Who doesn't love a good sandwich? When we were getting together to decide on our January Business of the Month, we knew immediately that we wouldn't be happy campers if we didn't decide on Happy Camper Deli of Salt Lake City, Utah. Owned by Marc Singleton, Happy Camper is a mobile deli with a twist, their trucks are repurposed from old campers and horse trailers which is fun to see. Keep reading to learn more about these deelish sammies and catering. UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Marc: I am a Utah native but grew up in California. Once given the opportunity, I moved back to Utah where I worked in clinical diagnostics for 20 years, mostly new start up companies. I have multiple advanced degrees including a Ph.D. from University of Utah Medical School. However, my real passion has been food. There is no joy in telling someone they are sick, but give someone a sandwich, the “Best Sandwich You’ll Have All Day!”, and you can make someone happy. UMLF: What inspired you to start Happy Camper? Marc: I have always wanted to run my own restaurant; I love food and love how it can make even the worst days better. However, despite being a good home chef, I have no culinary training. I figured I would do what I know, sandwiches. I love a good sandwich and have sought out the best I could find. It is the perfect combination of bread, meat, cheese, and veggies! So many combinations that the possibilities are endless. Everyone has their favorite sandwich, from PB and J to Philly Cheesesteak, they are all good sandwiches attached to good memories. UMLF: Your bold claim is that Happy Camper serves “The Best Sandwich You’ll Have All Day!” Tell us what makes it the best! Marc: The “Best Sandwich You’ll Have All Day!” slogan comes from my two loves. 1) I love sandwiches; so, we only use the freshest bread, baked daily, the best meats and cheeses, sourced locally, and fresh veggies. Even if you have another sandwich, it will not be as fresh and good as a Happy Camper Deli Sandwich. 2) I love being a dad! And dads tell “DAD JOKES”. The “Best Sandwich You’ll Have All Day!” suggests that you are unlikely to have multiple sandwiches…therefore I am right! We at the Happy Camper Deli don’t take ourselves too seriously, except for our sandwiches! UMLF: You use cool retro trailers as your food trucks, what was the inspiration behind this? Marc: When I decided to start a food truck I looked around for options. Food Trucks (with engines) cost a lot of money and usually have extremely high miles on them. Buying a new truck would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I was inspired by a coffee stand in San Francisco that was built out of a horse trailer. It was stationary, however, it got me thinking, why not build my own. I bought, gutted, equipped, and restored a 1962 horse trailer as our first food truck. It is awesome, the small space made sandwich building fast and efficient 100 sandwiches per hour! However, the small trailer lacked some of the items customers wanted (i.e., grilled sandwiches and fries). Thanks to the UMLF, I purchased and retrofitted a 1962 Forester Camper with a full commercial kitchen. We have a 36-inch griddle, a large deep fryer and a commercial fridge and freezer that can hold enough supplies to serve any event. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Marc: Fortunately, the Happy Camper Deli has experiences only growth prior to the Covid-19 shutdown. Our daily business relied on going to large business parks, festivals, and large gatherings to feed the masses. With the Covid shutdowns many/most of our clients have started working from home. We have attempted to shift to a delivery/pickup business plan, however, because the Happy Camper Deli is a food truck delivery and pickup options are often difficult. We have recently found new opportunities for delivery and hope that the New Year will give us the chance to continue to grow. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Marc: Without the Utah Microloan Fund, we would not have been able to build our second Food Truck. The camper food truck can serve many more people with many more options. We have been able to expand into breakfast and dinner menus. And with both the camper and trailer operating we have been able to grow our customer base significantly. UMLF: Where can people find you? Marc: Our daily schedule can be found at www.HappyCamperDeli.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for our weekly schedules. We are always accepting catering orders at www.HappyCamperDeli.com/catering Thanks Marc! To plan you visit or to book catering visit:
“With us, you’re not a price tag. The moment you walk through our doors, you become part of a family.” These are the wise words from the team at Chapel Motorcycle in Murray, Utah and this attitude is one of the many reasons we chose Chapel as our December Business of the Month! Read all about the business that strives to be the best motorcycle shop, parts and accessories vendor in the industry below! UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Chapel: Our team includes Karl Baird, Kolby Reber, and Colleen Reber Baird. We are the owners of The Chapel Motorcycle Shop. We also have a very solid management team including Mitch Fichialos and Robin Neilsen, plus 5 other full-time employees and 2 part-time employees. Karl’s background has been focused on working with start-up companies for the last 13 years along with holding executive level management positions. He has a strong focus on marketing, B2B relationships, and customer service. He has built multiple departments and companies from the ground up while maintaining high levels of employee and customer satisfaction. Karl’s true passion has been riding and working on motorcycles his whole life. His skills and background are a driving force to make this company successful. The last 5 years of Karl’s focus has been on building the overall company but with a strong focus on customer service, shop operations, and efficiencies. Kolby brings a wide range of talents, skills, and abilities to the table. He has been a professional graphic designer with 20+ years of experience working with clients and designing everything from business packages, logos, advertisements, publishing, website design, and even 3 years of pre-press experience. He has worked in retail customer service for 12+ years and understands the true value of keeping the customer happy. Kolby is also very skilled at building and creating things. He has 3 years of remodeling construction experience that taught him a full range of general building practices, including framing, concrete, sheetrock, and various finish work. He also has over two years’ experience, as the assistant head carpenter for the Utah Opera, building professional theater sets. Besides this work experience, Kolby is also a great thinker and has great problem-solving skills. He is excellent at product research and purchasing. He has a keen eye for detail and quality, and he will find the best price. He is also great at choosing products that other people enjoy. He has a great sense of what “cool” is. The last 5 years of Kolby’s focus has been on building the overall company but with a strong focus on running the Design Studio which includes Embroidery, Design, Vinyl, and clothing, this further includes designing custom artwork for custom products, ads, web design, flyers, logos. etc., and his great appreciation for strong customer service. Kolby is definitely a solid asset for the company. Colleen is a retired middle school teacher from the Salt Lake City School District bringing organization and compassion into our shop. She is a mother/owner/partner / who stands behind her two son’s Kolby and Karl. She is a huge part of the foundation of our business and family, and the glue that helps hold it all together. She has a strong passion to see our business grow. Colleen has been involved in the company since the very beginning, she knew there was an opportunity and was the first investor who enabled The Chapel to grow from an idea to a major player in just 5 short years. UMLF: What inspired you to start the Chapel Motorcycle Shop? Chapel: On Paper, The Chapel Motorcycle Shop has only existed since 2015, but the dream and drive began long before that when brothers Karl and Kolby were riding their motorcycles both street bikes and dirt bikes as kids. We were always surrounded by motorcycles. We realized there was something missing in Utah’s motorcycle market. Our family mechanic was retiring, the dealerships treated customers and staff poorly, and the shop with a true personality was closing down. Instead of accepting the fate of Utah’s motorcycle market, we decided to make a move, and after that point, The Chapel was born. Along with our parents (investors) and an amazing determination to succeed we started The Chapel Motorcycle Shop. What started as a long-time dream quickly became a local meeting spot and social hub for bikers of all walks of life from the beginner to the lifelong biker and everyone in between. It was clear from the beginning that the community wanted a change and we were that change. We believe in treating everyone with respect. UMLF: You describe yourself as a one-stop-shop for all Utah Motorcyclists. Tell us about all the awesome services you offer? Chapel: The Chapel Motorcycle Shop has a department dedicated to style. It is called Chapel Customs, within this department, we have multiple commercial embroidery machines, a Vinyl plotter, weeding stations for the vinyl, along with multiple heat presses for both shirts and hats, plus other accessories. Pretty much if we can brand it, we will! This is offered to all of our clientele including small businesses, local clubs, and organizations along with our own apparel. The Chapel Motorcycle Shop continues to service all new and current clientele with a Full-Service Motorcycle Service Shop & Design Studio. The Chapel also continues to aggressively market our services to the current Harley-Davidson market from Logan to Provo, and from Tooele to Heber City. We also market to the rest of the V-Twin market that includes the non-Harley lines. The other motorcycle brands such as Indian, Victory, Triumph, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki, are also markets/brands that we target. We are able to provide services from tires and minor repairs to full high performance and custom applications. This allows us to provide apparel, parts, and accessories to this client base as well. The full-service shop includes custom work and fabrication for items like sissy bars, custom bike modifications, lowering kits, bobber kits, engine builds, fiberglass and LED light kits. Some of these items include outsourcing to local specialists to complete portions of the builds. The Chapel Motorcycle Shop has a Trademarked logo which we use for clothing lines, advertising, and branding of our services and motorcycle lifestyle. Our custom apparel and items include our logos on shirts, hoodies, patches, hats, leather apparel, sunglasses, bandanas, handlebars, pegs, and many other items. UMLF: You celebrated 5 years in business this year. Congrats, how does that feel? Chapel: It feels great to reach these goals and to be stable when we do it. Everyone talks about reaching the 5 years mark but until you can do it with your own company, and a strong team surrounding you it really feels good. I would say hitting 5 years and having a solid plan to move forward to the next 5 years we are very excited. The first 5 years have been a roller coaster, to say the least. We have seen some very dark and challenging days along with some major highlights from ribbon cuttings, to securing large customer accounts and seeing our company grow from 3 people to 12 employees. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Chapel: A low for our company would be when a major supporter, an advisor to our company, a husband and father to the 3 Business owners (Dee Baird) passed away in March 2018. During this time we were also dealing with a very bad person (ex-business partner) with whom we had done business and were paying for it. His goal was to sink our company and take everyone down with it. All said and done we were able to overcome these hurdles and become a top motorcycle shop in the state. Another challenge for our team would be the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. All of our social events have been canceled due to Covid-19. One of our top sources of income was instantly taken away. We sat down and figured out what we needed to do. After a meeting with our team, it was clear what needed to be done. We put our best foot forward, doubled down on our team members, and set out to have a great year of business no matter what happened. As of 11/29/2020, we can say we are still going strong and are now one of the best motorcycle shops in the state. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Chapel: The UMLF has been there for us as a small business when most lenders wouldn’t even return a phone call. As a company, we are very grateful for the relationship we have with the UMLF. Our first loan with the UMLF came at a time when we needed financial support. We were a new business and needed funds for operations. As we have grown over the last 5 years we have been able to keep a strong relationship with the UMLF. From the very first application to today we are always learning new tricks and absorbing all the advice and valuable info that the UMLF team has to offer. As a business owner and an advisor to many other companies and friends, I always include the UMLF, as part of my advice to any start-up.
Great Basin Coffee Company’s (GBCC) Roastery is located in South Provo on historic U.S Route 89. Tucked away within an industrial complex, their unsuspecting location is where owners Alex Kopelson and Michael Cunnif roast coffee, play with friends and concoct new products that are meaningful to them and their community. Visitors are always welcome into their shop to drink coffee and talk about life.
