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5 00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:12,045 It's your business.

With Michael Aikens is brought to you by WCTE, PBS, and the Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation, with funding provided by the Rural Reimagine Grand Challenge and the Tennessee Rural Development Fund.

In some circles, there can be a stigma about starting up a new business in a rural area.

Some believe that the frequent foot traffic and bustling activity of the bigger cities are the places you want to be to have success.

However, if you have the right business plan and a product or service with the right appeal for your customers, the rural areas of the Upper Cumberland can be the perfect recipe for success.

In this episode, we'll learn how two businesses in our area have found that perfect recipe for success and are thriving in their beautiful and peaceful corners of the Upper Cumberland.

♪♪ For many people, it's virtually impossible to get their day started without that first hot cup of Joe to get them going.

Well, in Carthage, Tennessee, Virginia Alexander and Susan Solimine, realizing the importance of a nice hot cup of coffee, decided to bring more than that hot cup of Joe to the people of Carthage.

Rockabilly coffee specializes in providing their customers with handcrafted coffees, teas, and even delicious homemade pastries to help get their day started off right.

We're in downtown Carthage, Tennessee at the Hustle and Bustle and rockabilly coffee shop.

Talking with Virginia Alexander and Susan Solimine Welcome to the show.

Thank you for having us.

So let's get started with the basics.

Tell us about your business.

It was a dream that started when I was a teenager.

So I had just always wanted to live.

Grew up here in Carthage and always wanted to open a little shop.

There wasn't a lot for people to do.

Then I moved away, went to school.

Didn't really have intentions of coming back to Smith County.

And then just realized the importance of community.

Decided, okay, I really want to do this one day.

It was always on my bucket list.

And in my dream boards and whatever.

And then when Covid hit, I was able to have a little bit more time to put a business plan together because I figured it was now or never.

I need to at least know if it works on paper.

Then you know we'll go forward.

If not, I can just pack it up.

Mom had always said she would, be my baker, so she.

But she said she needed me to do it sooner rather than later.

And so we put everything together, and the stars just kind of aligned with getting a building, and, you know, unfortunately, a lot of businesses were closing due to Covid, but it benefited us because we were able to get a lot of equipment and things at a better rate that were gently used.

So you're right here on Main Street, hustle and bustle.

Customers come in and customers hanging out, having conversations.

What is it that a customer expects?

What is it that they're going to get and why do they want to come here?

A lot of them tell me they love the atmosphere.

They love that we remember their names, which we try really hard to, and we ask about their lives and stuff.

And we we've got a quality product.

We've not changed our quality since we opened.

And you know, we just they just love hanging out.

They feel comfortable here.

Feels homey.

So I've had a lot of them tell me that.

So what can they expect to actually get here?

Now, clearly we've got coffee, but I believe there's a little bit more to walk us through.

What all you offer.

So we have a full espresso bar.

We use an espresso machine, which is made in Florence, Italy.

That was really important to me when opening.

That's the first espresso machine that I had worked on when I was younger.

And just the quality of espresso that it yields is so much better in my opinion.

But we offer seasonal drinks, so we have our classics like white chocolate mocha, just regular Americano.

Things like that.

But then every month, we switch up to do seasonal things and then mom does all of her baking so she can talk more about that.

Well, cinnamon roll is our signature pastry, I guess you call it.

So we have those every day and we have scones every day.

And then I bake a coffee cake or muffins or cookies, whatever recipe comes across that sounds good to me.

And so every day customers come in to see what's new.

Now, do you have a history in baking?

Yes.

My mother had five kids, four of us girls, and she taught us all to bake from scratch.

You never bought anything from a mix.

If you did, you looked over her shoulder to see what she was watching.

But, So she taught us that early on, and, you know, it just.

I've always baked, but, I, I find I really enjoy it, you know, looking for new recipes and trying different things.

When I look around on the walls, we've got all kinds of great artwork.

We've got the wishing wall.

Talk us through.

You know, the esthetics of the place.

And really, why did you make it like you did?

