Women in Business
Perfect vision
How Tara Abraham provides visionary leadership at Accel Inc.
By Kathy Simmons
Smart Business Columbus | January 2007
Tara Abraham has a knack for spotting trends, a talent that has kept
her company, Accel Inc., a few steps ahead of the competition.
Abraham was working at Bath and
Body Works in 1995 when poor packaging derailed a promotion, spurring her
to start her own contract packaging
company. Today, Accel provides design,
packaging and distribution, with a focus
on the health and beauty industries.
“We now operate a 305,000-square-foot facility with 375 employees and 45
production lines, serving 24 clients
including Bath & Body Works and The
Limited,” Abraham says. “Our philosophy has been to hire stellar employees
and to remain ahead of the curve in
spotting consumer preferences.”
Smart Business spoke with Abraham
about how she finds the best employees
and identifies emerging trends.
Q: How do you recognize business opportunities?
When I am shopping or reading magazines, I notice when products are packaged poorly. I purchase three, rework one
and send the original and our rework to
the company, and save the third for our
sample room. This tangibly shows how we
can improve the visual presentation of the
product, which, in turn, increases sales
and provides Accel an opportunity.
Our business has grown every year consistently since its inception, but over the
last five years [it’s grown] mainly through
referrals by our clients and suppliers.
Referrals are the key to growth. The need
has already been established, and the qualification criteria are less extensive.
We choose our potential business partners carefully, as we want to ensure that
we will have a long-term relationship with
them. The chemistry between the two
companies needs to be right for the relationship to succeed.
Q: What characteristics do you look for
when hiring employees?
The level of the position may skew the
emphasis on a specific quality, but typically we seek to match the skill set and experience to the open position and determine
if the candidate will fit our corporate culture.
We will choose a candidate who fits our
culture with less experience but who possesses a great attitude, a willingness to
learn and a desire to work.
Jim Collins, author of ‘Good to Great,’
notes the need to put the right people on
the bus in the right seats. I take that concept seriously.
When we first started Accel, (my father)
advised us that to take the company to the
next level, we needed to fill open positions
with people with better skills than we possessed. That advice has proven invaluable.
Q: How do you make decisions?
New entrepreneurs are prone to make
quick decisions without weighing the risks
more carefully. As the business matures
and levels of management fill in, you have
the luxury of being able to analyze the
opportunities, risk and rewards deeper
and more carefully.
My partner, David Abraham, views situations much differently than I. Together we
are able to analyze the challenge from different view points and perspectives.
Our executive team makes all the critical
decisions collectively. I am a firm believer
that multiple individuals with different
skill sets and strengths can and will collectively make a better decision than a
sole individual.
However, if I am truly passionate
about an opportunity or decision, I
will go to great lengths to prove why
and achieve buy-in from them.
Q: What key skills does any successful business leader need to survive?
There are many skills required, but
these five are worth noting.
Empower your associates. Your
company is only as good as its talent.
Hold employees accountable.
Recognize achievement, initiative,
performance and positive attitudes.
Communicate when associates are
performing poorly so there are no
surprises during reviews. It is OK to
fail in small degrees. We would
rather a person take initiative
instead of being complacent.
Maintain a customercentric approach.
Become an extension of your clients and
focus on speed to market. The more information you can learn about your clients’
goals, vision and strategy, the more valuable you become.
Display consistent integrity and respect.
In today’s climate it is imperative to be
honest and ethical. Life is too short not to
be a good person. People will remember
you as that, first and foremost, irrespective of your success in business.
Embrace change and growth. In 2006,
Accel solidified relationships and created
joint ventures with factories in China to be
able to service our clients better. We often
hear that China is a threat, but if you
embrace the opportunity, it only makes
your company stronger.
Change occurs in any business or industry; it is how you respond to change that
will be the fate of your destiny — good or
bad.
HOW TO REACH: Accel Inc., (740) 549-0606 or
www.accel-inc.com
