Taking on a service oriented business that deals with inventory that both has eternal application and perishable shelf life I often find myself reaching out into the learning demands of the age in which we live. I guess we all deal with the same questions: everyone has a body with limited duration in this material existence and yet our souls will live eternally. How do we balance the care for the limited while investing in the eternal? How much attention do we place on the limited? How do we prioritize? Deeper questions for another time.

At present the question is, how do I market the huge inventory? So I went to a marketer. Twice. Both times I presented my case: I am a small operation. I work out of my home. The business has no profit. I don't get paid. There is a little bit of cash to advertise. The second time I was more specific: OK there is a single line of product that has a profit margin that once moved could save our business. Can you create a marketing focus on just that?

How much can you spend?

Yeah. That was their question.

Well… I have a 10 hr gift certificate for services from your business that I purchased at a fundraiser and could add another $500. Can that get me an ad?

(courteous face that in my mind is masking a chuckle and thought of 'are you kidding me?')

Days pass. Email arrives:

Just want to let you know we are working on your proposal. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you. Silence.

Hm…. Since it is not in my culture to be aggressive and pursuant after getting the same response two times I back off.

So here goes a simple attempt to market (I am not a marketer, and I would have hoped that an expert in the field could have done better with 10 hrs of work…). Sets of wonderful CD's with inspiring stories and music were put together. Wrapped in tissue paper and tied.

Packaged and mailed to the first batch of local therapists and counselors.

Uploaded onto CDBaby for purchase as MP3s

Send out a request for prayers.

Let you know what we're doing.

Pray.

Take more steps to expand the list of recipients of the gift.

We'll keep you posted if this yields any results.

For now, pass this on! We are offering a profit share where these CD's could be used as fundraisers. We keep 50% and you keep 50% for your community, local project or the Fund?!