So coffee and art has had a long relationship.

I feel like it's any coffee shop you go to.

You see and feel this creative aspect of it, whether it's through the latte art itself or just the vibe of a lot of coffee shops.

The first year that we were here, we didn't have a lot of art on the walls at all.

We were just getting the business going and figuring out all of the logistics of that.

And then, we actually had a man approached us, a local artist, and asked about, you know, if we'd ever wanted to do that.

And I was like, yeah, absolutely.

That's something I've always wanted to do.

I just haven't had the time, haven't had the initiative to like, put that out.

And since then, we have not had to advertise once that we even need artist, they've all come to us wanting to get on the list.

So let's take a turn and talk really about the inner workings of the business.

So let's kind of start at the beginning.

You've already mentioned that, you know, you started right around Covid.

You were able to get better prices and stuff.

But let's take it even further back than that.

Well, she called me in the middle of Covid and I had a full time job and she said, okay, we're doing it.

I was like, okay, yeah.

And I told my husband, I said, okay, we're doing it.

But I said, we may run through our savings.

We we just had no idea what it would look like here because, you know, there's a lot of people that just want black coffee and a biscuit.

You know, we just we just went in blind.

And from there we, you know, did the business stuff as far as getting a loan.

And like she said, I bought my mixer for my cinnamon rolls at a estate auction.

It was brand new in the box, you know, but it was still like it was meant to be.

Like, there it is.

So, and we did have a year from the time we announced to the time we opened, for construction, because a lot of old buildings and downtowns across the Upper Cumberland are, are not necessarily neglected, but haven't been utilized.

There was a small downturn in these the older historic downtowns where businesses weren't really thriving and they weren't even existing.

Really.

It was fine.

It was historic preservation.

It was, you know, an unearthing all the things, you know, like we've got a fireplace that's behind us and behind the espresso bar, and we didn't know that that was there.

So, you know, seeing those things as you're taking all of the building apart to build it back up was really fun.

Her husband said, well, I've never seen a business plan that's not going to make money.

Yeah, we were very, very conservative.

With our business plan going in.

We worked with the, with Tyler at the Small Business Development Center when he was still working there to kind of get things going, and we were just very conservative.

I had asked other businesses in town, like, how many customers do you see coming in on a regular basis and not even realizing that we're going to be the only coffee shop in a 20 to 30 mile radius?

We were just basing it on what's going on in town and not realizing that we were filling a gap.

And so here we sit several years later, just in this interview.

People are in and out and in and out.

And that's wonderful.

Obviously you want that for a business, but you know, when you're running a business, there's all things more than just coffee and baked goods to think about.

You've got employees, you've got inventory, you've got rent.

How are you all managing all of that?

It has definitely been a growing process.

I mean, we can tell we started off with the idea that we wouldn't need employees, right?

We had a there was a little nook in the back in the kitchen, and her husband said, well, you need to save this for employees.

And we laugh.

We're like, oh, we're doing this ourselves.

You know?

Again, conservative business plan.

Didn't think so.

And I'm also quite a bit older.

So after two weeks, I, I was I stood at the kitchen sink and I said I can't my whole body hurt.

She's like, mom, we'll get help.

We'll get.

Yeah.

And and we did we and we've had great help, you know.

And the girls have just been wonderful.

Yeah.

It became very like, you know, very quickly.

Okay, we need to get some employees.

And thankfully we had some friends and family that were willing to step in and come on the payroll, you know, and that was one of my first things when we started.

The business plan was get an accountant.

Even if it's just you and me, we need an accountant.

And he has been a huge help to us, especially when I was like, we're going to hire.

And he's like, okay, well, you know, you don't have to worry about this if you don't have this many employees.

It's like, we'll never have more than that.

It's fun.

And then we went, now I'm like, okay, well, we have way more than that now.

And so we have continued to grow and make it where, you know, my thought process was, I'm going to be making coffee every day.

And now there's days where I'm just in my office or I'm working from home because I just need to catch up on paperwork.

