You need believers in your value chain. When engaging potential suppliers, many won’t get it. Sure, they’ll book a meeting with you and discuss supplying their widget. But invariably, ‘Joe Salary’ will find a reason to shut you out. Maybe with a minimum order or a credit history you wont have. You’re not going to help him make his budget this year. He doesn’t care, he doesn’t have to.
Dreams are hard to sell. That’s because so many people have had theirs stolen.
You want a short cut?
It’s much easy to build a value chain with suppliers who were you, 20 years ago. Entrepreneurs that had a dream, and got it up. They will take you seriously. They live in family run firms and SME’s. If you dig deep in the supply chain, they’re out there.