Twelve years ago, Shred Connect was established. It all started with a shredding franchise—one where promises of customers, price points and strategic partnerships never materialized. The franchise began and ended in short order. The factors against us were a crowded market, competitive price points and time in the market. Although the disadvantages seemed ominous, Shred Connect was borne from the franchise ashes with the will to recoup the money invested. We needed a lifeline and a few miracles and our will to succeed overshadowed logic and inexperience. Up went the new business model. (Did I mention the business model is constructed from Play Dough?)
Fortunately, we were able to capitalize on search engine rankings. Simply put, the phone rang and this helped us to understand the customer and market. To that extent, we listened intently. The business model was tweaked again as we discovered a market segment that was under-served. Small businesses and customers with smaller quantities had been largely ignored. The big companies had a demographic already setup. The focus between marketing and service was blurred. Advantage: Shred Connect. We said yes to everything. We were unique in that we were the first local company to offer drop off shredding. Today, the idea has become commonplace with popular office supply chains offering the same service.
The picture I’ve just painted was a struggle, lessons were learned and there were many days where we were tested. Some notable trials are listed here:
Around year two, we decided to diversify and extend the business model by shredding things other than paper. Soon after this direction, we did a job for a fishing line manufacturer. We had 80 cases to get done and about half-way through, the shredder engine burned out. Later investigation found a giant bobbin (think sewing) with melted fishing line wrapped tightly around the shred blades and motor. A hefty repair bill followed and profit was sacrificed. Sometimes, there are just things that cannot be shredded. Fishing Line: 1, Shred Connect: