Update 1/23/2014: Out of respect I will wait until I, along with the community, thinks it will be acceptable to publicly pursue an investor. I have decided I am not going to be publicly pursuing investors at this time. You may still however contact me privately about this. I will stay here and help this community to the point where we believe that I have proven my commitment to Silk Road. I thank you all for the interest you have taken regarding my investment seeking.
Update 1/25/2014: HonoluluExpress is proud to announce that we are scheduled to become a vendor with in 14 days. Stay tuned everyone! We will be selling high quality bud! We have reopened this thread because of this. This thread will be used (for the moment) for everyone to see what kind of business plan we still have to offer.
Update 1/31/2014: As of 1/29/2014 We are official vendors!
Dear Silk Roaders Would you invest a little money now if it meant ongoing returns for the foreseeable future? For the last six weeks, I’ve been working on a Vendor Business Plan. I believe the plan to be a solid, profitable business proposal (and I’m publishing several details from it below, so you can make your own judgement of this) – but in order to implement it, I need funds. Let me be clear: I’m not asking for somebody to just “lend me the vendor bond” – I’ve done my research, I know how much I need, and I’m looking for serious investment from serious people to bring this profitable business model to life. If you’re even just slightly interested in a long-term revenue stream, then please read all the way to the end. If you think I’ve missed something, let me know – I’m committed to making this work. Where possible, please post questions publicly in this thread in case others have the same question. You can send private or sensitive questions via encrypted PM using the public key in my profile, and if you’d prefer to communicate in real-time, I can give you my Torchat ID. If you wish to retain your anonymity, use a throwaway account.
Navigating This Proposal:
1. My Approach To Business
2. Business Model Specifics (e.g. products, shipping destinations)
3. Marketing & Retention Strategy
4. Possible Risks & How I Will Address Them
5. How Much I Need & Where It Will Be Spent
6. How It Works & What You’ll Earn
7. Looking To The Future
8. About Me
::: 1. My Business Mentality ::: Right now, customers navigating the Deep Web to find the goods they want are faced with a big problem: Who to trust. With so many scammers popping up like daisies, it’s important for customers to find a vendor they can trust in the long-term. I am not interested in making a fast buck. I am not interested in a quick, easy ride – I’m here to provide a serious, reliable service to customers, and to build lasting relationships with my future business partners. What is to be gained from a quick exit? With the right planning and dedication, the ‘exit profit’ can be earned many times over on a regular basis that runs indefinitely into the future. I am Honolulu Express, and I am here to stay. Watch this space.
::: 2. My Business Specifics (i.e. products, shipping destinations) ::: Products Though I will begin modestly, I plan to increase my product offerings as my business grows, with the long-term goal of eventually offering the widest selection of any other vendor. I will begin by offering the following staple products, for which I have already sourced a reliable supply: > Medical-Grade Marijuana > Cocaine
Shipping Destinations
Again, I will begin small and build as my business grows. Starting with USA to USA, I will work on adding further destinations in the following sequence:
USA to USA
USA to USA & Canada
USA to NA continents.
USA to rest of the world.
This progressive structure will allow me to thoroughly research all relevant postal/customs information for each new area I add for maximum success in delivery.
::: 3. How I Will Build & Retain a Loyal Customer Base :::
My approach to attracting and retaining customers is not an earth-shattering new technique, it’s simply a collection of what my research has shown to be the most effective methods, and focus on techniques that will establish trust, encourage reviews and reward loyalty.
To establish trust in my product quality, every single batch I list will undergo the following process:
1. I will set aside 4 free samples
2. I will contact 4 trusted community members to test, try and thoroughly review each sample
3. I will publish these reviews, then make the rest of the batch available for purchase
To establish trust in my integrity, I will only ever operate using escrow. I realise that it is now possible to bypass escrow completely, but in the end, escrow is there to protect both parties, and if both parties have sincere motives, escrow should never be an issue.
I will also implement two valuable incentives to encourage reviews and reward loyalty:
1. Each customer who leaves a detailed review on my review thread will receive a 10% discount off their next order.
2. Any customer who completes five purchases with Honolulu Express will receive a 10% discount for life
In the future, I hope to be earning enough money to dip into my own pocket and run periodic ‘Community Giveaways’ of both Cannabis and Psychedelic products. This will never be taken from investment funds however, as it is simply something I enjoy – but it will increase business profits by keeping my brand firmly visible, meaning investors will profit from this anyway.
::: 4. Possible Risks & How I Will Address Them :::
These risks are all areas that may worry a potential customer or knock their confidence if not addressed.
Risk: Intercepted Packages
Customers worried about losing out due to intercepted packages will not need to worry – I have decided to offer 100% refunds for all tracked orders that are intercepted.
