Day 9- The Foster-Babcocks

Posted on December 9, 2012 by admin

I am grateful for people again today: Judie and David Foster-Babcock.

Back last winter when I was running around talking about WeatherVane Creamery- before it even had a name- many people told me that I should get in touch with Judie. I knew the Foster name, of course- as any proper River Falls resident does. They are the founding family of the town. The great Joel Foster came to River Falls in 1847. Their name is everywhere: Foster Cemetery, Foster Road, Foster Community Foundation, Foster Sports, etc.

Here are Judie and David at WeatherVane's Empowering Taste event

Here are Judie and David at WeatherVane’s Empowering Taste event

In January, the River Falls Chamber of Commerce helped promote WeatherVane Creamery with our Ice Cream Float A Go Go. It was there that Judie came to me. Not only did she come to taste some ice cream floats, but she had her iPad with her and was offering to show the indiegogo video to others and was selling WeatherVane Creamery right alongside me. I was both stunned and honored.

Judie was a great help that day and she and her husband, David, were generous contributors to WeatherVane Creamery’s indiegogo campaign. Judie is interested in honoring her ancestors by making a difference for the future of River Falls. That is why they are spearheading The Gathering Place Community Center. The Gathering Place is an amazing LEED certified building on the land she donated on Lake George in the heart of River Falls. It will house non-profit organizations and host community classes and other events. It is the same interest of making River Falls a better place that both Judie and David support WeatherVane Creamery.

After the indiegogo campaign, Judie told me that she and David would commit a $1000 donation towards attracting additional investors for WeatherVane Creamery. Despite not knowing exactly what that would look like, I was deeply honored. In the end, I ended up using that money to put on the Empowering Taste event. Without their donation, the event probably wouldn’t have happened. During the event, David took some pictures and after the event, not only were Judie and David our first contributors to WeatherVane Creamery’s loan program with a $5000 loan but David also put in many hours editing our photos from it as well.

This summer Judie supported WeatherVane Creamery with Town ‘N Country Day, The Afton Art Fair, the local Rotary Club, and even with advice on lease negotiations and meeting with bankers. And over the last ten months I have volunteered at several Foster Community Foundation events and have had several Perkins meals with Judie and David. It was at one of these meals where, as per usual, they insisted on paying for mine, that I came to the conclusion that they treat me like the daughter they never had. And it makes me feel proud and loved. Many, many thanks and cheers to you, Judie and David. Thank you for being wise, generous, and people who make a difference. River Falls is a different place because of you.

And here is where you can see more about the Foster Community Foundation: http://www.foster-foundation.com/

I helped with the River Falls Art Wagon this summer. Like their facebook page, and look the great pics of all of the kids making wonderful art! And I am in there, somewhere, too. https://www.facebook.com/RiverFallsArtWagonProject

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Day 8- A re-post

Posted on December 8, 2012 by admin

I started two blogs in the last hour but they were stale. I think it’s because I spent many hours writing and editing the business plan. And if I had to guess, I’d say that I am on the verge of coming down with a cold. My brain is tired and unoriginal. So I am using my “blog re-post” card. This one is from back in August and was titled “Words From Strangers… Oh! The People You’ll Meet!” and is just as relevant now as it was then. I am grateful for all the words of encouragement from both strangers and people I know alike. It really makes a difference to know that everyone is rooting me on.
Enjoy,
Sarah

Below is an email from someone that I have never met. Tonight it made me cry. Gary, the author, lives in the WAY eastern part of Wisconsin. He called me after reading the article in The Country Today back in April. He was interested in potentially lending WeatherVane Creamery some money and he volunteered many dairy artifacts for decoration from his family estate. I remember him saying that he had never done anything like that before but that he was just really inspired by the article and wanted to help out. Ever since, we have been in touch via email or the phone. Last week, as I was boarding the plane in Raleigh, he called and we talked about Empowering Taste, the investor event and dinner that WeatherVane and our advisors are hosting next week. Gary is making the 600 mile round trip trek to bring me the milk cans and other items and to participate in the evening. This email is in response to me saying that I was excited and nervous for the event:

Hello, I can believe you’re getting nervous with this being one of the biggest responsibilities you’re taking on in life. I’ll try to calm you down if you need some support, not that I any good at that. You’ll do just fine. You have many years of experience at your disposal and your investors wouldn’t be coming if they didn’t see something special in you or your idea on the Weather Vane Creamery. Some will walk away and some will be your best supporters and those that support you know you have what it takes to make them money. That’s why they are coming because they believe in you. Yes they’re smart but you are in control because this was and is your passion and goal. You will do fine because they know they’re there for one reason and that’s for you to ask for their investment. It’s not like you’re bringing on some big surprise to them, they are expecting a return on their investment but they also want you to succeed or they wouldn’t be there. Look back on your other big moments with Starbucks and you managed yourself all the way to this point. I would say you’re taking the next step and that’s ownership and total management and you are in control to a point. The people you have met along the way wouldn’t have encouraged you to move forward if they didn’t see something good in this. All your home work on this will payoff and you will be grateful for the rewards. You have experience and they will see that during your meeting, that will go a long way.

_______________________________________

I really just wanted to share Gary’s email with you but then I started thinking about all of the other correspondence from strangers and friends that has both surprised me and kept me going all this time. I want to share those with you, too. Here they are.

Last Spring, I checked out the “Local River Falls” event at UWRF and met the farmers of Sweet Top Farm CSA. I was considering buying a share for the summer. This is from our email exchange:

I realized after you left yesterday that I recognized you from the article in Country Today about Weathervane Creamery. After we read the article, Adam and I were saying that we needed to meet you, and the next day, I did! We agree: where is all the good cheese!? I hope that you are making it over the hurdles mentioned in the article. We are rooting for you!

I received this one in the mail during the indiegogo campaign:

Dear Sara (sic),

Enclosed is a check in support of your new venture.

This picture is of a Gargoyle from Notre Dame de Paris. It’s function is to ward off evil spirits, bad karma, ill luck.

To be sure, I wish you success in your project.

This is an email that I received from a River Falls resident after the article ran in the River Falls Journal last winter:

Hello Sarah,

I am excited to know someone has the courage to start a real cheese shop in RF. I may have seen you at Whole Earth but not sure, I’ve only been in there about a half dozen times since I moved here in 1980. Originally I am from Janesville, Wi. and every other Sunday my parents would go to Monroe, Wi. to spend the afternoon with my mothers parents but we never came home without first stopping at a cheese factory to buy Swiss Cheese. In the 80′s I lived in Oshkosh and it didn’t take me long to find out that the Field’s Restaurant sold good ol’e Swiss Cheese. Since I’ve lived in this part of the country I would order cheese from Field’s or from my other store in Stoughton,Wi called “Cheesers”, Now I look forward to getting my cheese from “WVCREAMERY”.

I have been keeping my eyes open for a place for you to do business, so I hope you find a place for your business. The only place that comes to mind is on N Main across from the family restaurant or next door to the Westwind Supper Club. That bldg has just been remodeled and there isn’t anyone in there that I am aware of. That’s not down town but just thought I would bring that to your attention.

This was my first piece of fanmail dated November 21, 2011:

Wanted to let you know that as a resident of town, WeatherVane Creamery would be a welcome addition to the city of River Falls. It’s been sad seeing businesses like Lunds closing lately. You indicated that it would be a destination business. Are you familiar with the social concept of third place? This book may be of interest to you, “The Great Good Place: Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts and How They Get You Through the Day” by Ray Oldenburg.

I lived in Portland for eight years and moved back about two years ago. I’m curious, what co-op did you work for? Was it People’s? New Seasons? I’ll admit I was surprised the first time I saw Tillamook cheese at Econo foods. Unfortunately it didn’t unlock a business idea in my mind. It made me crave beer from the northwest.

