto. Toronto's market is strong. But our connections & contacts with corporate clients have helped us develop a network that has started to pay off in the Torontonian market where all corporate headquarters are located.

Any advice you would give to other entrepreneurs thinking of chasing their dream?

I would say everything successful starts with a small idea & then grows. Whenever you have an idea you believe in it, don't be afraid to pursue it & see where it may take you. Most importantly ask for advice, & opinions don't rely solely on your own judgement & be open to criticism, it only makes you better.

Visit the Social Photo Booth @ www.socialphotobooth.ca 
For inquiries please email: info@socialphotobooth.ca

Dasiyes Owner Chiara Pascarella speaks Weddings and Event Planning!

Dasiyes Creative Director Chiara Pascarella

Chiara Pascarella is the owner of the event and wedding planning company Dasiyes. From its beginnings in Moscow, to leading its expansion to locations in Rome, Chiara has led the growth of her company in supporting prestigious people and organisations all over the world. 

How did you get involved with weddings & events ?

Organising events is a passion, I have been doing it since I was a teenager. At my 18th birthday I organised an event for 300 people. Growing up I decided to turn it into a business. I first got an MBA to understand how to properly run a business, then a specialised in marketing and communications which took me to work in a leading multinational company. In 2006 I started my own business.

You’re well-known for organising fairytale weddings, what have been the challenges?

Organising a wedding is always a challenge because lots of emotions are involved. Our role as wedding planners is to put the stress on us and do so that the event is flawless. The couple, their family and the guests only need to enjoy it.

And what is the most rewarding ?

The happiness of satisfied couples who keep thanking you.

How has your experience in running the business been different from what you expected?

I thought I would have more free time but it has been the opposite, when you run your own business you never stop working, it's a 24h job. 

Why not arrive to your wedding in a helicopter,,you can with Dasiyes

What have you done that has been very effective in helping to grow the business?

I am a natural networker and good at PR, I guess it's easy for me to spread the word, but that's nothing if clients are not satisfied. I understand people, I know what they want, and I do everything possible to make them express themselves so to realize events that suit them perfectly. Only by doing this you can satisfy them.

If you woke up tomorrow at the beginning of your career, but with the event knowledge you have now, what actions would you make a priority when starting again? 

First of all define the target and work only with a demanding clientele, then find a good team, like the one a have now, who share my values and goals.

Contact Chiara Pascarella for Weddings & Event planning @ weddinginitaly.org

Lets Fly Entrepreneur & Philanthropist Matthew C. Martino speaks to CHC!

Matthew C. Martino is a British Entrepreneur & Philanthropist. At 22 years of age his current business portfolio includes Lets Fly Academy an aviation consultancy firm, MMD - Tech an app acquisition firm, Land investment holdings and his charitable foundation MMBF Trust. We held an interview with him to find out more about his current and future projects.

Tell us about your main project, Lets Fly Academy it has gone from strength to strength, what

Martin C. Martino

advice would you give an entrepreneur about promoting their website? What has been the single biggest impact on your business with marketing? 

Lets Fly Academy has done very well over the past few years, its an aviation consultancy firm and we have managed to build an impact through marketing. My biggest advice regarding marketing is that it doesn’t come cheap, I’ve invested a lot into marketing and not just having a team for it but also using PR companies. Marketing has allowed our business to reach more potential customers and clients worldwide and given us a good google standing.

You have multiple ventures, or multiple products, what has been the biggest challenge for you for you building your business? 

Yes indeed I have a few things I’m working on including MMD - Tech my app design firm and MMBF Trust my charitable trust and the biggest challenge is always trying to find which ones to prioritise. Sometimes I spend all week working on Lets Fly Academy and I realise that MMD - Tech hasn’t moved much, it’s a case of knowing how to manage all of that but I have assembled a great team and they assist me in driving the businesses forward.

Do you think that entrepreneurialism is something that is in your blood? Or is it something that can be learnt?

