When it comes to businesses, Jon Lincoln is a wide-ranging maker. The Boston-area entrepreneur has launched a comedy club, as well as a document manager for insurance companies. But his latest product is a maker marketplace with a difference.
Lincoln is the founder of Goimagine, where all after-tax profits go to charities that help children in need. He launched the company in January 2020. He said more than 3,000 makers now sell their wares on the platform. “In an economy that rewards greed over generosity we believe there’s an opportunity to harness the online economy to shift some of the focus from investor returns to providing social good,’’ his LinkedIn profile says.
The journey
Lincoln would be the first to say his shift from comedy club owner to maker marketplace is a journey. But the road he travels is simply a love for creating businesses. Still, the road got bumpy during his last turn. “I’ve been running my own businesses since I got out of college. My most recent company that I started six years ago was a software product for the insurance industry. And I had gone through multiple rounds of investment. But I quickly found myself in a position where I was an employee, as the CEO working day and night blood, sweat, and tears to grow a company that, if very successful, is going to make wealthy investors more wealthy,” he said.
That situation obviously didn’t sit well with Lincoln, especially as he considered how individuals were responding to the issue of income equality. “People are starting to recognize nowadays income inequality more than the exorbitant wealth the top is getting. And because of that, …. people are also making their own personal decisions more around that as well.”
With his love for starting businesses and his passion for creating marketplaces, Lincoln began to dream of a platform where buying and selling funded a greater good. He had a role model – Newman’s Own. For close to 40 years, the food company, started by actor Paul Newman, has been donating all its profits to non-profit organizations. Since 2005, those efforts have been channeled through Newman’s Own Foundation.
The idea
However, the idea of a maker marketplace came from Lincoln’s business partner and graphic designer Stephanie Romkey. “Every time I’ve run a company or started a company, I would talk to her about the branding, because she’s really good at marketing and branding. So going back two years, when I started thinking about Goimagine, I naturally went to her and I said, “I’m thinking about really building a marketplace that gives all profits to charity.”
Lincoln initially considered creating a service like Vrbo and AirBnB. But Romkey is a maker who vends at craft shows. When she shared her experiences since Etsy’s transformation, Lincoln realized an opportunity existed in the maker community.
“I started doing my own research on Etsy’s growth, and where they’re headed. And that’s when I started seeing, `Here’s a niche, I think we can open up.’”
He brought Romkey along with Bill Rowell, who has 20 years of experience as a full-stack web and e-commerce developer, on board as co-founders. “… I think we’re a good partnership to really build this company. If you have a company, that’s all tech, it won’t really resonate with the makers. If you have one that’s all makers, the tech might not be good.”
The funding
Lincoln launched the company with his credit card, understanding that his idea could very well fall flat. Eventually, he raised about $52,000 from makers who became investors in the company. “The good news was I threw it out there and started building the proof of concept. And it drew so many people into our community excited about it. And I want to be clear that the excitement from the maker community fuels me to keep going.”
Lincoln chose to help child advocacy organizations to avoid political or other controversies. After vetting charities in and around Boston, he settled on Horizons for Homeless Children, which helps youngsters under 5 who live in shelters.
In Oregon, makers directed Lincoln to Relief Nursery, which intervenes against child abuse. Jennifer Solomon is their director of philanthropy. She said the organization was impressed by Lincoln’s research on their mission.
“I appreciate Jon’s vision for Goimagine, his energy, his transparency, and of course, his passion for those struggling in our communities. This relationship is just beginning and I look forward to growing it. Honestly, the world could use more Jon Lincoln,” she said in an email. Solomon is also impressed by the community that Goimagine offers for the makers who participate on the platform. “Our Executive Director and I will be the guests on a September Facebook live event and we’re really looking forward to meeting the makers and sharing our story,” she said.
The future
Lincoln’s expansion plans include craft fairs that align with the company’s mission. But his dream is to see other entrepreneurs walk the road he’s traveling. “Well, why can’t someone start an Airbnb that helps the rainforest? Why can’t someone start an eBay that helps cure cancer? “We want to prove a business model that works for marketplaces to help charities. And then that business model can be applied to marketplaces in so many areas.”
Afi Odelia Scruggs
Afi Scruggs is our staff writer. Afi is an award-winning multi-platform journalist and author who lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Her articles and columns have appeared in the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, The U.S. edition of the Guardian, USA Today, and Essence magazine and on washingtonpost.com. Her audio segments have been broadcast on national NPR programs as well on local affiliates in northeast Ohio. She’s also written three books: Jump Rope Magic, published by Scholastic; a genealogical memoir, Claiming Kin: Confronting the History of an African-American Family; and an essay collection entitled Beyond Stitch and Bitch: Reflections on Knitting and Life. The New York Times Book Review called Jump Rope Magic a “magical, spunky book.” Afi learned to knit when she was 7 years old and to sew when she was 9. She’s forever working on reducing her stash.
