We wear our hearts on our sleeves by posting our business plan online. We feel this helps our company in a number of ways. If you feel like commenting on it, you can contact us here. It's covered under a Creative Commons license, so feel free to copy and make use of it.

Opening

Executive Summary

Because We Can, LLC is a Design-Build Studio located in Oakland, California. Our goal is to make the world a more interesting and sustainable place.

We design and produce totally original, interesting, and sustainable interiors, buildings, furniture, and products.

Because of great people and great process, we are able to do this at a price point that matches the typically less creative, less interesting, non-sustainable options available. With several interiors, custom pieces, and many furniture orders completed, Because We Can is starting to make a name for itself as a company that can deliver great things like no other company can.

Introduction

Boring is Bad. Boring saps energy, drains ideas, crushes spirits and won’t do a thing for anyone’s long-term happiness or success. And while life doesn’t always have to be a carnival, it sure doesn’t always have to be boring.

Bad design is also Bad. Bad design doesn’t inspire, wastes energy, kills time, and does actual damage to everyone’s long-term happiness and success. And while everything doesn’t need to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be poorly designed.

However, the “not boring” and the “well designed” options have in the past cost a whole lot more or took a lot longer. Doing something great just wasn’t possible, so people put up with the boring and the bad for there just wasn’t another option. This is where Because We Can comes in. We leverage big technology and big ideas to deliver totally original, interesting, sustainable, and well-designed interiors, buildings, furniture, and products for a wide range of budgets and timelines.

With computer-automated tools and modern design software, combined with modern project, marketing, and information management ideas, our process is unique, agile, and very competitive. This, in turn, allows us to deliver a whole lot more to our customers and clients in terms of creativity, value, and quality, for similar prices. It lets them choose the not boring, and to instead get something that really matches their tastes and needs. It also allows for the more sustainable options to be just as attractive and interesting as their less sustainable counterparts.

We’ve decided to use our super-powers for good, and as such, have committed ourselves to making the world a more interesting, productive, better, and sustainable place by making great things happen. Because We Can.

About the Company

Because We Can, LLC is a Design-Build Studio. That’s a mash-up of designers, artists, architects, fabricators, and builders that handle the design and production of interiors, buildings, furniture, and products.
The Company consists of two main directors, Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup, and a loose team of creative people organized as projects demand.
Because We Can, LLC executes most of it’s projects within the greater San Francisco Bay Area and is starting to branch out into nationwide projects. They also run an on-line store with various lines of products for direct sales.
While currently a young and growing company, they commonly team up with and subcontract work to Architects, Contractors, fabricators, and other shops to meet the demand larger or more complex projects bring on. Because We Can, LLC was started in late 2005 and currently operates within a 3,000 square feet of space complete with offices, CNC production shop, finishing room, gallery, kitchen, and Tiki patio.

The Market

The construction and furniture market as a whole was valued at $641.4 billion in 2007. We’re not really sure what percentage of that large number was spent for office interiors, and what percentage was spent for private residences. That’s because the reports for such things are really, really expensive. However, that is a damn large number. We are assuming this means there is a market for such work.

Based on our personal and direct experience, we feel that there is a vast, untapped ‘middle ground’ who want more creative, sustainable, and/or custom work and products, but had to settle for more traditional or mass-produced items because they didn’t have the large budgets and timelines required for custom and/or designer work. Because our process allows us to deliver very creative, sustainable, and custom work at prices and timelines that are close to typical, mass-produced work, it suddenly makes the more creative, designer, and/or custom work accessible to many more people than before.

Our process also allows us to remake anything we’ve already made easily, so much of the custom work we do in turn can easily be brought to market as products for sale. The custom work for clients become prototypes for products and future projects automatically, helping to subsidize their development greatly and helps us get them to market faster. Finally, because of our process and that we create all of our work and products on demand, there is ample opportunity for our clients and customers to directly customize and/or help design the elements. This in turn vastly reduces the cost of the custom work, for we’re able to ‘borrow’ their efforts for free. It also allows us to change our existing products very quickly to match market trends, as well as bring new products to market quickly enough to capitalize off of such trends.