And this remains a favorite by my friend Tony Julian, who delighted my inbox with this one day:

Did you hear about that dragon SARAH!!! SARAH who? SARAH Kowal, you know the cheese dragon.
Bringing cheese and prosperity to River Falls, one wheel at a time!!! She swoops in with fire in her breath and fills the hearts and stomachs of the community. She melts even the hardest Pecorino. People just love that dragon and cannot get enough of what she is offering. A pile of wealth is gathering at the feet of that dragon and she can’t give it away fast enough to not be flooded by it. If you haven’t met that dragon, you need to go. Go meet that dragon, be filled. Rejoice in the cheese. Bring her gifts. The more gifts you bring the more your riches will increase. You really got to meet this dragon and buy her cheese, I am just saying.

This just doesn’t feel complete without acknowledging the people who called or I ran into- the woman who wanted to sell me her coffee shop in Atwood, WI, the dairy farmers (Gay and Theresa) who just wanted to show support, the woman at the River Falls post office who said her grandson used the article in the River Falls Journal for his class project, and the woman at the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship who said “Oh! You are the lady from the internet!”

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Day 7- The Ghosts of Employment Past (part II)

Posted on December 8, 2012 by admin

I had this strange stint that I did in between jobs in Chicago for a merchant processor (the companies that work with retail stores on their credit card services). And this is actually the true inspiration for the “Ghosts of Employment Past” blog series.

My dad recommended that job. He had a rep visit him down in Florida and he said it seemed like a good gig. It was kind of random for me. The company made my appointments for me in ALL sorts of neighborhoods in Chicago and I would go and show the business owner the company video. Then I would fax their processing statement to my sales manager in Dallas, Texas and he would tell me what to say to them. Six months into that, what seems like 90% of my customers (including my dad) were calling me because their rates went up or my company wasn’t saving them the money that I said (err… what my sales manager said) it would. There was nothing I could do but change my phone number. Up until recently, I was always baffled at how that job fit into making me a better person, it seemed like a bankrupt experience devoid of redeeming lessons.

So, this past summer I was at my weekly business meeting with Paul Rode, owner of Agave Kitchen in Hudson and he tells me that he is about ready to sign a new contract with a merchant processor. Immediately, I feel a fire fill my belly. I offered to look over his contract before he signed it and the next day I showed up at the meeting.

I had zero respect or interest in the merchant account rep. I learned to hate the credit card industry and anyone associated with it so I marched up to the guy and said “They are not signing anything until I look it over” to which he replied “Who are you?” I said “Don’t you worry about it” and marched off to a spot three tables away with my calculator and highlighting marker. About ten minutes and a phone call to my former supervisor later, I somberly walked back to their table and exclaimed “This looks pretty clean. I have to admit I am impressed. I mean, you could knock off this annual fee, but other than that this looks good.” The account rep asked me again who I was and I explained my history with merchant services and about what I am doing with WeatherVane Creamery. As it turns out, that account rep was the owner of the processing company and wanted more information on investing in WeatherVane Creamery.

Of course, I blew him off. I had a hard time believing that anyone associated with merchant processing could be genuine or honest. It wasn’t until months later that I sent him an email and invite to Empowering Taste- WeatherVane’s investor dinner. I basically kept him on the mailing list. And lo and behold, he was still interested but couldn’t make the event. So we had lunch the day before and he got to be my guinea pig for my presentation.

I gave him my presentation at the South Fork Café and we took a walk over to 120 South Main where the event was already taking shape and I showed him around. At the end of our lunch, he offered me three miraculous things, the first was to be an investor in WeatherVane Creamery for a 10% stake. He said he was flying out the next day to discuss it with his lawyer in Nashville. I have to admit, I was still skeptical.

Then, he asked me about my volunteer work. He said he saw some of it on my résumé. I told him about the Art Wagon here in River Falls that I volunteered with over the summer, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program that I have been involved with and, lastly, Al’s Run- the annual fund raiser for the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital that my family is involved with. His next question was “Do you need a sponsor?” I was baffled, not because I couldn’t believe he asked, but because I never got sponsors for my participation. I always just paid my $25 to participate, got my T shirt, and walked with my family each year. He said causes with children were close to his heart and that he would like to contribute $250. I told him I would email him the link to donate, not even knowing how I would do that or if a link existed.

