Welcome to the first blog entry for The Black Hill Alliance (“BHA”). Our niche is the Action Sports/Youth culture market, although what we do transcends that little slice of heaven. We’ve been pretty busy keeping up with our client’s needs that very little time (well 0 time actually) has been spent on our own site. for that I greatly apologize.

It’s said, those who can, do- those who can’t teach. Candidly that’s what’s gone on with the BHA site. I honestly haven’t taken the time to figure out what needs to be done. Till now. Oh, don’t worry- it’s still be in fits & starts, but I’ll try to get to it every day.

Since we started BHA in January ’06, the goal was to be able to share our expertise with others where it can be utilized and enjoy what we do. The first 2 1/2 years were, in essence a “false start” since all the focus was put toward one client. Our intention was always to help numerous clients, whereever we could, you know- “a rising tide lifts all boats” mentaility. Since July ’08 we are starting to realize our goals.

We now represent some of the finest, highest quality and MOST FUN clients in Sports. From brands like Seismic Skate Systems making the best racing equipment to the Derby Dolls (LA & San Diego) who are the most recognizable Roller Derby name in the world. all of our clients/partners are not only great brands & properties, but they are wonderful people as well. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with them.

OK, enough babbling for now. Let’s save some for next time.

Beau Brown

Going to make this a quick one since it’s been a while and I’m going like crazy! Hopefully these posts will once again be more regularly forthcoming.

Honestly we/I have been keeping heads buried working on lots of propects. Done a few really terrific contract negotiations for our clients, including signing a World Champion Athlete to a multi-year deal, and the largest Sponsorship deal another client has ever had.

I’ve also been spending time in the field as of late. It has really been eye opening getting back into both the manufacturing and retail environments. So often we think we’ve got everything figured out sitting behind our desks, when that’s just one part of a very large chain.
Time to track down more business.

Till next time!
Beau

Man, what a sleepy day today! Maybe it’s the fact that it’s chilly outside and the heater is at full blast. It’d be really tempting to crash for a few hours. But there is way too much to do.
Just finished up a webinar on Event Staff- finding the right ones for the client, which is probably the prompt I need to get the blood flowing to both my head and feet again. Webinars/seminars/conferences really do tend to motivate me and with the stuff we have going on I need to stay motivated.
While the staff is working on their specific projects, I’ve been trying to be “big picture guy”. I’ve been spending a good amount of time on the road re-connnecting with contacts and doing introductions to new ones. Had a great meeting yesterday with our partners at The Mars Group about some upcoming opportunities, and found out Monday night that one of the properties we represent almost doubled in size/benefits!
I’m also working on the sponsorship webinar targeted specifically to the Roller Derby community. I love sharing my experience and this sport can really use it. What’s that phrase- “A rising tide lifts all boats”?
I hope that your days are successful and that you are able to help bring peace to the world.
Best,
Beau

Just did a (what I thought) was a really great post. Not too long, but a solid update and strong message. and instead of hitting the “Save Draft” button, I brilliantly hit the “Cancel” button!

instead of trying to rewrite it, I’m simply going to say.. Welcome to March!

Going to try to get something on here tomorrow with more details, but for now I gotta go hit something!

Peace

Beau

So last night I got a chance (along with 500 other folks) to listen to Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com )speak at an event sponsored by the So Cal Action Sports Network. It was eye opening, mind reeling and empowering, but in a very pragmatic way. If you’re not familiar with who Seth is, check out his blog or any of his dozen books. I’ve heard him referred to as a visionary, futurist, free thinker, whatever. And I agree with all of those things, but not in the “hearts & flowers, rainbows and unicorns” way. Simply in a real world, gut check fashion. For me last night’s event was more like a trip to the eye doctor- things are just more in focus.

Seth talked about a lot of different ideas- about being a “genius”, about being an “artist”, about how the world really has changed and about doing what matters. That’s where I got the gut check. Do something that matters, make a difference, be bold, take a chance. You don’t have to run out and be The Mahatma Gandhi tomorrow- you’re NEVER going to be! But you can make a difference in your own life and in those around you.

One of my all-time favorite movies is Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing”. (Oh crap, here Beau goes on his soap box again!) Partially because it reminds me of a portion of my childhood, partially because I love Lee’s style of filmmaking, but primarily because of Ossie Davis’ character  and dialogue.  In speaking to a neighborhood kid he says “Doctor, always do the right thing”. Ton of bricks the first time I heard that. My mom used to say basically the same thing to me growing up, but to hear it like that was when I actually heard it. To me it meant, whether you’re the popular one or the outcast by the decisions you make doesn’t really matter, as long as you do the right thing you’ve made a difference.

Trying to make a difference and a change in your life may (and most probably will!) lead to failure, at least once and probably multiple times. But it doesn’t mean that YOU are a failure and you should quit trying. That’s, as Seth puts it, the “lizard brain” talking. When I first became a single dad, I tortured my kids by trying to cook, time & time again. My failures were the stuff of legend. But the one time they actually said “Yay Dad, you didn’t burn the spaghetti!” was worth every bit of the failure. Now I’m a top-notch Mac & Cheese cook!

The lizard brain mentaily is also what keeps us from succeeding at work, and with the new focus I gained from last night, I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow the numerous failures to refrain me from trying. I’m giving myself, my company and most importanly you, the permission to do the right thing.

Beau

Everyone I speak to is saying the same thing: “I’m excitied about 1010, simply because it’s NOT 2009!” And while I do share in hat sentiment to some degree, I also see 2010 as exciting in it’s own right.

