Why write a blog? That’s what’s been bothering me. It bothered me so much last year, that I just dropped out of writing. To all of you who had been following my writing on the craft food movement and business and legal issues for food & beverage entrepreneurs, I’m sorry and I’m back.

You’ve probably been there yourself. There is so much to do for your business. Where do social media, marketing, and other stuff that doesn’t immediately lead to sales or serving your existing customers end up on your priority list?

I had too many ideas. So much that I wanted to get out there. And at the same time, I had legal clients and other business projects clambering for my attention.

There were also parts of the business that weren’t working. I was putting time into “community building” and trying to get other folks to contribute their expertise to the Eat Drink Law community. But getting other people to actually follow-through on writing stuff was like herding cats. They would say they were interested…then nothing. E-mails and calls later…still nothing. Very frustrating.

So, a change was needed. Business owners out there still need help, but my vision for Eat Drink Law as a thriving online community just wasn’t working out. It was time for a pivot. I took a look at my mission to serve innovative businesses and had to rethink how I can really deliver on that.

I take my role as an executive mentor to innovative businesses seriously. My goal is to help business owners start and grow great businesses that drive our economy. I believe innovation is the key to growth at every level, from making sure that you continue to create, problem solve, and grow as an individual, to standing out with unique marketing and business models, to taking cutting-edge technology and finely crafted new products to market. Eat Drink Law should reflect that.

So, what’s new and different?

Back to Innovation

You will quickly notice that the Eat Drink Law website is no more. One of my discoveries last year was that I was spreading myself too thin. The blog content that you know and love (or at least might occasionally refer to for relevant bits of know-how), including new posts going forward, will be hosted on 3-Blazes.com, the website for my innovation consulting and venture development business.

On the blog, I will continue to focus on entrepreneurship and intellectual property as tools for innovation within the two business sectors I am most passionate about, food & beverage and technology.   I’ve always tried to keep things practical and I will continue to write about what business owners can do in the real world to protect and grow their innovative businesses. Along the way, I hope to provide inspiration and motivation from people and products I encounter in my own business and personal adventures.

Make sure you update your e-mail subscription.

Not a Law Firm Advertisement

I admit it. Eat Drink Law started as a marketing channel for my law firm back in 2012. But late last year I left the firm I helped start, Knull P.C. and joined a specialized intellectual property law firm as part-time Special Counsel. I’m not responsible for marketing the new firm (Hoffman Warnick in Albany), and this blog has nothing to do with them or shilling for legal work. All views expressed are my own and my goal is not to generate more legal work for me or any other attorney.

Sure, if you contact me about legal work because of the blog, I will give you my law firm contact information, just as I would if we ran into each other and you had a patent question at a networking event.

But I really want to get away from the usual attorney shtick, telling you what you have to do and all the horrible things that will happen if you don’t. I’m not even all that interested in providing legal basics, except when they are necessary to understand another business challenge or innovation strategy. I don’t just bring my background as an intellectual property attorney, but also that of a fellow business owner, an economic developer, and a general business mentor to startup and growth companies.  The most important things in business and life are rarely legal issues and I want to help you with what’s most important.

Just Add Geekery and Friends

I’m not giving up my title of “Food Geek” though. I love the craft food and beverage industry and the entrepreneurs that are making things happen. Food is fun and we all need more fun in our businesses. Food is also something everyone can connect with and makes for great case studies on small business challenges, regardless of what industry you are actually in. I will probably shy away from the kind of posts where I just talked about a great food or beverage product or experience. I’m still going to talk about great stuff I encounter, but I will try to put more of a business spin on it that can help readers draw lessons to use in their own business.

I’m also not turning my back on community. I will happily post guest blogs and I’m hoping that contributors like Lev Berlin from Recipal, attorney John Barone, and others will still contribute occasionally. I’m just not interested in chasing people down for content. I’m also planning to change things up with doing interviews with entrepreneurs and helping them share their stories with you directly.

It should be an exciting New Year. Please forgive any bumps in the road as I make this transition.

What Does 3-Blazes Do?

So, some of you may not have realized that Eat Drink Law was actually a project of Three Blazes Innovation, Inc. and might be wondering what 3-Blazes actually does. I started 3-Blazes to spread the word about the power of entrepreneurship and the importance of innovation at every level of business. 3-Blazes provides training, publications (like “12 Things Every Business Should DO About Intellectual Property”), and executive coaching, consulting, and staffing to assist with innovation and intellectual property management projects. Eat Drink Law is the 3-Blazes blog and also the imprint for publications focused on business know-how for craft food and beverage businesses.