April 30, 2025 • 42 mins
The untold reality of small business life lurks beneath the surface of your favorite local shops, cafés, and services. While customers see the welcoming smiles and carefully crafted products, they rarely glimpse the late-night inventory counts, payroll struggles, and supply chain battles happening behind closed doors.
"Rolling in dough" couldn't be further from truth for most small business owners. We share our eye-opening experiences with merchandise ordering, where despite our best planning, we found ourselves at the bottom of priority lists compared to big box stores ordering thousands of units. These aren't complaints—they're windows into the complex world of entrepreneurship that requires patience, persistence, and passion that extends far beyond profit margins.
Your support creates ripples throughout your community in ways you might never imagine. That $5 coffee helps pay a college student's tuition. The boutique purchase funds a family's back-to-school shopping. Every dollar spent locally circulates within your community rather than disappearing into corporate coffers. And your word-of-mouth recommendations carry more weight than any expensive marketing campaign ever could.
Small businesses face seasonal ebbs and flows that require constant adaptation. Summer months bring vacation disruptions, changing routines, and new opportunities to serve differently. We're discovering innovative ways to maintain connections with traveling customers while welcoming visitors exploring our small town. These challenges stretch us, but they also spark creativity that enhances the character of our community.
Next time you're deciding where to spend your hard-earned money, remember that choosing local means investing in the very fabric of your community—the people, relationships, and unique character that make it home. Share your favorite local spots, tell their stories, and become part of the vital support system that allows small businesses not just to survive, but to thrive and serve in meaningful ways.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone and welcome back to the Running on
Coffee and Cross podcast.
We're here again, yep, we arevery happy to be with you again.
I think this is episode 14.
It is April 30th, the last dayof this month.
I can't believe we're alreadyheading into May.
I know when May hits, it feelslike everything just goes fast
(00:20):
forward.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, everything changes Like you're at the end
of the school year you're goinginto the summer, people have all
these things that they'rewanting to change about their
life and plans.
Go do this, go do that.
Finish up this.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Your daily routine is about to change.
After this month you might notbe having to get the kids up,
You're not having to run to thisor that.
You're having to get your kidssomewhere else because you work
and they're having to stay withsomeone else or whatever.
And then sometimes it justslows down a little bit and
(00:52):
maybe you're going to go on somevacations and I know, at the
shop things change in the summeras well, and us, being a new
business, I know that we've hadto figure out a a lot of things,
um, by the seat of our pantsand um, we still haven't figured
it out.
I remember our first summer.
We thought that we were goingto be like so slammed and it was
(01:14):
it like dramatically got slower.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And, well, everyone's routine changed and we realized
that this is the season wherepeople go like our normal
customers were going on vacation, um, um, and they would even
ask, you know, like before theyheaded out, like, hey, is there
any way we can get something togo on the road, you know, to
last?
And that I think conversationslike that with our customer
helps us, inspires us to createnew products, to be able to
(01:37):
allow them, you know, thatopportunity.
So some of them do take, like a,you know, a latte tote that's a
96 ounce so they can put it intheir fridge and just have their
normal drink that they getevery day while they're on
vacation.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Because I know when we've gone on vacation, we've
had a hard time finding coffeeshops that we actually enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
A lot of times it's a hit and miss because you have a
taste preference right.
Yeah, yeah so like, if you havea taste preference for a dark
roast but you come to our shopand you know we're medium to
light roast, um, without goingin with an open mind, uh, you
might not.
It might not trigger thoseemotional responses like you had
in the past because you had agreat family get together and
(02:18):
you drank a really dark roastand it just triggers an
emotional response in you whenyou, when you taste that, so you
kind of are drawn towards it,so you're just not getting what
you're accustomed to or you'reused to when you're on vacation.
Sometimes we hit and sometimeswe miss.
That's right you just got to tryit, and that's part of the
journey is just trying the smallcoffee shops that when you go
(02:39):
to on vacation or when you gosomewhere, just trying them out,
tasting and seeing.
Because, if it's a locationthat you want to revisit again,
well then.
You know, you've gotopportunity to try it multiple
times different places, but youwind up finding that one and
you're like, oh, can't wait togo back because I'm going to be
near that shop.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Exactly, and it's so important to support local.
I mean, we're so thankful thatyou still support your local
shop by taking something withyou, because that gives us
business while you're gone, youknow, especially if you're a
regular, you know.
And then also, yes, we want youto support those small shops
that are at the beach or in themountains or wherever you're
(03:17):
going.
But that's what we're going totalk about today.
We're going to talk about theimportance of small business and
the importance of supportingthose small and local businesses
, because, guys, without you wewould not make it.
But there are so many hurdlesthat small businesses have to
overcome on a daily basis that Ithink people really don't quite
(03:39):
understand.
And I also think that peoplehave a misconception that,
because you own a business, thatyou're just like rolling in the
dough.
And I can tell you that is nottrue.
It takes a while to build anybusiness.
For a business to be veryprofitable, it's going to take
(03:59):
time.
Nothing comes easy.
It's just like with our running.
You know, know it takes a whileto build that base.
You know, I have talked aboutwhere I want to be in my running
and I talk about it in years.
Not, it's not what I'm wantingto achieve is not going to
happen in weeks or months.
It's going to take years to getthere, and that's the same way
it is with small businesses.
(04:20):
It takes years.
I know that there are peoplethat I've talked to now that
have very successful smallbusinesses that are profitable,
that they can kind of relax alittle bit, okay, because you're
always going to be working it,but it didn't start that way for
them.
You know, everything has tostart very grassroots, and just
(04:43):
because a business isn't, um, Iguess raking in these huge
profits within a year doesn'tmean that they're not successful
.
In fact, I would reallyquestion that, because it's like
, wow, you know, and I know inour first year, uh, when you
first open, you're going to getflooded, and that's one piece of
advice I would like to giveanybody that's starting a new
(05:05):
business is, when you first open, you are going to be flooded
with customers because they wantto see what this new thing is,
and then, after that first year,or after the first six months
first year, you're going to seea dwindle.
You are, you are going to seeit, and I feel like that's when
we really started figuring outhow we wanted to grow and build
(05:27):
the business.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
You have to have.
You know you're going to have abase Um, you're going to have
the curiosity seekers at thebeginning and then you're going
to have a base that reallysticks with you and you want to
learn from that base, becauseour goal is to serve, our goal
is to serve our customer.
Um, there's a reason why a lotof the drinks that I might drink
, my customer might not knowabout it, like I know that in
(05:50):
America we have made trendyterms from European traditional
coffee into terms that makesense to us in our American
version of them.
You know, like a cappuccino ora cortado or something like that
, or a macchiato.
They're trendy terms, but a lotof people don't a cortado or
something like that or amacchiato.
They're trendy terms, but a lotof people don't want the
traditional European version ofthat.
They want something that hasbeen Americanized and knowing
(06:13):
that we are serving our customerand wanting to give them the
best possible product, havingthe best ingredients that go
into those drinks, butunderstanding that our goal is
to make them have the sameexperience that we would
experience on vacation or whenwe went shopping or when we went
somewhere together as a family.
We went to a local coffee shopand we sat down and we enjoyed
(06:34):
our time together as a family,you know, as friends or as a
group.
However, it was that you'remeeting at those shops.
That was the goal was to beable to experience togetherness
or or be able to accomplish somesort of goal, whether you're
studying or whether you wereworking on something you know.
It's important that thatatmosphere is here and that
they're able to receive aproduct that's going to cause
them to have a completeexperience, not necessarily just
(06:58):
coming for coffee because wetalked about this, the past like
coffee is one of those things.
Like that, people are like, oh,what's the latest, the greatest
, the this flavor, add this.
But it's the whole atmospherethat we want to bring to them to
be able to allow them to say,hey, when I go back in this area
, I'm going back to that shop,you know because, of that
emotional response thatconnection, whether it was
(07:19):
through the family or justbecause you get enjoy the
environment I think that's whatyou're going to get with small
businesses.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You're going to a small town coffee shop.
You are going to get more ofthat experience than you are
necessarily if you went toStarbucks Dunkin'.
What is it?
Seven Brews, Is that one?
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Dutch Brothers, Dutch Brothers Now.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I want to be very clear.
I am not hating on any of thosecompanies, because to me, we
need them as well.
Um, they started small at somepoint, you know.
So I know I'm never one thatwants to hate on big business or
corporations, um, because theydid start small at some point,
(08:00):
um, but I will say, um, it'svery important, though, if you
live in a small town where youdo have the luxury of having
small businesses around you,like even a coffee shop.
I know there's several townshere in Blount County that offer
coffee shops.
Please go to them.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
When we're in those areas of the county, we go to
them because we know that it isa luxury, like you said to be
able to have that experience,and not just with coffee shops,
with any kind of restaurant, anykind of boutique or anything
like that.
You get to experience somethingthere that you can't experience
(08:41):
in a big box store.
