Don and Mai's Journey to Opening their Thai Restaurant

Introduction

Embarking on a new business venture requires determination, strategic planning, and the right guidance. Don and Mai, a dedicated couple putting their passions together to open their own Thai restaurant, are on the verge of realizing their dream. In this inspiring client story, we explore their journey so far, highlighting the support provided by the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) and their business advisor, Alex Alvarez. Join us as we delve into the challenges, milestones, and lessons learned.

Background and Vision

Don and Mai's aspiration to open a Thai restaurant stemmed from their personal experiences and family heritage. Mai's upbringing, surrounded by his mother's vibrant street food cart in Bangkok, ignited his lifelong dream of owning his own place. Building upon their extensive knowledge and previous involvement in the restaurant industry, the couple envisioned creating a culinary haven in the Burlington Skagit County area.

Formation and Business Planning

Currently in the formation phase, Don and Mai established their business as an LLC in Washington. Their partnership with CIE and the guidance of Alex, their dedicated business coach, proved instrumental in shaping their path forward. Through accurate financial forecasting and menu cost analysis, they gained a comprehensive understanding of the feasibility of their venture. Don emphasizes the importance of having a solid foundation and realistic appraisal, avoiding the common pitfalls undercapitalized businesses face.

Exploring Venue Options

Securing an appropriate venue is crucial to establishing a successful restaurant. Don and Mai are diligently exploring various scenarios with the assistance of three brokers. Their options range from buying out existing businesses and retrofitting vanilla pads to taking over abandoned restaurants. Each opportunity presents its own set of advantages and challenges, allowing the couple to gain insights into the different pathways of creating a restaurant business.

Lessons and Learnings

Don and Mai encountered several learning moments thus far. By working closely with Alex, they gained a new understanding of the financial intricacies involved in the restaurant industry. Their thorough cost analysis of menu items enabled them to project sales and determine the overall feasibility of their business. Additionally, they realized the significance of estimating renovation and construction costs accurately. Don highlights the importance of due diligence and staying informed about the evolving costs in the construction sector.

The Role of CIE and Alex

Don and Mai's introduction to the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) came through a small business development center recommendation. CIE's commitment to supporting diverse entrepreneurs made the ideal partnership for the couple. The expertise and guidance provided by their business advisor, Alex, became a valuable resource throughout their journey. By leveraging the tools and support offered by CIE, Don, and Mai are receiving the necessary assistance to transform their business idea into a tangible reality.

Looking Ahead

As their business journey progresses, Don and Mai eagerly anticipate reaching critical milestones. The determination to accurately estimate construction costs and negotiate the installation of a grease trap represent significant hurdles to overcome. By successfully navigating these challenges, they inch closer to turning their vision into a thriving Thai restaurant that showcases their unique family recipes and delights customers.

Conclusion

Don and Mai's story exemplifies the transformative power of entrepreneurship, underscored by the importance of realistic planning and unwavering dedication. With the support of the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) and their business advisor, Alex, they have overcome hurdles and gained valuable insights. Their inspiring journey is a testament to the impact of inclusive business coaching and the potential for individuals from diverse backgrounds to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. As they continue to pursue their passion, Don and Mai eagerly anticipate the day they can welcome customers to their Thai.

Client Story: PNW Halal Meats

PNW Halal Meats is a small store located in Pullman, Washington, that offers a variety of halal goods and food from all over the world, including the Middle East, Africa, and South and Central Asia. The store is owned by Shamsa Wanjuki and her husband, who started the business almost 10 years ago when they realized that Pullman, being a college town with a large international student population, lacked halal meat and international food options.

The store not only serves international students and visitors, but it has also become a popular destination for the local community. PNW Halal Meats buys cow, lamb, and goat meat from local small-scale farmers and promotes the concept of halal meat in the community. The store also sells a wide range of spices that are not readily available in other stores, making it a popular destination for local residents who are looking for hard-to-find ingredients to use in their cooking.