Lastly, he asked me what I was doing for money while WeatherVane Creamery was getting off the ground. I responded with “That is a very good question.” See, my unemployment benefits had just ended that week, about 6 weeks before I thought they would. And I had to laugh about it. It was so ironically perfect for the money to stop coming the week of my investor event and I had kept a “The Show Must Go On” mentality about it. I had made a decision to put it on a backburner until after my event and refused to consider my next steps. In that moment, I had explained the situation to him and he suggested that I go back to selling merchant services for his company until WeatherVane got off the ground and said to come to a meeting to meet his managers the next week.

Holy cow. I mean, really. I had been applying to jobs, albeit relatively passively, every week for a year and a half without a real offers (although I did have a few good leads and interviews). It seemed so unbelievable that a job landed in my lap at almost the minute I lost my benefits. And it was at this moment that I realized why I had to have that crappy gig in Chicago years earlier. All of a sudden, a purpose for that job materialized and it was so that I could have this opportunity. And besides that, I had been talking about WeatherVane Creamery to everybody who would listen for that past year and a half as well. And here I was with the one person that I would say that I had treated badly in that timeframe, and he ends up being my investor. Just one random stranger one minute, and an angel the next- providing equity to my business, a donation to a cause that is important to my family, AND giving me a job. Who knew? And for that, I am grateful.

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Day 6- The Ghosts of Employment Past

Posted on December 6, 2012 by admin

I started working at an early age for my father. He’s an auctioneer and at the tender age of ten, I was recording the bids at his auctions. As a result, I am in the 99th percentile of adults for writing speed. Impressive, eh? Then, at the age of 11, I got a paper route under my mom’s name since I technically wasn’t old enough to have one. By the age of 16, I had a résumé.

Today I am grateful for those jobs that I didn’t appreciate at the time. That pretty much goes for most of them. And this would fall into that category of “things that made me a better person that I wouldn’t recommend or do again”.

The first job that comes to mind is being a farm apprentice at an organic CSA farm in Lake Elmo, MN. It was my college internship. You know what I learned that summer? That I never wanted to be a farmer. Memories of chiseling at the dry, hard clay soil with hoes in 90 degree heat and getting up at 2am because the water line broke are a little bitter. This is also where I got my first exposure to food snobs and hippies and food co-ops. Oh, and things like kale. Most importantly, this is where I learned my deep respect for the people who produce our food.

Right after that summer, I went on to become the aforementioned Resident Assistant at UWRF. This is where I learned about Murphy’s Law. You know: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Give me any cliché college women’s issue and I had to deal with it on my wing- eating disorders, drinking, birth control, drugs, suicide, abortion, you name it. Even my first mutiny. Now I could call myself a leader.

In Chicago at my first corporate job, I learned about “lateral promotions” or how NOT to treat motivated people.

As a Mary Kay consultant I learned a lot about myself. I was relatively successful and had twenty women that I had recruited and paperwork in hand for the first company car when I quit. It was at my Landmark Forum (see www.landmarkeducation.com) that I realized how much I was suffering doing that job and what was fueling me was my fear of women and trying to prove myself by the challenge of it. And I learned to be a little more girly. So that was good.

All the other jobs are still a little too fresh for me to be able to step back and look at. All but one. But that one is a longer story for another day. For right now I am just grateful for all the colorful experiences that have trained me to be able to be the best boss and to have the wisdom that will make WeatherVane Creamery a success. Which, by the way, also entails being someone’s worst boss and knowing that I don’t know everything. Ha!

