Fargo INC! June 2022 by Spotlight Media

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THE GREENHOUSE TEAM Fargo's newest collaborative team of advisors is ready to help. JUNE 2022

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Using SBA Lending to Put the ‘Success’ in Business Succession

A business sale is the end of one chapter of a business and the start of a new owner’s journey. Owners should plan for succession before it becomes a matter of urgency. By working with seasoned business advisors, they can avoid many common pitfalls and hiccups. Having the right financing in place is a critical part of any succession plan. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has become an increasingly popular choice to help with small business sales. Here are some key things to know about SBA financing and tips for a successful succession:

SBA lending is a good fit when selling your small business

Many small businesses don’t own major assets such as real estate or machinery that can be used as collateral to help obtain a commercial loan for financing acquisitions. SBA lenders, however, can use other factors to determine loan eligibility. They can focus on cash flow, the transition of business knowledge, and the skills of the buyer to evaluate if the business is likely to succeed, making SBA loans a viable option for many service business transactions.

Take the noise out of pandemic-era financial reports

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have been affected by abnormal business conditions. Make it easier to secure fair financing (and a fair price) by documenting unusual trends. Some well-run businesses may show a downward trend that is really the result of the pandemic. Others may show huge yearover-year gains, but only because one year was pandemic-affected. Buyers, sellers, and banks need to study and weigh financials carefully. (A tip: Make sure PPP loans are forgiven so they aren’t counted as debt.)

SBA loans may improve cash flow and flexibility

Another important difference is the 10-year term available for most non real estate SBA loans, compared to 5- or 7-year terms for many commercial loans. More time to repay means lower monthly payments, leaving the business with more monthly available income and better cash flow, increasing their ability to adapt and reinvest in the business as needed.

Working with an SBA preferred lender eliminates guesswork It’s smart to work with an SBA preferred lender when financing a business sale. These lenders have been recognized by the SBA as having expertise in its loan programs and can complete SBA loans more efficiently than common SBA lenders. SBA preferred lenders can help navigate rules which can impact business strategy and planning, such as borrowing limitations, the long-term role of the seller, or the potential implications of company stock sales versus asset acquisitions.

For an SBA loan (or any financing): Document, document, document

For any transition plan, it’s important to start early and pay special attention to documenting what makes a business work. In addition to financials, buyers and sellers should share details on key employees, proprietary business knowledge, and the role the owner plays in operations. Lenders will expect to see that knowledge documented and transferred. If you are considering buying or selling a business, whether it’s a partner buy-out, family transition, or third-party buyer, talk to the SBA loan experts at Alerus. As an SBA preferred lender, Alerus is ready to help you explore and develop your succession plan, including taking advantage of all the benefits SBA loans have to offer. Talk to us today to see how we can help you prepare for your next chapter.

For buyers, an SBA loan offers several advantages over most commercial loans, including better terms and the ability to include working capital in the loan to ease cash flow during the transition.

The information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Alerus does not provide legal or tax advice. Always consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation. Alerus Financial, N.A. is Member FDIC.

Meet the team MIKE

LEVI

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MEAGAN

JESSICA

KODI

KELLAN

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BRADY

KIM

GENEVA

GRANT

BEN

JOSIAH

NICK

PAUL

DEVAN

TARA

TOMMY

ROBERT

JOHN

Learn more about us at

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JUNE 2022 Volume 7 Issue 6

Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.

Publisher EDITORIAL Editorial Team Lead Editors Art Director Editorial Graphic Designers Creative Strategist Contributors

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Mike Dragosavich Brady Drake FargoInc@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Geneva Nodland, Grant Ayers Kim Cowles Levi Dinh, Ty Betts Josiah Kopp Shawn Peterson, Ladyboss Midwest, Shontarius D. Aikens, Brandi Malarkey, John Machacek Nick Schommer Kellen Feeney

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You may already be familiar with our Faces of Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo publication which we publish once per year in order to highlight the faces behind all of the great businesses in the community.

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Banking Different 24

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"I think one thing the bank has done a good job with is moving towards technology that allows us to make decisions locally, faster, rather than wait certain time periods or meetings—things like that. I think some of banking systems are antiquated—they stick with the ways things were always done. We're just able to do business more efficiently and faster for our clients."

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Fair Hills Resort is home to many special memories for family and friends, but they host another group of individuals who have quite a bit of fun. Companies from all different areas and industries have traveled to the resort for games, boating and loads of fun. The team at Spotlight was recently welcomed by Fair Hills Resort for just that!

Working with the Fair Hills team was seamless. From planning the events to preparing the menu to any other logistical pieces, our day went off without a hitch. They executed all of the activities and took care of everything so that our team could enjoy our retreat.” - Jenny Johnson

When we think of “work retreat” many different things could cross our minds, but your next office trip might be closer than you think. Fair Hills Resort, located on Pelican Lake near Detroit Lakes, offers a variety of accommodations for conferences, retreats, workshops and more. Spotlight visited the resort for a day full of team-building activities, delicious food and good company. Arriving at the resort, our team was welcomed by the Fair Hills Resort staff and was shown around the main area at the resort. We spent our morning in the Pavilion, a spacious area that doubled as a minute-to-win-it challenge ring and a meeting place for our group.

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They offered us a variety of different team-building exercises and games and were able to find activities for everyone to enjoy. Everyone especially enjoyed our round of karaoke!

The highlight of the day was being a part of the annual Big Pelican Boat launch, where their 55-foot boat is launched into the water for the first time that year. Once in, our crew loaded onto the boat and got a cruise around the beautiful Pelican Lake, complete with a full food and beverage service on board.

JUNE 2022

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Fair Hills has a variety of amenities and spaces to host whatever your company might need for your visit to the lake!

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No matter who your company is, or what you do, you can find a fulfilling day at Fair Hills Resort. They have hosted groups ranging from exercise equipment companies to religious groups to class reunions to farm credit services to tech companies—the sky is the limit for the team at Fair Hills!

Once we docked, we waited our last few moments at the resort in the lobby, some around the crackling fire, some talking with new friends, and, yes, some visiting the gift shop. From the easy planning beforehand to the impeccable service while visiting, and even to the heartfelt goodbye as we loaded onto our bus back, our team was thoroughly impressed with our retreat out to Fair Hills Resort!

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Vareberg Engineering: 25 Years of Excellence Built on a Stellar Husband-Wife Duo Emmy Vareberg

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JUNE 2022

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The Vareberg family. (Left to right) Morgan, Emmy, Troy and Adam

By Brady Drake

At the heart of every great business is a founder, or in this case two, who worked tirelessly to turn vision into reality. At Vareberg Engineering, the founding story looks a little different than most. FARGOINC.COM

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A Company is Born Emmy and Troy Vareberg developed a friendship when Emmy was in high school and Troy, who is two years older, was attending North Dakota State University for Electrical Electronics Engineering. It just so happened that Emmy would go on to study Industrial Engineering and Management at NDSU. Their relationship only grew from there. The couple married shortly after Emmy graduated and moved to Iowa where Troy worked for the Department of Energy at Iowa State University as a Facilities Engineer and Emmy worked for a couple of health systems as a Management Engineer. Then, they had their first child, Adam. "It was just time for us to come back," Emmy said. "Fargo is a great place to raise a family. There is nothing like

Fargo. We both have family here that we wanted to be closer to." Not only was it a great place to raise a family, but the area was also ripe for opportunities in the engineering field and Emmy and Troy began wondering if it might be best for their business careers to work together. At the same time, Troy was exploring a number of employment options at firms in the area before a former client of his asked, "Why would you work for someone else? You have the experience. Just go out on your own. I'll give you your first job." Shortly after that conversation, Emmy and Troy realized that things would work best if Emmy could do the management side of things and Troy could do the engineering and design side of things. From there, Vareberg Engineering was born.

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"We really only go after projects we're interested in pursuing. We don't go after everything. We go after things we're passionate about. We also do a lot of work with past clients we enjoy working with. We don't do a lot of marketing or sales pitches."

PROVIDED BY VAREBERG ENGINEERING "It hasn't happened for a while. But maybe five, six years ago, I had some potential clients that still thought I worked out of my home," Troy said By not pushing to get its name out there and by not going after every project available, Vareberg Engineering stands out from the pack in two distinct ways:

1. They Are Available Because Vareberg Engineering doesn't take on every single project, they have the opportunity to jump at things that pique their interest. "We like to provide excellent customer service and a high quality product for our clients," Emmy said. "We have an amazing staff that prides themselves on quality work. We try to balance the work load so we are able to get our projects done in a timely fashion".

2. They Do Quality Work Working on projects like the SCHEELS store, the Fargodome, First Community Credit Union and countless other high-level projects, Vareberg Engineering's quality of work speaks for itself. But that quality isn't the product of happenstance, it's the product of 25 years of quality work which started with building design and has since expanded into industrial as well as oil and gas services. The Vareberg Engineering team, which currently consists of eight engineers and additional support staff, has completed projects in 42 states and territories, including Hawaii and American Samoa.

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The Importance of Family We all know entrepreneurship can be busy, however, the Varebergs believe that their entrepreneurial pursuits have actually made them into a stronger couple. "When we started, the biggest thing was that we wanted to have control over our own destiny," Troy said. "Plus we were just starting a family and you hear all these horror stories about parents that work themselves to the bone and don't have time for family. We pretty much promised ourselves when we started this that we were not going to let owning a business interfere with having a reasonable family life. Our kids were both multi-sport kids and also involved in other activities. And I can count on one hand the number of times we missed their activities. That was really important to us." And they've tried to pass that same privilege on to the rest of their team. "We want our staff to maintain a healthy work/family balance and think we manage to do that so they can participate in family activities, go to their kids' school programs and events, etc.," Emmy said.

That doesn't mean the Varebergs didn't have to make sacrifices along the way. "Yes, we would take the time to go to those family things, but once the kids went to bed at eight o'clock, we would start working again," Troy said. "There was actually a point where I was getting close to burnout. And that's another great thing about having each other in the same office. I can see when she's getting stressed and it's time to backup. And she can see when I'm getting stressed. That allows us to help each other. We know when we need to be a cheerleader for each other and we know when we need to be the coach that says, 'let's take a step back so we don't overdo it.' "

"For over 20 years, Scheels has been utilizing the electrical engineering expertise of Vareberg Engineering. Their ability to design complex systems that are user-friendly and solve the ongoing challenges in today's construction industry is a true testament to their high-caliber team. We can always count on Troy and his team to help enhance the Scheels Customer Experience." -Jason Loney, VP of Store Development, SCHEELS

What's Next?

"I would like to increase our size a little bit," Troy said. "I'd like to maybe have multiple offices to help serve our out-of-state clients. Right now, we're strictly electrical, but we've talked about getting into the mechanical side of things. We've held off on that for now."

Vareberg Engineering

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SUPPORTING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL COMMUNITY There's a new business in town looking to build the Fargo business scene. In a world of businesses and people who are self-serving sits Fargo, North Dakota, a community that has shined through for its residents' eagerness to help their neighbors both personally and professionally. And we've just added another business with those principles at the forefront of its mission.

JUNE 2022

(Left to Right)

Patrick Metzger, Carissa Metzger, Preston Braathen & Allison Weckman

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The Greenhouse, an idea-generating and collaborative community space focused on professional and personal growth through meaningful and impactful coaching, workshops and trainings, was established in early 2022 with the goal of helping businesses, individuals and the larger community in just about any way possible.

JUNE 2022

Patrick Metzger, the organization's founder, has been working with businesses over the past four years as an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) implementer. EOS is all about: • Vision - Creating a consistent vision followed throughout your entire organization.

• People - Getting the right people in the right seats doing what they're absolutely best at. • Data - Developing a pulse on your business through simple tracking of key metrics and measurables. • Issues - Effectively identifying, discussing and solving key issues once and for all.

OFFERINGS AND EXPERTISE INCLUDE: • Certified EOS Implementation • Velocity Master Minds • Organizational Execution • Team Health & Functionality • Employee Connection • High Performance • Strategic Planning • Manager Training • Communication • Leadership

• Processes - Documenting core processes that define exactly how your business is run. • Traction - Bringing discipline and accountability into the organization to execute your vision. While the EOS process is a main component of helping businesses and

getting them in The Greenhouse door, it is far from the only method.

The Greenhouse team also offers a number of other trainings, workshops and certifications including:

VELOCITY MASTERMINDS -

A business and personal growth accelerating peer group. Facilitator: Patrick Metzger

5 DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM WORKSHOP -

Inspired by Patrick Lencioni's The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, this one-day workshop will walk you through all five dysfunctions while helping to provide you with tools to address those dysfunctions in your organization. Facilitator: Patrick Metzger

UPLEVELING YOUR LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP J. ALAN PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY

JODEE BOCK

Jodee Bock is a former national champion, a force in the Fargo-Moorhead community and the first of what Patrick hopes is many unique coaches/consultants operating as an arm of The Greenhouse.

This workshop is focused on creating more effective leaders. Facilitator: Patrick Metzger

THE GREENHOUSE HEALTHY TEAM CERTIFICATION -

This two six-hour days certification takes your team through six key areas, assessments and tools in order to create a healthier and higherfunctioning team. Facilitator: Patrick Metzger

THE 6 TYPES OF WORKING GENIUS WORKSHOP -

This 2-4 hour workshop is all about giving you a new perspective on how to use the talents within your team. Facilitator: Patrick Metzger

PUTTING YOUR PERSONAL P.O.W.E.R TO WORK FOR YOU This 1-2 hour customizable workshop is designed to help you tap into Purpose, Open-mindedness, Wisdom, Energy and Responsibility. Faciliator: Jodee Bock

REAL IMPACT: LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE BY COMMUNICATING This 7-hour workshop is designed to help you establish a better relationship with yourself and others. Faciliator: Jodee Bock

R.E.A.L ME INTENSIVE COURSE -

This 2-hour per session, six-week course will help attendees get rid of the fake and tap into the real. Facilitator: Jodee Bock

JUNE 2022

The idea is for The Greenhouse to start with these base trainings, workshops and certifications as well as keynote talks and book studies to help businesses cultivate a community. From there, the goal is to continue using these tools while growing the community and picking up other tools along the way to introduce to clients, in part, from the community they have cultivated. During our interview, Patrick layed it out beautifully as to why everything could unfold the way The Greenhouse envisions it. According to him, it's all about intentionality. "It's all about intentionality," Patrick said. "When there are networking events, there are people that take the event as an opportunity

JUNE 2022

to get a free lunch. Then, there are others that take them as an opportunity to learn something or meet someone. We want to create a community with people who are like-minded and looking to make a difference. You have capabilities, but you really have no idea what they truly are until you surround yourself with people that have similar goals and drive. When you do that, it's exponential." Patrick practices that intentionality as well— even in the hiring process.

IT'S ALL ABOUT INTENTIONALITY. WHEN THERE ARE NETWORKING EVENTS, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT TAKE THE EVENT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A FREE LUNCH. THEN, THERE ARE OTHERS THAT TAKE THEM AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SOMETHING OR MEET SOMEONE. WE WANT TO CREATE A COMMUNITY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE-MINDED AND LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YOU HAVE CAPABILITIES, BUT YOU REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY TRULY ARE UNTIL YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIMILAR GOALS AND DRIVE. WHEN YOU DO THAT, IT'S EXPONENTIAL." -Patrick Metzger

ALLISON WECKMAN

Director of Operations Allison Weckman's path to The Greenhouse was a direct reflection of Patrick's intentionality. "Honestly what attracted me here was the job posting," Allison said.

That job posting didn't focus on skills or technical requirements. "We can teach those," Patrick said. Instead, the job posting asked for a person of a specific personality type. "I read the job posting and it was asking things like, 'are you a person that throws away a piece of trash that is sitting on the sidewalk?,' and I was like, 'yes!,'" Allison said. "And I just kept going down the list and kept saying yes." Within the company, part of Allison's current role involves helping with onboarding clients that are looking to go through the EOS implementation process.

PATRICK METZGER

CEO/Founder Patrick Metzger is the CEO/ Founder of The Greenhouse. He is a serial entrepreneur, one of 485 certified EOS implementers in the entire world, a business coach and speaker, and is deeply passionate about helping the business community in Fargo Moorhead.

MEET THE TEAM

JUNE 2022

PRESTON BRAATHEN

Director of Business Development Preston Braathen joined The Greenhouse team full-time after working for Metzger parttime in 2021. "When I came on full-time, I really had the opportunity to look at the full scope of businesses that Metzger had," Braathen said. "We realized with The Greenhouse that it was really about community feel. It's going to allow all of the businesses to come together and develop more relationships and come up with more ideas together. That's what I'm drawn to."

Patrick attributes his success with Alliaon's hire to the book Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by Richard Diviney

CARISSA METZGER Champion Wife of Operations Two years ago, Carisa Metzger left her job as a Project Manager at Marvin Windows to help Patrick who needed help because he was a solopreneur at the time. She has a hand in almost all things operational within the business.

HOW THEY'RE DIFFERENT WHERE TO FIND THEM

3953 4th St E West Fargo, ND 58078 701-412-1710 info@growing4success.com Facebook: @TheGreenhouseWFND Linkedin: the-greenhouse-wf Instagram: thegreenhousewfnd

JUNE 2022

"When you look at typical training or consulting, the trainer or consultant usually brings you their training or consulting and that's it," Patrick said. "Our big goal of this is to bring all of those people closer together. We want to try to help those people grow so they can help other people grow for the greater good of all of it." It doesn't matter how a person or business enters The Greenhouse ecosystem. "It doesn't matter if it's through Velocity Master Minds or if it’s through trainings and offering or EOS implementation," Patrick said. "The goal is to help businesses. Sometimes the solution for a business might not be us. It might be someone else in our community or someone else in the Fargo-Moorhead community. That's okay. We are for the greater good." Whatever the business or individual is looking for, it starts, according to The Greenhouse team, with "really digging in

and learning about a business's hurdles and goals, and then addressing them." "This is kind of similar to what I tried to create a while back with a group called PM & Associates," Patrick said. "But with that, we didn't have a physical space. We didn't have an umbrella that was really clear either. This is like rehashing an awesome idea that includes all of the major components that were missing from it during the first go around. I also learned that it was really important to find people that aligned with my mission. Preston left a better-paying job to completely roll the dice on something like this. Allison was in a very stable position and left to join us. It's all about finding people looking to grow and make a difference."

