Years ago, my Amazing Administrative Assistant, Lisa, asked me why I don’t connect with clients on Facebook. I told her I just use it for social purposes, staying in touch with family and old friends. Recently, she gave me a virtual poke in the ribs after I told her how my recent Facebook efforts have had an impressive impact on reaching clients and contacts in the firearms industry. (Lisa, you were right!) [...]
Once at the SHOT show the owner of a particular company took me aside, and walked me a good distance from his booth. He didn’t come right out and say it. He hemmed and hawed a bit about the future of his company. He talked about making his business more valuable. I finally figured out what he was asking: “So, you want to sell your company down the road, and do what you can now to maximize the selling price then, right?” “Right!” He told me he’d been in the industry his whole adult life, loved the business, but was going to be ready to retire or move on to [...]
After relocating to the Dallas area from rural northern Nevada, I’m thinking about the bookshelf I left behind. [...]
It’s inevitable. Newlyweds who plan eventually to start a family will start talking about baby names. I find the statistical trends interesting. How a girl’s name like “Brittany” can go from trendy, to commonplace, to a “stripper” name (apologies to those with loved ones with this name). So I was fascinated to learn about one of the newest trends in baby names: Firearms trademarks! Source: babynamewizard.com According to a recent report in the Daily Beast: [...]
Every month, I personally review every trademark filing made in the firearms industry. In this post I’m going to share some of the secrets I learn from such a snoop, in this case, one from a little over a year ago. In April 2014, there were 121 trademark applications filed in the international class that includes firearms and fireworks. Incidentally, fireworks trademark can be fun. Because trademarks apply only to your goods and services and not to unrelated goods, you might get some good ideas from fireworks trademarks. (I also think that historic military equipment [...]
Good news! You might qualify for reduced patent fees under new patent laws, thanks to a “gift” from Congress to small inventors. The bad news is that it might be too risky to enjoy the benefit. In a change in the patent laws, Congress created a “Micro Entity” status that provides reduced fees for the smallest inventors and start-up companies. Before, there were “Large Entities” [...]
