It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!
28 Apr 2021 · 61 min
Sisters Edie, Jackie, and Amy Ross created Happy Hour Scones after a jalapeño-lime margarita inspired them at a farmers market. They keep a simple core recipe and rotate 14 to 35 flavors, from praline bourbon to peppermint bark, selling at the Downtown Farmers Market in Lakeland.
Chapters
It's 5 o'clock somewhere. Welcome back to the Elevate Polk podcast. I'm your host, Chrissanne Long, and with me again, my co-pilot, my friend, Nate the Great Kendrick.
Hey, happy to be here.
Ah, last time we said we needed some sort of intro music to play when I say your name. I feel like, like you do need like a, what do they call that? A walkout song.
Yeah. You know what? I, I'll take that.
We'll have to think about what your walkout song is gonna be for sure. So we are welcoming. This is the first time that we've had 3 guests on the show at the same time. So we're very excited to bring our sisters in a company that they have started together. We have Edie, Jackie, and Amy from Happy Hour Scones. Welcome to the show.
Welcome.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us.
Thank you.
So let's get started by, by telling the story to all of our guests or to all of our audience, um, how we ended up here because until you guys just walked in to record today, I had not met you. I do not know you. And yet from various angles, it seems like you needed to be on this podcast with us today. Sounds like it. So, Edie, why don't you tell us your connections and the story you have been telling us about how you found the podcast and then how that connects to Nate?
Well, we were at the market and one of the gals who come, you know, buy the scones from us came to our booth and She just, you know, we didn't like know her, know her, but she was familiar. And she's, we were down to just the one scone left, one flavor. And she was like, "Oh darn, I knew if I didn't get here in time, you'd be all sold out." And she says, "But I'm still gonna buy one of these. It's not one of my favorite flavors," you know, 'cause it was a jalapeño lime margarita.
That's the original flavor.
I know, I know. And the jalapeño kind of, for some people, you know, it's not, you know, but anyway, it's a, usually a good seller. And anyway, so she was, then she just like, she started asking us questions, you know, and she's, you know, she's looking at her, you know, just like, how long have you been doing this? You know, where did you get this idea? You know, and then she's like, you know, my son Nate, he does this podcast called Elevate Poke with Chrissanne Long. And I was familiar with your name from years ago. And she says, "And your business kind of just reminds me of, you know, this podcast they did called White— about white space and what white space is," you know? So she's explained to us what white space is and we're like, "It does sound like, you know, us." And she just was like, she was so enthusiastic about us, you know? And we're like just sitting, you know, and listening to her like in awe because it always kind of throws us when, I mean, we love our product and we're enthusiastic about it and everything, And we, you know, but when a customer comes and just gushes about it, about how much they like it, you know, that they're intrigued by the story, the idea, what they're about, what we're about, our logo. They love our banner with the, you know, close-up shots of the scones. They look so delicious and just all of it. And it just kind of like, it always just kind of throws us because, you know, I mean, it's fun for us.
Yeah.
And she was just so insistent, you know, about us meeting and following up. I mean, while she's talking to us, I'm looking up, I'm going on Google and looking up Elevate Poland and checking out what you are. I go, yeah, I see it. I know what, you know, I see what you're saying. I'll make sure that I contact Nate. We'll listen to some podcasts. And I'm like, I knew I had to follow through. Your mom is like just the sweetest, most wonderful. You can just tell she is a light in her, but you know, you take her seriously.
You know, you just like, she's like, I need to listen to this woman. Yeah. Okay. So I can't wait to meet her. So Mom, we need to make that happen. But Nate, on your end, you had already heard her version of the story. So tell us, tell us what you had heard before, because I have a version too. So I can't wait to talk about all three, all these angles.
Yeah, definitely. So I was out to lunch with my wife Jess and my mom, and she was like, She was basically really excited about what we were doing with the podcast and she's like, hey, you know, I was listening to that one podcast where you guys talked about white space and I was down at the market and I found this really interesting company that I think you'd be really fascinated about, about Nathaniel. And I said, what's the name of the company? And she started talking about the company and talking about that they were three sisters and saying, you know, now they make scones, but they make it in such a unique way that I've never really seen in Lakeland before. I think you'd be really interested in getting to learn more about them. And she, and she mentioned in passing, my mom's very strategic. She just kind of subtly said, you know, I think it'd be really cool if you had her, had them on, on their, on your podcast with, with Chrissanne Long.
So what would happen if she was more insistent? Would you, what I mean, because I think my mom and I have the same similar kind of, of, of, you know, if she's super, super excited about it, then I'm kind of like, okay, mom, thank you. Have a nice day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. Well, you know, it's, it's funny cuz she brought it up. She brought it up. At dinner. And then she— I was on the phone with her maybe like a week later, and she said, you know, I was down at the market again, and, uh, there's just something about their product. It's so unique, it's so different. And then I think it was a week later, I got an email.
Yes.
Yeah, you're about right. Yep, you're about right. So I followed through, did what mom said. I, I— because you're Catapult, we're— we, we, um, bake our scones out of Catapult in the kitchen. So I went to Catapult Lakeland, and because she said you were Catapult.
Yeah.
And I saw your, you know, your startup little story that's on there and the website, and it had your email address. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna go ahead and, uh, and email him.
Yeah.
And, uh, yeah.
So she, yeah, so she, I got, I got the email and I was, I was really busy that week, but then I remember Chrissanne and I had a, had a podcast and I was like, hey, I gotta talk to you about something afterwards.
Mm-hmm.
I said, hey, there's these ladies that have this business. And I basically gave Chrissanne the rundown. I said, hey, I just got an email. What do you think? And we kind of talked about it back and forth and it was around the same time. And I'll toss it over to you, Chrissanne, about what was going on with you.
So all of that is happening and I have not yet heard of Happy Hour Scones. Do not know who Edie is, don't know the Rosses, don't know anything about anybody. And I get an email from my amazing friend Cindy Maddox, who was in Leadership Lakeland with me in the best class ever, Class 30. And she sends this message just completely out of the blue, like I had seen her a couple of nights ago before that, but there was no conversation about anything, but it was just like, "Hey Chrissanne, I want you to meet my friend, Edith Ross, da da da da da, they started this company." And I'm like, she kind of had a little bit of a longer email in there. So I didn't read the whole thing at that immediate moment because I had several things to do. Then I went back to it when I finally got back to my desk. And in the interim, that was when Nate introduced the idea of, you know, "Hey, my mom has made these connections with these great ladies at the market." and they're at Catapult. And I go, I sit down and I listen, I read my email. I'm like, it's the same people.
