Why We’re Selling the Soda Fountain

I dropped a bit of a bombshell on social media beforehand…Yes, we’re selling the soda fountain.

The announcement surprised a lot of people and since many of you have been following the soda fountain’s story from the beginning, I wanted to share the behind-the-scenes of this decision today.

In case you need to catch up on our soda fountain journey, check out these:

• We Bought a 107 Year Old Restaurant (video)
• Getting Ready to Restore a 1920’s Restaurant (video)
• I’ve Owned a Restaurant for 60 Days. Here’s What I’ve Learned (podcast)
• Soda Fountains, Small Towns, and Life Lessons (podcast)

When we initially purchased the soda fountain, we knew we wouldn’t keep it forever.

Our mission was to breathe new life into the crumbling building, restore it to its former glory, and ensure it’d last another 100 years.

After an agonizing 1.5 years of extreme remodeling, refining the menu, creating systems, and revamping every single part of the business, we accomplished that mission.

Whew.

And then… Christian and I were faced with a choice. We had completed Phase One. Should we continue on with Phase Two, or give that opportunity to someone else?

We discussed it for many, MANY months.

But when I read 10x is Easier than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Ben Hardy at the end of last year, I knew I had my answer.

The premise of the book is that while 2X growth seems easier than 10X growth, the opposite is actually the case.

Why?

Because 10X goals (aka “impossible” goals) force you outside your current level of knowledge and the assumptions holding you back.

(I know… I had to chew on it for a while, too).

But there is a catch:

You can’t 10x everything in your life at once. The process of 10xing requires you to be ruthless with your focus and do radically FEWER things BETTER.

“Going 10x means your attention is directly on far less,” writes Ben, “But it’s insanely more potent and impactful before it’s focused rather than spread thin.”

That was a major “OUCH” for me as Christian and I have been the dictionary definition of “spread thin” over the past few years.

There are MANY moving pieces in our life and they are all GOOD things. But sometimes… the good can be the enemy of the great.

…especially when we’re talking about focus… As Ben writes, “The great human bottleneck is attention.”

I can attest to that. Many days, it feels like my attention is split 19 different ways. And it creates a dynamic where the work I’m producing is a lesser quality since I’m forced to jump from business to business to business all day long.

So after many MANY hours of conversation, Christian and I knew what had to happen… it was time to let the soda fountain go to someone else.

And it’s bittersweet.

I’ve loved owning it for the past 3 years. It’s been a joy to watch it transform, grow in popularity, and bring our community together.

But it also has a TON of untapped potential, and in order to take it to the next level, it needs someone who can invest their full time and attention into it.

If I didn’t have multiple other businesses, I’d keep it in a heartbeat.

So that’s the scoop. We aren’t moving or leaving Chugwater. We plan to stay very involved in the community and are very much invested in its success.

And in case you’re reading this and feel an inkling that the soda fountain could be your next adventure, here’s a quick overview of the business itself:

• It’s located in southeast Wyoming
• We are selling the real estate (6 city lots, plus 2404 sq. ft. building) and the business itself as a combined package
• It is profitable and completely turnkey operational. BUT, it will be most profitable with an owner/operator— someone who can be involved in the business on a day-to-day capacity. An absentee owner wouldn’t work.
• There is SO much untapped potential for growth here. I’ve created a document outlining the strategies we’d be employing if we were keeping it and I’m happy to share that with prospective buyers.

You can see the full description HERE. I’m also happy to answer questions via email (but serious inquiries only, please)

Sometimes pruning is painful, but it’s a good thing. I’m excited to see the next phase of the soda fountain and watch it grow even more.

Thanks for following along on this ride.

Continuing to Streamline,

-Jill

P.S. 10x is Easier than 2x is one of those books that completely changes how you look at EVERYTHING after you read it. If you’re someone with big goals & too many irons in the fire, I highly recommend it!