Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessie Westover. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jessie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
At Picklinq Solutions, our mission is to support business operations through innovative systems designed to streamline processes and reveal actionable data. We are dedicated to creating a mutually beneficial ‘linq’ for product providers, business owners, and consumers.
Our mission: helping businesses thrive. Initially, we looked for a system that met our requirements but were unable to find one. The current products did not have the features required to facilitate a collaborative business model with multiple suppliers working together for buyers. Here’s what we needed:
Flexibility to accommodate diverse business operations and processes.
Robust data resources and reporting that support informed decision-making.
Predictable costs and fee structures that ease planning and budgeting.
Our goal is to support organizations of all sizes, whether you are running a solo venture or part of a large team. Our system efficiently manages inventory, sales, and expired products while providing insights based on reliable data. Additionally, our flat-rate services simplify budgeting by eliminating hidden fees that may affect profitability. Our objective is clear: to assist businesses in achieving success without burdensome transaction fees. We believe in the importance of small businesses supporting each other to achieve collective success.
Jessie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Our approach to business stands in stark contrast to the industry standard. Unlike traditional setups where suppliers individually set their own quality and pricing, leading to inconsistency, we offer a streamlined solution with a unified business structure. This ensures consistent quality and pricing across all products from our suppliers. By aggregating products into a single sales platform, customers enjoy easy access to a wide range of offerings without navigating different suppliers’ terms. At the time of sale, products are deaggregated to ensure each supplier is credited accurately for their contributions.
For example, in the agricultural sector, traditional setups like farmers’ markets often have each supplier setting their own quality and price, making budgeting and planning difficult. Imagine needing 100 bunches of tulips from different suppliers – the quality and prices can vary significantly. Our system eliminates this headache by providing a consistent and predictable pricing structure.
Additionally, we offer a flat-rate subscription model that does away with transaction fees, providing one predictable annual cost. This simplification enhances financial stability and makes budgeting straightforward. Our integrated system also provides transparency and efficiency by offering detailed sales reporting by date range, product, color, and other criteria. This reliable data support leads to better business outcomes, creating a seamless and trustworthy experience for all parties involved.
A story that illustrates how our approach matters is from one of our small business clients in the floral industry. Before joining our platform, they struggled with varying prices and quality of flowers from different suppliers, which affected their reputation and customer satisfaction. After joining our platform, they were able to offer consistent quality and pricing, manage inventory, oversee sales, and track expired products efficiently. This not only improved their business operations but also fostered trust and reliability in their marketplace.
Picklinq Solutions has been purposefully crafted to ‘linq’ businesses, customers, and suppliers together. We believe that small to medium businesses form the backbone of the industry. By providing them with essential tools like inventory control, sales management, and data-driven insights, we aim to equip everyone for success and foster a reliable and trustworthy marketplace.
How’d you meet your business partner?
We all met through the Picklinq Collective. Jessie and Stephen had started the collective, and Reed joined as a grower during the first year of operations. Early on, we identified the need for a system to streamline our processes, particularly a method to improve inventory uploads by many growers into a single sales platform. With Reed’s background in technology and Jessie and Stephen’s understanding of the business needs, we collaboratively designed a software package to support the collective/coop business model.
Our partnership at Picklinq Solutions provides us with unique perspectives by combining the talents of each partner. Stephen brings his background in art, design, and his exceptional people skills to ensure we meet the needs of our customers. Jessie provides the business management and operational efficiencies needed to support our customers and clients. Reed offers a technological understanding that supports the business and operational needs, preparing us for future growth. Together we have developed a great partnership dedicated to supporting the success for other businesses with our software solutions.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
We took a self-supported funding approach to minimize debt and maximize opportunity. Funding the business was a stretch for each of us as we pooled the necessary funds to build the business and develop our initial product. Like all startups, success requires a lot of dedicated hours to design and deliver a successful software solution. The funding method was not easy but it is the method that worked best for us at Picklinq Solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.picklinqsolutions.com/
- Instagram: @picklinqsolutions
