In the post The Tempest is Raging, I mentioned the following:

Right now, it just feels like the floor is being dug out from underneath Corey and me.  Even though Froyo’s doing really well because the store keeps exceeding its expectations and everyone loves our product, the future looks very dim for our small store.  Our build-out cost almost double what it was estimated at and because Froyo was closed for a week and a half between locations, our coffers were drained.  We’re having trouble paying for the smallest of bills.  (We’re even putting our own money into the business to keep it going, which isn’t helping us financially since we barely have enough to meet our own financial needs.)

… Froyo will succeed if we can get an investor in time.  Like I said earlier, the store is exceeding expectations and doing really well sales-wise.  It seems so unfair and tragic that the store may fail because of our build-out costs, even though the store itself is doing well.

At this point, those small bills have done us in. We’re closing Froyo’s doors today.  We hope it will only be temporary.  But, at this point, we have no idea if it will be.

Right now, I’m experiencing a lot of fear, disappointment, and sadness because I don’t know what will become of Froyo, how we’re going to pay Froyo’s bills, and I can’t go back to school in January due to this situation and our financial needs.  (Hopefully, I’ll be able to go back to school in April because I can defer my enrollment until then.)  Luckily, Froyo is an LLC so we’re not personally liable for most things, but there are still a few things to work out regarding our liability.  And, even if Froyo declares bankruptcy, we still want to pay our bills because it’s the right thing to do; it may just take us the rest of our lives to accomplish this desire.

Anyway, we appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and support.  I’d still like you to pray for us, if you’re willing, to help us figure out what to do now.

Right now, it just feels like the floor is being dug out from underneath Corey and me.  Even though Froyo’s doing really well because the store keeps exceeding its expectations and everyone loves our product, the future looks very dim for our small store.  Our build-out cost almost double what it was estimated at and because Froyo was closed for a week and a half between locations, our coffers were drained.  We’re having trouble paying for the smallest of bills.  (We’re even putting our own money into the business to keep it going, which isn’t helping us financially since we barely have enough to meet our own financial needs.)

Corey asked the contractor why there’s such a huge difference in the estimate and the actual cost of the build-out and he said, “That’s just what it cost to build everything.”  During the construction process, Corey was keeping tabs on everything to make sure our budget was being met.  There were even a couple of extra things we approved the cost for so we expected to be over by about $5,000.  But, when we got the bill, it felt like the oxygen had been sucked from the room.

Because we can’t afford to pay the build-out costs, our contractor and the sub-contractors want to put a lien on the property.  The lien doesn’t really do anything to us, except prevent us from collecting the money that was part of our rental agreement with our building management company.  The contract has a lien provision and unless the contractors and sub-contractors are willing to sign a lien waiver, the money is untouchable.  This money won’t solve all our problems, but it would help us until we could figure out a more permanent solution.

Before we moved to the new location, we had an investor lined up to help Froyo grow and expand.  And, because we knew that something could happen to change the investor’s mind, we even had a bank as a backup plan.  Because the build-out costs were so much higher than estimated, the investor pulled out because it was more than they wanted to invest and it changed the “risk factor” involved with the investment.  The bank also fell through because we no longer qualify for an express loan.  The bank needs to draw up new documentation and go through the underwriting process again, which will take up to three months, but no less than two months.

We’re in the process of trying to find a new investor.  We have a couple of promising leads, but we’re worried it’s not going to be in time to save Froyo because the contractor, sub-contractors, and anyone else we owe money to are getting antsy.  Corey and I just found out that our sign company is taking down our signage today.  Part of the build-out costs covered the signs, which haven’t been paid yet.  As of this afternoon, Froyo may not have any signs left, which will hurt the store dramatically.  But, we’re trying to work our way around it.

Froyo will succeed if we can get an investor in time.  Like I said earlier, the store is exceeding expectations and doing really well sales-wise.  It seems so unfair and tragic that the store may fail because of our build-out costs, even though the store itself is doing well.

Right now, we’re doing a lot of praying.  We’re praying that Froyo will succeed and that the hearts of the people we’re in debt to will be softened to give us more time.  We’re trying to have faith and hope that something will come through before it’s too late.  And, we’re trying to put our trust in the Lord and allow Him to direct our lives in the direction that’s best for us.  We’re also trying to realize and understand that the direction He knows is best for us may not coincide with the way we think things should work out.

Anyway, now you know what’s going on and why we’re so stressed.  If you know anyone that may want to invest in a small business that has a lot of potential (if it could just get through this storm), please tell them to contact Corey.  Also, we’d appreciate it if you remember us in your prayers.

We decorated the lobby with lime green and orange sherbet colored balloons. :D Between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm, when someone walked into Froyo, I greeted them and donned them with a lei.  Everyone got a free kid’s size frozen yogurt with one topping.  The adults also got a free goody bag that contained a free 8-oz. frozen yogurt coupon, Froyo pen, a toy for the kiddies, and a free fish taco coupon from Rubio’s.  We also gave away a free Froyo T-shirt, which you can see in the picture on the left and middle (click to enlarge).

We had as many people show up to the grand opening as we normally get during an entire day.  Corey and I knew about half the people that came in.  Last Friday, we met one of our sales benchmarks and then exceeded that benchmark by almost a third on Saturday, even with the two hours of free frozen yogurt.

The grand opening was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work.  We enjoyed seeing our family and friends, and thank all those that came for supporting us! :D

Froyo now has free wi-fi and a few of our customers have already taken advantage of the service.  We hope this will be a reason people will want to keep coming back for the best frozen yogurt ever. ;)

We currently have five employees.  They do an awesome job and we love them.  They’re always so willing to get the job done and so friendly with the customers.  They make the Froyo experience great for everyone that comes in.  We couldn’t ask for better employees.

We have the signage for our menu and our flavors finally.  And, we’ve added a couple of plants to the decor.  The store’s getting better and better!

Some of our friends, the Vigues and Meyers, decided to come by and show their love and support.  It meant a lot to us to have them there on our first day!

There were lots of other people we knew that came in too.  Like I said in the previous post, my co-workers, Erin and Lauren, and I went to Froyo during our lunch.  (I’d post a picture of them, but they complained about the one I took.)  Erin’s mom and sister also came by to show support for Meghan, one of our employees and Erin’s other sister.  My old boss and his family dropped in, too.  His daughter was so excited to see that her bookmark was the same as the bookmarks being given away at the store.

We know a lot of you are planning to come see us in the future and we also appreciate your love and support!  Because we’re not always in the store, especially me, give us a call or send us an e-mail before you come in so we can be there if possible.

To those of you who live out-of-state and can’t support us with your patronage, thank you for your encouragement and love!  We appreciate you just as much as the locals!

Also, for my lactose-intolerant family and friends, the sorbets haven’t arrived yet. Because of the economy, all the sorbet distributors have been going out of business.  Every time we get squared away with someone, we have to do it all over again because the company goes bankrupt or closes down permanently.  There are still a few distributors available and Corey’s trying to get everything squared away with them.  We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that they don’t go out of business too.  If they do, Corey said we’ll find a way to get sorbet in our store even if we have to make it ourselves!

Anyway, Corey said business was really steady today, which is awesome since it’s only our second day open in this location! :D Corey said he’s been hearing a lot of encouragement and praise from the customers.  They think the product is really good and better than the other frozen yogurt places around.  Everyone also likes that there are so many flavors and topping choices all at once!  I know it means a lot to Corey when he hears things like this.

One of the things he’s told me since we’ve owned Froyo is he really likes that our customers come in and leave with a smile.  I honestly haven’t ever seen him as happy as he has been in business since buying Froyo, and that makes me happy! ;)

Once we (mostly Corey) get more of a handle on the new location (i.e. actual signage, Grand Opening celebration), Corey’s going to start getting all the particulars ready for our second location back in the Provo/Orem area.

Corey and I are really excited because the past few months have been long, drawn out, and frustrating.  I think Corey’s designing skills really came through with the look and feel of the store.  It’s beautiful and will get even more beautiful once we get our official signage and put artwork up on the walls.

My co-workers, Erin and Lauren, and I decided to go to Froyo during our lunch today.  It was so good to have a frozen yogurt again.  I’ve missed my low-calorie, non-fat treat over the past couple of weeks!

I thought I’d post a couple of pictures of the old store so you can see how much nicer and updated the new store looks.  You can really appreciate Corey’s creativity and expertise.  Also, the store underneath the sign isn’t the old store.  The sign’s actually to the right of the store and over another store.  It was crazy and caused a lot of confusion.

I’m a little less stressed today.  I worked long hours, or it felt like long hours, yesterday and got most of my project done.  I should be able to get the rest of the stuff done today without any problems. :D

Our car isn’t going to die, thank goodness.  However, our air conditioner, that was just fixed a month ago, is gone for good.  Summer’s almost over and we still have a car that runs.

And, finally, Froyo passed its inspections! :D Not without incident, but it still passed.  We thought the building inspector was bad.  He was a lamb compared to the health inspector! :? His boss was really nice to work with and we’re glad he was available yesterday.  Otherwise, Froyo would’ve failed our health inspection too and, again, not for anything substantial. :roll: It’s over and done with and we’re glad about that!

I bet everyone wants to know when the big day is.  We’re not positive. :roll: We don’t have an official date for the grand opening so I’ll post something when we know for sure.  However, the store will more than likely open tomorrow.  (I’ll post an update later to let you know the final word.)  If it doesn’t open tomorrow, we’ll open on Monday.  Corey just wants to make sure a few last-minute things get done before he decides to open the doors for business.

Anyway, thanks for all your support and patience!  We really appreciate it!

Updated: We’re going to open on Monday just so we don’t feel rushed.  We open at 11:00 am!

