Weekly Note; Just Show Up

12/15/19 10:03 pm

Just Show Up

Life aboard the boat on a cold winter Sunday night usually ends with the little space heater going full blast in the salon and watching the latest show on the small Direct TV that is mounted on the bulkhead. Tonight its one of my favorite classics, The Sound of Music while sipping a homemade hot buttered rum to warm up after talking to our dock mates well after the sun went down. Our sailboat is rocking again at the dock with the winds just starting up again with the 5ft WNW swell just outside the harbor rolling in only a few hundred yards away. 

This week was productive, checking in with my business Coach/Mentor - this time is invaluable to me and we have made amazing progress this year because of it, a few deliveries, catching up on emails and working through the financials. We’ve surpassed our goals for this month more than I could have ever imagined this week. And if that wasn’t good enough, we got word that I will get to have a tv interview to talk about our story with an unbelievably amazing person and can’t wait to share the details with you as soon as I can!

So, it reminds me of how each day, for the last 8 years I keep showing up to LOL, at first to my desk in the corner of our living room in Ojai when I started, and now to the same desk now located in my Ventura office. And as I show up, I am most certainly amazed at the adventures I have had because of it. When I created LOL, I just wanted to sell lemonade to pay for the parent plus loans we took out for our kids and I couldn’t have possibly imagined what would happen next. As we have gratefully accepted awards over the years and all of the amazing opportunities that have come our way, I think about how I could have missed these if I had given up. I think about the most special moments and occasions that families have shared our lemonades  and how they wouldn’t have had it if I had given up. 

I’ve met Oprah, Steve Demos, William Bolthouse, Seth Goldman, John Mackey, Malcom Gladwell and so many more amazing people along the way. My lemonade has taken me from Reno to New York keeping me out of my comfort zone every single step of the way.

Lessons learned this week; Just show up. You may not know what’s next, and surely the path may be unclear, but if you show up, you will find your way. And the rewards in showing up will be far greater than you could ever have dreamed.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Will check back in next week. 

Cheers

Lori Volk, Chief Believer Officer/Founder/Ironman

Lori’s Original Lemonade

Since 2011

Weekly Note

Weekly Note;

12/8/19 7:19pm

It’s dark with a chill in the air now as the night settles in on our home aboard our sailboat. I’ve been sipping a hot coffee with a little bit of Irish Creme as I reflect on the last few days as I sit writing this at our chart table. With a whirlwind of a week, just when I thought LOL and I were going into our hibernation month, the emails picked up and we actually just made our sales goal inside of the first week. While that is extremely encouraging, I had many things that moved the needle forward for my company as well. After 2 months of disputing yet another deduction with a distributor, I almost gave up trying to recoup it but I decided to persevere and get to the bottom of it. Fortunately, heading straight for the top of the chain in command (thanks to an exceptional receptionist) I was able to resolve the problem for me and possibly others as there was a breakdown in the system that they didn’t realize. It reminds me yet again, that everyone out there is just trying to do their best work. Mistakes are not intentional, but accidental (mostly) and I was treated so well during the this final interaction that it completely changed my perspective of this distributor. When one moment I wanted to quit out of frustration, the next moment I was apologizing for being so demanding. Lessons learned; don’t quit, persevere and assume the best of people.

Next, I had a couple of super cool calls by press/media that may turn into something pretty amazing - will keep you posted.

After that, we had our end of fiscal year meeting with the CPA and really reflected on what a great learning year this was and how much of a difference we were making now for LOL based on those lessons. I feel that I owe it to LOL to be a good steward as I truly believe this company has been a gift to me when I thought nothing else was possible and I could never be excited in business again. 

One of my goals was to attend a workshop or webinar every month to help me in my business - had a great one this last week by SCORE.org. I highly recommend you check out their website for resources to help grow your business. 

And of course on the personal front, I made my fitness goals, meeting with trainer, ordered a new pair of running shoes and getting back to thinking of triathlons and running events again...

And, we welcome back the Ranch House in Ojai to our lemonade family who will now be carrying our lemonades again!

So as the night gets colder on the ocean, we close up the hatches, turn up the the little space heater and I remember the things that I used to take for granted while living on land, the large kitchen, bathroom, a regular bed, a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, wi-fi, tv bigger than 20”. I remember, we are on the downhill slide of our goal now, only 10 months left on the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps plan now - staying focused we will have paid off all of the debt we started with just 6 years ago. I am humbled at where we are now, what we are achieving and look forward to the moment we can celebrate the last payment with you.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Will check back in next week. 

Cheers

Lori Volk, Chief Believer Officer/Founder/Ironman

Lori’s Original Lemonade

Since 2011