Cincinnati Archives - Page 2 of 3 - OfficeKey

Meet Elizabeth Na, CPA of Na & Associates

Teresa Nichols
Accounting, Cincinnati, Clients
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CPA, Elizabeth Na had an office for over 25 years before coming to OfficeKey. OfficeKey fit perfectly in the virtual operation that she was transitioning her business into a few years ago. She primarily meets her clients at the Blue Ash, Hyde Park, and West Chester locations, wherever is the most convenient for them. She took time out of her busy day to participate in our Client Q & A:

Q: What does your business do?

A: We are the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and tax adviser for small business owners. Our goal is to enhance efficiency and profitability.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your career, and about working through OfficeKey?

A: I enjoy being part of clients’ success, and giving them ideas to save taxes. After 30 years of being a CPA, I enjoy especially being a business at this time, to witness and enjoy the efficiency that the technology has enabled us to achieve. OfficeKey fits perfectly with our virtual operation. The three of us, at NA & Associates, either work at any of the OfficeKey locations or at our own space. Clients meet us at the OfficeKey location that is the most convenient to them. It has been wonderful.

Q: How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

A: I enjoy hiking, reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: I have three: Sound of Music, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Anne of Green Gables.

Q: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

A: If I can have the power of God for a day, I would wipe out the cruelties done to children in the world.

Q. If you could hire any celebrity to work for your business who would it be and why?

A: Krista Neher, a social media guru here in Cincinnati. She can guide us on establishing and revamping social media presence which we desperately need.

Q: Which OfficeKey location do you think has the best restaurants nearby?

A: Hyde Park

Q: Have you had any particularly rewarding experience during your career?

A: After a complex planning project for a retiring client, I received a nice letter to thank me and offer me a cash bonus. I accepted the letter and declined the bonus with gratitude.

To learn more about Elizabeth Na & Associates visit their website.

Cincinnati Sales Coach, Duane Plapp

Teresa Nichols
business coaching, Cincinnati, Clients, marketing
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We were able to catch up with Sales Coach, Duane Plapp between speaking engagements to ask him about his business and some of his favorite past-times. Duane has been a client of OfficeKey for seven years and recently celebrated his 70th birthday!

Besides being a sales coach to local small business owners and managers, he is a sought-after public speaker on the topics of referral marketing and business growth.

Duane officially retired about 10 years ago, but coaching is a passion he didn’t want to give up. His sliding scale fee structure allows him to provide services to those who are just starting out and need that extra push to excel. His deep knowledge of business also allows him to coach seasoned professionals who want to move to their next level.

Q: Tell us about Total Revenue Coaching?
A: Total Revenue Coaching is a marketing and sales coaching and training business. Our core business philosophy is to help marketing professionals to create effective communication and develop strong relationships through the right strategic activity.

Q: How did you decide to be a Sales Coach?
A: I love to help people and coaching is the best way I know to give back.

Q: What type of clients do you enjoy working with most?
A: I love working with small business marketing professionals.

Q: What do you enjoy most about what you do?
A: Sales Coaching gives me the opportunity to interact with a lot of people and create a lot of great relationships. I love seeing people succeed!

Q: What features of OfficeKey do you like the most?
A: The Conference rooms at OfficeKey are perfect for my training sessions. The monitors and whiteboards make my sessions more visual and more engaging for my sales coaching students.

Q: How do you spend your time outside of work?
A: I enjoy golfing, fishing, and camping.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote?
A: “Cha Ching!”

Q: What is your favorite sports team?
A: I enjoy watching and rooting for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. They keep me entertained all year round!

Q: Who is your favorite singer or band?
A: The Beach Boys…Best American Band of All Time!

Q: What is your favorite book?
A: I would have to say the Bible.

To get to know more about Duane and Total Revenue Coaching, visit the website. If you see him around the office, make sure to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Google Your Business

Teresa Nichols
Cincinnati, marketing, technology
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At our October Key Connections lunch, Joe Danzer, local Google Representative, shared some knowledge about how Google local listings work and how to make them work better for your business.

