We’re all about work-life balance. And while running your own business is demanding and requires many different hats—one moment you’re digging into sales, data, contracts, and the next you’re managing creative ideas, or building customer relationships—it also requires you to be flexible and take on new opportunities.
Even though it was a crazy short trip, I had the opportunity to head to Seattle because gr8nola will now be in the Facebook office in Seattle!
Entrepreneur Tip: Like many businesses, much of this industry is relationship driven, and face-to-face meetings make all the difference versus phone calls. So, I decided to pack my schedule in with meetings, one was with Facebook’s snack and beverage distributor Canteen Vending.
While this is one meeting, the possibilities for the future of gr8nola in the Pacific Northwest are much higher as they supply snacks to other offices in the area like Electronic Arts, Expedia and Tableau, to name a few. So, as an entrepreneur, I see how significant this relationship is since it can open many other possibilities for the business.
Expedia Office
On another note, you may or may not know, we supply gr8nola to Hotwire’s San Francisco office, and because they like the food so much (we knew they would!) they asked me to provide a breakfast bar at their headquarters in Seattle: Expedia! (if you didn't know, Hotwire is owned by Expedia). We had a lovely display, shared gr8nola’s story and more!
It was a hit! Folks loved it and stocked up on gr8nola!
While busy handling meetings, I was still able to squeeze in some time to explore the city. The weather was abnormally warm (90 degrees) but I wasn’t complaining—I love hot weather! In the short timeframe, I was able to hit some hot spots, and I highly suggest you do the same!
Visit Pike Place!
Last time I was in Seattle I came to Pike Place Public Market—a must-see place on any tourist’s list—but I was on a strict vegan diet, so I was unable to try the seafood or the delicious pastry spots (I have a thing for sweets)! So, this time around, I went for it. With 4.5 stars on Yelp, Piroshky Piroshky was the place to get the best of both worlds—check out this delicious salmon piroshky below!
Visit the Original Starbucks
Whether you’re a Starbucks fan or not, you’ve gotta check out the original store! It’s a hidden gem. People go there to take selfies under the weathered brown logo while partners make their beverages on the vintage-style manual espresso machine and bag coffee on the worn wooden counters. Plus, it’s a fun place to sit and people watch.
Have you seen such a line?
Time for Friends
How cool is this? About a year and a half ago, I “met” a friend from a podcast. Leanne (an ex-Microsoft employee and now turned full-time health coach) heard my story on Health Coach Institute’s Better Than Ever podcast. She reached out to me randomly since my journey toward entrepreneurship resonated with her path in becoming a health coach (back when I did this podcast I hadn’t yet jumped into my business full-time). We were complete strangers but got to know one another through phone calls, sharing each other’s journeys and supporting one another through our challenges in exiting our corporate careers to pursue our passions. We cultivated a friendship through the process, and we finally got to meet this week!
And happy to say we both made the leap!
Long story short, this trip to Seattle was gr8! I’m excited to see the relationships made and how this work trip can open many doors for gr8nola. Stay tuned!
Traveling anytime soon? Stock up on our mini packs!