The Neophyte Project

So, in my last post I hinted at a new direction for this blog and the formation of a Marketing Neophyte team. Well, here’s the basic idea.

Chad Ludeman and I are both relatively untrained (in the traditional sense) marketers who also happen to be proud members of the Fishtown - E. Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. As neophyte marketers and concerned community members we have noticed the difficulties of the small start-up companies in our area. Particular those companies that lack the time, money and expertise for proper marketing efforts.

I think we can all agree that every company would benefit from marketing assistance, particularly those just starting out. Knowing this and wanting companies to succeed in our area, Chad and I, the first members of the Neophyte team, have decided to take on projects helping small start-up businesses grow and succeed.

Our first project is Cornerstone Market and Produce, a new, much needed produce market and deli in Fishtown. Our intent is to offer them focused attention for a month on their entire marketing plan including simple web presence, in-store design, promotions and events and pretty much anything else we come up with. During this time careful reporting will allow us to measure the impact of various tactics and ideas.

The plans will focus on no cost or low cost options. Bootstrapping with”expert” direction is the idea we are shooting for. With that in mind, we are also not charging anything for this help. Crazy? Yes, but there are reasons.

Most small companies can’t afford the type of marketing assistance we are offering. This means that their growth is slower and their road to profitability is longer. The hope is that through helping these few companies and requiring careful documentation of the results we can provide useful information to all young businesses starting with little capital. Of course, if the companies we work with become profitable we might not mind a little kick-back.

In fact, to be perfectly honest, our preliminary work with Cornerstone has already paid in cheese. The owners brought a very tasty cheese plate to the after part of my fiancee Marie’s gallery opening.

Next time I will introduce you to the two Mikes that own and operate Cornerstone and tell you a bit about our preliminary meetings. Stay tuned and as always, use the comments to let me know what you think.