Roasting specialty coffee is their foundation and they source great coffees from their friends at Coffee Co-Mission and then roast it on our Diedrich IR-12 where they put methodical love and attention into each small batch. GBCC has a handful of awesome products ranging from roasted coffee, cold-brewed coffee, Great Basin Coffee themed merchandise and their favorite coffee gear. They also love collaborating with other local companies to make other bomb products like buzz bean brownies, espresso yogurt, and even honey kombucha. For everything mentioned above and more, Great Basin Coffee Company is our November Small Business of the month! Keep reading to learn more: UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background? How did you get into coffee? Alex: Both Mike and I were wildland firefighters working for the state of Utah on a hotshot crew. We always loved drinking coffee as it kept us going. We wanted to start a business together and after learning more about the coffee industry fell in love with it and decided to start roasting. It has been 3 years now and it has been a rollercoaster! UMLF: What inspired you to start Great Basin Coffee? Alex: We wanted to start Great Basin coffee to control our destiny, make something incredible, and give back to people and the environment. We wanted to share a product that we love with the people in our lives and with others that have the same goals as we do. Coffee is motivating. It is connecting. UMLF: How did you come up with the name? Alex: We have played and worked in the Great Basin region for a long time. It is a region that is meaningful to us because it gives you a sense of adventure and being in the outdoors. That’s what the brand means to us. UMLF: You have AMAZING package art, can you tell us more about your designs? Alex: We are inspired by nature and historical design from the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) era. The old work projects commissioned at this time were timeless and beautiful and really captured the beauty of the great American outdoors. We work with Chris Draney a graphic designer to design and implement all these labels. We named each coffee after a place, tree, or country of origin and made a label to match. UMLF: What are some of your favorite blends and recommended preparations? Alex: We love single origin coffees but we also love blends. Coffee is a seasonal product so blends help us maintain a consistent flavor profile year round. We make coffee every way imaginable depending on the situation. We currently love our espresso machine and make a lot of dairy-free drinks using our Lone Peak Espresso, our flagship espresso blend. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Alex: There are too many to recount a specific one haha. Having no prior business ownership experience, it has been a huge learning curve. We have made a lot of mistakes but we have overcome them this far by continuing to work and improve as we go. There isn’t a one size fits all solution to any problem. It takes dedication and passion to keep working through your mistakes. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Alex: The UMLF has helped our business immensely. Just by building our application and applying for the loan we learned so much about our finances and business needs. We also worked with SCORE to prepare for the loan application and committee review. With the funds we received we were able to improve upon our processes and start marketing to grow our business. We love the UMLF! To get your coffee on visit:
A vegan and gluten-free food truck that tastes amazing? Say what?! That's right! You can't beet the Hearty Beet, our October Business of the Month. Keep reading as we learn about what inspired owner Brittney Jones to start her own food truck in the heart of St. George, Utah. UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Brittney: I am a food truck dreamer. I thought it sounded like a fun job and I was right. It's very fun and it's hard work, but the fun kind of hard work. I stumbled upon Plant-based cuisine 9 years ago at a cooking class. I have a passion for nutrition, raw food, whole food and plant-based food. I am in the "second" part of my life, my children are now college students and I am ready to focus on what I want to do. Any job I have had, desk job or otherwise, I would always cook and bake for people and I just wanted to talk about food and the food truck was always on my mind. UMLF: What inspired you to start the Hearty Beet? Brittney: It seemed less scary than opening a restaurant and it's something I could do alone if I need to. I am also part of a vegan community that knows there are not a lot of options for plant-based-whole food eaters in Southern Utah. I also wanted something for my kids to experience because they haven't had jobs and this type of hard work. I also want to be my own boss for sure. UMLF: How did you come up with the name? Brittney: I love beet juice and just eating plain whole cooked beets, they are a beautiful color and give you so much energy. They are also a heart-healthy food. And it explains my whole hearty foods; The Hearty Beet. The vegetable on my food truck also attracts customers because they know it will be healthy food. UMLF: You have such a tasty looking menu, what are some of your favorite items we need to try? Brittney: Everything on our menu is scratch-made, no processed sugar, gluten-free (except for pita), and vegan. Here are some of my faves:
Brittney: I am running into challenges all along. I'll have one day where I feel this is a crazy thing I'm doing and the next day I make one connection with someone that gets me a parking place or an event, and things lookup. Right now I think further ahead when I know things will get better and we'll have more events that I can participate in. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Brittney: The UMLF gave me a loan to start my business. They helped me get (Covid-19) loan relief. They have my back if I need help with social media and marketing. They have provided classes throughout the COVID shutdown. And they got me access to their Banking on Women program which I love. UMLF: Where can people find you? Brittney: I am literally roaming the St. George area right now. I am moving around until I find the right fit for me. I also have been at any event I can get in to. Follow me on social media to see where we are at! To eat the rainbow, visit:
Eggnog, pumpkin, lemon, black licorice, cashew, raspberry, peanut butter, very hot cinnamon, mango habanero, and pineapple habanero. What do these have in common? These are just some of the flavors of caramel JulieAnn Caramels makes to tantalize your taste buds. Keep reading to learn more about owner Rowena Montoya and the story of how her delectable sweets came to be! UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Rowena: I am a wife of 35 years, mother to 5 children, grandmother to 17 grandchildren, an aunt, neighbor, friend, and business owner of JulieAnn Caramels. I have always loved caramels, they’re one of my favorite treats! Anywhere I could buy a caramel to try, I would but I was always disappointed. The taste was never what I remember as a child. As an avid baker and chef, I know the difference that quality ingredients make on the final product. So, I would always look at the ingredients in the bags of caramels I would buy and discover that half the stuff in the caramels I could not pronounce, let alone know what they were. I knew there was a better way, so I went to work using the basics of uncompromising quality ingredients and creating a recipe that would bring back the flavor, texture, and experience I fell in love with when I was younger. UMLF: What inspired you to start JulieAnn Caramels? Rowena: I wanted to create a caramel with ingredients anyone can understand and know what they are. When my mother died at the age of 15, I spent a lot of time with Julie, who is in the culinary industry. Julie spent most of her life working with food. I loved being with her and her outlook on life. She gave me a love for fine foods, and creativity with food. I am a true believer that when life hands you lemons, you make lemon caramels with it! Just like everyone, I am accustomed to having downs in life. When I can't change what is going on around me, I know I can change the way I look at things. I learned this lesson after my mother passed away. Having faith, hope and believing that things will work out is what I have done. Little did I know the future would be bright when I went and lived with my aunt, NancyAnn Jones. She and her family changed my life. I will always be indebted to them. Whenever hard times arise, I simply remember where I came from and look forward to what I could create! UMLF: You obviously have high standards for your products, can you tell us about how you choose ingredients and your philosophy behind what you put out? Rowena: I love having the right ingredients. I want the best sugar, did you know there are different kinds of sugar? Each kind will bring with it varying levels of taste and textures, and I’ve learned over time which type makes the grade. My caramels have a clean, not sticky, finish. Next, it’s crucial to use the best butter. High in butter fat makes a big difference in how it all comes together, but that alone isn’t enough. I use a local dairy so the butter is not only more fresh, but I love supporting other local businesses. Once we have the basics covered, I like to keep it simple but then add a little twist to create something fun and new. If I am going to have a treat I want it to taste good and make it memorable! UMLF: What are some of your favorite or unique flavors we need to try? Rowena: We have over forty different flavors of Caramels. In fact, our Pineapple Habanero won an award in New York, it is a fun caramel! I love our Maple Bacon; it has Pancetta bacon in it. We love coconut and have several varieties, such as Coconut Lime, Coconut Dream, and simply Coconut Caramel. The fun thing about our take on coconut caramel is that we use coconut milk! We have tropical caramels like Tahitian Treat, which includes coconut, mango, and pineapple. I have so many favorites right now. I think my love is pineapple because it is so fresh! You could choose a different caramel every day, depending on your mood. Here at JulieAnn Caramels, your favorites can change with each season! UMLF: Where can customers find your products? Do you ship nationwide? Rowena: You can find us locally in Harmon's and Associated Foods stores Peterson, Lee’s Market. Plus, we have a small storefront at 9493 S. 560 W. in Sandy. However, we do ship all over the United States if you have loved ones who need a pick-me-up! UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Rowena: Business is hard and can even be lonely at times when all the final decisions fall to you as the owner. I don't think I have ever worked so hard physically. I have learned plenty of concepts through the road of hard knocks. I am not perfect, but I keep trying and move on. Right now, the hardest thing for me is ramping up our wholesale business. I have been working on machinery in-house and just got it up and running, so we're ready to go! Our new “Cut and Wrapper” machine is amazing, which helps us deliver faster than ever before. With COVID, our wholesale orders stopped because our wholesale partners had to close their doors. I feel like the girl who got ready for the prom, and then it got canceled. Now we're pivoting trying new ways to share our caramels with the world. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Rowena: In the last couple of years, I have had several large orders that I turned away simply because we could not afford the ingredients or machinery to fulfill them. The Utah Microloan made it possible for us to take one of those big orders. It was so liberating to know I could do it. Now I want more! We are more ready than ever before for big orders! It is our time to move forward for JulieAnn Caramels! Thanks Rowena! To stay in touch with your newest caramel obsession visit:
At Beauty Trendz Salon, clients arrive as guests, and leave as friends. Beauty Trendz was founded in 2016 by industry professional and beauty maven Becky Sorensen who wanted to create a beautiful salon atmosphere to tailor to her existing clientele. Beauty Trendz offers a full range of cutting edge salon services and products. Their extensive service menu features hair, nail and skin care; as well as massage and permanent cosmetics. In keeping with their name, Becky and her team strive to stay current with the latest trends in the beauty industry by continually attending and hosting education classes throughout the year with our staff. Keep reading to learn about owner Becky Sorensen and how she started this amazing August Business of the Month. UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Becky: I have been a part of the beauty industry since 2008, and knew before I even went to school that doing hair was going to be a passion of mine. I have worked in all kinds of positions within the beauty industry, including a receptionist position, and even running a beauty supply company for a couple of years. UMLF: What inspired you to start Beauty Trendz? Becky: The salon I was with before Beauty Trendz was a full service salon, and I loved that my clientele could get their nails done while their color processed, or get a massage before their hair appointment. That salon downsized without any notice after I'd been there for a little over two years. I knew I couldn't maintain my current clientele there, or grow for that matter with the changes that were made. I decided that I wanted to be an independent stylist at that point, but I also wanted my clientele to continue receiving the other services they loved in the same location, and so I saw an opportunity to create a space for other industry professionals who wanted to be independent as well. I knew if I was going to be the salon owner, I had to be able to work behind the chair with clients on my terms, so I structured the salon in a way that everyone who works for Beauty Trendz rents their own space, and is their own "owner", including me! UMLF: What are some of your favorite beauty trends and what are some you wish would never come back? :} Becky: I am living for all the 70's and 80's styles coming back into the mix honestly! I'm all about the shags and mullets and even love perms, but I also love classic and vintage trends a lot. I think the only trends I dislike are the fauxhawk and the "shadow box" highlight and color style from the earlier 2000's. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Becky: Beauty Trendz has been pretty fortunate to have mostly highs overall, but our low was *really* low! I originally had business partners when Beauty Trendz was founded, and they ended up leaving unexpectedly, and pretty early into the company's history. Long story short, they fabricated some false claims and pressed charges against me! The lawsuit just about took me completely out financially, but I ended up winning after 6 long months of negotiating! Even though we won, I truly did not think the business was going to survive because of the financial turmoil the lawsuit put me through, but then I found out about the Utah Microloan Fund and they honestly saved Beauty Trendz. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Becky: If it weren't for the Utah Microloan Fund, Beauty Trendz would not still be around! We were fortunate enough to be able to get funding from the UMLF after trying unsuccessfully for several months to apply for traditional funding. The business loan we received helped me to replenish inventory, pay our rent for a few months up front and advertise our way back into full swing! My favorite thing about the Utah Microloan fund though are all of the business classes they offer! I have learned so much, and have definitely become a better business owner all because the UMLF gave my business a chance. UMLF: You usually have some fun specials, what are your specials for August that we can get excited about? Becky: Currently we have:
To book your next glow up, visit:
Why should you research fireworks before you buy them? So you get the best BANG for your buck! But in all seriousness, Utah Grand Finale Fireworks is no joke! These are the best aerial fireworks you can find in Utah, hands down and what makes these fireworks stand out even more is that they all have a fun Utah theme like BYU and U Holy War, Utah's Green Jello, Wasatch Thunder, the Polygamist, Uinta Flowers, This is the Place and more. We love these playful pokes at Utah culture but what we love more is that Douglas frequently models for the artwork on his fireworks, a big surprise when he first applied for a microloan! Utah Grand Finale Fireworks is our July Business of the Month so keep reading to see how Douglas got his start creating these awesome fireworks! UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background?
