Become a Sponsor
We Seek Mutually Beneficial Relationships
Sponsors should know that many of our goals and objectives are based on altruistic values. We want to serve, and to bring entrepreneurial bootstrapping to the forefront of public awareness. Our message is one of hope. We believe spreading the dream of individual and collective freedom through innovation, creativity, and positive actions, in keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit is a cause that is worth our utmost efforts. We realize that if we are to truly have an impact, it will take revenues and the cooperation of individuals and organizations that share our same sentiments. We need the support of sponsors, like you. We also seek mutually beneficial relationships with our sponsors.
There are a few paths to sponsorship with BootstrappingStories.com, which the following discussion will address. We will also outline the benefits of sponsorship and collaboration with our site.
Our Plans: Ever Increasing ReachÂ
Beyond day-to-day operational costs associated with this site (such as Web hosting, compensating a core contingent of necessary staff members, and paying for programmers), one of our most significant investments is in underwriting our Awards Program. Our other significant investment is the cost of our expansion to other venues, all of which are aimed at facilitating the dissemination of more information at higher levels of intensity (such as streaming video and audio). All of our expansion plans have the same basic motivation, which is to recognize and celebrate bootstrapping, as is is the most likely path to be taken by start-up entrepreneurs. In the process, we also expect to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire future bootstrappers.
We Champion the Message Of Entrepreneurial BootstrappersÂ
From the very beginning, we realized that to promote bootstrapping effectively, we would need to champion bootstrappers themselves, and bring their stories the attention and recognition that they deserve. However, communication channels are clogged with an overwhelming amount of “noise,†including the latest celebrity news, political rhetoric, and scandals of all sorts. This means we have a lot to overcome to ensure that the voices of these entrepreneurial bootstrappers are heard.
All societies and cultures transmit what is important through rituals and ceremony, which often invoke the use of objects that are embedded with deeper symbolic meanings. Therefore, we must associate our Awards Program and the objects we use with objects of symbolic significance to a degree that is commensurate with the status of the Award itself. The trophy we commission, the medallions, and other objects must be of the highest quality, or the significance of a given Award is diminished. We believe that the recipient of the "Bootstrapper of the Year Award" should receive more than a “nice†trophy for such an achievement. He or she should receive an extraordinary trophy, a work of art, one that is the worthy of attention and a subject of discussion on its own merits.
It would be rather inappropriate and verging on practices associated with contest scams if we asked recipients of our Awards to pay for anything. We do not ask them to do this! BootstrappingStories.com pays all the expenses for the winner who receives that Award, and any activities associated with any associated ceremonies. However, that’s where revenues from sponsors, merchandise sales, and other revenue streams become necessary. In exchange, we offer an association with our boot-themed brand, which is memorable (and we think, loveable).
Have Fun With Our BrandÂ
This brand, like many others with the potential for recognition, recall, and response, has numerous applications and possibilities for cooperative efforts. Some of these possibilities have already piqued the interest of sponsors and advertising partners. While we may appear at first glance to cater to a business audience, which is sizable, many members of this audience can aptly be described as consumers. After all, bootstrappers can also be stay-at-home moms or dads, with households to run. They may hold a traditional job, while working on the side to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations.
Sponsors, if they are creative, can also have fun with our brand and its boot-based theme. It is obvious that we provide a natural audience that supports sponsors promoting business planning software, books, tax and legal services, and like products or services. However, the less obvious opportunity is the creative potential of our brand. (We can help you in exploring that potential.)
Many entrepreneurial bootstrappers work long hours for little or no pay. Their families and loved ones suffer, while they toil away. Celebrities grab the headlines and the “zillion†dollar paychecks, while these individuals carry the most of the weight of our economy on their shoulders. Theirs is often a thankless, tedious job. Therefore, we can envision that a “Bootstrapper’s Bouquet†of flowers in a crystal "boot" vase would be catchy. A “Bootstrapper’s Dozen†box of chocolates, or a spa certificate may also be highly appreciated.
We need flowers for our ceremonies, table settings for our guests, door prizes, and other products and services. If you give, we will “pass it forward,†and thank you as publicly and vigorously, or as quietly and discreetly, as you may wish.
Some Specific Ways That Sponsors Can Work With BootstrappingStories.com
Now that your prospective sponsor creative juices are flowing, the following short list indicates some of the primary ways that sponsors can work with us:
- Direct Advertising Placements on this Site (or other Vehicles, such as Traditional Print)
- Support of Live Events (e.g., Trade Exhibits, Hospitality Event Hosting)
- Advertising Trade Agreements
- Placement Requests in Connection with Established Affiliate Programs
- Merchandising and Product Placements
- Prizes and Other Gifts for Promotional Consideration
- Joint Venture Publications and Other Projects
- Product/Service Bundles
- Cross-Promotional Efforts
