We’ve Never Done Any Marketing

You can register now for our next Entrepreneurial Fish Bowl, where we will brainstorm ideas for a family manufacturing business.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:    

• Lou Mosca offers some warnings about choosing a CRM.

• The SBA has made a little-noticed change in its 7(a) lending.

• Especially with health costs rising, raises are expected to be flat in 2025.

• It’s a twist on Mortician: Should a casket company have a mascot named Mort?

THE 21 HATS ENTREPRENEURIAL FISH BOWL

We’ve Never Done Any Marketing: We will record our next Entrepreneurial Fish Bowl with Chris Hutchinson on Wednesday, November 14 at 1 ET. As most of you know, these Fish Bowls are virtual gatherings where one person presents a challenge, and Chris leads us through the process of asking probing questions, breaking into smaller groups to brainstorm, and then offering our thoughts and suggestions. We also publish the conversations as podcasts.

• On November 14, our guests will be Alvin Elbert and his daughter, Megan Perona, whose family business, A.R.E. Manufacturing, is based in Oregon and makes machined components using high precision CNC equipment. Started by Alvin as a side hustle in a garage in 1980, A.R.E. had its best year ever in 2022 but for a variety of reasons, business has fallen off since then.

• Alvin and Megan have concluded that A.R.E., which traditionally has relied upon word-of-mouth to drive sales, has to attempt its first real marketing. And that’s what our Fish Bowl brainstorm will focus on. As always, the hope is that this will give us all the opportunity to learn a few things while also giving back to someone who would like to draw upon the wisdom of the 21 Hats crowd.

• Please join us. Attendance is open to 21 Hats paid subscribers.