Birth of Bird Sings
In the beginning we had nothing but a silly dream of starting a card company in the basement of a church. Well, the dream started as Tim’s but with the love and encouragement of everyone in his life Bird Sings became a reality.
Tim got daily hands on support from his life partner Angel Salcedo and a part-time employee he managed, Sarah Spearman. Sarah quickly became a close friend to Tim and Angel and a valuable part of Bird Sings. Sarah designed the company’s first greeting card order form and edited all of the card text (Tim is not the best speller). Angel printed, cut and scored the cards by hand for months. Sometimes he would cut hundreds of cards at a time (a few times he cut his fingers as much as he cut the cards).
If we had thought much about the cost involved in building a card company that would reach coast to coast we would have been defeated before we ever got started. All we knew was that we had everything it took to make a couple dozen greeting cards and set them out on the shelf in the church bookstore Tim managed.
The point is: Everyone has all of the resources NOW that they need to start down the path of their dreams. Money is no reason to prevent you from doing what you were always meant to do.
Tim started his business after losing his high paying marketing job, filing bankruptcy, and taking a job managing a church bookstore which paid less than half of what he made in the past. The difference was; Tim was now using his talents and gifts to pursue his dream. The first couple of years were financially tough indeed. Tim says “living your dream does not mean an end to your problems; it just means you go to bed at night knowing you are doing exactly what you were always intended to do.”
Tim enrolled in an entrepreneurial program at the Kauffman Foundation. The class is called Fasttrac. This class was instrumental in making Tim’s dream a reality by educating him on what a new business owner needs to know and do to start their business with the right safeguards in place. Tim considers the experience invaluable and recommends The Kauffman Foundation to anyone considering a new business venture.
Today, just a couple of years later; Tim and Angel own the store Tim used to manage. Bird Sings cards are sold in 37 states and growing.
As for Angel: he is now living his dream. Angel has the gift of providing patient care to people who have experienced amputation of a limb. He has his own home care business and is thriving. Angel is also a business partner in Bird Sings Card and Gift Company along with Tim. He and Tim share a home close to their business and are grateful to have found each other.
As for Sarah: she is now following her dream. Sarah moved to Denver where she studies Chinese medicine. Sarah still edits text for Bird Sings from time to time, and stays in touch with Tim and Angel through phone calls and visits. Sarah will always be considered a member of the Bird Sings family.
