Mark Graham, Author at PromoKitchen - Page 3 of 4

PK #52 – Larry Cohen, Axis Promotions

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Mark Graham

From the day he opened Axis Promotions, Larry Cohen was a consultative promotional professional, twenty-one years before “trusted advisor” became a key component of most distributors’ value proposition. Over the past twenty-one years, Axis Promotions has grown from a one-person operation to over 50 employees and six offices. Larry, a newly aproned Chef in the PromoKitchen, sits down with Mark…

The Surprising Role Of Schwag In The Birth of Twitter

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Mark Graham

According to legend, eBay was started as a way to locate PEZ Dispensers. Who knew that Twitter, which went public last month and is now valued at $22 billion, got its start at a good old fashion swag party? Let me explain.In July 2006, when Twitter was an unknown and fledgling texting service, an early employee (Noah Glass) attended a party called…

PK #48 – Memo Kahan

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Mark Graham

“It began with luck,” begins Memo Kahan in this edifying conversation where he discusses how his previous work experiences from three different companies coalesced into the creative agency known as PromoShop. “Learning on the run” quickly became a reoccurring motif in PromoShop’s culture but it’s not a haphazard approach to learning. With an upwardly mobile culture, strong strategic planning, and…

PK #47 – Jay Deutsch

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Mark Graham

Jay Deutsch, CEO and Co-Founder of BDA, Inc is our special guest on this episode of the PromoKitchen Podcast. With more than 500 employees and multiple awards and honors to his name, Jay shares some of his tips and lessons learned from his days of bootstrapping with $500 to building a multimillion dollar enterprise. Featured on ABC’s Secret Millionaire, Jay shares…

Why “Made in China” Isn’t As Bad As You Think

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Mark Graham

The Made in China debate in the promotional products industry confuses me. An article in a St Louis paper got me thinking about the sensationalist approach the media has towards our industry as it relates to the Made in China issue. While this article highlights the irony of promoting U.S. jobs by handing out Made in China carabiners, I…

What’s Cookin’ in the PromoKitchen

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Mark Graham

The following was originally published in PPAI’s Promotional Products Business Magazine, March 2012. IN 1998, I STARTED in the promotional products industry as an inexperienced, yet enthusiastic, distributor entrepreneur. I was 23 years old. It took me two years to figure out there was an industry association where suppliers and distributors met to do business. It took me another eight…

Breaking Every Rule In The Book

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Mark Graham

I had the pleasure of attending the Biz Stone keynote at the ASI Dallas show. Seconds before our photograph was taken, I said he must feel like Santa Claus having to pose with so many strangers. I am sure he’s heard worse small talk. As the founder of a distributor and co-founder of a social software company, I was smitten…

What’s Next For Online Commerce: Sales Guided By Human Accommodation

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Mark Graham

There has been a lot of talk about what’s next for online commerce. Rightly so, many people speak of the power of social selling as we live in an era where friends’ recommendations are paramount. However, I think this is only part of the story. Industry giants like Apple have shown us that the key to success in online commerce…

Interview with Craig Morantz

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mark Graham

I met Craig Morantz in the late 1990s when I started my distributorship and he was growing his Toronto based supplier, Aware Marketing. Simply put, Craig zigged while others zagged. He brought a flare to an industry that was pretty conservative at the time (still is for the most part). Our businesses grew together and it was fun to collaborate…

Don’t Skip School!

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Mark Graham

If you are coming to the PPAI Expo in January, make sure to attend the education program. Investing in education is the single most effective way to grow your business (speaking from 12 years experience). Even if you can’t attend in person, there are a few livestream sessions that you can watch online. A few of us chefs will be…