Nadia Kamal | Onyx Group

November 6, 2009

Nadia on Entrepreneurship

nadia In this interview, our fearless leader, Nadia Kamal, gives some insight into her driving philosophy and her vision of Onyx Group’s future.

Where did the idea for Onyx Group come from?
I co-founded a graphic design studio with a partner. When we dissolved that partnership, I decided to create a broader service that would fit better with my vision. The idea was to focus on where we wanted to go rather than where we were, to build something we could grow into.

To what do you most attribute your success?
My passion and my belief in having an energetic and driven team.

How important have good employees been to your success?
Critical, you can’t build it alone. My philosophy is that it’s one thing to build something for yourself, but it’s another to build something for those around you.

How do you balance your work life with your family life?
I always remember that I couldn’t do anything without my family’s love and support. They motivate me to succeed, especially my children. When things get difficult, I just think of them and it gives me the will to persevere. (But true balance is achieved right now, because I sleep very little.) 

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from multiple sources. I’m inspired by a lot of successful and unsuccessful business owners. The successful give me something to strive for while the unsuccessful give me an example of what to avoid. My family and those around me who believe in me are another excellent source of inspiration.

How long do you stick with an idea before changing course?
I consider myself to be action oriented. If something isn’t working, I’m quick to assess it and change it until I find something that will work. The only exception is when it comes to people. I believe in learning someone’s true skill set and finding where they belong rather than assuming that they just don’t belong at all.

Where do you see Onyx Group and yourself in 10 years?
I see Onyx Group as a successful international corporation with satellite offices in various cities. I see myself as being a true entrepreneur. I want to own multiple businesses and I want Onyx Group to be the force behind them. I want to breed more success for my family, my business partner, my team, and my clients.

What are the top skills that have helped you become a successful entrepreneur?
I have the ability to see a bigger vision and to create a strategy that breaks through the concrete walls that get in the way. I’m not afraid to start over, and I’m not afraid to be different. Life is too short not to love it.

If you have any additional questions for Nadia about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur just DM them to us on Twitter, or email us at intern@onyxcreates.com and we’ll answer them in our next blog.

September 17, 2009

Nadia Selected As Catalyst

Nadia Kamal, Agency Principal, has been selected from over 140 applicants to be one of the 31 community catalysts for the Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) for 2009-2010. This is a unique opportunity for Nadia to use her talent and creativity in order to help build economic prosperity in Tallahassee.

The Knight Foundation is a national organization dedicated to fostering journalistic excellence and community revitalization. In January 2007, Tallahassee was selected by the Knight Foundation as one of three cities nationwide to receive funding for community-driven initiatives aimed at boosting the local economy.

Richard Florida, a professor of Business and Creativity at the University of Toronto and author of the national bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class has conducted extensive research into the creative sector which is comprised of technology, arts, managerial and education based positions. Florida’s research into the economic implications of the creative sector became the foundation for The Knight Creative Communities Initiative a partnership between the Knight Foundation and Richard Florida’s Creative Class Group.

The KCCI catalysts will create a unified vision for Tallahassee’s future and an accompanying plan to help the community reach that vision. Catalysts will commit one year to educate, engage and enable fellow citizens in their initiatives.

“I’m very honored and excited to be a part of this group. As co-owner of Onyx Group, a local strategic marketing agency, I understand the value of creativity in the work place. I believe that my experience will allow me to contribute a unique and valuable perspective that will help foster creativity and prosperity in the community,” says Nadia Kamal.

Main goals for the catalysts include generating a greater local awareness of Tallahassee’s strengths and assets; achieving broader recognition of the value of the creative sector; and creating initiatives that improve communication and development in the areas of talent, technology, tolerance and territorial assets.

The focus of this year’s initiatives is to determine ways to make the Tallahassee area more attractive to young professionals in creative sector jobs.

Onyx Group is excited for Nadia and hopes that this year’s group of catalysts has success in achieving their goals!

May 28, 2009

Upcoming Events

June is looking to be a very busy month for Onyx Group!

On June 2nd, Nadia Kamal, Onyx Group Agency Principal, will be co-presenting the Emerging Business of the Year Award at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Small Business of Excellence Awards. To purchase tickets to this event, go to www.talchamber.com.

On June 9th, Nadia will be speaking for the University Center Club’s “Appetite for Learning” series. The topic of her presentation will be “Social Media and Integrated Marketing.” Please note that this event is for University Center Club members only. Members can click here to make their reservation online.

