As most y'all know I run a small shop that primarily is a woodworking operation. I also farm out some other stuff. it started as a hobby. it turned into a little bit of a business. what else it did, that i didn't anticipate, was bring in some interest from other veterans i know. So, the little operation divvies up 'jobs' as they come through and keeps us all occupied.
a guy i served with many moons ago and i were having a beer after turning some stuff out, and he mentioned "how awesome would it be to do this for a living and bring other veterans into it?".. that started the ball rolling.
since, we've made several outreaches into the community, and what we've found are guys running their own little shops and for the therapy it offers- without intent to run a proper business. well, every one of them, as it turns out, would 'like' to run a business out of their shops but don't know how, and they certainly couldn't go to a level - as individuals - to make it work.
then, i spoke with some wholesalers i use for raw material (who also sell 'blanks' to people doing what I/we do) and asked them about supplying them with a product line they could sell... they were highly receptive, but immediately questioned our ability to meet production goals- rightfully so. It occurred to me these 'problems' and 'dreams' were interconnected and there is an opportunity sitting right under our noses.
so...
that has been the major motion for my last couple months. I've got a plan, but this plan requires a level of production I can't reach alone or even with the small force of like-minded operations. I socialized this fairly recently with a few guys and was surprised to discover one of them, who does a bang-up job within his own industry, was in a similar circumstance not long ago... he had a vision and that vision required an investment beyond his means to get started on...his solution? crowd funding.
"holy crazy bats from Keflavik, says i, why don't we do that?"
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shop210craftworks-and-drewswoodcraft/
^PLEASE SHARE THAT^- social media, email, conversation, whatever. If this works out it will be my life's accomplishment and I can check out a happy dude whenever my time comes.
in the quickest manner possible, the concept is to bring in other veterans or those leaving the service (i'm in perfect geographical location for that) and teach them or improve their trade. Give them a 'fall back' trade at the very least. While they're learning they're also producing, and they will get their stake in whatever they produce. After being 'certified' by the operation, they'll be a part of our 'network' where they can pick up work from us on an as needed/wanted basis... it will also entail classes offered by local SBA on business structure and function, licensing, ect. They're free to do whatever they wish- either with us in whole, whatever level of 'part', or off on their own completely. Moreover, they'll be part of the network which offers support and comradery akin to what they knew or are departing from, which to those who've been there and then lost it- is huge. we're making inroads with other groups both private and government to bring this together. we're really excited at the proposition and those we've socialized it with seem to be as well- yet- we've not received a single donation at this point. I was told it's because we're not getting the word out there and that the first one is the hardest.
there are a ton of 'saves' and 'watching' of the campaign.. I'm hoping near the end it'll get some love. However, I'm hedging that bet by trying to get the word out best I can... and.. i'm shamelessly asking you guys to share within your own social circles.. so... please do.
22 a day. we're hoping to shave some of that down.
thanks for reading.