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JENNY SHEETS ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAMS MANAGER By Brady Drake

JUNE 2022

enny Sheets was born and bred on the northern plains, from Fargo to Billings and up to the mountains of western Montana. She spent her childhood in Fargo and was lucky enough to spend summers in Montana visiting family. When everyone else headed east to the lakes, she was the "weird kid" who headed west toward sagebrush and rimrocks. Jenny bounced around for college but ultimately finished proudly at MSUM with a BA in English and Philosophy. The top-notch education she received at MSUM ("long live the humanities!") shaped who she is today, and she is lucky enough to still be in contact with several of her former professors. Post-graduation, she was about to head to Syracuse for law school but a strange detour took her on a six-month solo backpacking trip to South America that greatly changed her trajectory.

She spent the next 15 years in Montana earning a Masters degree in Public Administration from Montana State and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana, all while skiing, trail running, mountain biking and floating the rivers. When she decided to grow up ("only a little") and have a baby, she and her husband made the choice to move closer to family and bought a house sight-unseen in Moorhead. Although the move was scary, and nothing could have prepared them for the winter they erased from their memories, she says she never felt more at home than being back in the Fargo-Moorhead area again. Jenny works at Emerging Prairie, an organization created to energize the startup ecosystem, and is able to meet incredible founders and community builders every single day.

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What is your favorite thing about your professional life?

JUNE 2022

I can't believe how much people share with me about founding their companies and I couldn't be more honored. No matter the stage of the company, whether a student is dreaming up an idea or someone is raising $10 million, I get to hear about people's passions and what drove them to build their business. I also love that Emerging Prairie is

extremely fast-paced and exciting—even in the office! From the Emerging Digital Academy school in the Prairie Den to the Grand Farm activity happening in the fields to events like Possibility Summit and Prairie Capital, there is always something going on, which I love.

What are three unique facts about yourself?

I got to throw a basketball from the free-throw line after a Minnesota Timberwolves game. Alas, I did not make it.

I have never had a cavity.

I spent 10 days hiking around Antarctica. It was warmer than winter in Fargo.

What are some of your favorite things about the FargoMoorhead area?

One of my favorite things about the FM area is the diversity of restaurants! I love that I can have incredible bagels and schmear for breakfast, authentic Thai food for lunch and then delicious Ethiopian food for dinner. The options are endless. I am also in love with all of the green space in Fargo, which is a huge improvement from when I grew up here. We have always had nice parks, but now there are trails for hiking

and biking, river improvement projects and even more open space than before. And last but not least, the people. Everyone says this, but it's true: Fargo-Moorhead is about the people. This is one of the best places to put down roots because of the willingness of neighbors and total strangers to network, introduce, and support each other. As we say at Emerging Prairie, a rising tide lifts all boats.

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If you weren't working in your current profession, what would you be doing? I'm a little scatterbrained with my passions, but I'd have to say if I wasn't working at Emerging Prairie, my dream job would be some sort of organic farmer with an agritourism business, writing a collection of essays at night, teaching at the university part-time and leading outdoor classes for Nature of the North. That's reasonable, right?

What are some things you like to do in your spare time? Being outdoors and active is a big part of my life. I must get outside everyday, even if it's just for a quick walk. If I have a little more time I love to long-distance run, mountain bike or cruise on my townie bike, cross country ski in the winter and forage in the summer. If it's too cold, you'll find me working on my art projects, cooking, reading, writing, and playing with my son, Henry Danger.

What are three books or podcasts you recommend people check out? I wonder if I am the only person on earth who doesn't listen to podcasts. I can't find the time! But I am an avid reader, so I have thousands of recommendations. I am a big fan of creative nonfiction and fiction. Some of my non-fiction favorites include: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. For fiction, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, no shame. Other fiction favorites include The Round House by Louise Erdrich and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (I couldn't put it down!).

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If you could change or impact one thing in our business community, what would it be? I would love to encourage more women to start a business and/ or consider getting into private capital. We need more women as founders, executive leaders and fund managers. It can be scary, especially when you don't see yourself represented in "the business world" so my advice is to reach out to women who are running their own business and ask them about their experience, contact the North Dakota Women's Business Center website (www.ndwbc.com) for resources, and reach out to me at jennys@emergingprairie.com if you want to get connected but don't know how!

What are three business tips you can give?

Nobody really knows what they're doing, even the guy in the intimidating suit. Business is risky and scary, no matter who you are or what you're doing. Take it one step at a time, one breath at a time.

Build your community of other founders or people of similar industries. If you are starting a business or running a business, no one will understand you quite like other business owners. Reach out.

JUNE 2022

Advice is free so take it sparingly and with caution.

By Grant Ayers

The Advice That Helped him Get There Jonathan holth

Jona than Hol th’s E n d e a vors Community

& Client Dev elopment Manager, JL G Architects Co-Owner, T he Toasted F rog Co-Owner, T he Urban Sta mpede

JOSIAH KOPP

JUNE 2022

What it takes for success The path to success is hardly ever traveled alone, and rarely comes without a few bumps in the road. There's often a multitude of factors that play into one person's climb to the top of their ranks. We spoke with a handful of determined and successful people with ties to the FargoMoorhead area regarding what, and who, they believe helped them find success in the area we're proud to call home.

The first location of The Toasted Frog debuted in May of 2006.

Jonathan Holth has a busy work schedule, to say the least. Holth is a co-owner of the revitalized Urban Stampede in Grand Forks, as well as a co-owner of The Toasted Frog, which boasts three locations (Fargo, Grand Forks and Bismarck). On top of that, he’s acted as the Community & Client Development Manager at JLG Architects for the past four years, specializing in corporate business development. Today, he’s balancing his multiple ventures while raising a family that includes three young children.

His life may not have always been this much of a juggling act, but his business ventures didn’t get to the status they’re at today without putting in the necessary work. Holth stated that “I used to spend a lot of late nights and weekends building them. In business ownership, you don’t get to clock out. Ever.” However, after putting in the work to get them off the ground, he was able to change his position within the business. “It reached a point where I had a very high-quality business partnership and team management in each location, where I felt comfortable

stepping away from the dayto-day operations. I was able to then work full-time for JLG and still stay involved with the businesses in terms of strategy and overseeing management, but it didn’t come without the necessary work I had to put in to get there.” Over the years, he’s learned advice through firsthand experience, trial and error and plenty of other learning moments that shaped Holth into the entrepreneur he is today. Holth was happy to share a handful of the tips and tricks for success when pursuing a business venture.

Don’t try to be an expert at everything. When my business partner and I started our business, we tried to build everything from the ground up by ourselves. We quickly realized that by not hiring other experts, we were stretching ourselves too thin and it was costing us more money, stress and pain in the long term.

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The most important decision you'll make will be selecting the people that you partner with and employ. Everything will fall into place if you can surround yourself with people with the right intentions.

The Urban S t acquir ed by a mpede was his business Hol th and in June of 2 par tners 020.

Stay agile and nimble and be able to change quickly. When you go in and have an idea, you’ll often realize that the public will want something different. The original idea for The Toasted Frog was a high-end bar with small plates of food. However, people were craving a different style than what was available in the community at the time, so we began offering full entrees and more soon after we opened.

Fun Fact!

The Urban St ampede is the oldest co ffee shop in North Dakot a.

Offer non-traditional employment packages that stick out.

Offering job qualities that most businesses have (the hospitality industry, in our case) will be a huge help when attracting and retaining employees. Nontraditional qualities that we offer include 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, paying employees while they’re in treatment if needed so they don’t fall behind on rent and allowing a simple mental health day if necessary. Their health matters to us and the business side can wait if need be. While these are unique to our requirements, a little compassion can go a long way for employees.

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#5 Do what brings you joy.

I’ve come to realize that I’m not interested in doing anything that doesn’t either bring me joy or joy to other people. Everything that I do in my career for all of the businesses that I work for, I look for a tie-in at the end to create that joy. If you don’t see the connection, it’s best to nip it in the bud as quickly as you can.

Don’t assume that your ideas are always the best. Most of the time, they’re not going to be the best. A lot of our menu comes from customer dialogue and just trying out things that people want to see and seeing what sticks. It’s best to listen to others and what people want. After all, they’re going to be the ones coming back time and time again.

While Holth may have learned many of these through personal moments, it’s rare that successful people don’t climb the ranks without mentorship. When asked who some of his biggest mentors were, he was quick to state two that he was thankful to have during his journey. “I really leaned on my dad a lot. He was sort of a serial entrepreneur, buying and selling a number of businesses over the years,” Holth said. “He’s the person I go to for advice since he understands business and kindness, and those two don’t always mix easily. From a consulting perspective, the price is right since he has to take my calls!” “Kim Holmes was my primary mentor in the restaurant industry. He was the one that told me I had a career in the business if I wanted it. The next thing you know, I dropped out of college and pursued that vision. I got to see firsthand when working for him that he was always one to take care of and believe in his people from the beginning. That was before it was the norm to advertise and push that from a leadership perspective,” Holth said.

