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Sentinel Rachel Andreoli
Cumberland County has no shortage of uniquely talented and independent-minded residents.
From artists to mechanics, office workers to outdoor professionals, these entrepreneurs showcase the best of the county’s businesses.
Each week, The Sentinel’s Small Business Spotlight features these people and shares their stories.
Discover local connections through this series that highlights small business owners in your own backyard and the services they provide to their communities.
Tammy Basbinder
Trade name: vast strategy
Years in business: 4.5 years
position: boiling spring
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contact address: 717-579-3878
Q: Why did you decide to start a business like this?
A: I believe that sales, branding, and marketing are all closely related. If you remove any from your business, the others will begin to fall apart.
Before you invest in a marketing strategy to promote your business, you first need to make sure you have a proven sales system in place to support your prospects and convert them into paying customers.
Conversely, before your sales reps are ready to meet with prospects, make sure your branding, website, and marketing materials are consistent, well-designed, and get your message across in a way that will resonate with your customers. need to do it.
That being said, I felt there was a void in the market for a marketing company that offered graphic and website design, sales and leadership training, and marketing/media buying. I always had a natural connection, but after 20 years in sales and marketing he decided to start his own agency.
Q: How did you get started?
A: Through my 20 years of sales experience in the print and radio industries, I have made many connections with local business owners that I know and trust as clients and business partners.
From the beginning, we knew we didn’t have more than $1.5 million to pay for a team of industry giants, so we asked if we could collaborate on the project. They stay in business and I get customers to the door for them.
This is a unique business model and has proven to work extremely well. My team has been in business for decades, so there’s no micromanagement on my end. They do what they say they’re going to do, and they do it well, all the while creating great brands and results for their clients.
Our customers are happy because our costs are kept low by eliminating office space, medical expenses, payroll, and other overhead costs. Customers have access to a highly talented team at an affordable price.
When working with a marketing agency, you may be working with inexperienced designers, salespeople, etc. Not so with Vast Strategies.
Plus, we’re fun to work with. That’s always an extra bonus.
Q: What does your business sell or offer?
A: Graphic and website design, sales and leadership training, strategic branding and marketing consulting, and marketing/media buying.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing?
A: My biggest challenge was keeping up with project management and bookkeeping. Fortunately, we have been incredibly blessed with more business and have been able to scale by hiring more graphic designers, website designers, bookkeepers and project managers.
Q: What is your favorite thing or place in Cumberland County?
A: Our family is very active. We like to hike the Appalachian Trail, visit Pine Grove Furnace State Park (we call Lake Laurel the beach of Pennsylvania), and go to local car shows (my My husband owns a ’71 Chevy truck and a ’68 Cadillac DeVille). We also love playing sports. My sons play baseball, basketball, and football, and my husband and I are in softball, basketball, bowling, and golf leagues. I might try playing pickleball too. I like tennis and table tennis, so I might be pretty good at them.
In 2022, the economic news was apocalyptic, with two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The TV news was full of pessimistic voices, such as “the economy is in full swing” and “the economy may fall into a recession.” “The United States is heading into a recession.” The United States’ GDP has decreased. The number of unemployment insurance applications also increased. “Housing prices have risen, inflation has remained high. And now, a year later, where are things going?” In hindsight, a much bigger recession than the small dip in the summer of 2022. Some might think that would have already happened. says Glenn Furton, an economist at MSU Denver. Real gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 4.9% last quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Inflation was the highest in September. While this is relatively high at 3.7%, it is much lower than the nearly 9% experienced by Americans in the summer of 2022. Wage growth, as measured by the employment cost index, remains at a high level of 4% compared to last year. And consumer spending last quarter rose at an annual rate of nearly 5%, shocking economists. Think cars, restaurant meals, clothing, and even concert tickets. “This recent report of low unemployment, a strong job market, and high spending rates is largely driven by consumer spending,” Furton said. “And Taylor Swift concerts are attended by large numbers of people, probably enough people to have a significant impact on the country’s GDP.” However, 48% of U.S. adults told Gallup in September that , said the economic situation is bad and a lot of economic data is concerning Read more: Biden administration touts economic development as APEC closes How many Americans are living on the edge of their paychecks? A whopping 63%, according to the Loan Tree and Payments Study released in September. What about personal savings? “It’s below levels not seen since the 2008 recession, and the Fed is setting interest rates at their highest in 20 years.” The Fed may want to tighten policy further, meaning more. That could mean a rate hike, which could give us an idea of that possibility. We’re in a recession,” Furton said. Low-income households could be hit the hardest, but “the wealthiest people may not be hit as hard by this,” Furton said. “Of course there will be an impact on entrepreneurs and business owners. And that’s not good. It could affect real economic growth in the long run. So what’s the big picture?” Economic indicators “It’s like Jackson Pollock depicting data points and trends,” economics writer Kyla Scanlon wrote last summer. She coined the term “vibe session” to describe the situation we’re in right now. “A vibe session is the idea that sentiment is temporarily down even though economic indicators feel relatively okay,” she said in the video. This is relatively good data, but consumers have a bad feeling. “There’s a lot to be excited about in the economy right now,” she added. “But things still don’t look good, right?” In fact, surveys show consumer sentiment is lower than at any time since 1980, according to The Economist. Masu. What’s even stranger is that the magazine created a computer model that takes economic conditions into account to predict expected consumer sentiment. For 40 years, survey economic attitudes have followed the model’s predictions. But since the pandemic? Attitudes are much worse than the model predicts, the magazine concludes? “Americans’ opinions about the current state of the economy are out of touch with reality,” the magazine wrote. So if you’ve heard good news about the economy but still have doubts, you’re definitely not alone.
Rachel Andreoli is the owner of Interior Intuition. She specializes in helping clients design spaces that support the lives they desire.
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