Author Archives for Mike Sperling
About Mike Sperling
Mike is the CEO and Owner of Sperling Interactive with over 15 years of website design, photography, marketing, and e-commerce experience. He built Sperling Interactive with his wife from the ground up, starting as a small office in his home with only a few employees and clients to one that has 20+ employees and more than 600 clients served all from our headquarters in Salem’s Historic District.
Mike grew up in Baltimore, Maryland where he went to a magnet school for the arts and began his study of photography. From there he went on to Rochester Institute of Technology in New York where he got his degree in Photojournalism and Communications. Before founding Sperling Interactive, Mike worked his way up from staff photographer at the Eagle Tribune Publishing Company to the lead operator and manager of multiple websites for daily and weekly publications.
Mike has a deep commitment to community involvement and civic engagements. In the past few years he and members of our team have become involved in programs that assist the youth, homeless, food insecure, and families at risk through programs at Lifebridge, Paddle for Plummer, LEAP for Education, Harborlight, Bridgewell, and the Enterprise Center at Salem State.
Ever the optimist, Mike believes that there is never a problem that can’t be solved with a bit of ingenuity and perseverance. It’s this positive, can-do attitude and know-how that allowed Mike to be recognized as Small Business of the Year 2019, by the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce.
May 23, 2016 7:12 am
Published by Mike Sperling
You had a dream. You made it become a reality in the form of a business venture. In our recent economy this is no small feat! As a woman there are some opportunities and benefits to certifying your company as “Woman Owned.” Special opportunities and assistance exist for women-owned businesses, which are those with at least 51 percent ownership by...
May 16, 2016 7:10 am
Published by Mike Sperling
The concept of temporary retail establishments, or “Pop Up” stores, has been around for years. In fact, the idea can be traced all the way back to ancient times when merchants sold their wares on street corners or in an established marketplace. Just a few years ago pop up stores were fairly common during the holiday season when malls would...
May 9, 2016 7:09 am
Published by Mike Sperling
When people think about franchising they probably think about fast food restaurants or retail shops that spread from one area of the country to another. While this is a common impression, franchising is simply a method for expanding a business and distributing goods and services through a licensing relationship. Specifically, a franchise is an arrangement where one party (the franchiser)...
May 1, 2016 7:06 am
Published by Mike Sperling
A Pitch Deck is a brief presentation (sometimes called a slide deck or pitch slide deck) where a business communicates with potential investors. Usually the content of the pitch deck can help the investor to determine whether or not to continue evaluating/financially supporting your business. In addition, these presentations are typically an overview of a company’s business plan with potential...
April 28, 2016 8:44 am
Published by Mike Sperling
Writing, maintaining and executing all of the parts of an employee handbook can be a daunting task for any employer. Most new companies hold off writing such a document until their business has grown to a point where it necessary to have a formal list of items to review with each new employee during the on-boarding process. While it may...
April 27, 2016 8:19 am
Published by Mike Sperling
A brand is anything-a symbol, design, name, sound, reputation, emotion, employees, tone, and much more-that separates one product or service from another. For McDonald’s its the snappy slogans and “golden arches”. For Apple Corporation it is innovation and those adorable lowercase letter “i” added to each product. While not every company can be a McDonald’s or Apple, each every company...
April 26, 2016 7:29 am
Published by Mike Sperling
“Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for.” Public Relations is a very careful dance where the image of a company is shaped by promoting ideas, products or services. In addition, PR is meant to spotlight accomplishments in an unpaid or earned method. Publicity is not writing snappy slogan or buying advertisement space online or in...
April 25, 2016 4:56 pm
Published by Mike Sperling
“Working Americans have a very positive view of retirement: 84% expect to feel free to pursue their interests and hobbies, 77% expect to travel as they wish an 74% expect to feel financially secure.” (Source: The Retirement Crisis) Close The Retirement Income Gap Did a certified financial planner or CPA analyze your retirement plan? Or did you work it out...
April 5, 2016 7:22 am
Published by Mike Sperling
Going from “startup” to “successful business” is a dream of every entrepreneur. Unfortunately, navigating the bumpy landscape of the business startup world can be difficult and fraught with mistakes. The harsh reality is that most startups have only a 50% chance of suceeding in the first five years. Without the right information and action regarding financing, marketing, customer service, human...
March 24, 2016 1:05 pm
Published by Mike Sperling
Building a successful business means more than just selling more products and services. It means having an impact on the lives of your customers and your employees. Not too many years ago employee benefits meant merely health insurance and retirement packages. Now the business landscape has changed. What other benefits can employers offer their workforce to make a company more...