Douglas: I am 63 years old, married and have twenty grand children. I would describe myself as adventurous, an adrenaline junkie. I love sports and am a two time Ironman Triathlon World Championship racer. I also love hunting, skiing, fishing, rock climbing, camping, and of course the BYU Cougars. I am also a six time semi-finalist for the TV show Survivor, but not been chosen yet!!!! UMLF: What inspired you to start Utah Grand Finale Fireworks? Douglas: I have alway loved fireworks and I wanted to do something different than everyone else so I decided to focus only on aerial with Utah themes and now here we are! UMLF: A lot of your fireworks have fun Utah themed names and pictures. How did you come up with these? Douglas: I raised and raced horses for 25 years so I always loved naming the babies born every year so naming fireworks came naturally to me. All of my fireworks themes have a story behind the name and a friend from our triathlon club does all my photography. We have the funniest photo shoots! I have 5 beautiful daughters that can be my models but they are busy with kids. My oldest daughter was the model for the SLC 2002 Winter Olympics. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Douglas: The high in my business is providing a great quality product, something that brings happiness to people, the smiles on peoples faces with the names of the fireworks. Customer service is very big to me. We have a very faithful customer, the Billings family, from Highland/Alpine area and they drive to PG to buy fireworks. They must pass at least 10 fireworks stands to get to my Water Gardens Theater fireworks location. When I run into a person that has seen one of my fireworks shows, and they tell me it was the best show they have ever seen. Lows: Financing. I am so thankful for UMLF!!!!! UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Douglas: I am so thankful for UMLF, there would not be a way for my to grow and expand my business without their help. My bank is Altabank in PG. They are so personable I can walk into my bank and they all know my name and I know their's. Small town bank helping a small town business. My banker Creig Rowley introduced me to UMLF. I am so thankful for the bankers that are on the board of UMLF to make all this possible for me. I thought last year was a crazy year when the ports were closed in China to ship explosive cargo due to an explosion at one of the ports, 2020 totally buried last year!!! UMLF: Where can people buy your fireworks? Douglas: All locations will be in a container this year. The hour for all are:
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With our dog food that is! KetoNatural Pet Foods is our June Business of the Month and not just because owner and founder Daniel Schulof has some of the cutest dogs on the planet. Read our interview with Daniel and how his keto dog food went from just an idea to his successful business below: UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background. Daniel: In a past life I was an attorney at a major international law firm in the city of Atlanta. I began thinking it wasn't the right fit for me right around the time that I got my first dog, a Rottweiler named Kody. Having worked in a high-stress corporate environment for the better part of a decade, I was inspired by an idea popularized by Tim Ferris's bestselling book "The Four Hour Workweek" -- the notion that the Internet economy has made it possible for entrepreneurs to create highly-automated e-commerce micro-businesses, which can serve as a primary means of income (rather than a 9-to-5 job). I thought the idea of working only a few hours a week sounded pretty cool, so I decided to give it a shot. And, since I was so enamored with my new dog, I decided that I'd create a business for dog-owners. My first company, Varsity Pets, was born in the spring of 2011. By the fall it was making enough money to pay me a small but adequate salary. So I quit my job at the law firm on November 1, 2011. I've been in the pet industry ever since. UMLF: What inspired you to start KetoNatural Pet Foods? Daniel: I am a pretty anxious and ambitious person. So even though Varsity Pets was a success, in the sense that I was able to pay my bills while only doing a few hours of work a week, all the free time gave me ants in my professional pants, so to speak. So I began a business-related writing project that started small but quickly grew dramatically in scale. Basically I started writing about why so many pets in the United States are too fat. The facts about canine obesity are staggering: more than HALF of the dogs in America are overweight, and being overweight is deadlier for a dog than a lifetime of smoking is for a human being. That didn't make sense to me -- how could so many pet owners be allowing this to happen to their beloved pets? I thought there was more to the story. And I was right. I spent four years researching and writing what would go on to be "Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma: The Silent Epidemic Killing America's Dogs and the New Science That Could Save Your Best Friend's Life." It was published in the fall of 2016. One of the core theses of the book is that there's a big body of evidence showing that carbohydrates are horrible for canine health -- far worse than most vets were taught in vet school. But kibble products, even the fancy ones, are typically at least 40% carbohydrate. Which is why so many pets in the U.S. are obese. So I decided to create a first-of-its-kind product, a kibble with little or no carbohydrate. KetoNatural Pet Foods is the vehicle for that product. UMLF: For those who don’t know, why is keto dog food beneficial for our furry friends? Daniel: There's abundant evidence that dietary carbohydrate does all kinds of nasty things to dogs. It causes blood sugar to spike, it elevates insulin levels, it causes obesity, it's linked to cancer, the list goes on. So a very low-carbohydrate diet is far more healthy than one stuffed with starch, like 99% of kibbles are. It's also much more "natural" for a dog. As part of my book research I lived with the biologists from the Yellowstone Wolf Project. And they explained to me that for 99.9% of the domestic dog's genetic evolution, they ate precisely zero carbohydrate. Their entire diet was made up of animal-based protein and fat. And it's only recently (with the invention of agriculture) that they began consuming huge amounts of starchy carbohydrate. Right around this time, a host of chronic diseases started becoming common among dogs as well. I don't believe that's a coincidence. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Daniel: Pet owners are often very emotional about their animals and they tend to assume the worst when a new business comes along saying that everything they think they know about their pet's nutritional needs is kinda wrong. So I have found that new customer outreach is often met with skepticism and emotionally-charged negativity, some of it personal. I've had to find ways to live with that. Patience helps, I try to remember that I've been on the other end of these types of conversations too and I have rarely given the benefit of the doubt. But blocking and deleting trolls helps too. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Daniel: The UMLF has helped us tremendously. In the early stages of the business, before we had any financial track record to speak of, UMLF gave me a chance. And they believed in me enough to invest in our company when most conventional investors wouldn't touch it. Without their faith I legitimately don't think KetoNatural would have gotten off the ground. Even today, several years after executing our loan agreement, UMLF continues to provide us with resources -- I meet with Sara Day literally every week and her ideas and professional network have been vital to our success. I am a major UMLF fan. UMLF: What’s next for KetoNatural? Daniel: We closed our first venture capital financing transaction earlier this year. And now we're putting that money to work in a few different ways: expanding our product line, overhauling our website, and bringing on exciting new talent, all while continuing to blast away at the ideological "house of carbs" that legacy kibble companies have constructed to keep veterinarians and pet-owners in the dark about the dangers of carbohydrate consumption. UMLF: And for fun, if your dogs could talk for one conversation, what would you say to them? Daniel: I think I'd try to explain that the dogs that appear on our television from time to time aren't real. Kody seems to believe that they're his mortal enemies and he goes ballistic every time he sees them. My home would be a quieter and more peaceful place if my dog didn't think he needed to kill Scooby Doo or whatever. To follow KetoNatural Pet Foods or to try their products for your furry family, check out their profiles here:
During these current times, we think it goes without saying that we could all use something beautiful to be inspired by right now. With all of the ongoing bad news, uncertainty, feeling stuck at home, and trying to remain hopeful for tomorrow, everyone could definitely use some inspiration and whimsy to brighten their days so our team at the Utah Microloan Fund want to show off a client who brings nothing but beauty to their work. Who is this ray of sunshine? Designer Mr. Michael Ryan Andolsek, creator of ANDOLSEK, a couture fashion label created right here in Utah. At the age of 19, Michael Andolsek was accepted into Parsons Paris The New School For Design after attending Salt Lake Community College’s Fashion Institute. During his time at Parsons, Michael had the opportunity to be mentored by Cecile Pelous, a retired Mater Draper for notable couture houses like Christian Dior and Nina Ricci. Michael's talent then earned him an acceptance into the prestigious École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He was one of three Americans accepted that year. A huge deal! With an ongoing focus of providing women with timeless yet modern apparel, the label is unique in that its designer and his team live with Autism Spectrum Disorder and work to sustain themselves through this company. Keep reading as we interview Michael and learn about his process, his incredible background and more about our May Business of the Month! UMLF: What inspired you to start your own fashion line? MRA: Clothing has been of great interest to me, and I decided to study fashion design in school. After returning home from Paris, where I did just that, launching my line seemed like an appropriate next step. UMLF: When did you first know you wanted to be a designer? MRA: At age fifteen, my best friend would frequently show me fashion magazines. The apparel in these magazines was exciting and completely different from the clothing worn by the people around me. It was like a whole new world opened up, and until then, I had focused on drawing castles and flowers, but all of a sudden, sketching clothes now became a thing for me. UMLF: Tell us about your process behind designing a collection, where do you start? MRA: Sometimes, I need to start with a silhouette and then draw until I'm pleased. That is often the process when working with a client looking for something in particular. Textiles, trims, and notions, however, give me a lot of ideas, so I usually start from there, and then plans for things pop up. UMLF: The Andolsek Company hires interns and fosters a safe, comfortable environment for people with autism to work, explore, and learn about the fashion industry. You have a lot of awesome initiatives and projects that benefit autism awareness as well. How has your own personal journey with autism shaped your label? MRA: Firstly, thank you very much! I am glad you like what we've been up to lately. My journey as a human is ongoing, and yes, I'm on it with autism, so it probably impacts everything I do. Specifically, at ANDOLSEK, any input or direction I provide based on my point of view means it somehow has autism attached to it. You can view more about our mission here: www.andolsek.com/autism UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? MRA: My education was on design and fashion and not entrepreneurship. Developing and refining a business side to my thinking to coexist with my designer side has been tremendously challenging. I like clothes, not commerce. However, as a business owner, I have to acknowledge that they go hand in hand in order for the company to succeed. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? MRA: Well, the funding you provided was instrumental in the launch of my business, so that was a great help! UMLF: And for fun, what is one current fashion trend you love and one you absolutely hate? MRA: It is becoming more and more difficult for me to distinguish trends and fads from lasting style approaches because it seems that anything goes. What was once a trend that I wish would return is the wearing of gloves. Life's probably easier without them, but they look so darn good. Website: www.andolsek.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/andolsekofficial Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Ej1dfX5aZzQnu4d1VrqwA/featured
Although all locations of Jed's Barbershop are currently closed in compliance with the Salt Lake Health Dept Covid-19 health order issued March 16th, 2020, we still want to celebrate them as our April Business of the Month and tell the story of how Jed and Nicole Beal got started as a Salt Lake Institution that offers classic, modern and specialty haircuts, as well as traditional straight razor shaves.
UMLF: What inspired you guys to start Jed’s Barbershop? Jed: Nine years ago barbershops were not a trend. In fact we had four barbershops in a ten mile radius and they didn’t exceed five chairs. Now there are seventeen within one mile of our location with an average of eight chairs, like Jed’s. We were inspired by barbershops that we saw popping up in the midst of the last big recession, in cities like Seattle and Portland. We knew if we got ahead of the game in Utah, and branded ourselves in a difficult economy we would succeed when things got better. Our look and brand was inspired by my love of local art, music, and childhood memories from the 80’s UMLF: You’ve grown from one to two and now three locations over the years. Tell us about that journey and if you have plans for a fourth. Jed: The journey was initially very challenging. We didn’t look like a classic barbershop and we didn’t want to be your Grandpa’s Barbershop. It was difficult introducing a modern barbershop with funny coffee table books, 80’s arcade games, and local artworks, but people eventually got it. From a business standpoint we decided to not maximize growth, but to optimize internally. We are the ONLY barbershop I know of that put the team first by offering 70% health insurance, 401K matching, free virtual doctor’s visits, and paid vacation with tips. This took many years of disciplined financial planning, but we figured it out. Our team deserves it. We are currently working on customer service training systems, and when that’s complete we have plans to expand. UMLF: With there being an explosion of barbershops in the Salt Lake Valley over the past five years, what do you feel like sets Jed’s apart? Jed: Our benefits to employees and customer service models definitely set us apart. As many people know, starting a business is just one hurdle to get pass, but thriving as a business instead of surviving as a business is the greatest hurdle of all. We have been fortunate to create systems to accomplish this year after year. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Jed: One of our biggest challenges as owners, especially since I am a barber with my name outside the business, was learning to be a business owner NOT a business operator. To work ON your business instead of IN your business was difficult to say the least. Both Nicole and myself continue yearly investing in business coaching and training to optimize our time and resources to be the best leaders we can be. It takes time to learn to delegate management and develop leaders within the business UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Jed: We would have never had the resources to open Jed’s without the education, financial backing, and encouragement of the Utah Microloan Fund. UMLF: And for fun, what is one hair trend you wish would just die? :} Jed: We love all hairstyles, but if we could combat baldness I would be happy, especially personally. Being a balding barber myself is a conundrum To keep them in mind for a future appointment, check out their profiles here:
 Are SBA's resources available during the COVID-19 crisis? Answer: “The health and safety of our employees is our number one priority. SBA has deployed technology solutions to assist small businesses with any of their needs while also ensuring the safety of our staff and adhering to the CDC guidelines. ” How can I get information on SBA’s disaster loan program? Answer: Contact us... Online - sba.gov/disaster Phone - (800) 659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov The call center is open Monday – Sunday, 8a.m. – 8p.m. ET. When can I apply for an economic injury disaster loan? Answer: Once your state or territory has an official declaration, a business owner can access the application online at sba.gov/disaster. Utah has officially declared. How do I apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan? Answer: Visit SBA at sba.gov/disaster and apply online using SBA’s Electronic Loan Application. I have questions about the application, is there someone I can speak with to help me? Answer: Yes. Please contact our disaster assistance customer service center at Answer: Contact us... Online - sba.gov/disaster Phone - (800) 659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov The call center is open Monday – Sunday, 8a.m. – 8p.m. ET. What documents will I need to submit my application? Answer: Depending on a small business' specific situation, we may need different documentation to capture the business’s information, liabilities, and other relevant financial information. Some examples of the type of documents you may be asked for are:
