Moving day came fast, slowly. For months, days had bled together in a rush of questions, research, phone calls, last night discussions, and more questions. “Should we move, again? What would our children and friends think? Where will we live, how will we move all our stuff?” A trip was planned and taken on somewhat short notice to investigate the area we thought might be our new home town, with the utmost secrecy, lest the idea blow up in our faces.
We left our home in north central Arizona, and arrived in Greeley, Colorado two days later, under the (true) pretense of our 20th anniversary trip. This allowed us to leave the children with friends and be unmolested by prying questions. We had been in talks with
Eddie, the franchise director for Made in the Shade Blinds and More for a while, and we were aware that the Greeley area was available. My eldest son and I had been working with a local franchisee in our hometown in Arizona, and we saw an opportunity to start our own franchise. So, what else to do but go look around, right?
We met with a realtor, looking at homes in Evans, Greeley, Johnstown, and the
surrounding areas, talked with business developers at the Greeley Chamber of
Commerce, researched competition in the blinds, shades, and drapery industry,
and loved the combination of a small town vibe with the amenities of a larger,
more urban population. Having been in the real estate & construction
industries most of my adult life, I knew that people are needed to make a
business successful so it felt like a great blend.
Then the action began, swinging into play even before leaving Greeley. We listed a rental property for sale, and had an offer accepted before we even arrived back home. This was both a positive sign, and a little unnerving. Were we ready for this?? Throwing ourselves headlong into the gambit, we listed our home for sale the following week, and again, had an offer accepted within 48 hours, and this in a market when people were hesitant due to increasing interest rates. In for a penny, in for a pound is the saying, and we were in for both!
Then the days begin to drag in weeks, with agonizing slowness as we packed boxes, sorted through belongings asking ourselves “When did I use this last, and do I really want to haul it 1000 miles?” and “Are we NUTS??” Then finally, after what felt like months but was really only weeks, the moving truck was on the yard, boxes and possessions began to flow our of the house and up the ramp, packing tape and pads disappeared at an alarming rate, and more than once there was head scratching and temper flare-ups. But, despite all that, we managed to not murder each other and got everything in the truck, even managing to shut the door without anything hanging out! A few final goodbyes with friends over dinner, a restless night in a Days Inn, and then we were off, Colorado bound.
Now we are here, the weather is changing from the warm fall days to early winter as it noses around hungrily, seeking to find it’s way into your home and bones. The boxes are unpacked, the new home set in order, and a fresh batch of coffee roasted and waiting to become our morning elixir.
I’ve been busy, setting up the new business entities, filing business applications, transferring my broker license, requesting trade lines from vendors such as Norman, Alta, Graber, Rainer, and more. Add in meeting reps, meeting with vehicle wrap companies, attempting (and failing) to transfer residency and get a new drivers license, learning to know our new market area that ranges from north of Greeley to south at Brighton with all points in between, and sometimes it’s hard to know if I’m going forward or backwards!
Either way, we are here, business license is secured, and samples are arriving almost daily. So, ready or not, we are taking on a new business in a new town, and excited to get going!
Hope to see you around town!
Jeramiah & Jandi
Made in the Shade Front Range
