As we assemble Common Soles we've been leveraging many of the new options which have sprung up on the web to help us out.  Services such as CrowdSpring for our logo, Citizen Media Law Project for anything legal we need to figure out, and Moo for when we eventually get around to printing business cards!

What's great about these websites is that they make tasks which are typically very time consuming (expensive), apply a technology based solution, and then offer them to folks such as us at a fraction (or free sometimes) of the cost traditionally endured.  Cool huh?

We think so.

I'd like to think that what we are doing here will stir the pot up as much as a website such as CrowdSpring -  bringing transparency to the footwear supply chain, but only time and practice will determine if we are successful here or not.  

Another powerful tool for the entrepreneur: Linked In.  Today I was able to reconnect to a friend from college who is now in the logistics business.  We spent an hour on the phone discussing shipping options for product from places like India, Brazil and Indonesia. It's amazing how many different methods exist for getting a product from point A to B.  They all involve some part or combination of truck, train, boat or plane. This remains, but what is new and unique is how the product is packaged for transit, stored along the way, bundled with complimentary products and checked through customs.  

We have a few options for getting our product here using far less fuel and packaging than previously thought.  Re-usable shipping cartons made from waste plastics, bar coding which reduces stacks of paper, and only selecting carriers which practice efficiency and responsibility.  So thank you interenet entrepreneurs and Web 2.0 savants. Let's hope we can make it happen!

- Dave