I know we were talking aboutearlier, about some brands that
we sell here in the shop thatwe've had some struggles with
because we are a small business,you know, and that that we're
we're.
We feel like our hands are tiedsometimes on some of the brands
that we represent because wedon't we don't have the ability
(09:02):
to buy a hundred thousanddollars in merchandise in one
order.
We're only going to have acertain amount on our shelves.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That we can actually supply.
Yes, it doesn't make sense.
Okay, and I will get veryspecific about this, for
instance, because I have peoplereaching out to me weekly, daily
when are you going to get newBurlabo?
Burlabo was one of thosecompanies that we decided to
start carrying.
I have, obviously, I have ateenage son and I have young
(09:28):
adult nephews and so I listen toa lot of things that they say
and what they're into, and wereally wanted to expand our
offerings to men as well, andBurlap was one of those
companies that we decided to gowith.
It was definitely a higherticketed item was one of those
companies that we decided to gowith.
It was definitely a higherticketed item.
It's going to be for peoplethat understand the value of
(09:49):
what they're getting.
You know, this wasn't going tobe just a $15 t-shirt, this was
going to be like a $40 t-shirt.
But then there was also reallygreat other merchandise that
went with it, like shorts,joggers.
You guys know what Burlabo isand really, really, the company
has exploded.
Now, when we, when we, did ourfirst couple of orders with them
(10:10):
, um, it went great.
The ordering process wasfantastic.
And then, right aroundchristmas time which I would
have been ordering my christmasstuff, probably like in october,
um, and honestly, big boxstores would probably have
already had their orders in,like maybe in they probably
already have their orders inright now for the next Christmas
(10:30):
because they can.
Um, but now I I would not put myChristmas order in until
October so that my stuff can goout on the shelf by Black Friday
.
So what I realized was thatthere was um.
Now they didn't tell me thatthere was going to be any delays
.
I just did my order as normaland I ordered quite a bit of
merchandise for our shop.
(10:53):
We're talking about probablyaround $3,000 worth of
merchandise like wholesale costs.
Okay, so that's a big deal to abusiness our size.
Okay, but I felt confidentabout it and had so many people
reaching out about it.
Well, I had had this stuffordered for.
Actually I probably ordered inSeptember or maybe even August,
(11:17):
because like a month went by andI hadn't heard anything from
them.
Like I hadn't even gotten ashipping update or anything like
that of when it was going to goout.
And then another month passedand I'm starting to get really
concerned and so I had to reachout and be like you know, hey,
I'm super excited about gettingmy order.
I just kind of wanted to know alead time on this and they said
(11:40):
we've had.
Then they messaged us andthey're like we're so sorry
about this.
We've just experienced.
Basically, what happened is isthey exploded, and I don't think
that they had the logistics andsupply chain measures in hand
to handle it.
And how that affects us is, asa small business, we're going to
(12:02):
come very low on the total pollto them, and I don't mean that
they're bad people.
Okay, I really think that theydidn't anticipate the demand
that came.
I don't know if they hadmanufacturing issues, if they
just couldn't produce it quicklyenough or what, but they did
really work hard to get me myproduct.
(12:22):
So I thought, well, I want tomake sure that I order.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well in advance.
Well in advance for my springand summer line.
It's time to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Guys, I still have not been able to order.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Burlabo, they've locked it down.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
They've locked it down.
So I was going to order inJanuary for my spring and summer
lines, I think, and they areonce again they are struggling
so much with so with too muchbusiness on, honestly, because
the things that I had to pickfrom when I was actually going
to order were just drawings.
They didn't even have picturesof this stuff.
(12:56):
I was having to go fromsketches.
Um, insanity.
Honestly, I was like wow, okay,but that was was okay.
I picked out what I wanted and Igo to order it and it says this
is frozen until the end of June.
And I'm like what, the end ofJune?
Like at that point, guys, youknow that you've already bought
your summer and spring stuff bythen, like, you know what you're
(13:18):
going to be getting.
Because I had someone reach outto me hey, are you going to
have burlabo swimming trunks?
No, no, unfortunately I'm not.
So right now and I'm not sayingthat we're never going to get
Burlabo again, but right nowthey have locked down at least
small businesses Now, placeslike, if you go to Academy
Dick's, or like Bell, theseplaces are going to have it
(13:38):
because they are fulfilling allof their orders first, because,
like Calvin said, they'reordering thousands and thousands
and thousands and thousands ofdollars worth of merchandise.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Which y'all look, it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
You know we're not harping on Burlapo, but from a
business perspective, from asmall business perspective, say
like right now, our goal is toexpand.
Where we're at 100%, people say, hey, when you're going to open
a second location, thirdlocation, all that stuff, now
we're, we're, we're.
Our focus is solely on tryingto get this as perfect as we
possibly can and serve thiscommunity because we our heart
(14:09):
is here.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
You know, yes, um, and we want to be able to offer
you the things so that you don'thave to drive off somewhere to
get it.
But what we want you guys tounderstand is sometimes it's
difficult for a small businessto be able to tap into those
things.
We have another company I'm notgoing to name them because I
(14:30):
know that we are going toeventually have them.
They're watching us for threeyears to see what we're going to
do before they even let us selltheir product.
I get it.
They don't want to do anythingthat's going to harm their brand
.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
that's going to harm their brand, right.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So right now we're currently looking at other men's
lines that we want to carry,while we're waiting for Burlabo
to kind of iron out their supplychain issues and manufacturing,
um, and then we've got otherlines with with the women that
we're going to start carrying aswell.
But, um, you know theimportance of shopping, small
though.
So think about this, thinkabout when I've ordered like
(15:08):
three, four $5,000 worth ofmerchandise for for somebody
like you know it's it's a gamble, right, it's a gamble because
I'm hoping that you're going tocome and buy it from me Number
one, you know, cause you can goand buy it somewhere else, but
we really need you to buy itfrom us, right, so that we can
continue to offer those thingsto our community.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
The goal is to to serve, obviously.
So if we want to serve thecommunity, the community is
saying, hey, this is somethingthat we can use, this is
something that we need.
We want to be able to supplythat.
So the uh underestimating theimportance of your word of mouth
.
If you notice that we havesomething that you enjoy,
whether it's a food product, orwhether it's a coffee product,
(15:51):
or whether it's merchandise oreven like a rental spaces or
we're having events, your wordof mouth for your small
businesses and your community ispriceless.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
It is 100% priceless.
I think we undervalue how muchpeople have influence in their
community.
Like when it comes to because,you know, our bubble is fairly
small.
The amount of people weactually contact in our everyday
day-to-day our touch pointsseems pretty small.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
But you don't realize how impactful your words
actually are Right To thosepeople that are in your purview.
So it may be just like someoneat the grocery store or someone
at the gas station that you seeregularly.
They're going to have more.
Your words will have moreweight with them than any kind
of advertisement there is outthere when you say, hey, someone
(16:45):
says I like your shirt, oh, Igot it.
At such and such, your smallbusiness depends not just ours,
but every small business dependson so much word of mouth in the
community of what they have tooffer.
Yeah, I had a birthday partythere and they have a space for
rental.
You know, like communicatingthat is, it's priceless, you
know it was such a good time, oror something like that.
And it's local, um any any smallbusiness that you have in your
(17:08):
community.
Just just share the love, talkabout them, you know.
Share it with people that aretrying to find hey, we're going
shopping, or something like that.
Let them know that they're anoption.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yes, because your small business owners are
fighting tooth and nail to makeit every single day and they're
having to juggle so many ballsthat it becomes very difficult.
For instance, I know a lot ofpeople might not think that
we're in the shop much anymore,but trust me, we're here.
We're having to handle so manythings in the back office and I
(17:36):
still feel like we don't haveenough time to efficiently and
effectively do those things theway that we want to, because
there's so many requirementsthat we have government wise and
there's no checklist.
There's nobody saying hey,sharecroppers, make sure that
you've done this, this, this,this, this, no, just one day you
might get a letter in the mailand be like hey, you didn't do
this and we're like what youknow?
(17:58):
So we've learned.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
You know we've had bumps and bruises that we've had
to learn and learn from othersmall business, just
communicating with other smallbusiness and and small
businesses in a local community.
They're not fighting againsteach other, they're fighting
they're fighting their ownbattles, you know, and a lot of
(18:19):
times they collaborate, they tryto get together and bounce
ideas.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We want to be collaborative.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
We like bouncing ideas off people and letting
other people bounce ideas off ofus, because we want to make
sure that you know like our areais able to thrive and we're not
just surviving.
We want everyone to benefit,because our area becomes
somewhere where people want togo to.
On a weekend where they want togo to, because there's more for
us to offer in our community.
When there's more smallbusinesses, it's kind of like
you know you don't have to teardown a tower to build your tower
next to it, If you both havethe same goal in mind and if
(18:44):
that's to bring people and offerthem something in your
community.
They'll come back to yourcommunity more often than not.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Correct.
