Wowser started with a dream and an old vacant warehouse.
Now there’s life.
Wowser has over 200 members. We’ve hosted open houses, initiated Mondays at Wowser, and been blessed with numerous media stories. We have the tools and supplies needed to get things done, including the business of our business.
In February, we hosted a local economic summit that included government officials, entrepreneurs, business people, members and educators. We have listened, and spent the last several weeks assessing feedback.
We’ve come to a lot of realizations. One of those realizations is that this isn’t “our” company. This is big, big deal. What’s proven to be self-evident is that this is Willits’ company.
So, what is the community going to do with the company?
We’ve experienced the dream with clarity. We can see with clear vision that tons of these things we’re working on are going to work. Not all of them. Many of them of will.
We’re putting together the management and leadership structure necessary to get the job done. This way we can vet and manage all the great ideas that have come forward, and include the professional management and structure to bring them forward as revenue producing activities that will support Wowser long term.
We have moved from the dream stage to the practicalities of implementation stage. We need money to bring this forward. This is where our community can help us help them. We’re launching a $500,000 seed funding campaign to initiate our revenue producing activities.
We’re researching different ways of raising this money. We have several mechanisms we’re exploring, including crowdfunding. To get to that, however, the seed funding needs to come first. And we’re raising $50,000 of it now.
A question that comes up often in our conversations is, how is Wowser going to stay open and sustain itself?
We do it by addressing key community challenges by:
– Increasing tax revenue for Willits
– Providing skills training and vocational training
– Creating Jobs
Our structure:
There are five branches on the Wowser revenue tree. Each part can be looked at as a separate revenue or profit center. Each Branch can grow, change direction, or grow so big that it spins off as a separate sub-business of Wowser.
1. Wowser Job Shop
Bring us something you need fabricated. Do you need three of something and you only have one? Do you have an idea for a machine that you want designed? Do you have the design, and want someone to it built? Do you have a tool or machine that you need repaired? Bring it in to Wowser.
Can’t bring it in? We may be able to go out to you.These are all parts of the Wowser Job Shop.
2. Space Rentals
There are three ways we will generate income via space rentals:
– People can rent space for their own personal projects.
– Businesses can rent space in the larger building next door, through Wowser.
– Space outside the building available for rent.
3. Products Sold from our Production Line
Selling products brings in a portion of our revenue. Production allows us to train people in critical work skills. And making products allows us to hire more of our community AND sell products outside of the area.
We’ve researched numerous products to create and sell. What keeps coming up as being self-evident is that the tiny home movement is one that we want to capitalize on. It doesn’t matter what you call them, tiny homes, gypsy wagons, micro-houses, or lane houses. There’s been a ground swell of interest in small living spaces.
Our research points to a primary product called Wowser Wagons of Willits (WWOW). WWOW are going to be tiny homes on wheels. We will continue to study this market and utilize our seed money to do this in a complete vetted way. One possibility we may follow is WWOW as housing units for the homeless. This need is being increasingly funded by state and federal dollars. Another market is for off grid young adults, and for people who have downsized and now need a guest room or office.
As we explore the many options we know that the designs will adjust as we learn what the different markets are looking for.
This product could build into a major manufacturing line to produce Wowser Wagons of Willits.
4. Espresso Yourself Café
The Café is a members only Café that is targeted toward kids of any age 14 and older. This was brought forward to the Wowser Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) to provide a place to hang out that is safe and drug and alcohol free. The Café will open in May. Expresso Yourself will be open Monday through Friday from 6 pm – 10 pm. The cafe is a Wowser youth member project, and currently has mentors from West Company to Thanksgiving Coffee and Brickhouse Cafe. This is Wowser mentoring and support at its best, bringing an idea to fruition, with mentoring, right here in Willits. All stages of the plan and build out are submitted to the OCE for approval.
5. Workshops
Wowser offers a wide range of workshops, from welding to weaving, with lost-wax casting and furniture re-finishing in the middle. We also could start do it yourself finishing/customizing of WWOW in our maker space to compliment our production line.
If your organization needs particular skills taught, we can craft a workshop specifically to your needs. We expect our 3 day workshops will draw people from outside of Mendocino County. This means visitors will need to go somewhere in town for dinners and a hotel.
These are just the first five possibilities.
Our entire focus is revenue generation, skills training, and job creation.
There are many ways you can get involved.
- Bring a project by that you need help with.
- Make a donation
- Bring a friend by for a tour.
- Like our Facebook page and share it with others.
- Become a member.
- Share the Wowser video.
- Apply for one of the positions we are hiring.
Let’s go forward from the future together.
Image Credit: Doug Pollard.
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