Ivy Hartman: Welcome to sbtv.com’s exclusive coverage of the NAWBO conference in Phoenix Arizona 2008. I'm Ivy Hartman and with me is Valeska Jacques who is the founder of uVium Incorporated. Valeska tell us what uVium has got a unique website right now for small business owners, managers. Tell us more about it.
Valeska Jacques: Definitely, it’s called managementheadaches.com and what we did there is a blog where we are allowing for business owners even their staff. Their managers to come in and really describe any experience that they are having where they just feel that they're stuck and they can go it as a resource very quickly, very in and out to share what they want to share about. And then it’s opening up forum where either other managers, other entrepreneurs can come in and give them advice or consultants can come in and help out in that process.
Ivy Hartman: Is it anonymous or can employees and other people go and see who is saying what?
Valeska Jacques: It is anonymous like when you first post your headache and then after that, the consultants or other managers that want to give their tips that won't be anonymous. And there's two fold, we actually present it to you once to keep it anonymous or non-anonymous. We give both options.
Ivy Hartman: All right as the founder of uVium, tell us what the organization does as a whole aside from this cool website.
Valeska Jacques: Sure thank you. Essentially what uVium is that we’re actually the left and right brain when it comes to the internet world? We provide everything in regards to marketing internet strategies, search engine optimization, web development you name it.
And then on the other spectrum which comes to operation we solely focus on the business process and how to make the process work with people and if necessary bringing in the technology to bring it all together.
Ivy Hartman: I was going to say yeah, usually that go hand in hand depending on what kind of setting you're working at.
Valeska Jacques: Yeah definitely.
Ivy Hartman: Talk us some examples of some of your clients; you don’t have to give us any specifics but some of the people that you’ve help.
Valeska Jacques: Essentially, from an operational side it’s typically at least a minimum of 15 employees because that’s when those type of operational bottleneck starts to occur. And what we look up too are main niche is when we’re looking at it from a process standpoint that’s one element, but the main element where we focus is the internet like how we leverage web software or when you're using the cell phones, all of these mobile applications how to make it all work together.
Another thing is like if people are trying to set up their teams virtually and how to work from different locations and what not we actually help streamline that both process. So that’s where our main focus from an operational standpoint.
Ivy Hartman: Wow! More and more business owners or people over 50 are starting their own businesses and we’re finding it too that sometimes they're experts in IT but sometimes they are really slow as far as picking up on some of the technology and the resource that they have on their business. Have you gotten many clients in that age bracket or what do you finding the trend is for your clients?
Valeska Jacques: The trends for our clients are those who are definitely—how would I describe it, those that are experiencing more and along the lines like over efficiency because they're receiving so much real time update. How do I handle and make this work so that my team embraces it? It’s more along the lines. It’s difficult to say more the age group. It’s definitely varied. I won't say it’s young because they're more innovative. I haven’t really seen a pattern. It’s more on the need like what they're experiencing going back to the headache gaps component to it is really what I'm seeing.
Ivy Hartman: That goes hand and hand for you so that you can use that also when you're serving your client. Talk about what you're going to take away from this year’s NAWBO conference.
Valeska Jacques: What is my takeaway? Oh my gosh, the takeaway from this whole conference was just the whole experience of really sharing with everyone, all the business owners sharing ideas, establishing not only new relationships but gaining new friendships already like planning like on our next trip what are we going to do, it’s awesome. And the other has been definitely the workshops that they put together, the tools and everything that can help you reevaluate what next on your business.
Ivy Hartman: It’s wonderful because many women do form many great business partnerships over here. I forget to inform great friendships while you're here. I'm sure you're looking forward to next year.
Valeska Jacques: Oh my god yeah.
Ivy Hartman: Keep it right here as we continue our coverage of this year’s 2008 NAWBO conference in Phoenix Arizona.
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