We Are Preparing Brand Strategy for the U.S. Market
ODS Consulting Group, a service start-up, provides services in many different areas from export to supply chain. Onur Seçkin, the Chairman of the Board of ODS Consulting Group, which stated that they opened a company in America last year, says, “We are preparing a brand strategy for the American market for the Central Anatolia Exporters Association. Initially, we will prepare 20 out of the 1700 members of the association for the American market.”
KOBI/STARTUP from the June 2021 issue
Starting its journey in 2009 under the name ODS Consulting, ODS Consulting Group focused on project writing and project management regarding grant incentive programs during its establishment phase. Today, the company provides services in six different areas: international business development and export, project management, corporate development, talent management, engineering and technology, supply chain, and procurement.
After opening a company in the U.S. last year, ODS Consulting launched an important project. The company, which prepares a brand strategy in the American market for the Central Anatolia Exporters Association affiliated with TİM, will initially prepare 20 of the 1700 members of the association for the American market.
Also stating that they will carry out serious work to promote Turkish furniture, Onur Seçkin, the Chairman of the Board of ODS Consulting Group, says, “In this work, we are aiming for a $100 million increase in exports.”
We talked with Onur Seçkin, the Chairman of the Board of ODS Consulting Group, about the company and the investment areas that have emerged during the pandemic.
What were the effects of the pandemic on investors?
While the uncertainties at the beginning of the process caused some investments to pause, it would be wrong to generalize this for every sector. As in every crisis environment, many sectors and entrepreneurs emerged from this crisis with gains.
Software companies positioned in areas such as remote work and e-commerce, especially in the medical and food sectors, and many mid-to-long-term companies that developed the most suitable solutions for the pandemic seized the opportunity to achieve their goals in less than a year. Businesses that turned the crisis into an opportunity by completing their deficiencies in production processes, human resources, and corporate infrastructures during the pandemic period are continuing their paths by stepping ahead in competition.
We believe that this time period is also very suitable for addressing deficiencies that are not considered or noticed in everyday hustle.
What are your recommendations for SMEs wanting to expand abroad? In which areas are there opportunities? Being present in Central Europe, especially in Germany, is quite important for having a voice on a global platform. The Russian market is also a market where we believe existence is very significant. In recent years, especially in Moscow, large-scale retail stores are opening that can make significant purchases in the consumer goods market and make longer-term commitments.
In a country with more than 60 million internet users, interest in electronics is increasing every day, and telecommunication companies are also benefiting from this growth. The logistics of Russia, which ranks second in the world after America in terms of railroad length, is also making the market attractive.
Canada, with its multicultural structure, is a significant market for various sectors and product categories, with its economic power and cultural diversity in trade. Its geographic location and logistics connections offer a linking opportunity to the world’s largest importer, the U.S.
As ODS Consulting, we view and evaluate Canada both as a market in its own right and as a facilitation position in commercial operations with the U.S.
At this point, what kind of strategy should companies follow? SMEs should develop new strategies to create innovative and sustainable solutions while maintaining their competitive power. In this respect, companies should invest and set their investment strategies to keep pace with change or lead change, while also thoroughly examining grants and supports provided by the government.
They should quickly establish their place in the new system according to changing country and world conditions, and ensure the development of production and production factors. As part of their strategies, they should include exports in their activities, continue their efforts to make their brands known in global markets by evaluating new market opportunities, and focus on R&D.
In addition, businesses need to adapt to digital transformation and be part of the developments taking place in this area worldwide. Digitalization projects should be implemented in every area from production to marketing in their fields and platforms, and maximum benefit should be taken from digital tools to get ahead in competition.
Can you talk about your goals for the U.S. market?
We established ODS Consulting LLC in the U.S. in September 2020, playing a significant role as the world’s largest economy and simultaneously being an importer. Currently, we have an expert, experienced, and increasingly expanding team in the U.S.; in addition to the services we provide to our companies, we have office, warehouse, and showroom structures.
We are preparing a brand strategy for the American market for the Central Anatolia Exporters Association affiliated with TİM. Initially, we will prepare 20 of the 1700 members of the association for the American market. All catalogs and certifications of the 20 companies will be renewed according to the American market.
Our company in America has four employees. In the upcoming period, we will rent two warehouses, and we will also carry out serious work to promote Turkish furniture. In this operation, where we are targeting a $100 million increase in exports, we are also identifying potential buyers.
ANGEL INVESTMENT
“We support many ventures with our angel investor identity. One of the start-ups we have invested in is Adorno Advertising Agency. This agency operates in Turkey and has award-winning designers and copywriters in its team, with 100% of its shares purchased by ODS Consulting. Immediately after the investment, it received two awards from the Crystal Apple in 2020.
Digiterra is a Canada-based company that develops solutions such as data acquisition from machines and horizontal integration in the field of Industry 4.0. We became a partner as an angel investor in this company. The sales operations of all the company’s products are carried out under the coordination of ODS. We have acquired shares in HFX Technologies GMBH – an Austrian-origin company that develops hardware products like miniPC and servers.
R&D work is carried out on products completed at the headquarters in Vienna, and all sales operations worldwide are executed under the coordination of ODS. In addition, there are companies within the investment thoughts that are undergoing preliminary feasibility and valuation studies.”
