By Colleen Hennessey
If bigger is better, then 2004 is shaping up to be
a stellar growth year for Antoinette Allocca’s company, Essential Data
Corporation (EDC) a technical writing, documentation and training
services business based in Stamford.
Despite the volatile economy, EDC is growing by leaps and bounds,
and Allocca will be expanding her company nationally and ultimately
internationally. The
company currently employs 10 salespeople, but will be adding 25 new
salespeople by the end of 2005 who will occupy offices in locations
across the country.
Over the years, competitors have fallen by the wayside.
“There have been two major competitors in the past,” says
Allocca. “They went out
of business because they did not make the right decisions in the
recessionary climate. Smaller
competitors have also failed due to lack of vision and financial
resources.
In an economy that has been tough on high-tech companies, EDC has
survived. “The recession
has been good for EDC,” says Allocca.
“It has given us time to reflect, plan and re-engineer for the
future. We are ready to
move forward in the boom times, and have time to prepare for the next
recession, she continues. “The
recession actually allowed us to diversify by geographical location and
industry, “ she says.
In the Beginning
There are thousands of women-owned businesses out there. So, what distinguishes the wife and mother of four from other
women entrepreneurs? After
earning a degree in marketing, Allocca started her career by selling
textile samples to dressmakers in Manhattan.
After that, she worked in retail and insurance, then landed a
sales position with a software company, where she quickly became top
sales producer, and later proved her managerial prowess by launching
Vital Software’s technical writing division.
It was at this time that Allocca became aware of an untapped
market. When companies
changed computer platforms or software programs, there are no
instructional manuals to educate end users on how to effectively and
efficiently use the new technology.
Upper management usually delegates the task of teaching end users
to the company’s programmers. This
is a problem, because most programmers are more “engineering types”
than trainers or writers.
Balancing
work
and
family
is
not doing it all,
it
is having it all
Even before Allocca was promoted to Vice President
of Marketing at Vital, she conceptualized a service that would make
businesses more efficient and profitable.
When a promotion excluded an increase in salary or bonuses, it
was an easy decision for Allocca to “go it alone” in 1988.
In 1997, EDC was a $1million company.
By the next year it was worth $10 million-a 1,900 percent
increase in revenues! In
1999 revenues doubled to $20 million.
The firm serves 200 Fortune 500 clients and “we project the
company to be a $100 million within five years, “says Allocca.
Balancing a Family
and Business
While at Vital Software, Allocca met Mark Greenspan, then a
project manager for Paine Webber. The
couple married and bought a home in Stamford.
Mark, a lawyer and computer systems consultant, now serves as
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
As any working parent knows, the pressures of work and family
life are many. When both
parents are at the helm of a growing, prospering company, maintaining
equilibrium is an even greater challenge.
Although the family has a nanny, both parents are always involved
in the children’s activities. Time
is set side to talk with their children and there is no shortage of
hugs.
“Balancing work and family is not doing it all, it is having it
all. Having it all is when
you have achieved flexible office hours and have help at home.
You structure your company into a hierarchy and oversee the
operations. You have the
luxury of directing and delegating.
This frees up your time to do those things which are most
important in life, such as spending time with your husband and children,
“Allocca says.
Formula for
Success
“Forming a company is hard.
It is definitely not easy, and anyone who thinks it is, will soon
find out through their mistakes and mishaps.
For example, because I place technical writers, I assume a great
deal of risk and liability in my business.
The writers I hire have to be highly qualified, efficient and
accurate. I only recruit
the top one percent of technical writers in the industry, and will only
hire them on a referral basis.
“Every company has challenges, successes and failures. If you learn from your experiences, especially the failures,
you and your company will grow beyond expectations.”
Allocca offers, “If you don’t change, you die.
Change perpetuates growth. If
you don’t grow, you die. Also,
know that timing is everything. An
entrepreneur needs to know what to do and when to do it to ensure the
continuation and profitability of the business.”
Entrepreneur’s Prescription For
Success
