business & professional
Giving Customers A Voice
Startup company helps create brand ambassadors through its software.
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Josh El'Chonen
Special to the Jewish News
J
eff Epstein, 33, is the founder of
Ambassador, a marketing com-
pany that services clients such as
T-Mobile, Sage Software and the American
Marketing Association.
Epstein grew up in West Bloomfield
and went to Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills (where he still attends
services). He graduated from Michigan
State University with
a business degree and
later moved to Chicago
to attend Kent College of
Law.
After law school,
Epstein moved back to
Detroit. "I was really
interested in technology
Jeff Epstein
and software. I knew I
didn't want to practice law:' he said.
Several years later, in 2010, Epstein
launched Ambassador. "What I've learned
is that with the Internet, it's pretty easy to
start a company," he said. "But building a
!in
business is still tough."
Even with a unique service like
Ambassador's, which is a software suite that
helps companies manage their customer
relationships and referrals, there's still com-
petition.
"The fact there's competition is not a
bad thine Epstein said, "because it doesn't
mean that there isn't room for dozens to be
functioning in the same space and all do
very well."
His original idea stemmed from the
notion that all people now have a voice
through technology.
Ambassador's products help businesses
connect consumers with their brands by
making it easy to create social referral pro-
grams and brand ambassadors.
"People trust their friends and family
much more than they do advertising; said
Epstein, who lives in Birmingham with
his wife, Meredith. "Ultimately, what we're
doing is getting the voice of those people
and getting brands connected with them.
We provide a framework for this to happen
easily."
Epstein's grandfather had started a
company many years ago in Detroit called
Banner Lumber. It was a family business,
and he credits his grandfather for passing
on an entrepreneurial spirit. "When I was at
MSU, I started a student website," he said.
"So the idea to be an entrepreneur was not
new Even while in law school I dabbled at
things; I always hoped I could start a busi-
ness that would be meaningful."
Back Home In Detroit
It was a fresh start for Epstein after
Chicago. The support of family and
friends meant he could focus on build-
ing Ambassador. "The beauty of starting
a business now is that more people have
done it:' Epstein said. "It's important
to leverage those people around us; the
Detroit Jewish community is a huge
resource."
He sought out advice from local profes-
sionals like David Broner, a board member
of the Hebrew Free Loan and SCORE men-
tor, attorney Ira Jaffe and Richard Simtob,
president of Zoup! restaurants.
"Jeff Epstein has a technical-oriented
mind:' Broner said. "He is a curious and
continues to tweak his ideas. Jeff continu-
ally listens to his clients and friends in
order to stay on the right track."
Detroit-based venture capital firm
Ludlow Ventures was the first supporter
of Ambassador. "With Ludlow's help I was
able to start hiring extra hands, and this
then prepared us for TechStars in NYC:'
Epstein said.
TechStars is a startup accelerator; they
provide seed funding, intense mentor-
ship and networking opportunities. After
Epstein attended TechStars in 2011 he felt
he had "really founded a startup."
Epstein contributes his success to being
honest and authentic. He doesn't distin-
guish too much between networking and
established relationships, because network-
ing is often the beginning of a relationship.
"Having social capital helps:' Epstein said.
"I often tell my employees to be good at
life."
Ambassador now has 10 employees and
more than $1 million in sales. It recently
relocated to downtown Royal Oak. He
praises Hebrew Free Loan for its assistance
and continued efforts. As we've become
more established, I'm happy to now be able
to reciprocate the support I received when
I was first starting out:' Epstein said.
❑
Please join the Jewish Women's Foundation's
15TH ANNUAL OPEN MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
I
Recognizing our 2014 Grant Awards and a
Special presentation by 2013 JWF Multi-year Grantee
L'Dor v'D'or Northern Michigan Jewish Women's
Rural Leadership Consortium
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Jewish Community Center
Marion and David Handleman Hall
D. Dan and Betty Kahn Building
Eugene and Marcia Applebaum
Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield
Continental Breakfast - Dietary Laws Observed
Complimentary Valet Parking
J E S H
WOMEN'S
No charge to attend, but reservations are required
Register by September 9 at jwfdetroit.org
Questions? Call Pat Mayer at 248.203.1519
FOUNDATION
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
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JN
August 21 • 2014
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