You don't realize how much paperwork there is in taxes and filings and all those things that have to be monitored.

And just, you know, understanding all the lingo of profit and loss and, you know, all of those things that you're trying to manage.

Absolutely.

So I got to ask mother daughter business owners, what's the dynamic?

Well, I will say she is her father's daughter.

So to me that works because we're not we're so different.

Like she's a leader, I'm a follower, I'm a good helper.

But she does more of the leadership and so that works.

And she also doesn't tell me what to bake or, you know, and I don't tell her how to make coffee.

Bad thing is, she does know how to read people so she can tell when I'm not in the best moods.

And and I can't hide that from her.

But but it's really I feel like it's worked really well.

It has.

We have our moments and like, the girls will we'll know when we're getting on each other's nerves because people will come in and be like, oh my gosh, your mom is so sweet.

I'm like, yeah, she's precious.

And it's like when I say that they know, like, oh, they're in an argument.

But and you know, so they'll say things like, oh yes, she's busy.

She's a leader.

You know, it's like we'll just have these little remarks about each other.

But most of the time it does flow really well.

And you know, we learn to work together.

We've learned to communicate better.

Well, last question for you.

We look back.

Let's look to the future.

What does the future hold for rockabilly?

Well, I probably retired, but I mean, I look at it to grow because I know her and I know how she works.

And so I do look at their possibly be a second location or a coffee truck that we can take to events.

Well, it seems clear to me that the future is certainly bright.

Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedule for being on the show, ladies.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now, I may be biased, but I don't think there are many places that can compare to the natural beauty of the Upper Cumberland.

And one of those places that definitely stands out is Fall Creek Falls State Park.

Realizing the amazing beauty their area had to offer, Gage, and Aly farmer, saw the opportunity to start a business by giving people a cozy, tucked away place to stay while being in close proximity to this amazing state park right down the road.

We're here in Spencer, Tennessee, talking with Allie and Gage Farmer, owners of Folk Stays.

Aly, Gage, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having us.

So Folk Stays.

So let's start out with the basics.

Tell us what do you do.

So Folk Stays is a short term rental company.

And we have four locations currently.

So we host people from all over the country.

So your short term rental company and that means of course, you know, we're standing in one of your properties right now, but you have more than just this.

Walk us through a little bit of, you know, what properties you have where they are.

So we have the four properties.

Our first one is the coil house.

It's a A-frame located in Sequatchie County, also in Sequatchie County.

We have a container home.

And then on this property we have this treehouse brand, and we have another, home called Crane's Cabin.

Very cool.

So I can't help but notice that's all bird themed.

Tell me a little bit about that.

Yeah, so every one of our houses are bird themed.

So everything you see here was pulled directly from the bird that we use to theme the houses, from the color to the tile to the type of material we use.

So how long have you all been doing this?

And more importantly, what gave you the idea to do short term rentals?

We've been doing it for about four years now.

And short term rentals has partially been a goal of mine for about 15 years, actually come up with the idea in school.

And I started college as an architect major, and that kind of transitioned to graphic design.

Just because I enjoy design.

So I started graphic design business and that did well.

And that led into our real estate career, something that really inspired us when we first started dating, we really liked, traveling and going to different cabins and stuff and taking photos and dreaming of having those cabins one day.

So you're dreaming about having the cabins and, you know, fast forward a few years, you have them now, how did you really go from graphic design and dreaming to actually owning this?

Walk me through that journey?

A lot of it was research.

I spent years just researching YouTube videos, books.

Anything you could think of, learning every aspect of real estate.

I really didn't want to jump in without knowing I was going to succeed.

The reason we landed on short term rentals is because we're very creative people, and I wanted to have a lot more meaning behind our real estate journey.

And so doing short term rentals let us be creative and let us do exactly what we wanted.

So you've got the dream.

You're very creative people.

You've got this idea of what you know, these short term rentals may look like, how did you actually go from the dream to building?

I see these blueprints on the walls.

There had to be so much work involved in that.

We started actually with a remodel.

We didn't build our first house.