So, like anytime we have likesomething new pop up here in
Snead, to me that's great.
It gives more people reason tocome to Snead.
So it's like they might come toCottonfield to eat their dinner
or to eat a steak, or to go toAllen Mix and eat some barbecue,
and they might stop by here andget some ice cream and coffee,
or they'll be like I didn't knowthat Snead had a coffee shop.
(19:13):
Or when they're here and we havedone this many times they're
like hey, have you tried thebakery that's right down the
road?
They're like oh, I didn't knowthat there was a bakery.
Yes, there is, you know.
And so, um, to me, we, we all,should collaborate to make each
other better, because it makesour town more appealing for
people to come to.
Yeah, now, like when it comesto the um, the things that
(19:36):
business owners, small businessowners are having to juggle, you
know like you may come in andthink that was expensive right,
oh yeah, how many times have youbeen to a small business and
you might think that was high.
Well, let me just tell yousomething Everything is high.
The bills that we have to payon a weekly basis, like our
(19:58):
trucks that are coming in, orall of our suppliers, the coffee
itself, those things cost thebusiness owner's money, and one
of the things that we're havingto do in that office is figure
out, hmm, because we don't wantto overcharge our customer,
right?
But, we also cannot make it as abusiness if we are not
(20:19):
profitable, correct or pay ouremployees.
So you know, having to sit downand do the math, you have to
get down to ounces, down to theingredients, the price of the
cup.
You know, I've had people thatwere upset if we charged them a
dollar for a cup of ice water,the cup and the sticker and the
(20:42):
straw and the ice.
None of that was free to us.
So I get it, I get it.
You know, like, as a customer,but from a business standpoint,
like, change your perspective alittle bit.
You know little bit, we have todo those things and there might
be products that we charge lesson and so we might have to
(21:05):
charge more on this one.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I always kind of look at it from this perspective
that if we were to give away aglass of water it's not really
that big of a deal.
If we were to give away a glassof water it's not really that
big of a deal?
No, but if I give someone aglass of water, the next
customer that I serve gets theirdrink profit-free.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
You know, yes.
And it's like that may not be abig deal, but if you do that
multiple times a day over a year, 365 days out of the year,
people get accustomed to thatand it eats into it.
And you're trying to grow andyou're trying to survive and you
want, you want every ounce ofyour profit that you make to go
back into the business to helpit become better to offer more.
(21:46):
So you know when, when you sayhey, you know, like companies
like Burlap, oh, hey, we arewanting to expand our line and
you become more of a prioritybecause you are able to carry
more of their product.
That's the goal and Iunderstand Burlapost started out
small.
Everyone has an idea.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
A lot of the vendors that we use in our store, in our
gift shop, are small businessowners throughout the United
States.
We have been very strategicabout that because some people
will be like, hey, where do youget these knobs?
And we'll say ohio, and theymight be like ohio, it's.
You know, it's a mom and pop inohio that's hand making these
knobs, you know, and that's asmall business that we're
(22:25):
supporting in our country.
Um, it takes us all to, youknow, to make it all work.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
But so when you know, and you know that knife company
they're fighting to go big too.
Sure, you know, everyone'strying to fight to, to to thrive
, you know.
And they want their name tobecome big.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Everyone wants their name to become big.
Exactly.
To be able to not just grow,but to offer more.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Right.
So like when you come in, likewhen you buy your lunch from us
or your breakfast or your drink,like you're literally helping
to pay for a college studentthat's living here in sneed,
that is uh, you know they're onthose stepping stones of getting
their big kid job you know, thebig adult, another employee to
(23:09):
uh the education department.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
She's gonna start uh teaching and that's.
We knew this from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You know, like that was a goal she had and we lost,
we lost our callie, um, a fewmonths ago because she's in the
medical field.
Like you know, once they startgetting up and and more in their
schooling, you know, it getsmore rigorous and they're having
to do internships and thingslike that.
So they leave us and our our tous.
Our job is that when they'rehere with us, that we, that they
leave, better than when theycame to us.
(23:37):
Hopefully they've learned someskills, yes, even in a small
town coffee shop, that there'ssomething that we can teach our
employees.
But just know that what you'resupporting when you do come and
visit our small town coffee shop, that you're supporting these
people, visit our small towncoffee shop, that you're
supporting these people that, uh, you know you might be helping,
(23:58):
um, I don't know, fundsomebody's?
Uh, you know one of ouremployees oh, some of our
employees like, it's a side jobto them.
That is their extra money.
It might be their money thatthey're going to take their
family on vacation or, um, youknow, to pay for back to school
clothes and things like that, um, things like that.
These people are the heart andsoul of our town and we try to
(24:20):
be very we want to give back toour community and so I don't
want you to think that we'rebeing stingy by charging a
dollar for a water cup, becauseat the end of the day, we give a
lot of things away, and whenthe teams come in and wanting
support for this, a sign outhere, and I, and wanting support
for this, a sign out here, andI also want to segue this We've
kind of set up a policy that wedo not give to have signs at
(24:46):
sporting, I guess, events orwhatever you take the $100 or
however much it is, and actuallyuse it towards the team or
whatever it is that you'reneeding so that you can actually
get more of the money, becausewe feel like when we go to those
(25:06):
places, we don't read thosesigns that are out there.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
And obviously we can't always say yes, we can't.
It's just the ebb and flow oflife.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Because, another thing, we are a small business,
we're really we're babies, we'retiny, uh we because we are
trying to pour back into thebusiness and pour into our
employees.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
We don't have a ton of, we don't have a huge
advertising budget, you know so,but we do try to help where we
can so I want to segue intosomething else um, we talked
earlier about um, the, thestartup, and understanding where
to go from there and the thingsthat you miss If there is a
politician out there, whatevercommunity this reaches out to.
(25:45):
however, many years down theroad that you hear this podcast
that's been recorded and savedon the world wide web.
Okay, if you're a politician,know this.
If you want to have an impactin your community, support your
small business, find outeverything that they need to
know to be able to thrive,create some sort of
(26:05):
documentation or holding theirhand as they're getting started,
because the mom and pop baker,they love baking and they want
to offer what they have toeveryone else.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
And make a living at it.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
But they might not be good communicators, they might
not be good financial gurus,they might not be good marketers
.
They might not understand taxesand employment, wages and
insurance and everything.
They might not understand allof that, but they want to offer
something.
If you want to have an impactin your community and gain
support, listen politicians,here you go, support them.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Agree.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Find a way to help them navigate the world of small
business and you can see yourcommunity grow.
Look, if you're a politician.
What do you want?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Revenue, you want your community to grow.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
You want to have revenue.
You want to be able to giveback to your community better
roads, better education, betterenvironments, better.
Whatever it is you want to give, you've got to grow your
community.
In order to do that, you've gotto have business owners,
entrepreneurs, who are willingto put in the sweat equity to
have as little amount of hurdlesas possible to be able to do
(27:09):
that.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And you might think, well, it's the job of the
business owner to go geteducated.
I'm going to tell you, I have adegree in logistics and
business and communications.
They do not teach you all ofthese things in college.
They absolutely do not.
You are flying blind, honestly,and we are figuring it out.
(27:31):
But we have a burden that wewant people that are wanting to
start, because we need people tostart small businesses.
That is what makes America sogreat, great.
You know, goodness?
Speaker 2 (27:42):
yes, I love driving through a community and seeing
all the little mom and pops,because yes it's like wow, these
people are are really investedin their community.
This would be a great place tolive you know like I want to
live here because because peoplecare about this area, they care
about their community.
It just makes sense it does.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
So I, you know, and we have so much support in our
community.
We we feel thankful and to thethe extended communities as well
, from where we are at in snead,we've had so much support and
we we've gained customers fromthe Huntsville and Gadsden and
(28:23):
all those areas too that are nowbecoming regulars because
they're passing through thisarea and you build relationships
with them, and we're sothankful for that.
We're so thankful for thesupport of our local um, our
local customers.
And you know that's this summer, you know we were getting ready
to um, we will have a big pushfor what we're going to be
(28:47):
offering this summer.
We try to uh have things wherefamilies can come together, you
know, because you might not begoing on a vacation and and you
might just be here and we so wewant to offer things that are
free for you to come and do withyour family.
And for the last two years sothis will be our third year
going into it we do a summerreading series where we're
(29:07):
reading a series of books forkids to come and read and we do
some kind of activity or snackwith them.
It's just one time a week andyou might can come two times out
of the summer.
You might can get to come toall of the times, it doesn't
matter.
We just want to be able tooffer that to you, and I think
we're going to have some otherthings that we're offering and,
with our running community, I'mreally excited about what the
(29:29):
summer is is going to bring.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, now L, our youngest.
Uh, her reading has explodedthis year, like like it's, just
like clicked, I think it'sclicked with her and she's
reading her own books, all ofher own, and it's like, wow,
this is amazing.
And she was reading this bookthe other day, a brand new one
that she got, and she wasreading it with emphasis.
Right, that's a joy that I havewhen I read kids' books.
(29:53):
It's like I try to createcharacters and voices to go
along with it.
And she was doing that and Iwas like, man, you need to read
during our summer readingprogram and it's like you know,
you always get inspired withideas, because it's like I enjoy
hearing her read now.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I want other people to enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
So another segue.
I'll kind of jump on somethingelse.
You know we have it's runningon Coffee and Christ podcast,
right, um?
So a lot of times we're goingto talk about business.
We're a lot.
We'll talk about, um, things ofour faith, um, and we'll talk
about things of running, um andwith.
As far as a small business isconcerned, we were talking about
(30:30):
this earlier about how we loverunning runs five Ks, 10 Ks, you
know, whatever we love runningthem because of the experience
we get with them.
You know there's every race hasa different experience.
We run one in Huntsville calledCotton Row.
That it's just massive rightlike it's huge and and it's
really fun because it brings anatmosphere to um, the thought of
(30:51):
memorializing our veterans andand those who served in our
military um that have passedthat have passed, you know, and,
and it's a memorial day.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Run memorial day run.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That's right.
Um, so it really does have thatsomber but excitement and
you're and you're all kind ofthinking of the same things and
you're running.
It's really good environment.
Um, but some of the best runs Iknow of that we've run have
been small yes like, like asmall business or an individual.
Like how about miles for molly?
That's something that we've runhave been small.
Yes, like a small business oran individual.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
How about Miles for Molly?
That's something that we doevery year.
That's in June and it's noteven chip-timed.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
No.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
It's.
You know someone's calling outyour time when you run across
there.
It's very, it's simple, yet itis so big Like it's very well
organized, very well organized,but obviously when you add chip
timing and all these things,those things add to the cost of
the run, which take away fromwhat you're actually trying to
(31:48):
raise money for, and they'reusually raising money for.
Their daughter is in awheelchair and has health issues
.
So sometimes the money has gone, like I know.
One year it was to put a shower, you know, so that she could
roll her wheelchair in there,but then other years they've.
you know they're giving back toother families.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, because they're in a community all to
themselves.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Of people with health struggles.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
You know, they know of others that are on that same
journey.
So the mother continues to hostthis event because she knows
there's people with that need,and it's always on Molly's
birthday too, and so we've seenher go from little girl Now I
believe she's going to be 17this year, which is crazy to me,
but that's in Locust Fort, sothat's a local run.
(32:37):
I know that there's one inHighland Lake this weekend.
If you've never had theopportunity to run at Highland
Lake, you need to experience itat least one time.
It's very hilly.
Highland Lake was some of thefirst runs that I ever did and
it didn't deter me from wantingto run, even though they were
extremely difficult.
But if I'm not mistaken, Ithink that that run is to
(33:01):
benefit the animal shelter.
Yeah, I believe it is um.
And then we have in may.
Also on may 17th, um, theoneonta cross country team has
their own fundraiser.
Um, it's a's a you can have.
You can have your choice of a5k, 10k, 15k or 20k, and it's
(33:22):
all the same price.
You can pick whichever run thatyou want to do.
I believe it's a $49 run.
You get a t-shirt, but it's atPalisades, it's the race to the
tower, so it is a trail run,true trail run with true hills.
Oh yeah, uh, it's.
It's definitely not an easy run, but once you finish, once you
go across the finish line, yougo, you climb up the fire tower
(33:45):
and that's where your medal is.
And some people might be like,oh, I'm not doing that, I just I
won't get my medal.
Somebody can get it for you,because it's okay if you're
afraid of heights, but that issomething like kind of cool,
that's at the end of that run.
It's okay if you're afraid ofheights, but that is something
like kind of cool.
That's at the end of that runand you get all the way up that
fire tower and you can just lookacross and just see you know
all of the county, all of thecounty yes, but those are, those
(34:06):
are local runs that I know thatare coming up and of course, we
have ours in november, thesaturday before thanksgiving
every year but you have runslike in your communities also,
that we might not be exposed toon the other side of the world.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
whatever you do, those runs are important to
those people because they're alot of times.
I don't know of any run thatdoesn't have some sort of
benefit that they'rerepresenting, you know some sort
of nonprofit that theyrepresent.
That's the goal of the smallrun community.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Like we've talked about, we're going to start up a
run club.
You know like we want to have arun club that that just
promotes running itself, um, butbut the actual runs they're for
something.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
There's four yes, they are, and and we really want
you paying attention because Iwould say, in the next week or
two we are going to beintroducing our run club and a
couple of runs that we're goingto have this summer that will
also feed into our big run inNovember that we host.
We've got a lot of specialannouncements that are going to
be coming with the run and we'rejust trying to iron out the
(35:10):
last minute details and, onceagain, being small business,
it's another ball that we'vethrown into the juggling match.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Let's try to squeeze time into playing this.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Yes, but there is strategic reasons for the things
that we do.
While I say that we are flyingby the seat of the pants, we
also are not.
The things that we are pickingand doing and promoting are very
intentional, um, for what wesee.
As I don't know, and I can'tremember if we've talked about
vision on, if we've had specifictalks about having vision on
(35:47):
our podcast or not, I know thatI've talked to, uh, I've had
luncheons where I've spokenabout it to groups, but it's
very important that the thingsthat you're doing are going
towards your vision, yourultimate goals of what you're
trying to achieve.
And so, honestly too, I thinkit's really hard at the
beginning of a business and thebaby years of it, because you
(36:09):
are having to do so much.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Well, you're learning .
Speaker 1 (36:14):
You're on, you're learning, you're tired, you've
got dark circles in your eyesbecause you're not sleeping.
You're also trying to maintaina marriage, a home, a family.
You know those things don'tstop because you're, you know
you own a business.
So support your localbusinesses, and we're not just
(36:36):
talking about supportingsharecroppers, you know.
Support your local heating, andwe're not just talking about,
uh, supporting sharecroppers.
You know.
Support your local heating andair guy.
Yeah, support your local pestcontrols.
Um, support your local gasstation that is is ran, you know
, managed and ran by the peoplethat you go to church with.
Or support your local barbecuerestaurant.
(36:59):
And be thankful that there arepeople out there that are
willing to really sacrifice alot in order to have those
businesses.
They are not simply laying back, doing nothing and rolling in
the dough.
It's not happening.
It's not true.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
When we're making our Sam's Run, we're running across
those bakers that are gettingtheir five pound bags of
powdered sugar at the samegrocery store on the same
Saturday night.
When everyone else is outenjoying a Saturday night, we're
trying to plan for Monday.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yes, there's been times that I know we were going
in Sam's and Crystal fromCrystal's bakery was coming out.
We talked.
She just sent me a messagewhile we were doing this podcast
.
She was asking me if I neededsome cocoa, like those are the
things that, uh, small businessowners should be there for each
other, you know?
Or it's like hey, um, you know,um, laura at Alamance has
(37:51):
continued, said hey, if you'reout of cups, or you know, it's
anything like it's if you needsomething, or if I need
something, we should be able tocount on each other.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
I need a cup of sugar , or you know, whatever, um,
because we're all in thistogether, yeah, we really are
with you know, your relationshipwith christ or whatever, uh,
wherever you are in your journey, um, your, your faith, you know
we're all in it together andwe're all trying to find what
God's role is in our life andwhat our ministry is being able
(38:22):
to get with other people andtalk about that and to grow in
your faith.
It's super important to notisolate yourself.
You know, we talk about theimportance of actually going to
church and of actually being ina congregation, actually being
in a congregation, and it's notabout, you know, just receiving,
but it's about giving and it'sabout growing together as a body
(38:43):
of Christ.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
I would love to emphasize the importance of
going to church locally.
I don't want to step on anytoes but you know, when it came
to in the early days of thembuilding the church, you know,
and all the letters to thechurches, these were churches
that you know it was local tothem.
That's what the one that youknow, if they were in Corinth
(39:04):
they weren't going to go to thechurch that was in Ephesus.
You know, and I know you mightbe like well, you don't know,
the church hurt that I've had.
Or you know, I'm just, I wantto go to the here's.
Another thing, guys, you know Iwant to go to this church over
here that's bigger and has moreto offer.
Well, you know, once again, asa small business, I might not
(39:27):
have the things to offer thatsome of the bigger coffee shops
can.
It doesn't make it that.
It doesn't mean that mybusiness isn't good and that my
business isn't serving.
So same thing with the church.
Smaller churches might not haveas much to offer because they
don't have the hands and feetthere simply to offer or the
(39:48):
funding.
They need you, we need you inyour own community, ministering
to your community, not going toanother community and doing it.
And I'll just I don't know why Isaid that I'm just going to
leave that there.
I have no judgment about whereanybody's going to church, but I
think it's very important thatyou serve where you live.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Yeah well, the same concept of your word when it
comes to word of mouth for smallbusiness has so much importance
or impact on people's thoughts.
