Posted by Laura Vestanen on 12/3/07 7:09pm
Msg #224060
WA notaries - save on office supplies - watch this space!
WA notaries -
My volunteer project for this year has been to create an online statewide Chamber of Commerce for WA small business owners. I have invested many hundreds of volunteer hours to make this happen.
We small business owners pay the highest prices for supplies when we are the ones who can least afford to do so. ie: we take it in the neck.
To combat this, I am forming a non-profit corporation wherein WA small business owners can join for free. We can use our collective clout to get discounts on office supplies, coffee, and other urgent necessities for running our businesses.
I have already worked out an agreement with Staples. 15%-35% off all online purchases over $50. Free delivery for most towns/cities. Bigger discounts on featured items and high-ticket electronics.
Most of the vendor discounts will work this way:
Members log in. They click on a vendor's graphic. That takes them to a webpage with the description of the discount or offer. Special codes, etc, are listed here. You click on the graphic again to order directly from the vendor. You pay the vendor, not my association. We get zero cut for this.
The association is non-profit. VERY non-profit.
The website is in beta form and should launch in around 2 weeks. We are still working out some database kinks.
When the website launches, there will only be a handful of vendors offering discounts so don't be disappointed. I have dozens of additional vendors who are waiting for the site to launch and to see some big membership numbers. Toner, remanufactured cartridges, and oil changes are on the list. (NSAs are at the top of the list!)
THAT'S WHEN I WILL NEED YOUR HELP.
The more members we have, the bigger discounts I can negotiate for us. If I can tell the vendors we have 500 or 1000 members, they will jump on board faster than you can say "how high?"
When I announce the website is up, would you PLEASE join (free) and enter your business description?
That is all I ask.
200+ members have already joined at the beta level. The sooner we get 1K members, the sooner I can obtain serious discounts for our members.
Please keep me in mind and join the moment when you see my post with the link.
I am very excited about this project! We small business owners are finally going to get some purchasing clout via collective bargaining. The non-profit has 3 board members. 2 of us are NSAs. The third is a licensed family psychologist. We are GOOD people!
Thanks for your support and.....
PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES!
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Reply by Laura Vestanen on 12/4/07 4:09am
Msg #224124
Could be spreading to other states
There are some legal reasons why the non-profit corporation is set up on a state by state basis.
There are people in CA. OR, AZ, and TX who are watching to see if the idea takes off. If so, they plan to replicate the organization in their states.
Perhaps you could do it in CT, Ernest!
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