About Us

A little history:

I grew up in a family hustling in the small business world for generations.

Like many others in this area, my grandparents on my Mom's side (1st generation) ran their chicken coops and sold chickens wholesale.

My grandfather on my Dad's side was a local carpentry whiz, and my dad, after doing his bit in the war, teamed up with my mom to kick off a couple of significant home developments.

My Dad never finished high school, yet he had a "knack" for identifying opportunities and went on to become very successful.

Things finally got underway for me

That's me, 2nd from the right.

I couldn't join in on a promotional level on any of this until we started a "nite club," or in those days, we called it a disco.

I recall how my Dad and I checked out local clubs in the area before he decided to pull the trigger and get involved in a club. He saw all the activity and said, 'Yeah, we can make this work.'

It wasn't until years later did I fully understand what was driving all that activity.

Our club was in a sweet spot in the northeast corner of CT, right up against RI and MA. Those states had a drinking age of 21, but in CT, you could legally hoist a beer at 18. So, every weekend, we had a swarm of 18-20-year-olds crossing the border to party with us in CT.

Understanding the actual driver made marketing decisions much more straightforward and forever made me want to simplify business to its essential components.

Then came promotion

Let me take you back to what I considered the top 3 promotional stunts I pulled at the club...

  1. The 'Don't Drink and Drive' Lincoln Continental:
    When stricter drunk driving laws hit the scene, I saw an opportunity. We offered free rides home in my parents' brand-new (and enormous) Lincoln Continental to anyone who'd had one too many.

    No one ever took us up on it, but we made the local news, got people talking, and boosted our patronage.

    Call it early 'News-Jacking' - we took a hot topic and spun it to our advantage.

    TIP: That means you find a current topic (like drunk driving at the time) and find an angle that the News would quickly pick up.

  2. The Infamous Suitcase Party:
    My sister returned from the University of Michigan with tales of a suitcase party. You show up with your packed suitcase, and if you win, you're whisked away on a trip.

    I adapted it - our winners were flown to Atlantic City for a night on the town in a private plane.

    I was friendly with the guys at the local airport because of my recently minted pilot's license... So I struck a deal with the local airport owner. It was a win-win - we both got a publicity boost and new customers.

    TIP: By partnering up with another local small business (the airport), I was able to get positive publicity for both of us and generated lots of attention and recognition. Not to mention some great memories for people and new customers for both of us.

  3. Mrs. B's Light-Up Earrings:
    My Mom, Mrs. B, was the heart and soul of the club. On a trip to Vegas, she found these battery-powered earrings that lit up.

    She'd wear them around the club; people knew her as the woman who ran the place with those fabulous, glowing earrings.

    It was her brand, her 'thing.'


    Tip:     This was a great example of personal branding.
    Having that "One" thing that you or your business is known for helps solidify you in people's minds.

    Takeaway? Find your 'thing.' That one element that sets you or your business apart.

    Like the Post Office restaurant in Willimantic, CT - they're a microbrewery but famous for their gigantic, delicious burgers.  "Remember, you can shape your brand, but your customers ultimately decide what you're known for."

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In another venture, I managed to talk my product on to the American Gladiators and MTV. Talk about a wild ride! I'll explain all the details, including how we used the same process Elon Musk used to build rockets.

And then there was the time when Muhammad Ali's daughter Laila and some big-name music stars found us in another product.

But hey, I don't want to just spin yarns here.
There are lots more, and I don't want to bore you.

What I do want to do, tho', is share real-life examples of good promotion and marketing that generated actual results.

I have a treasure trove of real-life marketing and promotional examples that delivered real results. And I can't wait to share them with you.

BTW - it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows.
I've had my share of scrapes with things not working out.

So, if you're curious about the ins and outs of making a local business famous, you might want to check out 'How I see it...'

Or you can sign up here, and I'll keep you posted.

You can find the sign-up thing at the bottom of this page.