I think to some degree it’s something in your blood. I never thought I would be running my own business in high school but after high school I put my mind and heart into it and I’ve never looked back since. Being an entrepreneurcan be learnt however being a great entrepreneur will come from within.

If you could have given yourself a piece of knowledge or advice when you started what would that be? Which opportunities should you have followed; what pitfalls would you have avoided? 

Matthew in Lets Fly Academy's Commercial

I think one thing I have learnt over the years is the importance of a team. When I went through my early years ventures most of them didn’t materialise or didn’t work out as I tried to be the director, administrator, accountant, marketer, salesman and every role within the company. So what I found is that I ended up being burnt out and one the other hand I wasn’t making any progress as I couldn’t keep up with it all, no matter how hardworking and energetic you are as a businessperson you will always need a team behind you who support and bring ideas to the 

table. 

Can you tell us about any future projects you will be working on?

Currently my future goals are to work on growing MMD - Tech who primarily design and acquire apps as well as growing my international charity MMBF Trust to be able to reach more aspiring filmmakers and pilots. I’m also looking into investing in a few businesses particularly start ups. Angel investing is something I’ve been interested in for a while and I think the time is right.1. Tell us what you consider to be the most useful technique in the design/development process?

Visit Martin C. Martino's sites http://www.mmbf.co.uk/ and iTunes apps

The Lets Fly book by Martin Marcino is available now on Amazon. 

Gillo Welcomes us to The World of Creative Design and Fashion Retail! By Stephen Esketzis

CHC Creative Director Gillo gave his thoughts on branding and creative design on his recent interview with social media blogger Stephen Esketzis. 

Tell us what you consider to be the most useful technique in the design/development process?

I think before even getting to the process, the most important aspect is getting to know the audience, the prospect of knowing your audience ensures that the creative product meets their needs and expectations.

When I embark on a piece of creative work, I put a lot of effort into being aware of who my creative product is for. It’s then informed by the themes, subject matter and content of my work, as well as my own influences and approach.

I mentioned audience expectation as well; this question could be answered in two parts.  Part 1 relates to me and my offering and Part 2 relates to audience expectations of the elements surrounding that offering i.e. channel, pricing, venue, experience etc.

My offering is comprised of the elements that help me define the audience in the first place. My audience might either have the same tastes as me, or they might be inquisitive explorers wanting to investigate whether or not my creative product will suit them

Expectation is based on the audience’s prior experience of my work or of similar works.  From making the decision to go and experience my work, a journey begins.  The route is flanked by the audience’s assumptions, informed by prior experience of my work or similar.  They’re going to make comparisons about price, content, venue and more.

For me the creative process is a serialized story. If the engagement with the audience is healthy, they’ll avidly await each installment to find out what’s going to happen next. If I am embarking on a new project, I have an opportunity to bring an audience on that journey with me, encouraging their emotional investment in the idea.

A practice I usually use is to create a model of an ideal customer/audience member for my work – personas.  What are their tastes, background, education, location, or even their marital status? What are their values? I then create variations on this model, as many as I can think of, and the results will be my audience profiles. This then informs the production of the right type of creative product, via channels which the audience consumes such material and hopefully it is engaging enough to become spreadable and dynamic.

Where does branding fit into your development strategy?

Here’s a piece of concrete, it’s got a little color on one side and I would like £2,500 for it…no chance that’s going to happen. What if I told you it was the first fragment chipped off the Berlin wall? I might be a little closer to having you take your wallet out. That is the power of branding, that emotional resonance which represents everything one stands for. The wall in Berlin is no different to any other wall physically, but that wall is a brand, just for that the value is much higher in the audiences mind.

As a challenger brand, entering the market place – branding is very important – I am trying to build a brand that represent the values that makes me unique, rather than what makes me admirable. The challenge is to differentiate myself and the need to overcome marketing clutter that in today’s 24 hour “always on” world puts increased demands on people’s time. Secondly, my brand has to overcome tribal buying habits and I have always thought that if you want to differentiate yourself, forget about best practice! Best practice is common practice – doesn’t add up to much!

