Atlanta's Marketing Center

Atlanta Then and Now

A few days ago I received a nice gift...a book called Atlanta Here and Now by Michael Rose.  Rose has done a really good job of finding old historic Atlanta area photos (such as the Governor's mansion circa 1915, the Fox Theater, Bulloch Hall) and places the photos alongside the latest pictures of the same perspective.  I recommend getting a copy.

We went through all of them and got a kick out of how things have changed...just in the last 100 years.   One startling change is that there was a huge baseball stadium across from Atlanta City Hall East on Ponce de Leon Avenue in the 1940s...now a big shopping center. 

Another was the view of Atlanta while driving in from the northside in 1950 compared to now.  In 1950 it looked like a casual ride with some high-rise buildings around and street lamps.  Today it's a 12 lane superhighway with skyscrapers all around.

People from that time would simply be lost today.  Just amazing how things have changed.

The Incomparable Clark Howard

I recently attended a seminar hosted by SCORE featuring Clark Howard, the consumer advocate icon.  I've been tuning into Clark and his radio show for years. 

I'd heard that he's cheap and he certainly didn't disappoint.  When he got up on stage he pulled off one of his shoes and told the audience that he bought them used...and he wasn't kidding!  Now Clark is a millionaire many times over at this point.  You wouldn't think he'd still be looking to save but he does. 

Now I'm not ALL about generated revenue through marketing...the most important thing is the bottom line.  I encourage you to look for deals.  Do business with the warehouse supply companies like Costco and Sam's Club.  Go find used supplies and equipment (such as furniture) as a way to save money. 

Here are some highlights of Clark's presentation for Atlanta's small business owners--
-Georgia could help by doing away with state income tax like Florida and Texas
-Healthcare needs to be improved for our segment.  He says that Kaiser Permanente offers the best plan
-There are services for small businesses available at the warehouses like Costco that you might not realize...such as payroll services
-When looking for office space, use a broker as he/she can protect you by pointing out irregularities, deals, etc.
-T. Rowe Price offers the best program for a 'Solo-401k' on the market
-If you have any bank issues (ie. Customer "No"-service), then contact the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) to complain

Check out the list of cost-cutting subjects you can peruse on Clark's site.

Doing Business in Atlanta

There are few places better to do business in than Atlanta, Georgia…which is a major I'm here. Favorable climate, migration of talent from many areas of the country, a convenient international airport, and friendly people all contribute to make this metropolitan area fertile for good business.

And the numbers show. Even during a slow national period, the Atlanta economy has been strong. The personal income growth continues to be higher than the national average. And this attracts people from all around the country…Atlanta adds 100 thousand people to the population every year.

A few years ago, I looked into some others areas around the country.. most notably similar-sized metropolitan areas of Washington, DC and San Diego, CA. But the cost of living in those two places was about 50% higher than Atlanta.  Comparing other cities to Atlanta in terms of cost just isn't a fair fight...after all, KPMG named Atlanta as the 'Least Costly Large City for Business' last year.

So what are the unique opportunities and challenges of doing business in Atlanta? I’ve already mentioned one opportunity… that the cost of living is lower here. Another is that there are few industries not accounted for…that is, you find every major industry segment here.

Some challenges include some that are prevalent in a number of major metropolitan areas such as traffic and sprawl. I’ve heard from several people over the years the opinion that the general population and marketplace in Atlanta favors a persistent yet polite and passive approach over, say, an aggressive style you might find in New York or the northeast. I’m curious as to what you think.

If all true above, then we can start with a very general presupposition about effectively marketing in Atlanta–that it is a good place for entrepreneurs in just about any industry and that the most effective way of finding business may be to pick a geographic area and consistently and passively market to them. Your thoughts?

I’m curious to hear your observations on doing business in Atlanta.