Claim your local listing. If you haven’t claimed your Google listing you can start the process here. Claiming your business allows you to edit the information and puts you ahead of unclaimed listings in your industry (your competitors).
Add pertinent information to your listing. The more details you add, the easier it is for potential customers to contact you. Many people use the Google listing to make their first contact.
Use your OfficeKey Address. Joe mentioned that our shared address is no problem! He said that Google is aware of shared office situations and will allow more than one business at one address, so please use your OfficeKey address for your local listing.
Add 10 photos to your listing. If you have 10 photos, Google can tell that you are actively in business and puts your listing above other listings that are not as visually appealing.
Get 10 legitimate reviews for your business. Having reviews helps potential clients see that you are a reputable option for their needs. Getting 10 valid reviews will put your listing higher than other listings. The best way to get reviews is to ask your very happy customers to submit them. Once you claim your listing, you can send your customers the link to your listing to help them find it easier!

If you have any questions about how to claim and update your local listing, send an email to staff@officekey.com. We’re glad to help!

Ed Fanning, Union Springs Natural Health Products

Teresa Nichols
Cincinnati, Clients, Health Care, Self Help Topics
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What Ed Fanning enjoys most is watching his daughters play sports. Anything from swimming to cross country, he will be there to watch them compete. But when he’s not busy being the best cheering section, Fanning is the managing director of Union Springs, LLC.

Before Ed began managing his business, he graduated with his MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the first year they were named the #1 business school. So it’s safe to assume that Ed is well versed in quality business practices.

His company, Union Springs, LLC, works to bring biologically optimized, natural products into mainstream medicine. They develop and market highly sophisticated nutritional supplements for pharmacies to use as “companion care” products to prescription drugs. Underneath the medical terminology and complicated practices, what Fanning enjoys about his business is being able to help people through the natural health products Union Springs develops. While the jargon may sound clinical, Union Springs products are truly a vehicle to better people’s lives by working to remove side effects from their prescriptions drugs. But what helps Fanning do this is the services provided by OfficeKey.

Ed is grateful that his business is able to have a wide range of motion, meaning they can scale up and down with particular needs when their particular needs are always changing. Reduction in staff is also helpful. Fanning doesn’t need to hire a receptionist because OfficeKey can provide that service. Fanning says he used to work out of a huge office space with 2 conference rooms, and what it boiled down to was that they were paying rent for space that was barely used. What Ed enjoys about working with OfficeKey, is the “take only what you need” mentality they provide, allowing him to focus on what’s important about his business. And without the added stress of wondering how to allocate funds, he is able to go back to what he enjoys most, rooting for his daughters in whatever they might be doing.

Visit Union Springs online for more details about their natural health products and vision.

–Written by Makenzie Walters

Design, Marketing, and Media Professional

Teresa Nichols
Cincinnati, Clients, marketing
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What Jeremy Gotwals enjoys most about the work he does at Holon Publishing is being paid to create. Gotwals recalls always having a passion for creation. He’s starred in two MTV shows, was on American Idol, and created a film that prompted him to hitchhike across the country to the Burning Man Festival. But before fulfilling his creative outlets, at age nineteen he realized that as a generally creative person, his most desirable situation would be having the opportunity to make a living creating. Gotwals finds joy in being able to bring together the creative parts of his personality with the strategic and technical aspects of his business.

Holon Publishing can be halved into two facets of business. On one end, they do publishing consulting, which includes editing, designing, publishing, distributing, marketing and promoting published materials that range anywhere from a small project of fiction from an artist, or more professional geared material from an educational source. The other half of Holon’s business is a straightforward digital agency that deals in tasks such as branding, web design, social media or targeted ad campaigns. And of course, Gotwals appreciates being able to share this combination of creation and strategy with the people he does business with. He brags that his clients are interesting and unique, and it’s a privilege to be able to do business with people from all ends of the world.

OfficeKey has been an instrumental part of Gotwals’ growing his business. So helpful that he was prompted to use the word, “outstanding,” when describing the services we provide. What he appreciates the most is OfficeKey’s phenomenal flexibility that it brings to business of any size. Furthermore, he praises OfficeKey as being a service provider that can bring big business amenities to a small or remote business. Gotwals names his most valuable resource at OfficeKey to be the community. The people in the OfficeKey locations, whether it is our employees or other clients, come together as a flexible community, willing to provide their specific services to their peers and be supportive in any way possible. Collaboration, Gotwals says, is the most valuable thing OfficeKey has to offer.

Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn.

What’s Happening with the Brent Spence?

