Hey friend,
It’s been 2 weeks but feels like months...
This cadence is sustainable right now but I’m always thinking of how to bring you more value.
Let me know what would make this your favorite newsletter.
And if you’re new here, I share BTS of everything I’m working on and provide a space to meet amazing people through my community, ParkSMB.
I don’t run ads or sell anything, so I have one ask…
Share this with one person.
Let them know it’d be cool if they read this.
I’ll shut up now… let’s get into it:
Upcoming Events
A list of my in-person and virtual events around the country
October Business Mixer (all business owners welcome)
Date: October 22 (TODAY)
Time: 6:30-8:30 PM MTN
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
DETAILS HEREProductivity Power Hour(s)
Date: November 5
Time: 9-1 PM MTN
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
DETAILS HEREFounder Coffee & Bagels
Date: November 9
Time: 9-12 PM MTN
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
DETAILS HEREPlunge.Sweat.Coffee.
Date: November 23
Time: 9-12 PM MTN
Location: Remix Coffee
TICKETS FOR SALE SOONPrivate Business Owner Dinner (Arizona business owners only)
Date: TBA
Time: 7-9 PM
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
APPLY HERE
For real-time updates and to stay in touch:
Twitter/X: @shawnwallard
Linkedin: Shawn Allard
Instagram: @shawnallard
Youtube: @shawnwallard
Projects
If you didn’t read last week, go here first.
With locations 3 and 4 opening this year, I mentioned I’m putting a pause on expansion until all 4 are firing on all cylinders.
It’s hard to be this patient and pause but it’s a must for us to get to the next level.
Everything runs in seasons.
There are seasons of growth and seasons of refinement and we’re refining for the next 12 months.
Novel also won Best Ice Cream, AGAIN…
CRAZY.
But our team deserves it.
They have put in the work and I owe it to their dedication to the brand.
Few updates this week:
Novel #4 (Truck)
Our first event is this Saturday and Sunday at Aravaipa’s Javalina Jundred.
My pops and I are running this event to get clear on the flow of the space and what we need to improve before we start pushing in November.
Just about everything we need is in that truck other than ice cream, donuts, and drinks, so we’ll stock it up on Friday and drive it up to Fountain Hills for the weekend:
Few things to finalize with the truck:
City and state permits
Location schedule
Pending a decision on where we want to be in the valley
Full-time manager
Small full/part-time crew
An amazing past couple of weeks since hosting the Plunge.Sweat.Coffee. event and having a few pieces of content go viral on social.
It looks like we’ll be hitting $2k weeks consistently now that it’s nice out.
This allows me to give our team more hours, promote one to a shop manager, and shift my focus back to branding/marketing vs. shop operations.
Let’s see how the rest of fall looks, but like I’ve been saying, Remix has potential, and we’re seeing it come to life.
If you want to follow the journey, you can on IG and the shop’s newsletter.
VEER CONCEPTS
I’ve got an opportunity…
It’s 2 concepts in one space located in Arizona, and I’ve had my eyes on it for a while.
And I’ve negotiated a pretty great deal.
It’s 70% seller-financed with 30% cash down and that 30% comes out to +/- $200k.
Goal is to bring on an active or passive investor so if there’s interest in helping me raise that 30%, let me know and I’ll send you the details.
I also have a meeting with one of my favorite concepts in Texas this afternoon so I’ll report back if that deal looks promising.
PARKSMB - Built by Mesa Media
Please add your info to this sheet if you’ve attended one of my events or want to connect with others from ParkSMB.
The community has consistently grown every month and I’m proud to say that we’re building one of the most notable business communities in Arizona.
If you’ve been to an event in-person or virtually, thank you.
And as always, make sure to check out my 3 favorite people:
Chad Bellin (Disca): Disca is a software development consultancy focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses that need expert-level technical expertise.
You can connect with Chad here.
Daniel Cheetham (Captains Club): Captains Club specializes in aligning Integrators, COOs, and Presidents, unleashing you from the business to deliver your highest value. Connect with Daniel here.
Kendi Brown (Coati Consulting) Coati’s goal is to enhance the connective tissue between people and processes, so your company and team can reach the next level of growth through efficient operations. Connect with Kendi here.
Audible
Here’s another round of books. Gotta add these to your list:
I Will Teach You to Be Rich - Ramit Sethi
High Output Management - Andrew Grove
Don’t trip, a podcast is coming next post.
Music
Solid for a midday work session:
And here’s your new favorite playlist.
Health
Just spent a few days in North Georgia for a wedding with the best people I know and couldn’t have enjoyed it more:
It took me a while to understand the importance of stepping away and being present for moments like these.
It’s changed my life.
Now enough with the fluff… we’re getting closer to February 1st - Hyrox Las Vegas so it’s time to kick it into gear.
It’s been hard to train as much as I want to but we’re doing what we can.
My goal is to place in the top 5 so please hold me to that.
If you’ve been reading Curated for a while, you know I love fitness challenges.
Since the spring of 2023, I committed to competing in 2 per year.
Why?
It’s fun, they’re hard, and being out of shape is unattractive… to your partner and your friends and it sets a poor example for your family.
I don’t write these things to hurt anyone’s feelings.
I write them to give myself a kick in the ass and to remind everyone that there’s no excuse for looking like the average American.
You deserve better than that.
I Can Help
Buy, rent, and/or lease property in Arizona. Email me.
Buy, sell, and/or invest in a business. Let’s find you some deals.
Raise capital and/or debt for your new/existing business. Let’s find you some money.
Need a backpack or travel gear? Check out Bellroy. They’re the best.
Thanks for reading and talk next week,
Shawn