Another Brokeback MTN to Climb, Casket Branding, Flat Broke Plan to Promises Land.

Right Place/Wrong Time… From scratch his company was valued around $12 million while making between $2m to $3m a year in a stretch from 2015 to 2021.

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He hit a bump, down to $200,000 in sales, then rock bottom end of 2024 and now down to a few friends.?

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Yesterday, I met him at a Starbucks - a quick handshake loan so they would not cut off his phone and lose other life parts like car, rent etc.?

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He’ll be back in the high life again as an entrepreneur, member and a friend of mine.

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Difference between a life bump and broke for good?

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Broke but not bitter.

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Today he is in good spirits executing the ‘flat broke’ plan when there is no safety net like 2nd income or savings. Investment was the company.?

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First thing I tell him. Stop fishing. Start gigging1.?

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CliffCo Rock Bottom Plan:?

-fast commission sales during the day. Got him into CarMax first thing this morning. -$20.00/hr with high industry commission, 4 to 5 walk-ins per day. 6 days per week, 10 hrs per day.? - $1200 per week in pay, plus commission between 4 to 5 grand. Between walk-ins, work on next company.? -evenings: Bartender. Go see Miguel and tell him I sent you. Cash on the barrel head. -weekends: Gainesville Marina. Stupid Money Floats.?

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Hope does too.

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Speaking of bitter, there’s a book to be written in the circumspect play of “co-founders’” and by coincidence the founders (4 or 5) from the publication ‘Bitter Southerner ’ called.

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They have watched their cult like following melt away since their top (my view) ‘co-founder’ walked away and then a large publication invested in them. A little familiarity, so I listened to their spiel.

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They said:?

“Thinking about changing our name to something like: Better South.” They’ve run into dirt and now trying silly stuff.??

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My reply: “Worst idea since someone changed Oxford to 21 Hats.”?

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First, Boring…af… And I think I’m a bitter southerner anyway.

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Maybe, wrong guy to ask.

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Everything we do down here still gets overshadowed by Scarlett and an inglorious past. And here, we are not celebrating hoop skirts and rebel flags.

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We are doing some good blending with music, culture and business. Art? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. WIP.?

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The Bitter South publication was successful when it was not selling bitter or better but “we are cool too." Cool sells.

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Lesson

Get the senior team in the room.

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Question on whiteboard: What are we selling?

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Have each person answer separately. Before leaving, universal agreement.?

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Dan Cathy told me one time, "we are not selling fries, everything we do is to glorify God.

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Salvation sells in the South and other sh*t too. We even have soccer fans now.

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Western Sales A relatively recent funeral offering popping up across Montana2 is casket branding which are applied on the outside with a hot iron; casket applications done by family in attendance. ?

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Lesson

What value-added offerings are we missing that are right under our noses?

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Funeral home owners should look at personal and company brand applications. I'll skip the Jack Fish - just lay me at the feet of Robert E Lee.?

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We both can atone for our sins. It might take a while.

Hebrews 12:15, "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."

Cliff Notes:

1. Gigging is the practice of hunting fish or small game with a gig or similar multi-pronged spear.

2. The state flower of Montana is the Bitter Root Spring which sustained Native Americans with dense nutrition.?