Stepping back to the original posting of Bruce's thoughts on his business woes, personally, I did not particularly relish feeling the heat. I can understand where he is at about it, having been there done that, want to extend compassion to any artisan doing good work who is having a hard time, but is a public expression of such bitterness a good thing? In that it has prompted kindly and or irritated CR members to offer advice, I guess it can be, but when it comes down to holding your own in this tough life, keeping it together, hanging in there; all the descriptives that describe man's fortitude against the forces of nature and society, sometimes it comes down to only your "funk" being left, between you and the wolves there salivating and wanting to tear you apart. It is better not to lose it.
"This is a man's world" ~ James Brown
Dennis Young Hotaka, Japan
> For my two cents, Bruce Gordon makes some great points. Even if
> Bruce is the worst marketer on the planet (maybe he is?) it does
> not matter. Bruce's products are out there - he has put them in
> the public eye at a variety of bike shows. Yet the competition he
> mentions continues to sell lots of product, and he is struggling.
> It is an indictment of the publics lack of understanding that is
> starving Bruce for orders - folks should be knocking his doors down.
>
> You can certanly say that Bruce is either right or wrong or in the
> middle on how he runs his business. But I certainly can't deny
> that he has a good point to make in his frustration at the number
> of folks out there who "don't get it" - and one of the reasons is
> because of the "marketers" manipulation of peoples perceptions.
>
> Mike Kone in Boulder CO