Curious about where I’ve been? Check out my LinkedIn profile here:
www.linkedin.com/in/sarah99

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Day 5- I Am Grateful and I Miss My Friend Carl

Posted on December 6, 2012 by admin

My favorite memory of Carl was when he ended up in the emergency room due to an accident. He was in the bed and sent me off with some cash to buy some Chinese take out. Then, we casually ate our dinner out of the boxes and watched Toddlers and Tiaras in the curtained off private “room” in the hospital like it was the most natural thing in the world, laughing and having a great time.

Carl was one of my roommates last year. He had a background in finance and was once a small business loan officer at a bank. Some months ago, he wasn’t returning my phone calls. I called his family on the East Coast to find out that he had unexpectedly passed away just two weeks before. They had already been to Wisconsin and taken care of his affairs and were back home already. *sigh*

For WeatherVane Creamery, Carl was always eager and excited to do anything that he could to help out. He helped me with the financials and gave me feedback on the original business plan. He even endorsed me and the plan on my indiegogo video. Besides that, he also went a little outside his comfort zone and did some voiceovers with me for the video and he also helped me set up a public cheese tasting, greeting everyone and representing for WeatherVane.

I met Carl’s mother, Anna, during the references portion of the roommate screening. For whatever reason, she and I hit it off over the phone. And it was Anna who first suggested that I consider adding grilled cheese to WeatherVane’s offerings.

Most importantly, who Carl was/is for me is openness, generosity, and love. He was so insightful and I often think of his life lessons as I learn my own. All he ever wanted to do was give. And I miss him. In fact, I sometimes don’t even believe that he is gone. He was in my life ever so briefly but made such a tremendous impact. I am grateful to have known him, to have shared joys with him, and to have been there for him when he needed my support and vice versa.

I miss you, Carl.

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Day 4-The 71 Indiegogo Funders

Posted on December 5, 2012 by admin

It was a year ago about this time. I just got back from my fruitless Chicago trip and I was determined to find a way to finance WeatherVane Creamery. I met my friends and colleagues Erin, Tony, and Lyle at Café Latté on a snowy night in St. Paul with library books on financing in tow. We tossed many ideas around and Lyle flipped through my books and told me which chapters to read. No use reading dry finance books unnecessarily, I say. One of the ideas kicked around that night… and to be fair it also came up in at least one conversation prior with my friend Maikol (of which I obviously dismissed), was online crowdfunding. It wasn’t until later that I had mentioned it to my friend Mark in Portland that it started to seem like a viable option. It turns out that Mark was/is dating Adrienne who was/is a consultant for crowdfunding campaigns with her business Marketing Moxie. Before even talking to Adrienne, it was beginning to look like fate.

Looking back, it seems wild that I put the whole thing together in less than two months. And it was not without help, that is for sure. My friend Thea offered to edit the video. Others came forward to be actors and Maikol, the one who I went to the wealth seminar in Chicago with, continued to be a weekly support. And who knew that I also met the founders of eRocket Fuel at that seminar? Jeremy helped me source the music for my video and gave me some general advice for making it successful.

The campaign is also when I started blogging. It was nerve wracking. I had 30 days to raise my goal of $100,000. And the media was on my side, too. My friend Kate and others even offered to make phone calls on my behalf to people they didn’t even know to ask for donations. And I had plenty of various meltdowns. The main one was wondering why my friends who I *knew* would buy me a coffee wouldn’t feel compelled to throw $3 at my campaign? Talk about a mindfuck (sorry, MaryLee- I can’t think of another word at the moment). By the end of the campaign I had turned my computer off and watched the clock tick down until the end. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

In the end I raised over $2,400 in donations and $3,000 in loans as a result. Friends from Portland, my new boyfriend (before we even had our first date!), strangers, ex-boyfriends, family, and friends of friends all contributed. I even got my friend Daniel from New Zealand to contribute so I could say it was funded internationally. Oh, and local businesses and the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative, too. Slightly less than the $100,000 (ahem! *cough*)but successful nonetheless.

