Curated Pt. 44

A roundup of my personal and professional life

Hey hey,

You likely didn’t notice but I’m now writing this every 2 weeks vs. every week.

A lot happens in 2 weeks so I have more to cover, which is funny since I’ve pushed to try and make these posts easier to read.

But hey… we throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, right?

If you’re new here, I share BTS of everything I’m working on and provide a space to meet talented people through my community, ParkSMB.

I don’t run ads or sell anything, so I have one ask…

Share this with one person.

Here’s a shareable link.

Let them know it’d be cool if they read this.

Alright, let’s ride:

Upcoming Events

A list of my in-person and virtual events around the country

• Productivity Power Hour(s)
  Date: November 5 (THIS MORNING)
  Time: 9-1 PM MTN
  Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  DETAILS HERE

• Founder Coffee & Bagels
  Date: November 9
  Time: 9-12 PM MTN
  Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  DETAILS HERE

• Plunge.Sweat.Coffee.
  Date: November 23
  Time: 9-12 PM MTN
  Location: Remix Coffee
  TICKETS GO LIVE SOON

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

For real-time updates and to stay in touch:

• Twitter/X: @shawnwallard

• Linkedin: Shawn Allard

• Instagram: @shawnallard

• Youtube: @shawnwallard

Projects

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

Project updates won’t always make sense without going back in time.

NOVEL ICE CREAM

We made some changes to the team and to our shop schedules to close out the year efficiently.

I’m excited to finalize training with some more great people we recently brought on which will bring us to over 25 team members… wild!

My focus beyond marketing is building the right culture and empowering the team to take ownership of their home shop.

In turn, they’ll hold each other to the highest standard.

Updates this week:

Novel #4 (Truck)

The event at Aravaipa’s Javalina Jundred was solid.

Here’s the beaut in full effect:

I’m glad we took on this event… we’ll be doing more with Aravaipa next year.

My dad and I were able to work out the initial kinks and plan for what needs to be prepped for each event going forward.

November is packed with events for the truck…it’s finally time to get this thing on the road!

Few things to finalize with the truck:

• City and state permits

  • Initial review is done but waiting to schedule in-person visit

• Location schedule

  • Pending a decision on where we want to be in the valley

    • Had meeting with City of Avondale yesterday

• Full-time manager

  • Still deciding who’s the right fit for the role

• Small full/part-time crew

  • Won’t hire full crew until the new year

REMIX COFFEE

A few weeks back I was convinced Remix wasn’t going to work.

I cut the team, jumped back in the shop full-time, and committed to running it alone until we got busier.

Not even 2 weeks later… it clicked.

The shop has been packed Friday-Sunday.

We’re on track to break $10k this month which allowed me to bring back 2 of my best team members and hire 3 more for a total of 5.

We even opened Tuesday and Wednesday going forward so we’re open Tuesday-Sunday, 7 am-3 pm.

There’s a lesson here…

If you believe in your product and keep reminding the world, it will click.

It’s just a matter of time.

If you want to follow the journey, you can on IG and the shop’s newsletter.

VEER CONCEPTS

The 70/30 seller finance deal and the Texas deal are on hold until 2025 but I hope these conversations stay open.

I love the brands and think they’re both real opportunities.

Which brings me to something that’s coming soon…

A hospitality fund.

I’ve never built something like this before so right now, I’m just having conversations with folks who have.

As you know, the goal has always been to acquire locally driven hospitality brands, improve their operations, and help them expand.

If that resonates and/or you have experience in raising capital or building funds, let me know.

PARKSMB - Built by Mesa Media

Please add your info to this sheet if you’ve attended one of my events or want to connect with others from ParkSMB.

October’s meetup in Downtown Phoenix was solid:

If you’ve been to an event in person or virtually, thank you.

And as always, make sure to check out my 3 favorite people:

Chad Bellin (Disca): Disca is a software development consultancy focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses that need expert-level technical expertise.
You can connect with Chad here.

Daniel Cheetham (Captains Club): Captains Club specializes in aligning Integrators, COOs, and Presidents, unleashing you from the business to deliver your highest value. Connect with Daniel here.

Kendi Brown (Coati Consulting) Coati’s goal is to enhance the connective tissue between people and processes, so your company and team can reach the next level of growth through efficient operations. Connect with Kendi here.

Podcast

What’s ACTUALLY holding your business back?

Music

I’m bringing this to the forefront and officially blessing you:

Health

Nothing new to report on training over the past 2 weeks.

With less than 3 months to go until my first Hyrox race, I’m far from ready, but I’m determined to make progress.

I’ve let work consume me this past month, so I’m committed to carving out at least 1.5 hours for the gym, daily moving forward.

My training and macro plans are dialed in.

I Can Help

• Buy, rent, and/or lease property in Arizona. Email me.

• Buy, sell, and/or invest in a business. Let’s find you some deals.

• Raise capital and/or debt for your new/existing business. Let’s find you some money.

• Need a backpack or travel gear? Check out Bellroy. They’re the best.

Thanks for reading and talk next week,

Shawn