Business Start-Up Capital

Hello, thanks for your interest in my start-up capital fundraiser. The goal of this fundraiser is to raise $2,000 toward the start-up of a small carpentry business based in the Kansas City, MO area. This money, combined with owner contributions and other possible donations, will be used to purchase equipment, supplies and initial lumber/raw material stock, and lease a small space to work from. The business plan is simple and ambitious and should allow the business to grow rapidly while always adhering to ethical business practices and always producing the highest quality product possible. This is something that has been lost on manufactured goods for quite a long time. The first furniture collections manufactured and sold by this new company will be a variety of high quality, durable and beautiful pieces which I am in the process of designing as we speak. The intial labor force will only consist of myself, which will help keep start-up costs and initial expenses at a minimum. My name is Tim by the way, nice to meet you! I will exercise any and all avenues through which to market and sell the furniture including Ebay, Craigslist, Amazon, local trade shows, furniture stores and flea markets as well as a company website and any other means within my reach. As sales increase I will begin to hire experienced carpenters to increase manufacturing and thereby increase the amount of product available to sell. Over time I would like to begin hiring specialty carpenters, those who work best with building specific items and with special materials. The end result will be a completely liquid, globaly known manufacturer of quality, durable and affordable home furnishings with collections focused for all age ranges and income levels. I have been practicing carpenty and building my own furnishings for years now, the photo attached to this fundraiser is a platform bed which I designed and built myself, well with the help of family and friends on occasion, of course. Furniture building is one of my two greatest passions. The other would be running a small business and being the best possible employer I can be. I have worked for many companies throughout my years, in both management and entry level positions. The greatest lesson I have learned throughout my working life has been that it is important to treat your employees as you would want your employer to treat you. The Golden Rule may be old, but it still applies in all walks of life. As an employer I will always remember that people come to work for me not because they want to, but because they have to in order to survive, to put food on their tables, have the shelter and healthcare they need. As their employer it is my responsibility to make sure I am providing for my employees in such a way that they should not have to work two jobs to survivie, and they should not have to go without good healthcare and benefits. Nobody should have to work for a menial wage if it within the ability of my company to offer them better than that. With every decision I make I will ask myself two questions: Will this help to grow the company?; and Will this benefit everyone who works for the company? I have experience in many different fields. I spent approximately 6 years caring for individuals with disabilities in group homes and individual supported living homes. This taught me to be patient and that everbody relies on someone, whether they know it or not. I have random bits of experience in manufacturing, warehouse and shipping fields. This taught me how to manufacture, store and ship goods.  And for the past three and a half years or so I have been managing two teams of researchers. This experience taught me the most valuable lesson of all, how to and not to treat people, how to be a leader and from very nifty tricks involving launching company products in new markets. In summary, I believe I am a well rounded individual, more than capable of starting, growing and managing a small business. I believe I can run that business ethically and make sure my employees are taken care of and my customers are always happy. I believe the experiences I have, professional and person, will help this business achieve all of the goals set forth above. And I also believe that with my contributions and your help raising the necessary start-up capital, I can set that plan in motion and before you know it my company will be well known as a great employer and a great furniture manufacturer. Thank you for your time and your donations!