Cadence Running Company

Confucius say:

There are 3 methods by which we may learn wisdom.  First, by reflection, which is noblest.  Second, by imitation, which is easiest.  And third, by experience, which is bitterest.

I can relate to this tidbit.  I've never been one to sit back and learn from others.  I'm a jump-in-with-both-feet and hope-I don't-drown kind of a girl.  The latest pond I've jumped into... business ownership.

I am now a small business owner.  This did not happen by accident, though some days I feel like it's an accident waiting to happen.  For several years now, we've talked about buying the running specialty store my husband was managing.  The owner wanted to sell, and we wanted to buy.  Unfortunately, we are not independently wealthy and the banks laughed at us when we applied for a loan.  Seriously.  Laughed us right out of the building. 

Long story short, we found a private investor who believed in us and gave us a loan.  We made several offers to the owner of the shop, all of which were turned down.  Ultimately, my husband lost his job when the owner decided to take over management while he continued to look for a buyer.  At that point, we knew what we were going to do.  Open up our own running specialty store.

We are both very passionate about the sport of running (as well as triathlon) and my husband has more than a decade of experience in the running retail industry.  Some of his quirks have rubbed off on me over time.  I can't look at a person's foot and know their shoe size without asking like he can, but I do find myself looking at feet and judging the shoes people are wearing.  OMG look at that pronation!  He's practically walking on his ankles!  He needs some support in those arches.  Etc, etc. 

It has been a learning experience, and when it's all over we may be able to laugh over a few drinks.  Initially, we had to apply for approximately 10 different business licenses and certifications.  Unfortunately, each application required information from another license which we couldn't obtain yet, because that license needed information from the aforementioned license which we did not yet have, and so on. 

On top of it all, we needed to set up accounts with all the companies whose products we wanted to carry, but they needed ALL of our paperwork to be completed before we could apply for accounts. 

After what seemed like an eternity, all of our licenses came through and the paperwork process was in the works.  Now it was time to establish a storefront.  Once this ball started rolling, it was like a snowball picking up speed as it hurdled down the mountain.  I got swept up thinking we were going to have everything done in a week and we could hang our shingle.  Then on the final day of "installations" we had 4 people scheduled to do 5 jobs (phone/ Internet/ TV/ flooring/ and security).  1 job got done that day.  The guy from the security company was awesome, hardworking and didn't complain.  He laughed with me (after a while) when one person after another walked through the doors and announced that they couldn't do the job for which we were paying them to do. 

From my perspective it was a Friday afternoon, ours was the last job on their list for the day... and they would rather be drinking beer at the pub next door.  The excuses were legendary.  We'll I could do it, but you're going to have to pay me extra... and I'll have to reschedule because I don't have the equipment in my huge company van to install a phone jack.  No really.  I can't make this shit up.  In the end, the security guy finished his job (and half of the phone company's job) and we still made it next door for a beer before 5. 

I complain, but in reality, this is exciting for us.  We are making our dream come true.  There will be some learning curve.  And we will experience the bitterness that comes with trying something new.  But I believe that if you do what you love, it will take care of you.  As motivational speaker, Bob Moad jokingly explained*... he would be invited to give lectures on career day, so he titled his segment 'how to never work a day in your life.'  The auditorium would be packed with students wanting to know the secret to getting rich without having to work.  The key?  As Bob says, fall in love with what you do.  We will put our hearts and souls into this business so that some day it will allow us to wake up with a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and an endless supply of running routes to explore. 

So, welcome, Cadence Running Company.  Our new baby.     

(The website is under construction... I'll post a link ASAP!)

*Paraphrased from a CD I own and listen to regularly, featuring Bob Moad, founder of Edge Learning Institute.  I highly recommend Edge Learning Institute for both personal and professional growth.  You will be amazed at what you learn about yourself!