Curated Pt. 15

A weekly roundup of stuff I hope you'll like

Mar 07, 2024

What’s up friend,

Last week I asked the community whether they wanted to hear from me weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and I got an overwhelming response for weekly.

It’s reassuring.

I’m doing something right.

If you like these posts, do what this guy did (email I received after last week’s post):

A quick thought on business partners:

I’ve heard a few horror stories about business partners.

I know now that I will never go into business with someone simply because I like them or they are my friend.

I ask myself:

- Do we have complementary skills?

- Could I spend hours a day with them?

- What's the exit plan if things don't go as planned?

Treat this like a 2nd marriage.

Projects

Novel Ice Cream - Regional takeover in full effect.

I’m pumped for what the next 3 years look like.

With the support of our community, I believe we’ll get to 10 units before then.

Side note - we just got another nomination for Best Dessert of 2024.

Few things I’m working on this week for Novel:

Training new team member on inventory management and ordering
1:1’s with a 2 team members
Beginning the reface of the website
Scouting locations for Novel #4 around Arizona
Flavor collab with Churro’s El Jefe (local food truck)
Hosting a run club out of our Phoenix location on Saturday morning

Novel #3 - finally locked in the wrap design, just waiting for the final mockup and bringing on new team members to train at both locations to prepare for opening in less than 2 months.

I wish I had a definitive date but you know how construction goes.

If you’re familiar with Arizona, Novel #3 will be up in Downtown Peoria off of Grand Ave and Jefferson St.

Novel #4 - Location we had slated fell through.

Onto the next!

Can’t let hurdles get in the way.

No chance we won’t open at least 2 shops this year.

Remix Coffee - Electrical is done and interior construction is almost there, we’re just waiting on the espresso machine so we can plumb it in.

I’m meeting with Lance this week (my partner on this project) to go over the outline of the menu, inventory needs, and any tweaks we need to make to the concept.

The sign for the building should be done in a few weeks so I’ll share that when it’s done.

I love branding but I get too focused on aesthetics sometimes.

I also tried one of our bagel sandwiches today and damn, our food is gonna be good.

Next steps with Remix this week:

Wait for espresso machine
Order initial round of inventory
Work on menu outline and design

2nd Acquisition - I have an email from the seller of the company I submitted an IOI on saying he’s looking for at about a $5M purchase price so I need to sit down and evaluate whether that is something myself and partners are ready to go after.

I should have more info next week!

If we go under LOI, I’ll share the deets.

Food Hall - No progress. The property is and will be in probate for a bit longer than I expected.

I’m gonna remove this from the projects list for now.

I’ll replace it with a newer project…

Community - Friday’s SMB event in Austin was a first for everyone.

We started at Squatch Fitness…

Hit a 45-min circuit workout…

Followed by an ice bath and sauna session…

And of course, we had to top it off with a 3-course dinner at Suérte in Downtown Austin…

I’m beyond thankful for the 25 of you who chose to challenge yourselves

Thank you to @jacubwilliamso. @MrJoshFro & @lawyer4SMBs for supporting this event and community.

Here’s a pic in the flesh:

Two takeaways:

People want to do hard things with other people
People want to feel heard and know that they aren’t alone

I do this for one reason.

I want to see you win.

Upcoming Events

Want to join me on Saturday at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Game?

Grab a free ticket here on behalf of the management team.

Email me if you grab a ticket and we can meet up at the game.

Thank you to Phoenix Rising for supporting this community!

I’m pumped to bring more awareness to the work they're doing to build community in Arizona.

I might be hosting a private event for 50 business owners on March 23rd at 7 pm.

If you’re interested, submit this form so I can send you more info.

Denver Small Business Social
Date: March 15
Time: 6-8 PM
RSVP here
March Business Mixer
Date: March 19th (might change)
Time: 6-9 PM
RSVP here

If you’d like to become a community sponsor, email me - sallard20@gmail.com

For real-time updates and to stay in touch:
Twitter/X: @shawnwallard
Linkedin: Shawn Allard
Instagram: @shawnallard

Book

Didn’t finish last week’s book yet - Brand it Like Serhant.

Got distracted by my thoughts and ended up staring at the seat in front of me on both flights.

But I love the message behind the book.

You don’t need a “personal brand” but you do need a company/organizational brand.

The marketplace you’re in is more than likely crowded.

So how do you differentiate yourself?

Brand.

And it takes time, attention, and consistency to build.

It’s something I’m working extremely hard on.

I’d suggest you do the same.

As always, I send someone a book every week.

I choose the book.

You read it.

Reply with your address and it’s yours.

Podcast

I’ve shared the Real AF podcast before but Andy Frisella has a way with words.

He shoots it straight and I appreciate no b.s.

This episode is about improving your communication as a leader and finding ways to have fun in your company consistently.

We all know that business is only fun about 5% of the time unless you go out of your way to change that.

Video

Most of the video content I consume is business related but I’ve tried sharing some lighter stuff.

Here’s what I like to throw on in the background when I work.

Hope you enjoy it.

Health

I’ve been trimming down calories since last week and I’m feeling lighter on my feet.

But again, I don’t do well without specific targets.

I get distracted and I let excuses get in the way.

So I set a target weight by June 7th.

165 lbs.

I’m currently 198 lbs.

It’s wild to think I was 150 lbs back in April of 2023.

Things change quickly when you take your eye off the ball.

I cut down to 150 lbs from 200 last year…

And I’m right back where I started.

Not good…

Very disappointed…

But excited to get back to work.

I’m less than two weeks out from the LA marathon…

And I still have pain in my lower shins from my marathon last month.

Is that normal?

After various conversations, the answer always seems to be time on feet.

The more you’ve trained your body to run longer distances, the better off you’ll be.

That goes for all pursuits.

You’re often not where you want to be simply because you haven’t given it time.

It can’t all happen tomorrow.

Leading up to the marathon on the 17th, I’m running a half marathon on Friday, a light 5-6 miler on Saturday, and maybe one more long run on Sunday.

I’ll keep it light next week and spend the day before traveling and carbing up.

Before I go, I’ve also been thinking about this…

I'm stoked to be running the marathon with a good group of guys I met at my local run club.

Building your business, your mind, and your body can be isolating.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Bring others along for the ride.

And enjoy these challenges and accomplishments with your people.

It makes the journey a bit less painful.

Community Supporters

Eric Hsu is the Founder of Clear Focus Law, a boutique buy-side M&A firm focused on helping self-funded searchers realize their acquisition dreams.

Connect with Eric here

Joshua Richman is the President of Symphony Risk, which offers insurance services designed to support search funds, entrepreneurial investment acquisition, and SMB owners. These services include complimentary pre-acquisition insurance due diligence, transactional risk products, and comprehensive post-transaction and/or operating insurance solutions.

Please reach out to Joshua at jrichman@symphonyrisk.com.

Curated