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We need to get serious about B2B, B2C relationships with fellow Gulch members

Posted by BrettRocketSci 8 years, 1 month ago to Business
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How many of us are putting our money where are values are? In other words, how many of us are trading with people and companies who share our values and principles?
I'm in the process of establishing a new independent agency for insurance and financial services based in the Sacramento CA region. I will need and benefit from a comprehensive network of other professionals and services to support my own business and serve my clients.
Despite the many challenges, injustices, and threats that exist in our world today, we must recognize (and embrace) the benefits and opportunities that still exist. One of those is the ability to seek out and do business with people & companies who share our values - locally and anywhere through the web. If we each don't bother to take the time and energy to invest that effort and act consistent with our values, what the heck are we doing here, I honestly ask you?? (I mean here on Galt's Gulch online, and here on this planet to be blunt about it.)
I just finished looking at all of the businesses listed in the Marketplace and will be making some phone calls to explore exclusive or preferred B2B arrangements. Within the next couple of months you should find me there, but I'm writing this quick post to say don't wait for that. Make a conscious decision to seek out, qualify, and build relationships with others who share your values beyond the immediate and superficial transaction. I'm very thankful we have this Galt's Gulch Online and saw the power of it immediately. We must turn this community into more than an online forum for news, commentary, discussion, and commiserating. The urgency is now. The time to create our own Gulch - from wherever we live - is now. I'm not getting paid to promote the Marketplace on this Gulch, it's for my own selfish interests. I want to find a comprehensive ecosystem of businesses and partners there who can help me survive and thrive in the years ahead. Let's get seriously focused and productive people! With integrity - meaning, with other people here in the Gulch. Who else is committed to that?


All Comments

  • Posted by Jstork 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I do general construction, fabrication, problem solving, and idea creation. I do this in my time off from my full time job and when I am not working in the summer. I have worked on greenhouse erection, a solar array of 9.5KW, wood gasifier/boiler installation including (simplified pipe fitting and electrical) in order to keep the projects simple, and affordable, small concrete pours, light and heavy duty mechanics and troubleshooting, all the way down to fencing and landscaping. I often help troubleshoot problems and create solutions for various farm, and general construction issues and projects. If I don't know the answer, I will try to find it. Kind of a glorified jack of all trades and master of none. Just trying to make the world a better place. The fellow I often work with is much the same and between the two of us, we can do a lot.
    Sorry that this probably doesn't help as it is not very specific.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks. I remember that organization! Wonder what happened with it...
    Thanks for the caution. Being exclusive is not my strategy or goal. It is my strong preference, but I do need to be thoughtful and careful about making this counterproductive for others or myself. Thanks.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I saw the movie; was unwilling to miss it; but it did not begin to do justice to the book. In fact, I could have written a better script. (Not to brag about being a great writer, because Ayn Rand had already done most of the work, and once the decisions had been made about what to cut and what to save, it need not have involved much but straight copy from the book).
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 8 years, 1 month ago
    It would be nice if such an organization existed.
    Actually, it did once exist--it was the Association of Objectivist Businessmen. There was an AOB Newsletter, and it came out, I think, once a month.
    In fact, I had a subscription to it. (I was told that one did not have to be a business owner to get
    a subscription). But that periodical quit publish-
    ing, I don't know why.
    I benefited from it, because it provided a way
    for me to get in contact with someone who would
    sell me plastic gloves (required as a health mea-
    sure on my hot dog cart), after my boss started
    buying them from Red China (which products I
    refused to use, and for which for a while substituted Zip-
    lock bags); but AOB eventually helped me get
    the right gloves.
    So there is a good reason for the existence
    of such an organization. But I would beware of
    getting an attitude of "I will do business only with
    Objectivists, and never any outsiders." After
    all, if I wanted to get a job somewhere, or to
    start a business, I would not like it if my neigh-
    bors were to get the attitude of "So you're an
    Objectivist?!--Sorry, I don't want to buy from
    anybody who is not a Christian." Or, "What
    church do you go to?--None?! I don't rent rooms
    to people who are not Christians, and never even
    go to church!" etc.
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  • Posted by Ducky 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, but we don't have any rifle events up here. We do enjoy meeting friends at Dillman Range--usually early afternoons Tuesday or Thursday, because of our work schedule and the range events (you can check their calendar online). Let me know if you're thinking of heading up there, or otherwise might be in our area. It'd be fun to just sit and chat for a bit.
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  • Posted by Ducky 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Hi Brett, Well I would acquaint myself with both ranges if I were you...they're both wonderful. We will be out there at SacValley Shooting Center, Apr 8 and 9th, teaching our 2-day rifle class. The details can be found at http://Appleseedinfo.org / Programs / Marksmanship Clinics. If you're not able to attend, you are welcome to stop by during lunch on Sat (approx. 11:30-1:30-ish)--we will be telling the story of the day we became Americans--the original Patriots' Day, April 19, 1775. After lunch, we will have a special commemorative course of fire, in which we will read the names of the first 13 Americans killed that day, followed by a salute of fire. (If you're a participant, you get to salute!) We do this special Patriots' Day Appleseed every April. My husband and I have been instructors with Appleseed since late 2012, each teaching almost 50 full weekend events.
    We'd love to see you out there!
    ---Ducky
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  • Posted by Ducky 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Hi Mitch, OK...got it...must admit, I'd had a blonde moment and confused you with Brett with regards to the "line of business." That's ok, I'll be fine ;^) It's just neat to find out we have other Objectivists not only in our area, but in Lincoln!
    We love Dillman Range, but only go up there on weekdays--we've seen too many muzzle sweeps and unsafe handling by folks who show up on the weekends. Still, I would encourage you to get as much range time with your pistol as possible--not only will it help you gain confidence and familiarity with your firearm, but will greatly improve your marksmanship. Maybe some time, you can send me a message, and we can plan to meet you up there? Early afternoons, usually Tues or Thurs are best for us. If you have a rifle, consider coming out to our event at SacValley Shooting Center, Apr 8 and 9th, where we'll be teaching an awesome 2-day rifle class. The details can be found at Appleseedinfo.org / Programs / Marksmanship Clinics. We'd love to see you out there!
    --Ducky
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, they have a marketplace, but competition in the form propose would be like giving space to a competitor within your own store, wouldn't it?
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  • Posted by Wgingram 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Remember this - Many people speak and write the English language properly and don't take short cuts. Short cuts are lazy thinking for proper conversation. At least that is how ( I ) see it.
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  • Posted by Mitch 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I thought we might be speaking apples and oranges… I’m interested (or was years ago) in the information technology and automation aspects of brining businesses together, not necessarily the financial aspects but everything.

