PublicSquare:

It took Amazon 9 years to turn a profit. It took Twitter 2 years to reach 1 million users.

We understand that tech companies take time to build their infrastructure and user base. Starting something new is a hefty undertaking, and investors are wise to be patient with exciting new companies that disrupt the status quo, even if it seems like a longshot at first.

So, it’s worth mentioning that Michael Siefert’s ecommerce platform, PublicSquare (sic), may very well be on its way to joining the ranks of very successful tech startups. It reached 1 million active users in only a year. It could very well turn a profit in half the time it took Amazon. Time will tell, but there are reasons for both optimism and caution as we examine the strengths, hype, and upward trajectory of PublicSquare.

What Is PublicSquare?

PublicSquare was born out of a desire to see a “parallel economy” – a marketplace that rewarded local small businesses, American-made products, and pro-family, pro-faith institutions, rather than a marketplace that rewards huge multinational corporations with harsh working conditions overseas that give money to abortion providers and radical LGBTQ+ initiatives for children. The idea is to connect consumers with conservative, grassroots values with sellers who share (and exemplify) those values.

“We’re actually trying to shift who wins in our economy,” says CEO Michael Siefert. “This is a long game. The left understands that, by the way. They know it’s a long game, and they’ve been planning for this for thirty, forty years. We have to have the same mentality… I’m doing this for my daughter.”

PublicSquare has an Amazon or Etsy-like UI that allows people to search for products they’d like to buy (from over 75,000 businesses), an easy check-out system, and it’s free for both consumers and businesses to use. PublicSquare vets each business that applies to be part of their ecosystem according to 5 key values:…

The price of American trucks has finally started to fall after rising sharply in the last few years. Many full-size pickup trucks now bear a sticker price of over $100k (even amidst quality control issues), and the inventory has started to pile up. The all-electric F-150 Lightning, which can cost upwards of $95k, will see reduced production amidst a lack of consumer interest, even as other brands have begun promising consumers bargain prices for future models…

Last week, the Dow Jones closed above 40,000 for the first time ever, triggering a spike in futures to start this week. The Dow first crossed the 10,000 mark in 1999 before crashing in the dot com collapse, first hit 20,000 in 2017, and first hit 30,000 just four years ago, in 2020. Some say the rapid milestones don’t matter and roll their eyes at the methodology employed by the index. Others see it as a significant effect of increased corporate earnings, increased company size (centralization?), and increased speculation via much higher P/E ratios – trends that some say could continue and cause a 5.5% annualized real returns over the long haul…

Gen Z adults aged 22-24 make less money today than their Millennial counterparts made ten years ago (inflation-adjusted), and they carry more debt as well. Fortune cites research on macroeconomic conditions to conclude that Gen Z really does “have it worse financially” than earlier generations, leading to a lot of economic anxiety and a widespread doubt that they can ever own a home of their own. Barely more than 50% of Gen Z adults identify as Christians, with 34% being entirely unaffiliated with a religion. Fewer Gen Zers approve of President Biden compared with other age groups, Gen Z adults drink far less alcohol than other generations, and they are actually less likely to report “not planning to get married” than Millennials, though a strong majority feels that it is too expensive to get married right now, in the current economy…

Your weekly chance to test your Bible knowledge! The answer to today’s question may surprise you:

Q: What book is traditionally the final book of the Old Testament?

Answer at the bottom

TIPS & TRICKS

How to Track What’s Working – You Need an M.I.S.

This is your sign to thoroughly track your marketing efforts and customer analytics.

Far too often, we shoot from the hip when we are trying to rustle up new business for our enterprises. In a way, this makes sense. For all of the talk about customer avatars, analysis, and advertising principles, practically speaking, it can be very difficult to know what is going to work. At times, it’s not the worst idea to throw some spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.

This is how creativity functions, after all. When we are tackling a new challenge, we have to be careful not to be overly critical of ourselves so that we can find out which ideas really have room to run.

The key, however, is not staying in this space forever. “Spaghetti at the wall” is fine for a new venture, but for a mature endeavor, it is crucial that we analyze what has been done before, extract the parts that are working, discard the parts that aren’t, and iterate to a fine-tuned, sophisticated strategy.

Creativity is good; “shiny object syndrome” is not.       

One of the primary ways we can make sure to capitalize off of past success and avoid repeating our mistakes as we iterate to better and better marketing is by implementing a Marketing Information System (M.I.S.)

What Is an M.I.S.?

An M.I.S. is essentially a database and data-tracking system where you keep tabs on the results of your marketing efforts. If you’ve ever seen a “How did you hear about us?” box at checkout in an online store, this is one example of a process that would belong under a Marketing Information System.

In order to set up your own M.I.S., there are a few key things to keep in mind:…

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