Tree-to-Table Furniture: Establish Viability

Port Townsend, WASalish Sea Furniture Company

$3,220

Raised of $2,000 USD

Successfully funded on Jul 07, 2013
48 supporters
161%%

About This Project

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.

Use Of Funds

$2,000 Tipping Point Goal




Tipping Point Goal: $2000


This amount is the cost of tuition for
Kick. Raising $2000 from at least ten different supporters is a requirement for participating in the Kick incubator program. Even if I had this money and wanted to pay the tuition myself, I would still need your support!





Additional Uses of Funds


Funds raised beyond the tipping point goal will go towards other expenses associated with testing out the viability of this business idea. These may include: 


Co-working space membership 


Part Time membership at Hub Seattle, where I'll be able to spend part of my time working alongside peers in the Kick program and taking advantage of networking opportunities in Seattle. (Partially included in Kick Tuition via discount for Hub members.)


Part time membership at PT Co-lab, where I'll be able to work while I'm in Port Townsend, allowing networking and collaboration with other entrepreneurs locally.


Transportation


Kick happens in Seattle, and my business is rooted on the Olympic Peninsula, which means I'll be deviding my time between Seattle and Port Townsend. With careful planning, I'll be able to make the trip using public transit. Buses and ferries still cost money
though!


Research costs


Access to trade publications & market research, as well as travel expense for site visits and meetings outside of Port Townsend and Seattle.


Prototypes


The design and production of prototype furniture.


Rewards


Costs associated with providing rewards, including printing and postage, snacks for the social hour, and travel/incidential expenses associated with consulting.


 


 


 


 


 

$5,000 Stretch Goal


Latest News

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Rewards

Select Reward
$5.00

5 email updates sharing lessons learned durring Kick. Emails will be sent bi-weekly in July & August. (included in all rewards if you choose)

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Select Reward
$25.00

I'll hug a tree on your behalf, and email you a picture to prove it.

239 left

Select Reward
$50.00

Hand written thank you card featuring original art created for SSFC

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Select Reward
$100.00

Invitation to Craft & Stewardship social hour with SSFC founders and key partners. The event will be held in Port Townsend in September of 2013. Exact date and location TBD.

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Select Reward
$250.00

A ono-on-one chat with the founder. A chance for you to ask questions and hear first hand what I've learned and how I'll be taking that learning forward. To be scheduled during late August or September, via phone, Skype, or at a Port Townsend coffee shop.

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Select Reward
$500.00

8 hours of sustainable business consulting! Let me put my MBA in Sustainable Systems, and everything I'll learn through participating in Kick, to work for you or an organization of your choice. This could mean facilitating a systems thinking exploration process with a group of stakeholders, or helping you use a business model canvas to explore, refine, and expand your business idea. There are so many possibilities! 1-2 hours will be spent exploring your interests and needs and establishing a project plan, and the remaining time devoted to implimentation. Project planning appointments to be scheduled September 2013, and projects completed within the following 6 months.

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