20 - North Shore News - Sunday. November 12, 2000 dan-Christian Sorensen News Reporter porensen@nsnews.com MOE Somani makes his living helping small businesses get a leg up in the marketplace. Somani launched __ his SOHO Business Group in Toronto in the fall of 1995 and branched out to North Vancouver in the spring of the following year. He had been working as a sales manager for -Pitney Bowes in Toronto when he caught the scent of the boom- ing home-based . business SUSAN J BUSINESS links Big and smal trend. “At thar time it was sug- gested that there was a home office opening up every eight seconds,” said. = Somani. “Corporations were Urving to figure out the growth of small business and how to approach it.” Somani’s then-employer had done extensive research into small and home-based businesses and how cto best market products and services to thar sector, but were unable to make much head- way. “Pitney Bowes wanted to market to home businesses but they had a very tough time doing it because they had an outside sales force and they couldn’t expect the sales force to go knocking on doors in residential areas.” Somani saw the opportu- nity and seized it. He created SOHO as a means of forging a_ link between big and small busi- ness. In the beginning SOHO only offered discounts to member businesses, but now puts together on- and off-line solutions for the business-to- Specialty Subaru is pleased to announce that Susan Weeks has joined our sales team. Susan has consider- able Subaru sales experience to hetp you with every aspect of the car buying experience. Susan would like to welcome ail of her past and present customers to stop by, visit and see at! the new and used vehicles Specialty Motors has in stock. business marketplace and helps larger companies con- duct internal marketing pro- grams that deal with reaching small business. Somani also organizes a number of events designed to help small and home-based business owners newwork with larger businesses to increase their scope. To that end, SOHO sponsors a small busi- ness conference each year dur- ing national Small Business Week. These days he also assists many small businesses with their struggle to establish a successful satellite office in Cyberspace. “The expectation of being on line is that you're going to make lots of money and have lots of transactions and that’s not really the case, so we help businesses work on on-line marketing strategies.” SOHO has experienced significant growth in its short litespan — since “96 business has grown by over 200 per cent each year, Somant’s new venture was nearly over before it began, however. Shortly after he launched SOHO, Somani was felled by an Arterial Venus Malformation (AVM) —— an extremely rare condition DUSINeSSes where an abnormal blood ves- sel ruptured in his spinal col- umn and [eft him paralysed from the chest down. A long road to recovery followed, with aggressive physiotherapy sessions az the Vancouver General Hospital. Today’ Somani_ has recov- ered about 80% of his mobili- ty and is walking again, although the AVM still exists in his back and threatens to flare up at any time. He’s been told to limit exercises that strain his back, such as tennis or squash, but he confessed that he still sneaks out for the occasional round of golf. Partly because of his med- ical condition, Somani works out of his North Vancouver home with one other employ- ec, but keeps an office in Toronto to help continue forging links with major cor- porations’ home offices in that city. Tie Face of Business is a monthly feature profile of inde- pendent business leaders who live or work in the community. If vau would like to be inter- viewed for a story or recom- mend a wnigque individual, please contact Jan-Christian Sorensen c/o The North Shore News, fax: 985-2104. or e- mail: . - "NEWS photo Mike Wekefield MOE Somani owns and operates SOHC Business Group in North Vancouver, an organization that helps ; enjoyed over 200 per cent growth each year. ry i, : forge links between big business and smail and home-based businesses. 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