Failure to Launch (Guest Post by Transformations by Shari)

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A great idea was born!

“Damn that is good! I can’t believe how good that tastes”, I said to myself after taking a sip of a Pink Lemonade Raspberry Mimosa that I concocted. 

It was Mother’s Day and my daughter Tara’s 17 birthday, 2011.  I was standing in my kitchen when I decided a “quality” check was in order. I didn’t want to serve a beverage that my guests may not like. Lol, It was the perfect mix that paired with the brunch foods I was serving to family and friends that were coming to celebrate. 

Excitement is in the air.

I was amazed, everyone shared my enthusiasm for the beverage. When they left that evening, I sat quietly to reflect on the day when I wondered why no one in the wine industry was selling a premixed mimosa. That thought led to this beverage being the long-term solution to my financial problems. I was divorced for 2 years, still paying off debt incurred during the marriage, and paying child and spousal support to my ex-husband. At 47, I had a well-paying job in the automotive industry but no retirement fund. I would be working until the day I died if I didn’t do something. 

Who knew?

I was born an entrepreneur. At age 6, I made my first lemonade stand out of the cardboard box our new clothes dryer was delivered in and sold lemonade and prizes I collected from Cracker Jack and cereal boxes.  I always dreamed of being highly successful in running my own multimillion-dollar business. But, I had no idea that 41 years later I would embark on another business selling lemonade of a different kind.

I dream big!

With excitement and motivation, I took this idea forward asking a lot of questions. Spirit responded in a big way by putting the people in my life who had the answers. After learning that this product had the potential to make millions and the only competitor was a winery in Santa Fe that launched a mimosa-type beverage the following year, Mosa Beverages, LLC was created.  

Wow, the more I learned the more questions I had. But, my mission was to launch the company in Michigan then roll it out throughout the US, and in year 4 open it up to the international market with a focus on cruise ships. 

Here come the Haters.

The time came in year three that I felt confident in taking the information I gathered to interview companies to manufacture and bottle my product. Having three flavors identified I scheduled a meeting with a small winery in western Michigan that sells low-end wine. 

A young gentleman, in his thirties, came down the stairs and greeted me with a smile. He shook my hand and confirmed he was Andrew. He was younger than I pictured and as sweet as could be. In his comfy jeans, tennis shoes, t-shirt, and a baseball cap he led me to the conference room and asked me to take a seat saying he would be back momentarily. He was the winemaker and the only person I had corresponded with. 

Fifteen minutes later Andrew walked in with another man and an apology. The man introduced himself as Dave then took a seat across the table from me while Andrew sat to my right at the head of the table. Dave stood about 6’3” tall, slender wearing a grimace and a terrible attitude. I felt his energy immediately and knew this meeting wasn’t going to go as anticipated. 

Dave allowed Andrew to get 4 words out of his mouth before he interrupted and began his verbal attack on me. Thinking he was a huge asshole and ridiculous I remained seated with a smirk on my face wondering who the hell he was. He didn’t mention his position in the company. He screamed questions at me but like Andrew, he didn’t allow me to finish a sentence before he screamed again. I let his tirade continue for a bit then said, “Dave, I’m confused. What is your position in the company? Wrong thing to say ask! “I’M THE OWNER”, he yelled. “It appears I’ve come on a bad day. If you didn’t want to meet with me that’s all you had to say. I’m going to leave now. I’ve had enough of your shit” I said. He was taken aback and stood while smacking his hand on the table. I looked over to see Andrew wishing he were anywhere but there. He slid down in his chair, pulled his baseball cap over his face, and placed his hands on his head. Feeling so badly for him, I looked at Dave and asked, “What is the point of your charade?” That took the wind from his sales, he sighed and sat down. When he began to speak I interrupted and said “I drove 2.5 hours and took the day off of work to meet with Andrew.  You’ve wasted my time and Andrew’s. Thank you.” He paused and with indignation asked “What is it you want to know?” “I want to know if you have the manufacturing capability to make and bottle my product.” “What is your product?”, he asked. I let out a small laugh and said “You didn’t look at the information I sent.” He gave me a couple of minutes to explain the product and requirements. When he let out a snort I gathered he found what I said amusingly. He barked “Do you have a recipe?” “A recipe? Uh, no I don’t. My product is simple, I want to mix sparkling wine with fruit juice” I answered.  He pushed his chair from the table, crossed his arms across his chest, and said “Child, you are the one wasting my time.  How in the f$%& do you think we can make your product without a recipe!” Oh boy. He had me there. I felt like I had been caught with my pants down but I wasn’t going to let him know that. I asked him to tell me who creates product recipes. With a scoff, he said “Listen closely, go see Jonathan at GLCC around the corner. If he is willing to work with you I’ll consider it. Hell, I might just take your idea and make it and sell it.”  That was the final straw! I stood up, grabbed my notepad, and said “Dave, among the documents you didn’t look at, is a non-compete clause. I think you’re smart enough to know better than to f@#$ me over. Secondly, why would I work with a rinky-dink operation like yours when I have plans for world distribution of my products? Have a great day!”

