The article capitalizes on the notion that in a time of such investment turmoil, there is no place to put your money like the small mom-and-pop shops of America – very much that Wall Street to Main Street ideology that we were educated on during the last presidential race.

Why is it a good place to put some cash?

43 million Americans work for companies employing less than 100 workers. Throughout the past 15 years, small business has cranked 64% of the countries new jobs. More than 50% of American nonfarm GDP is created by small business.

As Mr. Kurson points out, small business is indeed big business. Not to mention, it offers personal rewards unattainable when working for the big guys. Cleaning toilets, stocking the fridge and swinging by the office to pick up the Saturday mail give you a certain satisfaction that you just can’t get in the corporate world. Sounds strange, but it’s so very true.

Mr. Kurson then goes on to offer three simple tips for making it happen. Tips that we’ve found to be of the utmost importance at Gorilla 76.

1. Learning QuickBooks is the single best thing you can do.

2. Cash flow is king. Or the lifeblood, as we’ve previously referred to it. Without it, well, you’re out of business.

3. Marketing is a must (obviously). This budget is tempting to cut. But don’t. Do you quit watering the lawn during a drought?

So, in closi…sorry, got to run. Last minute client meeting scheduled and our pantry is bare and the bathroom, well…

I just cracked open a book that’s been taunting me from my bookshelf for the past two months – The Houdini Solution by noted copywriter Ernie Schenck (McGraw-Hill, 2007).

I’m only a few chapters in, but I’ve already found a passage that really intrigues me. It starts on page 21. It (and the rest of the book) deals specifically with thinking INSIDE the box – meaning doing creative thinking when restraints are boxing you in. In marketing (and life) this is often how we are presented with opportunities. Very seldom do we get a “blank canvas”.

“Instead of working around creative obstacles, Jack (White – most noted for his lead in The White Stripes) invents them. So severe are these self-imposed restrictions, they border on the monastic. No computers. No digital recording technology. No bass guitars. No studio equipment invented after 1968. No clothes that aren’t red, white or black. It’s a kind of forced creative captivity that nurtures innovation and strives for a form of music that’s far more rooted in talent than it is in technology.”

This idea of thriving in an environment that is intentionally staged to be more difficult is fascinating to me. Often, in marketing, budget is the obstacle that boxes us in. Let’s face it – traditional media isn’t cheap (and digital counterparts can be equally expensive). Often, clients feel that if they don’t have deep pockets, they can’t do anything remarkable.

This is wrong. Very, very wrong. So incredibly wrong. Perhaps one of the most wrong things ever. Some of the greatest marketing campaigns ever have stemmed from small budgets. Instead of worrying that you don’t have enough to spend, instead, be concerned with who you are spending what money you do have, with. Look for a group that can think “inside the box”, finding a unique way to tell your story with even the most severe restraints.

I know a couple of guys that can help if you can’t find anybody. Thanks for reading.

-the one that writes

In summation, it’s an account of why we buy what we do, and how marketing and branding have evolved to accommodate. The entire book is worth reading, but a few particular points that jumped out at me were in regards to color. I, of course, have a minimal (but growing) background in art, so these findings were all new to me.

In one study, Mr. Lindstrom conducted a research project with a group of women that were all presented with a Tiffany-blue box. No logo. Nothing inside. Just a blue box. Their heart rates went up by 20%. Wow – that’s strong branding. The Tiffany-blue was instantly identified as being part of a product that stirred strong emotions.

Takeaway number two: In a study of phone book advertising, research proved that ads in color hold consumers’ interest for two seconds or more. Black-and-white counterparts? Less than one second.

And takeaway three: A study by the Seoul International Color Expo discovered that color can increase brand recognition by 80%. That’s a lot.

So my takeaway? Don’t just excuse brand colors as something that needs to be checked off the list when building your brand – and I’m sure you wouldn’t. Establishing your visual system is an essential element in creating a brand. Give it some thought, have others give it some thought and then give it some more thought. Make sure you’re happy with it because you need to live with it for a long time. That’s an essential ingredient of building a lasting brand – consistency.

Thanks for reading. You are reading aren’t you?

Jon