A Fresh Start

Volume 6

Recently the team here at The Shoe Café decided that we wanted to go about the business operations in a different way. Because of this decision to change the way things operated we decided to close the doors on the first retail store. One of the best things to come out of closing the doors on the business is the fact that we were able to sell all shoes to the public therefore leaving us with no stock on hand. This was perfect because it allowed us the opportunity to start fresh. We are now in the process of finalizing the new business ideas and producing designs for samples to be made. We look to have this completed by the later second half of the first fiscal quarter. While in the process of gathering information for restarting The Shoe Café I came across an article speaking about alternative options for funding a start-up company versus traditional business loans. The link for the article can be found at the bottom of this post.

One of the things that really stood out to me was crowd funding. After further research I found out that crowd funding was a was for the entrepreneur to place their business idea in front of unlimited numbers of people in hopes that someone would like their idea enough to invest. The person investing in the company and the original owner would then agree on terms of how the investor would receives dividends in return if any were agreed upon. The website that I found hosting this service www.wickedstart.com also assisted the business owner in drawing up a contract for both parties to have for their own records. 

This site was very user friendly in providing the information in a way that even the most novice user would understand. The site is also 100% free and will not ask for any of the users banking information. This was a comfort especially in an age where every site that offers to help also ask for a credit or debit card to start. The one thing that I found the most helpful on the site was the fact that you got to set your own deadlines according to what you were trying to accomplish. The Wicked Start site allows the user to plan, gain capital, and market their ideas through the process of a 10-step plan. While working through the plan the sites has resource materials, advice columns, and videos all as a way to help the user understand the next steps and answer any questions. After using this site personally I would recommend www.wickedstart.com to anyone thinking of starting a business rather they felt they needed the start up help or not. This recommendation would be in part that the site was very easy to use. The best part of the site is the ability to save all of your business documents on one site this will assist with the organization aspect of the business.

Stodghill, A. G. (2011, August 31). The start-up company that helps you start your own business. Retrieved from http://madamenoire.com/110965/this-start-up-company-helps-you-start-your-own-business/