Why talking to reporters is good for you.

We’ve written recently about marketing & evangelism, and how important these tasks are for founders — even though we’d all rather just focus on doing ‘our thing.’ Today we received a link to a nice piece in the Marin Independent Journal by Lisa Max, the founder of GoSolarMarin, a community-based consortium launched earlier this year to purchase discounted solar products and power for residents of Marin County, Calif. I like Lisa’s piece for showcasing (if in simplistic terms) an important and uncomfortable truth for entrepreneurs:

Just because you have a great idea — even a noble one — you can’t expect anyone else to know about it, much less embrace and promote it.

This holds true for products, services, politics… you name it. You must evangelize your ideas. As NCR’s Patterson said more than 100 years ago: “To succeed in business it is necessary to make others see things as you see them.” Steve Jobs understands this better than most. So get the word out. Blog. Talk to reporters (and then do it again). It’s good for you, and necessary for your success. It made a difference to Lisa Max…

The following piece appeared today, in the Marin Independent Journal , under Lisa’s byline.

What ignited a passion for solar

I had a remarkable – and humbling – experience. My husband and I went to a Christmas party, where I ran into someone I haven’t seen in years.

He’s intelligent, lives here and is professionally involved in local issues. He asked what I was doing. I said I was “doing” GoSolarMarin and asked if he had heard about it or read the IJ editorial. He hadn’t.

Despite GoSolarMarin’s coverage, including articles and a news broadcast, e-mails and blogs, which have given me a sense of accomplishment and gratitude and not a little ego inflation, he hadn’t a clue.
I was deflated – for a moment.

Then I was flabbergasted. I realized how few of us know what is going on in our town, or our neighborhood or even our street…

And we’ll fast forward here to Lisa’s punchline, which applies to so much more than promoting solar:
Just do something, and tell the people you know [about] what you are doing, because if my old pal is any indication, your friends may know a lot less than you – and they – think they do.

That ‘something,’ can be just about anything, including writing an Op-Ed, as Lisa has done here. Which reminds us, to remind you — this is exactly what we’re here for at Found|READ, to help you get ‘Your Word’ out!

And in case you’re interested, her next project will be to encourage San Rafael to adopt Berkeley’s plan to offer low-cost financing for solar to homeowners.

In the interests of helping a founder evangelize her work, we include Lisa’s contact: gosolarmarin@yahoo.com.