OKAY!
I'm going to keep my response fairly simple (though not very short), for the moment. Before now, this has all been nothing more than a daydream; Nadador's idea, actually, though he is far too busy to do this himself. He pitched it to me since I have more time and energy. I decided to put it here to gauge initial support, because if I can't see interest for the project in our own back yard, it's pretty much a non-starter. Now I see some support exists. There is obviously a good selection of minds to get it going, but I'm still concerned about how many potential sellers we have in our numbers. This would obviously be the best place from which to gather our first group, so I need to see we have at least 20 or 30 up front, for a small initial launch.
Let me answer a few very basic questions that have come up so far, from A4H, JDartistic and Epath. Thanks for these, guys.
You and your friends (or people you know personally) want to organize a online based store where people on the spectrum can sell their stuff. It this correct?
Yes. Art and crafts in particular. Nadador said he'd also like the site to advertise other web-based businesses (non-artistic) owned by people on the spectrum, and have an ASD education component. There is no clear vision for how those pieces might work at this juncture, but I agree they should be part of the project.
The purpose of the site would be twofold:
1. To create a venue for the spectrum community that showcases our artistic talents, to help change a public conversation that usually focuses on our deficits and ignores those of us who are gifted in areas other than science, math and technology.
2. To assist people with ASDs in earning income from their artistic abilities. Too many people with ASDs are un- or underemployed. Anything we can do to help members of our community maximize their earning power is effort well spent. Note that anyone who works on the project in any capacity can list the job on their resumés and use me as an employer reference.
Who would lead the effort/be in charge?
Frighteningly, that would be me. My name is Jennifer, by the way. I live in South Carolina at the moment, but will be moving to the UK later this year. I'm Harrison's partner. Poor guy.
Personal questions about me may be asked here or in private, for those who would be more comfortable knowing more about me before getting involved.
How committed are you?
As they say about breakfast: The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. I was still a chicken when I posted this thread. Seeing adequate interest to create the site and some indication that we'd have sellers to start us off, I've now morphed into a pig. Nadador introduced me to my partner. I'm repaying his kindness by doing my damnedest to make his idea real. It might take some time, but I'm all in.
I'm very much about collaboration, not looking for personal glory, and no, I'm not going to be scared off by all of the details. I expected this would be a pretty massive undertaking. If we can do this and make it stick, it could inspire other group endeavors by people with ASDs. That's pretty strong motivation to do this thing, too.
You, as a project leader, or one of them, require some free help from other people on the spectrum. Is this correct?
I would lead the project, but I would need to have a team to develop and run the site. This site would be for the spectrum community, so I figure it should be a collaborative effort from the start. To be clear, this will be a not-for-profit company, and nobody who works on the project at the outset should expect to be paid for their contributions. If we ever got big enough to justify paid employees, they would be spectrum people, with those who help create the site getting first priority for hire.
What kind of assistance do you require exactly?
First, a core working group of four or five people who would help make early decisions and oversee various aspects of the project, managing other volunteers from their areas of expertise. Interested parties can contact me privately with details of what you bring to the table. See below for what those areas are.
We're going to need tech-, business- and legal-savvy folks early on to design the skeleton of the site and the organization behind it. Shortly thereafter, we'll need people who are proficient with graphics and web marketing to make the place attractive, create an image, and promote it to the public. I plan on heading up the effort to get sellers on board and manage customer service, and will need another body to help with that. It would also be good to have a couple of sellers on the team; individuals with experience selling online who could give us ideas for what features we should provide to make us a desirable place to conduct business.The educational component will need a curator or two, and I'm hoping Vanilla would like to be involved with that piece, since she's AC's star resources person and passionate about education.
Once I sort out the core working group, I'll take them off the open forums and we can get better acquainted privately. Our leaders will have latitude in choosing their own helpers, keeping in mind that we should let everyone who is interested contribute in some way.
If it helps, my style is easygoing. I listen to people who know more than I do, I delegate, and I don't micromanage. I've got 25 years' worth of lessons in management and team leadership that have taught me not to be a pain in the ass.
You say, you want to brainstorm the idea. If people are going to brainstorm the entire idea it'll be pretty easy to get lost in the woods. What subject do you want to brainstorm 1st?
You aren't kidding!
I admit, I've been overwhelmed by the up-front discussion of business and technical aspects. In my original post, I made the mistake of breaking the #1 rule of asking Aspies a question: I wasn't specific enough. Three of my questions were fine, but "What ideas or questions might you have about a venture like this?" was apparently too broad. I'm thrilled about everything everybody gave me, as it's all very useful, but what I was really looking for, given the current stage I'm at, was:
"What ideas or questions might you have about the
basic concept of an Etsy-like marketplace for artists and craftspeople with ASDs, which would also include an educational component?"
I'm used to working with social workers, clergy, artists and entertainers. Those aren't people who get excited about nuts and bolts, so I wasn't thinking. Duh, Jennifer.
Does the site inherit its policies from AC or does it have its own?
This is an entirely separate venture, in a different category. It would have its own policies.
Do you have a business plan?
Nope. I can't even call this project "embryonic" yet. It's more like a zygote. There didn't seem to be any sense in starting a plan until I could get some preliminary feedback on the basic concept.
If you are not charging any fees, how are you planning to make money?
The organization will be non-profit and will start out simple and small. If we need money to expand operations, we'll look at that later. I don't know nearly enough about what we will need to speculate on any of that yet.
How will you measure success? What roles and collateral (financial and otherwise) are essential for success, and are they present? If not, how could they be acquired? If so, how durable are they?
All great questions for later. This will all be discussed once the primary working group is in place.
Next?
PS: I've printed and organized everyone's posts so far for future reference. All good stuff. Thanks so much for your thoughts!
