Posts by Dan Fontaine
Tailfin Marketing: Small Business Hiring Strategy
Greg Abel from Tailfin Marketing says his company is built on letting the workplace develop organically. They don’t have a rigid organizational chart with positions to fill when hiring; instead, they hire based on personality and individual skill. They emphasize having a diverse group of people, searching for a wide range of skills that will…
Read This ArticleTailfin Marketing: Differentiate Yourself
Tailfin Marketing’s approach is all about identifying differentiation opportunities—ways to show how a business is different from everybody else. How is your idea different from what’s already out there? It doesn’t have to be wildly different, but you have to be able to explain and defend a real brand position that differentiates you from the…
Read This ArticleTailfin Marketing: Be a Partner
It might be cliché, but no company wants to be thought of as just a “vendor.” Greg Abel and Tailfin Marketing place an emphasis on bringing value to their clients and building relationships—ensuring that they are seen as a partner and not just a vendor. Their best successes, he said, come when they are really…
Read This ArticleTailfin Marketing: Relationships Lead to Clients
One of the best ways to find new clients comes from leveraging past relationships. Greg Abel is the Co-Founder and Director of Strategy and Client Services at Tailfin Marketing, and shared some of the secret sauce that he and Tailfin have used to grow their client base. Aside from the new relationships that Tailfin has…
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Small Biz Stories: Protect Your Vision
One of the most important things for an entrepreneur to do at the beginning of a new venture is to protect their vision. Louie Northern of Ascend Aerials suggests that when you are working on an idea, it’s important to hone the idea and pitch it to other people, but to do so carefully in…
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Small Biz Stories: The Pre-Revenue Stage
Louie Northern’s company Ascend Aerials is currently pre-revenue, meaning they have not yet marketed to the point where they have customers. But that is intentional as a result of working to meet FAA regulations to operate commercially. While still in the pre-revenue stage, Ascend Aerials has had great success finding clients, even high-profile ones, who…
Read This ArticleMary Beth Bryant: A Passion for Helping Others
The mission of business is helping others—plain and simple. A successful, sustainable mission must provide value to its customers, and make their lives better. For Mary Beth Bryant, of CelloLessonsWithMaryBeth.com, her business is about helping others learn how to communicate. The cello teaches discipline, emotion, and responsibility, she says. She teaches her students how to…
Read This ArticleMary Beth Bryant: Never Stop Learning
An essential element to success is continual learning and improvement. Mary Beth Bryant, from CelloLessonsWithMaryBeth.com, has been playing the cello for 20 years, and teaching for 10—but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped learning. “People who say they don’t need to learn any more scare me,” she says. “A true entrepreneur really respects that there’s always…
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Burnt Hickory Brewery: Marketing a Local Brewery
Scott Hedeen is the founder and brewmaster of Burnt Hickory Brewery, located in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta. Scott classifies Burnt Hickory as a “nanobrewery,” competing in the rapidly growing Atlanta craft-beer industry. To set himself apart from the pack, Scott has taken the time to build a unique brand that uses both his own…
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Burnt Hickory Brewery: Startup Resources
Starting a new business requires a wide range of knowledge and resources to help push through all the requirements—as well as the unforeseen obstacles that can get in your way. Scott Hedeen’s experience at the Burnt Hickory Brewery was no different. For help, he relied on his own knowledge of, and contacts within, the brewing…
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