More than a decade ago, I wrote about how Pounden Hall on the Wooster campus of the Ohio State University would be part of the soon-to-be BioHio Research Park, never dreaming I would have a business moving in there.
Wooster Media Group LLC, like Apple and Hewlett Packard, got its start as a home-based business, but come Aug. 1, the search engine optimization/digital marketing company will be moving into the Pounden Technology Development Center, a flexible space building that serves as a sort of a business incubator. The initial goal was to offer start-ups work space near the research being done at Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in an effort to commercialize some of that work.
With the number of clients expanding and space opening up in Pounden Hall, it made it the right time for Wooster Media Group to explore the possibility of conducting business there. BioHio Research Park President Shauna Brummet and Program Coordinator Betty Aylsworth have been making the transition into the technology center an easy and effortless one.
Having a home-based business is kind of neat. There is something special about doing work for businesses and non-profits around the state and country, including an international client, from my office in my house. It also helps to keep costs down. Had Wooster Media Group rented a building when it was launching, there would have been no way it would have been profitable from the first month.
However, as the business has grown, so, too, has the need for meeting space and a quiet place where I can talk to clients on a conference call or on a video conference. My cats do a good job of staying quiet during the day, but my dog, Owney, well that’s another story. He barks at people walking by the house. He barks at delivery trucks driving past the house. He barks at dogs walking through his yard. You get the idea: Owney barks.
So, as much as I love working from home, it was becoming more difficult to communicate with clients without the interruptions from a barking Owney. When I signed an agreement with a national organization based in Northern Ohio, it became imperative that Wooster Media Group get its own space. Justin Starlin and Samira Zimmerly at the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce have been great in working with me when I needed a quiet environment. The conference room in the Chamber office is available to members as a benefit of membership, and on a few occasions I have had to reserve the room. While that is a wonderful perk of being a Chamber member, it is a stop-gap measure, not a solution.
While the “official” move-in date is Aug. 1, I have been out to Pounden Technology Development Center a few times, getting things set up and using, of all things, the conference room, for a video conference. What I have discovered is this: I am way more productive in the office than I am at home. One of the things my wife, Wendi, has observed is this: With a home office, she never knew if I was working or just surfing the internet. The new office space in the BioHio Research Park should add some clarity. My hope is that when I leave Pounden, I will be leaving the job and relaxing at home.
However, I recently began working on a tech start-up project. The cloud-based business solution is about to launch, and when you are in start-up mode, it’s all hands on deck …Â you have to be nimble and able to mobilize in a moment’s notice. So, some of that relaxing at home might have to wait … but that’s a great problem to have.
Speaking of launches, I worked on a fun, little project recently. A Wooster woman, who had been awarded two patents, recently asked if I would help her with a video because she wanted to pitch a product she designed (actually a line of products) to QVC’s The Big Find. So, I spent a number of hours in front of the TV watching QVC to see how they pitched products, and I helped coach the inventor on how to present her products. However, she was a natural, and I am not sure if she needed my coaching. I created graphics that looked like the ones QVC used when selling, and made her video look like a segment on the cable shopping channel. I wrote up the product description and filled out the application form and sent it in. I received news recently, she was chosen to pitch her product to QVC/Home Shopping Network in St. Petersburg, Fla., in August. Because the client is working with her attorney on a trademark for her line of products, I cannot say too much. But, I hope you hear more about her journey soon.
So, the kinds of work Wooster Media Group does for clients is expanding, as is the number of clients I have worked for. In a word, Wooster Media Group is growing. I appreciate everyone for putting their trust in this new company that was formed in January 2018.
If Wooster Media Group can ever be of service for your business or organization, please contact us here.