Every brand is built with experience touch points and some of the questions I ask in terms of developing my brand are:

• How will they learn about me?
• Who and what will be the competition at each of the touch points?
• Where should I put our marketing resources and where should I not put them?
• Touch points used heavily by competitors should these be dropped or not?

All these will define the CHC corporate story, what we stand for, what we believe in and our ingredients to making our customers happy.

The CHC brand is ‘a ‘promise of an experience’ and conveys to audiences a certain assurance as to the nature of the creative product they will receive and the standard of quality. I am passionate that CHC becomes recognised for its commitment to service, value & long-term relationships.

The CHC brand acts as a guarantee of quality and originality.

Which design tool makes the biggest contribution to your creative output and why?

Even though we live in a digital world I would still say for me that the ease of putting an idea from pencil to paper forms a significant part of my creative output. Often ideas can be spontaneous and a simple sketch can grow and develop to be the next big brand of tomorrow. Yes, software design tools are important but from a creative standpoint, speaking solely about creativity and leaving technical skill aside, the ability to generate and communicate ideas is one of the most significant skills a creative designer can have in our industry. Drawing exercises the creativity to problem solve and to learn to think in a creative way.  It can also be very therapeutic. So for these qualities, the pencil is the design tool which I adhere to creatively the most.

What do you feel are the most important skills for a designer to have/develop?

I admire people who don’t make any compromise within their art. Originality is very important to me and I am always impressed with designers who follow there own approach. In the commercial world however not every designer has the liberty to push creative barriers and often must work within project boundaries. In this context an important skill a designer must have/develop is being able to shape information that is provided to them that meets end users needs. Yes the argument can arise of creativity versus commercialism however what is an important skill for an artist to have in this scenario is observation, of ones audience and environment. My goal in design has always been to push the boundaries and to combine different skills from different industries. Also, being creative and making commercial pieces without losing my soul has always been a very important challenge. Some people think it’s wrong to say that creativity could be commercial… I don’t think this is the case if you work with a good moral code and a good ethic.

If you could leave our readers with one last piece of business advice, what would it be?

Always look to build long lasting business relationships with not only your clients but also with influencers.....Read the full interview on the Stephen Esketzis blog. 

CHC Studio Lab

Here's a sneak peak of the CHC Studio Lab website launching soon!

The Business Show in Olympia

Command House was at The Great British Business Show on Thursday and what a awesome show it was. From renowned guest speakers such James Caan of Dragons Den to Rachelle Headland of Saatchi & Saatchi, anyone who was anyone in the business world was present.

For Command House, The Business Show is one of the most important events of the year, not just for its speakers but that it brings like minded individuals together to connect and find ways to grow your business. You can make a business connection that maybe you've never considered or learn something in a seminar that you never thought before would help your business. Its about expanding your horizons and building your business networks, everything any successful business should do.

It was great to see Michal Cooper of The Colour Factor at the show. Judging by the impressive display at The Colour Factor stand you would never have guessed it was their first time at the show. Out of her busy schedule Michal took the time to tell us her thoughts about the show;

The Colour Factor CEO Michal Cooper

''For a relatively new business like ourselves this is a good opportunity to connect with other businesses and promote the benefits of our Clothing Colour Guide to them. Already there's been a few interesting discussions about potential collaborations with a few companies involved in fashion. Colour is part of our lives, everyone uses colour but whats important is choosing the right colours to wear that compliment you and put you ahead. Its a very competitive world, and i have been explaining this especially to people from business start ups and to other entrepreneurs; first impressions count, looking good helps you to feel good and this confidence shows''.

SEO Seminar

Aside from the interesting people at the show what was interesting for us at Command House was the business seminars regarding the latest developments in SEO. Being ahead of the development curve is something for Command House that has proven essential in our business operations. Considering that 93% of all future ecommerce sales would be done using mobile devices gave us food for thought about the trend the retail market would follow.