How much can I borrow? Answer: The maximum loan amount is $2 million. The loan amount is based on the working capital needs caused by the COVID-19 situation so the business can meet its ongoing obligations. What are the terms of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan? Answer: The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses and 2.75 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. The first payment on the economic injury loan issued due to the coronavirus will be automatically deferred for one year. How long will it take to know if I am approved for a loan? Answer: We are processing applications as quickly as possible. Some are processed as fast as within a few days, although actual times vary from case-to-case. Does SBA have any grants available to small businesses? Answer: No. Our disaster assistance is in the form of federal low-interest, long term loans. Does SBA require collateral? Answer: It’s important to note that for the first $25,000, no collateral is required. Over $25,000, you may be required to pledge available collateral. Can SBA refinance my loans or mortgages? Answer: SBA economic injury disaster loan funds cannot be used to refinance pre-existing debt. What can I use the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan for? Answer: Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. I have an existing SBA Disaster Loan from a previous disaster, what are my options? Answer: Pre-existing disaster loans still in repayment will have their payments deferred through the end of 2020. This deferral will be automatic, and borrowers of previous home and business disaster loans do not have to contact SBA to request this deferment. Every state/territory is impacted with cases of confirmed COVID-19, including Utah. Does the federal government have the workforce to deal with this and all those affected? Answer: With the national emergency declaration, the federal government is leveraging all its power and has taken decisive action to ensure state/territory, local, and tribal leaders have the resources they need to provide protective measures for their communities and limit the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. The collective resources for this can be found at usa.gov/coronavirus or en Español at gobierno.usa.gov/coronavirus. SBA is focused on providing assistance to small businesses impacted by this health emergency with Economic Injury Disaster Loans, counseling, mentoring, and preparedness services across the country. Why are only loans available and not grants? A loan won’t help a small business stay afloat for an extended period of time with no customers. Answer: SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are just one piece of the expanded focus of the federal government’s coordinated response, and the SBA is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible. SBA offers loans with reasonable terms, including long-term repayments (up to a maximum of 30 years), in order to keep payments affordable. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The first payment on the economic injury loan issued due to the coronavirus will be automatically deferred for one year. Small businesses can also receive counseling assistance throughout the country – SBA’s 68 District Offices, as well as our Resource Centers, including Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE volunteers and Veterans Business Outreach Centers. More information about these services can be found at SBA.gov. How much money is SBA able to allocate for financial assistance for small businesses and non-profits? Is there a state limit? Answer: SBA is available to assist small businesses across the nation and does not have a total cap on the number of loans the agency is able to make. There is no state or territory limit on the number of loans or the total amount of the loans combined. A small business can get a loan up to $2 million to assist with economic recovery, and there are other access to capital programs available to help as well. Information can be found at SBA.gov. Since the Federal Reserve lowered its target for the federal funds rate to nearly 0% recently, why is it that the SBA EIDL rate set to 3.75%? Aren’t these direct loans from SBA? What entity is making the 3.75% interest? Is it possible that the interest rate will be lowered soon? Answer: Disaster loan interest rates are a statutory formula that is calculated quarterly and based on the Treasury Department’s rates. The interest rates are currently set at 3.75%. What banks are authorized to offer these economic injury disaster loans? Answer: SBA offers direct loans through its Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Traditional SBA-backed loans are still available via banks as well. To find an SBA-approved lender, visit sba.gov/lendermatch. With the social distancing recommendations and closures, how will SBA’s Disaster team help small business owners get their loan applications in and processed? Answer: In this case, all applications and processing will be done online/virtually. The Disaster Assistance Call Center is available to answer questions from small businesses. Contact them: Online - sba.gov/disaster Phone - (800) 659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) Email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov The call center is open Monday – Sunday, 8a.m. – 8p.m. ET. Additionally, SBA's resource partners and our local SBA staff are still available in your local community to help answer the questions. You can find them at sba.gov/local-assistance. How does a business define an impact and/or loss for this? Is there a percentage, dollar amount, etc.? Answer: A business needs to define its loss in comparison to its 2019 operations/financials. Losses will be compared to the effective incident period starting on January 31, 2020. Just a loss needs to be reported; there is no threshold of a percentage or dollar amount. SBA's Loan process:
Answer: When processing a loan request, SBA evaluates three main areas: 1) eligibility; 2) satisfactory credit; and 3) repayment ability. Economic injury disaster loan funds provide working capital to cover normal business obligations and necessary operating expenses. What is a business to do if it doesn’t qualify for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan? What are banks doing to help too? Answer: Traditional SBA-backed loans are still available via banks as well. To find an SBA-approved lender, visit sba.gov/lendermatch. If a business currently has an SBA-backed loan and it fears it will not be able to make the payments, what course of action should it take? Answer: Borrowers of home and business disaster loans from previous disasters that are still being payed back will now have their payments deferred through the end of 2020. This deferral will be automatic, and borrowers of previous home and business disaster loans do not have to contact SBA to request this deferment. SBA is granting small businesses who receive an Economic Injury Disaster Loan due to the coronavirus an automatic one-year deferment period before they are required to start making payments. Small businesses with other SBA-backed loans should first talk to their SBA lender about potential deferments of loan payments. What are some things businesses can do to prepare and/or stay afloat? Are you seeing any innovative/creative strategies/solutions they’re using? Answer: Small businesses could explore obtaining revolving lines of credit if they are experiencing capital challenges. SBA’s Express Loan Program can be used for this purpose. To find an SBA-approved lender, please go to sba.gov/lendermatch. SBA is also offering economic injury loans of up to $2 million per small business, in addition to offering all of our counseling, mentoring, and preparedness services across the country. Is SBA offering other types of assistance beyond financial help? Answer: Yes, as it has for more than 65 years, SBA is offering ongoing assistance for small businesses across the country to help them start, grow, expand and recover. This includes various trainings and education offerings, financial and preparedness planning, supply-chain assistance and the like. Find guidance and resources for small businesses at SBA.gov/Coronavirus. Small businesses should contact their local district office – visit sba.gov/localassistance for assistance with accessing available local resources. Where should a small business go to find additional resources for help? Answer: Small businesses should stay up to date with SBA’s ongoing assistance by visiting the SBA’s website online, SBA.gov/Coronavirus, following @SBAgov on Twitter and subscribing to the district newsletter via sba.gov/updates using their zip code. Also, small businesses can find local educational and counseling resources via sba.gov/localassistance. SBA INFO & RESOURCE DIRECTORY APPLY ONLINE (RECOMMENDED): https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela - Apply online - Get additional disaster assistance information - Download application forms NEED MORE HELP: SBA EIDL Customer Service Center Phone: (800) 659-2955 Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov HEARING IMPAIRED: (800) 877-8339. PAPER APPLICATION BY MAIL (ONLINE RECOMMENDED): Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CORONAVIRUS INFO: Coronavirus.gov. SBA CORONAVIRUS INFO: SBA.gov/coronavirus.
Bacteria, bacteria, bacteria, it's something that we deal with everyday as humans. With coronavirus, the flu and everything in between dominating national headlines, it can be overwhelming to think about all of the ways to cut down and avoid contact with icky germs both inside or homes and out without overdoing it with strong chemicals and the like. So what can we do?
Cue Jason and Kelsey O'Callaghan, a Utah couple whose journey of bringing healthy, sustainable, and chic products to the home began when Jason, an innovative problem-solver with an extensive background in product design, discovered the properties of diatomaceous earth. Kelsey, a brand strategy expert passionate about easy-to-use, high-quality solutions, began researching this remarkable material and was blown away by its capabilities. Their devotion to a natural, stress-free lifestyle and love of this awesome material that cut down on germs and bacteria led to create Dorai Home. Read more about their journey here: UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background: Kelsey: I along with my fiance Jason co-founded Dorai Home, an eco-chic startup with a mission to create well-designed housewares that help eliminate unwanted moisture and bacteria throughout the home. Dorai originated as a Kickstarter project in 2018, leveraging the combined expertise of my background in brand strategy and design, and Jason’s experience in product design and development. We have since launched 6 products with solutions for the bathroom and kitchen. In addition to growing Dorai, I consult with businesses to develop their brand identity, positioning, and optimize their user experience design. I previously lead the strategy and UX capabilities at Super Top Secret, a design agency in SLC. Before returning to the Utah mountains, I lived in San Francisco honing my skills as a strategist and designer for Uber, Smart Design and Fjord. Dorai is an exciting opportunity to experience end-to-end product development and to apply strategic branding and marketing practices first-hand. When not at the desk, I enjoy running marathons, cooking and listening to podcasts. UMLF: What inspired you guys to start Dorai Home? Kelsey: We're solution seekers, we're always talking about ways to improve products and enhance the user experience, we also aspire to get 'back to basics' in our home from the products we use to clean to the things we eat. Over the past few years, we've been working towards reducing our stress (with the product and materials we introduce in our home) and lowering our environmental impact. These two desires really came together in creating the Dorai Brand. Jason found the material Diatomaceous Earth and was amazed by it's drying properties, as a natural skeptic I started researching and realized how impressive DE (or fossilized algae) really is, and all the ways it can be used throughout the home to eliminate those 'damp areas'. We realized introducing this material to the places that are often 'moist' through thoughtfully designed products was a huge opportunity and we needed to create a compelling brand to help us with this mission. UMLF: So, talk to science to us. Why should someone get a Dorai product over a regular ol’ bath mat or dish rack? Kelsey: A standard bath mat or dish rack after constantly getting wet, that's their purpose to collect water. Unfortunately, the common materials used in these don't encourage rapid drying or evaporation, which can lead to mold, mildew, and bacteria (you know that musty smell from hand towels or rags that sit while damp? that's bacteria). Fabrics and plastics don't encourage drying, they trap moisture. Dorai products are made of compressed Diatomaceous Earth, a material that can hold up to 150% of its weight in moisture. Water rapidly dissipates through the porous material and it's exposed to a greater surface area which helps it dry almost instantly. You can think about it like when water drops onto a stone and evaporates much quicker than when it sits on a plastic surface. DE is less likely to grow mold than the alternative materials on the market, which is helpful for surfaces that are constantly getting saturated. Our kitchen line brings a completely innovative approach to how people actually use their dish racks and dish pads. We often use our dishwashers for everyday times (plates, utensils, cups), and the dish rack is for the larger hand wash items: pots, pans, knives, cutting boards, plastics, delicates, etc). We created a dish rack that really caters to the needs of the modern kitchen, versus one that's made for the dishes of the 1950s. We know about 50% of our research participants prefer to use hand towels to dry their spaces versus a dish rack, so we created a collapsible dish pad that can fold down and be stored in a drawer, with the same instant drying properties as the base of the dish rack. UMLF: What next for you guys? Kelsey: The dish rack has been so well received that we sold out! This is a great 'challenge' so we will be working on getting more of these in stock to meet customer demand. We've also heard feedback that customers want a larger bath mat (which could be used in many different areas of the home), so we're working on launching that in 2020. We'll likely run a pre-sale on both of these items in the months prior to their arrival. We also want to continue to build out a lifestyle brand that truly delivers value to people. We want to help people live healthier lives with better solutions that require less cleaning and fewer harsh chemicals. We want to share the message of 'back to basics' and do the best we can to creating lasting products that have a lower impact on the environments. This mission is embodied by the materials we use to make out products to the packaging choices we make. We see a change happening with conscientious consumers (ourselves being 2 of them) towards eco-chic solutions and we want to be the brand that fills that niche within the home good sector. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Kelsey: This would likely differ for Jason and me because of our distinct personalities. As a business, inventory management is a tricky balance for a very small (and growing company), we've had to navigate how much to order at any one time while reserving funds for marketing once it arrives. It can be really hard to do both gracefully, hence why we have run out on one of our main sellers. You have to make choices around when to order and how to spend your cash on hand, based on the data you have at the time (not to mention the geo-political circumstances we're currently all experiencing). We're bringing on extra consulting help to work through some of these scaling decisions and using different tactics to be able to fund inventory without the need to do Kickstarters or seek outside investment. Social media advertising is getting more competitive every day, which drives up the cost to acquire customers, forcing you to not only be on top of the content game but constantly be focused on how to create value and stay relevant to consumers when everyone's attention is so scarce. We're combatting this by focusing on high-quality content and bringing on help to better develop our reach (both organically and with ads). It's challenging when you're used to be 'so scrappy' and 'figuring it out' (which inherently means you've put a lot of yourself into the brand), to draw that line between 'I can do this' and 'someone else can do it better, but we need to pay them more'. I'd say for me, learning to delegate has been the biggest personal challenge, but coming to the realization that someone else can not only help, but probably do something better than the way I'm currently doing it with my attention spread so thin has been the biggest learning. After finding partners who we trust, this has been easier and we're able to see how they will help us get to the next level. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Kelsey: The UMLF has been so great! We're really pleased we found a local group that is founder-friendly and have helped us get over that growth hurdle that is enabling us to scale without going back into fundraising mode. We've pitched to a lot of investors and some individuals understand the zeitgeist toward natural living, others don't see that opportunity. The UMLF not only saw our vision but that we have the skillset to make it happen and just needed a little help to get to the next level. With our loan, we were able to get the kitchen products into customers' hands (the customer feedback has been so positive), without having to give up equity and will continue to grow Dorai Home. Thanks for sitting down with us Kelsey! We need to buy some of this stuff for our office immediately! To see all of their awesome product offerings, check out Dorai Home's profiles here:
So we all know the new year is all about bettering ourselves and setting goals for the year to come. But how many of us have reducing personal waste as a goal? A scary fact is currently the US produces about 234lb of plastic waste per person per year. Are you sitting there calculating all of the products you bought this year? Because we are! These figures become worse as the earth faces an escalating waste crisis driven largely by plastics piling up in developing countries and the oceans.