The Finances

Because We Can, LLC is a privately held LLC. The company was founded by direct cash investment from it’s founders, so there is no outstanding start-up debts or loans. In 2007, Because We Can, LLC has gross sales of around $233,000. Of that, $51,000 went towards materials, $128,000 went towards other contractors, and $54,000 went towards general overhead.

Objectives

Our objectives for 2009 are:

1. To obtain several new tools for the production shop and design office to increase efficiency, gain new abilities, and better support current endeavors. Possibly aqure another robot to do our bidding.
2. To increase it’s total business to $415,000 per year.
3. To bring many new great products to market.
4. To continue to give our current clients great service while expanding our services to meet increased demand.
5. To learn the Tao of development, so that we might be able to purchase Real Estate someday.

Vision

Our vision is that the combination of computer automated tools, building information modeling, great people, raw creativity, and modern management ideas will allow us to make the world a more interesting and better place by making great things happen affordably. We plan to do this all while keeping a philosophy of sustainability. We choose sustainable and environmentally friendly materials to work with, as well as sustainable method of working, so that we can continue to do what we love. Forever.

Mission

Our mission is to make the world a more interesting and better place by making great things happen.

Keys to Success (what makes us different)

1. Agile Management and Process. In the end it's really all about people, not tools or technology. We use modern management ideas borrowed from the agile software development and lean manufacturing worlds to quickly deliver on the challenges our projects bring to us. This allows us to get the most from our teams, and to move fast on many issues at the same time, while keeping the clients involved, in control, and informed at every step of the project.
2. Building Information Modeling and Integrated Practice. A major part of any project is managing all the information therein. We use the latest in Building Information Modeling applications along with project Wikis to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and encourage tight communication within the team. This allows us to welcome changes, move quickly while keeping everyone together, and it allows our clients to know exactly where things are and what's going on within their Projects at any time.
3. Automated fabrication and mass customization. While we might not have flying cars and jet packs in the 21st century, we do have big robots that make things. We use computer automated tools to directly produce parts for the project right from the same design files we're using to generate the presentation, shop, and contract drawings. This automation reduces the price of custom work into the range of more typical mass produced work while retaining all of the design intent and creativity. This allows us to deliver totally unique and wildly creative projects yet keep to accessible budgets.
4. Sustainable materials and building practices. Building something always means something else is destroyed. We're in it for the long haul, so we focus on using sustainable, recycled, and/or local materials and labor. We don't want to work with toxic materials or in a bad environment and our clients shouldn't have to live with such things either. We also try to make our projects in the most efficient way possible, and make them to be as effective as possible, so that they will last a long time and be gentle to our world.
5. Collaborative efforts in a passionate environment. We want to keep working for the rest of our lives. And just because we have to die one day, does not mean Because We Can has to die. We not only work with sustainable materials, but with sustainable methods. Creating a collaborative atmosphere with creative ideas and passion for what we do is what will lead to our success, and allow the business to live beyond it’s originators.
6. Open business and finical reporting. Projects cost money and time. We've got nothing to hide. Our business model, plans, schedules, and even finical reports are open for any to review. We feel that this builds trust with our clients, collaborators, and employees while contributing to our industry.

Company Information

Company Summary

Because We Can, LLC is a small and wildly creative Design-Build Studio producing great products, furniture, interiors, and buildings via design software and it’s computer-automated in-house production shop.

Company Organization

Organized currently as an LLC, the Company is very flat, with two directors and a pool of creative independent contractors organized into loose organic teams as project’s challenges demand. As an Open Business, the Company shares it’s organizational, operational, business plan, and finical details openly with it’s clients, customers, and employees.

Company Ownership

The Company is owned 50/50 between Jillian Northrup and Jeffrey McGrew, it’s founders, with future plans to give small non-controlling ownership shares of the business to key employees.

Company History

The Company was founded in 2005, with both Jeffrey and Jillian transitioning to working solely full-time for it in late 2006.

Company Location & Facilities

Located in Oakland, CA, at 1722 15th Street, the Company enjoys a very central location with low overhead that is near a wonderful employee talent pool, several major urban centers, material suppliers, client offices, and other creative businesses in a dynamically changing neighborhood. The onsite facilities total 3,000 square feet and include design offices, CNC production shop, 12’ x 12’ roll-up access, a full security system, kitchen, Tiki patio, and 800 square foot gallery and showroom.

Products & Services

Products

• Furniture and Decorative Elements.

