Document Type

Closed Project

Publication Date

Spring 2012

Instructor

Charles Weber

Course Title

Technology Entrepreneurship

Course Number

ETM 561/661

Subjects

Business planning, Technological innovations, Entrepreneurship

Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

One Line Pitch: A boutique paint and textile retailer selling an edited palette of paints and a unique line of textiles to customers having a penchant for locally produced, environmentally friendly products for the well lived and well loved home.

Business Summary: We offer professional architectural color consulting services, specifying our own tested and edited palette of premium paint colors. Our line of paints coordinates directly to a line of modern textiles, screen-­‐printed locally in Portland, Oregon. The paints are sold by the quart or gallon and the textiles are sold by the yard in our Pearl District retail location. Look out for our tote bags, pillows and other textiles for the table as well.

Product/Services: Bolt and Brush will offer professional, architectural color consulting services and a premium line of environmentally friendly paints for retail sale. A line of textiles, designed and screen-­‐printed locally, will also be sold by the yard. Other ancillary products made from the same yardage sold in the store like tote bags, pillows and textiles for the dining table will also be made locally and sold both online and in retail stores.

Target Market: Bolt and Brush’s targeted customer, both male and female, is design savvy with a strong appreciation for locally produced goods that are also environmentally friendly. Typically these consumers have at least some level of higher education. They are in the middle to upper middle class income range and despite the economic downturn; these customers are still financially capable of make purchases for premium goods and services.

Management: Sarah Miller, Founder and sole employee, having color and textile design experience in multiple industries, a BFA in Textile Design and the near completion of an MBA. Sarah’s natural inclination is towards the arts and design, but steadfast persistence in the practicalities of opening a business makes her a likely candidate for entrepreneurial success in the design field.

Sales/Marketing Strategy: Bolt & Brush’s marketing strategy focuses initially on local support, i.e. newspaper and magazine write-­‐ups, radio spots, and word of mouth from satisfied customers of the color consultation process. The company will gain needed brand awareness nationally with a strong on-­‐line presence and personality that taps into the design-­‐centric community

. Financial Strategy: We have established a three-­‐year ramp up period of developing brand recognition in the online design community using guerilla-­‐marketing tactics. At the end of the three-­‐year period, once the strength of the brand has been established, we will invest in the overhead of a retail storefront, which will allow for additional avenues for growth.

Risk Assessment: The risk involved lies mostly on Sarah Miller and her spouse. $50,000 in seed money is from their personal funds and Sarah would be compromising other career opportunities by focusing her creative energies on growing the business. The risk of failure, otherwise, at this stage is minimal and will affect few. The worst-­‐case scenario would be that customers would not respond to the patterns and colors brought to market. If this occurred, Sarah would shift the focus of her business and reevaluate the company’s direction.

Rights

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Comments

This project is only available to students, staff, and faculty of Portland State University

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/22042

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