So what can YOU do about it? While these figures seem vastly overwhelming, there are things that you, your family, and friends can do to make your own personal impact. We believe our February Small Business of the Month, Hello!Bulk Markets is an amazing resource for those living in Utah who want to start taking steps towards being waste-free. With two convenient locations, Hello!Bulk provides the goods without all the plastic and waste of a normal grocery store. Simply bring your own containers, fill em up with everything from bulk foods to body care or even cleaning products and then pay using their easy self-checkout prompts you to enter your "tare" so you only pay for what you put into the containers. Hello!Bulk Markets started as a “seed” in the mind of founder, Jamaica Trinnaman, keep reading as we hear her story! UMLF: Tell us about yourself and your background: Jamaica: My name is Jamaica Trinnaman and I'm the Mom of three wonderful boys, two of which are grown and have flown the nest and one 14 year old that is still at home. My college degree is actually in Art (painting to be specific) and I hope to have more time for painting again someday, but for now I've given myself permission to concentrate on the business. UMLF: What inspired you to start HelloBulk? Jamaica: I loved shopping in the bulk departments in the stores I worked in for a few reasons:
UMLF: For people who are starting to focus more on their own sustainability practices, where are the easiest places to start? Why is it important? Jamaica: What we suggest is that when you purchase items at the grocery store consider the end of each container. Is it something you can reuse? And if you are willing to start refilling even just a few basic items, like your body care, that’s great! Start simple….even little things make a huge difference if they are done consistently. UMLF: With Valentine’s Day coming up, do you have any gifts or goodies you would recommend? Jamaica: I would just say “Support Local”! When you seek out locally produced items and locally run businesses you are casting a vote for a better community! * Some of our favorite items that would make a great gift at Hello!Bulk are their cute reusable bags, shampoo bars, high-quality teas or their sustainability starter kits. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Jamaica: Everyday has had its own successes and challenges. I joke that my real job title is “Creative Problem Solver”. I’ve learned that running a small business is really just about buying one month at a time to figure things out! The highs, in my case, have come from being appreciated by my amazing customers and meeting people in my community doing great things. The lows have come from working to the point of exhaustion, and feelings of isolation….unfortunately at times the business becomes your everything. You forget to nurture relationships outside of your business identity and next thing you know everything you do and everyone you spend time with has something to do with the business. It’s important to give some TLC to yourself and prioritize the people that help you to feel grounded outside of your successes and failures of the business. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Jamaica: As someone who isn’t a fit for traditional bank funding, and doesn’t have the support of a spouse, my funding options are especially limited. Without organizations like the Microloan Fund, my business wouldn’t have a chance to grow. To plan your visit Hello!Bulk Markets hit up:
Also be sure to give them a follow on social media!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about watching captivating film? Salt Lake business Elm Studios is made up of a progressive team of creatives that represents the next generation of artists & storytellers. Their mission is to deliver breathtaking visuals and stunning sound to captivate your audience. The guys behind Elm are seasoned in an array of genres including documentaries, branded content, short films, commercials, music videos, and more. Owners Evan Moore and Wes Thompson even shot and produced our promotional videos to promote who we are and what we do here at the Utah Microloan Fund! Elm Studios is our January Small Business of the month, keep reading to learn about the guys behind the lens, their process and why they got into the art of music and film.
UMLF: Tell us about yourselves and your background: Evan - I originally started Elm as Elm Productions in 2010. The goal at that time was throwing concerts and promoting music. Film had always been sort of a side hobby but nothing I ever pursued seriously. From 2010 to 2013 it was a struggle throwing concerts and trying to manage unsigned artists. Constant ups and downs of making money, losing money and trying to build a team of people I could depend on and trust. In 2013 I decided that it was a safer route to have a music venue where I could still host shows but not have to be the person to put all the money on the line. Instead, people would pay to utilize my venue, so no matter what, I would always make at least some money. And when it came to throwing my shows, since I had my own space, I could cut down on my costs to throw shows. The warehouse I rented was large enough that i also had space to sub-lease to artists. The warehouse was known as "The Project." It was a venue and art collective. A couple of my renters at the collective were photographers and videographers and I had the chance to work with them which sort of ignited a passion for filmmaking. In 2015 my landlord sold the warehouse to developers which forced me to shut down the venue/art collective and go elsewhere. As they say, when one door closes, another one opens. I sold all of my assets in the concert venue and invested all of that money into filmmaking equipment and began pursuing a career in filmmaking. Now, five years later, my filmmaking career is far more successful and fulfilling then my concert promotion, venue and art collective ever were. UMLF: What inspired you to start Elm Studios? We were both working at an art space called The Project from 2014 to 2015. We met each other there and collaborated on a handful of projects together. Mostly Wes would give music to me (Evan) to use in my videos. The Project closed its doors in June of 2015 and I started to look for my own warehouse and invited Wesley to join me in sharing the space. We then found a 2,500 square foot warehouse and at first we were just splitting the rent. By the end of 2015 we had been doing so much work together that we decided to officially partner up and start Elm Studios. A short time later we applied for a loan through the UMLF and were approved. UMLF: What is your creative process behind starting a new video project? Evan: While there is a step by step process going from pre production to post production, the creative process is usually different depending on the project. Sometimes we're working with an agency where the creative part has already been completed. Then we step in and do the job of creating whats in the script. Other times, clients come to us to bring their project to life. UMLF: What projects are you looking forward to in the future? Evan: We are most known for our involvement in music, but lately we have been working on more short films, feature films and tv series. We have also started to produce our own content and shop it to distributors and producers for major funding. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Evan: We were location scouting for a job in a very remote area of the mountains and had a bunch of gear locked in our truck. We parked on the side of the road and hiked away from the truck and were gone for a couple of hours. We returned to find two smashed out windows on the truck and $15,000 worth of gear was stolen. Among the gear was a hard drive that contained a copy of footage that had not been duplicated. It was the only copy. Fortunately for the equipment, we were prepared and had insurance in place that replaced all of it. We had to pay out of pocket to cover the cost to re-shoot. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Evan: No other entity would loan to us or even look at us. The UMLF gave us the funds we needed to invest in the equipment we needed to produce the best video and audio possible. Facebook: www.facebook.com/elmstudiosslc Instagram: www.instagram.com/elmstudiosslc Website: https://whoshootsyourfilms.com
Salt Lake residents rejoice, a new restaurant is now open at 565 E 2100 S in Sugarhood! Chef and restaurateur Jen Gilroy is at it again with her newest project Elevo, located in the old Firehouse BBQ building along 2100 S. In addition to her restaurant Porch (which serves elevated Southern fare & craft cocktails in the Daybreak area), Elevo is the new sheriff in town after Jen made the hard decision to close down her much-loved Meditrina. Learn more about this exciting new addition below! UMLF: So it feels like the end of an era with Meditrina closing. How does it all feel? Jen: It was a really difficult period, but I’m actually relieved to move on. The last three years have been an uphill battle and I am excited for something new. UMLF: Tell us about your new place and what guests can expect: Jen: Guests can expect the same excellent food, beverage, and service standards we have held at Meditrina and Porch. This new concept is a coffee shop and cafe with a wine bar twist! UMLF: We love a good twist and we love the new name, what’s the story behind it? Jen: ELEVO is Latin for “raise.” For me, it plays into the whole “raise energy with coffee or raise spirits with wine” :) UMLF: Love it! So you’re in a totally different area, tell us why you are excited to move to Sugarhood? Jen: I live in Sugarhood. I love it so much. It is central and diverse without the chaos of overdeveloped Sugarhouse farther east. UMLF: Any other exciting tidbits you can share with us? Jen: A couple of Meditrina favorites will be featured on the menu—namely the Famous Mushrooms & Brie! Facebook: www.facebook.com/elevoslc Website: https://elevoslc.com/ 
“Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” We couldn't agree more with this moving quote by Lovelle Drachman. Wanderlust, the itch to travel, the absolute need for excursions, is a human trait felt so deep that it is no wonder that the travel industry is booming both internationally as well in your own backyard. Ever heard of a staycation? Our December Business of the Month is a client whose amazing property is nestled on the west side of Zion, close enough to Salt Lake but far enough away it feels like a true getaway. With spectacular views of the classic mesas and green river valleys of Southern Utah, Zions Tiny Oasis includes a beautiful blend of comfortable tiny homes with a rugged outdoor experience for a once in a lifetime stay. Keep reading to find out more about owners Liliana Corona and Sam Moyle and why they started Zions Tiny Oasis.
UMLF: Tell us about yourselves and your background: Liliana: My name is Liliana Corona, and I’m originally from Mexico. I was the odd child growing up, being different really set me apart. It wasn’t intentional, but my ideas often seems a little crazy to most. Joining the boys varsity wrestling team foreshadowed my passion for tackling big challenges. At an early age, I learned to defy stereotypes and beat the odds when facing problems. Sam grew up on a ranch near Zion National Park. He managed and worked on his parents property most of his life. He loved the outdoors and learned to repair just about anything that needed fixing. Sam always dreamed of being his own boss and having a successful business. Determined to make his dream a reality, he obtained a bachelor's degree in business. We met six years ago and hit our four year anniversary this October. What inspired you to open Zions Tiny Oasis? Liliana: A few years ago while I was working on my masters degree in Film, I attempted to do a film shoot near Zion National Park. Sam and I were dating at the time and I thought it convenient since he was familiar with all the beautiful cinematic landscapes in the area. I had not anticipated how difficult it would be to find housing for twenty + crew members near the park. Everything within a 30 mile radius was booked solid! What I thought was a dinky little desert town, turned out to have a huge lodging deficit for visitors alike. I wondered if this was common and Sam said “It happens every year” And so, a light bulb went off. We saw a need, and began to plan what turned into a four year journey. Zions Tiny Oasis finally opened its doors; we are the only luxury tiny house retreat minutes from Zion National Park! UMLF: Your tiny houses are all so different. What inspired the design of each one? Liliana: My art and film background is to blame. I love being on set...I want everyone to experience what it’s like to be in one. When you step into a tiny home it’s much the same...thrilling, exciting and magical - like a movie set! Also, art is meant to evoke emotion and our tiny homes are meant to do just that. When inside, these homes help transport our guests to times during childhood. A time of nostalgia; when innocence, joy and the spirit of exploration thrived! Also, the views, the stars, and the silence here bring a sense of peace and clarity that are hard to find. We built this place with that goal in mind - to facilitate a space for individuals to embrace the inner child, live in the present and enjoy a day of play outside. We hope that those who visit will embrace their inner child; shifting our perspectives to a remembrance of things that matter most. ZTO is a place that gives its visitors a taste of movie magic to take and share with others wherever life takes them. UMLF: Your tiny homes are definitely decked out, tell us about some of your favorite features? Liliana: Our 1st tiny home “Guardian Angel” has very tall windows; it gives the feel of being in a larger unit. The large windows help to really enjoying the majestic 360 views from outside! This unit also comes with a dishwasher and full kitchen appliances. “Noah’s Ark” the unit my husband and I built designed, is reminiscent of a train you might see in a classic western movie, or from a front view, it looks like Captain Hooks pirate ship. It has a trap window above the bed for star gazing during bed time, and a beautiful bay window to lounge in that can also be used as a karaoke stage. The unit also has a back office space and a jetted tub. Our third unit - “Mother Eve” looks like something you’d see in an epic fairytale story book. The color and craftsmanship of the house is truly enchanting! Though it’s our smallest unit, it’s gorgeous inside. It has perfect ambient lighting, soft shaggy rugs, champaign gold appliances and marble countertops. Plus, it’s so cozy; it’s the perfect fancy for a romantic tiny getaway! Our fourth unit is quite a rare find, it’s the only unit with multiple gadgets and an Edison style finish. “Salomons Chamber” is a tiny house the boys will love. It has two retractable garage doors, a rooftop with 15 sky windows for full stargazing, a built in foosball machine that folds away and much more! All our tiny homes are unique...you’ll want to try them all! Tell us about the surrounding area, what can people do when they come visit? Liliana: Zions Tiny Oasis is just minutes from a variety of rad things to do. We have a bmx track less than a mile away, atv trails, horseback riding, water tubing, helicopter rides and even a ghost town to visit. We also border the west side of Zion (the free side) which - in my opinion, is better. It’s secluded and equally as beautiful, this part of Zion has free hikes, trails and petroglyph caves to visit. Our property also has a creek running through it. Our guest can roam free on our 75 acres. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Liliana: A huge challenge for us was learning to say No. Communicating effectively and sticking to our guns has been a learning curve. We learned that - wanting to be “nice” or, to not “hurt people's feelings” especially with potential partners is not effective. When things were unclear or started heading in a direction we didn’t want, we had to be professional but firm with what we wanted. Even if what we had to say would “hurt feelings”, speaking honestly and openly has payed off so far. Reviewing roles in the business, saying no, having honest communication and sometimes even cutting ties with individuals has been uncomfortable, but extremely necessary to keep the business running smoothly. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Liliana: UMLF has helped us tremendously. We had a goal of having four units by the end of the year. This was key so that we could afford to hire out permanent help. The UMLF helped us met our goal and we can now comfortably afford to hire permanent help, as Sam and I both were in desperate need of assistance. We are so grateful because having the fourth tiny house puts us on the map as a resort, and it opens up many more opportunities! Now we will be able to focus on expanding the business and our dream of phase two rather than wearing all the hats. We are infinitely grateful to UMLF; we could not have met our goal without their help. It’s programs such as these that help individuals in the community make their dream a possibility! Thank you for believing in us. To plan your visit, check out their profiles here:
It's November! Which means it is almost time for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Girlsgiving and everything in between. No matter who you celebrate breaking bread with, we all know that what you bring to the table (literally) says who you are as a person. Our recommendation for dinner? Park City Creamery of course! We sat down with owner Corinne Zinn to hear how she got her start making her delicious cheeses and her recommended pairings that will definitely be the star of any table.
