Opening a brick-and-mortar business wasn’t in our plans. In fact, it wasn’t even on the radar. I (Joann here. I do most of the writing) had spent years working towards obtaining my “dream job” in the corporate world and Kyle had climbed the corporate ladder landing his “dream” management gig. We spent our weeks barely seeing one another, fighting to keep up with the basics of the household, and never spending time doing something we actually enjoyed. 

But we knew there was something missing. We spent years working so hard just to… work more with no light at the end of the tunnel?! We knew this couldn’t be all life had in store for us. So we set out to look for our next move. 

We knew instantly this was exactly what we were seeking. We were passionate about the product, had found results ourselves, and wanted to share that with others. We had experience in marketing, sales, and management that we knew we could put to use. AND we knew this would allow us to be our own boss and reap the true benefits of our hard work. We thought we hit the lottery. A few months of opening this business, then Turks and Caicos here we come!

But yet again… life did not go as we expected.

Opening a brick-and-mortar business was far more challenging than we expected. Every small “win” was marred by an even bigger hit of self-doubt, sunk costs, and shots to our ego.

We messed up our LLC creation and had to spend months fixing it. We had no clue how to find a location and found ourselves agreeing to a far overpriced unit. We overspent on our buildout budget leaving us with little to no money to market our business. We purchased the wrong POS and had no clue how to manage inventory. We failed our first inspection. We didn’t know how to find employees. This list could go on for a mile, but I’ll get to the good stuff. After all, you are here for inspiration, right!?

We refined our plan so that every move was strategic. We got thrifty and creative. We got our feet on the ground and took action. Before we knew it, we were at our Grand Opening celebrating a five figure day that was just the beginning.

We continued to learn and grow, opening two more locations, learning every right and wrong turn along the way. We discovered how to optimize the process, opening one of our locations in less than a month.

Although the beginning was rocky, today we can safely say, life is good. We find JOY working our store. We get to be our own boss. We get to decide our schedule. AND we get to reap every penny of our hard work.

We’ve had the honor of helping other small business owners and entrepreneurs like you sidestep years of struggle and open incredible brick-and-mortar businesses of their own.

Are you ready to say yes to something different? If so, you are in the right place.

Our Dog Roxy