Buckaroos Begins in Earnest!

Buckaroos Slices and Scoops Begins!

Tearing down walls physically, and metaphorically...

Oh my, it has been a busy month of behind the scenes work for our Buckaroos crew!  There is a lot of learning happened at the kitchen table as we go to "Pizza School" and "Scoop School" by watching training videos from experts in the field.  Angie, Kenny, and Olesya are hard at work, and here is a list of all they have accomplished thus far since our last post about their future business:

1)  They have created, edited and finalized an Employee Handbook.
2)  They have crafted a full-fledged, detailed Marketing Plan to go along with their Business Plan.
3)  They have finalized a Large Equipment List of items to purchase or lease.
4)  They are reading and discussing "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek to learn more about how to become strong managers in their business.
5)  They have completed reading and discussing "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" by John C. Maxwell.
6)  They have been working with a logo designer to create a customized logo.
7)  They have met with Matt to have him begin working on creating a web site.
8)  They have begun studying profit margins for pizza and ice cream shops, and learned more about price points, food cost calculation, and more.
9)  They have invited Josh to be part of their management team once they open, and he happily accepted.
10) Demolition has begun!

We have space at Dominick's liquor store we are dedicating to Buckaroos, but it needs some alterations.  Here are some of the basics that need to be done before we begin cosmetic work:

1)  Tear out a portion of a cinder block wall
2)  Build two walls
3)  Cut out cinder block for two windows at the front of the store
4)  Frame in and install three doors
5)  Install drywall
6)  Install plastic wall panels

Thankfully, Matt and Josh have volunteered to help with the construction pieces, and these are the things our family will do, in addition to calling in experts for plumbing, electrical, concrete, glass installation, ventilation, etc.  We are trying to save money and do as much as we can, and we will all paint, install tile flooring and apply sealer to other portions, install various decor pieces, install all kitchen equipment, etc.

Here are some photos of Dominick, Angie, Olesya, and Kenny working on the demolition!  It is fun to feel like something is finally happening after months of creative thinking and planning.

Here we go!  Masking off the area to be cut out.

No turning back now...

Dads are great for teaching hands on practical skills.  Glad I wasn't there and only saw photos afterward, I might have cringed at power tools in their hands, as moms often do :-)

Olesya doing some initial test drilling.

Uh oh...guess we are really doing this! HAHAHA!!  

Kenny looks a little wild eyed :-)

Oh yeah, Angie, you GO GIRL!

This isn't as easy as we thought it would be...

In fact, it is hard work!

Incredibly hard, dirty work!

And no one is doing it for them, 

when they are done they will be able to stand back and see what is possible with hard work, strong guidance, and a willingness to learn new skills.

It is also a heck of a lot of fun!

Four nights later, it is DONE.   Step one...Check!

I will be leaving this weekend for a getaway trip before things get really hopping the next three or four months.  I will be regrouping, planning next steps, thinking carefully about how best to train our crew, and taking time to breathe...really breathe while I still can.  Josh will join me in Massachusetts at the end of my time away where he will be debuting his documentary "We Are the Church" to the United Congregational Church of Conway, and he will be offering a "sermonette" prior to the viewing in which he will share how his project impacted his own faith and understanding of community.  He is quite excited about this, as finally his year long project will be revealed to those outside the family.

I arrive home with Josh, then two days later hop in the car with The Buckaroos Crew and head out to California to visit with and check on grandmas, then return to attend the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where we hope to visit with prospective vendors, explore equipment, attend seminars, and learn a LOT.  We return home, and two weeks later Kenny has surgery in Chicago, then three weeks later we return for surgery #2.  Oh yeah, in between there, we have wisdom teeth being removed for Josh and Olesya, a final church retreat weekend somewhere in the mix for Olesya and Kenny, a graduation to begin thinking about for Angie and Kenny, and more.  Oh yeah, then there is that whole teaching school and helping the kids build a business in the middle :-)  I think I had better run for the hills while I can this next week or two!!

We will keep sharing photos here on our family blog as the project continues, and soon the kids will be writing their own blogs on their business web site, so you can hear all about the project from them!