Support the Businesses The Toasted Frog - Fargo, ND (701) 478-7888 toastedfrog.com

The Urban Stampede - Grand Forks, ND (701) 757-0932 theurbanstampede.com

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OFFICE SH

GREAT NORTH INSURANCE SERV

Photos by Geneva Nodland

ince its founding in 2010, Great North Insurance Services has made major strides as a company. In 2016, they were named one of the top 50 places to work in the northern plains by Prairie Business. And in 2020, they opened their beautiful new office at Great North Plaza. Recently, we were fortunate enough to photograph the space and present it to you!

JUNE 2022

OTS!

VICES

Did you know? That the Great North Insurance Services office is located in the Great North Plaza which also houses Optimal Chiropractic.

OFFICE SHOTS! GRET A NORTH INSURANCE SERVICES

Did you know? Hub International Limited purchased Great North Insurance Services? Just this May, Great North Insurance Services was purchased by Hub International Limited, a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm and the largest privately-owned independent agency in the world. "Being acquired by Hub will allow us to add additional products and services and work with anyone and everyone in the state of North Dakota and western Minnesota," Killoran said.

JUNE 2022

OFFICE SHOTS! GRET A NORTH INSURANCE SERVICES

Did you know? GNIS purchased Corwin? Great North Insurance Services purchased Corwin Insurance, a subsidiary of Corwin Automotive Group. "The purchase of Corwin wasn't really something we were necessarily looking for," Founder of GNIS Nick Killoran said. "It was just a really great opportunity to add some talented individuals to our existing team."

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OFFICE SHOTS! GRET A NORTH INSURANCE SERVICES

JUNE 2022

Game-Changing Books

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Spencer Johnson

"This is a 1990s business classic. I read it when we were going through a merger. It taught me that even though I thought we had a strong organization, you always have to find ways to improve. In our new organization, we live by the motto 'If you’re not growing, you’re dying.'" - Cathryn Sprynczynatyk, Director of Leadership Bismarck-Mandan for the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC

JUNE 2022

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE by Charlie Mackesy

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse revolves around the adventures of four unlikely creatures who, despite being very different, learn how to help each other. The author states he hopes the book encourages everyone to live courageously with more kindness for themselves and others and to spread their wings and follow their dreams despite their weaknesses.

ZIG ZIGLAR'S SECRETS OF CLOSING THE SALE by Zig Ziglar

Everyone has to “sell” their ideas and themselves to be successful. This new guide by America’s #1 professional in the art of persuasion focuses on the most essential part of the sale—how to make them say “Yes, I will!”

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

THE SALES DEVELOPMENT PLAYBOOK

Dale Carnegie has proven time and time again that his advice is worth paying attention to. With dozens of techniques to not only influence others but also develop connections, it's clear why this book has sold over 15 million copies.

This book encapsulates author Trish Bertuzzi's three decades of practical, hands-on experience. It presents six elements for building new pipelines and accelerating revenue growth with inside sales.

by Dale Carnegie

COACHING SALESPEOPLE INTO SALES CHAMPIONS by Keith Rosen

Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions is a winning playbook for managers who need to strengthen and invigorate their sales team through executive sales coaching.

SABBATH

by Trish Bertuzzi

by Wayne Muller While many of the books on this list teach the reader productivity and leadership skills, few focus on how to rest and recharge. Sabbath emphasizes a healthy work-life balance, restoring creativity and taking a little time for ourselves.

TRACTION: GET A GRIP ON YOUR BUSINESS

THE FIRE STARTER SESSIONS by Danielle LaPorte

LaPorte goes against the grain with her teaching in The Fire Starter Sessions. Rather than offer everyday advice, she reframes what self-help is to achieve success in new ways.

LEAN IN

by Gino Wickman

by Sheryl Sandberg

Traction teaches the reader how to use their business rather than let their business use them. Through the book, Wickman identifies the six key components of any business and how to use them to your advantage.

With Lean In, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg brings the focus back to the women. Blending education with humor, Sandberg offers fresh negotiation tactics, mentor advice and different techniques to climb the career ladder.

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GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

15 SECRETS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT by Kevin Kruse

Many employees list time management as one of their top goals to improve. However, few actually follow through and change. Author Kevin Kruse teaches the reader how to handle stress, improve productivity and leave work on time without falling behind.

GETTING TO YES

by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straightforward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry or getting taken.

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THE SPARK, THE FLAME, AND THE TORCH

THE SALES ACCELERATION FORMULA

Secretan's The Spark, The Flame, and the Torch offers a perspective that extends a bit further than the workplace. The book aims for audiences to rethink how they look at organizations, listening, leading others and much more.

The Sales Acceleration Formula provides a scalable, predictable approach to growing revenue and building a winning sales team. It’s about taking a datadriven approach in order to develop a repeatable process to streamline the sales cycle, remove friction, and get leads “across the finish line” more quickly.

by Lance Secretan

by Mark Roberge

GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

SALES ENGAGEMENT

by Manny Medina, Max Altschuler and Mark Kosoglow

THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP

Sales Engagement is how you engage and interact with your potential buyer to create connection, grab attention and generate enough interest to create a buying opportunity. ‘Sales Engagement’ details the modern way to build the top of the funnel and generate qualified leads for B2B companies.

by Robert Cialdini

by John C. Maxwell

Maxwell, an author with over 30 years of leadership experience, has gained insight from the worlds of sports, business, military conflict and more. Now, he's combined them all to craft a guide to successful leadership that works across all fields.

Never Split the Difference takes negotiation tactics to a new level. Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, takes his career strategies and shows others how to effectively implement them into everyday negotiations.

SALES EQ

JUNE 2022

NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE

ROCKET FUEL

by Jeb Blount

by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters

In Sales EQ, Jeb Blount takes you on an unprecedented journey into the behaviors, techniques, and secrets of the highest-earning salespeople in every industry and field.

A good business plan can be worth nothing if there isn't a plan to execute it. In Rocket Fuel, the idea of balance between a "Visionary" and an "Integrator" is put on full display to show that success is much more attainable with an action plan.

THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG by David Schwartz

THE TRANSPARENCY SALE

The Magic of Thinking Big offers useful and realistic methods for achieving success. Throughout the book, Dr. Schwartz showcases techniques to make the most of personal relationships, finances, social influence and more.

THINKING, FAST AND SLOW by Daniel Kahneman

by Todd Caponi

In this groundbreaking book, award-winning sales leader Todd Caponi will reveal his hard-earned secrets for engaging potential buyers with unexpected honesty and understanding the buying brain to get the deal you want, while delighting your customer with the experience.

Thinking, Fast and Slow is all about how two systems — intuition and slow thinking — shape our judgment, and how we can effectively tap into both. Using principles of behavioral economics, Kahneman walks us through how to think and avoid mistakes in situations when the stakes are really high.

GET A GRIP

by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton

Wickman and Paton's Get A Grip tells the fabled story of Swan Services, their company stuck in a rut, and how they resolved its issues through implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System®.

SALES MANAGER SURVIVAL GUIDE by David A. Brock

Finally! The definitive guide to the toughest, most challenging, and most rewarding job in sales. Front Line Sales Managers have to do it all – often without anyone showing them the ropes.

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VALUABLE INSIGHT SOUND ADVICE We provide a range of services to address your business and legal issues.

fredlaw.com/fargo

FI050622

Corporate Attorneys: Michael Raum David Tibbals

GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

GOOD TO GREAT by Jim Collins

Jim Collins spent years analyzing the leaps that companies make to go from mildly successful to large-scale profits. The findings of the "Good to Great" study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice.

PROFIT FIRST!

EXTREME OWNERSHIP

by Mike Michalowicz

by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

Author Mike Michalowicz, known for successful books including The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, is back with his biggest hit yet. Profit First showcases simple, yet effective solutions that can help small businesses boom and achieve instant profitability.

SALES MANAGEMENT. SIMPLIFIED. by Mike Weinberg

Packed with examples and anecdotes, Sales Management. Simplified. offers a proven formula for prospecting, developing, and closing deals— in your time, on your terms.

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GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

BUILT TO LAST

by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras Authors Collins and Porras examined eighteen companies of different sizes from their beginning to the present day. Built to Last acts as a blueprint for organizations of all sizes, ranging from growth to potential setbacks and beyond.

THE HARD THING ABOUT HARD THINGS by Ben Horowitz

Filled with Horowitz's trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from his personal and often humbling experiences.

START WITH WHY

ENTRELEADERSHIP

Start With Why asks (and answers) the questions: why are some people more innovative, influential and profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees? Author Simon Sinek started a movement that inspired millions to demand purpose at work.

Radio and podcast host Dave Ramsey shares his wisdom from over 20 years of business interactions and experiences. In EntreLeadership, Ramsey shows the reader how to inspire and unify their team, handle their money properly, set (and reach) attainable goals and much more.

CHANGE OR DIE

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

In this inspiring, revelatory book, Deutschman helps deconstruct and demystify five age-old myths about change, including the notions that small, gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain, and that we can’t change because our brains become “hardwired” early in life.

