This is unfolding to be an interesting adventure. It all started with an idea, which I touched on in the last blog. I floated around the concept. It caught people’s imagination and led to some good conversations. As the idea started gaining some positive momentum, I began to believe it might have legs if it ever left the incipient stage inside my head.
It is frustrating to have an idea and not really know what to do with it besides daydream. I got my first good dose of positive traction when Savanna said we should quit talking about it and just go for it.
This is all new territory for me. I have worked a traditional job my whole adult life, I went to school, got a 2 year technical degree and went to work in the chemical industry. After 30+years in the lab earning enough for a comfortable life, to have this idea and actually chase it is intimidating. It is exciting and fearful at the same time.
I looked at my finances, sold a vehicle, refinanced another, and gathered a decent amount of capital to try and get us off the ground. Savanna, with her marketing savvy and connections, reached out and found a graphic designer who helped us pull the idea out of the shadows of my brain and make it real.
I did not realize I was about to join a circus. I ended up jumping through several bureaucratic hoops and doing some back flips as I threw cash around to various government agencies, ranging from the federal government to secure a tax number, to the state government to do a search and register the LLC. Then I went to the Hawkins County courthouse and engaged with the county government to register the LLC in the county, and the county once again for a business license. The upfront money to just accomplish this was not insignificant. Even opening a business account at the local Credit Union was more involved than I had thought it would be.
While I was chasing the dream through various Government entities, Savanna began developing our website (keep your eyes out for the launch!) where we plan to use online retailing as our principal vehicle.
We were extremely excited to discover that the name of our company was available as a domain, so we grabbed that domain and a couple of others.
Some days I can see it all coming together, other days I wonder what I was thinking. Entrepreneurship is totally new to me. I am lucky to have Savanna as a partner in this venture. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm never wains. Keep an eye out good things are coming.
Theoriginalneanderthal 