This week I had a great discussion with a small home based business Dahlgren. The coffee was great and the discussion centered on making West Linn more business friendly. Did you know West Linn has one of the highest home based business per capita in the State?
Who is Dahlgren?
- Performance sock sales and design services
- Majority B2B, but operate small online sales business from a West Linn warehouse
- Differentiate themselves from competitors like Smartwool through patented technology and the use of an alpaca/merino wool blend
- Staff work remotely (West Linn, Sherwood, Portland) but are connected through technology
- Looking to scale up
What would be important to Dahlgren to help them expand and succeed? Here are a few of the ideas discussed.
- After having plans to expand, they need a place to go – preferably within West Linn.
- Interested in the idea of cooperative work space, a mid-point between working out of the home and paying the high cost of retail space
- Need a professional meeting space to give proper corporate appearance
- Interested in the idea of a local business network
- A monthly communication that highlights local businesses
- Need access to capital
- Networking with other professionals though general workshops
- Suggested that West Linn could benefit from a hotel
Thank you again to Dahlgren for their insights and feedback. To learn more about Dahlgren visit their website (dahlgrenfootwear.com) and follow their progress on facebook and twitter. If you would like to be included in my business outreach, feel free to contact me.
Great meeting with Alex Kachirisky & Kris Dahlgren of Dahlgren Footwear
Some of the great patented socks they manufacture right here in the US.