In this inspiring business and self-help book, Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles based on a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.

by Simon Sinek

by Alan Deutschman

by Dave Ramsey

by Stephen R. Covey

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GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

A SIMPLE GUIDE TO TECHNICAL SALES AND FIELD APPLICATION ENGINEERING by Russell Jay Williamson

THE ULTIMATE SALES MACHINE

Thinking about launching a new career or progressing in your existing career as a field application engineer or a technical sales professional? Do you dream of a career visiting and helping engineers in multiple industries, international travel and a great salary earned using your ever-increasing technical knowledge? If so, then this is the book for you.

by Jeffrey Gitomer

by Chet Holmes With practical tools, reallife examples, and proven strategies presented in Holmes’ signature tell-itlike-it-is style, this book will show you how to perfect sales interactions, land your dream clients and teach your team to work smarter, rather than harder.

Gitomer's 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling offers more than a simple list of inspirational quotes. The book teaches readers how to communicate more effectively, earn referrals and testimonials without asking, create a loyal customer base and much more.

THE 10X RULE by Grant Cardone

The 10x Rule unveils the principle of "Massive Action," allowing you to blast through business cliches and riskaversion while taking concrete steps to reach your dreams. It also demonstrates why people get stuck in the first three actions and how to move into making "The 10x Rule" a discipline.

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21.5 UNBREAKABLE LAWS OF SELLING

ESSENTIALISM by Greg McKeown

Essentialism is more than a time-management strategy or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.

THE SELLING REVOLUTION

TO SELL IS HUMAN

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELLING

In The Selling Revolution, DJ Sebastian warns describes the proven strategies that sales professionals can quickly adopt to help them prosper in this new world. This book equips readers with strategies to build strong, lasting customer relationships and helps them advance to elite sales performance.

To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. Pink reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extraverts don't make the best salespeople and shows how giving people an off-ramp for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.

The purpose of this book is to give you a series of ideas, methods, strategies, and techniques that you can use immediately to make more sales, faster and easier than ever before.

HACKING SALES

SELLING WITH EASE

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

by DJ Sebastian

by Max Altschuler

Hacking Sales helps you transform your sales process using the next generation of strategies. Altschuler displays the most effective changes you can make to evolve your sales. The reader walks through the entire sales process, learning critical hacks every step of the way.

by Daniel H. Pink

by Chris Murray

There are four distinct steps to every business transaction employed by all successful salespeople – and it’s the understanding and execution of those four steps that separates the elite from the rest of the pack.

by Brian Tracy

by Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton

From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success.

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GAME-CHANGING BOOKS

HOW TO GET A MEETING WITH ANYONE by Stu Heinecke

THE INTROVERT’S EDGE

How to Get a Meeting with Anyone provides you with a new toolkit you can put to work right away so you can make the connections that are essential to your success. Through real-life success stories, Heinecke lays out 20 categories of Contact Campaigns that anyone can research and execute. He also packs in plenty of tips on how to determine your targets, develop pitches, and gain allies in your contact's circle of influence.

by Matthew Pollard & Derek Lewis

EAT THEIR LUNCH: WINNING CUSTOMERS AWAY FROM YOUR COMPETITION by Anthony Iannarino

Known as “The Rapid Growth Guy”, author Matthew Pollard shares how introverts can feel equally comfortable and sincere in the sales world as well without changing who they are. In his book, he reveals how to maintain natural confidence, properly prepare for any situation, leverage the power of a sale and much more.

The first-ever playbook for B2B salespeople on how to win clients and customers who are already being serviced by your competition, from the author of The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need and The Lost Art of Closing.

INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION by Robert Cialdini

Dr. Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based, peerreviewed scientific research, as well as a three-year field study on what moves people to change behavior, is sure to inspire any reader. Influence proves itself to be a comprehensive guide to using these principles effectively to amplify your ability to change the behavior of others.

JUNE 2022

THE NO. 1 BEST SELLER by Lee Bartlett

The No.1 Best Seller is a masterclass in professional selling that is split neatly into four sections, which build upon each other to conclude with the full methodology. Bartlett's book is a valuable resource for anyone new to the sales industry, or for those wishing to broaden or benchmark their sales knowledge and ability.

Financials Through Faith

Photo provided by Glen Stevens Jr.

Meet Glen Stevens Jr., pastor, business coach and mental fitness guy By Brady Drake

JUNE 2022

There are tons of options for business coaching out there. However, because of his unique life experiences, Glen Stevens can offer something most can't.

What are the six pieces of the business framework? Every business is like an airplane. • •

With over 20 years of pastoral experience, Glen Stevens Jr., who does business as the Mental Fitness Guy, is a Positive Intelligence and Business Made Simple Certified Coach. He is capable of bringing discussions of faith into the business world like few others can. Let's learn more!

Q&A It seems like it's very unique to include that faith component as part of your coaching. Is that all you do?

• • • •

The cockpit of the plane is the leadership of the business. The wings are the products and services that give your business lift. The right engine of the plane is marketing. The left engine is sales. The engines provide the thrust. The body of the plane is your overhead, management, and execution. You want the body light and lean. Your fuel tanks are the business's finances and cash flow. And we all know what happens if a plane runs out of fuel!

I help business leaders evaluate those six parts of their airplane to discover the areas that are strong and also areas that might be weak. Where there are weaknesses, we attack them and make them strong so the business can fly farther and faster.

According to Glen, a business is like an airplane. A plane has six main components and he is trying to help businesses develop each one.

There are definitely people who highly value a faithbased perspective on all of life, including their business. That would describe me. As a business coach, I can help business leaders integrate faith and work. Not many other coaches can integrate these two like I can. However, that's really just one aspect of what I do. Another service I bring to the table is business frameworks. I am certified with Business Made Simple based in Nashville. That allows me to help business leaders address the six major components of any business. The third element of my coaching is mental fitness. I help business leaders build their mental fitness to handle the challenges of business—and there are a lot of them.

BODY: Your overhead FUEL TANKS: The business's finances and cash flow RIGHT ENGINE: Marketing LEFT ENGINE: Sales COCKPIT: The leadership of the business WINGS: The products and services that give the business lift FARGOINC.COM

Can you tell me more about the mental fitness component? That sounds very interesting. What I have found is that many small business leaders know what they need to do. Unfortunately, they lack the mental fitness needed to execute their business plan. Instead, they continue to run into the same problems. The same self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors repeatedly get in their way. They don't know how to build their mental fitness. No one has shown them how in a simple, practical way. I coach them to build their mental fitness so they are able to face business and life challenges with a positive rather than a negative mindset. There are only three mental muscles, which is awesome because it keeps things simple. And there are very practical ways to build those mental muscles. Here’s what I call these three muscles: The Saboteur Interceptor Muscle - A saboteur is a neural pathway that leads to negative ways of thinking. There are 10 Saboteurs and they trigger negative emotions that cause us to self-sabotage. They also negatively impact our mental well-being and

JUNE 2022

relationships. You can think of them as the critical voices living in your head rent-free. They love to beat you up and slow you down. A strong Saboteur Interceptor Muscle empowers you to recognize your saboteurs quickly and then evict them. Which sets you up for greater success. The Sage Muscle - The Sage Muscle allows you to build and strengthen neural pathways that access the regions of your brain where positive emotions and actions originate. The Sage Muscle has five powers: 1) your ability to show empathy and compassion to people; 2) your ability to be curious, ask great questions, and learn what's really happening; 3) your ability to innovate with outside-the-box thinking; 4) to find meaning and purpose in what you're doing; and, 5) the ability to take fearless, calm, clear-headed, laser-focused action that will propel your business and life forward. The Self-Command Muscle - This muscle enables you to calm the regions of your brain where your saboteurs live and activate the regions of your brain where the sage powers are utilized. You build the Self-Command

Muscle with simple and practical sensory perception exercises which can be done in short 10-second bursts. I provide people with an app that has daily workouts and additional mental exercises that they can use wherever they want. In my coaching, I take clients through an eightweek Mental Fitness Accelerator program to get them in shape mentally. From there, I invite business leaders to keep building their mental fitness in ways that will help them grow their businesses. I’m really excited about the Online Mental Fitness Gym membership I’m launching later this year. It will combine the 8-week program, Business Made Simple frameworks and a supportive community of like-minded business leaders. This will allow me to serve many more small business leaders than I can right now.

What is Positive Intelligence?

Would it be fair to say the majority of your work focuses on the faith and mental fitness aspect of things? Business leaders are extremely interested in mental fitness right now. I like to say, “Pour gasoline on what’s already burning.” For that reason, the majority of my work now starts with mental fitness. That leads to using Business Made Simple frameworks. If a client wants faith-based aspects of my coaching seamlessly integrated in, I’m delighted to provide that. In the future, most of my coaching clients will want to start by joining my Online Mental Fitness Gym because of the incredible value it provides by strengthening their mental fitness in a way that helps them grow their businesses faster without burning out.

Positive Intelligence (also called Mental Fitness) is based on extensive research in neuroscience, cognitivebehavioral psychology, and performance science and helps individuals strengthen their mental toughness.

That's interesting. do you work with people who aren't from a traditional Christian background as well? Of course! If someone who isn't a Christian wants to work with me, that's great. I'm not going to push my beliefs on anyone. I'm going to be the best business coach and mental fitness coach I can be to serve them. I will offer to pray for them if they’d appreciate that. All that said, I'm not ashamed to say my main target is faith-based small business leaders.

www.mentalfitnessguy.com 701-566-1501 glen@mentalfitnessguy.com

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Find your Meeting Space IN DETROIT LAKES

Give your meetings and conferences added value. Book them in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The lakes and woods will relax you. Our accommodations will pamper you.