That is so, that is like so incredible. I mean, and that has been kind of our story all along, you know?
Yeah. So let's get into the story now. Like you found your way onto the Elevate Polk podcast. We're thrilled. I mean, what I'm thrilled about is that, that the conversation's getting out onto the street, right? You know, your mom's Vicki, right? Yep. So Vicki is out there, you know, advocating and sharing the story of Elevate Polk, but it's really now she knows that we want to get entrepreneurs to come on and tell us their story. So I'm going to start with Jackie. I want Jackie's version. So all of you are going to give us your version of the story and you can, you can say, yeah, exactly like she said, or not maybe exactly like she said, but really reading the story on your website, it kind of started all of you. Spending some time together, talking, laughing, enjoying. And you're the baker, right? You're the baker?
No, I'm the baker.
You're the baker. Okay. All right. So I'm pointing and nobody knows who I'm pointing to. And we're all in this hot— So Jackie, you tell me your version. You tell us your version. Then we're going to go to Amy and then Edie, you're going to bring up the rear. Okay?
Okay. Sounds good.
Okay, Jackie.
Okay.
So I came home from work. One late afternoon, and pretty much like the story says, we were sitting around the kitchen table. At the time, the three of us were living together.
Okay.
So we'd been living together for a while. And so, you know, it's typical to come home and, you know, kitchen table, dinner, what have you, conversation, lots of laughter. And basically Amy had made the jalapeño lime drink the night before and there was some leftover. So after my shift, I was thirsty and I poured myself a glass and I'm like, oh, this is so good. This is just really delicious. And in the meantime, Edie had shown me that she had baked a scone with the same ingredients in it. And I couldn't believe it. Didn't even, I'm like, huh, what?
Right.
And she's like— How do you come up with this? Like, that would be my thought, but keep going.
Me too. I just, I rolled with it, you know? And I'd had her scones, She makes regular scones as well.
Okay.
And I loved all her scones. And so, um, she's like, take a bite of this. This is, you know, it's got the same spicy seasoning and on top. And, you know, so I took a bite and I was like, oh, you, you're kidding me. This is unbelievable.
This is what, this is a scone.
Yeah, exactly.
And I'm like this. Yeah, it's, it was just amazing.
Mm-hmm.
And just kind of from there we were just. I don't know. The conversation just kind of went in its own crazy direction.
And it did.
Yeah, I bet. I bet. All right. So, Amy, you're the fact checker here. Did it all go the way that Jackie says it did?
For the most part, I think.
No, no.
But seriously, yeah, we're just—
Yeah, it started well the night before you had first started making— That's right. Made it.
Yeah, that's when I made the drink.
And I guess it's really your husband Tim's fault.
It is.
Yes. He asked for her to make a jalapeño lime margarita. Exactly.
So Tim now gets some of the credit.
Exactly.
He's like, don't forget.
We gotta put him in there too. But yeah, that's his favorite drink.
Okay.
So, and then Edie was like, you know, I've been wanting to experiment with scones. I make these same flavors, but I wanna do something different. So there was some leftover and she decided, you know what, I'm just gonna give it a try and see what happens.
And she did. That's where the story starts.
That's where the story starts.
You know, and then after that it was like, all right, now what can we do? What can we make next?
Right. We got our heads together and we like started like trying other flavors, you know? And I, you know, I had written to, well, texted my daughter and said, hey, we're doing this. And I sent her a picture of it and she's like, oh, cocktail-inspired scones. That's interesting. And so it's like, yeah, cocktail-inspired scones.
It sounds so great. Yeah.
So it was, it was really, Really, it just kind of flowed and happened so naturally and organically because, you know, this is after a snow, but while it was happening, it just kind of flowed together. The night before, you know, we were having a good time. I can't drink too much because it makes me sick. So I can't, so when Amy introduced the scone, I mean, not the scone, but the drink, you know, try this, you know, it's like, okay, but I can't take too much, you know? And it had jalapeño in it, which is like, I'm just not any of the spicy. I'm not, that's not me. Okay. So right from the get-go, I was not real, you know, I'll take a little sip. And that's what I did. But it was like my, I was like, wow. Because she put that like spicy rim around it with some sweet paprika chili powder.
I should have made you guys bring that in for us to drink while we were having the show. Right.
Yeah.
The scones are great, but you're making the drinks. That sounds fantastic too.
Yeah, you know, and so I was really surprised how much I was like, wow, that is like, whoa. And for me, you know, I, at that point in time, I wasn't, you know, connecting it with scones at all. It was just like, what an intriguing flavor, you know? And then we started talking about other, 'cause they've had bartending experience and stuff. So they were talking about all these different, you know, shots, cocktails over the years, experiences with, you know, different, you know, And we're just laughing like crazy and having just this good time. But deep inside, I'm like thinking, dang, you know, I'm—
I—
all these like cool cocktails sound so neat, you know, and I'm not going to ever really be able to taste them because, you know, that's just not your thing. It makes me sad. I mean, I just can't drink much. And I mean, you know, I can have a glass of wine or whatever.
So FOMO for you was a thing?
Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Totally. That— you got it. FOMO.
FOMO all the way. FOMO all the way.
So I go to bed with this FOMO. Okay.
On my mind, Jackie's looking like, I don't know what you're talking about. FOMO is fear of missing out.
Yeah. I only know that because of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. But anyway, I don't have that fear, I guess. So I just like, what in the world? It was great.
I wish I could have— I wish there was a video of that exchange.
It's okay. There's new terminology all the time.
There totally is.
Yeah. Yeah.
But anyway, so I wake up the next day and Amy just casually made the remark that, you know, there was leftover, that leftover of that jalapeño lime margarita. And it just connected. That's when it connected, you know? And I was like, you know, I'm thinking that I'd like to try that flavor in a scone. What do you think? She's like, yeah, you know, why not? I mean, you know, she's—
there's leftover, go for it.
It's 8 o'clock in the morning.
What else are you going to do until 5 o'clock?
It was in the morning too.
It was.
It actually was. How did you know that?
I don't know. You said you woke up the next day.
Yeah.
So I was figuring.
