Bellingham Startups and Small Business Partnerships
Starting up a Startup
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”Laozi – Chinese philosopher (c 604 bc – c 531 bc)
This proverb is as true now as when it was first written 2,500 years ago in the Tao Te Ching. Imparting wisdom, it means that even the most arduous ventures begin in simple fashion.
In my line of work I’m contacted by people with business ideas for startups on a regular basis. These ideas are typically in the fledgling stages and need quite a bit of work to be brought to market, but they all share the same trait: their purveyors are taking their first steps on their journey. I respect and value this immensely.
It goes without saying that most business startup ideas are not an initial success. Therefore, taking the first step on a journey is important, but to create a successful business or to formulate a promising startup idea an individual must persevere.
Perseverance
Stories of perseverance such as the one above are not uncommon in business history. But perseverance must work hand-in-hand with calculated risk. Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, faced hardship due to rising fuel costs early in the life of the business. At one point in time his company had only $5,000 available which was not enough to keep the company operating. Fred took the $5,000 and flew to Vegas where he played Black Jack. Betting the money, he eventually returned to his company with $32,000, which was enough to keep operations going. Shortly thereafter Federal Express raised enough money to continue operations without the need of Vegas trips and risky hands of Black Jack.
I, by no means, am condoning gambling. It is risky and could have very easily gone the other direction for Fred. To contrast this example and to highlight the dangers of gambling, I’m going to share an anecdote from my personal history. I once worked for a man whose business was in jeopardy from the IRS due to back taxes. This individual took a five figure pre-payment from a customer to a local casino and bet it at the roulette table — and lost it all. Out of options, he had backed himself into a corner from which, in his estimation, there was no recovering from. He committed suicide within hours.
Small Business Partnerships
Partnerships offer intriguing possibilities. As discussed above, Colonel Sanders sought partnerships with other restaurants whereby he provided his recipe so that the restaurant could benefit by providing a superior product. In turn, Sanders received a portion of the sales. In a similar fashion, Bellingham WP has entered into promising partnerships with small businesses and individuals which show potential for mutual benefit, several of which have returned a profit.
By providing website design, content writing, hosting, WordPress management, and search engine optimization Bellingham WP has helped startup businesses get off the ground and bring their products and services to market.
If you have a business startup idea and are interested in partnering with Bellingham WP, consider taking that first step on your journey by getting in touch for a discussion.