UMLF: Corinne, tell us about your background and why you started Park City Creamery? Corinne: When I moved to the US 15 years ago in the beautiful region of The North Fork, between all the vineyards, I was missing my European cheeses. There were a lot of good wines but no one was making cheeses. Coming from Belgium I used to organize wine and cheese pairings in Brussels quite often. There you could find cheese stores in every corner of every street and finding myself surrounded by vineyards and no cheeses I needed to do something about that! So I started to research online and connected with some French cheese makers and farmers and started to buy goat milk from a local farm and following the advice from the knowledgeable French cheesemakers I started to make some small batches of goat cheeses. I started out just giving it my family and friends, until I decided to bring some to Leroux Creek Inn and Maison La Belle Vie, two French Vineyard in Colorado, FROMAGE !! They got very excited about it and started my little farm business, called then Roubideau Farm to You - We could see the Roubideau Canyon from our farm (canyon named from Antoine Roubideau - Fur trapper in 1828). So I was buying my milk from a local farmer who couldn't keep up and told me I should buy my own goats so I ended up with a herd of 50 goats...Unfortunately I got divorced and had to sell my goats and farm which was bought by a farmer in Midway UT. I told him since he is buying my goats I would help him to create his cheese business and work as a consultant for Duval Farm in Midway. Deer Valley Resorts was buying our cheeses and after a while proposed me joining the Deer Valley Team and create Deer Valley Artisan cheeses. I worked as a cheesemaker for Deer Valley for four years until the resort was sold and they decided not to pursue the cheese program. Our cheese was already in numerous stores in Utah and my customers were sad to lose such a great product, that's when after brainstorming with friends and my new husband I decided to launch Park City Creamery and create authentic products using premium goat milk and cow milk sourced locally. Our goat milk comes from Drake Farms and our cow milk from Redmond Heritage Farms. UMLF: You have some really unique flavors, how do you come up with them? Corinne: My choices come from the type of cheeses I really like. I wanted to create an authentic product, unique to Utah Terroir. The flavors of the cheese itself comes from the biodiversity of our lands, our beautiful mountains, grass, flowers the cows and goats have access to in Utah. I choose milk that is not standardised, which gives a variety of different flavors throughout the seasons as the cow gets more fresh grass in the spring and fall. I get an unusual floral taste with a mix of banana and pear smell, this is really unique from Utah terroir. Adding truffles, the black diamond of gastronomy, to my brie gave a more mushroomy taste, that is very well like by gourmet palates. Silver Queen, goat cheese with ash, is an old recipe in France, they used the ash before the refrigeration to preserve the cheeses. The ash neutralized the surface and kept harmful insects away. Its coming from one of my favorite cheeses made in France, Sainte-Maure de Touraine and Selles sur Cher, the Silver Queen is my own version of my favorite goat cheeses. Utahn seem to like it to as it recently got Best of Show at the Utah Cheese Awards. UMLF: What are some of your favorite pairings with your cheese? Corinne: To help my customers with pairing each cheese label has its own pairing suggestions.
UMLF: You recently won big in the Utah Cheese Awards, tell us about that! Corrine: That is such an honor to get nominated Best Cheese of Utah just after 6 months of starting our company! We took home Best of Show for our Silver Queen Ash Goat Cheese, Bronze for our Treasure Brie, and a silver medal for our Hidden Treasure Brie with Truffle! Knowing Utahn loves what we do is the best rewards of our hard work. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Corinne: Our big challenge right now is to be able to produce enough as the demand is growing and get enough cash flow to buy more equipments, more milk to keep up with the demands. The SBA and the Utah Microloan Fund have been such an huge help in advising us and helping us with cash flow. Sometimes you get stuck in your own mind and need to brainstorming with fellow business people to find a solution, it makes such a difference to have access to these resources! UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Corinne: The UMLF has been an amazing help, from advise to get the cash flow I needed, it all brought a big peace of mind. I was so stressed out, getting lots of orders and seeing my cash flow going down waiting for my customers to pay, which take 30 days in the food business. The UMLF came up with a solution and got the help I needed in just a few days. Easy process, great knowledgeable people. I really recommend every new start-up to consult them. They will answer all the questions that keep you awake at night! UMLF: Tell us where we can find your products? Corinne: Our cheeses can be found in Harmon's and Caputo in Salt Lake City. In Park City we are available at The Market, Element kitchen, Provisions on Main, Copper Moose Farm. We are also in restaurants like the Montage, Hearth and Hill, Firewood, Courchevel, Boneyard, and Riverhorse. In Moab we are sold at the Moon Flower co-op store. A priori (Caputo distribution company) is distributing the cheeses in many restaurants in Utah Lastly caterings companies LUX catering, Ellie's kitchen, Sweet and Cheese and Maven Oak Creative Platters use our cheese as well. To visit Park City Creamery or to find a local stockist visit:
This isn't a trick, the Loaf makes amazing organic, paleo and gluten-free breads and cookies that are definitely a treat! We bet you have tried a gluten-free treat in your lifetime that left a little something to be desired. Well not so with the delicious offerings from the Loaf! We sat down with owner and founder Johanna Dasteel to find out about why she started the Loaf and her philosophy behind why conscientious consumers deserve to enjoy tasty food!
UMLF: Johanna, tell us about your background and why you started the Loaf. Johanna: I started The Loaf because so many people I love were struggling to find organic, delicious food without grains, dairy, or other inflammatory ingredients. What began as baking for myself turned into baking for friends, family...and now for for all of my customers! Introducing The Loaf: the first and only certified organic & paleo bread company in the country. We go beyond paleo: you'll never find gums, yeast, psyllium husk, flax, additives, or preservatives. Treat yourself while loving your body! UMLF: You are both certified organic and gluten free. That’s awesome! Why is this important to the Loaf? Johanna: The Paleo way of eating prioritizes organic over conventional food, yet none of the paleo breads on the market were certified organic until I founded The Loaf. I was looking for products like mine in the grocery store and it turns out that a lot of other people were looking for the same thing! All of The Loaf’s products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility so as to avoid cross-contamination with gluten-containing ingredients. Many, many of my customers have Celiac’s Disease and are very allergic to gluten. So, producing our products in a dedicated facility is critical for our customers. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Johanna: Great question! There are so many instances to choose from - it seems like I ride highs and lows day-to-day. Reaching my customer base has been a big, continuing challenge. You can put up a website and set up operations, but breaking through the Google SEO system and getting into stores is not as straight-forward as it may seem. In order to reach my customers, I stayed focus, incorporated the feedback of retail buyers I was pitching my products to, enlisted the services of marketing and advertising professionals, and pursued accounts with a dogged determination. I’ve even pinged buyers more than 20 times - emails, phone calls, office visits - before receiving a response or setting up an account . At some point, the buyers start coming to you, but you have to make a reputation for yourself and prove your concept and your sales before that happens. Persistence is crucial. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Johanna: UMLF came through with funding for me without which I wouldn’t have been able to finance the growth that my business needed at a critical time. I didn’t qualify for conventional business loans at the time and am incredibly grateful for the kind of funding that UMLF offers as well as their continued support and services. UMLF: Tell us where we can find your products? Johanna: Thanks for asking! You can find my products in Utah at Liberty Heights Fresh, Liberty Park Farmer's Market, Downtown Farmer's Market, Three Pines Coffee, The Market at Park City, Redmond Heritage Farm Stores, and Erewhon, a change of organic grocery stores in Los Angeles. You will soon be able to find us at HelloBulk Market in Salt Lake City and Whole Foods throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. You can also order our products through our website: www.theloafgrainfree.com. We ship nationwide! To buy online or to find a local stockist visit:
School is back in session and families are busier than ever. From parents working, carpools to and from school, sports, dance practice, church activities, family outings, errands and shopping, the grind never ends! So who is there for busy families who need a break? AJ's Treehouse! AJ's Treehouse is the Salt Lake valley's premier drop-in childcare located in Sandy, Utah. AJ's is a parent's dream because they are open late and weekends and no reservation is necessary. In addition, they offer a dynamic preschool program focused on engaged learning for children two and up. Whether you need a few hours or the whole day, AJ's is the perfect place for children to learn, grow and play. We sat down with owner Angela Hill to get the scoop on the treehouse, her passion for children's learning and why she felt her business was necessary for Utah parents.