All in all it was a great show, if your an expanding business, thinking of moving your business operations overseas or a business start up looking to make connections The Business Show is the place to be and we look forward to meeting  you there next year!

Interview with Interior Renovator Edgar Bartos

Edgar Bartos

Edgar Bartos is a successful interior renovator whose creative yet retrained work is a sophisticated template of modern living. Known for his practicality, Edgar Bartos has carved out a long standing career as more than a designer but someone who can provide innovative solutions to virtually any task earning him the moniker of the 'Ultimate Handyman'

How did you discover interior design?

I started working in construction from the age of 15. At first I was doing small jobs on construction sites, helping craftsman to do all sorts of things. I was learning by doing, anything i saw i put into practice. I started from the basics helping to cut wood and put insulation, over this period I was gaining a lot of experience. The difference in that time when compared to now is that everything was made by hand, there wasn't the machines that we use today. After 3 years I used what I learned in construction and I decided to form my own company where I could develop a brand that is known for quality, its welcoming staff and our specialist skills. This was possible as I  had built a good reputation which helped me grow the business until where it is today. I used the name Handyman for the company to set us apart from others for our experience and the personal service we provide, the Handyman name signifies these traits exactly. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

Magazines, stores, applications, other designers work...it can be from any place. I am always looking for new things I can use. Even on TV shows or YouTube can be a great source of inspiration for me.

Where do you like to hang out in your spare time when your switching off and relaxing?

I like going to clubs, the park, to visit the mountains, these things help me to relax. Also visiting 
historical places for me is a great way to switch off.

Is there a place which you find yourself contentiously drawn to because of the beautiful interior?

Salina Turda

There are many places but one of my favourites is Salina Turda, it combines contemporary design with the natural salt of the mine. For me this is a special place which i hold in high regard. Another is the historic fortification in Alba Iulia, the designs here are very beautiful.

Can you recommend a place you were where the interior design really impressed and inspired you?

I cant think of one specific place but what impressed me recently was a project for one of my clients in Cluj. The project was to make an intelligent house, everything was controlled by computer's from the showers to the external lighting system. I was very happy to be involved in this project. 

Who are your favourite designers currently working in the industry?

I don't want to say one name because there are many good designers but I really like the work of 
Candice Olsen for the way she is able to conceptualise original designs and implement them into 
reality. 

You have been very successful the industry, completing many great projects. What advice would you give to a new designer just starting out their practice?

To work hard and have sustainability in your work. Professionalism is very important, make sure you plan ahead in order to keep to deadlines set out to your clients. Always check the small details of 
your work as the quality final finishing makes all the difference in your work.

What exciting projects do you have on the horizon?

I am focusing now on a special project for affordable housing in large cities. From what is available now I know I can make something better in this industry. Also I am planning to do a blog where people can follow my work, how i am working, and demonstrate the do's and dont's of interior design. For people wanting to get into the industry this will be very useful. In the future if someone was to tell me I helped or inspired them to get into design this would be the biggest honour for me. 

Interview with The Colour Factor founder Michal Cooper

CEO & Founder

Michal (Michelle) Cooper is the CEO and Founder of The Colour Factor. Since its formation in 2013 the company has offered specialist colour consultations that are available via her unique Clothing Colour Guide that is available for iTunes download as well as its physical guide form. At a fraction of what it would cost to seek one to one consultation, the Clothing Colour Guide has revolutionised the way we perceive colour and how we wear it. 

Can you tell us a little about your background before  getting involved in the colour factor?

I have always been passionate about fashion, after spending many  years working in the Travel Industry as a consultant and then a  trainer I decided to make a change into Fashion consultancy. I first  had the idea to set up The Colour Factor after giving my fashion  colour advice/tips to my Friends and Family whilst shopping with them.  One of my biggest joys is seeing people being confident and excited  rather then scared about shopping. I know everyone can wear colour!  However, knowing which colours to wear that best suits you is when you  look great, you save money, time and you shop with confidence.

