Raise 'em up Right
Running your own business is not for the faint of heart. Can I get an amen? I
like to compare it to having kids. No one will love it as much as you do and
it’s your job to make it independent and successful. You also must trust and
allow others to help you - it takes a village... for a family and a business. As
I reflect on the last year, this photo sums things up well. Here we are, running
an errand for the shop, well after closing time - at sunset. I only had two
kids with me this particular evening, usually I cart all three around on my
never-ending work missions promising rewards from Walmart or "free" cokes and ice cream.
I'm thankful that I was able to slow down enough to soak in the moment (this
time anyway!) and presence of mind to take the photo. What it represents... The
sacrifices. The ups and downs. The mistakes and the wins. The carting kids
around on your work errands. The late night trips to check on something you
forgot about. The never a day off. Anyone who's owned their own business knows
the feeling...and if you don't...well, if you've had kids you know the feeling
too!
July 2022 was a big year for our business. We opened a new location in the neighboring town of Swainsboro, GA while also continuing to maintain our original location and All the Fixin's headquarters in Twin City, GA. Again...like having kids - going from 0-1 - manageable, but going from 1-2 - a gamechanger. (We should be good at these kinds of things since we went from 1 kid to 3 with twins!) But nothing prepares you for having to split your time so many different ways. I remember listening to a podcast with Raising Canes owner Todd Graves. For most businesses, when they attempt to open a second location they fail and the whole operation goes down or greatly suffers. For Todd, he said, "In the 25 years of my business, never was there a harder growth period than going from one to two locations." Thankfully, thanks to you guys, lots of coffee intake and a heap of prayers, we overcame the odds and survived our first year with two locations!
This fall, we will celebrate "Five years of Fixin's." The first few years we ran the business out of our house (from 2018 - 2020). The end of 2020 we started renting a small space in Twin City. For two years there, we gradually added more services and opened more days of the week - our business went from the sole focus of selling pecans and gifts, to incorporating a grab-n-go cafe offering. When we opened Swainsboro, our traffic base and customer count was 4 times more than Twin City - so we had a lot to learn and kinks to work out! Thanks to everyone for being patient with us as we have hopefully improved. We grew from being open from four days per week to being open six days per week in Swainsboro, added online ordering, and incorporated third party delivery services.
When I think of these things I’m filled with thanksgiving and excitement about what is in store. Each time a customer walks in, orders online or emails with an inquiry, I do not take it for granted and I’m filled with humility. Each time I see our awesome team members working hard each day to serve our customers and cook their hearts out, I could literally burst with gratefulness. Our mission is to serve up goodness each day for our community - whether that's a cup of coffee to get your day started, a hearty breakfast, a sweet treat, a gift box with a hand-written note in the mail, or even a smile and kind gesture. Thanks everyone for lovin' my ATF "kids." To sum it up...whether raising a business or raising up some youngen's - Keep the Faith. "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
July 2022 was a big year for our business. We opened a new location in the neighboring town of Swainsboro, GA while also continuing to maintain our original location and All the Fixin's headquarters in Twin City, GA. Again...like having kids - going from 0-1 - manageable, but going from 1-2 - a gamechanger. (We should be good at these kinds of things since we went from 1 kid to 3 with twins!) But nothing prepares you for having to split your time so many different ways. I remember listening to a podcast with Raising Canes owner Todd Graves. For most businesses, when they attempt to open a second location they fail and the whole operation goes down or greatly suffers. For Todd, he said, "In the 25 years of my business, never was there a harder growth period than going from one to two locations." Thankfully, thanks to you guys, lots of coffee intake and a heap of prayers, we overcame the odds and survived our first year with two locations!
This fall, we will celebrate "Five years of Fixin's." The first few years we ran the business out of our house (from 2018 - 2020). The end of 2020 we started renting a small space in Twin City. For two years there, we gradually added more services and opened more days of the week - our business went from the sole focus of selling pecans and gifts, to incorporating a grab-n-go cafe offering. When we opened Swainsboro, our traffic base and customer count was 4 times more than Twin City - so we had a lot to learn and kinks to work out! Thanks to everyone for being patient with us as we have hopefully improved. We grew from being open from four days per week to being open six days per week in Swainsboro, added online ordering, and incorporated third party delivery services.
When I think of these things I’m filled with thanksgiving and excitement about what is in store. Each time a customer walks in, orders online or emails with an inquiry, I do not take it for granted and I’m filled with humility. Each time I see our awesome team members working hard each day to serve our customers and cook their hearts out, I could literally burst with gratefulness. Our mission is to serve up goodness each day for our community - whether that's a cup of coffee to get your day started, a hearty breakfast, a sweet treat, a gift box with a hand-written note in the mail, or even a smile and kind gesture. Thanks everyone for lovin' my ATF "kids." To sum it up...whether raising a business or raising up some youngen's - Keep the Faith. "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
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