Be Part of the Squid Print Story

Why are you asking customers who already pay you for services for more money?

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There's comes a time in every business' growth that they need an influx of capital to rise to the occasion. Businesses have a number of ways to do this: the owners invest their personal funds, they take on a partner, they apply for a bank loan, they sell off equipment and inventory and reinvest it in another part of their business. Lastly, they may turn to crowdfunding. We are funding our move with a few of these financial tools. Namely, personal investment and potentially a bank loan. However, being in debt to large corporations or through government backed funds (SBA) is not our favorite. If we are to be indebted, we feel it's better that we are to the very people who stand to benefit from our success, i.e. our customers and supporters. 

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Finally, we would like our customers to have a direct influence over how we grow. 

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Why aren't you using a major crowdfunding platform? 

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The short answer is fees and policies. Let's take Kickstarter for example. Not only is the platform oversaturated with unfunded projects - the people who fund us would be the same people who fund us here - but, honestly, no stranger is randomly funding small business projects in Kickstarter, which means that our project would have low success odds. Major crowdfunding platforms also take 5% of the donated funds, plus a credit card processing fee of 3.5%. That's 8.5% of your donation. Our system does charge us a 2.9% credit card processing fee, but we keep the rest of the funds. 

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The long answer is, if we mean to stay independent we better practice what we preach.

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Where are ya' goin'? 

We have spent the last two years scouting locations in the Southwest's Great Basin. We have settled upon Parhump, Nevada as the ideal location for our operation for the following reasons:

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• Business-friendly tax codes

• Proximity to large markets: L.A., Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Reno

• Proximity to 50% of our mail out customers and clients, meaning lower shipping costs and time

• Proximity to suppliers located in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Reno 

• Cost of living

• Growing small town 

• Nye County is known as the "freest county" in the USA 

• Many properties have private wells and opportunities for the off-the-grid infrastructure

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Both print shop owners spent three weeks in Parhump in the spring of 2021. We talked with local residents, scouted the commercial sector and learn about local issues. We left feeling like the town had all the ingredients for being a place to live that prioritizes individual freedom and is hungry for more local businesses that they can be proud of. 

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Why now? 

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We spent the last eight years building our businesses. The forced shutdowns during COVID decimated a business we built from $0 to six figure in go. As a young company, we didn't qualify for much PPP help, so we were obliged to either shut down or take on debt. Thinking on our feet, we expanded the business and bought the print shop that focused on ecommerce sales to maintain the meager incomes of the two owners. The print shop took on a life of its own and here we are. 

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Small businesses were unfairly and unreasonably forced to shutter for months. If it wasn't for our stubborn natures, we too would have shut down. Media and the general public have very little awareness of the damage that has been done to independent businesses. The effect will last for years to come. The supply chain debacle has cost us thousands. Inflation will cost us thousands more. Unpaid invoices and clients short on cash pulled disappearing acts leaving a trail of unpaid bills. Customers and clients will ask businesses to take responsibility for a raise in prices. Taxes increases begin next year in our state. We already pay the following: income tax, consumer's use tax, inventory tax, two different city income taxes, property tax, and sales tax is now extended to almost every service and product-based industry. 

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We are paying more taxes, but our city services have been cut. Our main entry door has been smashed three times by vandals. Our business property has been broken into and our property stolen. Never once has law enforcement stopped by to take a look. The city where we are currently located has the distinction of having one of the highest homicide rates in the country, outranking Chicago and Philadelphia in 2021. 

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In a nutshell, we think the divine is trying to tell us something. 

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We want our business to thrive. We want to operate without fear. We want to be able to confront problems of local governance directly and know that it's possible to fix the problem. We want space to grow. We want to operate a business in a place that puts their support of individual freedom into practice. 

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What will the funds be used for? 

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We've broken our crowdfunding into three Phases over the next three years. We'll start with PHASE I. 

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PHASE I - Getting there:

• Moving expenses, including professional moving services with certification or expertise with moving fragile electronic equipment

• Travel costs

• Restocking inventory on arrival

• Administrative costs associated with the move, i.e. hiring a local lawyer and accountant, business registration, etc.

• Purchase a second Epson F2100 DTG printer

• Purchase other small equipment as needed on arrival

• Advertising new location

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Total costs for PHASE I: $35,000

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