We were looking and looking and looking and we just happened to find an A-frame.

And we were like, I think we can do this.

So we went and looked at it, and as soon as we walked in the house, I just knew in my heart that that was our house.

And so we spent nine months remodeling it.

And that was are like, like we can actually do this moment.

And there's not we specialize in unique homes and there's not many on the market.

And so that's how we got led into building.

We wanted to build things that other people couldn't find.

And before that actually we bought a bus and turned it into a tiny home.

And we bought a bus, a van and an RV.

It kind of all spread out and done that.

So that's really where I learned that skills at.

And like she said, then we found the A-frame.

And that was really to put my skills and her design and stuff into action.

So you all are designing the concepts for these.

Are you physically doing the work yourself?

A lot of the work I do do, we're starting to get away from that.

But at the very beginning, definitely where we're located, there wasn't really many people, interested or have the knowledge to build homes like we have.

So I do do a lot of the finished work.

We do all the design work, but framing and stuff like that, we hire out.

Right now you've got these four properties.

You're also conveniently located very close to Fall Creek Falls State Park.

I would imagine that people are coming down here to go to the park.

What else are the other reasons that people really want to stay here is versus a hotel or something like that?

I think what we offer is a big selling point.

At a hotel, you're not getting a curated experience.

And here we we really try to give a unique experience and be a great host.

And we provide, you know, coffee and snacks and popcorn and all of that kind of stuff on top of all the amenities we have, you know, hot tubs and outdoor showers and, you know, we even provide like lager detergent and all of those things that you don't get at a hotel.

We want to make sure we're not just a place to sleep.

We want our house to be a place.

You come and you're spending a majority of your time here because we have so much to do here.

So I'm a prospective customer, right?

I think I want to stay here.

I go to your booking site, maybe Airbnb.

How are you managing all these different ways for people to actually book?

Tell us about that.

So we are listed on Airbnb, Vrbo and have a direct booking site.

So through the system they have a thing called I calendar.

It's so you pretty much put your link to every calendar in each system.

It's so when somebody books on a direct booking site, it blocks on other calendars.

And so it really takes care of itself, for you.

And so we have one place that we can look at, and they'll tell us when the guest is coming and where they're coming from and where they booked at.

Well, let's talk about maintenance.

What does that look like?

You know, above and beyond just stocking things.

You know, you've got four properties.

I own one house.

That's enough maintenance to begin with.

How are you dealing with four?

We rely heavily on our cleaner to let us know when things are, broke or need attention.

A lot of the maintenance is little things.

One good thing about short term rentals is we're in here a couple times a week, so we get to come in and, unlike long term rentals where you might not be there for months, you know, short term rentals, there's a lot of attention to give.

So a lot of the maintenance is just little things, you know, like our hot tubs and outdoor showers also require a lot of maintenance and chemicals.

And we're constantly checking those chemicals and making sure, you know, we don't have any frozen pipes during the winter and stuff like that.

So you got maintenance, you got properties to take care of.

You've got guests and hospitality.

You also have to have a life.

How do you balance work and life and married life?

I think a big thing is systems.

We try to put a lot of systems in place.

We have cleaners that work for us.

We have our booking site that does most of our scheduling and and other than that, we try to make sure everything's in place before they get here.

Similar question married couple doing business together.

What's the dynamic like?

It's been really good.

He takes the lead when it comes to the building and stuff.

I help out when I can, but we have a son now, so I've stayed home a lot.

I do a lot of help with the design and picking out the paint and things like that, and I help with the social media and the messaging.

But when it comes to hands on and the maintenance, he does all of that.

So we've really divided and he knows his roles.

I know my roles.

I also think that it helps that we're on the same page.

We have very similar styles.

Our designs.

Yeah.

Similar goals, similar styles.

So we don't butt heads a lot like most people do on construction.

You know, even even if there is something that we might not agree on, we we talk about it, we figure it out.

And in the long run, it always works out and we make the right decision.

What I'd like to know now is you all have been doing this for about four years.

I believe you said so.

