This isn't "Quitting"
Written on October 17, 2026
I'm closing the Crate, effective immediately.
My PR class says that press releases need to be from the third person, which would instead read something like:
"The Crate is currently undergoing dissolution, and is no longer accepting new customers."
So it's a good thing this isn't a press release. Joshua Steely much prefers the first person.
I've decided to conclude pursuing the Crate of Curious Things after its short run of under 6 months as an LLC, and 3 years as an idea. The deal is, I've fallen in love with human and organizational communications–not entrepreneurship. Importantly, this isn't me quitting on the Crate because I don't believe I could do it. This is me pivoting my efforts to something I'm even more interested in.
And of course, the experience was certainly not a waste. Here are a few things I took away:
Establishing an LLC: I registered an official LLC with INBiz! While I had learned about the process from the ISBDC before, it was cool to actually go through with it. (Cool… besides the fees, of course).
Opening a Business Bank Account: I felt super grown-up and official going to the bank and opening a Business Account. Experiences like those are always a huge help in establishing myself in adulthood (which after 2 years, is still a novel notion).
Cold-Calling: The marketing process to book my first workshop was insanely anxiety-inducing, but I survived! While I'm not desensitized to the anxiety by any means, I know it won't kill me. Thanks to Greenwood Village South for the first yes!
HubSpot: After I had made a few cold-calls, and tried manually recording the discussions and notes, I learned about Customer Relationship Management software (CRMs)! I first tried Salesforce's free version, but started using the HubSpot Academy training materials, and was convinced of its superiority in the ways that mattered to the Crate's scale. I accumulated a number of training certifications through HubSpot, and can now say I'm a lot more confident in implementing and using CRM and CMS (Content Management System) softwares!
Scheduling: You can cold call and record all the information you want, but there's nothing like the number of follow-ups and planning emails required to actually execute an event. So scheduling deserves its own bullet point, for sure.
(Even more) Web Design: The Crate needed its own website, of course. So once again, I got to work on my web design skills using Squarespace, and then eventually HubSpot's built-in website designer (which I hadn't used before!). Every web design platform has its own quirks, (I've used Google Sites, Weebly, Wix, Squarespace, and now HubSpot) so it was fun to see yet another spin on a non-coder option.
I worked on the Crate a lot this summer, when I had all the time in the world (or at least, compared to now, in the middle of an 18-credit semester). But even then, it was in many ways overwhelming. It seems incredibly difficult to separate work from personal life when the progress of your work depends entirely on your effort as the sole contributor. "If I just skipped lunch, I could get further along…" and then you wonder why you're so hungry.
That's the largest reason I will not be continuing down this entrepreneurial path: my aversion to the lifestyle. I really like to be able to separate my work from otherwise, and the life of an entrepreneur makes that far too difficult for me.
To all those who enabled me to make it this far with the Crate, I extend immense gratitude: The STARTedUP Foundation Team, including Don Wettrick, Allison Curtis, Kevin Schamel, Alyssa Pellegrini, Mariah Wright, and more; WonderSpace; NMPL; Surebonder; Teachers, Classmates, Friends, and Family. Thank you. Your contributions have not gone to waste simply because the Crate will not be continuing. I am better because of every conversation had, every idea bounced back and forth, and every word of encouragement received.
Here's to the next adventure!