So it was, yeah, we were still in that time. So anyway, so yeah, so I made it and oh my gosh, I, I was like, wow, I liked this. Mm-hmm.
You know, it's not enough when the baker likes it though, right?
No, never.
You don't trust your own. Definitely have to let others taste it.
And so when, uh, and then Amy, cuz she was home and so she was able to try it and she's like, I was like, that's delicious, Amy. And, but I knew Jackie was gonna be the, she would be, she would say it the way it is.
She would know, she would just like, wait, so Amy lies and Jackie tells the truth?
No, no, it's just that Jackie has no, you know, she doesn't understand FOMO or any of that.
She's just like, no filter.
No filter.
She's, yeah, exactly.
I like it.
I like it. And that's the beauty of, I mean, we are all so different in Listers. We all bring something to the equation.
Mm-hmm.
This would've never happened with one of us alone.
Mm-hmm.
It's because of the three of us and what we bring into it in our personalities and our life experience has created this for us. And so, um, I love that.
I love that awareness.
Yeah.
To be able to know the importance of the team, you know, in your case it's family, but in, in other entrepreneurs' experiences, it's the, the people that bring what they bring to the table. So it's important for you to be surrounded by people, A, who can enjoy a scone or a drink or both. Yes. Thank you. And bring it together. But then also like, okay, well, This could have been, and millions and millions and millions of people have ideas, right?
Oh, thank you. Yes.
They, they, they have, oh, this is great. What if, what if, what if, what if? And 98% don't act on them, right? So then you take it to the next level. So let's talk about after this experience, we had the first scone, then we started brainstorming other flavors.
Yep.
You, you probably gave 'em to some family members. So talk us through, like, when did you decide we're pulling the trigger, we're making this a business.
Mm-hmm.
We're gonna start going to the farmer's market.
Well, that, that too, just kind of, you know, 'cause this was like during the holiday, just before the holiday season kind of started and everything. You know, we got to that point.
What year? '19 or?
Yeah, just this fall.
This past fall. 2019 or 2020?
Yeah, this past fall. Okay. And we were also refining the recipe and the cocktails and how we were doing that and getting feedback from customers, family. So that took a while and then we all just had lives and stuff. So that was a while. So that kind of was a few months of just kind of working that out. And, but like, I'm, I'm not kidding. When the next day after the, the scone, we made the first scone and they just loved it.
Mm-hmm.
Then the next day we started talking about, because she had taken some to customers.
Okay.
And they were like, you guys should make a business out of this.
Okay.
Right? And so I was like, well, you know, I go, "Well, if we did that, what would we name it?" And immediately, Jack was, "What about Happy Hour Scones?" Nice. And we just— Well, perfect. Love! Love! Yeah, there was a chorus of music and everything. And it just— we just love— and so that, you know, that was almost like an anchor. You know, when you have— captured the name of what you love and want to do and make happen, it just, there's something powerful about that alignment.
It makes it real, right?
Yeah, it does. And it really did for us. So that kind of just like was the anchor.
Right.
And then after that it was like, okay, we can't keep just cooking out of this kitchen.
My little kitchen.
So there was practical issues. But also another thing just before that, Because we like totally believed in it, I knew that we had to get a good logo and branding.
Yeah. Yeah.
Just from past experience I've had in my previous life.
Right.
My previous life.
Yeah. So I wanna put a pin there. I wanna come back to that. 'Cause I also wanna talk about previous lives, but I wanna let you finish the story.
Right. So when we, so then, and so we felt like the next real hurdle was going to, you know, finding the person to design that and getting their feedback, you know. And I knew who I wanted to do that with. It was, you know, Alan Reed at MADE and Cindy Joyce and that team there, Michelle Ledford, Aaron, because I've been familiar with their work forever. And they are, they are brilliant. And, but I've known Alan a long time and he's a straight shooter and is like, coming into that first meeting.
And I'm sure he wasn't opposed to happy hours, happy hour scones.
I know. Well, the idea was like so different and scones just, you know, he's like, you know, Edie, you know, every idea you have when you're drinking and you, you know, it's not always like, is a good idea.
Right.
But he was super open.
He listened to our story. But to be clear, Alan, Edie wasn't drinking. Yeah.
Just a little bit.
Yeah.
But But he was, of course, they were very open and they were, you know, respectful and listening to us and everything. But, you know, he was a little, you know. Yeah. Well, yeah.
And then, you know, that brings out, does the market support this becoming a business?
Yes. Because he's coming from a totally, of course, that, you know.
Yeah.
He's—
I'd love for you to start a business, but if it's not going to be received in the market, in the marketplace, then do you have a business? Right. Is there truly white space?
Yes.
And that becomes part of the journey that you're on right now. So that's exactly— Cool, Vicki thinks there's a place for that. Yeah, yeah, I know.
And so many of our customers too, and people of, you know, and that's one of the things that is just encouraging us and spurring us on too. And so we were just like, you know, Al, 'cause we brought samples and there is around, you know, the holiday Christmas time, just before Thanksgiving stuff. So we had like, you know, peppermint bark martini.
We— You're speaking my language.
We had a pumpkin pie, you know, martini. We had, you know, gingerbread cookie martini.
Lots of martinis.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so anyway, and we also, one of our favorites is key lime.
Yes.
You know, so we, so he is looking at, well, what are these flavors? Piña colada, you know? And he's like, well, you know, I don't like key lime. I don't, I do not like key lime. He goes, but I'm gonna try this key lime scone.
Uh-oh.
It's like, okay. You know, we were just really confident, you know, just try it, Alan. Just take a bite of our product. And then let's talk, you know? And so he did. And before he even finished chewing, he was like, "Oh my goodness." Yeah.
Yeah. You turned a skeptic into a believer with one bite.
And at the same time, Cindy was chomping into the peppermint bark martini, and she was like, "Christmas just exploded in my mouth." Oh my gosh.
I love it.
So it just like, they just, and Erin was, they just all kind of hopped on board, like, because they tasted it.
Yeah.
And that was just with us too. Right, right, right. You know, that started from the very beginning. And, um, so that was another important hurdle for us because now we had an incredible designer who believed in us and went the next step with us.
Yeah.
Awesome.
And they just did such a great job with our logo. They did.
Yeah. So the branding is definitely on point. It, it, and it, it, it sends the message. And I think that this is an important thing for— Nate and I have had offline conversations just about making that investment is a hard thing to do on something that you don't necessarily know if it's going to work.
