“All of the philanthropic work that I do seeks to support, uplift, empower, employ and educate women and children by raising awareness and funds to enhance the landscape of their future.”

MO.com is proud to partner with The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC):

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The Y.E.C promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth.

The goal of Lauren Maillian Bias’ company Luxury Market Branding is to help companies gain market share, create brand awareness and strategic alliances that are in line with their client’s company mission and revenue goals.

Prior to launching Luxury Market Branding, Lauren was the Proprietor, Creator and Chief Operating Officer of Sugarleaf Vineyards, the only African-American owned and operated winery on the East Coast.

MO: Can you tell us what makes Luxury Market Branding different than other strategic marketing companies?

Lauren: Luxury Market Branding is a boutique company that has a unique approach to marketing consumer goods to niche markets within various marketing budgets. As a previous owner and creator of my own company, I know firsthand what is important to other business owners when building brand awareness and loyalty. I am able to offer a number of practical viewpoints that are unique: a blend of marketing savvy, youthfulness, entrepreneurial perspective, ambition, and institutional knowledge gained from studying International Trade and Marketing, as well as the benefit of firsthand experience as the builder of a nationally recognized brand along with the intuition of being a consumer in the exact market that my clients look to serve. Luxury Market Branding is able to create a strategic roadmap filled with fresh perspectives that help to drive concepts into successful experiences for our clients.

MO: Tell us more about your background and how it led you to creating this company?

Lauren: I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, when I was 19 years old I was already creating what would become a nationally recognized brand, Sugarleaf Vineyards. As the Chief Operating Officer, I handled all of the branding and marketing for the company, devised growth strategies, created multifaceted sales channels, established strategic partnerships, handled all media relations and was solely responsible for identifying and defining my target market and keeping them engaged. The combination of hands-on business experience and knowledge gained was the catalyst that allowed me to create this new company and apply all that I learned by offering these services to businesses within industries that I am passionate about. It opened the door for me to scale my business model and expertise in more multiples than I could have at the winery.

MO: You mentioned a possible opportunity to write a book about your entrepreneurial journey. What do you plan on sharing in this book?

Lauren: I am humbled to know that my story has inspired so many people. The book would seek to share my journey, motivate young visionaries and provide practical and actionable marketing and branding advice for aspiring and burgeoning business owners and marketers. It’s easy to advise people, but for me, the joy is in showing people how and what it really takes for an entrepreneur to successfully reach their goal.

MO: Your website boasts many services that your company offers. How do you maintain quality across so many unique services?

Lauren: My approach to marketing is multifaceted and comprehensive. Our services are not mutually exclusive, and the use of various types of unique services throughout a strategic marketing plan is integral to the success of the marketing and branding objectives.

Lauren: Luxury Market Branding creates the marketing plan and we provide implementation beyond the initial stages, if necessary, by building a team to oversee the ongoing use of the services required to see the plan through to completion. We have relationships with experts in various fields that assist with specific sectors of the marketing plan. Each client has a different set of organizational needs and growth targets for their brand, and every company’s resources dictate their ability to execute the strategic plan that is created for them. We work within our client’s parameters. Performance is based on mutually agreed upon benchmarks to ensure that quality is maintained.

MO: You are involved in various philanthropic organizations. Can you tell us about one of these organizations and your involvement with it?

Lauren: All of the philanthropic work that I do seeks to support, uplift, empower, employ and educate women and children by raising awareness and funds to enhance the landscape of their future. The New York Urban League empowers the underserved by providing scholarships for higher education, mentoring youth, producing college and job fairs, and assisting with work placement. I am involved with the NYUL in various capacities, but am most proud of selecting the recipients of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Scholarships for the past few years.

MO: Can you tell us about your work with the Heritage Link Brands?

Lauren: Luxury Market Branding has been working with Heritage Link Brands (The Seven Sisters and One World Wines) to conceptualize how to best highlight the wines imported under the company’s umbrella to the U.S. market, and to expand distribution channels and increase brand awareness of the various labels imported by the company. Increasing U.S. market share by strategically positioning the brands imported within their portfolio has been the primary goal. The Seven Sisters and One World wines are now available in select Whole Foods nationwide. In addition, the Seven Sisters brand was the very first South African wine to be served on American Airlines. We are now looking to create strategic partnerships with hospitality groups to complement the existing distribution channels. South Africa has been an innovative wine territory for centuries and produces wines of excellence. Each wine produced by the Seven Sisters is unique and pays tribute to the style and personality of each sister herself. I am excited about introducing Heritage Link Brands wines to the U.S. market.