Having started in the unfinished basement of their own home, Sandbox Creative knows a thing or two about venturing into the entrepreneurial world. That’s why Steve and Lorraine Brazile chose Sandbox to help them launch their medical billing company, AMBEX, created to help independent physicians get paid by insurance companies. Although AMBEX isn’t operating out of the Braziles’ basement, when they came to Sandbox, they didn’t have much more than an idea for their business model and a name.

The Braziles knew how to service customers having worked in the medical billing industry for years, but making the leap from employees to business owners was a terrifying step. A new business meant new responsibilities—from choosing a phone system, to finding a space to operate, to purchasing desks and office supplies. They weren’t sure where to begin.

After listening to the Braziles and identifying their core business deliverables, Sandbox helped AMBEX create a logo, a brand positioning statement, a website, business cards, and signage—some of the essentials that startup companies need to operate, service accounts, and begin to generate a positive cash flow.

Having plenty of experience with entrepreneurs in similar situations, Sandbox wanted AMBEX to remain focused on promoting their business in order to grow their business. For most entrepreneurs, this is a difficult message to embrace, because most entrepreneurs aren't sure what steps to take, don’t know what the costs are, and don’t want to make any mistakes. Remembering their own humble beginnings, Sandbox understands the most effective way to help companies like AMBEX is to take things slowly and build momentum as the business evolves.

For example, when Sandbox Creative began, they planned only to stay in their basement for three to six months—to keep overhead down and to see if running the business was even doable. They ended up using the basement space almost three years, not by choice but because they became so caught up in the work that they didn’t have time to search for another location. When more employees had keys to the house than actually lived there, it was the final straw. Sandbox Creative, at the request of the owner's wife, found their very own space in historic Webster Groves, Missouri, where they continue to operate to this day.

The thing Sandbox finds so rewarding about working with startups like AMBEX will happen five to ten years down the road, when Steve and Lorraine Brazile are celebrating more milestones as a successful company. Hopefully, the Braziles will look back at the early, formative days and go, “Sandbox really made an impact that truly helped us.”