Page 18 - 914INC - Q3 - 2013

AGENDA
Q3 2013
POWER POINTS
It’s Electric
VARTA will formally introduce
its lithium-ion power pack for pedelec ("pedal electric") bikes, in collaboration with a bicycle frame manufacturer, at the Interbike Show in Las Vegas this September.
“It’s a pedal assist,” Flanagan ex- plains. “So as you’re riding and you come up against one of those lovely little hills all around here, you turn the motor on and it helps you pedal. It doesn’t propel you on its own, but assists”—at a speed of up to around 30 miles per hour for a duration of approximately 20 miles.
“There’s great science behind the technology. It’s got longevity and is cost-effective for the size of the battery.” Flanagan says there are plans to eventually devise a kit that will adapt the battery pack to ordi- nary mechanical bikes.
POWER POINTS
Power Forward
The brands with the big ads might still be going and going, but VARTA Microbattery is shaping the future of long-lasting tech.
VARTA MICROBATTERY, INC., A BATTERY DESIGN AND
manufacturing company based in Germany, has maintained a sales-engi-
neering office in Westchester for the past 42 years—first in Elmsford, then White Plains, and, as of March, Rye—but it’s more than likely you’ve never heard of them. “Batteries are everywhere in our life, but we only think about them when things don’t work,” says William Flanagan, president and CEO of VARTA Microbattery USA.
Despite flying under the radar (“We’re an ‘R and D’ company; the marketing component is not really what we do”), VARTA’s success is on par with some of the
County’s most prominent businesses. In 2012, its US arm had its best sales year in the last 40, and Flanagan predicts, “We will double in size over the next three years, through the introduction of solar and [battery-powered transportation].”
Now that you know them as a major Westchester player, Flanagan gives us the scoop on how VARTA is juicing up the day-to-day things you care about, like...
The Life of Your Smartphone
“Four or five years ago, or before there was an iPhone, you had a flip-phone. That battery stayed charged for three
or four days. Now you have to charge everyday. The cameras, the video, the apps—they’re all sucking the life out
of the battery. We have people sitting around thinking, ‘How do I make some- thing last longer than it does today?’”
Big-Data Storage “Another chal- lenge is how to design servers that are going to be able to reliably sustain data
from the next generation.” Adds Julia Palu, VP-OEM PM, Marketing, Technical, "Part of our mission is to support other technology companies out there, helping them innovate their product by giving them the best power solutions.”
An Easier Commute “We have an alliance with Volkswagen in Germany, working on the next generation of electric-battery vehicles. It seems like America is moving in the direction of e-mobility and electric bikes. With Citi Bike launching its big program in New York City, bicycles are definitely gaining momentum,” says Flanagan.
My Biggest Business Mistake
(And what I learned from it)
IN LIFE, MISTAKES HAPPEN. BUT IN BUSI-
ness, success or failure can hinge on busi-
ness owners’ ability to recover quickly and learn from major mishaps. We found three successful entrepreneurs who agreed to share the lessons they learned from their biggest “whoops” moments.
􏰀 Mary Molina launched her Croton Falls-based wheat- and soy-free granola company, Lola Granola, in 2011. Targeting health-conscious foodies, she focused sales efforts on regional farmers’ markets, where she and her husband spent every weekend trying to build the busi- ness—to no avail.
“Too many people were selling granola,” Molina says. “Although my bars are free of fill- ers, granola was granola.” She asked herself, she says, “Why sit at one place for five hours selling to the same 100 people every week, when I could sell a much greater volume and differentiate my bar in stores?”
Today, Lola Granola has distribution in more than 100 stores throughout the tri-state area and two grocery store chains. “Lesson learned—a good product needs the right distri- bution channels.”
􏰀 Ten years ago, Steven Polevoy, DMD, of Gentle Touch Dentistry in Harrison, decided
to promote his new practice with a direct-mail campaign. “A lot of my startup capital went into this mailing,” says Dr. Polevoy. “The night before the brochures were supposed to be mailed, I was looking them over one last time, when a horrible realization hit: The phone number was wrong by one digit.”
He acted immediately. “I called the number on the brochure, and, after what seemed like forever, someone named Joe answered. I was prepared to give the guy anything he wanted, but was able to convince him to let me have the phone number and redirect it to my actual num- ber,” Polevoy relates.
“No one was ever the wiser; I never missed
a call. No matter how bad the situation, there’s always a solution. You just have to not give up until you find it. Now, my business is thriving and life is good.”
􏰀 Cosmetic company owner Meredith Hayman of Yorktown Heights says her biggest busi- ness blunder was up-selling clients. “When I first started out, working at makeup counters in high-end stores, I was so focused on meet- ing sales goals and impressing my boss that I often sold customers extra products they really didn’t need,” says Hayman, today the owner of Meredith Hayman Makeup Artist.
Says Hayman: “I learned a lot over the years, and the number-one thing is to always focus on your clients’ specific needs and have their best interests at heart.”
16
—KO with Ilana Bree Fromm and Lily Weinberg
—Ali Jackson-Jolley