From the Editor: Being Open About the Difficulties of Staying Open

It's been many months since I've published an update on the status and the direction of Sheepless.org. To be frank, as I near the one-year mark of publishing online in this venue I find myself, and the future of this endeavor, quite unsettled. This is not a point where many, including myself, feel comfortable starting a public commentary on the status of their project. It is usually the time when we hide, when we feel sorry for ourselves and wonder why we started this in the first place and oh, can't I just have my old job back? This is the place that I have been for most of this summer, despite what someone from the outside might see. Because it's true -- there have been great gains and great momentum built up around Sheepless. We have new writers joining our ranks regularly. I have been invited to meet and talk with inspiring small business owners around the country, including giving the keynote presentation at this fall's New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association conference, and hosting a panel of all-star Brooklynites at Greenlight Bookstore. But the hard part to admit is that my fantasy of this project being self-sustaining, of finding deep-pocketed sponsors and daily small-scale donations the likes of the Obama campaign, has proved unrealistic.

While I remain humbly grateful to the folks who have contributed financially to this project, it has not been close to enough to live off of, never mind grow the site, pay our editorial and publishing team, or prepare for the future. While I've kept a few fingers at work on Sheepless.org, the other hand has been proactively looking for some other way to make a living - many of which would involve setting aside this work for an indefinite period of time. Which is disappointing, to say the least.

And all this has been happening without publicly chronicling the difficulties of beginning a mission-driven business--as I promised that I would--and for that I am sorry. It is not fair to expect small businesses to be honest with me (and you) about their trials and triumphs if I am not willing to do the same.

We have a growing list of big ideas for making this site easier to navigate, adding a dynamic community message board for announcements and job postings, and expanding our coverage and our presence in cities across the country. But none of that is going to happen if I continue working the way that I have. So first, I'm going to pour efforts into a new direction -- and bring on some new folks to make it happen.

In my past, I was a fairly accomplished graphic designer. I worked with some of the most prominent in the field, creating identity programs and marketing materials for social enterprises, community groups, and arts non-profits. Now, through my experiences reporting for Sheepless.org, I have uncovered secrets and inspiration from incredible mission-driven small businesses, and become involved with connecting and promoting them from many angles. In the coming weeks, you will see some of the core folks at Sheepless, myself included, using our combined backgrounds to grow and connect small businesses as a for-hire consultancy.

We will continue to publish stories that are open and free for all. We remain committed to highlighting businesses doing outstanding work nationwide, and cross-polinating ideas and inspiration. But we will now also be able to provide additional insight, strategies, communication plans, and visual image consulting to those looking to take their endeavors to the next level. And by doing so, we'll take ours there as well.

By creating a steady revenue stream, we'll be able to make those exciting changes to our digital magazine, increase engagement with our communities, support more writers and creative contributors, and lead all-around happier lives. Not to mention, be true to our mission of growing and championing the businesses that make our communities better places to live.

Thanks for coming with us this far. I'm looking forward to these coming chapters, and hope my honesty here helps you to be more open with your community about your needs and your struggles, as well as your value and successes.

It's not easy, but it's the only way to grow. Here's to giving it another shot.

Image: Some rights reserved by Robert Couse-Baker