Curated Pt. 49

A roundup of my personal and professional life

Hey friend,

I’ve been reflecting for the past few weeks, and I’ve come to terms with things needing to change. My hope for Q1 is to remove distractions, focus on the main thing, and provide as many opportunities for my team as possible.

Before we jump into it, if you’re new here, I share BTS (behind-the-scenes) of what 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.

If you didn’t read the last one, go here first.

Curated won’t make sense without historical context.

Let’s do this 👇

ParkSMB Events

A list of my IRL and virtual events around the country

• Founder Co-Working (w/ Coffee & Bagels)
  Date: January 17
  Time: 9-12 PM MTN
  Location: Remix Coffee
  DETAILS HERE

• 2025 Kickoff Business Mixer
  Date: January 22
  Time: 6:30-8:30 PM MTN
  Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  DETAILS HERE

• Virtual Power Hour: Operations Mastery & Business Connections
  Date: February 4
  Time: 9-10 AM MTN
  Location: Virtual
  DETAILS HERE

• Private Business Owner Dinner (Arizona business owners only)
  Date: Q1, 2025
  Time: 7-9 PM
  Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  DETAILS HERE

If you’ve attended any of my events, please add your contact info to this sheet so everyone in the community can stay connected.

25’ is going to be a big year for us :)

I’m getting more intentional about how we want to serve this community and how we’ll become THE business community of Arizona.

This includes building a team of people who can serve you… leaders who are making a tangible impact in their fields right here in Arizona.

Chad Bellin (Disca): Disca is developing software focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses that need expert-level technical expertise. Connect with Chad here.

Daniel Cheetham (Captains Club): Captains Club specializes in placing COOs, CEOs, and Presidents in your business. Daniel connects businesses with leaders who are responsible for driving profitability and growth. Connect with Daniel here.

Kendi Brown (Coati Consulting) Coati’s goal is to build operational excellence within small and medium service-based businesses. Connect with Kendi here.

For real-time updates and to stay in touch:

• Twitter/X: @shawnwallard

• Linkedin: Shawn Allard

• Instagram: @shawnallard

• Youtube: @shawnwallard

Novel Ice Cream

So what does this year look like for Novel?

We’re putting a pause on expansion and re-focusing on operational excellence and community building.

We opened 2 locations a bit too quickly last year, and we lost sight of some of the most important parts of F&B - customer experience and internal culture.

Pushing for growth helped us realize what we care about the most: our customers and our team… not opening as many locations as possible.

We’ve had the mobile truck operational since November, doing only events, and we’re finally close to signing an LOI for a semi-permanent space in Scottsdale, AZ.

This will act as our 4th location and will likely be open on Thursday and Friday until we build that local presence.

Saturday and Sunday are reserved for special and private events, which are the most profitable side of the business and a great brand-building opportunity.

Remix Coffee

Big news over here…

After careful consideration, I’m entertaining a sale of Remix or the space.

I’ve officially tapped my bandwidth and need to focus on the projects that bring me the most energy.

This doesn’t mean I’m done with it; it just means I’m opening it up to someone who can give it the time and love it deserves. If that happens, I have no doubt it’s going to crush.

If you or anyone you know is interested in the concept or the space, let me know.

Veer Concepts: Hospitality Group

(website coming soon)

I’m opening up a logo creation contest (recommended by my homie Louis).

I have 2 companies I need logos for:

1. ParkSMB

2. Veer Concepts

I hate paying a premium for logos, so I’m opening up a contest for anyone in the community who wants to create 2 logos in exchange for promo or a variety of services.

Respond to this email if interested, and we’ll chat.

New Partnership

(announcing soon)

Music

Short and sweet:

And here are some Curated playlists that were built with love:

• The Owner’s Circle

• Reggaeton

• Heat

• Heavy

Is it only me, or is sharing and enjoying music with people one of the best things ever?

Health

Alright… Hyrox is 2 weeks away.

I’m going out there to have fun, but once I’m back the night of Feb. 1, it’s cutting season through the end of June. I’m dropping 30 lbs minimum.

I decided to not step on stage but to go through the entire process as if I were.

Reason: I don’t see a future where I continue stepping on stage. I also want to practice many different modalities, so this allows me to be more fluid in my training.

And I like doing this 👇 (working) more than I like training at this point.

I’m always 0 or 100, so this gives me the flexibility to train how I see fit for that day or that week.

I’m sure you have a health/fitness goal for 2025. Care to share?

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,

Shawn