Newtown Business Spotlight: Persnickety Promotions

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this new, exciting series we’re kicking off at Patch — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Persnickety Promotions

Owner: Denise Buzy-Pucheu

Website: persnicketypromotions.com

Address: 9 Gelding Hill Road, Sandy Hook

How did you come up with the name?

My main company DBP & Associates, Inc. has been in business since 1991 marketing, consulting and selling to major retailers in the book, music and gift industry. At one point we had a kids record label and book publishing unit called Persnickety Press. We consider ourselve pretty fussy in everything we do - so we brought it over to the advertising specialty division when we started that in 2007.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?

My husband and I moved to Sandy Hook in February of 2004 with our children. He is an executive for a global company based in CT. Since I wanted to stay home and raise our children, I just transferred the business from 5 offices and paired it down to a home office. At that time, I started dealing with fewer clients in the book /music business and sticking to a few large retailers we still work with today. I added the advertising specialty and premium business as I had done it early on in my college years and loved it. It’s a fun business that I enjoy.

Briefly, what business are you in?

Advertising specialty, premium marketing.

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

I have had my main business over 23 years. It had been a multi-million dollar business in the 1990’s - 2000’s with a huge staff. I believe that our biggest challenges then were having the destiny of the company in the hands of what could or would be sales to large retailers. Over the years, believe me, we have seen many go out of business. With the onset of digital media, the book and record industries have dramatically changed over the years. My current challenge is expanding the 3 businesses we currently have while still keeping true to the goal of raising my children.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?

Never - I have had tremendous opportunities as a sales manager for Great American Gift then a Sr. Buyer for the Waldenbook chain (back in the days of Stamford) then being the VP of Dove Entertainment in LA before starting my business. I never had to second guess myself - but I had a firm ground to start my business and a sound sense of a variety of industries and functions within those industries.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?

We work with a number of clients all over CT, NY and NJ in the advertising specialty - imprinting business - but honestly I love working with the schools, small businesses and non profits here in Newtown and the surrounding areas. Especially the schools because I have had the opportunity to work with great moms in town that I wouldn’t normally have had the chance to meet. Also, it again gets me more involved in the community.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?

Wow - we have done a couple different programs over the years to thank all of our customers. We do referral gifts when clients recommend Persnickety Promotions to others. As far as customers - we have helped create programs for a few clients to promote good health for their employees as well as different incentive programs.

How do you deal with difficult customers?

Hmm - well I have learned that you don’t always get what you want in life. So that being said - there are times that perhaps a buyer doesn’t want to go with what you proposed for them and they want something else. It’s ok - it’s their program - so we just go with the flow. We have had some difficult clients but honestly very few - and if the difference is going to be an artwork change or something that is going to make them happy - then we are happy to make the changes. The vast majority of clients have been fabulous and long term clients that come back to us constantly. That tells us we are doing something right. So big or small we love them all. That’s our motto!

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?

We give back to a number of organizations here in Newtown/Sandy Hook as well as around the country. Our three children are adopted and we support a number of organizations in the adoption community as well as for kids in CT with learning disabilities and emotional and traumatic disabilities.

Here in town we support Sandy Hook school where all three of our children have attended. This year in the name of the school (as requested to give forward) we have fostered a child from our daughter’s orphanage as well as supplied 100 orphans in Kazakhstan (where my eldest children were adopted) with hats, scarves and gloves from SHS as they prepare to leave the teen home setting for life on their own. At 16, these children must leave the orphanage system in Kazakhstan.

We also support the 1214foundation.org which our daughters have participated.

To see more of all the organizations we support visit our causes page on Persnicketypromotions.com

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