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Marc Valle, President
Designs by Valle
(Designs by Valle is a full service high-end residential and commercial design team)
Alan Siege was an important mentor to me when I started my business. Alan was also like my business therapist. Alan gave suggestions, assurances, and direction in every aspect of my business from minutiae to the big picture. The great thing about Alan is that he keeps his research in the business world and his mind on how that applies to your practical business needs. He pointed out inspirational and helpful books and articles and taught me more in our sessions than one year of business courses at a state university. My time with Alan definitely gave my business a strong map for today and tomorrow.
Eugene Lee, President
Rolling Press. Inc.
(Rolling Press is an environmentally-friendly "green" printing company)
Despite the many years of cumulative experience and academic study, I was finally able to discern with clarity the elusive and abstract concerns behind small business management, under the guidance of Alan Siege. Through open dialogue, we were able to identify and discuss the various issues I had at hand and address each one analytically, systematically, and effectively – all in a comfortable environment. Over the course of several months, I was able to start and finish writing copy for my text-heavy website, understand and monitor my staff in a mutually beneficial manner, manage my time for better performance, plan my first vacation in years, and delegate my responsibilities to where I am now able to do my intended job – that is, to run my business successfully. Ultimately, without Alan's counsel, the progress of my business would essentially be otherwise.
Judith Engleman, Principal
Playground Partisans
(Playground Partisans is clothing company specializing in children's wear)
I first went to see Alan in March 2008 to help me with my company Playground Partisans, a children’s wear label, which I had started in January of 2007. Although developing designs and product concepts for the collection comes easy, figuring out how to grow a business into a sustainable enterprise does not. Alan quickly immersed himself in my business and worked with me to take my original ideas and expand them in ways I had not considered on my own. He also helped to bring structure to what I was doing by assisting me with key aspects of my business such as financial planning, market analysis, and the development of a business plan. All of this allowed me to make much better decisions regarding the use of my time and the allocation of financial resources. I would recommend Alan to someone needing an assessment of their business and help in developing a strategy to make it succeed. I would like to thank Alan for keeping me focused by asking the right questions and challenging me to pursue a coherent business plan.
Terry Richmond, Founder and Partner
Birth Day Presence, Inc.
(Birth Day Presence provides support and guidance to woman before and after they give birth)
We are very happy with the guidance and mentoring we have received from Alan Siege . My business partner and I found ourselves running a growing and successful business with no real business experience. We felt overwhelmed and over our heads. Alan has helped us to formalize many important aspects of our business. He insisted and aided us in creating a spreadsheet so we could track expenses and income and project our growth. Sounds simple, but we had never gotten to this and believe me, it was illuminating. He has helped us to sort out all our "big ideas" so that we can prioritize and actually accomplish things instead of just having all these ideas. He has been a very important "third party" in our business partnership, encouraging us to clearly define each of our roles within the work we do, and giving us a neutral and thoughtful sounding board for our differences. I recommend Alan highly and am grateful for the help we have received.
Steve Schwartzman
Owner, ElderCare New York, Inc.
(ElderCare New York provides comprehensive services for families dealing with the care and support of an elderly relative)
Alan helps keep me focused and motivated when I try to add new wrinkles to my business. He's good at identifying key issues that need to be addressed, and helps turn ideas into reality.
Hannah Frahan and Jihan
Owners of Nest - a high-end home furnishings store
Our work with Alan Siege was absolutely vital to our professional and entrepreneurial growth. We were able to see more clearly the mistakes we had made in the past, and were able to to avoid making those same mistakes again. In the end, Alan helped us out of our conceptual phase (where we were stuck) and into the executional phase of business development.
David Silver and Sheri DiPelesi
2nd Helpings Restaurant
When we first began working with Alan Siege and Small Business Management Consulting, we were looking for ways to increase our revenue while maintaining my very personal service and attention to detail at our Natural Foods restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn From the out set, Alan was very sensitive and respectful of our values and methods. Working with Alan was also fun and focused as he gave us very specific options as to how we could grow the company.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of his approach was that it combined solid research on our industry with probing questions for us to think about to determine which path to take. Alan helped us come to the conclusion that growing the catering component of 2nd Helpings was the option most likely to increase our revenue while remaining true to our mission. We are now acting on this choice and we anticipate seeing a marked increase in our revenue within the next 12 months. We highly recommend Alan Siege and Small Business Management Consulting if you want clear, precise and personalized consulting to grow your business.