218-847-9202 Ext. 228

AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD WINNER

Resplendent Residents hotographer Brittany Johnson is aiming to help people realize they are beautiful no matter what shape, size, or gender and her current passion project, Resplendent Residents, is bringing that message to the elderly and disabled.

When her grandmother was unable to care for herself and became a resident of The Leach Home, an assisted living facility in Wahpeton, North Dakota, Brittany found herself visiting the home nearly every day with her young daughter and getting to know both the residents and staff over time. “My grandmother didn’t have memory issues, but so many of the other patients did. Some had dementia or Alzheimer’s, others had suffered strokes. I was so impressed by how well they treated her, and the other patients. It’s not that way everywhere. There is a big uptick in memory care patients, and with understaffing problems, not enough care. But at Leach they were loved and cared for.” Struck by the difference between the images portraying older individuals in the media, and what she saw in the Leach Home, Brittany hatched a plan to change the narrative she was seeing by producing her own images. She launched a photoshoot for the residents with the assistance of Desiree, the Leach

BY Brandi

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Malarkey

Home’s Activities Director, props, and a few friends to help with hair and makeup. “I spent about fifteen to twenty minutes with each model, sometimes more, sometimes less, and worked with what we had. Some of the residents were non-verbal, some loved to sit in the sun, some loved to interact with each other while waiting in line. It was fun, and they were so thankful. I didn’t expect that level of gratitude without them even seeing anything back, but they felt thankful for having somebody listen to them and show them themselves. Any shoot I do, I show them the image on the camera and tell them that’s not how it will look, it’s just the idea. Almost every time people will say, ‘Is that me?’ It made me cry a couple times.” While Brittany provides photographic services for individuals through her business, subtle b photography, she intends to repeat the project at the Leach Home on an annual basis. In addition, with the assistance of a gift of $1000 from the Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation, who named Resplendent Residents one of their two March 2022 grantees, she is bringing her passion project to the Fargo-Moorhead area. To start the local initiative, Brittany has connected with the Memory Café of the Red River Valley. Deb Kaul, the President of Memory Café, is excited to be the first stop on Brittany’s Fargo-Moorhead

journey. “It is difficult to retain your dignity with memory issues. Until you live with it, you don’t realize the impact on selfesteem and dignity. With cancer or other diagnoses, we assume people can live well for a long time until the end stage of their disease. With memory issues there is immediate diminishment. People are brushed aside, ignored, and thrust ten years down the road to the end of the disease. It’s no wonder people are so reluctant to tell others they are struggling with memory loss. Even without memory loss people who are just older suffer from age discrimination,” Deb said. “People will see pictures of our activities here at the Café and remark in surprise that it looks like everyone is having fun. They assume everyone should be very glum and sober. Having issues with memory doesn’t make the rest of the person vanish. They still have thoughts, dreams, love to laugh, and enjoy meeting and engaging with people. They still have value.” Brittany will be working with Deb to set up photo opportunities for the attendees of the Memory Café. Attendees can choose whether to participate or not, with the images being provided to the models and their families as free downloads to use and share as they choose. “The stigma about age, mental illness, and disease is very real. People should know they are beautiful. And in the long

Photo provided by Brandi Malarkey

run, if one or two people change their minds about how they view the care of seniors, even if it’s just their own parents, maybe those changes will spread to the legislature, and we can get funding to invest in taking care of people,” Brittany said. “People shouldn’t feel discarded.” In the meantime, Brittany is looking forward to her time with the Memory Café community in anticipation of new connections, a lot of fun, and the hope that the models will each get a photo or two that really captures who they are. “People who have so much to tell, lived so much life, have so many stories… they deserve something to show off who they are,” Brittany said. You can view Brittany’s work, and images from the Leach Home Resplendent Resident project, on her website, subtlebphoto.com

The Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation awards a $1,000 gift each month for awesome ideas of all sorts. Grant recipients do not need to be associated with a non-profit. Applications can be made at awesomefoundation.org/en/chapters/ cassclay.

AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD WINNER

Casual For a Cause Closet T

he staff at Preference Employment Solutions are turning an empty room into an additional opportunity for giving.

An initiative to earn money for a local non-profit by paying to wear jeans on Fridays swiftly turned into what the Preference Employment Solutions’ staff calls their “Casual for a Cause” program. Realizing that many of the people who entered their doors every day were in need of extra resources for everyday needs, employees at Preference wanted a way to directly assist those they served. From obtaining required safety gear to simple transportation, there can be a number of hurdles that make starting a new job difficult. In matching potential employees with jobs, the Preference team has learned over the years that many job seekers who were qualified and able to start work right away often lacked the personal resources to do so. “We found ourselves trying to help our

BY Brandi

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Malarkey

candidates from our own pockets,” Becky Swoboda, Project Manager at Preference Employment Solutions, said. “If somebody needed help, we’d often reach into our own personal wallets.” Through Preference’s Casual for a Cause program, employees are able to make a larger impact. “Every year, the team has the ability to contribute to the program, and since the beginning we have experienced a 100% participation rate. The company also allocates funds each year, so the impact for the Casual for a Cause program can be felt at a greater level,” Beck said. The staff at Preference have used these funds in a variety of ways to assist their job seekers including providing gas money, grocery gift cards, steel toed boots, safety goggles, and more. With the varied needs of their clients in mind, the staff have been looking for a way to expand on the help they currently offer. When a large room in their building ended up empty and unused, the idea for the “Casual for a Cause Closet” was born.

With the assistance of a $1000 gift from the Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation, who named the Casual for a Cause Closet project as one of their two March 2022 grantees, Preference staff will now remodel the previously empty room to be a small “store.” Job seekers can receive items they may need to start employment or for their family so they can focus on work rather than being consumed by worrying about the basic needs for their kids. Becky is looking forward to the room remodel. “We want to create a nice space that is not just a room with random shelves. A space where a team member can bring a candidate in a confidential way to choose some of the things they may need immediately. We want this space to embody how much we care for those we serve and the people we work with.” In addition to providing gas, grocery gift cards and money, the goal is to stock the new “closet” with a number of items like safety equipment, basic necessities

Photo provided by Brandi Malarkey

like non-perishable food items, personal care products, backpacks filled with school supplies, and care packages for families with children who may need a little something to brighten their days. “We want employees to focus on their new career which can be stressful all on its own. Throw in being worried about gas, lunch, or what to wear, and that can freeze people from getting started. We want to take away those extra stressors to help them focus on being successful. This won’t be a huge space for clothing, but rather a space filled with a variety of things,” Becky said. After remodeling the new Closet, the Preference Employment Solutions staff will use the remaining funds from the Awesome Foundation grant to assist with the purchase of the initial stock of items. “Now we will be able to have an entire space associated solely for giving back,” Becky said. “It will be a much smaller version of some of the amazing programs we already have in our community; it will allow us to make an impact to those we serve in different way. This closet will be a

little vision of love, and we are so excited for that.”

10 Questions

Questions ohn Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the past nine years. He knows their ups, and their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them. Here are John Machacek’s 10 questions for Austin Foss, Jenna Radtke and Jake Sells of Pops & Bejou Games

By John Machacek Photos by Josiah Kopp and Hillary Ehlen

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01 Will you please tell us your Pops & Bejou Games elevator pitch? At Pops & Bejou Games, we make tabletop board games. Our goal is to create games that fall in the middle ground between simple and strategic. These “gateway games” are a great way to introduce new and casual gamers to board games that are simple yet incorporate a strategy to keep seasoned strategists stimulated as well. Another way our company is unique from other indie board game companies is our commitment to inclusion within our games. We strive to do our part to make games inclusive and have our characters representative of ALL people. No matter your walk of life, we believe that board games should be for everyone.

02 Will you please tell me more about the goals towards inclusion, representing all and the games being for everyone? Of course! Our biggest goal is to try and ensure that everyone can see themselves somewhere in our games. A large way in which we are trying to do that is by having characters within our games of all backgrounds. Characters of varying races, ethnicities, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, body types, etc. We know that we cannot understand everyone’s experiences, so we have worked with specialists in the field of diversity and inclusion to get feedback and suggestions on our designs and backstories. We also want to incorporate more usage of pronouns. It’s not hard to be respectful and use people’s preferred pronouns, and we want to do our part to normalize that. We are very happy with our characters in CULTivate, but we know we can strive to be even more inclusive and we plan to expand our representation more and more with each game we create and produce.

03 Everyone involved has day jobs. How have you effectively collaborated and managed this new company, essentially as side gigs? Austin: I am really lucky to work remotely from the Prairie Den, surrounded by a lot of entrepreneurial energy. I have a job that is flexible and allows me to make important calls during the day if need be. Jenna: It is a bit tougher for me as my job often includes appointments with students, but I try to spend extra time working on Pops & Bejou during breaks and when the campus is closed throughout the year. I also work in a very collaborative team, so my supervisor and coworkers are very supportive when I need to take time off for my “side gig”. Jake: My schedule currently allows me to be more flexible with my time, and I try to keep that flexibility as much as possible. Sometimes this can be difficult with work, being a student, and working on Pops & Bejou.