Your word when it comes tosupporting your local church and
actually representing Christhas so much impact because it is
your first-person perspective,it's your experience that you're
relaying to other people aboutwhat's happened in your life and
(40:32):
about what God is doing for you, and it matters.
A lot of people say I don'thave a testimony.
Yes, you do, yes, you do.
And it matters and the peoplewill listen to your testimony.
So I just encourage y'all youknow support your small business
, support your local churches,support your local run clubs.
Do everything you can toencourage people to better
themselves grow closer to theLord.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Support where you live and support your community.
Support where you live whereyou live, your community support
where you live.
Right, all right, we love y'alland we will see you next time.
May the lord bless you and keepyou and make his face shine
upon you.
Hey everyone and welcome back to the Running on
Coffee and Cross podcast.
We're here again, yep, we arevery happy to be with you again.
I think this is episode 14.
It is April 30th, the last dayof this month.
I can't believe we're alreadyheading into May.
I know when May hits, it feelslike everything just goes fast
(00:20):
forward.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, everything changes Like you're at the end
of the school year you're goinginto the summer, people have all
these things that they'rewanting to change about their
life and plans.
Go do this, go do that.
Finish up this.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Your daily routine is about to change.
After this month you might notbe having to get the kids up,
You're not having to run to thisor that.
You're having to get your kidssomewhere else because you work
and they're having to stay withsomeone else or whatever.
And then sometimes it justslows down a little bit and
(00:52):
maybe you're going to go on somevacations and I know, at the
shop things change in the summeras well, and us, being a new
business, I know that we've hadto figure out a a lot of things,
um, by the seat of our pantsand um, we still haven't figured
it out.
I remember our first summer.
We thought that we were goingto be like so slammed and it was
(01:14):
it like dramatically got slower.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And, well, everyone's routine changed and we realized
that this is the season wherepeople go like our normal
customers were going on vacation, um, um, and they would even
ask, you know, like before theyheaded out, like, hey, is there
any way we can get something togo on the road, you know, to
last?
And that I think conversationslike that with our customer
helps us, inspires us to createnew products, to be able to
(01:37):
allow them, you know, thatopportunity.
So some of them do take, like a,you know, a latte tote that's a
96 ounce so they can put it intheir fridge and just have their
normal drink that they getevery day while they're on
vacation.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Because I know when we've gone on vacation, we've
had a hard time finding coffeeshops that we actually enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
A lot of times it's a hit and miss because you have a
taste preference right.
Yeah, yeah so like, if you havea taste preference for a dark
roast but you come to our shopand you know we're medium to
light roast, um, without goingin with an open mind, uh, you
might not.
It might not trigger thoseemotional responses like you had
in the past because you had agreat family get together and
(02:18):
you drank a really dark roastand it just triggers an
emotional response in you whenyou, when you taste that, so you
kind of are drawn towards it,so you're just not getting what
you're accustomed to or you'reused to when you're on vacation.
Sometimes we hit and sometimeswe miss.
That's right you just got to tryit, and that's part of the
journey is just trying the smallcoffee shops that when you go
(02:39):
to on vacation or when you gosomewhere, just trying them out,
tasting and seeing.
Because, if it's a locationthat you want to revisit again,
well then.
You know, you've gotopportunity to try it multiple
times different places, but youwind up finding that one and
you're like, oh, can't wait togo back because I'm going to be
near that shop.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Exactly, and it's so important to support local.
I mean, we're so thankful thatyou still support your local
shop by taking something withyou, because that gives us
business while you're gone, youknow, especially if you're a
regular, you know.
And then also, yes, we want youto support those small shops
that are at the beach or in themountains or wherever you're
(03:17):
going.
But that's what we're going totalk about today.
We're going to talk about theimportance of small business and
the importance of supportingthose small and local businesses
, because, guys, without you wewould not make it.
But there are so many hurdlesthat small businesses have to
overcome on a daily basis that Ithink people really don't quite
(03:39):
understand.
And I also think that peoplehave a misconception that,
because you own a business, thatyou're just like rolling in the
dough.
And I can tell you that is nottrue.
It takes a while to build anybusiness.
For a business to be veryprofitable, it's going to take
(03:59):
time.
Nothing comes easy.
It's just like with our running.
You know, know it takes a whileto build that base.
You know, I have talked aboutwhere I want to be in my running
and I talk about it in years.
Not, it's not what I'm wantingto achieve is not going to
happen in weeks or months.
It's going to take years to getthere, and that's the same way
it is with small businesses.
(04:20):
It takes years.
I know that there are peoplethat I've talked to now that
have very successful smallbusinesses that are profitable,
that they can kind of relax alittle bit, okay, because you're
always going to be working it,but it didn't start that way for
them.
You know, everything has tostart very grassroots, and just
(04:43):
because a business isn't, um, Iguess raking in these huge
profits within a year doesn'tmean that they're not successful
.
In fact, I would reallyquestion that, because it's like
, wow, you know, and I know inour first year, uh, when you
first open, you're going to getflooded, and that's one piece of
advice I would like to giveanybody that's starting a new
(05:05):
business is, when you first open, you are going to be flooded
with customers because they wantto see what this new thing is,
and then, after that first year,or after the first six months
first year, you're going to seea dwindle.
You are, you are going to seeit, and I feel like that's when
we really started figuring outhow we wanted to grow and build
(05:27):
the business.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
You have to have.
You know you're going to have abase Um, you're going to have
the curiosity seekers at thebeginning and then you're going
to have a base that reallysticks with you and you want to
learn from that base, becauseour goal is to serve, our goal
is to serve our customer.
Um, there's a reason why a lotof the drinks that I might drink
, my customer might not knowabout it, like I know that in
(05:50):
America we have made trendyterms from European traditional
coffee into terms that makesense to us in our American
version of them.
You know, like a cappuccino ora cortado or something like that
, or a macchiato.
They're trendy terms, but a lotof people don't a cortado or
something like that or amacchiato.
They're trendy terms, but a lotof people don't want the
traditional European version ofthat.
They want something that hasbeen Americanized and knowing
(06:13):
that we are serving our customerand wanting to give them the
best possible product, havingthe best ingredients that go
into those drinks, butunderstanding that our goal is
to make them have the sameexperience that we would
experience on vacation or whenwe went shopping or when we went
somewhere together as a family.
We went to a local coffee shopand we sat down and we enjoyed
(06:34):
our time together as a family,you know, as friends or as a
group.
However, it was that you'remeeting at those shops.
That was the goal was to beable to experience togetherness
or or be able to accomplish somesort of goal, whether you're
studying or whether you wereworking on something you know.
It's important that thatatmosphere is here and that
they're able to receive aproduct that's going to cause
them to have a completeexperience, not necessarily just
(06:58):
coming for coffee because wetalked about this, the past like
coffee is one of those things.
Like that, people are like, oh,what's the latest, the greatest
, the this flavor, add this.
But it's the whole atmospherethat we want to bring to them to
be able to allow them to say,hey, when I go back in this area
, I'm going back to that shop,you know because, of that
emotional response thatconnection, whether it was
(07:19):
through the family or justbecause you get enjoy the
environment I think that's whatyou're going to get with small
businesses.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You're going to a small town coffee shop.
You are going to get more ofthat experience than you are
necessarily if you went toStarbucks Dunkin'.
What is it?
Seven Brews, Is that one?
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Dutch Brothers, Dutch Brothers Now.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I want to be very clear.
I am not hating on any of thosecompanies, because to me, we
need them as well.
Um, they started small at somepoint, you know.
So I know I'm never one thatwants to hate on big business or
corporations, um, because theydid start small at some point,
(08:00):
um, but I will say, um, it'svery important, though, if you
live in a small town where youdo have the luxury of having
small businesses around you,like even a coffee shop.
I know there's several townshere in Blount County that offer
coffee shops.
Please go to them.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
When we're in those areas of the county, we go to
them because we know that it isa luxury, like you said to be
able to have that experience,and not just with coffee shops,
with any kind of restaurant, anykind of boutique or anything
like that.
You get to experience somethingthere that you can't experience
(08:41):
in a big box store.
I know we were talking aboutearlier, about some brands that
we sell here in the shop thatwe've had some struggles with
because we are a small business,you know, and that that we're
we're.
We feel like our hands are tiedsometimes on some of the brands
that we represent because wedon't we don't have the ability
(09:02):
to buy a hundred thousanddollars in merchandise in one
order.
We're only going to have acertain amount on our shelves.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That we can actually supply.
Yes, it doesn't make sense.
Okay, and I will get veryspecific about this, for
instance, because I have peoplereaching out to me weekly, daily
when are you going to get newBurlabo?
Burlabo was one of thosecompanies that we decided to
start carrying.
I have, obviously, I have ateenage son and I have young
(09:28):
adult nephews and so I listen toa lot of things that they say
and what they're into, and wereally wanted to expand our
offerings to men as well, andBurlap was one of those
companies that we decided to gowith.