Teresa Nichols
Cincinnati, local economy, Northern Kentucky, Ohio, transportation
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As a staff member with OfficeKey, I am privileged to meet a variety of people and learn many interesting things from them. This month, I had the pleasure of sitting in on July’s Key Connections Lunch. Our guest was Trey Grayson, President & CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He spoke about the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. Boy, was I introduced to something new!

Like many, I have been excited about the prospect of a new bridge between Ohio and Kentucky. I didn’t fully understand why officials seemed to be back pedaling and recommending tolls. According to all the sound bites I’d heard previously, wasn’t this project a “done” deal and wasn’t funding already secured?

Listening to Mr. Grayson explain the scope of the project and the myriad of pieces that are necessary to address the many considerations was a fascinating lesson. As lunch continued and questions around the table were answered, it became apparent that much IS happening behind the scenes to move the project forward. Within the current political climate and with respect to legislative constraints, it is a challenge to find common ground, at both a government level and with the general populace. The biggest hurdle seems to be educating people, like myself, who assume the project has already been paid for twice over and find the thought of a toll booth very distressing.

The bottom line seems to be: this is a huge, expensive project that encompasses not only the bridge itself but the highways immediately attached to the Brent Spence Bridge on both sides. Current government funds available for this project do not cover all the work that is necessary. Both states are tasked with finding creative resources for the additional funds…hence, the toll booth. Unlike toll booths of the past, modern toll booths have the capability of “billing you later” by taking a picture of your car as it passes or applying a “quick pass” that electronically pays as the car passes through the gateway. Either way, once explained, I felt a little more comfortable knowing that should a toll be levied, I will be able to cross the bridge without having to worry about bouncing coins out of the toll basket or causing a traffic jam because I don’t have exact change. I have been schooled.

Keep an eye out for the next Key Connections Lunch – you might see me there!

Contributed by Terri Wilson, OfficeKey. Most days you will find Terri in our Blue Ash office. Among many other things, Terri puts together our weekly OfficeTalk, creates agreements and coordinates the Key Connection lunches.

Take a look at the bridge from several angles.

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Client Q & A with Casey Boland

Teresa Nichols
Cincinnati, Clients, financial advisors
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Meet Casey Boland, Vice President of Hengehold Capital Management.

Q: Tell us about HCM?

A: HCM is a locally owned retirement and financial planning firm. As a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor firm, we are dedicated to serving families and business owners looking for retirement solutions that will allow them to attain financial goals for retirement. HCM also specializes in working with P&G retirees, alumni or those taking a separation package. For over 25 years, we work passionately to help our clients and their families enjoy a financially independent life by offering financial planning and total-return, tax-efficient, risk managed investments. Our strengths are in planning and building a solid portfolio that is dependent, diversified, growing and protected.

Our loyalties are always aligned with our clients’ best interests. Our goal is to be your trusted advisor based on integrity, knowledge and personalized service.

Q: What type of clients do you enjoy working with?

A: My ideal client is one who understands that in order to enjoy their life in retirement, they need to plan for it. This can be small business owners, people in transition, couples with young families, executives, and people in their 50s who may have gotten a late jump on planning for retirement. For each type of client, the story we build together to achieve their goals and strategies is very different and this is the part I enjoy.

Q: What do you enjoy most about what you do?

A: I get to help people plan for the longest vacation of their lives – retirement! I enjoy the planning, strategy and teamwork involved working with my client to achieve their goals. I also enjoy the educating part of my job. Most people do not have the time or interest in learning about the ins and outs of planning for retirement but they know it is important. So I spend time building my own knowledge so I can educate my clients. This is one reason why I enjoy my daily morning Money Matters spot on 700WLW. It is very rewarding to know that people listen and have the opportunity to learn more about financial planning and investing. The real satisfaction in the work I do I can make a difference in people’s lives.

Q: How long have you been at OfficeKey? And what do you enjoy most about having your office with OfficeKey?

We have been at OfficeKey for over 20 years. Having our offices with OfficeKey, allows us to meet our clients in locations that are convenient for them. We have clients all over the city and making meetings convenient for our clients and prospects is very important to us. OfficeKey allows us to have a professional meeting space with staff that reflects our own values.

Q: How do you spend your time outside of work?

A: I am on the Board of the Springer School and Center and this keeps me pretty busy. I spend a lot of time reading to prepare for my daily commentaries on 700 WLW. I enjoy golfing with my dad and riding my bike.

Learn more about Hengehold Capital Management by visiting their website

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