Partnering with Michael and Lynette Richards of Soyawax is a very exciting opportunity for Sohodojo. The Richards have a solid 'going concern' in the Soyawax/Candleworks business. They have spent years developing the significant product innovation -- soybean wax -- that is shaking a huge, tradition-bound industry. The Richards have already built an award-winning business that is a leader in homeless and welfare-to-work employment.
But succeeding as a conventional, centralized, factory-based manufacturing business is not enough for the Richards. Their vision is to evolve Soyawax/Candleworks into a decentralized and distributed microenterprise network... a network of Village Chandlers, collaborating through their craft guild, to meet the needs of their customers. Their vision is to create and grow The Chandler Guild.
In medieval times, networks of craft workers were relatively small and transient. Only larger urban areas could support an influential and stable craft guild. In the 21st century, we can harness the power of the Internet to create and sustain a large and persistent network, an extended community, of folks making, selling and buying soybean-based candles, and related products and services.
While the Richards are true pioneers and innovators in making candles and building a successful entrepreneurial business, they are not 'tech heads'. This is where Sohodojo comes in. Sohodojo is an applied R&D lab supporting solo and family-based Small Is Good Business Webs. We are computer-savvy and avid software designer/developers. We also share the Richards' vision for microenterprise networks.
Through the Soyawax/Sohodojo partnership, we are committed to making The Chandler Guild an exciting and significantly successful entrepreneurial business. We'll do this by breaking as many rules as need to be broken to support this growing collaborative business community.
Let the adventure and the revolution begin!