When your handle is Sandor Kiss, you get used to answering a lot of questions.

"Few days go by when I'm not asked what my name means or where it originated," he says.

"It will be a great campaign name one day if I choose to enter the political fray - it's got to be worth a few votes.”

(Note: his parents, both from Hungary, named him. Sandor, which is derived from Alexander, meaning "defending man.") Recently, however, Calgary-born Sandor has been hearing a new brand of queries. Questions like:

Sandor Kiss has created TeamThink Inc. to meet a growing demand from businesses for marketing muscle.

* How do I grow my business?

* How can I optimize my marketing spend?

* How can I leverage my brand to create value?

* How do I leverage the Internet for my organization?

That line of questions indicated to Sandor a clear need for his marketing expertise in the broader market. And with a history of high performance at top Canadian companies, his career is about to take off as an independent marketing specialist.

Sandor launched his career with Calgary Internet darling Critical Mass in 1997. He was soon creating strategic direction and developing marketing and e-business concepts for well-known brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Procter & Gamble. "I learned all about the web for nearly four years," Sandor says of the Critical Mass experience. "More importantly, I learned to think like a strategic marketing executive trying to solve difficult business problems that the Internet sometimes helped overcome.

"Working closely with the best and brightest minds including the company's founders and many senior managers now running the company was a priceless experience. These are some of the smartest people in this space and the people who've driven the company's world-class stature."

A highlight during his stint at Critical Mass was executing an online launch campaign for SAAB. The project earned Silver at the prestigious Ad-Tech awards against hundreds of competitors. Sandor led a team that crafted a launch program for the 9-5 Wagon. The 10-stage campaign culminated in a test drive offer. More than 30,000 new prospects, response rates exceeding 30 per cent and 1,000 test drive requests spelled big success.

In 2003, Sandor joined WestJet's e-business team.

"My e-business and marketing experiences up to that point were from a service provider perspective," Sandor explains. "Wearing the client hat and seeing challenges faced by organizations to sell, fund, develop and execute complex e-business and marketing solutions, and learning to execute inside a large organization was missing from my background. This experience provided critical learning regarding e-business, integrating solutions and learning to execute for organizations."

Sandor has realized his passion is delivering strategic marketing and e-business services, and he's ready to apply that passion to have a wider impact.

"Two types of challenges fire me up," he says. "First, I love figuring out how to package and sell a product or service and then make it happen. I also love solving complex e-business challenges and enabling teams to execute well-developed business solutions that leverage Internet technology. The two often go hand in hand. "My career experiences have helped me develop a strong understanding of technology. Blending technology and business perspectives takes time, but the knowledge is invaluable. The marketplace is telling me professionals with this type of background are rare.”

A steady increase in phone calls from business associates and prospective clients sealed his decision to become an entrepreneur.

"They were all asking the same questions: How do I leverage my brand online and offline? What should my e-business strategy be? How do I use the web to market effectively?

"Once we addressed these issues, the next question became 'Who can do the work?' "These are smart people. They either haven't been exposed to such challenges frequently or they value individuals and teams who bring fresh perspectives rooted in experience. They find I add value quickly."

Before helping WestJet, Sandor worked with a local team-building company providing strategic marketing services and even assistance in selling situations.

The client credited Sandor's work for helping to double annual sales volume. "The key to solving these marketing challenges effectively is pulling together the right people, blending perspectives, engaging in rigorous debate and then having the guts to move forward in ways that kick conventional thought in the teeth.

"I don't have all the answers, but I'm a great catalyst and understand how to get things done.”

Sandor decided it's time to fire up TeamThink Inc. to help organizations address difficult marketing and e-business challenges. TeamThink has access to a vast network of top professionals and can assemble impromptu teams or locate the right company to execute projects. TeamThink can work with any organization. Ideal situations include working with under- performing e-business/marketing units or small and mid-sized organizations looking to grow.

TeamThink is happy to take on projects with performance-based incentives as opposed to purely dollars for hours. Says Sandor: "It's a motivational model and is generally just what the doctor ordered for executives and business owners striving to get the most out of their business development and marketing folks."

If you would like more information, contact Sandor at 403.809.3488 or e-mail him at kiss@teamthink.ca.