Curated Pt. 18

A weekly roundup of stuff I hope you'll like

Shawn Allard

Mar 28, 2024

Friend,

My life has gotten significantly better since deciding to get more social.

For a year before my first meetup in August, I convinced myself I had to figure life out alone.

Life became a cycle of work, gym, repeat.

Sure I was productive…

I was in great shape…

But I was miserable.

I had no social circle.

Other than my family, no one around me.

And it got lonely.

I went on a hunt to find IRL communities of people to connect with.

I knew I wasn’t the only one looking to meet other high-quality people.

But after some digging, I couldn’t find what I was looking.

So I thought…

If I can’t find it…

Why not build it?

So in August, I brought around 60 people together and hosted my first meetup.

My goal was to bring other talented professionals in a room together

Not to “network”.

But to connect.

Since then, I’ve never felt more alive.

Bringing people together is so rewarding.

And the people I get the honor of meeting through this community are baffling.

If you take anything away from this…

You don’t have to do ANYTHING alone.

Being part of a community can change your life.

Go out, find your people, and invest time in building real connections.

It’ll pay in dividends.

P.S. - send this to someone you like. They deserve to read cool stuff.

Projects

NOVEL ICE CREAM

Novel #3 location is about 2 months out from opening.

I had a great meeting with the City of Peoria about the final steps necessary to get this thing operating.

Our mobile truck for catering and popups should also be underway soon.

I submitted the financing docs late last week and just waiting to hear back to schedule next steps with the builder.

Here’s what I’m working on over the next 2 weeks with Novel:

Interviews for Novel #3
Scout for location Novel #4
Build the blueprint for Mobile truck #1
Planning collabs for the rest of the year
Work on content strategy and design for our main platform - Instagram (follow us @novelicecream)
Outline the rebuild of our website (I’ve been sitting on this for a while) I built the original version but it’s a basic Squarespace site.

REMIX COFFEE

Still working on the inventory list to get some things ordered.

Here’s a mockup of one cup we have in production now:

Needs for Remix this week:

Reworking some electrical to fit a new blended beverage machine we brought in
Outfitting sound system so we can throw crazy parties
Work on menu design (I’ll send mockup when complete)
Finalize opening day merch drop design (I’ll send mockup when complete)
A ton of interviews (already have about 6 killers ready to hire)

ACQUISITION #2

Still reviewing both of these deals:

Electrical company - San Antonio, TX

I like this deal for both its time in business and its mix of services. It’s heavy on commercial right now and the projects they have completed in the last 12 months are huge. They are set to take on a few more multi-million dollar projects which will significantly grow top-line revenue. The owner is ready to retire after building this thing for over 25 years and feels he is no longer needed on day-to-day.

Landscaping and masonry company - Tucson, AZ

Another great deal because of time in business and the moat they have built in Tucson. This industry is extremely competitive but I’m a sucker for brand. It’s rare for a crew to build a real brand in the services space so when they do, there’s value.

If you’re an investor, email me.

I’m always looking to build and/or acquire in various ways.

COMMUNITY

Another Phoenix meetup down!

50 people strong last week.

I couldn’t be happier with where these meetups are headed.

The friendships, partnerships, and general connections being made within the community to witness in real-time.

Shoutout to everyone in the group photo below, you’re awesome.

Also, a gentleman with a strong ETA/M&A community - Buy x Build, interviewed me a few weeks back.

He wrote a cool newsletter post about it…

Check out the post here.

Subscribe to his stuff while you’re there.

Upcoming Events

PHX Private Terrace Event
Date: TBD
Location: Phoenix
Time: TBD
Submit interest
Arizona SMB Cars & Coffee
Date: April 9
Location: RSVP to find out
Time: 7-10 AM
RSVP here
PHX April Business Mixer
Date: April 23
Location: Downtown Phoenix (RSVP to find out)
Time: 7-9 PM
RSVP here
M&A Launchpad Conference
Date: May 11
Location: Downtown Houston
Time: All day
Learn more - USE CODE “SHAWN” for $200 off

I’m speaking at the event above.

Come hang out for the day if you can.

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

Podcast

I enjoy hearing athletes' firsthand accounts of their mental and physical journeys to reach the highest level.

I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Music

Pretty unusual set location. Good vibe though.

My friend and I have been working on a playlist for over 2 years.

It’s only on Spotify.

Check it out here.

It’ll change your life.

Health

I haven’t been sick in years.

And I got crushed the last 3 days.

But…

Not a totally negative experience.

It’s a pretty effective weight-loss tool.

Might I call it a 3 day fast?

I barely ate.

Led to breaking 190 lbs which is cool.

To keep myself sharp while lifting and running during this cut, I decided to keep doing my full-body split, 6 days a week.

Here’s the breakdown (this is just one variation)

Calves - calf raises

Hamstrings - seated or laying leg curls

Quads - leg press

Chest - flat press

Back - lat pulldown

Delts - reserve peck deck

Biceps - seated bicep curls

Triceps - tricep push or pulldown

Abs - hanging leg raise & cable crunches

Give it a go and let me know what you think.