Mastering the Craft, Missing the Market
From Contracting to Marketing
I was a third generation stone setter, welder and building restoration mechanic, specializing in landmark restorations. A union trained tradesman, with certificates in additional allied trades.
I was managing restoration and renovations on skyscrapers and some of the most prestigious landmarks in NYC, when I was called to take over a landmark brownstone project that was being converted into a private school.
The contractors were butchering this building, so the Landmarks Division of NYC sent them packing and I was tasked to bring it back to its original glory.
While undoing and redoing the previous contractor’s work, I realized there must be a talent hole in the smaller building and landmark Brownston market.
So, I came up with the grand idea to bring all this union knowledge, landmark and skyscraper restoration/renovation experience, to this suffering middle market.
After looking at our competition, I naively thought, – “All we had to do was our best, and herds of landlords would beat a path to our company, and then beg us to work for them.
Obviously
We would quickly become millionaires, and I would spend all my time with my wife and children, just living the dream.
We entered the arena competing against men/companies whose trade training was informal, incomplete. Mostly passed down from guys who didn’t fully understand the trades either.
Some were very hard working guys, which ironically was worse, because they did more damage, faster.
Many versed in a single skill, would pitch full-scale projects, far beyond their abilities at below realistic pricing.
When those spirited attempts inevitably fell apart, they left behind a secondary market of depleted budgets, nonconforming materials, and botched work (Meet the “Franken-job”).
“Franken-jobs” were left with depleted budgets and needed more talent to untangle the botched attempt.
Reality Strikes!
Along with taking on too many projects for good people fallen on hard times, we also became magnets for the “Secondary Market of low budget Franken-jobs”.
We started learning too much about the famine side of that feast and famine rhythm most businesses go through.
Not knowing, what you don't know
It was no one’s fault but my own. I didn’t “create” a pipeline from which we could pick occasional winners, to balance out the challenging, low profit “charity and Franken-jobs”, whose profits were more emotional than financial.
I also didn’t consider how I would attract work to fill our budget holes, due to seasonal speedbumps.
The lack of consistent profitable work in our pipeline was becoming a serious anti-sleep problem.
How was it possible? I had to step back and really study what seemed to be an unrealistic problem.
The One-Eyed King
Having grown up in the Bronx, I was able to reflect on the mindset of my competition.
If you were low on skill in NY, you had to hustle to get ahead. Many of the guys practicing the street hustle in their youths, found their way to construction labor jobs.
On high rise jobs they were called brooms, in this market they were called owners.
I was amazed by how quickly they gained ground, so I made it a point to meet with and actually subcontracted jobs to some, training their guys as we went along.
While getting to know them it became clear, – I was missing a vital, instinctual talent these guys were using every day.
Not a trade school subject
They say “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Just having that one extra piece of the puzzle was like being the only guy with a flashlight during a black out.
They are competitors who don’t need to know more than you, or match your value. They just need an awareness you may be missing.
We were great at our trades but when it came to marketing, we were flying blind, believing – “Just build it and they will come”…(Total Nonsense!)
They proved – Al Ries right – when he said – “In marketing, being better is less important than being remembered.” (Co-author of Positioning & Marketing Warfare):
It’s a universal law of business. It applies to you in any business, roofing, a dental practice, or a local auto shop.
These guys weren’t marketing geniuses by any stretch but their basic instinct to hustle, sell and self promote, gave them that unseen edge. This made them the One-Eyed Kings in a market where guys like myself thought our work would speak for itself.
While we were busy honing our craft, they were hustling and selling to survive. In many cases that single advantage was enough to out-position us on projects we were more qualified for.
They were living the lessons that, if consciously honed, would make them valuable to any business or service.
These were the type of guys that would stumble upon a painting project or simple renovation and think – “I can sell this all day, and figure out how to do it later,…how hard can it be?”
Their trick was – keep selling, get resources, then learn or hire the construction part.
This equation can't work in reverse
You can be better all day, but if you are not “thought of” and collecting resources you will never afford to gain those missing parts to move your business forward.
It seems unfair but that’s reality. – Arthur Harrison Motley famously said – “Nothing Happens until somebody sells something” (Advertising hall of fame 1985 )
Naturally, most of them collapsed under the weight of advancing projects sitting on a weak knowledge base, others paced sales with learning curves and did well.
But, the contrast between the two worlds was a twilight-zone moment for me. I had to learn what this Voodoo was about, and this led me down the vast rabbit hole of marketing.
The Shotgun Trap
We unleashed some of this new found magic and bought ad spots, in radio, newspapers, free magazines, free contractors mags, free newspapers, google and facebook ads, covering hundreds of thousands of “potential customers” And none of it was “free” to us!
It was like the value-pack method, just spray and pray. We learned a little bit of knowledge could be a dangerous thing.
While effective, it wasn’t focused. Unleashed incorrectly we found our energy being scattered, attracting work away from where we started and into areas too far to service without living away from home. (Careful what you wish for)
While the experience was costly in time and money the lessons were invaluable.
Pregnant with Baby Mighty Mailers
After living from hotel to hotel, completing projects scattered all over the place, we realized we picked the wrong marketing approach for our model of business.
While effective, this was a marketing approach used by national companies, to gain brand awareness, then transition into dominating product or regional markets.
It was a very expensive lesson. It taught us broad marketing can work, but it’s a waste of time and money if you want to dominate a local market.
We closed our contracting company and opened a nonprofit contracting company called The Crutch Foundation. We will use our trades skills to help local homeowners, seniors, veterans and everyday people out of hard times.
Mighty Mailers was founded four years ago to create a focused marketing option for local businesses.
Unlike many of our past competitors creating “Frankin-jobs”, we refuse to start a marketing company blindly, just figuring it out as we go.
We took the time to do our homework so we would never be “Frankin-job” marketers.
We bring the same detailed attention to your Ad space that we would bring to a jobsite.
Claim Your Ground
Chasing projects across county lines taught us that real growth won’t come from trying to be everything to everyone, everywhere at once. That doesn’t even work for big businesses.
Building a business isn’t just about surviving—it’s about striving. It’s not only about being great at what you do, but where you do it.
It’s about picking that slice of territory you must focus on to make it yours.
Only by breaking through that wall of obscurity can you build loyal communities who will help you grow in ways that nurture the value you bring them.
Either you or your competitors determine your market—or lack of one.
Mighty Mailers exist to give serious local businesses the exact tools they need to out-position the competition, without burning money on shotgun marketing or relying on luck.
We handle Demographics, strategy, reach, and the hyper-local placement so you can focus on bringing real value to the people in your market.
We concentrate our efforts on just 12 non-competing business categories per area we serve. We hope one of them will be yours.