Living the Dream

 Years ago, I resolved never to set New Year's Resolutions again, but to instead focus on Dreams!  During this course I essentially took the biggest business risk I've ever taken and opened my very first store.  A year and a half ago I joined my sons in making our vendor tent at Evermore a pursuit of a dream.   It wasn't just a day-dream. It was how do we make this little dream come true.  Every week we would talk about what went well, and what we could improve on.  This weekly meeting has been consistent.  There is always new ideas and products and leather patterns to try.  We started out selling 3-D printed dice displays and leather bracers.  Over the course of a year and a half we've added, 3D printed dragons and dice towers, leather pauldrons, baldrics, belts, warrior belts, wand holsters, sword frogs, belt bags, and more.  And we've increased our yearly sales from $38,000 to (dare I say this dream) nearly 200,000.  Today at the close of day we were $96 dollars away from that milestone.   

What a ride this past year plus has been.  I went back to college and pursued the dream of being financially independent.  Two years ago I couldn't even get an interview to get a job.  The one and only place that did interview me didn't hire me.  Well today I'm the one helping make the hiring decisions.  I'm officially living the dream.  

Somehow the blessing keep pouring in.  We set goals and are blown away when we meet and exceed those goals. Last fall I started buying products from a supplier in India that provides us with leather bags and books.  We've grown enough that they want us to be their return hub for products sold in America.  If someone buys one of their products on Amazon and then decides that they don't want it, instead of paying to have it shipped back to India they send it to us.   If we can sell it we split the profits with the maker.  How incredible is that. 

My husband was able to use some Microsoft Alumni sway to get us a wholesale agreement to purchase Dungeons and Dragons products directly to sell in our store.  Another blessing associated with living the dream.

We've been able to provide services, like paint your miniatures night, play for free at our tables, etc.  Because of the free offer, people are coming out of the woodwork to support our store.  They pay it forward with time, miniatures to use while playing etc.

Through our blessings we've been able to bless other small start-up companies.  We bought these gaming tables, and purchase atmosphere candles from new companies.  I've realized that sharing the blessings of dreams is what makes me want to keep dreaming.  Seeing the smiles when people walk in our store makes me think, 'Wow'!  

This dream is real and ever evolving.  It's terrifying and thrilling, and full of so many WoW moments I keep pinching myself.  I'm beyond grateful that I'm sharing this dream with two of my boys.  

Come January 1st, I won't need to make New Year's Resolutions because I'm already living the Dream!

Gratitude

 

It seems I'm daily amazed at how my entrepreneurial journey is going.  This week we learned that we made the top 5 of a business launch we applied for.  Which means of 80 brand new businesses that applied for mentors we were enough to really be considered.  We also secured rights to sell Wizards of the Coast DnD supplies wholesale in our store.  And we are amazed by all the local artisans who continue to come to us seeing if we could carry their items.  It's been one tender mercy after another.  

And I'm beyond grateful.

Today we held our first big event.  A Larp in the Tavern.  And the store was full.  People not only visited but they stayed the whole 3 plus hours of the event.

I'm grateful for the friends and acquaintances of my sons who volunteered their time to be our quest givers.

The Knight

The Rouge

My familiar pirate playing Liars Dice with our adventurers.

The Bards who had the whole room singing along with "The Wellerman" and other appropriate shanties. 

And the Wizard who had followers deciphering codes about dragons.

Wow, Wow, and Wow!

I think this LARP in the Tavern will be a monthly gathering.  I'm so grateful to have found my crowd of Fantasy lovers here in Utah.  

I know there will be days where it gets hard.  Friday I spent 15 hours in the car driving to pick up new gaming tables.  Not fun, especially driving through a snow storm which probably added 3 hours onto my journey.  But I'm grateful the tables and I returned home in good shape although extremely tired.

And tonight my husband is taking my place at Evermore so I could be home completing my college homework.  So grateful.  

I can't wait to see what fantastical adventures happen next.

What's a Business For?

I have to admit to being so incredibly busy since opening our store.  But it's the blissful busy of discovering all the new ways to learn things.  I've overwhelmed with gratitude for these people here. They make the learning fun.  They are so supportive they even gave up their traditional Thanksgiving to eat at Chuck-O-Rama so that we would have time to finally rest from the constant go, go, go.

 

I've found myself working 12-14 hour days, except Sunday since we've opened.  Although it's physically exhausting, we've met all our goals of earning and even found some magic.  I'm working so hard because this is to help my family.

In our reading this week for school we read the article, 'What's a Business For?'  If it's to just make money then chances are it will not succeed.  I feel like we've created a business that will make the world a better place.  I've had numerous examples with experiences we've encountered at our store in the short time it's been open.  

One experience was when a small group of special needs adults and their able-bodied helpers came into our store.  One non-verbal lady in a wheelchair looked thoroughly grumpy about being taken along on the outing, as she was wheeled into our store.  By the time she was moved from the storefront to the rear of the store where the gaming tables were you could see a visible change coming over her.  The grumpy expression and jerky, defiant arm thrusts were replace with peals of giggles and laughter, and clapping of hands.  Why?  The atmosphere of our store which, is set up as a Medieval gathering place had worked a little magic into her.  She was transported from a social outing to a magical Medieval tavern.  I gave her and her companions tiny pocket dragons which I usually reserve for little kids so they don't get into trouble for touching stuff from their parents.  Ten minutes after they left our store the whole bus load of special needs adults came into our establishments requesting pocket dragons too.  Each different colored dragon I give out has a special meaning.  I tell them the green dragons are supposed to help you remember things, the pink dragon helps you remember to be kind, the blue dragon is the dragon of creativity and imagination, etc.  Our store is a place we've set up where everyone can feel welcome, escape the pressures of the world by creating a fantasy, and playing games.  Here I was having a magical experience with some truly wonderful people who really needed that break.  

Another wonderful experience we had was when this gentleman came in and donated hundreds of hand painted miniatures to our store for players to play with for free.  We've encountered some of the most generous people who want our business to succeed and who give their time and talents to help others along the way, asking nothing in return.  

I feel we are succeeding,  even when people come in and don't buy anything, they leave with huge smiles on their faces and we often hear them telling each other that they need to bring so and so back.  

The article we read for school talks about how if you create a business that will make the world a better place then your chances of succeeding are better than if you just create a business to make money.  I feel we are on the right track, and even though this journey can be exhausting, so far it's always been happy.