Today, ten months later, looking back… I am in awe at the people who contributed to my campaign. Each and every one of them is such a miracle and I am humbled that they had the consideration to make a difference for me, for River Falls, and/or WeatherVane Creamery. Everyone had their own reason and it didn’t have to do with the dollar value. It wasn’t about the price of a cup of coffee. All of my 71+ funders gave something from their hearts and souls that isn’t with reason or even measurable. Thank you, all.

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Day 3- My Angel, My Mechanic

Posted on December 4, 2012 by admin

When my dog, Moscow, and I came back to the Midwest, we arrived in a rental truck. I did not own a car. When I lost my job I also lost my company car. Once we got here, I stayed with some friends and relied on walking to get around town as I saved up some cash to buy a car. Looking for a car in my price range was challenging. Plus, my roommates had to give me rides to the various locations to look at cars and they were quickly tiring of that. Eventually, through some networking/catching up with former customers at Whole Earth Grocery at the Community Arts Base Spring Gala, I ran into Nanette. Nanette gave me Steve’s phone number stating that she had gotten both of her sons Ford Escorts from Steve when they were in high school. So, sure enough, I called him up and he said he could fix up an Escort for me in my price range, carefully adding that he wouldn’t normally sell a car in that range or condition, but that he thought this one had a good engine.

The car is a ’98 Ford Escort with an aftermarket sunroof (which I totally love) and is loaded with rust. My most fond rust memory is when my friend Melissa, who currently drives a BMW, was exiting the car and snagged her pantyhose on the rust at the bottom of the door. This car is not for looking good or being sexy. But for the last year and a half, it has gotten me from point A to point B. I think I have put over 40,000 miles on it. Oh, and I almost forgot- Steve had mentioned that it had been in an accident before I received it. There are some uh… rust colored stains on one of the seatbelts in the back seat and my favorite detail is this: a pen-graffitied heart with initials in it on the dashboard. I have often wondered if that person didn’t make it. In any case, I have wiped it nearly clean so you can hardly see it.

Back to Steve, though. He quoted me a price originally and then realized that he needed to do some extra work to the car to make it sellable in his estimation. I don’t remember exactly what he had to do, but it was several things and he maintained his original sell price.

Secondly, he gives me oil changes below cost. I know this because once Steve was out of town and he had someone else that used to help around at his shop do my oil change. At the end he told me it would be $35. I told him that Steve usually charges me $20. Then he showed me the receipts for how much the oil cost, and it was more. I still only paid and continue to pay $20 for my oil changes.

The most dramatic thing that Steve took care of was my car accident last January. I skidded perpendicular across two lanes of traffic on I94 Westbound in St. Paul on black ice and ran into a light pole. Check out this picture. Steve towed the car back to River Falls from St. Paul, fixed the snapped tie rod, changed out the tire, and made the headlight area street legal. He probably had to do even more than that. All said and done? $400

Last night my car needed a jumpstart to get going. I was hoping it was a fluke. Like I had left the dome light on or something. Not a fluke. I already had an oil change scheduled with Steve so I called him ahead of time with a heads up on the situation. When I got there, he determined that the alternator was shot. Rebuilt alternator, oil change, and a changed battery connection: $100.

Oh, and when my tires are worn out? He swaps them out for $5.

So why am I talking about this on WeatherVane Creamery’s blog? Because Steve gives me peace of mind. And this makes a big difference to my ability to start this business. When I have auto emergencies, I don’t lose sleep. And maybe I should. In fact, Steve and I have an agreement that if the car dies more than 40 miles away, I get to surrender it to the towing company. It isn’t worth hardly anything to anyone but me. And a new/used car is in the business plan for WeatherVane Creamery.

Which is another thing- want to know how to get these awesome deals from Steve? Buy a car from him. That’s the only way. He only works on cars that he sells.

I could gush on and on and I realize it is even a little strange given the context so I will finish with this last story. A few weeks ago I was looking at new cars at the dealerships and settled on a 2012 Mazda3. With the year-end deals, I was quoted $20,000 for a new one. I mentioned it to Steve and he told me he could get one with less than 20,000 miles for $12,000-14,000. Today I asked him how and he said he could get any car at auction. For the year-old car, he said it would probably be from a 1 year lease or repossession. Long story short? Get a car from Steve. He’s here in River Falls.