It was definitely a higherticketed item was one of those
companies that we decided to gowith.
It was definitely a higherticketed item.
It's going to be for peoplethat understand the value of
(09:49):
what they're getting.
You know, this wasn't going tobe just a $15 t-shirt, this was
going to be like a $40 t-shirt.
But then there was also reallygreat other merchandise that
went with it, like shorts,joggers.
You guys know what Burlabo isand really, really, the company
has exploded.
Now, when we, when we, did ourfirst couple of orders with them
(10:10):
, um, it went great.
The ordering process wasfantastic.
And then, right aroundchristmas time which I would
have been ordering my christmasstuff, probably like in october,
um, and honestly, big boxstores would probably have
already had their orders in,like maybe in they probably
already have their orders inright now for the next Christmas
(10:30):
because they can.
Um, but now I I would not put myChristmas order in until
October so that my stuff can goout on the shelf by Black Friday
.
So what I realized was thatthere was um.
Now they didn't tell me thatthere was going to be any delays
.
I just did my order as normaland I ordered quite a bit of
merchandise for our shop.
(10:53):
We're talking about probablyaround $3,000 worth of
merchandise like wholesale costs.
Okay, so that's a big deal to abusiness our size.
Okay, but I felt confidentabout it and had so many people
reaching out about it.
Well, I had had this stuffordered for.
Actually I probably ordered inSeptember or maybe even August,
(11:17):
because like a month went by andI hadn't heard anything from
them.
Like I hadn't even gotten ashipping update or anything like
that of when it was going to goout.
And then another month passedand I'm starting to get really
concerned and so I had to reachout and be like you know, hey,
I'm super excited about gettingmy order.
I just kind of wanted to know alead time on this and they said
(11:40):
we've had.
Then they messaged us andthey're like we're so sorry
about this.
We've just experienced.
Basically, what happened is isthey exploded, and I don't think
that they had the logistics andsupply chain measures in hand
to handle it.
And how that affects us is, asa small business, we're going to
(12:02):
come very low on the total pollto them, and I don't mean that
they're bad people.
Okay, I really think that theydidn't anticipate the demand
that came.
I don't know if they hadmanufacturing issues, if they
just couldn't produce it quicklyenough or what, but they did
really work hard to get me myproduct.
(12:22):
So I thought, well, I want tomake sure that I order.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well in advance.
Well in advance for my springand summer line.
It's time to figure it out.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Guys, I still have not been able to order.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Burlabo, they've locked it down.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
They've locked it down.
So I was going to order inJanuary for my spring and summer
lines, I think, and they areonce again they are struggling
so much with so with too muchbusiness on, honestly, because
the things that I had to pickfrom when I was actually going
to order were just drawings.
They didn't even have picturesof this stuff.
(12:56):
I was having to go fromsketches.
Um, insanity.
Honestly, I was like wow, okay,but that was was okay.
I picked out what I wanted and Igo to order it and it says this
is frozen until the end of June.
And I'm like what, the end ofJune?
Like at that point, guys, youknow that you've already bought
your summer and spring stuff bythen, like, you know what you're
(13:18):
going to be getting.
Because I had someone reach outto me hey, are you going to
have burlabo swimming trunks?
No, no, unfortunately I'm not.
So right now and I'm not sayingthat we're never going to get
Burlabo again, but right nowthey have locked down at least
small businesses Now, placeslike, if you go to Academy
Dick's, or like Bell, theseplaces are going to have it
(13:38):
because they are fulfilling allof their orders first, because,
like Calvin said, they'reordering thousands and thousands
and thousands and thousands ofdollars worth of merchandise.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Which y'all look, it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
You know we're not harping on Burlapo, but from a
business perspective, from asmall business perspective, say
like right now, our goal is toexpand.
Where we're at 100%, people say, hey, when you're going to open
a second location, thirdlocation, all that stuff, now
we're, we're, we're.
Our focus is solely on tryingto get this as perfect as we
possibly can and serve thiscommunity because we our heart
(14:09):
is here.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
You know, yes, um, and we want to be able to offer
you the things so that you don'thave to drive off somewhere to
get it.
But what we want you guys tounderstand is sometimes it's
difficult for a small businessto be able to tap into those
things.
We have another company I'm notgoing to name them because I
(14:30):
know that we are going toeventually have them.
They're watching us for threeyears to see what we're going to
do before they even let us selltheir product.
I get it.
They don't want to do anythingthat's going to harm their brand
.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
that's going to harm their brand, right.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So right now we're currently looking at other men's
lines that we want to carry,while we're waiting for Burlabo
to kind of iron out their supplychain issues and manufacturing,
um, and then we've got otherlines with with the women that
we're going to start carrying aswell.
But, um, you know theimportance of shopping, small
though.
So think about this, thinkabout when I've ordered like
(15:08):
three, four $5,000 worth ofmerchandise for for somebody
like you know it's it's a gamble, right, it's a gamble because
I'm hoping that you're going tocome and buy it from me Number
one, you know, cause you can goand buy it somewhere else, but
we really need you to buy itfrom us, right, so that we can
continue to offer those thingsto our community.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
The goal is to to serve, obviously.
So if we want to serve thecommunity, the community is
saying, hey, this is somethingthat we can use, this is
something that we need.
We want to be able to supplythat.
So the uh underestimating theimportance of your word of mouth
.
If you notice that we havesomething that you enjoy,
whether it's a food product, orwhether it's a coffee product,
(15:51):
or whether it's merchandise oreven like a rental spaces or
we're having events, your wordof mouth for your small
businesses and your community ispriceless.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
It is 100% priceless.
I think we undervalue how muchpeople have influence in their
community.
Like when it comes to because,you know, our bubble is fairly
small.
The amount of people weactually contact in our everyday
day-to-day our touch pointsseems pretty small.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
But you don't realize how impactful your words
actually are Right To thosepeople that are in your purview.
So it may be just like someoneat the grocery store or someone
at the gas station that you seeregularly.
They're going to have more.
Your words will have moreweight with them than any kind
of advertisement there is outthere when you say, hey, someone
(16:45):
says I like your shirt, oh, Igot it.
At such and such, your smallbusiness depends not just ours,
but every small business dependson so much word of mouth in the
community of what they have tooffer.
Yeah, I had a birthday partythere and they have a space for
rental.
You know, like communicatingthat is, it's priceless, you
know it was such a good time, oror something like that.
And it's local, um any any smallbusiness that you have in your
(17:08):
community.
Just just share the love, talkabout them, you know.
Share it with people that aretrying to find hey, we're going
shopping, or something like that.
Let them know that they're anoption.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yes, because your small business owners are
fighting tooth and nail to makeit every single day and they're
having to juggle so many ballsthat it becomes very difficult.
For instance, I know a lot ofpeople might not think that
we're in the shop much anymore,but trust me, we're here.
We're having to handle so manythings in the back office and I
(17:36):
still feel like we don't haveenough time to efficiently and
effectively do those things theway that we want to, because
there's so many requirementsthat we have government wise and
there's no checklist.
There's nobody saying hey,sharecroppers, make sure that
you've done this, this, this,this, this, no, just one day you
might get a letter in the mailand be like hey, you didn't do
this and we're like what youknow?
(17:58):
So we've learned.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
You know we've had bumps and bruises that we've had
to learn and learn from othersmall business, just
communicating with other smallbusiness and and small
businesses in a local community.
They're not fighting againsteach other, they're fighting
they're fighting their ownbattles, you know, and a lot of
(18:19):
times they collaborate, they tryto get together and bounce
ideas.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We want to be collaborative.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
We like bouncing ideas off people and letting
other people bounce ideas off ofus, because we want to make
sure that you know like our areais able to thrive and we're not
just surviving.
We want everyone to benefit,because our area becomes
somewhere where people want togo to.
On a weekend where they want togo to, because there's more for
us to offer in our community.
When there's more smallbusinesses, it's kind of like
you know you don't have to teardown a tower to build your tower
next to it, If you both havethe same goal in mind and if
(18:44):
that's to bring people and offerthem something in your
community.
They'll come back to yourcommunity more often than not.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Correct.
So, like anytime we have likesomething new pop up here in
Snead, to me that's great.
It gives more people reason tocome to Snead.
So it's like they might come toCottonfield to eat their dinner
or to eat a steak, or to go toAllen Mix and eat some barbecue,
and they might stop by here andget some ice cream and coffee,
or they'll be like I didn't knowthat Snead had a coffee shop.
(19:13):
Or when they're here and we havedone this many times they're
like hey, have you tried thebakery that's right down the
road?
They're like oh, I didn't knowthat there was a bakery.
Yes, there is, you know.
And so, um, to me, we, we all,should collaborate to make each
other better, because it makesour town more appealing for
people to come to.