The owners of PNW Halal Meats take pride in their high-quality halal meat, which is always fresh and never kept for long periods. They also ensure that the animals are slaughtered in a way that does not cause them any stress, which enhances the quality of the meat. The store's reputation for quality and freshness has helped it to become a popular destination for people who are looking for locally-sourced meat and other ingredients.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant challenge to PNW Halal Meats, as it did to many small businesses. When the students went home, Shamsa and her husband realized that their local community was their strongest asset. They worked in collaboration with their community and found ways to survive difficult times. They believe that sustainability is feasible as long as small businesses have a strong network and work in collaboration with their local communities.

Shamsa first heard about the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) through Juan Garcia, CIE’s Business Advisor in the Palouse, who was walking through businesses and telling people about the organization. Shamsa attended CIE's business training program called Start Simple and learned about how she can expand her business simply and reach more people in the greater area.

"Juan is really wonderful. He is there to answer my questions… and he is always very kind. He has given us a lot of support," Shamsa says, "it's been a great time working with Juan, and I hope we shall continue this relationship because it is very beneficial for us as we expand." Juan also connected Shamsa with other small business owners who have been through similar experiences and served as mentors. 

Shamsa and her husband want to encourage other small business owners not to lose hope during these difficult times. They believe that perseverance and patience are key to success. Despite the challenges of high prices and economic uncertainty, they remain optimistic and hopeful for the future. They hope that by supporting each other, small business owners can get through this tough time and come out even stronger.

PNW Halal Meat's story is a testament to the power of local communities and the importance of small businesses in promoting cultural diversity.

Facebook @PNWHalalMeats

Instagram @halal_meats

Address: 1045 N Grand Ave Pullman, WA, WA 99163

Phone Number: 503-339-6294 or 509-432-1706 or 503-740-6345

Email: pnwhalalmeats@gmail.com

Client Story: The Skagit Table

Courtney's journey began eight years ago after she graduated from culinary school. With a passion for cooking and a desire to positively impact her community, she started The Skagit Table. Her motivations for growing her business were having the opportunity to provide healthy and convenient meals for her community and creating her own schedule to ensure time with her family. Courtney works with approximately 20 farms to source fresh ingredients for her meals. She is working on partnering with more to coordinate her menus with the most recent harvests.

Courtney learned about the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) from Ellen Gamson, the Executive Director at the Mount Vernon Downtown Association. She found that the most valuable aspect of working with CIE was the resources, knowledge, and support she received. She felt that CIE's Business Advisor, Kirsten Campbell, cared about her and her business as she worked with her to creatively overcome some of the challenges of growing her business.

Skagit Table offers catering services, cooking classes, and a variety of meal options that are perfect for busy families and individuals who want to eat healthily without sacrificing flavor or convenience. There are a variety of grab-and-go and oven-ready meals made from fresh, in-season, and local ingredients. Courtney works flexibly to consider different dietary needs and help those who do not have the time or knowledge to cook for themselves.

Starting a business is always challenging. As a culinary arts graduate, Courtney knew how to cook delicious meals but quickly realized that starting a business was a different ball game. Understanding the technicalities of licensing, paying taxes, and the other tedious business steps were challenging. However, Courtney's biggest hurdle was finding funding to expand her business, especially when setting up a professional kitchen. She needed to invest in expensive equipment, a hood fan, and secure bank loans, which took work. Nevertheless, her passion for cooking and providing healthy and delicious meals to her community motivated her to keep pushing forward.

Despite the challenges, the most notable and rewarding aspect of starting her business has been its impact on her community. She has witnessed firsthand how her meals have positively impacted people's lives, from providing comfort to grieving people to offering affordable and allergen-free meals to those struggling to find them. Ultimately, Courtney's journey has been a story of perseverance, determination, and passion for cooking. Despite the challenges she faced, she was able to overcome them and create a business that has made a positive impact on her community.