Here’s his info:
715-425-0278 home
715-821-1488 cell
And if you are looking for someone to service a car that you did not buy from Steve, contact his buddy Tim, who I like to call The Tire Whisperer: 651-253-4371

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Day 2- The Original Investor

Posted on December 2, 2012 by admin

So there I was in the fun creative early stage of dreaming up WeatherVane Creamery only I didn’t have much more than the coffee part that I originally started with. I think I had heard a request from several people at this point to have “good ice cream” but that was it. And I suspected that coffee and ice cream wouldn’t carry the day financially year round so I was still fishing for something more to beef up the business plan. In any case, I was in Chicago for a class (Landmark Education’s Introduction Leader Program). I had lived in Chicagoland for seven years and had many friends in the area. After a flat tire on Lakeshore Drive, I made my way over to a friends house in a western suburb. She was a shift supervisor that I worked with at Starbucks and her husband owned a business in the town and was a regular customer (Vente Nonfat 1 Pump Sugar Free Vanilla Latte) who I also saw at local business networking events. That night, he and I were talking after his wife went to bed and I told him about my idea to open a coffee shop in River Falls. Immediately he exclaimed “I’m in! I know you will do it, Sarah. I want a piece. How much do you think you will need?” and he threw around some figures that told me that he meant business. He wanted a 30% stake which was exactly the amount of equity that banks like to see to finance the rest. But at this point the idea was not much more than a zygote. He told me to write up a business plan and to come back in six months where we could finalize the paperwork.

Six months later. I have my business plan mostly done. I tied the trip in with Peak Potentials Millionaire Mind Intensive training in Chicago. That was over the weekend and I scheduled my investor lunch for Monday thinking that I would kill it with my new “millionaire mind”. Only, the day before I needed to leave I found out there was a glitch in my unemployment pay for that week. Here it was Wednesday and I had less than $30 to my name. So, I took back a glass creamer bottle for deposit at Dick’s Market. I traded that in with a quarter or something to purchase the latest edition of The River Falls Journal where the article about WeatherVane Creamery was just published. Then I ran over to the Ace Hardware to return a wrench to get $16 back. I used ten of that to get quarters at the bank for tolls. I knew I had enough money to get there. And I remember feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. All I had to do was get to Chicago and my financial worries would be cured between the class and my meeting on Monday. I even threw in my mother’s silver flatware in the trunk in case I had car problems and needed something to pawn. It was surreal. And this story would be remiss if I didn’t mention gratitude for my friend Christian who took out a loan to wire me some money, Maikol for taking care of my parking and meals during the seminar, and an ex boyfriend who gave me $100, stating “After my last divorce, money doesn’t mean anything to me.” Big time thanks to you folks.

Monday comes and I meet my investor at Durty Nellies for lunch in Palatine, IL. I show him my vision board and presentation. He signs my nondisclosure agreement. He looks up wearily towards the end and says “Sarah, you did everything I asked you to. I said six months and here it is six months later. And everything looks great. But my other business partner has been stealing from me and I just found out so I can’t do anything to help you. I am sorry.”

And here is what I think about that: without that initial investor, I wouldn’t have made the business plan. I could tell he felt horrible that day and, surprisingly, I was ok with the news. So many miracles had occurred that weekend to get me there. And my new millionaire mind told me that all I had to do was find another person for which that kind of money was a sneeze. I see it like Dumbo with the magic feather that he told he could fly with, so he did. My investor gave me the momentum to see that my dream could come true and by the time I sat down with him that Monday, I believed it, too- no matter what. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it far enough to be too far to go back. And for that I am grateful.

And please Disney Studios, don’t sue me for using your image. Thank you.

