The Next Wave
WE HAVE SOME BIG NEWS:
Eleni Sokos is stepping aside from day-to-day operations at Sokos Solutions, and stepping into a full-time opportunity with the new parent company of Anna Maria Oyster Bar and Café L'Europe, Oysters Rock Hospitality.
Eleni will retain sole proprietorship of Sokos Consulting LLC, dba Sokos Solutions. She will remain responsible for company administration, including billing, finance, HR, and legal. Her title will shift from Chief Creative Officer to Founder.
Danae DeShazer, current Director of Brand Strategy at Sokos Solutions, is taking the lead in marketing solutions and client relations. Danae has been employed at SS since May 2021, heading up our Operations and Brand Strategy divisions since that time.
Retainer account clients have already been notified of this change in leadership and advised of any workflow changes which may occur.
Future clients can expect the same level of excellence in marketing solutions which Sokos Solutions is acclaimed, and an even greater commitment to client care. We are now inviting prospective clients to schedule their consultations for 2023 projects.
FAQ:
When will this take effect?
Eleni will assume her new role as Director of Brand Strategy at Oysters Rock Hospitality beginning October 3, 2022.
Where will Sokos Solutions call home?
Sokos Solutions’ physical address and meeting space will remain parked in downtown Bradenton at Connect Central, where Kefi Streetside Cafe is located.
Why Oysters Rock Hospitality?
Sokos Solutions has served the Anna Maria Oyster Bars since February 2017, helping to develop their now signature value proposition of "You'll Feel Like Family," which in hindsight feels like foreshadowing. With the company's purchase of Sarasota's iconic Café L'Europe in February 2022, Eleni was invited to become a vested partner in the business. Because of the connections between our companies, Eleni has always been made to feel like part of the AMOB Family, and for her, this next step truly feels like coming home.
What will Eleni's new day-to-day look like?
At Oysters Rock Hospitality, Eleni will be responsible for all marketing, advertising, and communications, while also leading the sales team to expand its catering and retail divisions for all brands. She will also contribute to the development of menu, guest experience and physical plant at all locations, as the company embarks on an aggressive goal to open 10 new restaurants in the next 3 years.
As Founder and Owner of Sokos Solutions, Eleni will remain responsible for company administration, including billing, finance, HR, and legal.
How is this even possible?!
In 2021 Eleni hired a friend and peer in the field, Danae DeShazer, to share the responsibility of ensuring excellence in client delivery and operations. Danae has streamlined our content productions systems and increased our overall efficiency, while helping to develop a culture where high-quality, thoughtful work is the expectation and supporting our teammates, both personally and professionally, is second-nature.
Danae DeShazer, current Director of Brand Strategy at Sokos Solutions, is taking the lead in marketing solutions and client relations. Danae has been employed at SS since May 2021, heading up our Operations and Brand Strategy divisions since that time.
We're doing all we can to ensure a seamless transition - we know there will be some hiccups -but Eleni is committed to putting our team first and continuing to make the best possible decision on behalf of our existing clients.
Sokos Solutions also includes Brand Strategist Lacy Landers and Production Assistant Bear Hill. The agency is small, but mighty, perhaps with the highest concentration of talent, creativity and emotional intelligence in Team SS history. None of this would be possible without their trust and loyalty!
Why?
Eleni writes: "Passion is pulling me in another direction. Back in summer 2020 I had one of those epiphanies like so many of us did - a gut feeling that what truly sparked joy for me was the restaurant and hospitality industry. I was meant to be a restaurateur and build immersive hospitality brands. That's partially where Kefi came from. Kefi Streetside Cafe was just the beginning of Jason’s and my dreams to build meaningful hospitality brands and serve our community."
Why now?
She continues: "The industry and this team has changed so much since I became a full-time freelancer in September 2014. At the time, her main focus was helping mom-and-pop businesses like my family's establish recurring communications programs and learn to leverage the emerging tools and tactics offered by digital marketing platforms. Since then, the field of digital marketing has evolved beyond measure.
Back in 2017, I'd just come back from a life-changing experience that helped me find personal clarity, when I reconsidered the needs of Sokos Social and decided to invest in our first employee, Ashley Graham. As we took on more clients and increased the level of expertise in our field, I still had a lot to learn about how to run a successful business. In mid-2018 I took on a partner, Keith Pandeloglou, to help me make better decisions about team-building, sales, and back-end administration. All the "not fun" stuff, as we called it.
We learned to fine-tune our business offerings, which made us really resilient as Covid-19 swept the world off its feet. At that moment, we were working with a wide variety of clients in a few key industries, and all but one client retained our services throughout the pandemic, which was incredible and I'm still grateful.
However, as the pandemic waged on, we found ourselves increasingly interconnected in the operations of these clients and while that had its benefits, it also had its challenges. Adapting to an ever-evolving metaverse hasn't been easy, either. As the role that social media and digital marketing plays in our lives has evolved, we've realized that managing recurring communications is challenging to sustain. It's also become necessary to intentionally care for our mental health & wellbeing.
So at this moment, it's a prime opportunity where I feel like I'm leaving the team in the best possible hands. The timing feels right for me to step aside and invite these talented professionals to carry onward and upward."
What's next for Sokos Solutions?
We still want to work with and support as many clients as possible - many of whom need Brand Strategy solutions - so we've built an in-house Brand Development Studio that we're really proud of called Cause An Effect.
Team SS is running like a pretty well-oiled machine and together we've designed our newest growth opportunities. In a sense, we're scaling back to scale better.
Our signature Solution, Cause An Effect, is a comprehensive brand development package. Our branding experts explore your organization’s brand identity from top to bottom, and refine your message to reach the right audience. This intensive 6-month program builds the basics of a successful marketing program by leveraging the most accessible and effective tactics to quickly make waves in your industry. The outcome of this process is a comprehensive brand toolkit & an actionable strategic marketing plan for success.