Thinking back to when it all started.

You're doing the tiny home.

You're, you know, doing graphic design.

What do you know now that you wish that you really knew then?

I think at the very beginning, I, I probably took on too much work.

And so if I could put the systems I have in place now at the very beginning, I feel like it would have made the beginning stages a lot easier.

Like our cleaners, we cleaned our own homes for a while, and that put a lot of strain on our family life and our at home life.

Because it's a lot of work.

And so I go back, I would have probably hired a cleaner a little bit sooner.

I would have hired a lot of stuff out there I didn't back then, and that would have helped.

But at the same time, to probably save some money, taught you some lessons.

Yeah.

So speaking of lessons, you all are business owners.

You've been doing this for a few years.

Maybe somebody is watching this show right now that's thinking, you know what, I could start a business, whether it's short term properties or something completely unrelated, what advice would you provide to them?

I think that you should do your due diligence, but don't be too scared to start, because a lot of times you get hung up on all the small details and a lot of times it just takes that first step to get the ball rolling and that's the hardest step.

So if you could just take that leap, do do your research and be confident and get started now instead of later, and go into it knowing that you're going to succeed.

Whatever obstacles you run into, just work through them and you'll you'll do it.

Yeah, I'm willing to bet you all I've got some plans for the future.

Yeah.

So we also do long term rentals.

So right now we just bought, old car wash. That's abandoned.

And, we always like to do unique things.

So we're currently making that into studio apartments.

And we also have plans on this property for more short term rentals.

And we've kind of started talking about another one.

So many, many things in the works.

Well, Gage, Aly, thank you so much for being on the show.

Thank you for having us.

Yeah.

Hi there.

My name is Kelly Hunter, the statewide coordinator for Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation.

Are you a business owner that is overwhelmed by the requirements you need to apply for grants?

Or are you struggling to showcase your value to your community?

Whether you're a business owner, a nonprofit organization, or a public institution, understanding your economic impact is crucial to long term success or gaining potential funding.

An economic impact analysis can provide the data to support your claims for continued and future success.

Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation is here to help you create an economic impact analysis and report.

This analysis is a fascinating way to understand how a business like yours affect our community.

You might be asking, what is an economic impact analysis and why is it so important?

Economic impact analysis is a powerful tool that helps us understand the profound influence a business has on its local community.

So let's break it down.

There are three categories of economic impact direct, indirect, and induced.

Direct impacts are the most visible.

These are immediate effects your business has on the local economy.

Think about salaries you pay the goods and services you purchase and the taxes you contribute.

These are all direct results.

However, there's more to the story.

Indirect impacts come into play which are the ripple effect is your business interacts with other local businesses.

For example, when you purchase supplies, the suppliers business grows and they hire more employees.

That's indirect impact.

And finally there are induced impacts.

These represent the changes in consumer spending.

When your employees and employees of businesses, you support spend their earnings within the community.

Let's talk about why do you need to conduct an economic impact analysis?

Well, it starts with data.

You'll need information on your revenue, expenses, payroll and other financial details.

But here's the good news if you're missing some data, don't worry, because our team can help fill in those gaps for you.

We can help estimate the missing information and tailor the analysis to your specific industry to provide a precise assessment of your economic impact.

Understanding economic impact analysis is essential for measuring the effects your business has on your local community.

Direct, indirect, and induced impacts are all a part of the story, and the data you need can be gathered and estimated with the help of experts like Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation.

To get started on your economic impact analysis today, contact Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation.

Thank you so much for joining us.

And we hope that you've learned that entrepreneurship doesn't have to be a scary venture.

When you have the necessary resources for success at your fingertips.

If you'd like more information on today's topics, please visit the WCTE website.

To learn more about free business resources and expert assistance, visit the Business Resource Collective website.

Until next time, I'm Michael Aikens.

♪♪ It's Your Business with Michael Aikens is brought to you by WCTE, PBS, and the Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation, with funding provided by the Rural Reimagine Grand Challenge and the Tennessee Rural Development Fund.

This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.