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Day 1- The Exposé

Posted on December 1, 2012 by admin

It’s the first day of Christmas… oh wait.  That’s not what this is about.  It’s about gratitude.  I have a lot to be grateful for this year.  Or rather, the year and a half that I have been following the wind with WeatherVane.  I am thinking that 31 days won’t be enough even.  But let’s start with Day 1.

Day 1

I want to start at the beginning of the seed of WeatherVane.  So, I am grateful for the ability to wonder what it would be like to start a business and what kind of business it would be.  Or should I start with getting fired at Duck Delivery in Portland, OR back in March of 2011?  Should I be grateful for that?  *sigh*  Yes, let’s start there.

Oooh this one is a wee bit touchy.  I often am confronted by how much I should tell people about this.  Especially on an online forum.  How about this- this is what I put on job applications when it asks the question “Have you ever been involuntarily terminated?  If so, explain”:  “Oregon is an at-will employment state.  The owner of Duck Delivery Produce exercised his right.  My supervisor had no idea I was to be fired and was surprised.  It was not performance or policy based.”  The more detailed explanation has to wait for my tell-all biography or made-for-tv movie.  It definitely has to be reviewed by my publicist and legal team.

So, to be grateful for this… that really takes something for me sometimes.  And I remember a conversation that I had with my friend Gary shortly after.  I think it was a frustrating one for him.  He kept pestering me to tell him what my dream was.  And I had no idea what he was talking about.  I didn’t even know where to start.  And there were a few people who even had the audacity to tell me how wonderful it was that I could now “create my life” and “how perfect” it was.  I had some choice responses that I only had the balls to say in jest.  It took a few dazed weeks, more endings, and a life-changing weekend in San Francisco for me to shake it off and understand what everyone was talking about in a way that was beyond a concept.  And I started to dream and create.

My original plan was to go back to Wisconsin to the people who loved me unconditionally (my family).  I had this idea that I could possibly start a coffee shop in River Falls, the town I had fallen in love with in college.  Last time I was there, there were a few coffee shops, but none really doing what I had thought was a “good job”.  And so here I was ten years later with my Starbucks, other food service experience, and the “worldliness” of living in two major metropolitan areas under my belt.  I thought it was time to shine as a big fish in a small pond with all my street cred.  I failed to see lack of funds as an issue for some reason.  I think I was in the “dream and create” haze of optimism that probably plagues all pioneers, trailblazers, and many an entrepreneur.  In fact, I think it’s part of the initiation process.  So, I rented a van, packed up my stuff, and headed back to River Falls with not much more than the dream.

I am trying to think of a way to explain exactly what I am grateful for here.  It’s kind of like when I was a resident assistant in college.  At the end of it, I loved it and was grateful for the experience but I would NEVER do that job again.  And I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, either.  But I am a better person and grateful that I did it.  There should be a name for that.  A category.  Because I have many other things that would fall nicely in it, too.

And that is how I feel about the catalyst of losing my job that fateful day in Portland.

 

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December is uponeth

Posted on November 26, 2012 by admin

I’ve been a little quiet since August.  I had the big investor event, Empowering Taste, and it became apparent that a change in location for WeatherVane Creamery was necessary.  I knew I had some work to do to get to the next level.  So I have been putting my head down, re-doing the numbers and getting bids (and a layout plan!) for the new spot.  It also meant re-doing key components to the business plan.  Ugh.  That thing is never perfect or done.  It is ever evolving.  A breathing creature.

And in the background of all of that, I have been fighting with some exhaustion and other personal setbacks as I get closer to the finish (start) line.  I am definitely a different person now than when I started this endeavor and there have been many magical and difficult moments in time this year and a half.  I often wonder who that girl was in times that brought on miracles and defeats.

So, in that vein…. You know how in November people post on facebook things that they are grateful for? Well, I am going to do that for the month of December.  It has taken and continues to take a village to bring WeatherVane Creamery to fruition.  It is the people and things that have contributed to the journey, propelled me to this place, and that will take me/WeatherVane across the finish line.  So, watch out.  Gratefulness will be coming on soon.

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