  • Because We Can, LLC designs and produces a wide range of furniture for direct sales using sustainable materials and customer-driven CNC customization. Many of these items are inexpensive, flat-pack items shipped to customers and are easy to assemble. Some items also incorporate interactive electronic elements, such as reactive LED tabletops.
  • Because We Can, LLC is also in current development of a line of ‘add-ons’ of creative and sustainable elements that are bolt-on additions or replacements for specific elements within larger retailer’s products and systems, such as Ikea’s furniture lines or Herman-Miller’s office furniture systems.

• Gifts and Toys.

  • Because We Can, LLC is in current development of a line of smaller gift items and toys utilizing sustainable materials and CNC customization for direct customer sales from it’s online store.

• Art and Media.

  • Because We Can, LLC is in current development of a line of branded stickers, posters, and t-shirts; as well as producing small runs and one-offs of purely creative sculptural works.

Services.

• Design and Production of decorative elements, art, and furniture.

  • Because We Can, LLC conceptualizes, designs, and builds creative custom decorative elements, art, and furniture for a wide range of clients.

• Design and Production of interiors and buildings.

  • Because We Can, LLC designs and builds creative custom interiors, themed environments, and buildings for a wide range of clients.

• Design and Production of products.

  • As well as handling the design and production of it’s own line of products, Because We Can, LLC additionally helps it’s clients with product design ideas, prototypes, renderings, 3D CAD models, shop drawings, budgeting, material selection, production oversight, marketing, sales, and anything else to help our clients get their ideas to market.

• Design and Production Consulting for other Designers.

  • Because We Can, LLC also helps other Designers in generating design ideas, prototypes, renderings, and drawings, as well as readying designs for CNC production, producing 3D CAD models, and helping them find other local design, vendors, and/or fabrication businesses to help them see their project through. Subsidized development via custom work. Certain suitable custom pieces made for clients as part of a larger job will sometimes be further developed, and in turn made into a product for sale on the online store. The custom job helps subsidize the development of these products, helping us get them to market faster and with less overall cost.

Competitive Comparison

Design Firms.

Other design firms, such as architecture firms, interior designers, graphic designers, or industrial designers compete with Because We Can, LLC for clients seeking custom work. The vast majority of such firms lack the in-house ability to directly produce work, and can only provide design services. They are completely reliant upon others to do the actual fabrication, which raises costs, increases delivery time, reduces opportunities and options for custom work, and introduces more errors and problems. Also by focusing on the custom elements, and by being very agile, Because We Can, LLC can easily fit into a larger project that may already have other designers providing work. Finally, our in-house process of Agile Building, Building Information Modeling, CNC-based production, sustainable materials, and open business is very unique. While some designers have adopted some of these ideas into their businesses, no one has adopted them all (and it would be difficult for them to) or is using those specific ideas in the way Because We Can, LLC is.

Fabrication Shops.

Other fabrication shops, such as millwork companies, cabinet makers, furniture makers, and prototyping shops compete with Because We Can, LLC for clients seeking custom work. While most fabrication shops have some form of in-house designers, they are mainly devoted to re-interpreting a designer’s work in the form of shop drawings, or simply expressing their client’s sketches. More demanding or creative design work is typically beyond their in-house abilities to do. And while many fabrication shops have CNC-technology in their production facilities, their overall business is centered around making things as quickly and easily as possible, thus minimizing the amount that they can leverage such technology into more complex custom work. It’s more in line with their business goals to steer clients towards what is easy for them to do than to something more creative, sustainable, and better suited to the client’s needs. Also, by focusing on on the custom elements, and by being very agile, Because We Can, LLC easily fits into larger projects that may already have several fabricators or builders involved. Since Because We Can, LLC isn’t a volume production shop, it’s rare that they are directly competing with another builder, and at times are even hired by such builders to do the more creative and custom elements within a project. Finally, our in-house process of Agile Building, Building Information Modeling, CNC-based production, sustainable materials, and open business is very unique. While some shops have adopted some of these ideas into their businesses, no one has adopted them all (and it would be difficult for them to) or is using those specific ideas in the way Because We Can, LLC is.

Large Retailers.