UMLF: Angela what inspired you to start AJ’s Treehouse? Angela: As a single mother, I know firsthand the challenges of trying to find quality childcare for my family. Years ago, I had to move across the country for my job and I knew no one in the area. It was such a challenge to be able to work, run errands and even clean my house without reliable childcare for my daughter. I then finally discovered an hourly, drop-in daycare facility in the area and it changed my life. I then wondered why there weren't more of these options for busy parents like me. When I returned to Utah I discovered there was only one drop-in place in the entire state and I knew right then that there needed to be more. I opened AJ's in March of 2017 and it has felt amazing to provide this service to my community and a great experience getting to know all of these families. The best part is I get to be with my daughter every day as well. UMLF: What makes you different from other childcare providers in the area? Angela: There are three big factors I believe set AJ's apart. First is our flexibility, we offer drop-in and hourly childcare so you don't have to pay for an entire day if you only need a couple of hours. We are also awesome because if you are in a pinch, there is no reservation necessary. Secondly, we offer discounts for families with multiple children who attend our center because we know how costly it can be. Thirdly, we offer preschool for children two and up. So not only are your children playing with friends they are also learning while they are at our center. UMLF: Tell us about your center, and why kids love to come play? Angela: The thing that I love about our center is that there is a lot of different options for kids to choose from. We have an interactive game that is projected onto the floor, a life-size treehouse, a hands-on creativity corner, an art area, tons of books to choose from, a playhouse and more. So no matter what your child is into it, they will be learning and entertained. They will also make fast friends! UMLF: You obviously have a lot of happy families coming back again and again to your center. What is your favorite feedback you have ever received? Angela: I love when parents tell me that we saved their lives because it was short notice and they all of the sudden needed help with their children and we were able to be there. It could be something fell through, a medical emergency, really anything and we have been there for these families. It really makes me and my staff feel so rewarded. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Angela: If I could do things over again, my advice would be to get a good, reputable accountant right out of the gate and not rely on friends to help you. I trusted the wrong people and it ended up getting me into trouble. I would also tell other business owners to really take advantage of the free classes and resources that are out there. Lastly, I would tell people to work on their business every single day. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Angela: Where do I even begin? The UMLF not only provided the funds to start and then grow my business but then they also became incredibly invested in my success. They offer classes as well as a dedicated person on their team that will help me with anything I need. I even went through their Banking on Women program. Banking on Women was so helpful because it gave me more insight into building a business, an awesome group of women that supports one another and it gave me the confidence to be an entrepreneur. UMLF: And lastly for fun, if you were a Crayola crayon, what color would you be and why? Angela: I think Vivid Violet! I love purple and it has always been my favorite color. :) To stay in touch with AJ's Treehouse visit:
Drool is a Utah-born dog biscuit company created by dog people for dog people's dogs. They are based out of Park City where the dog population currently outnumbers the people! They bake small batch, artisanal dog biscuits from all natural, human-grade ingredients. Small-batch summarizes the level of commitment Drool owners Kris Johnson and Sadie Gabler have for their product as they strive to keep all ingredients real and as locally-sourced as they can. And yes, you can even eat them if you want! We think they're pretty tasty, if we don’t say so ourselves! We sat down with Sadie and Kris to learn more about the magic behind their treats, keep reading to learn more! UMLF: Sadie and Kris, what inspired you to start creating the best gourmet dog treats this side of the Mississippi? Drool: Drool has been a dream for many years. The inspiration for our treats came from discovering that many of the diseases and premature death of our family pets stems from poor nutrition. If we feed our pets wholesome, real food diseases like cancer and diabetes can be prevented sometimes even cured. Our passion is to educate dog owners and raise awareness around what good dog nutrition looks like all the way down to the treats that we give them. Our hope is that we can help dog owners understand the importance of good nutrition to help extend the life of their family pet! UMLF: Tell us about Drool, what makes you different from other dog treats out there? Drool: Love, each biscuit is hand-cut. Our small batch biscuits are made with love by dog people for dog peoples' dogs. We want people to feel good about what they’re feeding their dogs and we want them to have fun doing it so we make treats that have a human appeal. For example, our Apple Crisp Biscuit, you can see the dehydrated chunks of real apples in each biscuit or our PB&Js made with organic jelly. We think that sets us apart from all the rest! UMLF: What is your favorite treat currently on the menu? Drool: Our chicken soup biscuit is our current favorite. We slow cook a whole chicken with carrots and celery. We then take the broth to use in the biscuit along with the carrots and celery, including the skin from the chicken that we dehydrate. This makes the most amazing nutritious biscuit you can with minimal waste, everything but the bone goes into these! UMLF: Do you see a difference in being a parent to a dog vs a child? Drool: Haha well being a parent to a dog is definitely different. First off a dog is always happy to see you, as children get older they often dread the site of you. A dog will also forgive you almost instantly even when you step on them when they get underfoot! I can’t say the same for a child. ;) UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Drool: The start has been the hardest part to date because we knew coming into this we were going into a saturated market. Keeping the faith that what we are doing can and will make a difference is what keeps us motivated to stay the course. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Drool: We would still be a dream without the UMLF believing in us and giving us the financial start to follow our dreams. The continued support from everyone on the team and the free trainings we have received is more than we ever expected UMLF: Where can people find your delicious treats? Drool: We are currently selling our biscuits at: The Market in PC, The Store in Cottonwood Heights, The Store on 900 So and 100 West, Hugo’s Coffee in PC, Food Town in Kamas and now at BlueSky Resort in PC. UMLF: Do you have any events coming up? Drool: Yes! We will be at HelloBulk! to talk about what good nutrition should look like for your furry four-legged family member! We will be making our Mutt Loaf using high quality, human grade real food. If you want your pup to live a long and healthy life join us August 30th from 7 - 8:30pm to learn more about what you can do to extend the life of your pet. HelloBulk! is located at 355 N 500 W and they recommend that people park along 300 or 400 south and walk over. Drinks and snacks will be provided! Sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/488442808638025/ Thanks for sitting down with us ladies! To shop their amazing treats and to stay in touch with Drool visit:
Raspberry shakes. Sparkling blue water. The best intentions to not get sunburned. Warm sand between your toes. If any of this is reminding you of beautiful Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border then we know you have also shared this experience of heaven. If you haven't been yet, then immediately add this to the top of your bucket list! After a long day splashing and playing in the water, nothing sounds better than heading in for some food and a shake. In addition to the burger and pizza staples, there's a new sheriff in town that has been shaking up Garden City for three seasons running with their healthy and gourmet sammies, amazing donut things (more on those later), Daily Rise coffee and fresh ingredients. Who are we talking about? Ruca's Cafe of course! We sat down with owner Dalena Kelley to hear more about her childhood summers at the lake, why she opened Ruca's and what you HAVE to try on their menu. Keep reading!
UMLF: Dalena, tell us about your background and why you started Ruca’s. Dalena: Starting Ruca's was a huge leap for me and my family. I am a single mother of 2 boys and to give them what they needed in life I have always worked 2 jobs to get by. I always had a dream of doing something greater, for myself and my kids that we could all be proud of and would allow me to spend more time with them and give them a life I always wanted to. My whole life I would spend my summers in Bear Lake with my family and it was the best memories I have as a child so to me there was no more of a perfect place to create something special. I don't have special culinary training but I did have a love for food and cooking, I also had almost 19 years experience in the food and service industry and I have been a mixologist bartender for 8 years priding myself on the unique drinks and concoctions I would be able to come up with so with all that I felt that the food industry would be perfect for me. And so a seed was planted. I wanted to bring something to the Bear Lake area that was unique and hadn't been done up here and was lacking and Ruca's was born. At first everything fell into place. It was like it was meant to be in the universe. I received so much help from people in my life that made it possible and believed in me enough to take a chance on my dream. UMLF: Tell us about Ruca’s. What are some menu items we HAVE to try? Dalena: Ruca's is like nothing else around. I take a lot of pride in everything we put out, We use the freshest ingredients with items that are never frozen or prepackaged. We are most famous for our Aebleskivers and Sandwiches. Aebleskivers are a danish pancake-like ball. The recipe is straight from Denmark from a family friend and it has stayed the same. We will make up to 5 batches on any weekend day and they are always made from scratch. No pre-mixes here at Ruca's! Our gourmet sandwiches have been said the be the best in the state using healthy portions of freshly sliced deli meat that have all been hand picked by myself with homemade sauces that I have invented. All of our vegetables are sliced on site and we try to stay organic as much as possible. Our lettuce is never bagged and is chopped daily for all our salads. You can definitely taste the difference in fresh products. We also offer several vegetarian, Keto, and gluten free options (unfortunately our Aebleskivers can not be gluten free). UMLF: What is your favorite thing about owning a business in Bear Lake? Dalena: I love being in Bear Lake. The locals are amazing, the visitors are wonderful and it is on of the most beautiful places in Utah. The other businesses are always so great and we all support each other so much. Because it is a seasonal town and most of the places close in the winter you have a short time to make it but we all pull together and help each other out. I don't believe you could ever find that in a big town. UMLF: How do you feel like Ruca’s is special compared to other joints in town? Dalena: Ruca's is so different. There are a lot of places that you can get a hamburger and fries in town or pizza but not any that offer the healthier alternative. Ruca's also offers an environment that makes you want to come and hang out and relax not just grab your food and go type of place. We have amazing views of the lake with a great grass area and lawn games for families to play together that is also pup friendly. We also have that beachy feel that you don't get at most of the other places. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Dalena: Starting off with nothing was the hardest part ever. I mortgaged my home, cars, and borrowed money from friends and family to get started, even the gentleman who owned the property had faith in me enough to do a lease to purchase until I was able to buy the land Ruca's sat on. After the first very short season, due to construction, things were very scary and we wondered if we would be able to make it succeed. Everything was on the line and if I failed it would have ruined my and my family and everyone that believed in me. It consisted of many sleepless nights and a lot of stress. But the faith and support from everyone that helped and the community in Bear Lake kept me going. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Dalena: By the end of the first year we didn't make enough money to get through Winter and get reopened in the spring. We tried everything we could think of to get through but it just wasn't looking good. I at that point reached out to my friends to ask for advice on resources I could turn to and one of my friends suggested the UMLF. I pulled up the website and filled out the application and sent it in. I was on pins and needles because this was the only way I would be able to survive. After my interview happened and I got word that I was approved I broke down in tears. I would be able to stay open and I wouldn't let the people down who believed in me. It was a true blessing. Now in my third season things just keep getting better and better. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am truly thankful for UMLF. I can honestly say without their help I would have been a failing statistic in the SBA world. They saved Ruca's and me! UMLF: That's so awesome! Thanks for sitting down with us Dalena! To visit Ruca's, they open in early spring as soon as it gets warm and close in mid October. To stay in touch with Rucas:
Where do entrepreneurs go when they are stuck on a problem? Where does someone looking to open their own business go for help? Navigating the world of starting and growing your own business can be a scary place but not when you have a community to help you! While we provide the funding we love our partnership with SCORE who can help anyone with the A to Z of becoming a business owner.
But what is SCORE? SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free business mentoring services to prospective and established small business owners in the United States. More than 10,000 volunteers provide these services, with all volunteers being active and retired business executives and entrepreneurs.In addition to mentoring, SCORE also offers free and low-cost educational workshops each year, both online and in-person. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It operates out of 300 chapters across the U.S., with national headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Today we are sitting down with Juan Manuel Ruiz, SCORE Advisor and former president of the Salt Lake chapter. About Juan: Dr. Ruiz got his bachelor’s Degree from Utah Valley University, his Six Sigma Master Black Belt postgraduate degree from Pacific Rim Business Review at Brigham Young University. He received postgraduate certificates from the Chicago Booth University and the University of Utah. In 2016, Mr. Ruiz was honored by the Claustro Iberoamericano with an Honoris Causa Doctorate Degree. Mr. Ruiz has been an activist and a community leader, having served as director of Finance of Centro Cívico Mexicano, member of the National Civil Rights Committee of LULAC, Chairman of the Board of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, Board Secretary & founder of the National Association of State Latino Chambers of Commerce, Vice-President of the Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly and has been a SCORE® Certified Advisor since 2009. Currently, Dr. Ruiz is the Utah SCORE Director of Workshops. SCORE is a non-profit organization that provides one-one-one mentoring services to businesses for FREE, and owns and operates Business Managerial Accounting, LLC. UMLF: Juan tell us about the history of SCORE as an organization? Juan: Since 1964, we have provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs. Thanks to this generous support from the SBA and because of the selfless contributions of our more than 10,000 dedicated volunteers, we are able to deliver most of our offerings at no cost. UMLF: What type of businesses do you typically help? Juan: We work slightly more with startups and pre-startups, but over 40% of our clients have existing businesses in excess of $1,000,000 in revenue. UMLF: Wow! Out of all these businesses do you have a favorite memory of a time you helped a client work through an issue or reach a goal? Juan: I do! I met a Doctoral graduate of the University of Utah who had been hired by the U to develop their African American Doctoral programs. She was challenged by the assignment given that Utah does not have large african american population. We assisted her in developing a marketing strategy that sold Utah, its strong economy, its fats-growing diversity, and many of the other socio-economic indicators that make our state great. As a result, the program was able to start attracting and recruiting new african american students in double digit growth and she was able to secure permanent employment with the U. UMLF: SCORE is obviously a wealth of information for people looking to start or grow their business. Tell us about some of the resources you provide to emerging entrepreneurs? Juan: 1. SCORE has a library online (https://www.score.org/browse-library) that contains vast amounts of materials . These materials are searchable by format, industry, business stage, topic, and entrepreneur type. Blogs, posts, ads, hundreds of articles, eGuides, infographics, templates, checklists, podcasts, video, data reports, etc. 2. SCORE Offers business hundreds of local live workshops annually at the local libraries, BRC's, chamber of commerce, and through many other partners. In addition, SCORE has hundreds of LIVE, RECORDED and ON-DEMAND workshops online (https://www.score.org/content/take-workshop). 3. SCORE offers FREE one-on-one mentoring services that can happen as long as the clients needs it, and as often as she wants. We have a roster with over 70 top-notch mentors who are eager and excited to share their extensive knowledge with others. Most of out mentors are not retired, but still donate plenty of hours to our cause. 30% of them are female, 35% speak a second or third language (a total of 12 different languages are spoken at our local SCORE chapter). UMLF: You guys must have an incredible impact on the community. Tell us about some of your achievements and milestones? Juan: We have: - Over 200 live, local workshops per year - Over 70 volunteers who volunteer over 10,000 hours every year - Over 7500 unique clients served in 2018 through mentoring and workshops - We have offices in Logan, Brigham City, Ogden, Kaysville, Tooele, Salt Lake City, Millcreek, Glendale, Sandy, Orem, and Saint George. And all of this is done with an annual federal budget of under $30K for the entire state. UMLF: Impressive as always! Thanks for sitting down with us. To stay in touch with SCORE and to utililze their services visit: Facebook: www.facebook.com/SCORESaltLake/ Website: www.saltlake.score.org Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/score-mentors-salt-lake/ Phone: (801) 957-5453  In a recent article from Inc Magazine, ten cities were named at the Best Small Cities for Entrepreneurs. Would you guess that four of the ten cities were in our own backyard? Logan, South Jordan, Taylorsville and Lehi to be exact! Utah has nabbed the title for Best State for Business by Forbes Magazine five plus times. Our tech sector is booming, our population is increasing and our economy is reported to be one of the fastest growing in the nation. So if you've been thinking about taking your business idea and turning it into a reality, keep reading for why now might be the time to take the plunge.
