Item 1. Business
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”) contains forward-looking statements in the sections captioned “Description of Business,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Plan of Operations” and elsewhere. Any and all statements contained in this Report that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Terms such as “may,” “might,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “project,” “estimate,” “pro-forma,” “predict,” “potential,” “strategy,” “anticipate,” “attempt,” “develop,” “plan,” “help,” “believe,” “continue,” “intend,” “expect,” “future,” and terms of similar import (including the negative of any of these terms) may identify forward-looking statements. However, not all forward-looking statements may contain one or more of these identifying terms. Forward-looking statements in this Report may include, without limitation, statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations, projections of income or loss, earnings or loss per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial items, our future financial performance, including any such statement contained in a discussion and analysis of financial condition by management or in the results of operations included pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the assumptions underlying or relating to any such statement.
The forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results, performance, events or circumstances and may not be realized because they are based upon our current projections, plans, objectives, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and other influences, many of which we have no control over. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the accuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation:
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Market acceptance of our products and services;
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Competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;
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The implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our business and our products;
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Estimates of our future revenue, expenses, capital requirements and our need for financing;
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Our financial performance;
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Current and future government regulations;
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Developments relating to our competitors; and
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Other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the section titled “Risk Factors.”
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Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because of the risks and uncertainties related to them and to the risk factors. We disclaim any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this Report to reflect any new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers should read this Report in conjunction with the discussion under the caption “Risk Factors,” our financial statements and the related notes thereto in this Report, and other documents which we may file from time to time with the SEC.
General
Overview
Mastermind Involvement Marketing, a Georgia joint venture (the “Company” or “MIM”) was formed on January 1, 2012 by Mastermind Marketing, Inc, a Georgia Corporation (“MM Inc.”), the founding member, through a contribution of assets. The organization, as governed by the written operating agreement dated January 1, 2012, as amended, (the “Operating Agreement”) was formed for the purpose of engaging in the business of conceiving, developing, selling, marketing, implementing and/or otherwise providing services, systems, platforms and products in the areas of mobile, social, digital and traditional marketing to and for businesses and organizations, and conducting services and functions incidental to the operation of such business.
We are an involvement marketing service agency that designs, creates and develops branding and marketing campaigns, primarily for large corporate clients with category-leading brands. We specialize in getting consumers and customers to take an action that leads to brand awareness, trial, loyalty, and ultimately advocacy (e.g. publicly “endorsing” the brand via digital/social media through reviews, likes, etc.). Our conversion initiatives facilitate the involvement of more of the “right customers” with the brands of our clients. Our programs can take on various forms, including creating and managing digital content, designing campaign websites/landing pages, social media and viral campaigns, mobile marketing initiatives, and brand communications.
History
The Business Combination
On February 14, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), we consummated the transactions contemplated by the Joint Venture Interest Contribution Agreement (the “Contribution Agreement”) made and entered into as of February 14, 2018 by and among (i) the Company; (ii) CoConnect Inc., a Nevada Corporation (“CoConnect”), and (iii) Mastermind Marketing, Inc, a Georgia Corporation (“MM Inc.”), Digital Advize, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company (“Advize”), and Villanta Corporation, a Georgia Corporation (“Villanta”, together with Advize and MM Inc., the “Sellers”).
Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, the Sellers contributed, transferred, assigned and conveyed to CoConnect all right, title and interest in and to one hundred percent (100%) of such joint venture interest in the Company (the “Contributed Joint Venture Interest”), together with any and all rights, privileges, benefits, obligations and liabilities appertaining thereto, reserving unto such Seller no rights or interests therein whatsoever, and CoConnect accepted the contribution of the Contributed Joint Venture Interest, and in consideration for such contribution the Sellers collectively were entitled to receive from CoConnect twenty-nine million two hundred thirty-six thousand seven hundred fifty-nine (29,236,759) shares of CoConnect ’s common stock, $.001 par value (the “CoConnect Common Stock”) representing eighty-five percent (85%) of the total outstanding CoConnect Common Stock after the issuance of the Contribution Consideration (the “Contribution Consideration”) with each Seller receiving for its respective percentage of Contributed Joint Venture Interest that same percentage of the Contribution Consideration (such transaction, the “Business Combination”). As a result of the Business Combination, the Sellers became the controlling shareholders of CoConnect and CoConnect became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
As used in this Report, unless otherwise stated or the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms “Registrant,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to the Company, giving effect to the Business Combination.