Yeah.
But at the same time, it's the chicken and the egg. It's like if we, if If we don't make that investment, will people take us seriously? Will we actually be able to compete in the marketplace? If our end goal is just to, you know, have a, have a side hustle, then maybe it doesn't make sense to invest in the marketing on the front end. But if we really think and we believe in ourselves and in our product, making that investment is also an investment in ourselves.
Absolutely.
And that is so often missed in some of these startups and some businesses that don't really decide. And of course, I'm in marketing, so I'm biased in that, in that regard. But you look at the long-term long-term success plan of businesses, and those that don't have branding professionally done tend to lag a little bit behind those. And the product isn't always everything, you know. So the product absolutely has to be on point, but the marketing and the messaging and the way that you convey that to the, to the marketplace is extremely important.
Yeah, I think that was huge. So when you send me the email and I, I was reading through it, when you said that, I was like, that's, that's a key element. Because again, to Chrissanne Long's point, you can have a, a great tasting product, but you You need all these other key things. And especially when you're starting, it's important to take that initial investment and say, hey, I, I wanna take this business and treat it like a business and not a side hustle.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and I believe you guys are doing that. You're treating it like a business.
It's, it's almost like it's your, you know, we're moms. It's almost like it's your baby and you want it to be dressed.
It's not almost like it's your baby. It's your baby. Yeah.
Yeah. And you want it to, you want it to have that cool little outfit on and everything, you know, you know that. And what I, one of the things I love about Catapult is, you know, that journey, you know, when we decided this is what we're gonna do and we needed, you know, I'd been kind of following the trajectory of Catapult from its infancy on.
Right.
And knew that they had opened up and that their kitchen was open now. And so the next thing I did was I made an appointment with Maggie Leach.
Sure. Shout out to Maggie.
And we went to, went and talked to, and she's like, like, it's just incredible.
Yeah. And again, and her energy and her encouragement and her knowledge all combined into one person is so important. So big shout out to Maggie.
Yes, invaluable. And, and she, um, but another thing is that everyone has been so respectful and kind. You know, we go into this and it sounds like, you know, it's 3 post-menopausal women that are—
speak for yourself, Edie—
you know, they have this crazy And every, you know, and like Maggie, she just like, wow, you know, this is really interesting. And, you know, these are the things you need to kind of do to get to the next level. And, you know, and, um, let's talk about that.
Let's talk about that. I want to know who's the, who's the person behind the, the researching and the figuring out the laws and who, who's, who's hand— you're handling that? Amy's pointing at you.
Well, yeah, basically, because everybody's pointing. Well, that's because, that's because I've had, um, prior business experience, so it only made sense. I I know to do this stuff because I had to do it before.
So if you didn't go to Catapult, what would have been the path? Let's just weigh that out. Like, you're looking at it like, okay, well, we're gonna start this business, but there are these cottage laws, cottage license requirements. Talk through that conversation for us, because, you know, in the marketplace in Lakeland, you have this Catapult place, right? And then there's also other alternatives.
Oh yeah, and, and we considered that at first, and we kind of started out that way with the cottage food. And really, again, you know, it's very— it's very broad and kind of easy to do. You just have to have certain, you know, has to be under a certain amount of sales. Um, gosh, there's, um, a couple other, but it's all really like doable, right? It's doable. And, um, and that's one of the things that Catapult like lets you know about. I mean, they, they're so, they're so organized and so encouraging and so supportive of entrepreneurs on any level. Even if you don't get into the kitchen or into Catapult itself, they let you know about other alternatives and stuff like that. Shared space with, you know, restaurants or, you know, church kitchens, just other kinds of ways that you could maybe find that.
Okay, that's good to know.
So our first, our first thing, you know, I'm always like, there's plan, you know, there's plan A and we'll look at plan B when plan A doesn't work.
There you go. I love that.
You know when you're just like, so want something to happen.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, and you're just like. And you get so attached to the plan and then the plan doesn't work and you don't think that there's any other way.
Right.
But there is.
There is.
You just have to see through plan A all the way to a point when that is— the door is closed and there is no window and there is no key to the door. I mean, just because— I mean, doors are made to open, right? That's what a door is. So just because it's closed doesn't mean it can't open. But then when you realize it's locked and barred and there is no way, then you start making—
The answer's no. Right.
Final answer.
Yeah.
And you can't get past no.
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We got into Catapult February, like the first the first week of February.
So like 2 months ago.
Yes.
Officially in Catapult for 2 months now.
And at the same time, just before, you know, we got a call, 'cause I put in an application at the market.
Mm-hmm.
Didn't think that was gonna happen for months and months. Got a call that if we were willing to be part-timers, we could start immediately.
Oh wow, nice.
Yeah. So we were able to, the first week we started baking in the kitchen, we were able to sell at the market. Okay, and that was stupendous. I talk, you know, that was a big yes.
Yeah, every, you know, so how was that?
Yeah, oh, that, you know, there's a learning curve, you know. Each, each week we, even still each week we bake, we, we see another way to do something a little more efficient, efficiently. Um, you know, uh, at the market there's different, uh, because we're part-timers they move us around. We happen to like that. We have an easy setup breakdown. So we like that because we meet other vendors.
Yeah.
And, you know, people look for us and we put on our Facebook and Instagram where we're gonna be located for the week, for that Saturday. And so they can find us. But, you know, each spot has its own kind of little challenge. This spot might have a lot of sun focused on it. So how do we protect our product?
Right.
You know, this one may be further down away from a lot of traffic. How does, you know, how does that work? Mm-hmm. So we've just been learning. I mean, we just keep learning. Learning each time.
Yeah.
And, uh, we love it. And, and the customers, you know, they're just like, it's fun. It is. We, we're just having, this is like a labor of love that's just like fun.
But it doesn't sound like labor. I mean, I know there's work, but the way that you're describing it, it, it, it's kind of like, first of all, let's, let's talk about the recipe of what you, you are currently, what I'm looking at as the recipe of this.
Okay.
All right. First of all, It's family.
Yes.
Now, I don't know if my brother could handle working with me in business. Right. I don't think that he would tolerate, you know, some of the things that, you know, so there's, there's that dealing with each other's personalities, knowing each other's personalities more so than, you know, if, if Nate and I got into business, I wouldn't know all of his bad habits already. You know, I wouldn't know, I wouldn't know any of those things. I would just kind of, we would grow into business together, but you because you guys, you had no— you pretty much know everything about each other.
