Dream Focused – Business Minded

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Canna World Market Loveland CBD

Canna World Market Loveland not only sells CBD products but offers education.

Mixed in with the CBD products Eric and Rachael Sudhalter sell at Canna World Market, is an assortment of plants against a backdrop of earthy greens and browns.

“You walk in here, and it’s not all dark,” Rachael said. “It’s comfortable. It’s the whole vibe.”

The Sudhalters aren’t about the quick sell. They like to take their time with customers, educating them about all the research around cannabidiol (CBD) and its botanical sources, and they like to be part of the Loveland and Northern Colorado community.  

But to do this, they needed to learn about building and growing a business, since their backgrounds are in education and they hadn’t taken any business classes. They’re both sign language interpreters—something they did for more than 15 years and something Rachael still does. Eric also served as an elementary school teacher for five years and Rachael, while interpreting, studied yoga and worked as a postpartum doula.

Wanting something different, the Sudhalters moved from Oregon to the Roaring Fork Valley, where they lived a short time before landing in Fort Collins in 2019. A week before their move to Fort Collins, Eric had dinner with a parent from the school he taught at, who told him about Canna World Market’s desire to expand. Eric and Rachael decided to open the recently incorporated company’s first franchise in Loveland, Colorado.

“When this opportunity came up, it brought together so many interests and skill sets, I couldn’t say no,” Eric said.

Eric has a love for plants, permaculture, fermentation, and plant-based remedies, while Rachael’s work in retail gives her skills in merchandising, branding, and customer service. They wanted to learn more about how to operate and grow a business, so they connected with the Loveland Business Development Center a month after they opened in September 2019. 

“We didn’t know what we were doing, with all the paperwork,” Rachael said.

The Sudhalters worked with Kat Hart, Program Director and a consultant at the LBDC. Eric primarily met with Hart, who advised him on networking, advertising, customer review campaigns and hosting store events. He and Rachael also worked with other LBDC consultants on preliminaries, such as human resources and social media.

“Working directly with mentors has helped us leaps and bounds,” Eric said. “There was so much I didn’t know that I didn’t know, and oftentimes it was bringing something into my awareness I was then able to learn about.”

The Sudhalters faced a few challenges along the way, including opening their business six months before the start of the pandemic and having to temporarily close their doors for two weeks. Since their business was new and nobody knew they were on East 29th Street, they pivoted to selling their products at farmers markets and started going to LBDC and Chamber of Commerce networking events to make a presence in their community.

They do not diagnose or prescribe but rather offer tools to supplement Western medicine—they are motivated in helping people find additional forms of healing. They sell full-spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate and nano-CBD products. The products come in the forms of tinctures, salves, flowers, vapes and snacks like gummies, honey and chocolate, plus a chocolate hazelnut spread through a collaboration with Loveland Chocolate.

“Our product line is carefully curated to make sure there aren’t any negative impacts in it,” Eric said, adding that the line is “super clean.”

Eric and Rachael want to educate and dispel misinformation surrounding CBD and other plant-based products. CBD is not sold as a treatment but has been shown by research to support the symptoms of pain, stress and issues of sleep and to have few side effects, except from sensitivities. 

“From there, there are other things it possibly can do, but it’s not peer-reviewed,” Eric said, adding that he can talk about CBD in terms of anecdotal evidence of what works. “I truly want to make a difference for each person. That’s why each person is worth sitting down with.”

Eric and Rachael operate Canna World Market as a DBA of their LLC, Rock Your Soul, so named for their love of music. They operate a second business, Orion’s Apothecary, where they make a variety of products to support wellness such as fire cider, honey fermented garlic, osha root tincture, elderberry syrup mix and restful tea—the products are made at a commercial kitchen in Loveland and sold to Canna World Market.

The Sudhalters also sell CBD products for dogs, cats and other animals, recommending their customers first speak to a veterinarian before administering them. They offer CBD dog treats and CBD oil in pet-friendly flavors to support symptoms of stress, pain and issues with sleep, just like with humans.

“Customers will ask, ‘Does it really work?’ Just ask my dog,” Eric said. “It does physically work, not just psychosomatically, because you can see a difference in pets.”