 What would you say is your strongest skill?

My strongest skill is knowing what colours suit people based on  their Hair+Eye colouring and also how to create colour combinations.  People who understand what colours suit them will then be able to  enjoy having a wardrobe full of clothes that they will wear frequently  rather than store.

Using the colour guide what colours would you say work best for your own facial complexsion?

My Season colour group is Autumn. Having my Clothing Colour Guide  with me is perfect when I go out shopping as it’s very useful in  reminding me what my best colours are, such as Olive Green, Sage,  Orange-Red, Yellow and Gold.

And do you avoid any colours?

Yes definitely, I also know from my Guide what colours I must not  wear such as Pink, Blue-Red and Black..

Finally can you tell us the key features/benefits The Colour Factor  will bring to its users?

The benefits when buying The Clothing Colour Guide is that everyone will discover their colour season group and learn which colours make  them look at balance and fabulous. They will also know which colours  they must avoid near their face. They will have more colours in the  wardrobe rather then the usual safe colours. No more trying on  sweaters, dresses or make up which make them look drained and tired.  When you look good you feel good.

 For Any Enquiries About The Colour Factor, Please Contact:  info@thecolourfactor.com

 Find The Colour Factor: 

 thecolourfactor.com
 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colour-factor-clothing-colour/id743821899?mt=8

Interview with Brandentity CEO Rajeev: Leading Communications Specialists

Rajeev of Brandentity

Rajeev is the CEO and founder of wearebrandentity.com a leading brand communications consultancy offering strategic consultancy to clients to effectively engage marketing communications in a creative way. Rajeev's long standing history as an influential marketer and his repertoire of work make him the ideal choice for businesses who want to turn communication into a powerful asset for their brand. 

Whats one of the first things that go overlooked in communication and how do you improve them?

Most people do not take the time to invest in research, they want to blast out messages across all their communications channels with out trying to establish who are the influencers they should communicate with and how do these influencers consume content, what type of content and how often - taking time to understand the market, the influencers - who they are, where they are and investing in that up front as well as baselines measures for the brand and the brand's reputation will do any company a lot of good in the long run. Stepping back, thinking, planning then executing. Most of the time it's the other way round with many companies.

There are so many choices when it comes to Fashion. How would you advise labels better communicate with consumers?

There is a movement of consciousness now when it comes to clothing, the stigma attached to fast fashion has people questioning the whole clothing and fashion model and supporting local manufacturers - sourcing local supplies - not only does this help the local economy but it reduces carbon emissions from long distance transportation for such materials and goods. Be authentic and use real life models like Dove do and not these photo-shopped perfectly looking beings that really do not exist. It's important for any label to understand their audience, I don't mean doing a market research report, I mean going to the shops on the shop floor talking to customers, question what they buy and why, what makes them tick - what do they look for in a clothing item - knowing that solves time and money in how to communicate to people.

What messages would you explore to reach these consumers?

A lot of what I said above really speaks to this, but developing a message has to resonate from inside a company as much as it does outside, your workforce needs to believe in the product, the brand and not only what you do but why you do it, your consumers have to understand why you get out of bed and do what you do, what problem are you trying to solve for your consumers.

There is so much noise out there, people are very good in today's digital age in tuning out brand centric advertising and messaging, what they want is content that solves their problems, answers their questions, insights, they want content that educates, entertains but above all they won't care what a label tells them, they care about what their friends are wearing, where their friends are shopping - not what a label tells them about how good a label's products are.

Assuming that you’re figuring out what your message is, and the words in which to express it, 

how do you decide what medium to use to deliver that message?

You have to tailor your message based on the channels you decide to use, you can only know that from researching and finding out how your target prospects consume their content. You can't take the same message and ad from a billboard and stick it on a broadcast commercial or a tweet, the message needs to be tailored accordingly.