Prior to the Business Combination, we were a “shell company” as such term is defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). As a result of the Business Combination, we have ceased to be a “shell company.” The information contained in this Report constitutes the information necessary to satisfy the conditions contained in Rule 144(i)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”).
Contribution Agreement and Related Transactions
The Contribution Agreement
On February 14, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), we consummated the transactions contemplated by that certain Contribution Agreement by and among the Company, CoConnect, and the Sellers.
Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement the Sellers contributed, transferred, assigned and conveyed to the Company all right, title and interest in and to the Contributed Joint Venture Interest, together with any and all rights, privileges, benefits, obligations and liabilities appertaining thereto, reserving unto such Seller no rights or interests therein whatsoever, and (ii) CoConnect accepted the contribution of the Contributed Joint Venture Interest, and in consideration for such contribution the Sellers collectively received from CoConnect the Contribution Consideration and consisting of an aggregate of eighty-five percent (85%) of the equity of the Company after distribution. As a result of the Business Combination, the Sellers became the controlling shareholders of the Company and received all of the assets and operations of the Company.
In connection with the Business Combination, and as part of the Contribution Agreement, PacificWave Partners and Bennet J. Yankowitz, stockholders of the Company and the “Piggyback Parties”, have been granted certain piggyback registration allowing the holder to include their shares in such registration, subject to certain marketing and other limitations. As a result, if, commencing one year from the Closing of the Contribution Agreement and ending two (2) years later, whenever we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act, other than with respect to a demand registration or a registration statement on Forms S-4 or S-8, the Piggyback Parties are entitled to notice of the registration and have the right to include their shares in the registration, subject to limitations that the underwriters may impose on the number of shares included in the offering and only if their securities are then not tradable pursuant to rule 144.
In connection with the Business Combination, and as part of the Contribution Agreement, Advize and Villanta (each, a “Subject Party”) made certain covenants regarding non-competition and non-solicitation agreements (the “Non-Competition Covenants”), in favor of the Company, MM Inc., CoConnect, and their respective successors and subsidiaries (referred to as the “Covered Parties”). Under the Non-Competition Covenants, the Subject Party and its controlled affiliates will not, without the Company’s prior written consent, (a) solicit or attempt to solicit any customer of the Covered Parties, including actively sought prospective customers of Covered Parties’ as of the Closing, for the purpose of providing products or services that are the same as or similar to the products or services offered or provided by any Covered Parties; (b) act as a director, manager, officer or employee of any business which is the same as or essentially the same as the business conducted by any Covered Parties; or (c) solicit or recruit or attempt to solicit or recruit, directly or by assisting others, any employee of any Covered Parties, whether or not such employee is a full-time employee or a temporary employee of such Covered Parties, whether or not such employment is pursuant to a written agreement and whether or not such employment is for a determined period or is at will, to cease working for such Protected Party; provided that the foregoing will not prevent the placement of any general solicitation for employment not specifically directed towards employees of any Covered Parties or hiring any such person as a result thereof.
The Business Combination was treated as a “reverse acquisition” of the Company for financial accounting purposes, MIM JV was considered the acquirer, and the historical financial statements of the Company before the Business Combination were replaced with the historical financial statements of MIM JV and its consolidated entities before the Business Combination in all future filings with the SEC.
The issuance of CoConnect Common Stock to the Sellers, in connection with the Business Combination have not been registered under the Securities Act, in reliance upon the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2), which exempts transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering, and Regulation D and/or Regulation S promulgated by the SEC under that section. These shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.
The foregoing description of the Contribution Agreement does not purport to be complete. For further information, please refer to the copy of the Contribution Agreement that is filed with the SEC as Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 20, 2018, as amended. There are representations and warranties contained in the Contribution Agreement that were made by the parties to each other as of specific dates. The assertions embodied in these representations and warranties were made solely for purposes of the Contribution Agreement and may be subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the parties in connection with negotiating their terms. Moreover, some representations and warranties may not be accurate or complete as of any specified date because they are subject to a contractual standard of materiality that is different from certain standards generally applicable to shareholders or were used for the purpose of allocating risk between the parties rather than establishing matters as facts. For these reasons, investors should not rely on the representations and warranties in the Contribution Agreement as statements of factual information.
The Lock-Up Agreements
Pursuant to the Business Combination certain individuals were required to enter into lock-up agreements substantially in the form of lock-up agreement that is filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, as amended, dated April 20, 2018.
