Ahhh, what a nutty trip to NY!
Besides the craziness that starts with me flying in on a red eye and leaving on a red eye, I jammed my schedule with so many pow-wows and visits, that I think my head might've fallen off a couple times.
In one short week, our schedules were packed really tight, but highlights were definitely getting to see Food and Wine's Best New Chefs. Wowzers, they had one hell of a diverse line up that included a bunch of women as well. #woohoo!
Then our team spent the week visiting every single Whole Foods that we are now in! Holy cow, pinch me!!! We are honored as hell to be among so many great products in there so if you're in New York, Connecticut or New Jersey, go visit our Whole Foods display and straighten out the aprons for me, will ya?!
After all that, Cherry Bombe Jubilee rolled in on Saturday and was packed with some of the most epic women in the food space right now. I loved hearing Barbara Lynch's story and Kristen Kish asked all the questions. Both of them are bad ass women and Apron Squad members, so to hear them up there talking about their hustles was really inspiring. Having Barbara unashamedly talk about how she grew her empire out of literally nothing, I think it gave every single person in that room hope for their own dreams.
Elisabeth Prueitt, the lady behind Tartine was another highlight! She talked about the sh%t storms that went on in her life behind the scenes at Tartine and Manufactory... but to the eyes of the passerby seemed to be absolutely killing it. It just goes to remind us: You should never compare yourself to others, focus on your journey and making it the best it can be and stop comparing... because behind every pretty Instagram post, there's a lot of trials and tribulations that business owners are going through to make shit happen. Such is life in the fast lane.
Sunday, Hedley & Bennett was a part of the very first Jubilee marketplace. It was packed with fun vendors doing some really cool stuff and even more Apron Squad members I had never met so it was a treat spending the day with those ladies!
I also squeezed in a panel on "How to Start a Business on a Shoestring" alongside Macaron Parlour's Christina Ha, and La Newyorkina's Fany Gerson. It was moderated by my very good friend and Food & Wine's editor Jordana Rothman!
Some highlights from the talks:
- You should just begin, don't worry about having the fancy business cards and just get going on your dream. Nothing is going to be perfect and right at the beginning and there's loads of trial and error that come with the territory of starting a new company.
- Get a good accountant
- Figure out what your special and unique value proposition is and make sure you aren't copying other people's ideas. You are you and that's the most special and unique thing you've got so own it and hone in on what's your own special sauce.
- Be frugal and resourceful, if you don't have a ton of cash, barter your skills for advice and information you need. Get creative!
- Ask other business owners how they did it and TAKE NOTES.
- Listen to podcasts, the world is full of knowledge and it's there for the taking.
- Be your own cheerleader, many people will think your dream is cute but until you make it a reality. Prove it to yourself first and then everyone else that it is possible and make that shit happen!
- Be humble and keep your ear to the ground. Always find ways to improve especially when there's a mistake or an error in the mix. That's the PERFECT time and place to improve. Don't lose those chances.
- Realize that it takes balls, tenacity, courage and whole crap load of persistence to get something going in the world. That doesn't mean its not possible though, anything is possible.
- On the flip side, not everyone needs to be a business owner. If you want to be a part of an amazing team and help a company grow, that is VERY much needed in the world, so just find your tribe... aka a company where you can learn and help 'em grow along the way!
So there you have it, my NY Adventure #222. Hope you have one kick ass week and just remember, the dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately!