You made it. Most of the marketing weapons you deployed as a result of reading this book
have worked. I say “most” because not everything works 100% for every company, every
time. A lot of marketing, as in life, is done by trial and error, but through the efforts you
have put in, your company is growing at a nice pace and profits are flowing upward. Your
baby boomer market has embraced your product or service and it’s almost as if they can’t
get enough of it. Everything that you hoped for is beginning to happen and you are on your
way to achieving the success you set out for.
A successful company has these basic attributes:
1. They maintain a marketing plan that attracts new and repeated customers.
2. They are watching expenses and operating in the black.
3. They have employees and/or contractors who are good at what they do.
4. The profit margins are at a healthy 20%-50% and up.
5. The company is contributing to the overall well being of society.
These should be the overall goals you have for your business. Companies don’t get there
overnight, however, so if you are lagging in any of these areas, simply amp up that part of
your plan so you can realize the success you want.
At this point, the question you will want to ask yourself is: How much daily work time do I
want to put into my marketing for continued success? If the answer is less than you are
putting in right now, you will need to readjust what you are doing so that you create
processes that will run on autopilot without much of your attention.
Another thing, you’ll want to ponder at this point is how you want to move forward from
here and what type of impact you intend to make. Most people I know who have successful
businesses have started additional ones because they simply cannot stop moving ahead
and challenging themselves. Often, they invest in other people’s businesses as partners or
angel investors. This is what Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson and many,
many others have done. These billionaires create and/or fund new business all the time.
Donald Trump has over 100 businesses, as does Sir Richard Branson. I know they are the
exception, but they are also good examples of business success. Have they failed at times?
Yes, over and over again. I can say that with absolute certainty because it is part of the
human experience to fail. The thing that sets these icons apart is their resilience, patience
and drive. They have found a way to tap into the creative life gene that we all have, but
which may be lying dormant within us.
Mark Burnett who wrote and produced the Survivor series keeps making more and more
great reality shows. One of my favorites is Shark Tank with Mark Cuban. Mark appears on
the show with several other successful business icons. On each episode, about five
entrepreneurs show their business ideas, plans and request funds to develop their
business. The audience gets to watch the panel grill the new entrepreneurs about their
business plans. Some of the ideas are quite sound, while others are outrageous. I would
guess that one third or less of the struggling entrepreneurs are taken seriously and are
actually funded. Starting new businesses is now an American pastime. And it is becoming
big business on television.
Now you might be wondering what all of this has to do with marketing to baby boomers? A
successful guerrilla always plans ahead and keeps an open mind while he or she progresses
along new journeys. The guerrilla always thinks creatively and far beyond how the normal
business owner thinks. Consider helping baby boomers with their new business startups.
This can be in the back of your mind as you are building and reviewing your marketing
plan. You know how to market to boomers and you have been successful, so spread the
love. Giving back is part of any successful business model. Become an angel or partner
investor to a focused and determined entrepreneur. Create a win-win between you and a
potentially brilliant company. Or help an educational program expand to promote better
educational systems and tools. The ideas are endless as to the new ventures you could set
out on after building a successful company.
Here are a few websites that could use your help in the form of time or money:
www.funded.com Where people go to find investors for their businesses.
www.gust.com/Angel-Investors Sources for finding angel investors – you could be here.
www.standup.com Helping improve our public schools.
www.readtofeed.com Ensuring that children receive a good reading program.
www.worldteacheraid.com Building schools and promoting education in Kenya.
www.Kiva.com Helping third world small businesses succeed.
www.Give.org A charity giving guide.
www.oprahsangelnetwork.org Awards $6 million in grants to U.S. charter school program.
www.gatesfoundation.org Everything from helping small farmers to global partnerships in
health.
The more each of us succeeds and then helps others succeed, the healthier our world
economy will be. At this point in our world history, there have never been so many small
and medium sized businesses. As more technology moves forward, more people will be
self-reliant income producers. Social Media has propelled this thought to the 100th degree.
We live in a viral world. E-books are being made in record number and self-publishing is all
the rage now. A good guerrilla marketer studies these trends and watches the changes that
take place in the way business is being done and transforms their business plans as such.
As you move forward in your journey as a guerrilla marketer and a business owner, make
sure you are slamming no doors. Be sure you are staying creative and plotting your course
along the way, rechecking your steps at each point. Never underestimate the power of a
tiny idea, and don’t be afraid to do things differently. Remember that in order to stand out
from the pack, you need to think and act differently than the pack. Bring your best weapons
into battle knowing along the way that the true guerrilla wins through cooperation and
ethics. If you haven’t let your inner guerrilla out yet, stop waiting. Now is the time to create
the business you’ve always dreamed of.
have worked. I say “most” because not everything works 100% for every company, every
time. A lot of marketing, as in life, is done by trial and error, but through the efforts you
have put in, your company is growing at a nice pace and profits are flowing upward. Your
baby boomer market has embraced your product or service and it’s almost as if they can’t
get enough of it. Everything that you hoped for is beginning to happen and you are on your
way to achieving the success you set out for.
A successful company has these basic attributes:
1. They maintain a marketing plan that attracts new and repeated customers.
2. They are watching expenses and operating in the black.
3. They have employees and/or contractors who are good at what they do.
4. The profit margins are at a healthy 20%-50% and up.
5. The company is contributing to the overall well being of society.
These should be the overall goals you have for your business. Companies don’t get there
overnight, however, so if you are lagging in any of these areas, simply amp up that part of
your plan so you can realize the success you want.
At this point, the question you will want to ask yourself is: How much daily work time do I
want to put into my marketing for continued success? If the answer is less than you are
putting in right now, you will need to readjust what you are doing so that you create
processes that will run on autopilot without much of your attention.
Another thing, you’ll want to ponder at this point is how you want to move forward from
here and what type of impact you intend to make. Most people I know who have successful
businesses have started additional ones because they simply cannot stop moving ahead
and challenging themselves. Often, they invest in other people’s businesses as partners or
angel investors. This is what Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson and many,
many others have done. These billionaires create and/or fund new business all the time.
Donald Trump has over 100 businesses, as does Sir Richard Branson. I know they are the
exception, but they are also good examples of business success. Have they failed at times?
Yes, over and over again. I can say that with absolute certainty because it is part of the
human experience to fail. The thing that sets these icons apart is their resilience, patience
and drive. They have found a way to tap into the creative life gene that we all have, but
which may be lying dormant within us.
Mark Burnett who wrote and produced the Survivor series keeps making more and more
great reality shows. One of my favorites is Shark Tank with Mark Cuban. Mark appears on
the show with several other successful business icons. On each episode, about five
entrepreneurs show their business ideas, plans and request funds to develop their
business. The audience gets to watch the panel grill the new entrepreneurs about their
business plans. Some of the ideas are quite sound, while others are outrageous. I would
guess that one third or less of the struggling entrepreneurs are taken seriously and are
actually funded. Starting new businesses is now an American pastime. And it is becoming
big business on television.
Now you might be wondering what all of this has to do with marketing to baby boomers? A
successful guerrilla always plans ahead and keeps an open mind while he or she progresses
along new journeys. The guerrilla always thinks creatively and far beyond how the normal
business owner thinks. Consider helping baby boomers with their new business startups.
This can be in the back of your mind as you are building and reviewing your marketing
plan. You know how to market to boomers and you have been successful, so spread the
love. Giving back is part of any successful business model. Become an angel or partner
investor to a focused and determined entrepreneur. Create a win-win between you and a
potentially brilliant company. Or help an educational program expand to promote better
educational systems and tools. The ideas are endless as to the new ventures you could set
out on after building a successful company.
Here are a few websites that could use your help in the form of time or money:
www.funded.com Where people go to find investors for their businesses.
www.gust.com/Angel-Investors Sources for finding angel investors – you could be here.
www.standup.com Helping improve our public schools.
www.readtofeed.com Ensuring that children receive a good reading program.
www.worldteacheraid.com Building schools and promoting education in Kenya.
www.Kiva.com Helping third world small businesses succeed.
www.Give.org A charity giving guide.
www.oprahsangelnetwork.org Awards $6 million in grants to U.S. charter school program.
www.gatesfoundation.org Everything from helping small farmers to global partnerships in
health.
The more each of us succeeds and then helps others succeed, the healthier our world
economy will be. At this point in our world history, there have never been so many small
and medium sized businesses. As more technology moves forward, more people will be
self-reliant income producers. Social Media has propelled this thought to the 100th degree.
We live in a viral world. E-books are being made in record number and self-publishing is all
the rage now. A good guerrilla marketer studies these trends and watches the changes that
take place in the way business is being done and transforms their business plans as such.
As you move forward in your journey as a guerrilla marketer and a business owner, make
sure you are slamming no doors. Be sure you are staying creative and plotting your course
along the way, rechecking your steps at each point. Never underestimate the power of a
tiny idea, and don’t be afraid to do things differently. Remember that in order to stand out
from the pack, you need to think and act differently than the pack. Bring your best weapons
into battle knowing along the way that the true guerrilla wins through cooperation and
ethics. If you haven’t let your inner guerrilla out yet, stop waiting. Now is the time to create
the business you’ve always dreamed of.
Next Chapter - Chapter 29: Executing Your Marketing Plan