Yes.
And what to expect and what your weaknesses and strengths are and all of that, which is a good thing. And in some situations could not be a good thing. And then there's then your— this is a new career after you've already all had careers. You're all adults. You use the word, you know, postmenopausal or whatever you said. I didn't. So you're, you're not in the early stages of your lives. So there's that other part of the recipe. It's like, okay, well, do we really want to be all into this new thing at this point in our lives? We've got kids out of the house, we've got all of this other stuff going on, and we've got to figure out what is the next 10 years going to look like, right? Right. And yet you're doing exactly what we've said on, on a previous show, which is right now, what do we need to do right here and right now and make our decisions based on that, right? So you've, you've done the research, you found out about the cottage, Cottage— what is it? Cottage laws? And it sounds weird.
It's just a food cottage industry.
The food cottage industry. You explored what was available. So now you're almost to a wealth of knowledge for other people who are starting out and people who, hey, where do I go? Your answer is going to go, go talk to Maggie.
Yes, thank you. Right out of my—
cut yourself some shortcuts and go straight to Maggie.
Go to Maggie, man. Go to the website. The website's really good.
Yeah, and it has a lot of good information to help you get started. But what other tips, tricks, pieces of advice. We're going to start with Amy. Um, what would you say to somebody who was thinking at this phase? You know, you're older than I am, I'll just say that, okay? Um, and I'm not young, so—
wow. I do have to say something here. Chrissanne, at the market the other day, a fellow thought Amy was my daughter.
Oh my gosh, she's so young looking and she's I love it.
So I've been calling her daughter lately.
But what would you say to somebody who may be considering starting a business, whether it was with sisters or not, or whether it was in the food industry or not? I mean, at this point in your life, what made you decide, yeah, I'm going to do this?
Well, I got dragged kicking and screaming, so I don't know. No, but I mean, I just feel like, why not? I mean, why not try it? I mean, otherwise it's the whole what if, you know? You know, I mean, that's good. So that's how I feel about it anyway.
And it's go for it. And what about like, what's the worst that can happen, right? That's the question sometimes you have to ask is like, okay, if it doesn't work, you know, I'm gonna invest some money, I'm gonna invest some time, I'm gonna take some risks, but at the same— by the same token, it— if I don't do it, will I regret it? You know, exactly. And will I wish that I had, or what will I— I kick myself later and say, man, I really should have on that, right?
Exactly.
So, okay, Jackie, what about you? What, what would you say to someone at this point saying, hey, I'm thinking about starting a business?
Well, I saw something on, on Facebook that really resonated with me, and it said, you're never too old and it's never too late.
Yeah.
And that really struck me in our situations.
Okay.
And at the time, I really didn't have anything else going on, so I'm like, this is pretty cool.
Yeah, that's Cool. So let's go back. I want to talk now a little bit to you. You have a history of owning a business with your husband that you sold.
Yeah, my former husband.
Your former husband. What do we bring into this situation at this point in time? So Amy, what is your past life before Happy Hour Scones was born?
Before Happy Hour, I just moved out here from Oregon. Oregon. Okay, so this whole thing is a new experience for me, and, uh, but I've always been in the service industry. I've been a server, I've worked in grocery, I've worked in bank. So I've always kind of— and I've always enjoyed it. I always like working with people. I like always moving and talking to people and meeting people. So it's, it's a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying this a lot.
And was it, you know, your super dynamic and charismatic sisters that brought you from Oregon to Lakeland, or was there Um, well, it's—
it is family. It's, um, it's— I also just, when I was younger, I lived here as a child, so it kind of is home to me in a way.
Yeah.
And I actually just— I really like the weather here.
I love the beach. She loves Florida.
I do love Florida, and I really like Lakeland.
And, uh, I was gonna ask you, how was that adjustment?
It was super easy. I, I wasn't in love with Oregon. It's beautiful, but I just— I was ready for a change.
So you came home, perfect timing, aligned to this idea blooming, right? So you didn't come here to start a business, you just came here and then the business started.
Exactly.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
And Jackie?
Well, I spent about 14 years with the city of Lakeland, kind of secretarial clerical positions. And about 2 years ago, I was looking for a change. So I went to Oregon to live with my sister and her husband. And, uh, I was there for about a year, and then they decided they wanted to move back, and it's very expensive to live in Oregon, and, uh, so I came back too.
Oh, wow.
I really did love Oregon, and I lived there as a little girl, even though I did spend most of my time in, in Florida.
Okay.
And, uh, but yeah, so yeah, this is like we talked earlier. If you would have said a year ago that this is what life was going to look like, I'd be like, huh?
Well, I don't get it.
That's cool.
That is very cool. And what a cool adventure you're on together. Like, I love that the serendipity of it.
Yes.
And very much so the reality.
And so let's, let's talk about now, Edie, where you see Happy Hour Scones going.
Well, something like that, we always, we talk about, and that's again, one of the first things that kind of when this started, There's this wonderful verse about 3 strands in a cord is, you know, hard to break. And that just resonated with me about us and the fact that there's 3 of us. And I always say 3 heads are better than 1. So when we talk about the future and stuff, we kind of just put our thoughts and ideas together and we come up with different things. You know, sometimes people ask us, do we have a master plan? And it's like, yes, we do have a master plan and it's the master. And you know, we just feel like there's something very just like happy about this. And I love that. And so we just are kind of gonna go with, you know, what comes to us. It's just like Vicki showing up that day. We wouldn't be here if Vicki had not showed up that day. That's so true. Because, you know, and she also, you could also tell us how much she believes in this, you know, Elevate Hope.
Oh, wow.
Okay. Because she was also promoting what you guys do. And so it was like, let's bring it together.
The community is at force, right? And that to me is what I love about the vision that I have for the podcast and how it aligns with the journey that you're on and how it's going to connect me to people like you for as long as we can continue to keep doing this.
Absolutely.
And the stories and the dreams and all of that. It's phenomenal.
I saw it. So cool.
And it's all in Lakeland. It's all happening in Lakeland. Yeah.
And it's my home, right? Yes. It's my Polk County home.
