About the Campaign:
Participation in the
Kick incubator program will help me take Salish Sea Furniture Company (SSFC) several steps closure to reality. To learn about SSFC, please visit our
venture page.
The Story
I began exploring the idea of a "tree to table" furniture company during my last few months as a MBA student at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. The business I envision would create much needed jobs for skilled craftspeople in my community while supporting
sustainable forestry practices and the conservation of working timber lands as an important part of the rural landscape and economy.
The concept garnered enough interest to get three classmates and I into the final round of the Madrona League Business Plan Competition. We didn't win any prizes, but the competition provided an excellent learning experience and structure for developing
the idea in more detail. Meanwhile, I was having conversations with community leaders in Port Townsend that lead me to think seriously about the business as a real venture instead of just an academic exercise.
Ten days before gradation I decided to take the leap and apply for Kick as a way to provide myself with support and accountability for pursuing this venture in the real world.
With graduation out of the way, I am ready to get to work! I am asking for your support to help me take the next step towards launching Salish Sea Furniture Company by funding my participation in Kick.
Benefits & Goals for Kick
Kick will provide me with access to mentors, a community of peers, and a network of resources all designed to support early-stage startup businesses. I will be able to build directly on my education in sustainable business and keep going full speed ahead
with the momentum that I've already generated.
The goals I hope to accomplish through participation in the program include
·
Understanding the solid wood furniture market and how SSFC can best compete.
·
Understanding production capacity and supply chain logistics for sourcing local, sustainably harvested wood.
·
Exploring options for legal, financial and ownership structures that support the values embeded in the business concept.
·
Create a viable go-to-market strategy
I know that some of the assumptions I am making when I envision SSFC are inevitably wrong. Some of those wrong assumptions may represent serious road blocks to the successful launch of the business. I won’t know what those erroneous assumptions are, or how
the model might be adjusted to overcome them, until I go through the process of researching and testing out my ideas. That is exactly what I intend to do, with your support, through participating in Kick.