“I have always loved the business of working in tech and creating information systems, of organizing and immersing in information. But so much has been done with the internet now. I wanted to start a business that adds value to someone’s work or life and just makes their life easier. And I love, love, love fixing things.
You know that scene in The Incredibles movie where Lucius can’t find his Super Suit? The reality is, we all have stuff we have accumulated and packed away in the attic or a storage unit. And we just don’t have time to go looking for it, even if we remembered exactly where it was. That’s where I saw my opportunity to fix the what-do-I-have packed away problem.”
William Kassebaum speaks of his Packed Away business concept with all the enthusiasm of a startup founder on a mission to meet a newly-identified market need. It is the ‘aha’ moment every entrepreneur yearns for that sets into motion all the research, trials and challenges of starting a new business.
Packed Away is a cloud-based storage and retrieval system that allows users to catalog and index every packed away item by picture and by description. So when you want to retrieve Grandpa’s war uniform or that piece of artwork you couldn’t part with, a few quick keystrokes on Packed Away and you’ll know exactly what box and what location you put it in.
William foresees the service being a paid subscription-based plan, with fees increasing according to the volume of boxes you are cataloging.
If you are thinking, well, who is going to pack up all this stuff for me first? William has thought about that. He hopes to work with a large nonprofit already established in the second-hand goods space. In a mutually beneficial relationship, the nonprofit’s workers could be contracted to help pack and then easily remove any unwanted items to be donated. The workers get paid, William gets paid, the store gets donated items and the customer gets the packing done.
Another interesting aspect of William’s business plan involves the opportunity to sell unwanted items or donate them to family or friends.
“My mother was the clearing house for our extended family. She took care of making sure the ‘haves’ could send to the have-nots. With that in mind, Packed Away will allow you to provide relatives or friends 3-day access to your list of items that you no longer want. That list could also be shared with an eBay store that would help you price and upload items you want to sell.”
When asked about his motivation to pursue this new idea, William, who has had two prior businesses, reflected honestly on startup life and life itself.
“The analytical part of me sees the need and it is fun to meet that need and be rewarded for it. It is a natural human desire to want to be successful. Plus, I am always thinking that there is a better way to do things. The biggest challenge I see is creating demand and introducing customers to the service. It is hard to market in a very loud world where you have to stand out or grow organically.”
So the next time you are making a new pile of stuff to pack away, you just might want to take a look around and think as intently as William did about where you are putting all your stuff. And just what do you already have packed away?! Who knows, maybe you’ll find a Super Suit you never knew you had.
Biz Beginnings 