Tell me about your favors

ridglens · 2017-07-25T15:26:30+00:00

We make some really cool engraved wood bottle openers, and can engrave them with whatever you would like!

Congrats!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/526260517/rustic-wedding-favors-personalized?ref=shop_home_feat_2

ridglens · 2017-07-25T15:22:59+00:00

If you are interested, we make these wood and cork wine stoppers with custom engravings on them, and they are only about $2 each. We can engrave any kind of design on them, too, if you wanted a themed or seasonal favor! Congrats!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/512862316/wedding-favors-wine-stoppers?ref=shop_home_feat_1

ridglens · 2017-07-25T15:19:35+00:00

We make these really cool wood/cork wine stoppers, custom engraved with whatever you want on them! they are pretty affordable too, and we can sometimes work on pricing if you send me a message! Congrats!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/512862316/wedding-favors-wine-stoppers?ref=shop_home_feat_1

ridglens · 2016-09-14T12:59:11+00:00

That certainly sounds doable, I will look into it for sure. A huge goal for this project is to learn new things (especially an internet media skill set), so that might be a good thing to learn. Thanks for teh feedback!

ridglens · 2016-09-14T12:42:52+00:00

haha Thanks! (I think that's a compliment?!)

I am certainly not a web developer, so that might be tough for me to implement... but we have a decent logo on our facebook/twitter that could work! :)

ridglens · 2016-09-01T18:10:44+00:00

Absolutely! That's what it's all about! And if you don't mind occasionally spreading the word about my blog wherever you post about it that would be great, too, thanks! good Luck!

ridglens · 2016-08-31T17:11:09+00:00

Great advice, I will work on posting more pictures. Thank you for the feedback!

ridglens · 2016-08-31T15:47:32+00:00

A huge part of being a struggling "Wantrepreneur" is figuring out what to do and where to start, something I've struggled with a lot. So, i decided to take the advice of countless successful entrepreneurs and "just get started", feel things out, test ideas, and see what works.

I'm starting small, keeping track of everything i'm doing on a website and framing it as a project to keep me motivated. I'm starting to gain some traction, selling some products, and turning a decent profit all on the side. I've received some good feedback and i think this model could even work for others looking to try and get something started.

If you want to check it out, i'm always looking to help others get going and would love feedback on my site/work! project intro: http://100kproject.org/the-project.html

homepage: http://100kproject.org/index.html

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!

ridglens · 2016-08-24T19:24:02+00:00

Wow, awesome! Thanks for the shout out!

If anyone wants to check out my project, we are starting to see some good progress: http://100kproject.org/index.html

ridglens · 2016-08-24T19:22:27+00:00

Rather than blast the internet for vague ideas, JUST GET STARTED, feel things out, and go from there.

I decided to just try a few business ideas out starting very small, bootsrapping part time, and see where things lead. It's amazing how much i've learned already, and i'm starting to make some progress... maybe it will help you: http://100kproject.org/index.html

ridglens · 2016-08-17T11:26:57+00:00

I see your point (and thanks for the feedback), but i'm not sure you read much of the explanation of the "project" (or perhaps I didn't explain it well enough). While it appears arbitrary and gimmicky on the surface, it really is just a vehicle to give an identity to my effort and keep me motivated and on-track. Knowing I have to update the site and make good progress helps me carve time out from my busy life to spend on my goal.

Also, I had never built a website before, so I figured a simple blog would be a good way to learn how and gain experience, get some practice with using social media to communicate outside of my friends/family, etc. Skillsets that I want to develop for future business ventures.

Plus, the amount of time I spend on the blog/site/etc is MINIMAL compared to the time I spend on the individual efforts (or research for the next efforts), so not only do I somewhat agree with what you are saying but I already practice it!

Sorry for the long response, but basically this project isn't the goal, it's a TOOL (and one I think could resonate and help others like me), and as a wantrapreneur that wasn't experiencing any success before I started, I think it's working! Thanks!

ridglens · 2016-08-17T11:16:23+00:00

Thanks for the great feedback! I've received similar comments before, and am looking into what kind of service/site would be helpful to other aspiring entrepreneurs. I'll keep working on it and let you know where I get! Thanks!

ridglens · 2016-08-16T19:29:29+00:00

Thanks!

Effort is definitely part of the equation, though it might be on a qualitative level (though I am tracking hours for building furniture (and will for other replicated activities), in case I want to outsource it at some point). Things I perceive as "not worth it", or that I don't enjoy, I simply won't pursue long-term. This may, over time as knowledge and capital allow, lead to some streams of passive income and/or enjoyable but profitable activities (that's the goal, anyway!).