The Assignment and Assumption Agreements
Pursuant to the Business Combination the Company, CoConnect and the Sellers entered into an assignment and assumption agreement (the “JV Assignment Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sellers assigned all of their Membership Interest in the Company to CoConnect, and CoConnect assumed all of the duties, obligation and liabilities of the Sellers and the Company. The foregoing description of the JV Assignment Agreement does not purport to be complete. For further information, please refer to the copy of the JV Assignment Agreement that is filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 20, 2018, as amended.
Pursuant to the Business Combination the Company, CoConnect and MM Inc., entered into an assignment and assumption agreement (the “LLC Assignment Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sellers assigned all of their Membership Interest in the Mastermind Involvement Marketing, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company (“MIM LLC”) to CoConnect, and CoConnect assumed all of the duties, obligation and liabilities of MM Inc., and MIM LLC. The foregoing description of the LLC Assignment Agreement does not purport to be complete. MIM LLC does not have any assets, liabilities or operations. For further information, please refer to the copy of the LLC Assignment Agreement that is filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, as amended, dated April 20, 2018.
Our Mission
Our mission is to become one of the most well-respected marketing service agencies in the industry capable of involving people with Fortune 500 brands.
Our Business
We are an involvement marketing service agency that designs, creates and develops branding and marketing campaigns, primarily for large corporate clients with category-leading brands. We specialize in getting consumers and customers to take an action that leads to brand awareness, trial, loyalty, and ultimately advocacy (e.g. publicly “endorsing” the brand via digital/social media through reviews, likes, etc.). Our conversion initiatives facilitate the involvement of more of the “right customers” with the brands of our clients. Our programs can take on various forms, including creating and managing digital content, designing campaign websites/landing pages, social media and viral campaigns, mobile marketing initiatives, and brand communications.
We deliver innovative, result-producing campaigns to meet the business objectives of each client through any number, or combination thereof, or cutting-edge marketing initiatives:
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Influencer marketing – earned, owned, and paid;
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Digital marketing across all screens;
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Social Channel Optimization; and
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Digital Issue Management Communications.
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Our most important assets in delivering the highest-quality involvement marketing services to our clients are our highly talented and experienced people made up of technologists, strategists, and creatives who work together and represent a cross-discipline of experts. We pride ourselves in a culture of mutually-shared support and teamwork. We ensure that our team is provided the best-in-class research, equipment, technology and training in all disciplines within our proven delivery process to deliver cutting-edge initiatives the get results. We believe we are very competitive and have a winning culture that is present throughout the work we do for our clients and their brands.
Our organization has been structured in a manner to ensure a broad range of thinking, facilitate work flow, and deliver unparalleled marketing initiatives and service to our clients. We have a strong and long-lasting relationships with our clients and tenure of our key executives. Mastermind is organized in 5 key groups:
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Creative and development services;
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Strategy, analytics & research;
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Technology & campaign management; and
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Agency Management and administration.
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Our Process
We have a proven, five-step cyclical approach to every client engagement that ensures learning from every campaign execution is used to optimize future campaigns. The process involves:
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Research and Testing. - data analysis, shopper journeys, AB/MV, eye-tracking
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Strategy and Planning - objectives, goals, analysis
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Creative- UX, mobile, digital, design thinking, branding
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Campaign Management - Optimization, Management, SEO, PPC & lead gen
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Analytics and Optimization - data analysis, ROI, reporting, dashboards
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Mastermind process seeks to ensure that there is continual optimization to involve people with brands in ways that inspire them to take action – consideration, trial, loyalty, and advocacy.
Industry Background and Trends
We believe that the communications industry is going through a revolutionary evolution. Technology and big data are combining with creative and strategy across new platforms and communications. Things are moving quickly and Involvement Marketing is an opportunity for brands to reach their constituencies through a plethora of new ways to communicate with its key constituencies in ways that get them to take action. It is essential to understand target audiences and how they are consuming information. Creating brand preference and getting consumers to take an action is essential in growing share for a brand and will continue to be essential in 2018 and beyond.
Brands are expected to bring projects in-house or outsource to smaller digital agencies, and a definitive shift in brands choosing to bring creative projects in-house for more control over budgets and resources was seen in 2016. The other trend saw brands cutting ties with bigger agencies and outsourcing work to smaller digital agencies which could deliver more specialized campaigns. It was predicted that in 2017, brands would continue to move away from larger agencies that have in the past offered a one-stop-shop for their advertising needs. With tighter budgets, brands are seeing the cost-effectiveness of having their own studio team and paying salaries versus project-based fees. Likewise, outsourcing to specialized digital outfits for lower, one-off fees is proving more financially sound for brands.
