Locations/Headquarters: Portsmouth, NH; Brooklyn, NY
Business Accolades: NaVOBA Certified
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VBE Spotlight on: SoHo Creative Studio
January 25, 2023
SoHo Creative Studio
SoHo Creative Studio was founded in 2020 by Michael Cinquino.
SoHo Creative Studio has a combined 50+ years experience in visual, language, and design-driven storytelling. Bringing multidisciplinary backgrounds to every projects allows them to truly innovate based on their clients' goals. Providing photography, videography, website design, copywriting, and more allows SoHo to support their clients in achieving an honest, unique brand identity.
Learn more about SoHo Creative Studio at: https://www.sohocreativestudio.com/
About the Business - Serving Clients, Country & Veterans
What services do you provide?
"We provide website design, photography, videography and content strategy for business looking to attract their ideal customers or employees."
Who are your primary customers?
"Our primary customers are business that need to attract talent, clients and customers through visual mediums: Websites, Photos, Videos and Content Strategy."
When and how did you start your business?
"'When the pandemic happened, we had to pivot and were able to reinvent ourselves as a branding and content strategy agency. While we have decades of experience in our given areas of expertise, we launched SoHo Creative Studio in 2020."
Business Growth Challenges - Growing Through Challenge and Change
What were some of the challenges in starting your business?
"We moved from New York City to Portsmouth, NH and didn't know a soul or had even set foot in the state before we decided to move there and make it home base for SoHo Creative Studio."
What is the key to the success of your business?
"Audiences only recognize change. That is, we only pay attention to things that stand out. We help business stand out in the crowded market spaces by understanding what the current norms are then breaking the rules just enough to get potential hires or clients curious."
What lessons learned can you share with people to make their business succeed?
"Businesses and business owners that embrace authenticity, vulnerability and spontaneity will always present better than those who don't."
What pitfalls should they avoid?
"Telling your audience what you think they want to hear."
What other information about you and your business would you like to share with the NaVOBA community?
"We're risk takers and so are our clients. We don't do cookie cutter. Each business we work with deserves a unique approach and deliverables."
Service information
Branch:
Navy
Service Years:
1994-1998
Highest Rank Attained:
E4
Why did you join the military?
"I wanted to give something back to my country and I knew at the age of 17 that I needed to do something drastic or I wouldn't have much of a future. I was one of those bad kids that barely graduated high school. Proudly, the GI Bill helped be pay for Undergrad and I even went to grad school."
Military Occupation:
"I was a PN on the USS Detroit AOE-4 as well as a Surface Rescue Swimmer"
Significant Achievements/Experiences:
"Surface Rescue Swimmer School"
Biography/Fun Facts
Favorite TV Show:
"My favorite TV show is 100% Breaking Bad. I lost so much sleep watching episode after episode. I'll also say that it's the greatest character arc I've ever seen."
How do you relax:
"To relax I practice Transcendental Mediation for at least 20 minutes a day and mosts days 40 minutes. It's a total game changer and has become a part of who I am.
If you didn't own a business what would you do?
"If I wasn't a business owner, I would be a film director. But I also do that too. Why limit myself?!"
On October 22, NaVOBA celebrated the Minority Veteran's Business Enterprise of the Year Awards Ceremony during the 2024 National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Conference in Atlanta. Hosted at Cuts Steakhouse, a sponsor of the event alongside Accenture, Shell, and Hilton, the event was complete with a full course meal, drinks, and networking. Mimi Lohm, NaVOBA's Chief Development Officer, kicked off the event and set the stage for the awardees. Keynote speakers included Brandi Rauch, General Manager of Supply Chain for Shell, Che' McFerrin, Associate Manager, Global Supplier Inclusion & Sustainability at Accenture, and Matthew Pavelek, NaVOBA's President. Before the announcements of the winners, NaVOBA surprised Don McKneely, Chairman & CEO of Minority Business News, with the 2024 Veteran's Business Champion Award. The program then went on to highlight two companies who have demonstrated excellence within their industries with the 2024 Veteran's Business Enterprise (VBE)® We Love Awards. The first VBE We Love Award went to Demond Crump, CEO of REIGN Premium Sanitary Napkins. Founded in 2019, REIGN Premium Sanitary Napkins specializes in providing innovative sanitary napkins and panty liners infused with a Nobel Prize-winning material featuring a super absorbent system. The key to REIGN's success lies in prioritizing their mission over profits, ensuring that the focus on empowering women and young girls takes precedence. Demond served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1990 to 1994, achieving the rank of E-5 and specializing as an Operations Specialist. He is Aegis system qualified and brings a wealth of strategic expertise from his military service to his entrepreneurial journey. You can read more about this VBE spotlight here . The second VBE We Love Award was presented to Paden Sickles, CEO of SickFit. Founded in 2021, SickFit specializes in wholesale and custom socks, as well as murals. SickFit caters to a diverse customer base that includes service members, athletes, corporate partners, active individuals, and government entities. The key to SickFit's success lies in its commitment to innovation and authenticity. As a veteran-owned, woman-owned, and minority-owned company, SickFit represents a movement focused on resilience and empowerment, particularly for those in underrepresented communities. Paden served from 2014 to 2024 in the Army, achieving the rank of Captain and earned the Expert Soldier Badge and Air Assault Wings. You can learn more about this VBE spotlight here . NaVOBA then celebrated the 2024 Minority Veteran's Business Enterprise ® of the Year: Robert Swain, CEO of Swain Enterprises. Established in 2020, Swain Enterprises specializes in federal projects, including restoration and renovations for military bases, federal facilities, and hospitals in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC areas. Swain Enterprises is committed to providing the highest level of service to government, commercial, educational, and institutional clients. The key to the success of Swain Enterprises has been a focus on integrity, hard work, and strong relationships. From the outset, the company has committed to delivering high-quality work and exceeding client expectations. As a fully veteran-owned business, Swain Enterprises is dedicated to empowering veterans and creating opportunities for those moving from military to civilian careers. You can read more about NaVOBA's 2024 Minority Veteran's Business Enterprise of the Year here .
Jewel Sanitary Napkins LLC
Swain Enterprises LLC
Thank you for your interest in the National Veteran Owned Business Association’s Certified Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (VBE) and Certified Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprise® (SDVBE) programs. This initiative creates a nationally recognized gold standard in certification for veteran-owned businesses of all sizes and enables corporate America to proactively source and confidently utilize businesses that are at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by U.S. military veterans.
OUR MISSION
NaVOBA’s mission is to create corporate contracting opportunities for America’s Veteran’s and Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprises (VBEs/SDVBEs) through certification, advocacy, outreach, recognition and education.