The Sudhalters want to grow their business by bringing back the workshops they offered before the pandemic, including CBD 101 classes and classes offered by health and other practitioners, starting in the fall. They also plan to open up their classroom space for the community to use.

“The way forward is through collaboration and education,” Eric said. “It’s absolutely with the relationships we have built.” 

Canna World Market Loveland was voted the #2 CBD Store in Northern Colorado by the Loveland Reporter-Herald, and celebrated their 3rd year anniversary at the beginning of October.

Orion’s Apothecary opened up to wholesale on July 1, 2022, and already has products in 13 locations around Northern Colorado.  If you are interested in carrying their Fire Cider, Elderberry Syrup Mix, or Restful Tea, contact eric@orions-apothecary.com.

Canna World Market Loveland CBD www.cbdloveland.com

Orion’s Apothecary www.orions-apothecary.com

The Pig & The Plow Farmstead Bakery

You may have read the popular Farming Fort Collins Blog turned online farm and ranch directory, turned e-zine, The Pig & The Plow: From the Field, but have you stopped by the Pig & Plow Bakery and met the woman behind it all?  

Erica Glaze has been busy. After growing up in the fresh, local food scene of New England, she saw a need when she moved to this area back in 2003. “I worked for the Federal government for 3 years and the State for 10 years, but I’m not a good office person, I was ready for a change.” Her desire to connect people to good, local food was the catalyst behind the Farming Fort Collins Blog. The blog turned into an online farm and ranch directory in 2014, then the e-zine evolved to explore the local food scene more. In 2017 she bought her first oven and launched The Pig & The Plow Bakery out of a converted shipping container on her Farmstead.  

Erica connected with the Small Business Development Center through word of mouth and a mutual connection to an SBDC Consultant. “I took a start-up class and continued to move forward to figure out what was needed to take each next step.” She utilized the resources from the beginning and found a network of mentors. “I’m not afraid to raise my hand and ask for help. There are things you’re good at and things that don’t come naturally. With mentors it wasn’t just me, I had a huge network.”  

The business consistently outgrew space after space. COVID could have devastated the business, but luckily Erica set it up, right. “When COVID hit we had to stop our NOCO Meat Collective classes, the restaurants we supplied closed, and the Farmer’s Markets were halted. Luckily, we were already online and had a following. Within 24 hours we added other market partners to our website and continued selling.” COVID didn’t stop them from thinking about the future. In June of 2021, after outgrowing yet another space, they moved into the Colorado Feed & Grain in Timnath.  

The opportunity to move into their newest location at 140 Boardwalk Dr. in Fort Collins presented itself earlier this year and within two months was a done deal. The space was formerly a bakery but also includes a great area for retail. “My husband was always really supportive and handy. He bought me that first oven and built the shipping container. When we decided to move to our new location we knew he needed to be more involved, so he officially became part owner.” It only took three days to move and set up the shop. They opened on November 15th. 

The unique thing about the business is the attention to how they do things. “We’re not the only bakery in town, but we use local, organic ingredients to create a new twist on old classics.” One of Erica and her staff’s favorite parts of the business is exploring and blending food and culture to bring something new into the fold. No day is the same when you get to experiment and create.  

The future for The Pig & The Plow Bakery looks bright. She’s focusing on continuing to develop the community around the business. She loves building opportunities for collaboration, and creating a place for people to come and grow. One thing she looks forward to is continuing to be a part of people’s special things, whether it’s baking goods for an occasion or as a treat. “We had a woman at the farmer’s market who saw our Danish bread and cried. She was homesick and so happy to see and experience something familiar.”  

Her advice for budding entrepreneurs is this: “Don’t waste your time figuring it all out on your own. Learn from other people’s mistakes. Find the experts and be open to expanding your network.” She also advises connecting with people in your industry, and not seeing them as just competition. “There’s room for everyone, the more we connect and help each other’s growth, it’s an awesome experience.”  

She’s most proud of the business she built that continues to move forward. From a converted shipping container to having a great new space with the right equipment and a great team (The Pig & The Plow Bakery employs 1 full time employee and 2 seasonal contractors), not to mention the people they’ve connected with along the way. 

UNIcycle Business Consulting

Owning a small business means you have to draw on the resources around you to get moving—and Tami Parker of Loveland wants to make sure new business owners take off with key HR knowledge.

“My clients feel secure and safe knowing they don’t have to know everything about HR and they can call on my years of experience,” Parker said. “That’s one of the hidden worries and mental loads of a small business, (trying to) know what you don’t know.”

Parker started UNIcycle Business Consulting in 2017 as a full-service human resources department for small businesses—“if an HR department does it, so does UNIcycle,” she said. She chose a unicycle for her logo to represent how in business balance is key, it takes time and commitment to become proficient, and U n I, or you, the business owner, and Parker, the HR consultant, “partner together to take care of these things,” she said.

“Learning to ride, you need a helping hand,” Parker said.

Parker got that helping hand as a client of the Larimer Small Business Development Center on marketing and other aspects of owning and operating a small business, plus she is a consultant and instructor there.

“It felt so good to know I was talking to somebody who had done it for a long time,” Parker said. “Business reality versus theory is important to a small business owner.”

Parker, who worked in HR for 26 years before going on her own, started UNIcycle in 2017 at a friend’s suggestion. At that time, three of her friends who owned small businesses asked her for HR support and one of the friends asked her when she’d start charging her.

Parker spent the next eight months business planning and getting advice from the SBDC. She originally opened an office in Fort Collins but during the pandemic became a home-based business—she works with a staff of two. She primarily works remotely but will go on site, too, which allows her to be more active in the business and help employees feel comfortable reaching out to her.

Parker provides a long list of services, but does not do payroll, which isn’t a part of the typical HR department. She helps coordinate benefits, writes handbooks and job descriptions, does recruiting, helps with the hiring process from posting jobs to interviews, creates on-boarding and off-boarding programs, trains businesses on documentations, audits employee files, and conducts terminations and employee investigations.

“I view our work as protecting people every day,” Parker said. “Policy is good for employees and the business. It protects the longevity of the business and every job in the business.”

Parker also provides updates on the latest HR laws.

“My clients don’t have to keep up with that, because they know I will,” Parker said. “I inform them to help them through the process and stay on top of any changes.”

Parker works with 29 businesses, who solely hire W-2 employees and not 1099 contractors. She values their willingness to pay benefits and accept the tax burden instead of shifting it to the contractor.

“That’s the key thing about my clients, they want to do it right,” Parker said. “They want to have good talent that wants to go to work.”

Parker sets her business apart from the typical HR service that operates a database, which provides various HR tools for a monthly fee. She trains and mentors businesses on how to handle a number of HR situations, plus offers a monthly, year-long management boot camp for members or as a separate service.

“Here’s an outline of what you need to know about how to handle HR situations well and productively,” Parker said.

Parker aims to double her revenue in 2023, which she also did in 2022. When she started her business, she didn’t take out a living wage salary for three years, then saw a “terrible year” during the pandemic. But the next year in 2021, her business grew by 536%, she said.

“I’m really proud of the growth we’ve had since 2020,” Parker said. “I want to create more jobs and through our work make jobs more stable in our community, helping small businesses be good employers and help them compete with big employers.”

Before starting her business, Parker managed the front end team at Sutherlands Lumber, then worked in HR for three different companies, including the former Dedicated Hardware Group, BMC West and AAA. She is certified by the Employers Council and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. She also sits on several boards and is a volunteer, serving places like the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Undestructable, the Division of Vocational Rehab and She Goes High, where she is the CFO.

Parker is like a large number of female business owners who bootstrap themselves, following a trend where women generally do not apply for or receive business loans. She did, however, get help from the SBDC, becoming a client in 2016. She initially got consulting to pick her business name, then took several marketing and social media classes. She also worked with a consultant on a proposition builder, which is similar to a business plan—it identifies the types of clients and a company’s value to those clients.

“It helps you clarify what you have to offer the market,” Parker said, adding that the SBDC “is the number one resource for a business owner to fill the gaps in owning a business.”

For the last 18 months, Parker’s provided HR consulting for the Larimer and East Colorado SBDC and teaches seminars and workshops on HR topics. She finds her involvement gives her an “emotional payday” as a way to contribute to her local community.

