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Niche Strategy
The trick to success is to do one thing really well, says Robert Rothman '76

By Andrew Leibs '87G

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After UNH, Robert "Rob" Rothman '76 started out driving an Agway truck, moved up to running dealerships in Rhode Island and Vermont and then became the general manager of Ultramar Petroleum's terminal in Burlington.

"It was a big deal being a GM at 34," Rothman recalls. "I wore a jacket and tie every day; I felt important, but I wasn't happy." Rothman found a new career in his garage. His wife, Lorrie, had been selling promotional products part time after their first child was born. When sales picked up, Rob and Lorrie, both corporate refugees, launched their own business, driving the countryside selling hats, mugs and calendars out of their cars.

The road to profit was long, but the Rothmans became adept at reading the signposts, reaching a crossroads in 1990 when Vermont's economy cratered, taking with it half the customers (including many in the ski industry) they'd cultivated over four years.

Rothman banked on a bold move: narrow the niche and broaden the marketing. "We decided to concentrate on lapel pins, and invested all our money in one national ad," says Rothman. Pins meet a wide range of promotional needs, and their new company, PinSource, could fill them all, from 100,000 buttons for a political campaign to 50 Brittany spaniel pins for a kennel club.

The plan worked. It took six months for the ad to pay for itself, but once it had, Rothman knew he had a realistic, reliable strategy for growth that precluded the need for outside financing. They placed a second ad and reinvested profits in a third. Then they targeted in-flight magazines, which attracted international customers.

Growth inspired Rothman's first overseas venture—an Amsterdam office that opened in 2000. "It cost a lot of money, and we made a lot of mistakes, but by 2004, it turned a profit," Rothman says. Echoing the print ad cycle, as one office made money, Rothman opened another. By 2005, his company, SUI Brands, had branches in Hong Kong and Turkey, and has since launched a Latin American headquarters in Costa Rica, serving offices in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Mexico. "It's easier to accomplish something by becoming an expert than by trying to do everything," Rothman says.

Rothman says he didn't start the business to make money but to be independent. What motivates him now is the challenge of opening new markets that promote interdependence among his corporation's many companies and brands. He launched a technology company, SUI Solutions, which develops database programs and iPhone apps. "I always have a few new ventures going on," says Rothman. "As long as we keep doing new things, it's fun."

And fun it is, he says—there are no limits to Rothman's interests as long as it fits into his niche-marketing formula. Most recently Rothman has been focusing his energy and expertise on a new market: men's bags. Combining his interest in world traveling with his desire for the perfect travel accessory, he is creating a new e-commerce website, Urban Adventurer. The new business takes the niche idea to the large-scale retail arena—instead of selling all types of bags to all types of people, Urban Adventurer focuses on men who are professional, ambitious and outdoor enthusiasts, and who have the same passion and determination for travel, exploration and adventure as they do for business. Another example of a new venture that Rothman says keeps it fun. Being successful, he says, is "just a nice side perk."



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