It is a story replayed across the country, small business struggles to stay afloat, owners don’t take salary, banks don’t give them credit, now what? Every publication is looking for angles on the same theme and so the Wall Street Journal did a piece on JW Hulme a manufacturer of fine leather goods, briefcases, duffle bags, and other luggage items. Yipes.

As a business owner, I’m reading the article in yesterday’s paper half wondering how they are going to get out of this predicament and half hoping it doesn’t happen to me, Double Yipes.

This post doesn’t have the answers to JW Hulme’s financial situation, at least not all of the answers, but my heart and my head have given this issue some time and I’d like to share what they have come up with.

1) The article is a great read, many other reporters will want to retell it, fine. Now, however, is the time, today, to put a blog on your website you basically have had 1 news release a year for the last couple of years. Not enough communication.

Now that you have exposed your story and acknowledged the initial response with a public letter to your customers that appears on your site, keep talking.

You have revealed the human side of JW Hulme through the eyes of co-owners Chuck Bidwell and Jennifer Guarino, there is plenty more we all can learn from you. Better yet, there are plenty more customers, colleagues, business peers and prospects who may want to share their thoughts with you. Let them do it by you fully participating in the social web.

2) Judging by the article, Bidwell and Guarino are of a mind to give back to the community. In a previous position, Bidwell was a proponent of Hero Cards to build local currency in volunteer programs.

Guarino was General Manager of Minnesota Parent a popular magazine with a natural community of engaging people. That magazine has been active in community service. Now it’s once again time to give back, perhaps there are ways to use some JW Hulme inventory to benefit a cause, or because the inventory is relatively high, according to the Journal article, use the manufacturing capacity to make something for an organization. I realize this is not conventional wisdom, doing work that isn’t about generating revenue at a time when revenue is essential, but we don’t live in conventional times nor has conventional wisdom done much for any institution in America right now. It’s a good time to tell conventional wisdom to “take a hike”

3) With all of the mentions in the WSJ article about how JW Hulme uses catalogs and not one mention of online efforts, I thought that might be a problem. After a quick review of JW Hulme’s web presence it has the basics, but there is plenty more to do that doesn’t involve up front payments to printers. No offense, I’m not against the printed, colorful page, but the market seems to be in transition on that one.

4) Lastly, this is an opportunity. WSJ reporter Julie Jargon, did a wonderful piece capturing the left and right brain elements of Bidwell’s and Guarino’s plight. It’s real life without the “reality-TV” spin. It represents the essence of what being social is in today’s market. Will it sell more leather and canvas luggage at a few hundred bucks a pop? I have no idea, but the opportunity I speak of is not that narrow minded (I understand some banker will call narrow mindedness focus). The opportunity I speak of is to open your story up and let the rest of the world engage. You and I have no idea what will result of that opportunity, but you already made the decision to be public on the story. I can tell you my experience from being a part of the social web as a business owner, you have already done the hard part, now you just need to create a way to create a dialogue. Good luck, if you want to have a cup of coffee I’m just up the road from you.

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