Reasons to Fear Men in Spandex:

In honor of the spring cycling season, here are other reasons to fear men (and women) in spandex:

Lets start with Ratt:

And then Dokken:

And perhaps my all time favorite 80's heavy metal band: TS

Rock on

Zombies!!!!

zombies for the holidays!

go to the Scene for your free Zombie holiday card.

SB Insight Series: Curt Goodrich Bicycles

In an effort to explore the marketing challenges today’s small business owners have, here is the second of many interviews exploring a variety of businesses and companies. The goal here is to listen to what they have to say about their world, find out what marketing works for them and find out what how that can help others.

Curt Goodrich

2010 E. Hennepin Ave. Suite #04-023 Minneapolis, MN 55413

Phone: 612.788.6812

email: info@curtgoodrich.com

www.curtgoodrich.com

Curt Goodrich is a lucky guy. He happens to be a craftsman doing what he has the talent and passion to do; Curt Goodrich is a custom bicycle frame builder. His talent is renown across the country. His frames are highly desirable works of art. They are built to provide their owners exactly the ride desired. Curt delivers frame sets that he has handcrafted from start to finish to those used to waiting in line.

Curt has been building frames since 1995, either for other brands or for his own. That’s a long time to hone your craft. Now he is building his frames in a largely artist community, in NE Minneapolis. His studio has the feel of production; tools and sandpaper cover workspace. Big tooling machinery en-circle a single bike stand holding a bare-metal steel frame.

Curt understands the minds of his clients. He understands their desire for something significantly different than the usual fare, the boring brands that fill the bike shops across the country. His customers are connoisseurs of the craft. And this works to his benefit; they are a determined bunch. They will ride what they currently own, but will eventual settle for their desires. Sure, they expect perfection and Curt can deliver, but they’ll wait for it.

So Curt’s marketing challenge is simple: To stay in front of these people; be present so that when they are ready to purchase, they’ll come to him. That might take a long time- a year, maybe longer, but these are big purchases.

Curt’s marketing plan is two-fold: a website that functions as the main communication tool and the support of a racing team that brings to life his brand on a local and national level.

Curt recently redesigned his website. It is now a harder working tool, interacting with his customers. It requires consistent updating and is built to stay “current”. But other than time, it costs him very little.

Curt’s sponsored race team requires significantly more effort, but not from Curt himself. The team is an outreach to the local community that may not know Curt Goodrich as a brand name. Curt hand picked racers who are community pillars, rather than flash-in-the-pan successes. He goal is to bring attention to the older, smarter crowd (his audience). Success comes easy to the team and to Curt, who now has a state champion on his team.

Curt realizes his audience makes this big decision only once-in-a-while. They find a connection with Curt’s brand and desire his craftsmanship. Not unlike an artist, his skills are highly valued. And to the collecting crowd, or to the racing audience, Curt’s bikes are something to desire.

However, Curt is not immune to the economic tumbles. Last year, Curt received the highest award for the off-road-bike category at the annual National Hand Built Bicycle Show. His brand and workmanship received national attention in major publications, both national and international. Pictures and stories were published, but to this point, not a single frame has yet been sold due all that attention.

In the end, this attention will build’s Curt’s brand as a national talent and this is not lost on Curt. The trick for Curt has been to turn that attention into sales. And for his customers, this spectacle supports the desires to invest in Curt’s talents.

If you are interested in checking out Curt’s talent as a bike builder, head to his website and poke around. If you wonder about his quality, look at the bike that won the MN state championship for the 45+ category.

Lucky guy….

SISU sends out cool tees to team members

crossniac team members got one of these. Mpls syndicate getting something special-er

SB Insight Series: The Modern Café

In an effort to explore the marketing challenges today’s small business owners have, here is the first of many interviews exploring a variety of businesses and companies. The goal here is to listen to what they have to say about their world, find out what works for them and find out what how that can help others.

Jim Grell

The Modern Café

337 13th Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55413

Phone: (612) 378 9882

Email: modernmpls@gmail.com

moderncafeminneapolis.com

Jim Grell has own the Modern Café for 15 years. That’s quite a feat, considering the ups and downs of today’s restaurant world. Decidable different, the Modern Café serves American-modern classics from its small, but efficient kitchen. Its pot roast remains the well-known offering, but delicious varieties of burgers and pastas fill in the menu.

When I met with Jim, Friday’s lunch hour was coming to its end. I sat up at the bar, by Jim’s bloodied trophies. Jim has an approachable, yet sarcastic vibe. He comes across as honest.

Fifteen years in business gives someone like Jim a great perspective on trends, on what works and doesn’t. Jim has a strong opinion on what tactics do matter for his business growth. He is surprised by what no longer does.

The first ten years brought Jim and the Modern a great amount of growth. Jim had the ability to invest in new ventures and bring the Modern to stability. These were good times for the Modern. The past five have plateaued. The Modern’s growth has slowed or stayed the same.

Print ads have little return for his dollar. PR used to be very effective, however the newspaper blurb that would bring in a crowd rarely has the same effect. Even the new website has been hard to track as useful. It has been frustrating to Jim that these avenues bring more ambiguity than clearity. Jim understands that some of this is necessary, but puts less and less energy behind them.

But, Jim’s vision is clear, “Get out there and touch the flesh.” “Make eye contact and shake a lot of hands.” For Jim, this is the strongest approach to growth and new customers. Therefore, Jim involves the Modern in many charity events, high-presence events and he looks to link the Modern with equally powerful brands such as wine and liquor companies. Jim attends many “food” events and finds them effective in meeting new customers. It is hit or miss – or as he calls it, “a turd in the punch bowl,” – for him, but still more effective than traditional advertising.

Jim knows what he offers. He knows his product and service are superior to those in his neighborhood. He watches new ventures come and go. He names two new restaurants that he expects to impload.

“My goal is to own this neighborhood.” He says with determination. “It’s (the Modern) perfect for our world, we are the new Amish.”

Jim recently went to France on a cooking trip. He went looking for the new offering, the new thing. Instead he found confirmation that he is on the right track. “In France, its all about the classics, done right. They aren’t doing anything different than we are, they just do it better.”

So, how does Jim use marketing and design to bring this message forward? Beyond the necessary ad here or there, he’s figuring that out as he goes. Jim admits he's technology-clueless and nervous about putting energy into social marketing ventures. In the meantime, he’s shaking hands, meeting people and trying to avoid the turds in the punch bowl.

Inspiration: Skateboard Shoes

Inspiration: Skateboarding Shoes. The genius of them all.

Nothing Like a Fun Beer Campaign

The Most Interesting Man in the World for Dos Equis

nice to see a solid campaign for a beer brand...(copy and paste)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2XuEnNiMF4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUdSjpc9-70&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2SSZA0CjdQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0vyx9sa99E&feature=PlayList&p=DB0EB20C0B948617&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=55

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxw0_Pxymyk&feature=PlayList&p=DB0EB20C0B948617&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=58

cleaning house

....................................