Way to go Jon!!! Goimagine is such a great likeminded crafting community filled with not only talented crafters of all kinds, but a tight knit group of makers that listen, help and understand each other. Being a ‘seasoned’ crafter myself for many years, but now having to do it all online, I found this to be the best place to be! I am proud to say that I am one of the founding members of this group and I’m looking forward to what comes next!!!!
I am so honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful organization. I tell everyone about it and invite them to check it out.
This is just amazing! Goimagine deserves a lot of recognition for doing sonething truly special.
As a maker who’s inspiration to start up a shop was from my son, I was thrilled to learn what Go Imagine was all about. I’m thrilled to be a part of a caring community 💕
As a maker who supports pet rescues it was awesome to find a Marketplace that supports children as a place to sell my products. I am proud to be a maker on GoImagine. Thank you Jon for starting this up.
I’m thrilled and proud to have found a new home for my creative business. This company has put serious thought into all aspects and shows a true admiration and respect for us crafty people. It’s enough to have a pretty showcase but knowing the philanthropic side really makes me glad to have hopped on this creative train. I wish GoImagine years of happiness and success.
I’m so proud to be a part of the Goimagine seller community. It is a delight to be associated with a platform that cares about it’s makers and gives back to the community!
I am so thrilled to be a part of the goimagine seller community. I am delighted to have found a platform that I can feel connected to and proud to be a part of. The focus on hand crafting, supporting small business and giving to the community is so in line with what I believe business could and should be about!!!! I’m so happy that goimagine exists.
i am so happy i stumbled upon goimagine – i just opened my shop and the support and outpouring of kindness, and help from not only john and stephanie directly — but the other makers as well, has been a godsend — even before i officially joined, they answered questions and were transparent about future plans. the icing on the cake for me is giving back to the community. i have been selling online for 10 years now – and monthly i donate a percentage of my profits to charities — so that aspect was a no-brainer for me. i’m so proud and excited to be part of this growing community! can’t wait to see what’s next!
Lest the reader think Goimagine is all rainbows and unicorns, don’t be fooled. Jon and his team have built a viable platform that I am certain will be a player a few years down the line if it continues to operate as it has until now. The Goimagine team is uber responsive to the feedback of sellers, crazy proactive as it relates to honing the platform experience for both makers and shoppers and has cultivated a very loyal following of makers – many of whom have yet to really earn revenue but remain avid supporters. The big E would do well to take a page from GI’s operational handbook – in the end, it will be the relationship between GI and its makers that will drive the platform’s success.
I happened to be on the right page when Jon wrote his wish online. It is such a privilege to be more than a stand-alone store. Working and giving to children is wonderful. Goimage has become an unknown to “look what they have accomplished”! Happiness, caring, giving, respect, and finding a platform online to meet so many children and loving every minute of it is the gift Jon gave to us individually. Thank you, Jon…..a job well done.
As a retired Administrative Director for a National Non-Profit Children’s Charity, finding Go Imagine and Jon’s Caring Economy Marketplace for my own dream of sharing my art, is a match made in heaven! I immediately opened 3 stores on the platform. I acknowledge all the hard work he and his partners are putting in; I know how over-whelming it can get! And in the end, I know it will be worth it because Makers like me are truly looking for a marketplace just like this one! I feel blessed to have found GoImagine.
And, Afi, thanks for a great article! Can I find your books on Amazon? 🙂
I’m proud to say I’m part of the goimagine community. I joined as a Seller in April. The team at goimagine are genuine, have integrity, are very supportive of the Sellers and continue to improve and grow both the seller’s and buyer’s experience on the platform. I love their vision. Come check out what’s happening! There are more and more handmade goods being added daily!
I’m one of the makers on goimagine. I can say I love its mission and the GI community that has been created along with the marketplace. Its an experience you won’t find anywhere else. I hope other entrepreneurs take notice and start their companies helping their communities like Jon has.
I am excited to be a part of something so great! When I read that the mission of Goimagine was to help children in need I knew I wanted to be a part of this community not only of makers but people who care.
I am excited to be a part of this mission and marketplace. Not only do they help children in need, but Jon and Stephanie are personally in our group daily taking every suggestion into consideration. If we run into a problem we can post about it or send an email and get quick responses and resolutions. I don’t feel like I’m just another number to them. They truly care about their makers and their customers and especially about the charities they donate to. Jon hosts webinars frequently and is very open about sharing where every penny goes. I agree with the article that we need more Jon Lincolns out there! Thank you Jon and Steph for all that you do for us!