Large retailers, such as Ikea, EQ3, Design Within Reach, and Amazon.com, compete with Because We Can, LLC for customers seeking to buy products. Such large retailers typically don’t offer much in the way of customizability, sustainable materials, or creative and original designs. Their products also tend to be either very inexpensive (and therefore not made well) or terribly expensive (and therefore not accessible to most). Because We Can, LLC can also leverage these retailers, in that they can make add-ons for popular products allowing for customers to both buy the off-the-shelf item and to customize it to their wishes.

Market Description

Target Market Segment

Because We Can, LLC target market are those seeking for a more creative, custom, or better solution than what mass-produced or typical design firms are able to provide for a better price.

Other Businesses.

Most of Because We Can, LLC clients are other businesses who are moving, expanding, or renovating their offices, or are expanding their services or products in some way and need help in doing so.

Individuals.

A minority of Because We Can, LLC clients are individuals who want custom elements for their offices or homes. Most of Because We Can, LLC customers, who are purchasing our products from our online store, are individuals purchasing items to use in their office or home.

Strategy & Implementation

Overall Strategy

In order to properly focus on our core business, while allowing us to do great work, we only take on projects and develop products that we feel meet these four criteria:

1. Interesting. There has to be something fundamentally interesting about doing the Project, or the Project itself will be generally interesting to others when finished.
2. Reasonable. The Project has to have a reasonable budget and a timeline, as well as not being too much of a challenge or involving too many unknowns.
3. Creative. There has to be elements to the project that allow us to be very creative, or the Project itself will be very creative when finished.
4. Sustainable. The project cannot put us our of business, be harmful to our health, our client's health, or to anyone else's for that matter. We have to be able to do this sort of project, or make this sort of product, over and over, without growing to hate it. The project must be made out of recycled or sustainable materials and/or be something that will be used for many many years and loved.

Marketing Strategy

Online presence.

Because We Can, LLC has built a large online presence via a google-friendly website, blogging, participation in online forums, and getting featured by other websites. This all brings potential clients to our site to see our projects and services, as well as bringing people directly to our online store.

Great service.

Because We Can, LLC strives to give great service to our clients and customers. We feel that this will lead to repeat business, as well as word-of-mouth advertisement.

Solid branding.

Because We Can, LLC makes certain that everything we do, down to the red jumpsuits we wear in the shop, has been done in a creative, interesting way. This helps build our ‘brand’ of being very creative yet capable designers and builders, and makes people remember who we are and what we have to offer.

Events.

Because We Can, LLC has many open houses, where potential clients can see our creatively designed office and shop, as well as get to know us and what we have to offer. We also participate in several large events and shows such as Maker Faire, typically displaying our work in some fashion, to reach out to new potential clients and customers.

Pricing Strategy

Our pricing is set to be close to what's typical for a given product or service, but significantly less than traditional custom and/or designer work, while being much more creative and of higher value.

Promotion Strategy

Because We Can, LLC has several promotional events every year, with giveaways and contests, such as our Squirrel Table Photo Contest in 2007. Because We Can, LLC has also teamed up with larger companies to do cross-marketing contests, such as our giveaway with treehugger.com in 2007.

Sales Forecast

With total sales of $233,000 in 2007, Because We Can, LLC is set to increase total sales to $315,000 by bringing many new products to market, providing excellent service to our existing client base, and bringing in many new clients with our unique service offerings and great ideas.

Organization & Management

Personnel Plan

Currently Because We Can, LLC consists of two core owners, Jillian Northrup and Jeffrey McGrew, with a pool of independent contractors hired as project demand.

Personnel Organization

How we do that voodoo that we do so well:

• Anything that needs to get done is a Task. Tasks are usually single things that have to happen.
• Tasks can live on the shared iCal Calendars as To-Do's or Events, within Omniplan as part of a Project, or as just a reminder for the future on the Wiki.
• Task titles typically start with the name of the project or person they are applied to, and then the task itself after a dash. For example, "BigWig Client - Cut parts" or "Toast - Clean Shop".
• Projects are collections of Tasks, in an iCal Calendar, along with files and wiki pages for collecting information along the way.
• At the start of each week, the Weekly Planning meeting happens, or as it's known "The Coffee Talk". Tasks in Omniplan, the Wiki, e-mail, and notes, are all reviewed in conjunction with the Calendar. All current and upcoming Projects are reviewed and discussed. Priority and scheduling for Tasks is discussed and decided, existing Tasks from last week are updated, and then the new Tasks for the week are added to the Calendar as To-Do's (for general tasks) and Events (for date-specific tasks). Staffing is also decided upon at this time, with Tasks being given to specific people as seen fit in the meeting. At the end of the meeting, Omniplans are updated with any Tasks or Projects that have been 'pushed' to a different date, any future Tasks or Projects are added to the Wiki or iCal, and then a word for the week is decided upon to set the theme and tone of that week (such as “Be Big” or “Only Do One Thing at a Time” or “Laugh when things go wrong”).
• At the end of each week, the Weekly Review happens, or as it's known "The Wrap Party". Everyone discusses what Tasks they did that week, shows off anything cool or great that happened, and brings up anything that didn't work so well or could be better. Everyone talks about how well (or not) the theme for that week fit for them. Ideas for future Tasks, as well as more immediate optimization Tasks, are added to the Wiki or Calendar as seen fit, while everyone enjoys a cocktail.
• At the start of each Quarter, the Quarterly Review meeting happens, or as it's known "The Dinner for the Season". First, we do some housekeeping on the Wiki, Calendar, and file cabinets. We file our quarterly taxes. Then we make a big fancy dinner. We review the last quarter, how we did, how things worked, and what could have been better. We look at the Yearly Goals, and talk about how we're doing. We re-read the business plan, and make notes to make whatever changes are needed. New Personal Goals are decided upon, put on the Wiki, and then toasted to the table.
• At the start of the year and halfway though it, the Yearly Planning and Review meeting happens, or as it's known "The Splitter". We go out to dinner at our favorite Oakland pizza restaurant with the notes from last year's yearly planning meeting and the list of Yearly Goals that were set then. We check off any that were accomplished with a big red pen, talk about the ones we still want to do that didn't get done, and laugh at the ones that now seem very silly indeed. Then we make a new list of Yearly Goals for the new year: we come up with great things to try to make happen, and write then all down. Then we celebrate the start of another year working the best job's we've ever had.

Quality Review and Control

Every Project we do goes through eight distinct phases:

1. Initial Proposal & Quote. Every project starts with a proposal and quote where we outline general ideas and rough costs.
2. Concept Models & Presentation Drawings. That proposal is followed up with presentation models and drawings outlining the concept for the project.
3. Design Models & Final Review Drawings. Those concepts are turned into complete design models with final drawings for client approval.
4. Fabrication Models & Toolpathing. Those design models are turned into Fabrication models, which are turned into toolpaths.
5. Assembly & Cutting: Toolpaths are run, parts are cut and sanded, and assembled into pieces.
6. Finishing & Final Assembly. Pieces are finished, and any final assembly is done.
7. Delivery & Install. Pieces are then wrapped, shipping is arranged, and installation is coordinated and performed.
8. Shutdown: Follow-up. Loose ends are tied up, everything gets filed away, and the project end meeting occurs.

At the end of each of these phases, the work is reviewed by another worker and/or manager and is checked for problems and issues, and to see how well the Project is following our Design Quality Factors. Found issues that need addressing become tasks, and are put on the Calendar. The Project isn't allowed to move into the next phase until the issues are resolved.

Design Quality Factors

When designing anything we must be aware of and respect these five Design Quality Factors, otherwise known as 'The TIKIS'. Failure to respect and pay homage to the TIKIS leads to bad designs, delayed projects, and general unhappiness.

1. Tolerances. Tolerances are time & money. We need appropriate tolerances certainly, but what's better is to design in a way that's forgiving of them.
2. Integrity. In order for something to be great, it has to work well.
   
3. Konstructability. We want to design things in a way such that they 'want' to be built.
4. Ingenuity. Brute force is for dinosaurs, we need to be the smart monkeys we are instead.
   
5. Shipping. Everything we make goes somewhere else. We need to design with that in mind, and to make it as easy as possible to get there.

Finance

Break-even Analysis, Projected Profit & Loss, Projected Cash Flow, Projected Balance Sheet...

So we're still working on what we can post legally. We need a better accountant. Are you an accountant, or do you know if there are any issues with a for-profit, privately held company posting all it's financials online? For we'd love to post it up. Contact us if you know, and we'll post as soon as we find out.