Karen Scharf, Small Business Marketing Consultant

Karen Scharf began designing and developing websites in 1998, when she began Modern Image Communications. The marketing communications firm has since grown to provide a wide variety of marketing-related services to small businesses and entrepreneurs, including the development, implementation and maintenance of various growth initiatives: business and marketing plan development, newsletter publication and distribution, copywriting services, graphic design and print ad creation, info-product development, and strategic planning. Modern Image Communications basically serves as a one-stop-shop for a small business's marketing needs.

Karen Scharf is an on-line testing professional who has studied, tested and perfected the insider secrets to immediately increasing a website’s effectiveness. Since very few businesses actually know these insider secrets, Karen began publishing the on-line journal Successful Site Secrets in order to share with website owners the tips and techniques for transforming a site from one that is "good enough" into one that is generating huge profits.

Karen also publishes the Modern Marketing Mini Mag. In this weekly on-line newsletter, she shares ideas and strategies that all small business owners can use to explode their client base and catapult their sales and income

"I guess what makes me different from a lot of the internet marketers out there is that I’ve actually spent time in the trenches," says Karen. "Unlike some of the big name gurus with little or no development experience – for instance, Yanik Silver, the “Father of Internet Marketing”, readily admits he has no idea how to create his own web page – I began my business by designing and developing high end, database-driven web sites and web-based applications. I’ve developed applications for some very large companies and organizations. I'm proud of the fact that I can work with international companies as well as mom and pop shops."

Karen “started life” as a Special Education teacher. She eventually took a job in the Education Department of a large trade association dealing with apprenticeships, and soon discovered that she loved the marketing aspect of that job. Karen went back to school to earn a degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Marketing. Marketing and copywriting came easy for her – did we mention Karen was “born” a writer? (Her poetry was even on display in the Chicago Public Library when she was only 8 years old!)

Upon relocating to the Indianapolis area, Karen decided to combine her love of teaching, her penchant for marketing and her extensive technology knowledge by working with small business owners and entrepreneurs to teach them to use technology in marketing and growing their businesses.