Shoestring Startup dot Net

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Time for My Next Business Venture!

By now I’ve been in business, sold a few companies, gotten sick, recovered, found God, healed emotionally, had business partners, broken up, stayed married,…..and the fun was just beginning!

It was a natural step for me to meld my business expertise with my new found holistic knowledge. I was feeling great and looking for opportunities. One found me.

I was hired to manage a a personal and spiritual development company. I helped market, conduct workshops, prepare pamphlets. I spend many night working on mail order campaigns and talking with potential clients. During the days I managed the business for three partners. The company did ok - not great, but ok - but eventually the partners reformed and we had ‘a parting of the ways.’

I was never paid.

(lessons learned).

This was the second time my personal income and entrepreneurial experience was influenced by another’s actions. I wish I could say it was the last.

Do You Think I Learned That Lesson? Nah.

I went back into business with my first business partner, and his brother. (who also happened to be my healing practitioner)… Complicated.

First rule I should have learned:

• Don’t go into business with two brothers.

Second rule I should have learned:

• Don’t go back into business with an ex-partner.

Third rule I really should have known:

• Keep the rest of the family out of the business - especially if you aren’t part of the family.

Looking back I can see the train wreck coming. But at the time it really did seem to make sense to go into business with two brothers and have the third brother on the Corporate Board.

I may seem naive, but the business worked great for several years it went very well. We started several companies. A homeopathic laboratory and a bio-medicial manufacturing plant. (In the alternative medicine industry). I was also involved with the start up and development of a school to teach how to use the technology and a healing clinic.

As part of the plan we set up clinics and trained practitioners worldwide on our unique alternative medical technology. I also represented the company to the FDA in Washington.

My main job as one of the co-founders, was president of the bio-medical company. I was in charge of the manufacturing, purchasing, office management etc. We went from $0 to several million in sales in about five years. We did it on a shoestring and financed the company internally through sales.

Yes we looked for outside funding, but the right opportunity didn’t present itself. People wanted control in return for cash, or other terms that were unacceptable, so we forged on - just on a shoestring budget.

There were lots of naysayers, and a few alternative medicine de-bunkers who went after us with a vengeance. All part of the process.

So What’s with the 7-up can?

My (ex) partner had told me a story once about how 7-up came to be.

Once upon a time a man sat in his home laboratory making drinks. He found a mixture he liked and called it 1-up. He went looking for funding to bring his soda to market. No one liked the soda so he went back home to remix the forumla.

A few weeks or months or years later he found a new formula and called it 2-up. He went back to the potential investors, but they still didn’t like the drink. Back home he went.

He continued to mix and formulate until he was at 6-up formula, but still the investor hated the drink. However Mr. Mix-it man knew this was the right formula and wouldn’t give up. He decided to take it to market by himself and renamed his drink one more time.

I have no idea if this story is true, however I did write to 7-up and ask for the history of their beginnings. I’ll let you know if I hear back.