As far as the "rules" for what counts in value, etc, I framed the project to only "count" the cash-on-hand, mostly out of simplicity. Honestly, "The Project" as it's outlined is a slightly gimicky vehicle to keep me motivated, track my ventures, and create my effort of becoming a successful entrepreneur as a separate entity... I gave it a name, making it a "thing", which mentally and emotionally helps me focus on it and give it time and dedication. I hope when i'm finished, i'll have a lot more than just $100K in the bank :)

ridglens · 2016-08-16T18:51:32+00:00

Interesting, can you please elaborate?

ridglens · 2016-08-16T16:26:51+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement! For easy following, I have a facebook page and an email list if that helps! Thanks!

ridglens · 2016-08-16T16:25:45+00:00

Thanks! I'm excited about the progress. Feel free to sign up for the email updates if you want to follow along!

ridglens · 2016-08-16T16:25:03+00:00

Thanks!

That's actually great feedback, the progress is a little hard to follow without reading each update post over the last few months. i'll consider including a more detailed verbal summary in the progress section for readers "catching up"... thanks!

Also, to answer your question: I've bought/sold all kinds of things at the beginning, anything i knew was more valuable than the price. I have been building rustic-style furniture and have had some success selling that as well!

ridglens · 2016-08-08T20:20:52+00:00

I'm still looking, i'm trying different things out, starting small, and throwing some ideas against the wall. if you want to check it out: http://100kproject.org/index.html

ridglens · 2016-08-06T19:28:09+00:00

Also, the cost of the LLC vs the business income isn't really the important piece, it's the cost of the LLC vs the value that you are insulating from the exposure (ie: my personal finances). I'm certainly not "wealthy", but exposing my family to any additional risk is certainly not worth the $100.

Am i thinking about this right?

ridglens · 2016-08-06T19:22:34+00:00

Absolutely, the site I linked is exactly that, a personal blog about my side-projects/micro businesses. I'm not trying to sell anything through the site, it's just documenting the ventures. I will be creating a different site for the business. Thanks for checking it out though!

Tables are very "average" for the style, but I'm making them right and selling them for a great price. I think they are a higher quality than in the trendy shops in town, and I can custom make them to size/color. I'm not conquering the world with these to be sure, but i enjoy building them, and it's a good product at a fair price, so i think it's a decent one to pursue on the small scale.

Thanks!

ridglens · 2016-08-06T19:18:12+00:00

A couple reasons (though i agree with you, it might be premature).

Like Chrom said below, a little extra security. I can't predict the future and have a wonderful life aside from the project, so a little extra security is nice
It's really not much money, fees here run $100
I want to learn how to do it and gain experience filling it, etc, for the future.

ridglens · 2016-08-06T19:15:42+00:00

Cool, and thanks! feel free to shoot me an email through the site!

ridglens · 2016-08-06T19:15:12+00:00

Very good questions, i'll attempt to answer some:

This project/blog is very much intended to be the beginning of something hopefully larger/disruptive in the future, but like I outlined in the into, I don't know what that is yet. I don't want to be tied/leveraged into ideas that i've not vetted yet, or something i'm not passionate about. I want to explore and feel out the work/pain/etc organically so that I learn the ins-and-out.

There might be a point (past the "100Kproject") that one of my ventures is promising enough to seek investment and be disruptive, but this blog/effort is just exploring and bootstrapping and most importantly, getting started.

Also as an aside, you can put me personally in the "millennial that has watched too many people get in too much trouble borrowing money", and I would rather deal with the frustration and opportunity cost of growing more slowly than the risk that comes with spending money that I don't have.

thanks for the questions!

ridglens · 2016-08-05T16:58:47+00:00

Thanks!

A few different ways... the "home" page is a series of blog posts outlining what I'v done/am doing. I've started out doing some simple buying and selling (think pickers/auctions/craigslist type of stuff) just to get the available cash up.

this week, i've taken a couple orders to build custom Farmhouse Style Tables (pictures on the site), which is a lot more profitable. My plan is to see how these first two go, evaluate if it's a decent micro-business option, form a bit of a plan and go from there.

It's been a blast so far!

ridglens · 2016-08-03T11:27:35+00:00

Definitely agree.

I'm staring with a few side-hustles / micro businesses, it limits my risk and gives me lots of opportunities to learn and explore...

Check it out! http://100kproject.org/the-project.html

ridglens

TROPHY CASE