I know. I was listening to you about how convicted you feel about doing what you do. Mm-hmm. You know, and how much you believe in it. Yeah. In spite of the fact that, you know, maybe you could take this more national or whatever, but you don't want to. It's just in your heart to just like keep it like here. And stuff. And that just like really touched my heart because, you know, sometimes when you've lived in place a long time, sometimes you don't have the most charitable thoughts, you know, about like, oh, you know. But this is an incredible community, and, and doing this has opened up a whole side of Lakeland. Yeah, people that live here that I had no idea, you know, was a part of it, right? You know, the, the Catapult community, you know, um, the Market community, and it's just so hybrid and alive and wonderful. And you're like, wow, that's here.
And I'm going to say something about the market. We're talking about the Downtown Farmers Market. And years ago, it really couldn't have been— a lot of people criticized it. I'll just say it was not as robust. It was not as full. It was not as versatile or diverse as it is now. And I think some— one of my friends you know, from maybe Winter Haven or some other part of the city came to Lakeland and they're like, you know, how do you guys get away with calling this a farmer's market? Because there wasn't any vegetables, there wasn't any, you know, there wasn't anything that was on a farm. You know, it was people that were crafters or different, you know, different things. And so it's just really cool. I'm saying this for the benefit of our audience who may have maybe 10 years ago gone down to the farmer's market and have one vision of the farmer's market that is no longer today, that needs to be kind of reintroduced into the community because is a growing, burgeoning, incredible community that these ladies are finding strength from. You know, you're going there, there's a community of others in the same place that you're in, maybe earlier or later than you are in the journey, but they're all kind of supporting one another. And how does— so talk about that community, how you've embraced it, they're embracing you. What does that feel like to be a part of that community? The Catapult community we get because we understand, you know, the kitchen and all of that opportunity and the resources there, but this is really where you're, where you're connecting.
Yes.
Right. Yeah. With your customers and yeah.
And that's the thing you, you, the, that this town supports, that people come week after week, the same people as well as, you know, you know, there's events and there's more people that come, but the same people come week after week to the market to do their shopping, to support us, you know, and we get a chance to talk with them and they tell us their story. Last week, this wonderful couple brought us some fudge. Because, you know, they love making fudge and they love our scones. And oh my gosh, thank you, bakers. And, um, you know, it's just, um, the other vendors, they're so helpful and also encouraging. I mean, I can't tell you how many times people say, you guys need to go on Shark Tank, you know, tell your story. I mean, it's like, you know, it just, it throws us. We're just like, wow, you know.
Well, I'll speak to this. I think it's really because of who you guys are, your story. And I would really, I would really say I think it's a timing thing too, because that's one thing I, I've really noticed about, uh, products and services and/or businesses that are really, um, doing well is it's, it's a timing thing.
I agree.
Aligned with the right people, right, in the right, uh, working on the right things at the right time with a good product.
Well, and COVID kind kind of got us just all kind of shut us down. And now it's opening up and blossoming.
Yeah.
You know, we're getting out more into, and it's like, you know, truly is springtime.
Mm-hmm.
It feels like spring.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and it's a wonderful, cool feeling. And it, you just see it happening. You just see it coming alive.
And there's something about y'all, your energy that like, it's, it's, uh, what, what's the word I'm looking for?
It's, it's, it's authentic.
It's authentic. It's real and real home. It's, it's real. And so I, I can imagine when customers are walking by wherever you guys are within the farmer's market, they're just gravitating towards you because of what you guys are and what you represent.
Well, they hear us laughing a lot. Yeah. They wanna know what's up.
Yeah. They'll say, you guys are having too much fun.
You're having too much fun over there.
What is this?
Yeah.
And we get each other so much. And in this stage in life, we don't have young kids around and things, you know, the things that used to, you know, kind of keep us so busy, we didn't get a chance to really be with each other.
Right.
And so it's like so fun. You know, how do we work together? Because we have a profound love and respect for each other. And we know that we're so different, but we also know that is one of the great things about what we're doing together.
Yeah.
Because we listen to each other and we each have a way to like, yes, that's a great idea. I would've never thought of it.
I was gonna ask a question. I was just curious, how do you guys balance the, the roles and the responsibilities in this, in this business as you guys are starting to kind of grow?
Good question.
That is a good question.
And that has also has evolved.
Yeah.
Yeah. That just has evolved.
Mm-hmm.
We all had to learn how to bake.
Okay.
You know, make the icing. She already knows how to bake.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So, so I'm more of a cook. Yeah.
Right.
They're, they're, oh, they're, these two are such foodies. You wouldn't believe.
Yeah. Oh my gosh.
I've, I've have never eaten so well in my life. Mm-hmm. And, and, but, um, so we, we had to, we all had to learn how to just like bake these, you know, consistently, right? We had to have the consistency, consistently, you know, You know, so we, you know, that made us, you know, and that's where Baggy came in. She goes, when you do your recipes, make sure you, you know, scale to grams and do everything in grams because you can scale better.
Okay.
And she was so right about that because, you know, it's not about measuring a half cup or whatever.
Right.
So that really was helpful. And so once they, you know, got that down, then it was like just other things. And Jackie's great with social media. Amy and I just aren't, you know? And, you know, so thank God.
Thank God for Jackie.
Thank God for Jackie.
'Cause it's an important part of what we do.
We do. And, you know, there's administrative things, right? You know, Jack, Amy, and I will share and stuff like that. So it just kind of, because you're so right, a team has to like, how do you? And, but that's another thing I think that comes out of just our love and respect for each other. We just kind of, we just know how to make it happen. It just kind of evolves from it.
Well, and I think it, I think in the professional world, I'm gonna just speak from, you know, working with my husband, but also working with vendors and working with partners partners, you don't have to be so polite because you are family. Yeah, right. So seriously, and you have to learn how to work with people over time when you're working with a new person. Like, you know, I'm learning your idiosyncrasies, you're learning mine. You're— I'm trying to figure out how you like to operate, you're trying to figure out how I like to operate. And I'm pointing at Nate. Nate and I are, you know, the people who are listening. Um, and, and, and that takes time. You guys, you decided it, you were ready to go, and boom, I know what you can do, you know what I can do, let's just all go do it and let's divvy it up and let's, let's get to work.
I would speak to that real quick. I think it's— you keep saying it— the respect that you guys have for each other. I think that's the key element within that. So when you, you're saying, hey, you're better at social media than us, and you, and you're coming from a genuine place, it's not like condescending, like, oh, we're just gonna pass it over to you because—
yeah, no, I never felt that way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's huge.
Yeah, that's That's great.
Yeah.