Robin Bady
Professional Storyteller
(Robin performs and conducts residencies throughout the United States)
Alan Siege is an outstanding business coach! He opened doors by clarifiying business concepts and terminology. I have learned tools and strategies from him that I am successfully using to help me substantially grow my business.
Joseph Bruno and Brett Kearney
Bruno Kearney Architects, LLP
Alan Siege and Small Business Management Consulting was one of our first clients as we started our architectural practice in 2001. Alan commissioned us to design him a new office space for his business. It was from this original experience of working with Alan that when our business started to expand we felt secure in calling him to work with us. Alan was able to help us focus and define our working relationship as partners, determine employment strategies for staffing, develop short and long term goals to market and grow our business and outline our the mission of our practice.
In the process of implementing the work we did with Alan we found that we have been more successful in reaching our business goals. We are continuing to work with Alan Siege and Small Business Management Consulting periodically to insure that we are staying on track, evaluating the direction of our business and adapting strategies as our business expands and changes.
Heru Ur Nekhet, President
Insiders Group, Inc.
Dear Alan,
I attended your seminar at Washington Mutual last week. I thought it was great. I especially found the websites you referred to be valuable, and I appreciated the hands-on interactive style you presented.
Nicole Rose, CEO & Creative Director
ODM, Inc.
Alan Seige and SBMC helped me to clearly see and define the the landscape of my niche in the very competitive world of graphic and web design. In our time together he not only worked to gain an in-depth understanding of my products and services, but also took into account the value that I as a unique indivual bring to my business. It is his ability to see both the programatic challenges in a business and his understanding of the human behind the small business that make his work very thorough and effective. The result of our work together is that 4 months later business has increased exponentially. I have only just begun to implement a small segment of Alan's invaluable consultation advice, I look forward to continued growth as I am able to incorporate the rest of his strategic guidance.
Nancy F. McKenzie, PH.D
Dear Alan:
I just wanted to put into writing what I told you today. In my dealings with Columbia University I would not have been able to figure out a fair contract for myself, had I not ask you to help me. The retainer fee that I quoted to them turns out to have been greatly, even grossly, underrated. The products that I was to produce for them over a year are turning out to be very complex and not reproduceable. Because I had met with you, I was able to get a quarterly review of the yearly contract with the agreement that the terms could be changed with a review. I have my first quarterly review coming up, and I will be able to correct the under estimation of my fee. If I hadn't met with you before the client and I developed the contract, I would be truly stuck. So, thanks once again for your suggestions and help.
Jessica Poli
(Ms. Poli attended a Business Basics class taught by Mr. Siege)
Mr. Siege,
I just wanted to say yours was a very informative class and you are an excellent trainer! I have been taking many classes in preparation for the start of my business and in doing so I have not only been gathering much needed information, but have been evaluating the trainers, as that is the market I intend to target. You have been the most effective trainer to date. It comes as no surprise that you are a storyteller as well, you have helped to illustrate my point.
I would love more information on your storytelling and I am very much in need of more business classes. You mentioned a 7 week class you teach in Brooklyn. I am a resident of Manhattan but after taking your short class, and many others with some very poor instructors, yours is the one I am most interested in. Please let me know how I might enroll and when your next class begins.
Once again your class was a delight. I look forward to learning from you.
Jessica Poli
Michael Ikotun
(Mr. Ikotun took the 7-week Plan for Success class taught by Mr. Siege)
Hi, Firstly, I would like to say a big sorry for missing the last day of the workshop. I had an online interview, and did not finish until late in the day. Also, I also want to commend you on a job well done on the workshop, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say you really opened our eyes to a lot. We feel we are ready to take the next step in becoming the entrepreneurs we ought to be. Once again thanks for being a bundle of information! I will also like you to know that I have signed up for the newsletter on http://www.sbmc.biz. I hope to get some great ideas coming my way soon. Take care and God bless.
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