Yes, 2009 was overall a pretty crappy year for most people with the economic problems that we all shared in. I would be lying to say that our business did not feel it at all- quite the contrary, there were times when it was hard not raising the white flag and packing it all in. That being said, there were definitely high points throughout the year that kept us going both fiscally and personally. And those points are what we have focused on in developing our mindset for 2010.

2010 certainly didn’t start off with a bang, one of our great clients unfortunately had to close the doors right after the New Year which left a rather significant void in their marketplace and for us. While that certainly could have set off a year of gloom, it seemed to be the exact impetus that was needed to assess what the hell we, and I started this whole deal for. This is not meant to be a “kumbaya/pop psych 101″ moment of “when one window closes, another opens” or “He helps those whole help themselves”. Simply a stating of my belief that I had allowed my own focus to be on the trees rather than the forest.

This is not where I espouse a whole list of New Year’s resolutions, nor is this a State of the Union. This is a simple rant on remembering who’s business this is and while we’re here. We just celebrated our 4th year of existance here at The Black Hill Alliance, and once again I am driven by the desire to share our knowledge and experiences with others in order to make their businesses and lives more meaningful. The one resolution I will  put down on paper is to get more days on-snow this year ( last year it was embarassing how little I rode!), I can’t wait for Industry Day next month!

I’m now going to get on the road to meet with a client to review their Sponsorship goals & activations and then plot out the rest of the month. I certainly hope that if you feel there is anything that we can do to help you and your business that you’ll reach out to us right away.  Let’s look forward to on Jan 1st, 2011 we’re all saying “Wow, 2010 was amazing- how do we top THAT?!?”

Beau

Well, suffice to say that it’s been a little longer than anticipated since the last blog post and this will be an incredibly short one. Rather than go into all the gory details about what’s been happening at The ‘Hill I’ll give some bullets:

• LA Derby Dolls terrific season, brought on some new partners and activated the hell out of the ones we have.
• Have had to unfortunately take a hiatus from Seismic Skate Systems, but we hope to be able to partner again with them in the new year. Simply the finest carving and racing products made
• Been working a lot with Skatepark Systems, and travelling for them- so far been to China, Salt Lake City, Denver, Oklahoma, Connecticut & San Diego. Next month is Minnesota, Alabama & Kansas
• Hosted/moderated a webinar on 12/16/09, all about “Skateparkology”. Seemed to have been well received
• Looks like I’ll be at Winter X Games, partnering with The Mars Group on “The House”. We’ll be handling Partnerships & Activation for them (maybe get some snowboard time in!)
• LA Derby Dolls 2010 Season starts on Jan 23rd, can’t wait!

Hope it’s not so long till the next post, I’ve gotta do something constructive with all this hotel time!

peace,

Beau

Before we even get started, yes I know that it has been a long time since I’ve last posted. I hear about it from my clients, from my friends and family. I have every excuse (good ones too!) as to why it hasn’t happened, but in the end, I still have to do better.  Right now I’m listening to Billy Bragg. He’s inspiring, funny and hard rocking. Good music to write too, although I’ll need to replay the whole list after I’m done typing!

So let me bring you up to speed on what’s happening here at The Black Hill Alliance. The most obvious is that we’ve started the slow, arduous task of updating the website. Although almost 100% of our clients have come by word-of-mouth, many clients and potential clients want to check out the site.  Our website has never been reflective of the quality of our work. This has been a classic case of “the plumber whose sink doesn’t work”. We have miles to go, but at least we are making the steps.

We (especially yours truly) have been spending a good chunk of time focusing on Social Media, really finding out how to best utilize all the tools/technology at our disposal in order to bring more value to our clients. Yes, we have a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/theblackhillalliance but I’ve put less time into that than the blog it seems.  Most of the focus of late has been on LinkedIn and Twitter, which has paid off to be sure as we were recently hired to oversee the Social Media activation NAMM did with their “Wanna Play?” initiative at the X Games. Over 80,000 attended, and the NAMM booth was by far the most crowded.

Here’s where I have to do a quick shout out: Lewis Howes, author of “LinkedWorking” and webinar king has taught me more about LinkedIn thank I could describe. If you want a tune-up, or learn anything about LinkedIn, read his books, attend the seminars (dirt cheap$) or webinars, and connect with him through LinkedIn

On other fronts, we continue to establish ourselves as a leader in the world of Sponsorship/Partnerships & Activation. While our forte and core market is the Action Sports/ Lifestyle market, most of you know that one of our largest (and one of my favorite) clients are the Derby Dolls, women’s Roller Derby League. Even in these tough economic times where companies are cutting back or cutting out Sponsorship dollars, we’ve been able to continue to bring in significant partners. We have been told by those partners that this is in part due to the activations that we create for them to resonate with these specific markets. Our continued success with the Dolls has led us to other Sponsorship opportunities in other arenas such as Professional Boxing/MMA and Music properties.

Working with small companies/brands that have little spare cash to throw around is sometimes the most rewarding, and such is the case with our client, Seismic Skate Systems. This is a case where you can really see the impact a helping hand or outside perspective can have. I also really appreciate that, like The Black Hill, they don’t have to and won’t compromise their ideals. They have some really cutting edge stuff coming out and being a tech nut, I’m proud to be involved.

I, and my company am truly fortunate to have the clients and friends we do. It ain’t easy for anyone right now, and to have people and companies wanting to help& work with us is a blessing. Alright, I’ve rambled on long enough. Gotta save something for the next blog. Very soon we will be getting to tackling actual topics here. Here are some of the upcoming topics:

• Social media
• Keeping core credibility in a general market world
• Sponsorship
• Activations
• Marketing athletes/ Marketing to athletes

 Till next time,

Beau

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