Curated Pt. 47
A roundup of my personal and professional life
Hey friend,
Got some updates for you—lots happening this month!
If you’re new here, I share BTS (behind-the-scenes) of everything I’m working on and provide a space to meet talented people through my community, ParkSMB.
I don’t run ads or sell anything, so I have one ask… please share this with one person.
Upcoming Events
A list of my IRL and virtual events around the country
Founder Co-Working (w/ Coffee & Bagels)
Date: January 3
Time: 9-12 PM MTN
Location: Remix Coffee
DETAILS HEREPrivate Business Owner Dinner (Arizona business owners only)
Date: Q1, 2024
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 the last one, go here first.
Curated won’t make sense without going back in time.
Major updates since last post:
To start - we won Best of 2024… again!
Last week, we restructured the management team, and I’m stepping in as shop manager for all locations until further notice.
It’s a necessary shift that will set us up for growth with a more cohesive team.
We’ve also added 3 new team members at our Mesa shop, and I couldn’t be more excited to have them.
Here’s something I don’t think I’ve shared before: I still personally hire and onboard every single person who joins our team.
Staying this hands-on lets me shape the culture and stay connected to the people who make it all happen.
Right now, there’s almost nothing more critical than building the right team.
As of Saturday, we’ve officially gone card-only across all shops.
This change will save me time and mental bandwidth as we continue to fine-tune operations. (You can probably guess some of the reasons we made the switch so quickly).
And speaking of smooth operations, the truck is back in action!
After just a week in the shop, it’s already out and rolling at events:
We’ve got a packed schedule lined up through May 2025 - and some news on the retail front:
Scottsdale Entrada could soon be a regular spot for us!
We’re in discussions to park there Tuesday through Friday, starting early next year.
The landlords are open to our proposal, and we’re now working out the details for a 90-day test run.
I’m continuing outreach to line up backup options in case, but I’m feeling optimistic about this one.
For now, I’m personally working all truck events to fine-tune the process.
Once we’ve got it dialed in, I’ll be hiring a dedicated truck team in the new year.
If you’re not already, follow Novel’s journey on IG and the newsletter.
No major updates - just bringing on another team member!
Even though we’re still less than a year old, we’re already building a loyal base of regulars which I’m pumped about.
It’s cool to see this cool serving our customers at the highest level.
To top it off… our new winter drink, Lana Del Remix, is the talk of the town.
It’s coke + espresso w/ cherry + vanilla + cream.
Don’t forget to follow the Remix journey on IG and the newsletter.
VEER CONCEPTS: Hospitality Group
No updates on this front.
Dialing in Novel and Remix right now.
PARKSMB: Built by Mesa Media
If you’ve joined me at any of my events, make sure to add your details to this sheet so we can keep everyone in the community connected.
Stay tuned - there’s a lot in store for next year:
Private dinners
Workouts
Happy hours
Virtual speaker series
And 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.
Podcast
Solid story from a serial builder:
Question for you - what’s your favorite podcast?
Music
Heater of the week:
And some Curated playlists for you:
Health
Crushed the Hyrox sim at Suffer City with Samson yesterday!
We finished 2nd with a time of 34.25.
I’m glad we did this; it establishes a baseline for where to take my training over the next month and a half.
Before I run, I gotta leave you with the Strava wrap:
Send yours over but don’t flex on me ;)
I Can Help
Buy, rent, and/or lease property in Arizona. Email me; I have my license.
Buy, sell, and/or invest in a business. Let’s find you some deals; I know folks.
Need a backpack or wallet? Check out Bellroy; they’re the best.
Thank you for reading.
Means a lot to me,
Shawn