Your owned media channels (your website, your corporate brochure) these are platforms your brand has to be at its best, your social media channels or mass advertising campaigns need to bring and direct people to your owned media channels where people can not only see your brand at it's best but they need to experience your brand at its best - but remember you message needs to be the same and unified but tailored to different channels - too many different messages confuses the audience and dilutes your brand and what you stand for!

Usually its common for a fashion label to have its own specific 'language' to bring across their message. How important is this?

Every label needs to forge it's own identity, with it's own tone of voice - your organisational identity, brand and reputation are all linked - language is all fine, but remember it's about adding value to your consumers, companies that thrive are ones that understand that value is created at the interface between the customer and the organisation - the manner, tone of voice and efficiency in responding to a customer's e-mail or tweet, or do you put your customer on hold to a foreign call centre and make them waste their time and make it worse by bombarding them with an automated message on how much you care about them - they want you to show that you care about them not tell them you care about them. Did you send them their merchandise in a hassle free manner in a package that inspires or educates them or makes them smile and does the method of them receiving your package make life easier or difficult to them? Was there a personalised note for them inside the package to thank them for shopping with you? Labels do not focus on this - they focus on defining a message - define a service and your brand defines itself! Differentiate yourself from your competitors by doing the basics right!

Marketing has been used for removing perceived barriers to wanting or doing something, be it mental or cultural barriers. How much has this been relevant in your work?

Most of my work involves in helping companies understand why they do what they do, what problem are they solving for their customer and how they want to be identified as would they like to be a Dr. Watson and support their prospect, do they want to be Superman and fight for the everyday person and give them value - what personality and tone of voice do they want - I then help them develop their core messages and develop their copy for their brochures, websites etc.

What key area do you view as important to promote a fresh, forward thinking fashion label?

Focus at the interface of where value is created, all the touch points with your customer or prospects, make it easy for them, save time for them and help them make their decisions - do not force them to decide - provide information, advice and insights. Do the simple things well and do it with passion. If you did not exist today will anyone care. If Amazon or Google did not exists today - will that make things easy for people today or not and will they care. You betcha they will - find a reason that people will value you - that is your brand promise and never ever ever break that brand promise - your credibility and your reputation depend on it, it takes a long time to get your credibility back once you break your brand promise.

For Any Enquiries About Brandentity, Please Contact:  whatif@wearebrandentity.com

Interview with Command House Creations I.T Wizard Seng

The explosive Mr Seng

The technical side of running a business can often go forgotten. Behind every store is vital people who help maintain that operations run as smoothly as possible. 
Command House is no different. Whenever, wherever we require need of a skilled set of hands the one man we know we can count on is Mr Seng. 

Can you tell us a little about your background and the work you've done at Command House?

I've always enjoyed all aspects of IT. Even at a young age I would play around with coding on various platforms. I've been involved with this industry 10 years now and built a very good reputation and clientele. I get a lot of satisfaction from my work and take a lot of pride from positive feedback regarding it. Through my IT work I was recommended to Command House to optimise and perform maintenance on their systems and update their servers.

How does working on a fashion site differ to other projects you've worked on?

Well every customer has their own expectations and requirements, this is no different in the fashion industry. It’s my job to cater for what the customer wants and if it’s feasible to implement this within the boundaries of any technical restrictions there may be. Websites for example, the trend in the Fashion industry when compared to other sectors is to over-complicate the usability of websites with the overuse of plug ins such as Flash.  It’s very nice having the use of flash on an intro or having very extravagant backgrounds but how practical is this? Not much! Having a flash intro can over time become tedious for customers using your site and push back the presence of your site on the various internet search engines. Can you imagine having to make 7 or 8 clicks to navigate to the web page you want every time you visit your favourite site, its something I wouldn't want to do on a regular basis. What’s important is customer return rates to your site and this notion can sometimes be lost, it’s my job to often remind my clients that often practicality over extravagance is the best way to increase revenue when it comes to eCommerce.