On June 17th, Nadia will be speaking at the Tallahassee Society for Association Executive’s Power Lunch, where she will discussing the importance of strategic planning for association executives. This event is open to TSAE members and non-members. Click here for more information.

On June 18th, Nadia (she’s a very busy woman!) will be speaking at TSAE’s CEO Roundtable discussion (topic TBD). The Mission of the TSAE CEO Roundtable is to provide any TSAE member who is an association CEO education and information regarding issues relevant to association management and the office of chief executive. For more information on how to reserve your place for this event, contact TSAE at (850) 561-6124.

On June 25th, Nick Williams, Onyx Group New Business Manager, will be “locked up” for Muscular Distrophy and will not be released until he raises $3,200. For more information on how you can help the Tallahassee MDA, call (850) 681-6763.

For more information on Onyx Group speaking engagements and events, contact Elyse Gibson at (850) 877-3930.

May 15, 2009

To the Peach State we come!

Atlanta, Georgia, May 13^th, 2009 – This week Nadia Kamal and Matt Meinrod traveled north to Atlanta, Georgia to continue Onyx Group’s southeastern expansion. The visit marks Onyx Group’s first trip to the Peach State which resulted in a huge success. Onyx Group is now a member of both the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Atlanta Sports Council.

“The past two days in Atlanta were fantastic. Everyone we met on the visit was extremely friendly and welcoming. I’m very confident Onyx Group is going to find success here,” Matt Meinrod, Regional Business Developer.

April 28, 2009

Social Networking

Tallahassee, Florida, April 28^th, 2009 – Onyx Group is proud to announce that co-principal Nadia Kamal will be speaking this Thursday at TechExpo 2.0, the 2^nd annual area Technology Conference, organized by TalTech Alliance and being hosted at Tallahassee Community College. The topic to be presented will be on social networking from a business owner’s perspective.

Nadia Kamal on presenting at the expo, “social networking is a tool not only my staff utilizes, but myself as well. Being able to communicate with clients on multiple levels is the key to building long and lasting relationships.”

March 30, 2009

Vote for Nadia!

Please vote for Nadia in the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition at:

http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009/contestant/6280/index.php

March 16, 2009

Onyx Recognized Globally

March 16, 2009—Onyx Group was named one of the worlds most effective rebrands in the fifth annual ReBrand 100® Global Awards. ReBrand 100 is the highest recognition for brand rebuilding and redesign in the business arena, and is the only global, juried program of its kind. Onyx Group’s rebrand of the former Studio Nine Twenty to the current Onyx Group encompasses the personality, attention to detail, and unique flair that exemplifies what a 21^st century marketing communications agency should portray.

Agency Co-Principal Nadia Kamal, “The transition from a small boutique graphic design studio to a full service marketing agency was a natural progression for the business. The rebrand process was instrumental in taking us to new heights and accomplishing our goals as a business leader in the community and southeast.”

“With the value of branding no longer a secret, the world becoming borderless, and the rate of information travel unbounded, assessing brand distinction and leadership is no easy task. The range of excellence in this year’s global pool was inspiring, and demonstrated the value of effective rebrands and the global commitment evident in solutions.” said Thebe Ikalafeng, CEO of South Africa-based Brand Leadership Group and 2009 ReBrand 100 juror.

To select winners, jurors reviewed the work which was required to transcend cosmetic changes. In addition to specific review guidelines they followed, strong consideration was given to executed strategy that made an emotional connection, met the stated objectives and needs of the identified target market. In true democratic fashion, a one-person entity had as much opportunity to be selected as did global organizations, since jurors were unaware of the brand strategist’s name and size when reviewing the projects.

Over 40 industries and 21 countries are represented among the 2009 winners. Some of the world’s best known branding consultants such as Interbrand, The Brand Union, DDB Canada, and more competed, as did in-house teams, small agencies, and representatives of multinational corporations. The jury panel, new each year, consists of a multidisciplinary mix of prominent, international, industry experts. The 2009 panel of 10 included CEO for InterbrandHealth Jane Parker, Burt Helm of BusinessWeek, and Creative Director of Australia-based Principals, Simon Wright.

Unique among other awards, “before” and “after” scenarios of each brand transformation are reviewed with details of the accompanying write-up on the approach. The rebrand could have been an enterprise-wide effort, a change in a single brand component, or a brand extension. Winning rebrands are showcased for inspiration and learning at www.rebrand.com.