You know, we communicate well.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that's really key.
Just like keeping it all, it just kind of amazes me because I have been in business. Mm-hmm. And so like going into the kitchen, the Catapult kitchen, it's like, it just amazes me how we all kind of just go and we do what we do. Mm-hmm. And it comes together and we, we don't even like talk about it. Just, we just know what needs to be done and we do it.
That is special.
And it's, it is fun. Yeah. It's fun.
Like it was always meant to happen.
Yeah. It's just, it's just, it's been a very, interesting, interesting, wonderful journey, the three of us together on this.
So we normally, we normally ask like, what are the challenges? But this is so new.
Yeah.
That right now it's like honeymoon. Like, oh my gosh.
Yeah, you're right.
Everybody's just getting to learn about us and they love us and we're having success and this is just the coolest thing ever.
This is so fun.
I wanna do it forever. So what's gonna happen when, when nobody buys your stuff?
What's your plan? Oh, Lord.
I mean—
Go on vacation.
Just— okay. Yeah. But like, I want to talk a little bit about that just because I think the question— it was so funny. There were two things you said in your email when you reached out to me. One is, "And I know scones aren't sexy, but we have a really special way of making scones." And that made me laugh. And the other thing that made me laugh was, "I don't know if we're far enough along on our journey to be on the podcast." podcast.
Yes.
And I'm like, the reason you're here now is because you are so early in the journey. And so I want to talk about like the long-term plan of— I know, I know there's the master plan, you know, and I understand that 100%, but people are saying you should be on Shark Tank. People are saying, talking about scale. People are talking about things that you guys haven't even gotten to the point you're ready to talk about, right? So when you do decide, okay, we We want to get into public supermarkets, or we want to do this, or we want to get into whatever. What does that look like to you guys? Have you— are you ready to at least talk a little bit about it, maybe tiptoe into it?
Oh, we've talked extensively, actually, about it. But also, this goes back to Catapult. They have an accelerator, um, business class that's like 9 weeks long, and they just started, and we were too early to do that. But like next year, okay, that might be a real doable thing for us.
Okay.
Another thing is they just Tim Cox from Publix, creative director for so many years there. He's the resident mentor now. And so he's open to, you know, us having appointments, talking with him, getting ideas, helping us. So Catapult just gives us a whole lot of resources for us.
That's great.
And to talk this out because this is a different kind of industry. You know, we've never done this before. But, you know, we've had all these open, these doors open. So we just go through 'em and like, okay, well, what's the next door? Let's, you know, and so, so yeah, we kind of are like just, we're looking at Catapult to kind of help us with that journey forward. And just kind of see what happens. You know, what opportunities come along also. You know, we've talked about catering, you know, getting into catering and, you know, maybe some, maybe some bars that would like to have, you know, um, people have talked about how they would love a shot with this, you know, particular drink and have the scone too at the same time.
Yeah. I don't wanna, I don't wanna say it, but I, I want to have a conversation about that after the show because that's exactly where my mind went. And I thought, let me, let me see if there's a room, there's a way for that to start. But of course, if you're not ready, then it's, you know, it's, it's gotta be about the, the time you have. Like you only have so many hours in a day.
Right.
You're only at this phase of your journey. So maybe it's a 6-month or a 10-month a 6-month or a 12-month kind of thing. But I love that you're thinking that way.
Oh yeah. We have a lot of different kind of ideas that we have an idea about the dough and, and kitting and ship, you know, you know, having the shipping, um, um, part of department. Yeah.
So your e-commerce guy over here.
Thank you. So I, yeah. And that's one of, you know, exactly.
So he has a lot of experience with e-commerce. So when you do talk to him.
Talk with me, talk, you know, the people at Catapult. I mean, we just feel like we're only going to grow We're only going to grow in to the degree that we're willing to just like connect with others and get their ideas and their experience and just help. I love that. Yeah.
We're only going to grow. Say that again. You were only going to grow to the, to the effect that we're able to connect with others. Right. I mean, ultimately that is the truth. We like to think more of ourselves and what our business plan is and, and, and our personalities and what we're capable of, because, you know, we're superpower, you know, we're entrepreneurs. We can, we could do anything. The reality is what I heard you say very, very early on is how encouraging people have been.
Yes.
And how important that has been for you.
Oh yeah.
And for people to come running up to you going, "Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you. I'm so glad you're back." How that impacts your psyche.
Thank you.
To do what you're doing.
Yes.
And if you don't have that encouragement, do you show up the next day? Do you keep on going? And so because you've been blessed to have such a great reception in the community, you're here and you're seeing a future and you're excited. And I just would love for you guys to, as we kind of start to wrap up, start to talk about, like, what do you think is in the chemistry that you all have that makes it so well received in the community? What's your—
Secret sauce?
Secret sauce.
I don't—
It's in the scone.
There you go.
It's saucy. She said it.
It's in the scone.
Perfectly dropped line.
Jackie. And we do. We love our scones.
We believe in our product. And I think that's huge.
I think people see that. We eat them like every day. Okay. We, we have to, we make, you know, we are experimenting several times, you know, and we eat our experiments, you know, I mean, we're always like, we just really genuinely love our scones. All three of us do. And we're excited about the creativity in it. Yeah. We, You know, anything we think of, you know, there's a cocktail for it. You know, if we have an idea for it, like Jackie had the idea of like something with the guava.
Oh, okay.
Oh yeah.
Oh wow.
So she finds a cocktail, we make it happen. It's delicious. It's gonna be featured this week. I mean, you know, Amy Chocolate Raspberry, like martini kind of thing. Yeah.
Oh wow.
Oh my gosh. It's still, so we, we're like, oh, every week we're doing this. I think that's part of the, it's not something static. It's alive every day. Were like thinking and coming up with flavors and enjoying it.
The recipes are endless, right?
Yeah.
Yes.
And just endless. And it's a simple recipe.
When you know that you have a winner.
Yeah. That's another thing. It's very simple. I think that's another part that makes this chemistry work. We have a product that's so simple for us to just like always go back to.
Uh-huh.
You know?
