The following profile was compiled from an interview with Lisa Reisman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Aptium Global, Inc. Read on to learn how she is using technology to generate revenue.

Get some valuable advice and the recipe to this business’ Secret Sauce!

The Business

We work with manufacturing companies on their most complex metals related purchases. We are becoming more of a metals advisory firm where we provide expert guidance, project support and global sourcing services. We will soon be adding a global metals pricing index on a subscription basis.

The Tools

We have a blog site which serves as a means for reaching out to our client base. We have obtained new clients from the site. We are also using the blog as a platform to launch web-based subscription services. It provides us with the opportunity to better highlight our expertise and opinions and to scale the business beyond the number of people we could physically talk to in a day. It also helps us track what issues/topics are relevant to our clients and other interested parties.

The Users

Our end users include metals buyers, investors, ETF, commodity  traders, sourcing professionals etc.

The Challenge

The biggest one is developing an application at an affordable cost point that allows us to experiment while still earning revenue. We were able to do this by creating the first version of our service at an affordable price point with follow-on stages funded out of earnings.

The Future

We want to be the go-to resource for all industrial metals purchasing within the US and Western Europe. It’s essential that technology form the basis for our services. To create a scalable business, we need the flexibility of our blog platform and a means of creating the foundational application from which to build various subscription based businesses including a pricing tool with forecasting capability.

The Advice

I would suggest that they (business owners that are apprehensive about technology investments) speak to as many vendors/providers as they can and identify a firm that can form the basis of a long term partnership….a firm that is willing to “invest” and work collaboratively and creatively with you.

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About Lisa Reisman

Lisa Reisman is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Aptium Global Inc. and has over 15 years of experience in management consulting and direct materials sourcing. In addition to past roles at Andersen and Deloitte Consulting, Lisa has also owned and operated her own metals trading company, sourcing and selling a full range of metal products from and to emerging markets including: Russia, China, India, Romania, Venezuela, Mexico, Taiwan, South Africa, Ghana, Pakistan and Israel.

Lisa earned her MPA from New York University, where she received a Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Administration Fellowship. She also holds a BA in political science and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As an expert in global trade and supply chain issues, Lisa is INCOTERM certified and holds a Six Sigma Black Belt. Her opinions have been quoted in numerous industry trade magazines such as Business Credit Magazine, Darwin Magazine, The Industry Standard, GlobalAutoIndustry and Automotive Industry Action Guide among others. She has recently authored a column on Lean Sourcing in tight commodity markets for Modern Plastics Worldwide. She currently serves as Editor-at-Large of Surplus Record, an industrial publication with a circulation of 75,000. Lisa is a regular columnist for the blog:Spend Matters.

View Lisa’s complete bio here. Don’t forget to stop by Aptium Global’s blog, MetalMiner, today!