Our Story

The Origin of Tasty Fish Marketing®

The Early Years

More than a decade ago, in 2008, I entered the consulting foray as “Birnbaum Consulting, LLC.” At that time, my company name worked just fine. I thought it had the key elements: my last name; that I offered services in a consulting capacity; and the firm is an LLC.

For a number of years I had the privilege of working with some great clients, helping them meet their goals. Clients ranged in size from startups to multi-billion-dollar corporations. I earned much of this business through word-of-mouth and referrals. Life was good.

Fast forward a few years, I rejoined “traditional” corporate for an incredible opportunity—to work on another iconic brand, go head-to-head with another goliath, and lead the development and successful launch of a new product that secured distribution at the targeted retailers. It was also quite satisfying to earn the “Vice President” stripe. Life was still good.

 

Some Challenges

Fast forward a few more years. The company I joined was acquired and my department was dissolved. There were major restructurings at the next two companies I worked with. Plus, a number of leadership teams had come and gone along the way.

Most importantly, my wife and 10-year-old son missed me. They wanted me home a lot more often than I was. I know how strange this must sound—and how fortunate I really am!

So, in 2017, I went back into the consulting foray. And wow, so much had changed. People are busier than ever, attention spans are so much shorter, and effective networking is more important than ever.

Unfortunately, I found my firm’s name, Birnbaum Consulting, LLC, to be incredibly counter-productive. It didn’t say enough, fast enough. I could have been a consulting firm focused on accounting, law, or basically any discipline. It certainly didn’t readily translate into a consulting firm focused on marketing, strategy and innovation!

In this new world, I quickly re-learned there’s only a few seconds to attract and intrigue a prospective client. As Birnbaum Consulting, LLC, I didn’t quickly break through the clutter. I spent the first few minutes of every conversation explaining who I am, what I do, and how I help businesses flourish. And when—and if—I got past my firm’s name, I often had to explain why marketing is so important, and why all marketing isn’t created equal. Life was NOT good.

 

The Solution

So, I needed a new company name. A name that is catchy, memorable, and telegraphs what I do and how I do it! Plus, a name that intrigues people to want to know more—and is fun! Hence, the birth of Tasty Fish Marketing®!

So, why this crazy name? Because I found myself, especially at networking events, explaining what I do using a fishing analogy. Whether you’re an avid fisherman or not, it seemed to work. It went something like this:

“Did you know that when most people go fishing, they typically know what type of fish they’re trying to catch, and what bait to use to catch them?” The premise—and reality—is the steps required to catch a fish, are virtually identical to successfully marketing any product or service. The type of fish is the customer’s profile. The type of bait is the strategy and tactics to attract them.

So, what my firm does, is help clients figure out which customers to target, and how to catch—and hold onto—more of them. But remember, a tasty fish to one client, may not be so tasty to another. That’s why it’s so important to know the type of customer you’re targeting, where they hang out, what they’re attracted to, and how to hold onto them.