Yeah, now, like when it comesto the um, the things that
(19:36):
business owners, small businessowners are having to juggle, you
know like you may come in andthink that was expensive right,
oh yeah, how many times have youbeen to a small business and
you might think that was high.
Well, let me just tell yousomething Everything is high.
The bills that we have to payon a weekly basis, like our
(19:58):
trucks that are coming in, orall of our suppliers, the coffee
itself, those things cost thebusiness owner's money, and one
of the things that we're havingto do in that office is figure
out, hmm, because we don't wantto overcharge our customer,
right?
But, we also cannot make it as abusiness if we are not
(20:19):
profitable, correct or pay ouremployees.
So you know, having to sit downand do the math, you have to
get down to ounces, down to theingredients, the price of the
cup.
You know, I've had people thatwere upset if we charged them a
dollar for a cup of ice water,the cup and the sticker and the
(20:42):
straw and the ice.
None of that was free to us.
So I get it, I get it.
You know, like, as a customer,but from a business standpoint,
like, change your perspective alittle bit.
You know little bit, we have todo those things and there might
be products that we charge lesson and so we might have to
(21:05):
charge more on this one.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I always kind of look at it from this perspective
that if we were to give away aglass of water it's not really
that big of a deal.
If we were to give away a glassof water it's not really that
big of a deal?
No, but if I give someone aglass of water, the next
customer that I serve gets theirdrink profit-free.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
You know, yes.
And it's like that may not be abig deal, but if you do that
multiple times a day over a year, 365 days out of the year,
people get accustomed to thatand it eats into it.
And you're trying to grow andyou're trying to survive and you
want, you want every ounce ofyour profit that you make to go
back into the business to helpit become better to offer more.
(21:46):
So you know when, when you sayhey, you know, like companies
like Burlap, oh, hey, we arewanting to expand our line and
you become more of a prioritybecause you are able to carry
more of their product.
That's the goal and Iunderstand Burlapost started out
small.
Everyone has an idea.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
A lot of the vendors that we use in our store, in our
gift shop, are small businessowners throughout the United
States.
We have been very strategicabout that because some people
will be like, hey, where do youget these knobs?
And we'll say ohio, and theymight be like ohio, it's.
You know, it's a mom and pop inohio that's hand making these
knobs, you know, and that's asmall business that we're
(22:25):
supporting in our country.
Um, it takes us all to, youknow, to make it all work.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
But so when you know, and you know that knife company
they're fighting to go big too.
Sure, you know, everyone'strying to fight to, to to thrive
, you know.
And they want their name tobecome big.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Everyone wants their name to become big.
Exactly.
To be able to not just grow,but to offer more.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Right.
So like when you come in, likewhen you buy your lunch from us
or your breakfast or your drink,like you're literally helping
to pay for a college studentthat's living here in sneed,
that is uh, you know they're onthose stepping stones of getting
their big kid job you know, thebig adult, another employee to
(23:09):
uh the education department.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
She's gonna start uh teaching and that's.
We knew this from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You know, like that was a goal she had and we lost,
we lost our callie, um, a fewmonths ago because she's in the
medical field.
Like you know, once they startgetting up and and more in their
schooling, you know, it getsmore rigorous and they're having
to do internships and thingslike that.
So they leave us and our our tous.
Our job is that when they'rehere with us, that we, that they
leave, better than when theycame to us.
(23:37):
Hopefully they've learned someskills, yes, even in a small
town coffee shop, that there'ssomething that we can teach our
employees.
But just know that what you'resupporting when you do come and
visit our small town coffee shop, that you're supporting these
people, visit our small towncoffee shop, that you're
supporting these people that, uh, you know you might be helping,
(23:58):
um, I don't know, fundsomebody's?
Uh, you know one of ouremployees oh, some of our
employees like, it's a side jobto them.
That is their extra money.
It might be their money thatthey're going to take their
family on vacation or, um, youknow, to pay for back to school
clothes and things like that, um, things like that.
These people are the heart andsoul of our town and we try to
(24:20):
be very we want to give back toour community and so I don't
want you to think that we'rebeing stingy by charging a
dollar for a water cup, becauseat the end of the day, we give a
lot of things away, and whenthe teams come in and wanting
support for this, a sign outhere, and I, and wanting support
for this, a sign out here, andI also want to segue this We've
kind of set up a policy that wedo not give to have signs at
(24:46):
sporting, I guess, events orwhatever you take the $100 or
however much it is, and actuallyuse it towards the team or
whatever it is that you'reneeding so that you can actually
get more of the money, becausewe feel like when we go to those
(25:06):
places, we don't read thosesigns that are out there.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
And obviously we can't always say yes, we can't.
It's just the ebb and flow oflife.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Because, another thing, we are a small business,
we're really we're babies, we'retiny, uh we because we are
trying to pour back into thebusiness and pour into our
employees.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
We don't have a ton of, we don't have a huge
advertising budget, you know so,but we do try to help where we
can so I want to segue intosomething else um, we talked
earlier about um, the, thestartup, and understanding where
to go from there and the thingsthat you miss If there is a
politician out there, whatevercommunity this reaches out to.
(25:45):
however, many years down theroad that you hear this podcast
that's been recorded and savedon the world wide web.
Okay, if you're a politician,know this.
If you want to have an impactin your community, support your
small business, find outeverything that they need to
know to be able to thrive,create some sort of
(26:05):
documentation or holding theirhand as they're getting started,
because the mom and pop baker,they love baking and they want
to offer what they have toeveryone else.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
And make a living at it.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
But they might not be good communicators, they might
not be good financial gurus,they might not be good marketers
.
They might not understand taxesand employment, wages and
insurance and everything.
They might not understand allof that, but they want to offer
something.
If you want to have an impactin your community and gain
support, listen politicians,here you go, support them.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Agree.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Find a way to help them navigate the world of small
business and you can see yourcommunity grow.
Look, if you're a politician.
What do you want?
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Revenue, you want your community to grow.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
You want to have revenue.
You want to be able to giveback to your community better
roads, better education, betterenvironments, better.
Whatever it is you want to give, you've got to grow your
community.
In order to do that, you've gotto have business owners,
entrepreneurs, who are willingto put in the sweat equity to
have as little amount of hurdlesas possible to be able to do
(27:09):
that.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And you might think, well, it's the job of the
business owner to go geteducated.
I'm going to tell you, I have adegree in logistics and
business and communications.
They do not teach you all ofthese things in college.
They absolutely do not.
You are flying blind, honestly,and we are figuring it out.
(27:31):
But we have a burden that wewant people that are wanting to
start, because we need people tostart small businesses.
That is what makes America sogreat, great.
You know, goodness?
Speaker 2 (27:42):
yes, I love driving through a community and seeing
all the little mom and pops,because yes it's like wow, these
people are are really investedin their community.
This would be a great place tolive you know like I want to
live here because because peoplecare about this area, they care
about their community.
It just makes sense it does.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
So I, you know, and we have so much support in our
community.
We we feel thankful and to thethe extended communities as well
, from where we are at in snead,we've had so much support and
we we've gained customers fromthe Huntsville and Gadsden and
(28:23):
all those areas too that are nowbecoming regulars because
they're passing through thisarea and you build relationships
with them, and we're sothankful for that.
We're so thankful for thesupport of our local um, our
local customers.
And you know that's this summer, you know we were getting ready
to um, we will have a big pushfor what we're going to be
(28:47):
offering this summer.
We try to uh have things wherefamilies can come together, you
know, because you might not begoing on a vacation and and you
might just be here and we so wewant to offer things that are
free for you to come and do withyour family.
And for the last two years sothis will be our third year
going into it we do a summerreading series where we're
(29:07):
reading a series of books forkids to come and read and we do
some kind of activity or snackwith them.
It's just one time a week andyou might can come two times out
of the summer.
You might can get to come toall of the times, it doesn't
matter.
We just want to be able tooffer that to you, and I think
we're going to have some otherthings that we're offering and,
with our running community, I'mreally excited about what the
(29:29):
summer is is going to bring.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, now L, our youngest.
Uh, her reading has explodedthis year, like like it's, just
like clicked, I think it'sclicked with her and she's
reading her own books, all ofher own, and it's like, wow,
this is amazing.
And she was reading this bookthe other day, a brand new one
that she got, and she wasreading it with emphasis.
Right, that's a joy that I havewhen I read kids' books.
(29:53):
It's like I try to createcharacters and voices to go
along with it.
And she was doing that and Iwas like, man, you need to read
during our summer readingprogram and it's like you know,
you always get inspired withideas, because it's like I enjoy
hearing her read now.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I want other people to enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
So another segue.
I'll kind of jump on somethingelse.
You know we have it's runningon Coffee and Christ podcast,
right, um?
So a lot of times we're goingto talk about business.
We're a lot.
We'll talk about, um, things ofour faith, um, and we'll talk
about things of running, um andwith.
As far as a small business isconcerned, we were talking about
(30:30):
this earlier about how we loverunning runs five Ks, 10 Ks, you
know, whatever we love runningthem because of the experience
we get with them.
