The Rhythm and Beards

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Veteran2 Empowerment (TM)

The source of the entrepreneur³ With over 100 career proprietary coaches (R) across the USA, returning to civic life helps veterans create a new course and achieve their unique American dreams.

TES, the nation’s largest and well-established (founded in 1984) career coaching franchise, builds a unique education-based coaching system, equipment and resources to help veterans seek corporate jobs, start a new business from scratch, or follow the franchising. . TES coaches help people find opportunities that are consistent with their personal income, lifestyle, assets and equity goals to determine new futures. Our coaches help people learn how to translate their skills, strengths and personal interests into business ownership.

Veteran2 Entrepreneur provides valuable services

TES joined the Department of Defense in 2012 to advocate for those who have served our country by launching their Veteran 2 Entrepreneur program. As part of this initiative, TES coaches are experienced in providing free education and coaching services and are committed to helping their families. Trainer experts help explore entrepreneurs without any cost or obligation.

Veterans Excel at Franchising

With a strong qualification and interest in franchising, distributorship, dealership and other proven entrepreneurial frameworks, TES has seen veterans engage in highly motivated and unique TES educational journeys. With a familiar military transfer date from a year ago, clients in the military community discover and make it clear that they really want to be professional in five years. Active duty, veterans, and military wives discover and explore different possibilities.

Veteran-owned businesses employ 5.8 million Americans. Veterans account for about 7 percent of the U.S. population, yet 14 percent of franchise veterans, the International Franchise Association reports. Veterans spend their time in their service developing critical thinking, leadership and management skills, which makes them great candidates for business ownership.

In addition to being confident and inspiring, they have mastered the art of taking advantage of a proven system, making investing in a franchise an ideal option. Seniors learn to deal with high stress situations when they are off the field, making them ideal candidates for careers in the service industry. Having franchisor support helps business owners to ramp up quickly with action plans for success. It is difficult to compete with a franchise whose large proprietary community has respected and optimized their business model over the years and whose scale economy allows each business owner to access the best practices in the industry.

After spending years in various hot spots around the world, many experienced individuals are looking for a flexible career that will allow them to spend time with their families. We trainers prefer many experienced mobile businesses that allow them to conduct back-office operations from their home office. Staying close to home balances their careers which they lacked during their military careers.

“Elders want freedom and autonomy to run their own careers, improve their lifestyles and make a difference in their community. Many want to control their daily routine and stay close to home, ”he added.

In her four-year coaching career, TES has helped countless veterans find a new path to their future. Two of his experienced clients open a home inspection business, the other opens a carpet cleaning franchise. “Military veterans feel comfortable managing different systems and processes in high-pressure situations with different teams. They do well in franchising, ”he said.

Resources for veterans

When working with a TES career proprietary coach, there are many resources that can only be explored for the experienced.

• The Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, is a partnership between the military and the US Small Business Association. TAP provides information, tools and training to ensure service members and their spouses are prepared for the next steps in civilian life.
• The Veterans Business Outreach Center offers classes in 22 locations for veterans considering business ownership. They offer a two-day boot-to-business class for veterans only, and a one-day reboot for veterans and their wives.
• Small Business Development Centers are located in each state and provide management support to current and potential small business owners.
• SCORE provides small business advice and training to entrepreneurs through the SBA office, and its volunteers help empower entrepreneurs to succeed.

Learn more about TES
If you are looking for a new way, contact a Career Ownership Coach 6 to learn more about entrepreneurship. For more information on TES, see www.entrepreneursource.comOr see our guidebook, “Your Career 2.0³A Survival Guide for Battered Careers and Investor Syndrome³“

There’s nothing like sitting around with a glass of sparkling wine overlooking the rolling green hills, haystacks and windswept cliffs of South Downs in Sussex, England. While enjoying the beauty of the Sussex landscape I recently enjoyed that view at the Rathfine Wine Estate, one of the newest and largest wineries in England. Just a short trip from London, this durable winery is fast becoming a major hub for English wine tourism.

