We really haven’t taken enough time to tell everyone thank you for being such a great support network. It has really kept us charged and enthusiastic throughout this process! We owe it all to our fans and we haven’t even taught you anything yet, wait till we get you in the kitchen!!
All posts by Portlands Culinary Workshop
Website coming soon!
Well we were having some technical difficulties in accessing our own blog. It is boggling my mind trying to keep track of all the log-in names and passwords. Note to self. Write them down somewhere and lock it up.
We’ve been working on all the material for our website, finding a format and supplying our web designer with bios, class descriptions and of course blog material.
Tomorrow we have an appointment to look at a restaurant space, it’s probably too big, but it’s a nice and I’m looking forward to just be in a space that has more than potential. We will also be spending tomorrow looking at more spaces and areas of town. This part is depressingly slow. Our retail agent has only a few leads and is tough to get a hold of, people with lease signs on their buildings don’t return phone calls. What the hell is up with that??
We had a fancy for the BBQ Daddy spot on Hawthorne but we found out today it’s being torn down. What a bummer, I thought that space was great. If you see a space that would be perfect for us make sure you let us know.
The plan is ready for action!!
We Need a Building!
It’s Friday and I just received an e-mail with the mock ups of our website! I can’t wait until it’s finished and up. We will at that point move our blog over to our web page, but until it’s finished we needed a forum to let all of you know about what we are up to and our progress.
Out of the blue this week we had an investor approach us (that’s right approach us!) and tell us that he has money for us in January. It’s the last bit we need, as long as the stars align for him, they have aligned for us as well. Though this person is supreme about follow through, I’ll be excited when all the paperwork is signed. I know better than to count the roasters before they are in the oven.
We have been doing shameless self promotion on Facebook and will be tweeting away soon with all of our updates as well. Part of these last couple weeks have been creating databases; businesses, clients, and recipes. The more we aren’t trying to wing at the last minute the smoother this opening is going to be. Teaching? Cake! We have that down. It’s logistics and business behind the scenes that needs to be mise en placed to the T (mise en place means, everything in it’s place, in cooking we use it to refer to having the recipe read, twice, ingredients out, measured, chopped, oven on, step list, and mentally thinking about what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. That’s just one little nugget you would get out of taking a class from us).
Business plan is done, finally, website is being worked on, logo stuff has been tasked out and we have contacted a realtor to help us find a building!
We need a kitchen! It’s too expensive to put in a hood system and plumbing for gas so the more we have already available in the building the better off we are going to be to open as soon as possible. So keep an eye out for us! Ideally we’d like to be in center SE Portland, but we are happy to take your findings wherever they may be.
We can’t wait to have our own space and to start teaching!
Drought
Nov. 8th, 2010
I know I know it’s been forever since I last wrote. I’m still working doubles, which leaves me zero time to go look at properties and that’s really the stage we are out right now. Besides the doubles my partner and I work opposite schedules and that looks like the way that it’s going to be that way until after the holidays.
Since our last investment meeting, we obtained a second investor, which is awesome. We are still going to need a third, which we have approached and are hoping to hear about this week.
We cleaned up out business plan, added some addtional financials, though I still think that imaginary numbers are well….imaginary, I can tell you with certainty what our worst case and best case and most realistic expectations are based on my experience, but other than that it’s a projection based on estimated increase. Basically it’s guessing and pessimistic verses optimistic results…. or best case, worst case. We definatly needed more work on the business plan before the 2nd investment meeting, we thought we would get more understanding and someone who had read the business plan a head of time, but we should have been prepared to spiel it like we spiel it to anyone. I wish that I had, had a Powerpoint presentation and five whole minutes. I got cocky with our initial investor and a spiel that was smooth with good delivery. They are all going to be different and have different dynamics. Hopefully we can nail the third one.
I think… maybe, kind of…. we ,might be finished with the business plan write up….maybe. Of course things might be added to and changed but we wailed through quite a lot of it this weekend. We have pretty graphs now. Marketing, SWOT analysis, projections, sales and marketing strategies are done.
Whew
I made a database for one of our target markets and all of the contacts so that we have a fast jumping off point to do our marketing. We have one more database that I’d like to have finished and that’s one more big part target market. Then I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t be busting at the seams when we open. So very many people in our pockets right now. Sweet, I love people in my pocket.
We need to finish logo work, memos, packets, letterheads. We need our own database of resources we can use all the time. I can work on that this week. We need to get out website going and we need to find a damn place. Those are our next steps, but we are still plugging.. well no, plowing away and we are seeing our business getting more and more exciting everyday.
I just wanted to let you all know, that it is still in the works. It hasn’t dropped off, when we score the space we will do a little dance and invite you all to join us!
We Have Investors!
Oct 13th, 2010
One Flew Over
Sept. 27th, 2010
10 Steps Forward…Of Course There Is a Step Back
Sept. 22nd, 2010
It’s Like Asking Him to Move In.
Sept. 20th, 2010
Anyone Have Land I Can Buy For a Buck?
Sept. 13th, 2010
Oh Snap! Here Comes the Three Hole Punch!
Sept. 10th, 2010
I haven’t stopped writing because the project is off, or even that I haven’t had time. I’m just in the middle of tedium and it’s hard to think that anyone is going to be interested in blogging about cramming together costing sheets and printing off demographics studies of potential places to put our business. And that’s what it’s been.
You know how you get really excited about an idea or a project and you start on it and then your interests fades a little and you are having a hard time getting motivated when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of the thing? Yea I know that, but I’m not there. I was wanning a bit when it came down to the costing out of several of the things we want to be able to provide to our customers (I know I know this vagueness as got to be annoying as all hell, I promise soon we’ll just come out with it, but currently I still feel vulerable to potential takers of my dream and a little tender), costing is a pain in the ass as my students will happily tell you, probably using a great many explatives, so yea I was putting it off. But I told Erin to encourage me and she said “COST MONKEY COST!!!” It was all I needed. I bolted through it in a couple of days and it was revealed to me that once again the hardest part is just getting started.
Anyway the point is that every Monday when I go to work, I have a renewed sense of HELL YEAH! And I am jazzed all over again to keep this business on a roll. Erin’s mom let her know that there is going to be a Small Business Fair at the Oregon Convention Center this weekend and I got goosebumps all over. There are lectures we can take and people we can talk to and I’ll about ready to wet myself with excitement that this is happening at one of the best times. I want to make sure we have as much of our business plan done as I can manage in one more day so that we (I mean me Erin can’t be there in person, but I’ll take good notes) can start talking to people at the SBA about our business.
That is why I sat down last night for a few minutes with the three hole punch and organized The Binder, making room for all of the really important stuff that I’m going to be adding today. My beautiful husband even started doodling some logos for us. Thanks sweetie.
So tomorrow I’ll be spending the majority of the day sitting in rapt attention while a speaker tells me how to get money for our business. Wish us luck!!