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MICROMANAGING THE “MICRO ENTITY” PATENT FEE DISCOUNT

As a few years have passed since Congress threw a little bone to start-up inventors, we’ve learned a few things. The good news is that you might qualify for reduced patent fees under the patent laws, thanks to a “gift” from Congress to small inventors.  I didn’t follow the battle, but I expect it was a way for them to look like they are being generous in some small way when they’re raising fees in a big way. Half-price patent fees sounds like a good deal.  I used to be nervous that it might be too risky to enjoy the benefit.  I’ve mellowed out, and  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | June 19, 2025 | Business, Opinion Pieces, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

THE JOURNALIST’S GUIDE TO GUNS

(How Not to Look Like an Idiot When Writing About Guns) Journalists.  Bless their hearts.  As a rule of thumb, any time we read a news story about a subject or incident we already know a lot about, it turns out that about 25% of what’s reported is simply wrong. This is why knowledgeable gun owners distrust many news stories involving guns: because too many “journalists” display an ignorance of firearms that would be laughable if it weren’t so appalling.  If they can’t get their facts straight about gun technology and the facts about shooting, then we  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | April 21, 2025 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

WHEN TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS GO OVERBOARD

Branding Strategy for My New Product Finally, I can now reveal how a trademark attorney picks brands, and even goes a bit overboard to maximize the potential value of the venture.  It’s all about my hex key tool invention concept I wrote about some time ago. To recap, I used to get irritated with needing two Allen wrench sets and never knowing whether a socket head screw was metric or standard.  Even with both sets in hand, I not only had to test each set to find the biggest tool that fit, but then had to assess which best fit was better.  My forehead-slapping  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | March 18, 2025 | Business, Intellectual Property Advice, Marketing, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

WHY ARE YOU STILL MARKETING TO POOR PEOPLE? (Our Industry’s Missing Market Segment)

Have you ever sat down to a big round table with a bunch of industry folks, and the conversation just didn’t quite get off the ground? I had dinner some time ago with a good client, but with a bunch of key people I didn’t yet know very well. When the conversation stalled, I got out my conversational secret weapon: “So what hobbies and enthusiasms do y’all have outside of shooting?” When I ask this old standby question, I learn just how diverse we are. The responses ranged from outdoor garden model railroad layouts with vintage German locomotives, to  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | February 19, 2025 | Business, Firearms Industry Advice, Marketing | 0 Comments Read More »

HOW TO GET YOUR CUSTOMERS TO PAY YOU TO SELL TO THEM

My favorite conversation starter at a dinner table with a client and their key employees (who are usually sick of talking to each other about work) is: “So, what do you like to do outside of the gun world?”  These folks who’ve worked together for years sometimes end up learning interesting new things about each other, and I’m invariably reminded about just how interesting the people in our industry are.  I have a special soft spot for the “geek” who acquires extraordinary expertise on one narrow area (as half the industry including me did with guns before  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | January 26, 2025 | Business, Marketing | 0 Comments Read More »

TAKING THE TESLA TEST (AGAIN)

This isn’t an ordinary rerun.  It’s a TIME CAPSULE.  Five years is an eternity when looking at a company like Tesla, especially as I was merely a curious observer then, and am now an enthusiastic multiple owner and shareholder. For reasons I suspect those in our conservative community are comfortable with now that Elon helped Trump get elected.  I’ll try to leave the time capsule as it is, but offer some context in italics we go, now that these are out on the road for a year… How did you react when you first saw this truck?  On social media, especially  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | December 30, 2024 | Business, Marketing, Opinion Pieces | 0 Comments Read More »