The Tempest is Raging

I haven’t been very good at updating my blog lately.   There are a few reasons for this.  The first and foremost is that I feel like my life is really depressing right now and I don’t want to turn my blog into a pity fest.  However, because it has been over a week since I’ve posted anything, I thought I’d post something.  I just don’t know what. … You’re probably wondering why I feel like my life is really depressing right now so maybe I should just share a little bit of what’s going on.

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.