    I use Dilman Range on occasion, great please… I became acquainted with my M&P Shield there, had a hard time initially because it’s an extremely small gun.

    Mitch
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  • Posted by ArtIficiarius 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Ideas, for sure. But a code of ethics is supposed to be brief. Even Galt's speech alone does not meet this criterion.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for the comment. I think you read something into my post that I didn't intend. I'm going to be doing the same difficult, ethical, and valuable work no matter who I do it with. Part of that is marketing myself. But the market has a lot of competition. Doesn't it take you a lot of effort to find businesses and business owners who you trust and know well? Especially for sensitive areas like financial planning and insurance products & services? What if you were shopping for a new investment advisor online, and discovered that one of them put Francisco's speech about money on their website? I'm not talking about any enforcement system beyond our existing free market - everyone still has to offer and deliver value on their word. I'm talking about "getting the word out" in a different way. Does that change the conversation?
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Don't we already have a pretty solid and comprehensive code of ethics that drives conduct? There's this woman author...
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for the testimonial Tom. Glad I steered you into the Marketplace here where you found more value! Now where's that commission check... just kidding. I'm building future awareness and demand for when I'll be there. ;-)
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Hi Mygood. Nice to make another nearby connection! Not sure I understand your question and goal but if I can help after learning more I would like to. Sounds like you might be looking for cryptobanking, like Bitcoin. Can I suggest you start a new discussion on the topic and explain the question fully? Thanks, Brett
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for this input and reaction Herb. I'm glad you wrote it. I'm sure others share your sentiment. I respect that a lot of people are here, like you, mainly for the social connections and conversations. I don't want to take that away or minimize it. It's not an either-or. More like "yes, and..." The creators did create a Marketplace here too, right?
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks. Truth, honesty, and integrity are what I value tremendously and what I want to emphasize. But I suspect there are other "trigger words" or phrases, in a good way, that will make these words connect better with people rather than sounding cliche or unreliable. For instance, BB&T bank could say what they say. But when you learn that every employee is given a copy of Atlas Shrugged to read (still true?) then THAT means something more!
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Oops, sorry. Glad you asked for help. My mistake and apologies for thinking these were known to everybody. B2B is Business to Business. B2C is Business to Consumer. Imagine a self-sufficient Gulch (or any economy) and I think you'll see that you need both types of business transactions on a regular basis. Better now?
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for the comment Jstork. Glad this is encouraging for you! You missed your first chance to make a shameless plug for yourself so now I'm asking for it -- what business are you in?
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks Mitch. Perhaps the full context will help explain. Although I am still open to the possibility that my approach to be bold and open about my philosophical preferences is a mistake. But, the market I am targeting is people age 65 and over who have enough money to not be on Medicaid yet not enough money to not care about any of their medical bills for the rest of their lives. The number of people in between those two extremes are increasing about 6,000 people PER MONTH in my region. So I'm thinking that I can be more targeted to a particular type of person in this age bracket... and be the #1 go-to guy for all of them who care about their individual liberty. Especially when it comes to their healthcare choices and where their money goes now and after they die.
    Any thoughts on those assumptions? Glad to read them!
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for the bio Mitch. I'd like to know a bit more so I can file this info away in case I can refer any business to you. Would still like to meet in person if we can arrange it.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Hey there Linda, you're in the neighborhood too! I live in Folsom. Wonder if Lincoln or the Shooting Center is closer to me. Looks like a toss-up. I would like to visit you when you are at the shooting center. Can we arrange that?
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