In addition to learning about sustainable winery practices to improve land and wine, I talked with its founder, Mark and Sarah Driver, and Cameron Roucher, the company’s vineyard manager, about their plans for the company and how they encourage community participation. As a company, Rathfinny values ​​cooperation, creativity and diversity and is committed to building a local skilled workforce while supporting the English wine industry.

Founded in 2010 and spread over 600 acres of land, Rothfini grows its shrubbery in lush soils that are geologically connected to the Champagne region of France, the world-famous sparkling wine-producing region. This, and a moderate climate and unique location, has greatly influenced the rich flavors of their vintage sparkling wines. In the 10 years since the purchase of this agricultural land, the drivers have been recognized for the quality of their products and have made their estate more than just a farm. It has become a restaurant, a manufacturing company and a popular tourist destination As they continue to expand, drivers insist that they will always be aware of how they build their business – how they cultivate their vines or how they treat their employees.

“We have always been very conscious as an employer,” says Sarah. “We wanted to bring people with us and work with our staff. Our mantra is that our employees are the most important asset to us. We really want to take people with us on this journey. “

Rathfini evaluates himself as a people-centered business that puts his community first. By investing in local workforce and engaging with the community through various programs and tourist-driven initiatives, Rathfini’s goal is to create a solid-knit group of people working towards the same goal: to help expand the local economy and create career opportunities. Way

Build a local workforce

At the heart of the Rathfini Wine Estate lies the importance of sustainable practices and their impact on communities around the world. One of the main ways drivers stay connected to their community is to hire local residents whenever possible. As a company expects to receive its B Corp certification next month, they need to consider their impact on legal employees, but drivers have always been motivated to be different in their hiring practices. Rathfinny currently employs about 40 “core” people, and employs 200 or more additional seasonal employees.

Rathfini works with a local recruitment agency to find people who are looking for flexible work schedules. For three to four weeks of the year, vineyards need pruning or pruning. People who take advantage of this opportunity come to different areas of life – from the need for extra money in and around their college courses to finding a hobby outside of their leisure time. “They are our employees, and they are considered part of the family,” says Sarah. “It simply came to our notice then. I am very proud of it, even though it has cost us dearly. “

While drivers are enthusiastic about their hiring practices, it would be confusing not to mention that hiring in this way slows down productivity. On average, pruning 500 vines per day is the measure of a successful vineyard. Using local staff, Rathfini now grows an average of about 150 to 200 herbs per day. “There are experienced crews you can bring in, and we’ve used them occasionally whenever we had time to do something fast,” says Sarah. “The local workforce may be slow, but as the pool of experience grows they will accelerate. Also some still need to be trained, and we need to use our best people to train them.”

Despite the challenges, drivers are proud of what they are doing, and are already seeing the results of their time investment. They have created a group of local, loyal staff that they call “core casual.” Whenever there is an opportunity for work, they come back early. This loyalty is an important part of the workplace that drivers have always hoped to create.

“There’s a lot of friendship here,” Sarah says. “People enjoy coming here because they really like what they are doing, even if it stands in the beauty of the vineyard. I truly believe that everyone has invested in what they are doing. They really care and go the extra mile.”

The goal of the Community Initiative is to support local tourism

Another way Rathfini has chosen to give back to his community is to invest in the future of English wine. Driver sponsored a new research lab in 2014 at Plumpton College in Plumpton, Sussex. Rathfini Research Winery was the first dedicated viticulture and onology research center in England.

Critics have occasionally questioned England’s place in the wine industry, but the truth is that Sussex’s sparkling wines are losing champagne to regular international awards. The goal of building a strong research institution is to support England as a credible and innovative wine producing region and to train the next generation of English viticulturists and wine makers.

While making its mark in an emerging industry, drivers also strive to make Sussex, England a major center for wine tourism. Sussex is already well known for its extensive landscape, and as such, South Downs National Park was established in 2010. The South Downs, also known as the “Gateway to England”, stretches over 600 miles and has a dramatic chalk cliff overlooking the English Channel. Known as the Seven Sisters, Cliffs attracts a host of Asian tourists because the number 7 is considered lucky in China and features a number of Chinese and Korean celebrities. Rathfini wine labels include an outline of cliffs.