1. Work: I have a project due on Friday that I’ve been working on for the past few weeks.  It was supposed to be done last Friday, but other things came up that I had to work on instead so I got a reprieve for a week.  This project is taking so long to do.  It feels like I’ve been working non-stop, even though I haven’t.  I just can’t seem to focus because I’m so burned out.  At this point, I just want to quit so it’s one less thing to deal with right now.  But, I’m going to stick it out for more reasons than the obvious ones.
2. Car: Our one and only car has been making strange sounds for the past couple of days.  Unfortunately, we haven’t had time to take it into the shop because of work and Froyo.  And, when we do take it in, we don’t have the time to sit around and wait for it to be fixed.  We tried to get a rental car yesterday for a couple of days.  Yeah, that was a no go.  There isn’t a single car within a 60-mile radius of where we live for rent. There’s some stupid conference going on at BYU right now and I guess all three cars at each of the rental places in Utah are being used. Corey’s taking the car in today and we’re hoping it won’t take too long to fix.
3. Froyo: Read the post Woes with the American Fork Building Inspector for details.

I’ve canceled both my personal training sessions this week because I’ve had to stay at work longer than usual and because of everything else going on this week.  I’m really feeling the lack of going.  Even though I feel tired when I’m done, it’s a good tired and I feel so much happier and calm when I go.  I tried to work it out so I could go today, but it just ain’t gonna happen.  I’m going to do three sessions next week to make up for the lack this week.  Maybe, I’ll be super happy and calm next week.  That would be a good thing after this week’s hectic events.

You may ask, “Why all the delays?”  It’s been one thing after another. :roll:

The movers were supposed to show up on Thursday to move our stuff from the old store to the new store.  They didn’t show up.  They came on Friday instead.

The company that’s doing the stainless steel caps around the area the machines fit into and the stainless steel for the chair rail had a mishap of their own.  Their machine broke last week.  We were supposed to get the stainless steel last Thursday, but they weren’t able to get us anything until today. The caps for the area around the machines are being installed and are almost done.  The rest of the stainless steel will be coming and installed tomorrow.  (The health inspection can’t happen until the caps are installed, even though it’s considered finish work, because the caps are near the machines.)

The word “signs” has become a swear word in our house.  We aren’t going to have our outside signs until later this month or possibly September.  We can deal with that.  But, what we can’t deal with is having no signs inside.  The sign people didn’t show up to verify the dimensions so we’re in the process of looking for another sign company because we’re fed up with the the current one.  We have a couple of companies in mind; they wanted the job in the first place so they should be able to get us the inside signs in time to open on Friday.

We were about $8000 short on building costs because of all the delays.  Luckily, this one has been resolved and ended up being the least stressful thing to deal with.

Our building inspector has been a pain in the butt from the beginning of the process.  He acts like he’s God’s gift to building inspectors and has all these stupid rules that make no difference to whether the building’s sound.  Our contractor has told us that he’s never had to deal with these “rules,” even when building in American Fork.

Anyway, the inspector did our final inspection yesterday and we failed it! 8O That’s not even the most frustrating part.  We didn’t fail it because we weren’t up to code; we failed it because of stupid reasons that had nothing to do with the inspector’s actual job! :x

1. He said our tables and chairs needed to be set up before he could pass us.  That’s like telling someone they can’t get the okay on their house because their couches aren’t in the living room yet.
2. He said we needed an American Fork business license, which is true.  However, we can’t get one until our building inspection gives us the go ahead to practice business in our space.
3. He said we needed to have our health inspection before he could pass us.  The health department won’t even come by until our building inspection has passed.
4. And, last but not least, he said our counter is an inch and a half too high for American Fork’s standards.  American Fork requires your counter to be no higher than 34 inches so that people in a wheelchair can write a check with ease.  That seems like a sound reason to not pass the inspection, right?  Here’s the catch.  The building inspector approved the blueprints that had the dimensions on them.  He never told us that the counter was only supposed to be 34 inches high; he only said that we had to meet ADA (American Disability Association) standards.  Guess what the ADA’s standard for the top counter height is?  36 inches.  We assumed, which was presumptuous of us, that if we built our counter 35.5 inches high, the height would be fine.  After all, our blueprints were approved, right?  Yeah, I know our reasoning was flawed. :roll:

Needless to say, Corey called the boss today to complain.  Now, the only thing we have to comply with out of the above reasons is the counter height.  We’ll be dealing with that tomorrow.

Anyway, our new location is opening on Saturday. :D The address is 598 W. Main St. in American Fork.  Because nothing’s moved in and the floor’s still being finished, I don’t have any pictures to post.  But, I’ll post some after the opening.

Our grand opening won’t be until late August/early September.  The signs for the outside of the store are taking a bit longer than we expected.  We’re delaying our grand opening until we get the signs.  I’ll post the date once we know.

Updated: The health inspector can’t come until Monday and we can’t even bring any product in until we’ve been given the okay.  Our store’s not opening until next week on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Sorry about all the plan changes. :|