Iron River Coffee Anyone?

So a crazy thing happened today that I feel I need to share in hopes to help me pursue my dreams. If you know me at all, you know I’m a coffee addict. You also know that I absolutely love living on Moon Lake. But, for those close to me, you also know that Iron River’s lack of an espresso machine is a personal conundrum I struggle with daily. For the past 5-months, I’ve been doing my due diligence in trying to determine if the rest of the community feels the same. This has involved meeting with regional coffee shops, talking to businesses in-town, crunching numbers, meeting with a distributor, attending a food show, reviewing real-estate in-town and doing some serious soul searching.

All of this had led me to today. As part of this process, I put my ideas on paper and competed in the area’s business idea contest. Today, I got up in front of a room of 50-60 folks from state agencies, local banks, and community members. There were business owners and agency reps from economic development. And, there were other dreamers who believed their idea was worth sharing.

I had 120 seconds to share my vision. I am confident the last time I was this nervous was when I presented my senior thesis at Bemidji State University in 1999. I hate public speaking. But, what was more at stake was whether this group of individuals would embrace my idea. Would they get the need for a community hot spot in Iron River that provides a premium espresso.

I was a babbling fool who was sweating buckets. Keep in mind, the room did not have air conditioning and it was 90+ degrees in Ashland. But, I got up there and put my heart and soul out to the audience. I laid it all out there. And guess what, I didn’t win. I tied for first. But, I did manage to win the audience choice award. This meant a lot to me because it showed that people understood my passion. They shared my passion. And they believed in me.

Call it fate or something crazier, I met the VP of the bank who happens to own the building I’m interested in purchasing in the bathroom. It was a great conversation. Several other conversations with commuters, economic development folks and bankers provided me insight and feedback on how to make this possible. While energized, I’m also overwhelmed. I have a great stable job and a booming freelance career. I’m the mother of a 2-year old with whom I attempt to embrace every moment possible. My husband and I are involved in the community. We’re stretched thin. And, I’m not exactly a trust fund baby. Folks talked a lot today about being fearless. But, as brave as I am, the whole thing has left me clueless. To be honest, I don’t know what comes next.

But I do know that today felt good. It would have felt equally as good if I hadn’t won. I put myself out there. I put my dreams out there. It was scary. It was intimidating. But, I came out realizing that others will support my dream. It was worth every second. Sitting here typing this note, I don’t know if I’ll be a coffee shop owner in 12-months. But, in this moment, it seems a lot more possible than yesterday. And that my friends is something.