The industry will ramp up its use of digital marketing and advertising tools to streamline marketing workflow. As brands and ad agencies continue to leverage multiple channels to capture new audiences, eliminating tedious administrative tasks is high on the agenda. With digital tools, marketers and creatives are managing approval workflow and resources with greater ease and transparency allowing them to stay on top of heavy workloads and multiple projects. Some of the digital tools that the industry is moving towards are:
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marketing approval workflow software;
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agency approval workflow software;
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project management software;
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social marketing tools and software;
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online proofing tools; and
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resource management software.
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Not only do these tools cut out time-consuming administration, but they offer greater control and visibility over managing marketing projects as well as streamline marketing workflow.
More brands and ad agencies will move towards an agile methodology to enable them to be more flexible in responding to a rapidly changing marketplace. Agile project management was developed as an alternative to the hierarchical project management model, which favors processes and documentation, and longer-term development projection. Agile methodologies, on the other hand, utilize a self-organized team model with greater flexibility in scope, face-to-face collaboration and incremental planning to deliver projects on time and on budget. Experts are expecting to see more marketers and creatives to go agile to remain competitive.
To mitigate the risk of brands being called out by regulatory bodies for illegal or unethical practices and tarnishing the brand reputation, more brands will toe the line because their bottom line depends on it. With that said, marketing compliance will be high on the agenda again this year with marketers having to stay on top of compliance issues to mitigate the risk of regulatory violations. Digital tools that enable brands to audit their project work will go a long way in helping businesses to manage their market compliance.
While every brand and ad agency needs highly skilled individuals on board, there will be a return to focus on teams to propel businesses forward. Rather than focusing on individuals, it is believed that agency ROI’s could benefit by nurturing teams and their skillsets, setting processes that ease heavy workloads, delegating tasks evenly and ensuring morale remains positive. Experts are also warning that departments need to stop working in silos and implement processes and tools that offer greater transparency over the entire business.
Experts are also predicting a greater prevalence in native advertising. With ad blocking on the rise, brands need to stay visible in a way that doesn’t interrupt the online user experience. Native advertising is a paid advertising placement that is blended seamlessly into a platform’s content so that it doesn’t interrupt the readers flow. The increasing importance of video is also being heralded. Reports indicate a video can achieve customer conversion rates of up to 60%. The video medium is enjoyable, easy to access and requires little effort for engagement. Live streaming is also providing customers a real time brand experience enabling brands to capitalize on a new revenue stream. Being “mobile friendly” is also important as growing trends indicate that brands have to wedge themselves firmly in the mobile space to stay relevant.
Competitive Strengths
Since our inception, we have worked diligently to establish and leverage key strengths in our business model, including:
A culture of innovation and creativity. We believe the only way to survive and thrive in our rapidly changing world is to change ahead of it. We are in a state of constant evolution and re-invention. We have created a culture committed to innovation and creativity that challenges convention and breaks new ground. Our team members are protective and proud of our culture by applying its “humble, yet hungry” attitude to all facets of our business. Our people and their innovations ultimately provide us with our largest competitive advantage. For example:
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First-user generated content campaign for UPS;
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First YouTube Influencer marketing campaign for The Home Depot and Citi;
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First YouTube Influencer Campaign for ExxonMobil; and
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First omni-channel shopping journey studies for Macy’s, Best Buy, and Staples.
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Exploitation of Technologic Innovations and Social Marketing Importance
Our success lies, in part, to our understanding of new technologies especially in the social marketing space, augmented reality, image recognition, virtual reality and the ability to leverage these technologies in ways that we believe achieve and exceed our clients’ objectives.
Experienced management team and advisors
Our management team not only includes highly experienced entrepreneurs and executives from the digital media, technology and entertainment industries, but also outstanding strategic and creative advisors who are experts in social media and integrated marketing campaigns. See “Management” for details.