You know there's every race hasa different experience.
We run one in Huntsville calledCotton Row.
That it's just massive rightlike it's huge and and it's
really fun because it brings anatmosphere to um, the thought of
(30:51):
memorializing our veterans andand those who served in our
military um that have passedthat have passed, you know, and,
and it's a memorial day.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Run memorial day run.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
That's right.
Um, so it really does have thatsomber but excitement and
you're and you're all kind ofthinking of the same things and
you're running.
It's really good environment.
Um, but some of the best runs Iknow of that we've run have
been small yes like, like asmall business or an individual.
Like how about miles for molly?
That's something that we've runhave been small.
Yes, like a small business oran individual.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
How about Miles for Molly?
That's something that we doevery year.
That's in June and it's noteven chip-timed.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
No.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
It's.
You know someone's calling outyour time when you run across
there.
It's very, it's simple, yet itis so big Like it's very well
organized, very well organized,but obviously when you add chip
timing and all these things,those things add to the cost of
the run, which take away fromwhat you're actually trying to
(31:48):
raise money for, and they'reusually raising money for.
Their daughter is in awheelchair and has health issues
.
So sometimes the money has gone, like I know.
One year it was to put a shower, you know, so that she could
roll her wheelchair in there,but then other years they've.
you know they're giving back toother families.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Yeah, because they're in a community all to
themselves.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Of people with health struggles.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
You know, they know of others that are on that same
journey.
So the mother continues to hostthis event because she knows
there's people with that need,and it's always on Molly's
birthday too, and so we've seenher go from little girl Now I
believe she's going to be 17this year, which is crazy to me,
but that's in Locust Fort, sothat's a local run.
(32:37):
I know that there's one inHighland Lake this weekend.
If you've never had theopportunity to run at Highland
Lake, you need to experience itat least one time.
It's very hilly.
Highland Lake was some of thefirst runs that I ever did and
it didn't deter me from wantingto run, even though they were
extremely difficult.
But if I'm not mistaken, Ithink that that run is to
(33:01):
benefit the animal shelter.
Yeah, I believe it is um.
And then we have in may.
Also on may 17th, um, theoneonta cross country team has
their own fundraiser.
Um, it's a's a you can have.
You can have your choice of a5k, 10k, 15k or 20k, and it's
(33:22):
all the same price.
You can pick whichever run thatyou want to do.
I believe it's a $49 run.
You get a t-shirt, but it's atPalisades, it's the race to the
tower, so it is a trail run,true trail run with true hills.
Oh yeah, uh, it's.
It's definitely not an easy run, but once you finish, once you
go across the finish line, yougo, you climb up the fire tower
(33:45):
and that's where your medal is.
And some people might be like,oh, I'm not doing that, I just I
won't get my medal.
Somebody can get it for you,because it's okay if you're
afraid of heights, but that issomething like kind of cool,
that's at the end of that run.
It's okay if you're afraid ofheights, but that is something
like kind of cool.
That's at the end of that runand you get all the way up that
fire tower and you can just lookacross and just see you know
all of the county, all of thecounty yes, but those are, those
(34:06):
are local runs that I know thatare coming up and of course, we
have ours in november, thesaturday before thanksgiving
every year but you have runslike in your communities also,
that we might not be exposed toon the other side of the world.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
whatever you do, those runs are important to
those people because they're alot of times.
I don't know of any run thatdoesn't have some sort of
benefit that they'rerepresenting, you know some sort
of nonprofit that theyrepresent.
That's the goal of the smallrun community.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Like we've talked about, we're going to start up a
run club.
You know like we want to have arun club that that just
promotes running itself, um, butbut the actual runs they're for
something.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
There's four yes, they are, and and we really want
you paying attention because Iwould say, in the next week or
two we are going to beintroducing our run club and a
couple of runs that we're goingto have this summer that will
also feed into our big run inNovember that we host.
We've got a lot of specialannouncements that are going to
be coming with the run and we'rejust trying to iron out the
(35:10):
last minute details and, onceagain, being small business,
it's another ball that we'vethrown into the juggling match.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Let's try to squeeze time into playing this.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Yes, but there is strategic reasons for the things
that we do.
While I say that we are flyingby the seat of the pants, we
also are not.
The things that we are pickingand doing and promoting are very
intentional, um, for what wesee.
As I don't know, and I can'tremember if we've talked about
vision on, if we've had specifictalks about having vision on
(35:47):
our podcast or not, I know thatI've talked to, uh, I've had
luncheons where I've spokenabout it to groups, but it's
very important that the thingsthat you're doing are going
towards your vision, yourultimate goals of what you're
trying to achieve.
And so, honestly too, I thinkit's really hard at the
beginning of a business and thebaby years of it, because you
(36:09):
are having to do so much.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Well, you're learning .
Speaker 1 (36:14):
You're on, you're learning, you're tired, you've
got dark circles in your eyesbecause you're not sleeping.
You're also trying to maintaina marriage, a home, a family.
You know those things don'tstop because you're, you know
you own a business.
So support your localbusinesses, and we're not just
(36:36):
talking about supportingsharecroppers, you know.
Support your local heating, andwe're not just talking about,
uh, supporting sharecroppers.
You know.
Support your local heating andair guy.
Yeah, support your local pestcontrols.
Um, support your local gasstation that is is ran, you know
, managed and ran by the peoplethat you go to church with.
Or support your local barbecuerestaurant.
(36:59):
And be thankful that there arepeople out there that are
willing to really sacrifice alot in order to have those
businesses.
They are not simply laying back, doing nothing and rolling in
the dough.
It's not happening.
It's not true.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
When we're making our Sam's Run, we're running across
those bakers that are gettingtheir five pound bags of
powdered sugar at the samegrocery store on the same
Saturday night.
When everyone else is outenjoying a Saturday night, we're
trying to plan for Monday.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yes, there's been times that I know we were going
in Sam's and Crystal fromCrystal's bakery was coming out.
We talked.
She just sent me a messagewhile we were doing this podcast
.
She was asking me if I neededsome cocoa, like those are the
things that, uh, small businessowners should be there for each
other, you know?
Or it's like hey, um, you know,um, laura at Alamance has
(37:51):
continued, said hey, if you'reout of cups, or you know, it's
anything like it's if you needsomething, or if I need
something, we should be able tocount on each other.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
I need a cup of sugar , or you know, whatever, um,
because we're all in thistogether, yeah, we really are
with you know, your relationshipwith christ or whatever, uh,
wherever you are in your journey, um, your, your faith, you know
we're all in it together andwe're all trying to find what
God's role is in our life andwhat our ministry is being able
(38:22):
to get with other people andtalk about that and to grow in
your faith.
It's super important to notisolate yourself.
You know, we talk about theimportance of actually going to
church and of actually being ina congregation, actually being
in a congregation, and it's notabout, you know, just receiving,
but it's about giving and it'sabout growing together as a body
(38:43):
of Christ.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
I would love to emphasize the importance of
going to church locally.
I don't want to step on anytoes but you know, when it came
to in the early days of thembuilding the church, you know,
and all the letters to thechurches, these were churches
that you know it was local tothem.
That's what the one that youknow, if they were in Corinth
(39:04):
they weren't going to go to thechurch that was in Ephesus.
You know, and I know you mightbe like well, you don't know,
the church hurt that I've had.
Or you know, I'm just, I wantto go to the here's.
Another thing, guys, you know Iwant to go to this church over
here that's bigger and has moreto offer.
Well, you know, once again, asa small business, I might not
(39:27):
have the things to offer thatsome of the bigger coffee shops
can.
It doesn't make it that.
It doesn't mean that mybusiness isn't good and that my
business isn't serving.
So same thing with the church.
Smaller churches might not haveas much to offer because they
don't have the hands and feetthere simply to offer or the
(39:48):
funding.
They need you, we need you inyour own community, ministering
to your community, not going toanother community and doing it.
And I'll just I don't know why Isaid that I'm just going to
leave that there.
I have no judgment about whereanybody's going to church, but I
think it's very important thatyou serve where you live.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Yeah well, the same concept of your word when it
comes to word of mouth for smallbusiness has so much importance
or impact on people's thoughts.
Your word when it comes tosupporting your local church and
actually representing Christhas so much impact because it is
your first-person perspective,it's your experience that you're
relaying to other people aboutwhat's happened in your life and
(40:32):
about what God is doing for you, and it matters.
A lot of people say I don'thave a testimony.
Yes, you do, yes, you do.
And it matters and the peoplewill listen to your testimony.
So I just encourage y'all youknow support your small business
, support your local churches,support your local run clubs.
Do everything you can toencourage people to better
themselves grow closer to theLord.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Support where you live and support your community.
Support where you live whereyou live, your community support
where you live.
Right, all right, we love y'alland we will see you next time.
May the lord bless you and keepyou and make his face shine
upon you.
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