“I get to feel like I’m contributing and helping even though I’m not getting paid, supporting small businesses and helping them be good employers,” Parker said. “I get to feel like I’m contributing not just to my clients but to anybody who needs (help) through the SBDC.”

Parker pays herself almost the same as her employees for the sustainability of her business and to help with its growth potential, she said. She advises business owners to get started without first having to know everything and having it all figured out, remaining in analysis or planning paralysis—instead, they can work with the SBDC to start and grow their business, she said.

“It’s the number one resource for a business owner to fill the gaps of owning a business,” Parker said.

CopperMuse Distillery

When Jason Hevelone of Fort Collins hit a career crossroads, he figured he’d open a brewery, but then he tasted his first craft distilled spirit at a Denver distillery.

“It’s so much more flavorful and nuanced,” Hevelone said.

Hevelone, a longtime engineer, talked to his wife, Heather Trantham, also an engineer, then quit his career and opened Fort Collins’ second distillery—the first, Feisty Spirits Distillery, will close in July.

He spent two years planning and working with the Larimer SBDC to bring CopperMuse Distillery to a low traffic area of downtown in 2014—today, the distillery faces The Exchange plaza with other breweries, eateries and retail outlets culminating in a vibrant Old Town entertainment space.

“Old Town or downtown stopped at LaPorte. Not a lot of people went the extra block, so we wanted to create something to draw people and get walk-in traffic,” said Hevelone, co-owner and inspired distiller at CopperMuse Distillery, 244 N. College Ave., No. 105.

Hevelone came up with the distillery’s name by combining the word “copper,” referring to the copper stills he uses, with the inspiration of the muse.

“I think one of the big things we tried to push is we want to create a neat experience for our guests. They’re greeted in a warm way in a more upscale environment,” Hevelone said. “It’s not uppity but comfortable.”

When Hevelone first opened CopperMuse, he could only serve what was made on the premises and was limited to vodka and silver rum, since other spirits required longer aging periods.

“We created a lot of fun cocktails built on this to get the interest going,” Hevelone said.

Hevelone, with the help of his staff, developed several infused vodkas, such as currant, beef jerky and banana liqueur. He slowly added other spirits like whiskey and gold rum that take two years or more to age, as well as spiced rum, gin, liquors and even Absinthe, a high alcohol-content spirit served over sugar cubes.

“We can fix any basic cocktail, but we’re always trying to bring different flavors together to create a new flavor experience, things you wouldn’t think of to make for yourself at home,” said Trantham, co-owner of CopperMuse, who started working for the business in 2017.

Today, Hevelone and Trantham serve more than 50 cocktails, including seasonal ones rotated in every quarter, plus sell 24 different commercial products. The staff gets involved in creating some of the cocktail recipes based on the spirits they’re assigned by the tasting room manager to help add variety to the menu.

“It allows us to go along with different drinks and drink trends,” Hevelone said. “We want to have you experience something new and unique.”

Besides the tasting room and a serving bar, there is a kitchen, which Hevelone operated since opening the distillery. He started with sandwiches, salads, appetizers and meat and cheese boards, wanting to avoid traditional greasy pub fair. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to narrow his offerings following the laying off of his kitchen staff, but now is growing his menu again beyond the appetizers and shareables he features.

“It’s taking time as people are getting used to going out and celebrating,” Hevelone said.

To help with that celebration, the décor at CopperMuse has an art deco aesthetic with copper hanging lights and other accents and local art on the walls, rotated out every month as part of the Fort Collins First Friday Art Walk. There’s also a great patio and a production area, which will be moved offsite in late spring to a 6,300-square foot commercial facility with space for a tasting room and event space. This will allow Hevelone to add a second still and double his production of 3,000 12-bottle cases a year and to make bourbon and canned cocktails.

“Our biggest change is in our aging program, which requires aging in barrels,” Hevelone said. “This is going to give so much more room for that.”

Hevelone distributes to other states—currently, he’s in Colorado, Kansas, and Michigan and plans to add more. He says he runs three different businesses in one, a manufacturing organization that makes alcohol and spirits, a restaurant with a cocktail bar, and a wholesale distributor.