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10 Questions We schedule at least one check-in a week and focus on work that evening. When there is a busy time, however, most of our evenings are work time. We also use Slack to communicate and manage our work. We are looking forward to the day when we can focus on Pops & Bejou fully.

04 What were some of the initial steps you took to make your idea a reality? It seems so easy to think you can just come up with an idea, pitch it to some company, then sit back and collect your royalties. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. If you have an idea and you want to see it happen, you need to put in the work. We started brainstorming a couple of game ideas and sharing the concepts with friends to bounce off ideas. When we had one idea far enough along, we developed a prototype and tested it out. Some of those initial prototypes and game mechanics we tried were not great, but that’s where the hard work comes in. We play reworked the game until we created the version of CULTivate that is now out to the public. When we started developing our first prototype, we initially thought we would pitch it to a company and

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they would take it—easy peasy. But being in the Prairie Den gave us the mindset that we could do this ourselves. We learned that the legal aspect of starting a business is not actually that hard, but taking this step past the prototype was a whole other beast in itself. Never in a million years would we have thought someday we would be worrying about international shipping issues. We have been learning so much, and it totally rewires your brain.

05 So, what helped you get past the prototype stage into getting the game into production? There is a lot of good information on the internet from other indie board game companies that have gone through the same process. We researched who they went with for manufacturing and came up with five or six good candidates. We reached out to these companies to compare prices and customer service, and ended up choosing one based on quality and communication. We were able to get a quote and base our Kickstarter goal on this price. Once our Kickstarter became successful and we went above and beyond our original goal, we knew we had a hit on our hand and ended up manufacturing more games than we had

originally thought. Most of our sales have been directto-consumer, whether through Kickstarter or our website, but we have also sold to about 30 friendly local game stores, known as FLGSs in the board game world. We have sold our games to someone in every state in the US and over 40 countries around the world. We were also so lucky to have Kirk Anton and Heat Transfer Warehouse help us with the fulfillment process here in Fargo and would not have been able to get our game out to so many people without them.

06 You mention your successful Kickstarter campaign for launching CULTivate. What was your process towards choosing a platform and running your campaign? It was a no-brainer that we would use Kickstarter to help fund our first print run and market ourselves as a new company. As avid board gamers, we knew that Kickstarter has become the norm for board games; many new game designers are using it. Some gamers actively seek out new board games on Kickstarter as opposed to people who come across campaigns due to

external promotion via social channels, etc. Before creating and launching our own campaign, we did quite a bit of research. We backed other projects to see how they designed their campaign pages and learned things like how and when to post backer updates. All our research paid off in the end as we more than tripled our funding goal and successfully accomplished our goal of bringing the game to fruition. We also got a ton of compliments from backers on our unique and colorful game art as well as on our cheesy game commercial.

07 You did a great job with your online videos. That so-called cheesy game commercial really cracked me up as well. What advice would you have for others who may be considering a crowdfunding campaign, such as Kickstarter? The main thing someone needs to realize is that it is a lot of work. Many people think that the work comes after you make your funding goal, and that people will

just find your campaign on their own. This isn’t true, especially now that there are so many Kickstarter campaigns out there. You need to market yourself and your product to people. For example, we had all our game concepts, art and rules already prepared before we launched our campaign. This process took us nine months to accomplish, and that is actually a short amount of time compared to many other games. We had all of this done because we wanted to make sure that backers knew exactly what they were getting if they backed our game. Also comparing our campaign to other successful games on Kickstarter, we knew that this was the recipe for success. Once you have your product developed to almost a final version and you have marketed your campaign, you are ready to launch. A successful campaign usually raises at least one-third of its goal on the first day. This way potential backers can see that there is good traction, and they will be more inclined to join. You also must make sure that you are communicating with your backers during and after the campaign. They will want updates, and word-ofmouth marketing is the best way to get people talking about your campaign.

08 So, what is next for Pops & Bejou Games? Our next shipment of CULTivate will be here really soon! We also have launched a Kickstarter for our second game, Channel WON. The goal we have for our company is to launch a new board game every year. We have several in the works currently, including a possible expansion to CULTivate. We want to keep expanding our Pops & Bejo Universe of games and keep making games that are quirky, fun and creative. We would also like to become profitable enough to where each of us can make Pops & Bejou our main gigs.

09 If you could go back in time, what hindsight advice would you give yourself? First and foremost, we would tell ourselves to be bold and just go for it; don’t be afraid to fail and be open to new experiences. None of us necessarily had this on our radars in the past, and yet here we are, and it is exhilarating! When taking these risks and starting an endeavor like this, be sure you are prepared for what is to come. Understand the amount of work, time, and dedication it is going to take

and be sure you can put your all into it, and still find balance with other things in your life. It’s not easy, there is a lot of trial and error. Sometimes ideas do not work, and you have to be okay moving on and trying something else even if you’ve already put countless hours of work into that idea. Don’t get hung up, you just have to go on to the next thing and try again until it clicks and works, and you will know when it does. It is a feeling and an intuition, and you have to trust it and follow it.

10 What can we do as a community to help Pops & Bejou Games succeed?

About John

Fargo is a community that loves to see its people succeed. It has been amazing and we wouldn’t be where we are now without the support of the community. We would love it if you follow us on social media. (@popsbejougames on Instagram, Pops & Bejou Games on Facebook or popsbejou.com) Also, we do currently have a Kickstarter campaign live now for our new game Channel WON. kickstarter.com/projects/ popsbejou/channel-won We would be so appreciative if people would take a look and see if our game sounds like something that they, or someone they know, may enjoy.

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12 Time

Ford President’s Award Winner! Luther Family Ford is a 12 time Ford President’s Award Winner for outstanding Customer Service. We’re working hard to keep your family on the road every day! We have acheived very high customer loyalty by doing business under our top two values of Honesty and Integrity. Be treated like family! You know you deserve it! Stop by and see us sometime!

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echnology is advancing at an incredible rate, and for businesses to survive and thrive, they must embrace new technologies. Unfortunately, the adoption of new technologies is often met with resistance from end-users. How can you gain traction with your team, obtain their buy-in and support, and successfully implement new technologies to remain competitive, improve organizational efficiencies, expand your reach to your target audience, and grow revenue? Here is a step-by-step practical approach to improving engagement and adoption of new technologies in your organization.

1. Invest in the right technology. Do your homework. On the surface, a lot of technologies claim they do the same thing. Research the technology, speak with others who utilize the technology, sit through the demos, ask a lot of questions, and when possible, do a test drive to determine and experience usability. Make sure

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the technology you are asking your team to adopt is an improvement over the technology you are replacing and solves the specific need you are looking to solve. 2. Solicit feedback from end-users. If possible, include team members in the demos. Get their buy-in early on. Discuss what problems you are looking to solve and share the benefits with the end-user. Listen to, acknowledge, and address any concerns. Consider past experiences, including prior technology rollouts that did not go smoothly, and clearly explain steps that are being taken to avoid those pitfalls this time around. 3. Identify the resources and responsibilities for onboarding and implementation. This is most likely a combination of external resources from the technology vendor who will be providing onboarding support and internal resources who will be responsible for the implementation.

4. Build a solid communication plan and secure commitment from all levels of the organization. A negative comment from senior leadership or management can quickly derail excitement and adoption. Management should be well-versed in the benefits to the organization, as well as to themselves and their team members. 5. Set realistic expectations and alleviate fears. Even with thorough planning, there are often hiccups with implementing new technologies. Set realistic timelines for implementation. Have contingency plans to protect any data that could be lost as part of an integration. In a real and meaningful way, address fears, such as fear of job loss, fear of change and fear of something new, and highlight the benefits that will improve work functions and job satisfaction. 6. Build excitement. Share upcoming dates for implementation and

Shawn Peterson is the CEO of Quantum Business Solutions. He comes with a decade of experience in the technology services industry as an executive. Shawn is a visionary focused on high growth and performance through sales, marketing, and client experience.

training. Ask team members if they are looking forward to being able to utilize the new technology. Continue to highlight the personal benefits to the end-users. 7. Train early and often and have a fully developed training plan. Break training up into manageable segments and verify understanding and proficiency. Closely monitor during the early stages of using the technology to make sure the knowledge has been retained from training and that end-users are properly utilizing the functionality. 8. Once reasonable proficiency with the new technology has been reached, cut off usage of the old technology tools. If given the choice, end-users will often fall back on something they are more comfortable using, even if it is less efficient or doesn’t drive the most effective results.

9. Make it fun. Set up contests with rewards for both utilization and success. Celebrate and publicize success within the end-user group as well as within the broader organization. 10. Recruit champions and early adopters to help you build adoption within the team. Ask them what benefits they have realized as a result of using the new technology and then ask them to share that feedback with other team members. 11. Continue to ask for feedback and provide ongoing training as needed. If there are legitimate barriers, acknowledge them and find an appropriate solution.

be done once other efforts have been exhausted. If you have followed this step-by-step process, but your team has failed to embrace the new technology, your team is most likely not realizing the value. If the technology is solving for the specific need it was intended to address, you need to provide further education using data to illustrate to the end-users the value and benefits. Quantum Business Solutions Phone: 712-389-4639 Email: heidib@thequantumleap.business Web: thequantumleap.business

12. Be patient and avoid becoming antagonistic. There may come a point when it becomes necessary to mandate and enforce adoption or face consequences, but this should only

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Academic Insight

n the May 2021 issue of Fargo, INC!, I posed the following question:

If I could go back in time and give advice to my younger self on being a first-time manager and supervisor, what advice would I give? If you read that article, you will know that this question came from a conversation I had with a graduating student seeking advice in preparation for their first managerial job. And the result was me sharing five pieces of advice for new managers and supervisors. For this month’s article, I would like to provide some additional pieces of advice and resources that I wasn’t able to include in that first article. It is my hope that these additional pieces of advice would be of great benefit to nascent managers and supervisors, or perhaps a refresher to experienced managers and supervisors.