Our Growth Strategy
After more than 34 years of experience by management in delivering innovative involvement marketing campaigns, including more than five years since our formation in January 2012, we believe our business model is market tested and poised for growth. While executing on our business strategy, we believe we have assembled a diverse and experienced team of senior managers, account executives and creative and analytical directors; developed and executed on involvement marketing campaigns which we believe have added value to our clients; and created our own brand-recognition in the marketing service agency industry. Key elements of our strategy to accelerate revenue growth and continue penetration of the marketplace include:
Organic Growth
We seek to work with one of the top three brands in almost every industry with focus on Restaurants, Packaged Goods, Retail, Pharma/OTC, Fuel, Automotive, Healthcare, Grocery/Convenience, and Entertainment. We will continue to use a mix of digital, social, public relations, and personal outreach to facilitate our organic growth.
Strategic Partnerships
We seek to develop strategic partnerships and alliances with companies that can facilitate expansion of our services to Fortune 500 companies having strong and well-recognized brands.
Executive Team Recruitment
We seek to attract talented executives possessing key skills and also relationships with brands which can be accretive to our client portfolio.
Accretive Acquisitions
We seek to acquire companies having the following criteria to supplement our portfolio of clients with the objective of driving our additional near and long-term revenue.
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Complementary companies in other major geographical markets; and
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Companies that work with at least one of the top three brands in industries where we do not currently have a significant representative client.
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Our Customers
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We have experience with what we believe to be some of the industry’s most innovative companies possessing what we believe to be well-known brands. Our industry experience includes in the fields of or in respect to:
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Sports and Entertainment;
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Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG);
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Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals;
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We believe the client relationships established in these diverse industries provide us with a competitive edge over the broader market in the adoption of new strategies and leading technologies. Our services are provided pursuant to respective service agreements with a host of clients including:
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Harman International Industries, Inc.;
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Our Sales and Marketing
We have a business development team that identifies potential clients having well-known brands as well as leveraging relationships with brands with whom our team is familiar. In addition to identifying potential clients, our business development team is responsible for nurturing and maintaining existing relationships to ensure customer satisfaction and to promote follow-up campaign opportunities.
Our business development team is composed of industry innovators in the communications business with deep connections and experience in digital, social media, technology, promotions, mobile, analytics and campaign development, implementation and management. Our business development team is led by award-winning executives who are frequent contributors to all-things digital on television, radio, conferences and webinars.
Our Revenue Model
We derive revenues from our clients based on a project-by-project basis through statement of work pursuant to a Master Services Agreement, which is typically customized to each of our clients. Dependent upon the statement of work which is directed by our clients, projects can vary from small scale platform, infrastructure and application development for influencer channels to large campaign initiatives that are project-based. Fees charged to clients are typically based on project/campaign fees which include retainer- and ongoing-fees negotiated with our clients.
Our Competition
Mastermind competes with agencies owned by large communications holding companies like WPP plc, Omnicom Group, Inc., Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA., for leading brands in almost every category.
Contracts and Material Relationships
In the normal course of business, we have entered and will continue to enter into development, licensing and royalty agreements. In addition, we have certain customers that represent a significant component of our revenue. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, there were three clients individually representing 10% or more of our total revenues. Total revenues for these three clients for the year ended September 30, 2019 were $1,344,737. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, there were no clients individually representing 10% or more of our total revenues.
Government Regulation
We are subject to a number of U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the Internet. These laws and regulations may involve privacy, data security, advertising, rights of publicity, data protection, content regulation, intellectual property, competition, protection of minors, consumer protection, taxation or other subjects. Many of these laws and regulations are still evolving and being tested in courts and could be interpreted in ways that could harm our business. As a result, the application, interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industry in which we operate and may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from country to country and inconsistently with our current policies and practices.
We are also subject to federal, state and foreign laws regarding privacy and the protection of user data. Foreign data protection, privacy, consumer protection, content regulation and other laws and regulations are often more restrictive than those in the United States. There are also potential federal legislative proposals and various state legislative bodies and foreign governments concerning data protection, tracking, behavioral advertising and consumer protection that could affect us.
In recent years, social media companies, to resolve investigations into various incidents, have entered into settlement agreements and consent decrees with the Federal Trade Commission that, among other things, require them to establish an information security program designed to protect non-public consumer information and also require that they obtain periodic independent security assessments. Violation of any regulatory orders, settlements, or consent decrees into which we may be required to enter could subject us to substantial monetary fines and other penalties that could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
For additional information regarding the laws and regulations that may adversely affect our business, please see the section titled “Risk Factors” below.
Backlog
Our backlog in the ordinary course of business is approximately $1,513,285 at September 30, 2019.
Employees
As of September 30, 2019, we had 26 contract and full-time employees at our leased facility in Atlanta, Georgia.
None of these employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and management considers its relations with its employees to be good.