Also, artists and winemakers have always been attracted to Sussex for its inspiring and creeper-friendly countryside. “We’ve worked that, in fact, what attracted the artists to the area was the landscape – the South Downs. And what attracted wine growers to the area was the unique geological features of the South Downs, “says Mark.” So we thought, ‘What a wonderful combination of banana, wine and landscape.’

Rathfiny has partnered with other Sussex vineyards and wineries, as well as industrial establishments around the area and South Downs National Park to create Sussex Modern Enterprises. This collaboration brings together 36 destinations that all define the county’s modern, independent consciousness. From other wineries in this growing wine region to well-known art exhibitions including the Bloomsbury Group’s Charleston House, Ditchling Museum and Towner Gallery, Sussex Modern helps create a variety of experiences for tourists connected to Sussex’s South England. On their website, you can plan your trip to South Downs – enjoy a wine tour, have some lunch, go to an art show and go on a trip.

Located just an hour outside London, Rathfini hopes such community efforts will help make Sussex a global destination for tourists. Rathfinny already receives 40,000 visitors a year, and many times more than the total for the entire region. There are economic costs to wine tourism: domestic tourists who visit the wine region spend an average of 40% more than the average tourist; Foreign tourists who visit the wine region spend more than 80%.

Outside of economic benefits, drivers hope to share the region’s natural beauty and opportunities with visitors.

“We want them down here,” Mark said. “We want them to share this beautiful landscape. We want to influence them. We want to show them what else they can do. ”

“People will often write and say how proud they are to have it in their community,” said Sarah. “They love to visit our vineyards. We have a lot of repeat visitors. ”

The Covid-19 epidemic has significantly affected the way we conduct business over the past two years.

Strict measures were taken by our government to ensure our safety and the safety of others, and for many of us, it has become the biggest exercise for working from home.

For many companies, remote work is a brand new concept and one where employee recruitment rules no longer work.

At its core, employee engagement is the employee’s emotional commitment to the organization and its goals. By applying Abraham Maslow’s “classification of needs,” we see the needs of physiology, security, ownership, respect, and self-realization.

For example, the feeling of job security falls under the requirements of security and ownership. When this is met, employees can be reassured and focused on bringing their best efforts into their job, knowing that they will be there tomorrow.

Without this security, paranoia and insecurity creep in. And you can expect employees to be less dedicated to doing their best.

With the COVID-19 disruption, how can organizations continue to work in these critical areas and support these critical areas?

Before that, we need to understand what has changed over the years.

What is making the post-epidemic workers busy?

1. Expectations

Not too long ago, job seekers looking for new jobs weren’t too critical.

A good salary and job security were the most important aspects of finding a job.

Nowadays, the generation entering the workplace cares about other things and has different expectations for finding an employer.

People are people, and they want to behave like people, not as employees.

They want to see recognition from their superiors for the work they do and build a good relationship with them.

They want to take care of their physical and mental health because it is so important.

Employees also seek growth and career development and regularly seek feedback on their performance.

Such an emphasis would lead to a win-win situation as research has shown that more employed manpower equals a company’s productivity.

An organization needs managers to be empathetic to its subordinates and to motivate them and build a good relationship with them to get the best results from their team.

2. Digital conversion

The Covid-19 epidemic has also accelerated digital transformation, and many organizations have become wary, especially those who have not relied heavily on digitalisation to survive and thrive.

Companies are being forced to think about future technologies to protect their right to exist, and this involves a painful assessment of what needs to be cut, retained or upgraded.

With digital transformation, the ability to engage with employees increases tenfold.

Just look at the impact on performance reviews. The traditional annual performance review can now be replaced by more frequent check-in. In addition, technology now allows companies to scale their outreach and engagement efforts.

Given the expectation of real-time satisfaction in our daily lives, it is important for companies to integrate the frequencies in their reward systems that one often expects.

3. Employee wellness

According to a report in the Straits Times on 15 November 2021, about 7 out of 10 Singaporeans said that this year was the most stressful at work, with more than half of them struggling with their mental health this year compared to last year.

This is in line with Willis Tower Watson’s 2021 APAC survey on employee experience where 79% of respondents believe that employee wellness is an important driver of a positive employee experience.

These are primarily due to uncertainty about the future and constant changes in the rules of Covid-19.

Burn-outs are no longer exclusive to lawyers and auditors because remote work has almost disappeared with a blurred line between home and office.

What can the company do?

There must be a change of mindset for a start, where companies consider incorporating a new ROI metric centered on employees.

Considering the great resignation, companies need to weigh the financial and time spent in hiring new employees and training them and keeping existing employees happy.

And the choice is a no-brainer-given study that predicts that whenever a business replaces a salaried employee, the average cost is 6 to 9 months.

I call it Employee Engagement ROI.

And to achieve that, companies need to focus on the following areas:

1. Increase motivation and morale

In early 2021, a research survey was conducted to measure morale growth and how it affects the organization.

The study focused on sending personalized symbolic letters of appreciation to social workers. Half of them received letters directly from their directors, others did not.

One month after this general intervention, social workers who received a letter said they felt more valued, recognized and supported by their organization for their work than those who did not.

Which makes employees more satisfied with their organization, more productive and less likely to leave.

And according to the study it is not limited to a hardcopy letter.

A short text message can work exactly the same way, especially when done in a public domain where everyone else will be confidential for recognition.

There are also digital tools that integrate recognition with a reward system and go above and beyond.

For example, Rewardz provides digital solutions like CERRA Points where companies can easily digitize their rewards and recognition programs for employees, sales channel partners and customers.

2. Choose balance on burnout.

In a work engagement study on the hotel industry at the University of Brauizaya Indonesia, researchers found that work stress created due to work stress had a significant effect on turnover intentions.

The results of this survey suggest that hotels should pay more attention to the tasks assigned to them according to their ability so that the employees are not overwhelmed and they can complete these tasks in the best possible, timely manner and create a strategy. Relieve employee stress during work

Another thing that can be deployed is to support employees with a structured mental wellness initiative, which may include issues.

• Boundary between work and leisure time – do not expect immediate answers outside of office hours
• Free access to a meditation app that encourages everyday reflection
• Weekly guided journaling practice
• For employees working remotely, one zoom-free half-day per week to reduce screen time intensity.
• Include mental health days in the company’s medical vacation policies to encourage self-care.
• Easy access to mental health resources.

3. Enable leadership confidence

It can be intimidating for managers accustomed to measuring performance based on observation when employees are not working within their vision.

But if it only leads to micro-management, you are trying to control the inputs when you cannot observe them.

A good way is to measure the output, which can only happen when trust exists.

It also represents a transition from the previous top-down approach to a partnership system, somewhat like marriage.

And like a married couple who trust each other, trusting takes time and effort.

Companies can start by having frequent check-ins and transparent conversations between directors, managers and employees to feel included in what is happening within the organization.

Another advantage of having frequent team meetings is that an uninterrupted feedback loop can be set up, where employees continually improve their work through open communication with management.

These exercises will increase employee engagement and help companies retain employees in the long run.

Conclusion

Although many organizations had difficulty adjusting their management style during COVID-19, lessons learned about employee engagement will positively change employee mentality.

And in today’s context, it’s easier than ever to use digital tools to help your employees scale engagement initiatives and build a closer connection between recognition and rewards.

Covid-post, sensitive connections and new habits and rules that are created between employees and their work will reduce employee turnover, increase productivity and motivate.

To encourage these connections, senior management and C-Suite need to adapt and rethink their current work culture.

Jewelry appraisal is an exciting and fascinating subject, and more people than you might think need a professional appraiser. And don’t think that it’s only the very rich who need to evaluate the most valuable jewelry. You can be one of those people without knowing the evening.

Why evaluate jewelry?

Most people believe that inheritance is the number one reason to evaluate their jewelry. Legacy appraisals reflect about 30% of customers, but inheritance appraisals are more than insurance appraisals – much more. About 60% of all written assessments in the United States are for insurance purposes only. Evaluating for your favorite engagement ring or your grandma’s watch is crucial to getting your insurance for potential loss or theft. Without accurate records on file, retribution is almost impossible.

Liquidation is another reason people see an evaluator. It is very common for siblings or family members to inherit jewelry collection together. In most cases, they have little or no knowledge of the value of each item. One member of the family prefers to keep the jewelry for emotional reasons while the other wants to sell it all, cash out and leave. Very often, this business is done within a family in exchange for cash or other inherited assets. That’s when the evaluator comes. Based on the valuation of the liquidation value, jewelry can be exchanged or purchased without risk of excitement within the group of heirs.

Evaluation process and evaluator

Assessment is a sophisticated, interesting and highly scientific process. A good appraiser will have a lot of art experience and a lot of knowledge about jewelry history, jewelry materials, gemstones, manufacturing and design. Industry-leading appraisers are also very familiar with coins and watches. A recognition as a graduate gemologist by the American Gemological Institute is important in selecting an evaluator. Furthermore, membership of the American Gem Society, the American Gem Trade Association, or the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers may be a good sign that the appraiser is qualified and trustworthy.

The first step any evaluator will take for free is a brief review of all your items. Each piece of jewelry does not warrant a written assessment. Consumers should consider that a well-done assessment always takes 25 to 45 minutes. Accuracy is the key to this business, and if you pay $ 50 to $ 100 for a high professional statement, you can expect the right paperwork.

Be aware: a handwritten assessment made in just a few minutes will not be accepted by your insurance company. Most of these cheap assessments will not come with proper photo documentation. They rush these tasks to get you a small fee, but not even the price of the appraisal paper. An accurate assessment work is characterized by a rigorous process of evaluating and verifying the current situation.

It is important to understand that there is a big difference between written assessment for the purpose of insurance or liquidation and assessment of jewelry buyer. There is a different way to calculate the price of a jewelry buyer, because they need to take a timely resale into consideration. Those who own a loupe and digital scale can evaluate a very basic jewelry at home. The digital scale is especially important, since most gold jewelry (excluding mounted diamonds) is priced based on its weight. A good working digital scale Can be ordered for just a few dollars and can do the job just fine.

Material

The material is usually the first thing that needs to be investigated and verified. The type of metal can often point the evaluator in the right direction. Symbols such as “18K” or “950” may indicate high-end jewelry; Signs like “9K” or “375” indicate that something was made in Great Britain; And signs like “10K” or “416” indicate that the manufacturer is trying to save money on used materials. Unfortunately, just because a certain symbol is present does not mean that it is a valid stamp. The last decade has been shaped by many, many imitation jewels from Asia and South America. Easy to mark with any metal, any jewelry, any stamp. This is why many buyers pay good money for some pretty worthless pieces. Fake is something but unusual, and a professional appraiser will own the right equipment to test your item. Activate and request the use of an X-ray machine to determine the metal quality during the evaluation process. If an evaluator has an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, you know that the one you are working with is on the latest technology in the field.

If you find that an evaluator is working with acids to test the metal of an item, you may question the ability to work with high-end jewelry. There is nothing wrong with acid testing in general. In fact, people have been using nitric acid since the Middle Ages to test the authenticity of gold. It was and still is a very common way to test gold, but it is not the perfect way to test fine jewelry. For an acid test the evaluator will need to scratch a stone ornament and then apply the acid to the friction to see if the piece is acid tolerant. It takes a good deal of pressure to scratch through the potential coating for a proper test. This can damage the jewelry, resulting in an unwanted repair.

Once the material, quality, and designer or manufacturer is verified, any diamond, colored stone, or pearl can be examined in the evaluating part.

Diamonds, colored stones and pearls

Diamonds, colored stones and pearls can be very valuable. It is important to know that the secondary market for jewelry has changed a lot in the last five to ten years. Although the price of average and low quality small stones has decreased significantly, large high quality stones have become more expensive. Another thing to consider is that the diamond market has been hit by a new trend: diamonds made by labs. Chemically, natural and lab-made diamonds are exactly the same, but because natural mined diamonds are rare, they are more valuable than stones made in a laboratory. Lab-made diamonds and colored stones had and still have a huge impact on everyday jewelry. Consumers of low-cost jewelry, who are more budget-conscious, will not mind saving some money when buying gemstones. As a result, the prices of small diamonds and gemstones came under tremendous pressure. Making gemstones in a laboratory is fairly inexpensive. The most expensive part is cutting that stone. Fortunately, India is well known for their fancy diamond and gemstone cutting. They do a great job of getting India based wages.

An experienced jeweler will have the necessary tools to check if your stone is from a natural source. Using state-of-the-art technology and examining gemstones under a microscope, the evaluator should be able to tell without a doubt whether your stone has been excavated. This is a very important step, as there is a huge price difference between earth-mined diamonds and lab-made diamonds.

After evaluating the origin of your diamond, the evaluator will determine the famous “4Cs”: carat weight, color grade, clarity grade and cut grade. No one factor is more important than the others; It is a combination of the four characteristics that determine the value of your gemstone.

Branding and crafts

Depending on the brand, the designer can also be a significant value factor. Jewelry made by Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels, and many more is the most sought after and most expensive. It takes a very good evaluator to identify duplicates, because duplicates are getting better The “high-end” counterfeit may even come with an original box and counterfeit documents. Sometimes they’re making real gold with real diamonds. But an experienced evaluator knows the small difference between an authentic part and a fake. Make sure your evaluator specifies the authenticity of your piece. Some appraisers try to be vague by saying that a piece has “guessed” this or that brand. Carefully review your assessment before you approve it.

Do I really need an evaluation?

Whether you need a written assessment depends on your personal circumstances. It is important to know that sensitive value cannot be insured for theft or loss. Many people tend to over-insure their jewelry because of their own emotional value Makes them guess a high financial value. But no insurance will pay for this loss. If you own very expensive jewelry without proof of ownership like a detailed purchase receipt, you must evaluate the jewelry. For some insurance programs you need to get an evaluation and update it frequently.

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Thanks to all the frontline heroes for all your sacrifices. However, taking another job (Just Ebove Brock) was no longer a risk as this healthy couple was willing to take the opportunity.

Debbie has spent more than 20 years in customer service, most recently in a big-box home improvement store. In the early days of the epidemic, schools closed their doors and many Americans worked from a distance to help keep the curve flat and safe. To Debbie’s frustration, her workplace was open to business and filled with customers who did not always follow the new safety guidelines. Feeling uncomfortable with only a paper mask as protection, Debbie took a leave of absence and began looking for alternative opportunities.

At the same time, Debbie’s husband Jay took a role away from home as an infectious disease nurse where she spent her days in PPE, covering head to toe, treating covid patients. After serving in the military, Jay played several roles but spent the last 35 years in nursing. Jay’s contributions during the epidemic helped to fatten the eggs in their home and put more options on the table for their future.

A referral linked the couple to Heidi Simos, a career proprietary coach.3 For the entrepreneur’s source³, The country’s leading career coaching franchise. TES offers education-based coaching to help people who create a new course at the turn of their careers. Simos guides his clients free of charge as they discover their goals and determine if they want to find a new job, start a business from scratch or start a franchise.

“I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning. It can be a bit difficult to deal with someone who has a lot of life experience, ”Debbie said. “Heidi was patient and kind. He followed in our every footsteps as we made our decisions. “

Simos began coaching with TES in 2015, spending most of his career as a multi-unit franchise operator at eight learning centers. “Entrepreneur’s source mission³ Resonating with me, I have always loved and wanted to help people, “said Simos. “Because of my desire to make a difference in people’s lives and my love of franchising, I felt I was the right match to be a coach.”

Coaching helps clients set goals

Even before they started their coaching journey, Debbie and Jay had an idea that franchising could achieve their self-sufficiency and financial independence. Initially, Simos helped the couple define their income, lifestyle, assets and equity.3 With their goals in mind, they begin to evaluate flexible, home-based franchise opportunities. Debbie hoped an employer-operator would apply its customer service experience to the opportunity to reduce employee recruitment requirements.

After considering many options, Debbie and J. Florida decided to become entrepreneurs by opening a bunch of covered locations in Volosia, Flagler, and St. John’s County. Gotcha Covered provides customers with custom window treatments, such as blinds, draperies and shutters. The brand applied to Debbie’s customer service background in Home Services. It has achieved the goal of managing a flexible business model with less overhead and limited staff. Currently, Debbie works as the face of the business. He works diligently to help customers retain, book appointments and recommend designs, while J manages the installation. “Hey, that’s why I’m here. I’m glad to be here, “said Debbie.

McAlisters took to the field in May 2021 with their new business and is pleased with the decision to follow the entrepreneurs. People are flocking to Florida for its warm weather and low cost of living. New neighborhoods are being created across the MacAllisters area, helping to drive sales. About 70% of their business comes from new homeowners.

Debbie attributes part of her success to the support she receives from the corporate office and the strong network of her associate Gotcha covered franchise owners. Gotcha Covered helps franchise owners encourage business by offering a new mover marketing program to capture new residents. “New mover marketing has been a huge asset to us,” Debbie added.

Learn more about career ownership coaching3
If you would like to learn more about how coaching can help you achieve the American dream, contact a Career Ownership Coach 6 to learn more about entrepreneurship. For more information about TES, visit www.entrepreneurssource.com, or visit our guidebook, “Your Career 2.0³ A Survival Guide for Battered Careers and Investor Syndrome³“

# Frontline Heroes

Xander Shepherd was smoking outside a joint with his cousins ​​Jack and Max Spohler at the family’s Vermont Thanksgiving gathering in 2016 when three of them looked out the window and the rest of the family were drinking and laughing together in the dining room. Shepherd said they thought about “bringing marijuana to the dinner table” so that the whole family could enjoy the event together. More than a fleeting notion that sounds good because they were high, Cousin’s Reverse started a cannabis beverage business.

“A drink in your hand is universal socializing,” Shepherd said. He said there is a traditional container of alcohol, but “we wanted to make marijuana for the cocktail moment.” The company first entered the market in 2019 with the creation of a Botanical Apparatus art. “Some low doses, wash away the day,” Shepherd said.

Artet’s aperitif, also called Artet, comes in a full 750ml bottle with shot glass so consumers can measure their use of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. (10 mg THC is considered a “service” but many newcomers to marijuana-infected products may experience the effects of low THC.) $ 40 bottles contain 15 servings, each containing 2.5mg THC. A double energy bottle costs $ 48 and each contains 15 THC servings of 5mg.

Entrepreneurs had plenty of mentors to tap into founders from an extended family. Combining marketing, finance and beverage knowledge, their own work experience combined to create a cannabis beverage company. Shepherd worked on a brand strategy for a creative company. Cousin Zach worked at Venture Capital. Cousin Max works for a coconut water company.

Most recently, the California-based company launched pre-made cocktails in packages of four eight-ounce cans that use art as a base. Tet & Tonic combines Artet aperitif with chamomile tonic and lemon. Rosemary combines Jane Artet with grapefruit, rosemary and sparkling water. Coming soon, Mango Ginger Spritz. Each may contain 5mg of THC.

Shepherd said the company started “for the run” in late 2019, but then the epidemic hit. The founders re-grouped by researching digital sales and the best retailers for their products. When they started selling in stores, they partnered with three locations, one for each founder to spend time with.

The drinks are now in stock in 100 stores.

Shepherd said the company’s biggest challenge is staying on the shelves. Only licensed dispensaries (not liquor or grocery stores) can sell marijuana drinks and most were set up before the category existed, so beverages will have to replace items currently sold. Shepherds said drinks usually take up more space in dispensaries than traditional high-value products such as flowers and edibles, so they need to sell more for the same income as more expensive items. In addition, although art drinks are shelf-stable, they will be more ready to eat when cold, which means investing in display refrigerators for retailers.

Growing customer demand will be one of the keys to the company’s long-term success, “said Shepherd.” We want to move from innovation to everyday space.