We recently had a conversation with Jonathan Apolinaris the co-owner of project freedom Inc. He has worked in the field of direct sales and marketing for years. So this interview will surely be informative for those who are in sales and marketing.
Pro Media Mag : First of all tell please introduce yourself to our readers?
Johnathan : My name is Jonathan Apolinaris. I am the Executive VP and half owner of Project Freedom, a direct sales company that is based in New York City and spreads throughout multiple states in the US.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into get into this industry?
Johnathan : Full transparency, I came from a rough background. I’ve made some choices in my past which have landed me in certain situations that make finding a job am extremely tedious task. Originating in Pennsylvania, I moved to the Bronx when I was 22 and worked as a overnight dishwasher in a Diner across the street from Yankee Stadium. It was a living hell! Small wages and long hours with no overtime because it was under the table work. Eventually, I got sick of it and quit. A few weeks later, my sister got me a job handing out fliers for a job agency on 149th street. The job was to get rid of 500+ fliers in an 8 hour day without throwing any in the trash(which was very tempting by the way). So I yelled and screamed to the top of my lungs, “Now hiring, now hiring! Need a job, take a flier!” I got the attention of am owner of a marketing company who asked me if I wanted to make some real money. I was intrigued by his approach and the next morning, I made ninety bucks in three hours enrolling qualifying applicants into the free phone program. It was amazing. At that moment, I knew for a fact that I would never work a job that paid wages again.
Pro Media Mag : What made you decide you should launch your own company’ Project Freedom’?
Johnathan : Project Freedom is actually the second company that I’ve launched independently. The first was Phoenix Liaison. The main reason I decided to go independent and build my own organization is because this business is very profitable, but at the same time dirty. It’s all a big fish eats little fish type of scenario. I’ve been burned for tens and thousands of dollars at a time and the reason why is because I had no control over the money! The last straw was at a company called Just Energy. These guys sent me an invoice for $981 with a check for $27.04 attached to it. That was it! I knew that I had to make a change. Throughout the beginning stages of my independent entrepreneurial venture, I learned a lot. I’ve traveled from New York all the way to California opening up new markets. And when it was all said and done,
I realized that we as independent business owners spend more time competing with each other as opposed to making more by amalgamation. That was the concept of Project Freedom. One corporation with multiple subsidiaries so that other business owners can benefit from direct deals and collective production. So far, we have about 4-5 major corporations that work with us and about 7 minor companies as well.
Pro Media Mag : What kind of services you are providing?
Johnathan : We provide anything from free phones for public benefit recipients, deregulated energy, solar panels, all the way to home and business security systems. We’re a real community based organization so we also host events for the benefit of the public as well as provide business development services for new business owners both local and long distance.
Pro Media Mag : Your clients belongs to some particular field?
Johnathan : Our clients usually are categorized in the sign and go field, meaning that there usually isn’t any type of monetary exchange at the point of sale. These types of clients establish trust with out customers and ensured the best in quality control for the simple fact that if the customer isn’t satisfied with the service, the contractor doesn’t get paid.
Pro Media Mag : What kind of response/ feedback you have received?
Johnathan : Project Freedom is very well known across the country despite the simple fact that we’re still in the beginning stages of the launch. When people hear of us, they usually think of those guys who work hard and play harder. We’re a family oriented business so we treat our contractors and customers like brothers and sisters. With all that being said, the people love us!
Pro Media Mag : Have you set some target to achieve for your company??
Johnathan : In the next two years, we plain to have teams of 20 in each of the 50 states. This would mean 2,000+ agents which will mean way more money that we can use to give back and help the community and those in need.
Pro Media Mag : How can one contact you to avail your services?
Johnathan: Anyone can contact by sending a message to our Facebook page @Project Freedom, Inc.