That's great. That's good advice. I think the, the simpler launch, the better, right? Mm-hmm. If you can do a simple launch, then you know, it's what What's your minimum MVP? What's your minimum viable product? The MVP. And that's an entrepreneurial word. You know, somebody, when you're talking to investors, when you're talking to people, they're going to say, what's your minimum viable product? What is the one thing that you can do that you know that you'll always be able to make money doing? And how do you just come back to that? So you're, you're there. A lot of businesses don't. That, that is, that is a reality for so many businesses is that they want it to make it more complicated. They want to make it more complex. Make it more, um, sexy, more shiny, more something, you know. And, and you just can't—
they get lost in the sauce, in the secret sauce.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's so true.
And, and we haven't— but it's kind of like we have an element of that in, um, the endless flavors we can try. So we have that creative way of like exploring, but it's still a simple product. Yeah. And this— and the, the recipes always stay, you know, within certain parameters, you know. It can't change it. Yeah, exactly.
You know, I know this is a new venture for you guys, but you guys speak with, in my opinion, such experience. You would think that this isn't your first go-around in this industry, to be completely honest.
Yeah.
So I think it's awesome.
Well, thank you. We have, we have researched a lot, you know. We, we've done, we've done some, you know, homework.
Yeah. And I think, okay, so these The other part of, to me, that I feel resonating out of the story is the wisdom that you have and the confidence, the faith, the acknowledgement of how you got here. We're all real in this show, human. We've got pain in our background. Not everything is rosy, not everything is fantastic. And yet here you are at this point in your life with knowing that pain and knowing that this might not work and just being able to just go with flow of the reality of this journey that you're on is exciting to watch, right? Like, I am now so excited to see where you're going to go from here. And then also, you know, use us as a resource for people that you need to connect to. You know, I think one, one of the parts that I think is very, very important about what Lakeland offers is that we are willing to make introductions and open doors for people who need— you know, it's hard to cold call a person, right? It's so much much easier. You didn't have to cold call me. You had Cindy Maddox.
And trust me, I use that.
I use that.
Chrissanne Long, I loved it.
And I know that Cindy's going to be happy that she was able to be able to connect us, right? So that is, that is the pattern that you guys just need to keep building on. It's, you've got the connections, you've got the relationships, and just start continuing growing down that path. And, and I think that you're going to keep seeing success. So I'm, I'm excited for you guys.
Thank you.
We're excited too. Thanks for having us. Well, absolutely.
It was awesome to have you guys. You guys are awesome.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Right back at you.
You guys, all right, so audience, listen up. You're gonna have to get down to the farmer's market because right now that's where you get your scones. And I'm not gonna lie, I have tried only one flavor, but it is enough for me to know that there's a lot more flavors that I wanna try.
Thank you.
And so I'm looking forward to my next scone, which I think I might be having after the show. I think you guys brought a couple of treats for us.
Yeah, I'm gonna try one 'cause I haven't tried one yet, and I'm gonna hold myself to it by saying it, I'll be there Saturday. Hey, I'm gonna go find you guys.
There'll be 14 flavors.
That'll be a heavy day. So what do you suggest to people when they come and buy? What are your top 5 selling flavors?
It changes week after week. It's one of the things that just kind of throws us, huh?
But yeah, but I would say that our signature one, which is the jalapeño lime margarita, our praline bourbon is very popular.
That sounds good.
Ooh.
The peanut butter whiskey's been a big hit. Gosh, I mean, it just depends on—
The Lemon Drop.
The Lemon Drop. Yeah, that's another consistently.
So it's, you know, the Chocolate Kahlua usually goes pretty good. But, you know, it just does kind of change week by week. It depends on people's tastes. That's why we have 14 different flavors. Because people will ask, what's your favorite? And it's like, oh my gosh, you know, ask us what mood we're in. You know, that's why we have 14 different flavors.
That's great.
And we, you, we do have a website so people can like order, um, you know, through HubSpot and send us a request.
Okay.
And we could figure out where to like drop a, you know, order.
Oh, that's good to know.
Catapult.
Yeah.
It's not just the farmer's market.
Yeah.
We can make arrangements as well.
Yeah.
That's fantastic.
And I think we're up to about 35 flavors right now.
Yeah. Something like that.
We take, we take about 14 flavors to the market because there's just only so much we can fit on the table.
Yeah.
Right, right.
But like, like I love, um, blackberry. Black licorice. So sambuca, we have a sambuca style.
Oh man.
I mean, it's to die for.
For you licorice lovers, I'm not one, but.
No, but if you are, I've heard you make something like that. I mean, it's so delicious. That's special. So we have our own kind of special flavors and we indulge each other with making that and putting that as part of our menu.
So I heard, so I tried the Thin Mint Martini. That was a good one. I heard you have a Peppermint Peppermint bark.
Yes, a peppermint bark martini, right?
Bark martini.
Yeah, that we kind of, I mean, it's on the menu.
But it's a holiday one.
But it's more, you know, special. Yeah, we tried like selling it in the beginning, but people were like, you know, that's, they were over Christmas. They were over Christmas, yeah.
Okay.
So, but the Thin Mintini, which is kind of a different kind of mint, has been going really well.
Okay.
So there's ways you can just kind of skirt around that, you know.
Well, I'm looking forward to following you along on your journey as you go. Absolutely. Thank you guys.
Thank you so much.
I'm gonna throw an idea out there that you might want to consider for your social media. The social media expert over here. But like a name your recipe contest, like, you know, somebody submitting their recipes through your website and then letting them have the naming rights of whatever it is that you end up selecting. You know, the potato chip people do this all the time, right? You name your own potato chip recipe and then you've got these really weird recipe potato chips for a while.
That's true.
And then they end up picking one, the most highest selling or whatever, then that could become something you guys could do on an annual basis and just kind of run it like an evergreen kind of thing going on.
So take it away, Jackie.
Take it away, Jackie.
I'll do the best I can.
Well, we're going to wrap up. I'm just so, so grateful that you all were here. And you know, and you've made an investment in Polk County to start a business here. And so that is not a small thing to even, you know, to not— it's nothing to shake a stick at, right? You've really, really have decided that this is the place where you're going to grow. And so So thank you for that. Thank you for choosing Lakeland. Thank you for choosing Polk County, and thank you for being on our show today.
Thanks for having us.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Absolutely.
Thank you.
Thanks for listening. And remember, we have a new episode each week, so be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. And remember to leave us a review. We promise to read every one. And Vicki, I'm waiting for a review from you. I don't think we've had one yet. You can always find all of our episodes at Elevate Polk. If there is something you would like to hear about on an upcoming episode, reach out to us on Facebook at Elevate Polk. Your mom's gonna love me.