Economic Growth "The Utah economy is doing very well right now," said Wells Fargo economist Charlie Dougherty in a recent Deseret News article. "It's doing well for all the reasons you'd want to see an economy do well — mainly a fast-growing labor force (that) is very well-educated and young." The number of working-age adults in the state is projected to grow by 15.1 percent between 2020 and 2030, more than triple the 4.6 percent projected national population growth. So not only is there a great pool of talent to hire from, but also more people to utilize your products and services. A Burgeoning Food Scene It's no secret that the bulk of our clients are in the food industry, from food trucks to bakeries to BBQ to sit-down restaurants, we love the passion for the current food scene in Utah and boy is it growing! The dining climate in Salt Lake City and beyond has grown tremendously and we are seeing more cultures, cuisines and types of dining than ever before making their mark. So much so, that the Utah Office of Tourism is sending chefs, cocktail mixers to L.A. and N.Y. to pitch Salt Lake City as a foodie hotspot. Managing director of UOT was quoted as saying “Our brand around the Greatest Snow on Earth and red rock country are well-established. Now we want people to understand there also is this urban adventure that involves a lot of amazing food.” So if people are already traveling to Utah for the beauty and adventures in our state, why not add dining to the list? The picking is ripe for a company looking to capitalize on the excitement and focus on our growing culinary scene. We don't mind because we get to try a taste of the the food of every food company who applies for a loan! ;) Diversity is on the Rise If you have a business or are thinking of starting one that caters to our growing minority population, now is a smart time to get your plan into action. From a recent Salt Lake Tribune article we learned that new estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau show that Utah’s Hispanic population grew by 25.6% between 2010 and 2018. That’s more than twice as fast as the 10.8% growth in Utah’s non-Hispanic white population.The Asian population in Utah also grew by 48.5%; people who are “two or more races” grew 42.5%; blacks by 37.9%; and Pacific Islanders grew by 27.5%. American Indians had a slower 9.9% increase. So with all the growth and movement to Utah, there will be more unique needs for products and services catering to these specific populations and beyond. How can we help? The Utah Microloan Fund is here for you for the biggest hurdle in opening a new business, funding! We provide loans to small business owners up to $50,000 and accept both start-up companies as well as established enterprises. While we consider factors like credit score and collateral, a lot of what we do is based on a solid business plan and your personal character. We try to look at the big picture of your idea when it comes to businesses instead of just one factor as we want you to succeed! In addition, whether you are looking for help on how to best apply for a loan or assistance after the fact, we have many resources to help. Through our Program Manager of Lending we provide one on one consulting to prepare you for our loan committee and get you in the best position to be approved for a loan. If you need additional help we have amazing partners who are ready and willing to provide assistance to match your unique needs. After we get you approved, we also have a dedicated Program Manager of Client Training who is there to help you with all your next steps, free of charge. Three free classes a month are also held to provide additional training and learning opportunities with topics ranging from development, financials, social media, websites and more. So if any of the above sounds good and you are ready to start your entrepreneurial adventure let's get in touch! Write us an email, give us a call or stop by one of our loan orientations to learn more about how the UMLF can help you get your venture off the ground as we've been helping entrepreneurs succeed since 1991!
Here at the Utah Microloan Fund when we get asked about what kind of companies we help with our small business loans and training we just have to smile. Part of the excitement and joy of working for the UMLF is that we get to help so many different kinds of businesses get their dream off the ground. Food trucks, barber shops, coffee roasters, dog treat and food producers, spas, gyms, restaurants, service providers and board games. Yep you read that right, board games! Our June Small Business of the Month winner is none other than Succubus Publishing, a powerhouse company that just officially launched their game, Middara. What makes this game so special? Keep reading as we sit down with owner Alex Hansen as we learn about his and Brooklynn Lundberg's journey in creating this vast universe, getting it off the ground and what they learned during the process.
UMLF: What are your backgrounds? What made you start your quest for creating your own board game company? Alex: Up until our 2015 Kickstarter for Middara, Brooklynn worked in the board game retail industry for Hastur Hobbies in Murray and later for Game Night Games in Sugarhouse. He was also a full-time playtester at Eat, Sleep, Play developing the latest Twisted Metal game. Salt Lake is a huge gaming town and through these jobs, he was able to make tons of connections in the world of board gaming. Before making board games for a living, I (Alex) was a salesman at a local wholesale florist, and before that, I taught guitar lessons full time. I had no real background in gaming other than I was obsessed with video games and drawing crazy fantasy characters in my free time. UMLF: Can you tell us about your journey from having the idea for the game to how you got to where you are today? Alex: Brooklynn and I are good friends from high school. Instead of paying attention in class, I would draw all day long in all of my classes. One day in English class, Brooklynn approached me, said he loved my art, and asked if I wanted to help him develop some ideas he had. I agreed. This was about 15 years ago. We've been working on this game for 15 years! We would meet up multiple times every week and just hash out ideas. I have piles and piles of sketches. It was a great time. Then in about 2014, after a failed Kickstarter totally unrelated to Middara called "Assemblage of Eternity", we decided to go big and make Middara happen. The game was still in it's phase of conception but we knew that in order to gain attention it needed to look good. So we borrowed some money from family and used it to quit or jobs for the summer and work on getting the Kickstarter campaign to look awesome. After tons of delays, we finally launched Middara in May 2015 and were able to raise almost $350,00 in that month. We were blown away. UMLF: This game Is huge! Can you tell us what players kind of experience they can expect from buying Middara? Alex: Middara is one of the heaviest (both literally and in complexity) board games ever made. And we purposefully made it this way and we love it! It isn't really made for a quick session to play with your kids on a Friday night. Middara is for the hardcore board gamer looking for a real campaign-driven adventure than spans the course of 6+ months. It draws a lot of inspiration from RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, JRPG video games like Final Fantasy, and tabletop games like Warhammer. You take on the role of an Adventurer and follow their storyline as you build you character up to be a true warrior to be reckoned with! If anyone is curious, they can check out our BGG forum where our customers are constantly discussing the game. Our Facebook group is also very active. You can see how passionate the community is. They are constantly posting pictures and interacting with each other. They paint all the miniatures to show off and even create their own homemade content. We also have an Instagram page. UMLF: You guys obviously put a lot of time and love into creating the universe and all of the characters of your game. Who are some of your favorite characters? What’s their story? Alex: Absolutely. We've been working on this non-stop for over 5 years! There are so many characters in the game that it's hard to choose. Middara functions like one of those old "choose-your-own-adventure" novels from the late 90's. While playing through the game, choices you make really matter and change the course of the game. So, to not risk spoiling anything for anyone interested in the game, I won't say too much about all the characters involved. But, if I had to choose, my favorite character would be Zeke. Brooklynn usually plays Nightingale. UMLF: Where can someone purchase Middara currently? Alex: Well, right now we are completely sold out and the only place to find a copy of the game is on aftermarket sites like Ebay. Of course this route isn't the most financially feasible since copies of the game are selling for upwards of $250! But! If you're interested in snagging a copy of the game, you're in luck! We are running a Kickstarter campaign on June 24, 2019 where we will be reprinting the original game and expanding on the product. It's going to be an amazing Kickstarter campaign and you won't want to miss it! We are even giving away free swag to backers that pledge on Day 1! UMLF: How do you feel like the Utah Microloan Fund helped your business? Alex: Even though we were able to raise $350,000 on our Middara Kickstarter campaign in 2015, our lack of business experience got us into a serious bind. It became clear that we would be unable to fulfill our promises to Kickstarter backers. The game was too massive and expensive. Our passion for making games blinded us to the financial reality of our situation. So, after shark-tanking it around Salt Lake for the good part of 2018, we were able to recruit an awesome team of supporters and investors to help Middara come to life! UMLF along with a number of other resources has been crucial to helping us get the game produced and shipped to our customers. Without them, we'd be stuck in development purgatory with nothing more than a cool idea. Thanks UMLF, you guys are awesome and we tell all of our entrepreneurial friends about you! Thanks for sitting down with us Succubus Publishing! To stay in touch with them:
Keep an eye out for their Kickstarter, launching June 24th! You can sign up for an email reminder here: https://mailchi.mp/succubuspublishing/entertheportal
If there are two things our office loves, it's coffee and dogs. What else makes the Earth go round? With her recent graduation from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, receiving the award for Park City's 2018 Small Business Person of the Year by Alignable and just all around being an awesome human being, Claudia McMullin and her company Hugo Coffee Roasters are the Utah Microloan Fund's May Small Business of the Month!
UMLF: Claudia tell us about yourself and your background. What made you get into roasting coffee in Park City Utah? Claudia: I moved to PC from NYC in 1999 after quitting my job in a Wall St. law firm and selling my apartment. In my never ending quest to NOT be an attorney, I was the Executive Director of Nuzzles & Co for a few years and ran for office and was elected for 2 terms at a Summit County Council member. During my tenure as Chair of the County Council, I sat on the executive committee of the PC Chamber and learned that the coffee shop vendor in the Visitor Information Center was not renewing its lease. I went home and told my husband that I could run a coffee shop and .. Voila.. I bought the shop. Within 1 year I decided to buy/start a roasting company because I wanted to vertically integrate and control the quality of my own product. I reached out to the talented roaster, John Lynn, in summer 2015 and we launched Hugo Coffee Roasters together in December 2015. In addition to animal rescue, my passion is to mentor young entrepreneurs (Lucky Ones, Drool) and connect people. I am a member of the PC Chamber, UWNG, PCWBN, and President of the PC Rotary. I have sat on many nonprofit boards including the Sundance Advisory Board, University Hospital Foundation, Kimball Arts Center, PC Chamber, and MAG. I am currently on the Lucky Ones Advisory Board. UMLF: What is the history of Hugo’s for those who don't know the scoop? Claudia: I opened Hugo Coffee shop in the Visitor Information Center in Kimball Junction in February 2013. I decided to name the company after my handsome rescue dog, Hugo, because I ran Nuzzles & Co and was known for loving animals… especially dogs. I launched the roasting company in December 2015. In 2018 we rebranded Hugo Coffee Roasters to include an animal rescue give back mission. Our mission at Hugo Coffee is to save dogs by roasting fantastic organic fair trade coffee! Our vision is to become the go-to coffee for animal lovers nationwide. UMLF: How do you feel Hugo’s is different from other coffee roasters in Utah? Claudia: Hugo Coffee Roasters’ differentiator in the roasting world lies in our animal rescue give back mission. For every retail bag of Hugo Coffee sold (whether online via Amazon or in brick & mortar retailers like Whole Foods), Hugo Coffee gives between 8-10% of its proceeds to an accredited animal rescue. For example, for all online sales, Hugo Coffee donate to Best Friends Animal Society. For all regional sales, Hugo Coffee donates to Nuzzles & Co. - unless our customer prefers a different animal rescue in which case we’ll donate to the customer’s chosen rescue. Hugo Coffee also pops up at animal (Yappy Hours) and animal rescue related (Super Adoptions, Strutt Your Mutt) events and farmers markets to sell our retail coffee and swag to benefit specific animal rescues. In addition to Nuzzles & Best Friends, Hugo Coffee has donated to Canines With a Cause and the Utah Animal Adoption Center. With respect to our roasts, Hugo Coffee’s roasts are intentionally and specifically created to appeal to a broad range of palettes and, as such, range from light to french roast dark. Our coffees are all named with a nod towards dogs: New Trick Light Roast, Rollover Breakfast Blend, Bonafido Medium-Dark Roast, Howler Espresso, Black Paw French Roast, Downward Dog Decaf and Dog Daze Cold Brew. Our beans are organic fair trade. In picking the specific farms from which to buy green beans, John seeks farms that pay a living wage and offer benefits to all employees. Locally, we are environmentally focused by utilizing an oxidizer with our roaster for prevent emitting particulates into the air. Oh, and finally, our coffee is fantastic! UMLF: You recently graduated from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. Congrats! Tell us about your experience going through the program. Claudia: I loved every minute of the GS10K program! I met the most amazing people who I hope to have in my life for a long time. I felt supported and inspired by my fellow entrepreneurs. My growth opportunity involved launching a new product – which I did on April 1st. Dog Daze Cold Brew Packs for making cold brew at home or camping without any muss or fuss. I can’t wait to collaborate with and support every single one of my fellow scholars! UMLF: What is your favorite blend of coffee you guys produce? Claudia: I love Bonafido and drink a french press of it every day. Once the weather warms up, I drink Dog Daze Cold Brew as well.. And everyday! UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Claudia: Cash flow! Self funding launching and growing a manufacturing company was much more expensive than anticipated. Incurring debt vs. investor capital to supplement my own funds was my chosen path. I do not want to incur any more debt so must become self sustaining in 2019.. Which I am on the path to become! UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Claudia: The UMLF has helped me with financing equipment for my new customers.. Especially St. Regis Deer Valley. And, of course, providing critical cash flow. I am beyond grateful to the UMLF for their support and resources!! Thanks for sitting down with us Claudia! To try Claudia's coffee you can visit her in person at their coffee shop, check out their roastery or buy online: To visit the Hugo Coffee Shop:
To snag a bag of coffee online you can visit here: |
