Finding the key partners to work with can make or break your venture. After thousands of conversations with aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s one of the most common obstacles and risks holding folks back from pursuing their idea. So – we asked some of the smartest, most resourceful entrepreneurs in the community to share their lessons and insights to help inspire and educate the next great set of entrepreneurs.

Morgan Mauldin

Having great vendor relationships is just as important as our client relationships. We always joke that building a vendor team is a bit of a match making process for weddings and events! These people will end up working closely together on not just the day of, but the planning process and even post-wedding. We value our vendors and truly believe in team work making the dream work. Read more>>

 Lindsay Dilworth

People often ask me how I find my vendors and I definitely have an organic approach. Since I opened the shop in 2017, makers, creators, artisans, and vendors have found their way into my world through friends, as customers, and even connected through social media. Here in Venice, some have even walked through my door and we’ve experienced an immediate connection. I have never once been to a trade show or market. This experience confirms that I’m right where I need to be! Read more>>

Khairie Alim

Well, when it comes to photography and videography, it’s a little different because finding clientele is hard because you have to put out a lot of free work to bait paying customers it’s a lot of learning on the fly, and eventually you have enough work for people to gauge what your content looks like, and then you will get the people to book with you But when it comes to being a fashion designer and finding vendors that want to work with you and manufacturers Read more>>

Raphael Guillen

In my line of business there’s a lot of options to choose from when it comes to manufacturing. The key is finding the right ones to work with. The vision I have for my brand and the future of my company, required for me to look into vendors and manufacturers that not only understood my vision but were also timely with their responses. If there was days that would go by with no response it was an immediate red flag and I would stay away. Read more>>

Ben Smithson

I found out very quickly that using the right components from the right manufacturers was an essential key to success. It’s getting harder and harder to find high quality aftermarket parts along with superior customer service, so developing relationships with key vendors was imperative. Since I had been in the hot rod and custom car world as a hobbyist for years, I already knew some of the big manufacturers in the industry, so now it was time to reach out and nurture those relationships further. Read more>>