I absolutely love this article! goimagine is such a blessing to so many. The makers, the customers and the children. Who could ask for more?
I’m so happy to have found the Goimagine mission and community. It is truly a caring platform. Everyone behind the scenes are very supportive and truly want to help the sellers succeed. The children in need who are, and will continue to be helped through this site are the best reason to be here. The entire Goimagine community are making this work for a great purpose.
I, like the others before, am excited to be part of a great marketplace that gives back, and is comprised of wonderful handcrafted artisans
Great article! Amazing company and I’m so glad to be a part of it!
AuntJJ’sAttic
My son and I have been on several marketplaces selling handmade jewelry over the past 7 years and Goimagine is wonderfully different! The community here is so amazing and thoughtful. Everyone in the GI community and Jon and his staff all come together to help each other for a common cause of helping children in need. They are here to help children in need as well as helping handmade sellers succeed in their businesses. I love the webinars with shop critiques and tools that give us the info we need to improve as an online business. I am one of the founding members and so excited to see Goimagine grow!
I have been with goimagine since almost the beginning , am a Founding Maker, and have not regretted it once! Between the Mission, their values and their commitment, it is a pure pleasure to be a Maker.
Goimagine is an ever evolving Marketplace that cares as much about it Sellers as it’s Buyers. Jon, Stephanie, Bill & the others make it a wonderful place and the other Sellers/Makers have created a beautiful community.
I look forward to watching it grow and the change it brings to e-commerce!
As a Founding Maker of goimagine, I am so pleased to see this article. The vision and hard work of Jon, Stephanie and Bill, as well as the Makers on the platform , is nothing short of AMAZING!! They are thorough in vetting sellers that are strictly HANDMADE, and it is so refreshing as a shopper to know that something I buy there is not mass produced and resold. The Team is constantly evolving the site, for both buyers and sellers, and their dedication to making it a marketplace that gives back is just wonderful!
People of the arts and crafts community put their hearts in every creation. It only seems appropriate that the platform from which they sell also have a heart. Enter Goimagine.
It’s really stellar to see where Goimagine started and where it’s at now. I love being a part of Goimagine. The heart behind our art and knowing that it benefits kids has me over the moon.
The sellers have heart and so does Goimagine!
It is truly an honor and a privileged to be one of the Founding Makers of goimagine. When I first heard of them and learned of their mission to help children in need, I knew in my heart this was where I needed to be. Goimagine is an amazing Marketplace that cares as much about its makers/sellers as it does its buyers. They not only ask for the opinions of the makers/sellers, but they LISTEN to the answers. They are continuously working behind the scenes to make sure everyone has a wonderful buying AND selling expreience. I truly blessed to be part of the #caringeconomy.
I’m so glad to see this article! Go imagine is exactly what I wish Etsy still was, but even better. I’m super excited to watch them grow in the coming years and become a new major marketplace while focusing on the good of the community instead of the pocketbooks of corporate investors.
I am so honored and blessed to be a small part of this incredible online marketplace that Jon has created. He has the very best team around him. It is truly a makers dream to be involved in the groundbreaking Caring Economy. His enthusiasm is contagious. Jon, Stephanie, Bill, Thank You all.
Jon, Stephanie and Bill garner so much support, not only for the concept, but for the way they treat people. They are literally changing the dynamics of the marketplace for the better and those of us who get to join the mission are the lucky ones.
I just joined go imagine and absolutely love what they are doing not only for artisans and crafters but for the charities they support. I was looking for a better marketplace who cared about people over profits! Bravo GoImagine!
I stumbled across GoImagine a little over a week ago. I was looking for a new Marketplace, as Etsy screwed me royally. I was impressed with the website – it’s layout, operation, & fee structure, and the fact that they donate 100% of profit to helping children in need made it a ‘no-brainer’ decision. I hope they are successful & thrive. The way for that to happen is for all of us to do our part in helping them, by spreading the word, not just thinking they are there only to help us, as so many Etsy shop owners think. I plan t o do my part. The more they grow, the more we, as shop owners, will grow, and the more children they can help. A definite WIN-WIN for all.
Patrick: I have been with goimagine since the beginning. My shop is Country Treasures. Thank you for your comment! They are the best even if they are not the biggest (yet). They have helped me (not tech savvy) along the way. Very kind, helpful, honest people. For me to have a shop for $5 a month is so worth it. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your review of them on here. Take care. Lisa Marie of Country Treasures