What’s been your biggest challenge here at Command House?

When people look at Command House it’s easy to see that the quality of the work produced is very important for us. I know first hand being here that if a piece of work isn't up to standard then it will be redone from scratch until it reaches the level that we can be proud to have our name on. Achieving this level of work is a very rewarding challenge for me personally, there’s a great team spirit here and seeing us progressing forward is great.

Can you tell us about any future projects you will be working on?

Its still in the early stages so how much I can say is limited but for sure we will be looking to expand and branch out our expertise in the creative field further in the near future. My role in this is again on the technical side of things so you can expect any developments in this area to have the same focus on the simplicity of use and quality Command House users have come to expect.

A Guide to Clothing Maintenance!

At Command House we maintain the most stringent methods of manufacturer to ensure 

our customers get the best product possible. As part of our apparel quality control procedures 

all our clothing is vigorously tested by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural 

Affairs) certified Dry Cleaning specialists to provide the utmost assurance to our customers 

of the durability of our garments. The results of these extensive tests have provided us with key 

recommendations for our customers to take into consideration when washing Command 

House Clothing;

Clothing to be cleaned in a cold wash at no more than 30 degrees temperature and for 

garments to be hung to dry. We don’t recommend you place garments in hot water or a 

hot dryer as this can lead to potential shrinkage.

For ironing we recommend garments be pressed inside out to protect the print label. It is possible 

to iron garments in a regular fashion if steam pressed only.

Command House garments are wash only. Don’t Dry Clean as the solvents used can damage/remove 

the print label on garments.

Interview with Command House Sales Director Geoffrey Orchard

Every successful company requires strong leadership, a common vision and a compass to keep it on course to achieve its goals. A man that we often refer to as a one of the pillars of Command House and whom encompasses many of these traits is our own Sales Director. Taking time out of his busy schedule we bring the first of a two part interview with one of the founders of command house; Geoffrey Ofosu Orchard.

Can you tell us about your background?

I've been in the service industry a long time. Once I realised I had a passion for communication I felt that it was a perfect fit for the retail environment. I brought many aspects of my personality into my work. After a certain stage my ambition reached a point where I felt I was ready to start my own brand.

What would you say is your strongest skill?

I bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to any environment I enter. If you have an open character you can energise an otherwise very generic and static atmosphere that sometimes the retail industry encompasses. The shopping experience should be fun and customers enticed ideally by the experience. From big to small companies a customers specifically wants you to be a personal shopper. They want the friendly energetic character with a split personality. On one hand your professional and you have a great product knowledge, a sense of what colours and styles go together. On the other hand customers want you to be their best friend walking around with them. Customers want the comfort of their best friend as well as the professionalism and product knowledge of someone to find unique outfits and flatter them.

How do you stay ahead?

To be frank the only way I see staying ahead of the competition is constant innovation of style. The second point and the most crucial point is adapting to change and staying ahead of the fashion curve. So in other words if there’s a trend on the streets of London, Tokyo, or Paris our brand would need to be the trend setter rather than one of our rivals. For example last summer a clothing retailer stocked brightly coloured and styled leggings which became extremely popular with women on the high street. In London’s footfall this particular style was popular. And at this point in time it was only stocked by one retailer, the exclusivity was one of the factors what made it highly desirable

What goals do you want to achieve with your future projects?

Needless to say all the projects we undertake we work hard to make successful. Based on my knowledge of the industry and future trends I feel that one of our future projects will be to expand the brand more into sports accessories. Smart and sporty is where were looking to go , I don’t want to give too much away but elements of technology will be added to our clothing.   

What advise would you give people wanting to get into the industry?

I would say specifically because we've covered a lot of areas in fashion becoming a clothing retailer is a very rewarding challenge. Having an energetic, forward thinking, stylistic view can aid you in this industry immensely. So if you want to get in the industry have a strong sense of style and visualise your idea in a retail format.