Dave wasn’t the only hater. I contacted a friend who I have known since we were 14 to tell her about my idea. It was logical I would share this with her being she knows her shit about the wine business having worked for several wineries over the years. She listened as I explained my idea. When I was finished, she let loose on me and said “My friends and I would NEVER drink a product like that. To us, that would be like drinking Boone’s Farm wine. Besides, you have NO business getting into the wine industry. You know nothing about it so what makes you think you bring a new product to market? Don’t do it!” 

Gotta love the Supporters.

Both conversations were brutal. In both cases, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought but that didn’t stop me from going to see Jonathan who is a very talented R&D guy with years of experience in developing natural flavors for wine-based drinks. I left his office with his agreement to make all three recipes for free. The average cost for a single recipe is $80-$160k. He believed in me and was empathetic to my story. 

My good fortune didn’t stop there. The experts kept coming. Don Lechnar, a business owner, a brilliant man with vast experience in business and finance put me on the path to writing a solid business plan. Ed Rice, the CEO of one of the best branding and package design companies in San Francisco worked to develop a plan for my products and on multiple occasions introduced me to people in the field. One such person was the former director of procurement for Constellation Brands. One of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world. Rick, General Manager of one of the largest beverage distributors in western Michigan committed to buying my product. All of these people volunteered their time to help me because they believed in me and my product. 

More doubt.

In 2016, I moved to Arizona and continued to work on the company. With the three recipes finally complete and signed off on, I ordered samples and hosted another tasting party to get the opinions of my lady friends. They were overwhelmingly supportive and excited about the product. Woohoo. That was an awesome boost even though I knew my product was superior to the one being sold on supermarket shelves.

But, there were still areas I was struggling with. My business plan had major gaps due to a lack of knowledge in costing out warehousing and shipping among other things. Without a solid business plan, I would never find an investor.  I needed a person with experience in the beverage industry to pull me through this and propel me forward.

At the same time this was going on I was in an emotionally abusive relationship. I lived with my boyfriend so he had a lot of control over what I was doing. He didn’t waste an opportunity to instill fear and doubt as to my ability to launch the company.  The result was losing my self-worth, self-confidence, and being emotionally broken, and financially broke. How do you carry forward with a business plan in this frame of mind? You don’t!

Got the hell out of Dodge!

I high-tailed it out of Arizona and headed back to my home state of Michigan. While living with a gal pal and her husband, I told her that I was determined to continue with Mosa Beverages but needed a professional in the industry. After a few minutes of discussion, she made it clear that she didn’t think it was wise to get an investor. Her words instilled more fear and insecurities within me. 

Hello, Big Fish!

Trying to put her thoughts behind me I went online to see if I had any messages on LinkedIn and I did. Doug is a business consultant with over two decades of experience in launching food and beverage companies. His resume checked all the boxes for what I needed. I responded immediately asking him for costs for his services. He was my guy! The person that was going to take me over the finish line. This was amazing. I felt a renewed sense of hope. 

His fees were in alignment with his skill set and experience making him unaffordable to me. I expressed this and he offered a smaller package for around $2500 which would provide me the information to produce a solid business plan. I told him I would work to get the money and schedule the meeting. Some time went by and Doug continued to check in to see where I was with my business plan and if I was able to schedule a meeting. I continued to tell him I wasn’t.  This added to my frustration and compounded my fear of never launching. 

Pull the Trigger Shari!

Several weeks went by before receiving another email from Doug. He was offering a weekly conference call, follow-up communications, and support in finishing what I needed and connecting me with investors. This offer was being limited to 10 people for one year at a one-time cost of $700. This was mind-boggling. I couldn’t believe my eyes. His original costs were over $20k. I thought that number was a typo but it wasn’t. It didn’t matter because I  didn’t have that either. I thanked him and told him if I could get the money within the next couple of days, I’d contact him because I was interested. I sensed in his reply that he was thinking “You’re a dumbass!” 

He was right because the next day, out of the blue a check for $800 appeared in the mail.  Instead of signing with him, I thought I needed to buy new tires and get vehicle repairs done and found out later that none of that was necessary at the time.  

In retrospect…..

It wasn’t about the money. It was my lack of mental fortitude, confidence, and strength to continue the dream. The ultimate opportunity knocked at one of the lowest points in my life. So, instead of pulling the trigger, I turned my back and walked away. Then spent the next year beating myself up for the poor decision.

Now I can, I don’t want to!

Today, I am mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. I have the strength and confidence to move this business forward but it’s no longer my dream. Through a recent life transformation journey, I realized I don’t want the life that comes with building a business in this industry. This business was always a means for me to be financially independent and to live my purpose.

Today, I am an author who is working to complete my memoir and writing a blog sharing my story in hopes of inspiring others. At 57, my new life and career choice suit me perfectly by allowing me to live my purpose. 

I have regrets!

I let the fantastic people who supported me, believed in me, cheered me on, and offered their time and expertise voluntarily over the years, down. And, the three recipes that have unlimited potential sit waiting for someone to take action.

Things Change.

This is what I needed to recognize and welcome to release the guilt and regret I was carrying. No one, not even the souls that helped me, needs to understand why I changed my mind. I know, you now know, and God knows. That’s all that’s important. The universe has or will reward their giving souls handsomely. 

Keep on being authentic,

Shari

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