So, I have been neglecting my blog posts for a long while now due to the fact that there has been a lot of personal, emotional, and financial issues in my life that I had to tend to, so here goes:
The past four weeks have been a tumultuous uprising, and I have neglected John's Kimchi, and I feel very bad about it, but life dictates the best course of actions to undertake, and I only did what I knew I had the control over to do. Where to start. I do not even know where to begin.
I guess the biggest point to address was that I was running out of working capital - boy, is that a punch-in-the-gut feeling; not being able to meet your operating expenses to continue to run your business when you know for a certain fact that you're at the cusp of being successful. So, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was late on paying my rent for over two weeks. Then the hammer came down, and they left me a letter attached to my door with an eviction notice stating that if I was not able to pay the rent in three days’ time, my lease would be terminated and actions will commence to evict me. That there was quite the ride.
At the time, I felt like I had no other options left, and I entertained the idea of placing all of my belongings into storage and living out of my car for a few months. But then, there's this nagging issue of my dog, who’s a six-month puppy and how I was going to care for her, and having to find a solution of where I was going to shower and stuff. So, I told myself, I could keep my gym membership at LA Fitness and just shower there periodically and I would be able to just go on about my way. That was not a prospect I was really looking forward to.
In any case, I really needed to dig deep to figure out a way to survive for the next few months to be able to pay my bills/debts and sustain John's Kimchi. I was running out of options, and, so, I reached out to my parents, and they came through in the clutch - that's what parents are for :). So, I was afforded a month or two of extra time, and I was going to make every penny count. And I am so poOr at this point, it makes me want to cry, but, I'm all out of tears, and the only thing left in me that is made of salt my own sweat and salty demeanor, and sweating is the only thing I have ever been good at.
But I had all faith in John's Kimchi's future, and I knew it was only a matter of time. First you have to crawl, then you learn to walk, and I knew I was merely paying my dues as a first-time business owner who is way under-capitalized. But I knew that if I just kept moving forward, things would change very soon, and I would be given the opportunity to prove to the ones whom loves me that I knew what I was doing all along.
So, about a week ago, the applications for the Seattle's Farmers Market Association opened up its doors to venders wishing to vend for 2017. I went ahead and applied to the University Districts year-round Saturday Market, and the West Seattle and Capitol Hill's year-round Sunday markets. Here's hoping for the best. I've done all I could up to this point, so I don't know what else to do at this point in regards to gaining a larger market exposure for John's Kimchi.
Working at The Ram has been a lot of fun. It’s so easy, though I still have much to learn in regards to the menu and how the point of sales terminals work. But, as I had predicted, all I have to do is show up to work, do a good job, and go home - no stress. And everyone working there seems really nice, and they all want to help each other, almost like a cohesive unit. I am enjoying my time there, and I hope to make a bigger impact with The Ram as I garner more experience and become more efficient and more proficient with the whole system.
I received my first full paycheck from The Ram, which entailed 20-hours per week for two weeks, and the amount was mind-blowing. And that is given that I was scheduled in the slower sections, so I can only imagine the kind of money I will be bringing in if I was working, say, 35-hours per week. This is all a game changer. I am glad I stuck it out and decided to do my best to get a job with The Ram. Things are all falling into place now.
I have missed the Fremont market for the past three weeks, due to not having the time to make kimchi, and not having all the necessary supplies to bring my kimchi to market in time. But I am happy to inform everyone that I will be back at the Fremont market this Sunday, and I apologize to my customers for the past three weeks for my absence.