About ReBrand™ and the ReBrand 100® Global Awards:

ReBrand is the global, online resource for case studies on the most effective brand transformations: the repositioning, revitalizing, and redesign of existing brand assets to meet strategic goals. Featured in such media as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, BusinessWeek, and Yahoo! Finance.

To view the award winning before and after pictures, visit: http://www.rebrand.com/2009-notable-onyx-group

January 9, 2009

Announcing New Partnership

ONYX GROUP ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP

Tallahassee, Florida, January 9, 2009 – Onyx Group announced this week that creative manager Kris Carter has become co-owner of the agency, joining Nadia Kamal as an Agency Principal. Carter’s innovative and unique designs have helped the agency move into the spotlight as one of Tallahassee’s premier marketing communications agencies.

“I’m so excited that Kris is coming on as an Agency Principal. From the day he started at the company, I knew he had an enormous amount of design talent and was extremely business savvy. This has been a long time coming,” says Nadia Kamal, Onyx Group Agency Principal and co-owner.

September 22, 2008

Onyx in October

Next month, Onyx is everywhere! We have several speaking engagements scheduled that cover a range of topics.

September 30th: Okay, this isn’t really in October, but it’s close enough! Nadia and Kris will be speaking to a group of 100 students at Florida State University’s College of Information. The topic of discussion will be the challenges of running a web technology business and what employers in the field are looking for when hiring.
October 3rd: Nadia will be serving on the Integrated Marketing Communications panel at the 2008 Women in Business Conference at the Florida State University College of Business.
October 9th: Nadia will be conducting a Social Networking workshop for Capital Training Resources at the University Center Club.
October 14th: Onyx will be exhibiting a booth at the Professional Women’s Forum at the Civic Center. Stop by our booth to say hello to Nadia and Nick and to learn more about Onyx!
October 21st: Nadia will be conducting a Generation Gap workshop for Capital Training Resources at the University Center Club.
October 29th: Nadia (she’s a busy woman!) will be providing a webinar for the Florida Society of Association Executives regarding Facebook.

If you’re interested in having a member of the Onyx Group team speak at your event or meeting, please contact Elyse at 850.877.3930 or elyse@onyxcreates.com.

September 1, 2008

Onyx in Business Matters

New business: Keep your eye on the prize

by Nadia Kamal

(Special to Business Matters – August 15th, 2008)

“Work hard today, it will pay off tomorrow.”

Easier said than done as a business owner, wife and mother of two children, ages 1 and 5. Late nights and early mornings. Oh sleep, where have you gone? Nonetheless, it’s a motto I strive to live by.

So what’s the payoff? My goal is to build Onyx Group into a multimillion-dollar operation, all the while gaining financial freedom and maintaining a flexible lifestyle. If I need to bring my children to the office with me, I can. I’ll never miss daytime school events and as they get older, I’ll be able to change my schedule to be home for them when school’s out.

Every month I make two payments for their prepaid college fund because I want to ensure that college will always be an option for them. But with the wealth that I accumulate from being a business owner, it is nice to plan that if my children have the aptitude to attend an Ivy League school, that I will be able to afford it.

So what’s the payback? I have an incredible team at the Onyx Group and in return they deserve for me to always strive to maintain Onyx as a great place to work. Life is too short to lose out on 40 hours a week. If you have to work, why not work where you are happy, where you do great work for great clients and where family is cherished (pets included)? My business plan is all about quality of life–for me and my family, my employees and their families, and our clients. It’s a chain reaction: happy employees execute great work and deliver excellent customer service to our clients; great work and great service make happy clients.

Happy clients and happy employees, what more could a girl ask for?

So as revenues grow, I plan to make my staff happy from the tips of their toes to the tops of their heads. Here’s how:

Soul: time off for community service; onsite child care; onsite pet care
Tummy: lunch always provided
Mind: continuing education and training
Body: onsite gym, great insurance
Pocket: excellent compensation

So what’s next? I plan to groom an executive team to take over Onyx and retire from daily job duties by my 35th birthday. In addition to Onyx Group, I want to be an angel investor. I hope to invest in and coach others into developing their dreams.

You can’t imagine that passion that drives me to build a company that benefits me, my family, my employees, and my clients. I can’t think of a more fulfilling life than having the freedom to be with my family and helping others to find success and happiness.

Nadia Kamal is owner and prinicpal at the Onyx Group, a graphics design firm that was Emerging Business of the Year winner at the 2008 Small Business Excellence Awards of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.