BY Shontarius D. Aikens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management at Offutt School of Business at Concordia College

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#1: Have a clear vision of the desired outcomes. When I started my career in teaching, one of my mentors stressed to me the importance of developing learning outcomes for students. Why was this important? Because first knowing what I wanted my students to know, to be, and to do, it would shape the methods used in the classroom. Taking this concept and applying it to business, managers and supervisors should have a clear understanding of the goals that they want accomplished and to be able to articulate those goals to their direct reports. If any of you have read Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this falls in line with Habit #2: Begin with The End in Mind.

#2: The importance of seeing the big picture. Some managers are good at making immediate short-term decisions. But what oftentimes gets overlooked is whether short-term decisions will

GARY USSERY

Additional Practical Advice for Nascent Managers and Supervisors cause bigger problems in the long run. The importance of this is detailed in Jenn Lofgren’s (2018) article in Forbes titled “Your Short-Term Decisions Could Unintentionally Create Long-Term Pain" which I highly recommend reading. Surround yourself with individuals who have natural talents and abilities to see the bigger picture in situations.

#3: Don’t be afraid to ask.

Consider the common phrase: “If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no.” While most of us have heard this phrase and agree with its meaning, how often do we fail to ask for things under the assumption that our request would be denied or rejected? One way to get over that is to change our mindset regarding the purpose of the ask. In other words, the mindset for asking is to gain clarity or to understand boundaries. As a new manager, make it a habit to ask and to be inquisitive.

#4: Learn to connect the dots.

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech to Stanford

Dr. Aikens can be reached at: saikens@cord.edu

University. And during his speech, he talked about the importance of “connecting the dots.” To paraphrase, it’s the ability to think about one’s previous experiences (positive and negative), what can be learned from them, and how one might apply these experiences in new and uncertain situations. For new managers, I recommend keeping a journal regarding experiences and lessons learned, so that when future situations arise, you can refer back to what was learned to see if they can be applied.

#5: Focus on continuous improvement.

Think about the first time you did an activity (e.g., riding a bicycle, playing an instrument, etc.). Chances are that you weren’t as good the first time, but after multiple attempts, you improved. Becoming a good manager can feel like a trial-and-error period that includes lots of ups and downs. The advice here is to strive to become better each day. This would include reading books, attending workshops, or finding a coach/mentor to help one to improve their managerial skills.

#6: Let your work speak for you. Avoid getting involved in a back and forth with your critics and detractors in the workplace. I do realize that this is easier said than done. However, consider that the more energy, attention and time you devote to proving your naysayers wrong and gaining their approval is energy, attention and time taken away from your purpose. In most cases, if you work hard and produce desirable results, you will develop a track

record of outcomes that will be too hard to be ignored or diminished by others.

#7: Be mindful of how you treat people.

My area of expertise is in LMX Leadership, which focuses on the quality of the relationship between a manager and the supervisees (for more explanation of the importance of this, please see my article in the April 2020 issue of Fargo, INC!). The type of relationships that you have with employees and even your colleagues make a huge difference in your work environment. How can this be? Because the types of relationships you have with your direct reports can affect their willingness to follow you as their leader. As a manager, the goal is to have direct reports that are committed rather than just being compliant.

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Erica Hilde

A. I grew up in Moorhead, which is one of the reasons I wanted my storefront in Moorhead. I went to Moorhead High. After high school, I went to NDSU and studied apparel and textiles with a focus on retail merchandising. At the time I wanted to be a buyer and realized you can’t be a buyer in such a small area, and I wasn’t ready to move or leave the area. I went on to Minot State and got my master's in business management. After that, I moved back to the Fargo-Moorhead area and found a storefront for my store. But back in Minot, I started the business online. I started there, doing pop-up events and using Facebook and the website to build a clientele. When I moved back people wanted to shop from my home, and that wasn’t an option. So I found a cute little spot close to home, and here we are! Q. What drew you to get involved in your business? A. The business in Minot had been started by two other women. They started the business online together and it grew more quickly than they anticipated. They were moms and working other jobs, so they posted it for sale. Someone contacted me and said, “I know you’re into fashion and you’d be great for this.” I made them an offer and bought the business with everything included: racks, inventory, all of that. I was free from there to do with it whatever I wanted. The products in our store support other womenowned businesses. That was really important to me and has been really important to me. I try to carry things in my store directly from womenowned businesses, and we have products from women in Michigan, Ohio and Texas. I think that makes my boutique unique. We sell earrings made by a student at NDSU. When you shop us, you’re supporting not only me, but other women. I love that about what I do. Q. What were you doing before that opportunity found you?

Erica Hilde, Owner of Absolute Style Boutique, knows change can be scary. She talks with Lotus Midwest about major career changes, following your passion, and making work work for you.

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A. I was working at Minot State University as the assistant director of enrollment.

Q. Quite the career change! What was that transition like? A. I loved working at Minot State. I loved working directly with students. A big part of my job was traveling around to high schools and talking about college opportunities with students. I loved it. But in the back of my head, I was thinking, “I went to school for fashion and I have always wanted to work in fashion.” I worked at Herberger’s for my entire high school and college career. I always knew I wanted to get back into fashion I just hadn’t found the right opportunity. So, when this popped up I knew it was my chance and I needed to go for it. I was scared and I didn’t know if I could run a business since I had no experience in that. But I was willing to take the chance. Q. What advice would you give other women who are interested in making a drastic career change? A. I know that feeling of being scared to change. If it’s something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time, and can’t get it out of your head, if you find an opportunity that feels right just go for it. Even if you aren’t ready to go for it full time, try out staying in your current career and starting a side business in your off-hours. Get your foot in the door, and feel out whether it’s right for you before going 100% in. You can tiptoe into it! Q. Obviously, you took this big risk by changing career paths and buying a business with limited experience. Was there a moment when you knew that you had made the right move? A. When I first got started I had no idea what I was doing. For months I was teaching myself how to do inventory and just run their business. Someone from another store in Minot reached out and told me that they were going to be opening a store that sold repurposed furniture and handmade jewelry. She told me she’d been

looking for a clothing boutique to come into the store. That was when it hit me that people actually liked what I was doing. I was so caught off guard that someone I hadn’t met would reach out to me and have so much trust in my service and product. Q. We’ve been talking a lot about burnout and exhaustion these last few years. What does self-care mean to you, or how have you been taking care of yourself as a small business owner and personally recently? A. Burnout is huge, especially if you’re running a small business and have a small team. When I started, I wanted to be open every day, but there was no way that I could do that on my own. So, we’re only open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the first Saturday of each month. That is how I get some peace of mind and some time to do things outside of work. I can’t imagine being there all day every day. That was a big thing for me–realizing I couldn’t be working all day every day. I just feel like having shortened store hours is my way to give myself some peace. Q. There is such a pressure on women to be on all of the time, or working all of the time, like you have more to prove. What was it like to put up those boundaries and say “no, I’m not working 24/7”? A. It was difficult. I remember thinking, “I need to be working more,” and simultaneously thinking, “I can’t have a work-life balance if I do that.” It was important to put in the amount of time I knew I could commit to. Q. Who are you outside of work? A. I’m a dog mom! I have a mini Goldendoodle. I’m a wife. I love fashion, so even outside of work, I’m going to buying events and buying markets. I love helping friends with outfits, shopping and traveling.

Q. It’s especially tough to put up those boundaries and find balance when you’re so passionate about your work. How do you keep things balanced between personal and professional? A. We open at 11:00 a.m. which gives me time to go to the gym in the morning. That gives me an opportunity to clear my mind and get my head on straight. I make sure to get outside, take the dog to the park, on days I don’t work. When I’m at work, I’m fully at work, but when I’m not at work I turn off my messenger and any notifications about the business. Q. So, you turn your phone off? A. Yes, I silence Facebook messenger which is how a lot of people contact me about the store. Q. Is that tough? A. Yes, and in the beginning, I didn’t do that and I was messaging at all times of day and night. My husband suggested I turn it off and it made a huge difference. As soon as I hear that ding I’m anxious to get to the phone and see who needs me, so I need to have it off. It’s hard. It wasn’t overnight, but little by little I was able to do it more. I came to the realization that this is clothing. I’m not a doctor. These questions can be answered in the morning. People are understanding, and they don’t expect me to be on at 9:00 pm. I think that’s the fear, is that customers expect that you are on all of the time and that you will be on your phone at 9:00 pm, so it’s reassuring that you’ve found otherwise. I’ve had some messages where people are surprised I’ve answered their messages at night. That reassures me for sure.

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