Once upon a time there lived a princess. She was raised by the King and Queen in a humble castle surrounded by green lawns and big shade trees. The couple ensured that the princess had not only her physical needs met, but her emotional needs as well. They reminded her daily, "you can do anything you want to do!" and she believed them. Throughout her life she tested their promise and proved it over and over again to be valid.
When she was young, she imagined herself a cheerleader. Standing on the sidelines under the Friday night lights with her closest friends having fun, laughing, and making memories. Though she was not the most talented, she worked hard and tried out. Her spirit could not be matched and she was granted membership to the team.
As she worked her way through school, she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. She chose the right classes, worked hard, and one day had completed her requirements for admission. She took a leap of faith and submitted the application. A few months later she received the phone call, she was to start veterinary school in the fall.
Life went on, and the princess got busy and a little overwhelmed. For a short time she got bogged down and forgot who she was. She forgot that she could do anything, and so she did nothing. One day she woke up, as if from a horrible nightmare, and realized that she was missing out on life. She didn't know what to do, and so she ran. She ran at first to escape from a life that she didn't recognize. And then she ran because it reinforced in her the belief that she could do anything.
She ran, and every day, the world looked a little bit brighter and little by little she remembered what the King and Queen had taught her. One day her running shoes seemed a little bit worse for the wear and so she wandered into a running specialty store in search of a new pair. She left that day with a new pair of running shoes, and a handsome prince by her side.
The prince and princess would journey through life together discovering new adventures and pushing the boundaries of what they believed was possible. Together the turned their love of running into a pursuit of the sport of triathlon, and they excelled. They traveled all over the country racing in this sport that had captured their hearts. The prince was very good. He earned a chance to race in the World Championships, and honor the princess never dreamed could be possible for herself.
Together they journeyed to the Big Island where this legendary race took place. That fall, she had her own race planned 6 weeks later and so continued her training on the island. After a very long, very hot, and very trying bike ride on the World Championship course she declared that she NEVER wanted to compete in this race. EVER!
The prince finished the race, and would go back to race a second time years later. This time the princess had a bit more training experience under her belt. She didn't take her bike, but rather ran and swam on the course. She rented a stand-up paddle board, and would spend hours cruising up and down the coastline lost in her own thoughts. It was there that she gave up her previous negative thoughts about herself and decided that she would, in fact, like to race in the World Championships.
She did some research and came across a program, called the Legacy, which allowed any athlete who had completed 12 Ironman events to enter a special lottery. She decided that if she was physically able to complete 12 races, that surely, she could survive the World Championship course. And so it came to pass that the princess entered 6 races over the next 2 years to finish out her requirement for the Legacy Program.
But something unexpected and wonderful happened along the way. The princess got stronger and faster. And the stronger and faster she got, the more she began to believe in herself. And when the 12 events were done, she no longer wanted to go to the World Championships on a lottery ticket. She wanted to qualify. She wanted to earn her slot. And belong to the mass of people lined up in the water when the cannon sounds on that early October morn.
The princess knows the work that will be required to achieve a goal of this magnitude. But she is not afraid. She knows that heart will trump talent, and that if she works hard and wants this just a little bit more than the next girl, that one day she will see her dream come true. And so it was with great courage and strength that the princess brushed aside all doubt, and stood on the mountain top with her bike raised above her head, to announce to the world....
I dream of finding Kona.
Showing posts with label running specialty store. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running specialty store. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Cadence Running Company
Confucius say:
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!
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!
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