Before opening CopperMuse, Hevelone and Trantham got interested in home brewing as college students and thought it would be fun to create a brewery. The couple, married for 30 years, met while they were freshmen at Colorado State University. Hevelone earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, working in the high-tech semiconductor and solar field for 19 years. Trantham continued her schooling, earning a doctorate in civil engineering—she now consults through her LLC.

Hevelone knew he wanted to found and operate his own business, while Trantham wanted the security of her and her husband’s engineering jobs.

“When Jason came to me and said, ‘I think I want to start a business and open a distillery,’ I was like no, no,” Trantham said. “I don’t like a lot of ambiguity in my life; having a business means all the ambiguity. … I didn’t marry an entrepreneur, I married an engineer.”

Trantham, however, gave Hevelone her approval. Initially, he worked with the Larimer SBDC, meeting one-on-one with consultants and taking business classes to learn what it takes to open a business and develop a business plan.

“The whole point of doing a business plan is you want to fail on paper, test and think it out,” Hevelone said.

Hevelone worked with consultants in SEO, QuickBooks, marketing and handling business challenges, as well as participated in the SBA Emerging Leaders program.

“The great thing was it created resources and education, a foundation,” Hevelone said. “If I’m having a hard time, I go to the website and see if there is a class. Somebody out there probably has the knowledge.”

Hevelone likes the accountability that comes with working with a consultant, plus the networking opportunities the SBDC offers for business professionals.

“You have to go into it knowing you have to work really hard,” Hevelone said. “You also need to build time off in your regular work week.”

Hevelone and Trantham make sure they aren’t working evenings and weekends, giving that responsibility to the tasting room manager. If visitors want to stop by, they have to let them know, and they’ll be sure to be at CopperMuse promoting their unique experience.

“We produce a premium, handcrafted experience that pushes the taste experience beyond main street corporate producers,” Hevelone said.

Inside and Out Pet Care, LLC

Inside and Out Pet Care, LLC is a locally owned and operated pet services business in Loveland, Colorado. Owner Kim Plache has collected some boasting rights recently. 

Her small business was voted 2nd place winner in Reader’s Choice Best of NOCO for Pet Caregiver category in 2022, and in 2023 was voted one of Loveland’s favorite small businesses in the Larimer Small Business Development Center’s Small Business Week Cheers for Peers campaign. 

Kim was born in Chicago, Illinois prior to moving with her family to Arizona. She obtained her Degree in Business Management at Northern Arizona University, after which she relocated to Grand Junction Colorado. She was hired at a community hospital, working her way to the position of Hospital Business Manager. This is where she spent the next 30 years learning all aspects of running a business. 

She started her own business, Inside and Out Pet Care, in August of 2014 as a female solopreneur. She has four independent contractors assisting her with clients. 

Her business is unique in that there is no physical location, they go to their clients. This reduces stress for the client and their pet by avoiding a boarding facility. They are the only company trained in caring for rodents, reptiles, farm animals, horses as well as cats and dogs. Services include overnight care, nail trims for all (including those bearded dragons!), and in the last year they have added a yard cleaning service, poop scooping. Kim is an American Kennel Club Certified dog trainer, Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and Temperament Tester. “I train people to train their dogs.” She is working towards adding grooming services next.  

When COVID hit, she took a backward slide, “People were home with their dogs and didn’t need us.” She held on to four dedicated clients, whom she says were very generous during this time. They helped keep her business going. That changed as the pandemic came down from its height. “There was a spike of clients, the people who got pets during COVID and now had to go back to work.”  

Kim credits the SBDC with helping to direct her to grants and other resources. She has taken advantage of the free, one-on-one Consulting with Marketing Specialists, which she says has greatly helped. Lastly, she credits the networking events for helping to create her network. “I built my network going to free events and meeting other business owners.” Her network has been integral to her success as a business owner over the years. When she needs anything, she knows she can reach out to her network and they will provide. Her advice for budding entrepreneurs? “No matter how frightening it is, get out there and talk to other business owners. Make the connection. It’s not about the next pet sitting job, it’s about connecting.”  

Kim’s goal is to become one of the biggest, one-stop service providers for her clients in Northern Colorado.  

She is most proud of her drive and desire to connect, learn, and volunteer to do the hard jobs no one else wants to do. 

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