This will not only reassure customers, but it will encourage us further to ensure we are staying on top of all the latest stealth best practice.
*This will only be introduced once we expand to non-domestic orders outside of the USA – tracking will not be offered immediately*
Risk: Slow Communication / Response Time
Because I will be dedicated to this business and its success, customers will not experience slow response time. However, to increase their confidence, I will be providing all orders with my TorChat ID for instant resolution to queries.
Risk: Scamming
I will always offer escrow.
::: 5. How Much I Need / Where It Will Be Spent :::
Update 1/25/2014: I no longer need this exact amount of funds. I have acquired investor(s) and we will be opening business soon. I am still open to investors however. All investments will be put into product.
OK, so you’ve seen how I plan to approach my business – so now I want to tell you how much I need and where it will be spent. Here is my startup cost structure:
1. Refundable Bond: $500
The vendor bond is a refundable payment that is returned after a vendor account hits 3 set targets. These are: (a) X Months Vending, (b) $X Worth of Orders, and (c) X Orders. Once refunded, this bond will be given back entirely to investors.
2. Product & Samples: $2,400 - $2,600
Without products there will be no business, and unless I also budget for the samples, the plan I outlined above will not be able to go forward. I will be starting with the following:
454 grams of HQ medical marijuana
3. Shipping Supplies: $250
Pretty self-explanatory!
4. Marketing: $450
I strongly believe in doing things right on every level, so I’m considering using the writing services of WickedWords to make sure my listings & profile are clear, easy to understand and full of marketing best-practice.
Total Investment Required: $3600 - $3800
(Note: This is the minimum I’m looking at – of course, if there’s enough interest from investors, it means I’ll be able to start with bigger quantities for bigger profits)
(Note 2: Starting products are negotiable for investors)
::: 6. How It Works & What You’ll Earn :::
If you’re interested in making an investment with me, then simply contact me with the amount you pledge. I will only start accepting payments once I have pledges that total the correct amount – that way, if I don’t hit my target, nobody will need refunding.
I’m limiting the minimum investment to $100. This is because if I received the funding I needed from 100 different investors, keeping track of accounts would become very difficult!
I will be making investor payments on two levels:
Level One: To begin with, I will be repaying the investment I used for the bond, packing, and marketing. This will be paid back with a 15% additional return – for example, the vendor bond will cost me $500, but I will actually be paying $575 back to investors. The same applies to the cost of packaging and marketing once this has been recovered.
From then on, it will be a case of splitting all ongoing profits with investors 75/25 in my favor. Let’s take an example:
If the total investment received was $10,000, then this is how a couple of examples would work out:
Example 1: Mr Pickles invests $5,000. This represents 50% of all investors, and so Mr Pickles takes 50% of 25% of all of my profits – in other words, whatever profits I make, Mr Pickles gets 12.5%. (If my weekly profits were $3,000 a week for example, Mr Pickles would be getting $375 p/week from me – or $19,500 p/year)
Example 2: Mrs Mystery invests $50. This represents 0.5% of all investors, meaning Mrs Mystery would take 0.5% of 25% of all of my profits – in other words, whatever profits I make, Mrs Mystery gets 0.125%. (If my weekly profits were $3,000 a week for example, Mrs Mystery would be getting $3.75 p/week from me – or $195 p/year)
Example 3: Ms Moneybags storms in and invests $10,000. She will own 100% of the investor shares, and will therefore take 25% of all profits I make.
::: 7. Looking To The Future :::
I’m interested in building longer-term relationships with both customers and investors alike.
So, whilst I’ve discussed the short-term investment I require, it might be nice to touch on my longer-term vision.
If you decide to invest a small amount now, but are impressed by my success and want to invest more to help me expand, then fine – I’m going to remain open to expansion opportunities, and will always be happy to take advice from my investors.
Or you could even decide to re-invest your dividends – in other words, let’s say you invest $1,000, and that on the first day you’re due a payment, you decide instead to keep that invested. If the payment due to you from my profits was $150, your total investment would then increase to $1,150 – meaning your profits will grow faster.
We’ll be in this together for the long-run, and the more confidence I have from investors in the long-run, the faster this business will grow and the more profits we will earn together.
::: 8. About Me :::
I’ve been around since the first Silk Road, but this is the first time I’ve decided to start vending, which is why I’ve created a new alias.
I’m passionate about the community, especially welcoming new members and helping them find their footing – if you’re feeling stuck, feel free to visit my Q&A thread on the Newbie Board, which you can find here: http://silkroad5v7dywlc.onion/index.php?topic=8064.0
I look forward to getting to know you all!
Honolulu Express