A pivotal moment in Courtney's business journey was learning how to create building plans for the city of Mt. Vernon's approval. With no experience and contractors being unavailable, Courtney felt stuck. Luckily, a friend and former boss had faced the same issue when starting his business. With his guidance, Courtney avoided the time and stress of learning independently. That friend’s help stuck with Courtney, reminding her of the benefits of having someone to turn to for help when starting a business.

As Courtney continues to grow and expand Skagit Table, she remains optimistic about the future and looks forward to giving back to her community by mentoring new entrepreneurs.

Address | 221 Taylor Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Website | www.rainbow-eats.com

Facebook | The Skagit Table

Instagram | theskagittable

Client Story: Silvopasture

You’re walking through the dark woods when you hear a branch snap behind you. You look back, fearing what you’ll see, but instead of flashing teeth and sharp claws, you see a sheep peacefully grazing the undergrowth. As the shepherd raises a cheerful greeting, more sheep appear through the ferns, salal, and vine maple. 

Despite this being a longstanding method of raising animals, the drive for efficiency and more significant profit has caused the wider livestock industry to move further away from nature. However, folks can still integrate their livestock practices with nature, especially in the forests west of Port Angeles. The Sawtooth Ranch, owned by husbands Billy and Devan, has been raising Icelandic sheep for fiber and food for the past few years using silvopasture methods. “We were doing it before we realized it was silvopasture, the forest was full of life, but there wasn’t suitable grazing land; as we practiced and learned more, we found lots of history and scholarship around that agricultural production. We’re doing what the land was made to do and improving the cleared soil meant to grow trees for vegetables.”

So what exactly is silvopasture? If you spoke Latin, it’d be obvious, but it’s when animals are pastured in mixed woodlands, and there are many benefits for the farmer, animals, and the greater ecosystem. The grazing animals control invasive species, protect themselves from heat and inclement weather, and facilitate the moving of nutrients through the ecosystem. The farmer saves money on feed and fertilizer, manages a healthier herd, and can earn an income on land not suitable for crop production. The forest can sequester carbon in the trees, hold the soil during torrential rain, remain attractive to wild populations, and draw moisture from the lowered water table during a drought. 

As Billy talks about their operation, you can hear his love for the sheep, the forest, and the science behind silvopasture.

“We’re not just stocking them on a piece of land, but actively cycling them to what’s available at different times of the year. It saves on winter feeding costs since grass is most sensitive to overgrazing in winter, and winter is the gestation period for lamb. A diverse diet leads to diverse nutrition; in fact, there are different outcomes based on what their moms eat while the lamb’s in utero.”

It shows that small businesses are ideally suited to benefit their neighbors and their environment in ways more extensive operations aren’t able to. To learn more about their process and see the bounty they can get from stacking agricultural uses, you can visit their website or chat with them at the Port Angeles Farmer’s Market during the summer.

Website: www.thesawtoothranch.com/

Instagram: @thesawtoothranch

Email: thesawtoothranch@gmail.com

Location: Joyce, WA, on the Olympic Peninsula

Client Story: Affordable Painting RR

Hola! My name is Marisol Rosas Cardoso, and my husband and I co-own our brand-new business called 'Affordable Painting RR,' which we launched in late August of this year. 

I first heard about CIE through the initial advertising of the Comadres program. My favorite part of working with CIE is the Latina business training course (shoutout to Antiza for mentoring and teaching our fellow Comadres!). Another favorite is working with Alex as my business advisor, who guided me in realizing where I'm at, where I want to be, and how to potentially get there in my business journey. 

CIE did a great job following up with me shortly after completing the Comadres program, which I found valuable as someone who never thought my painting business idea would someday become a reality. 

This month we're establishing our first client relationship to paint their 4-bedroom house, so as we're doing that, we're also creating our marketing materials and spreading the word about our services. 

My biggest learning realization was the initial business processes: calculating startup costs, buying equipment, creating an EIN and a business bank account, and finalizing our business license and other permits required to hit the ground running. I'm excited to see where this journey takes my family and me!

Affordable Painting RR is located in Mount Vernon, Skagit County.

Website: TBA