The Great GORP Project

Sometimes we have to do the work even though we don't yet see a glimmer on the horizon that it's actually going to be possible. - Angela Davis

 

I feel like this quote applies equally to child rearing, marriage AND business! It's all about doing "the thing" every day, over and over again without sight of the reward. To me, this embodies the essence of GRIT. The elusive definition and understanding of the word has been explored in business books, and in the realm of psychology with countless studies, all trying to understand and pinpoint the reasons why some people can persevere through adversity and others emerge broken. Heavy talk for a Friday afternoon. . .but there it is. 

And why oh why am I choosing to emerge from my blogging hiatus with this sober topic. . .well. . .it's because that's exactly where I'm at:) Maybe not the most appropriate place for a happy face. . .but :)

My vision for GORP has often clashed with reality. While the business has grown is has also been in a constant state of struggle the entire time. We started in the basement of my home with maybe 30 stores in our first year and now we've been on the market for almost 7 years, and are distributed across our amazing country. It's been hard to see it as a success (and maybe it's not!) because it's NEVER made sense or felt remotely easy, not once. I'm beginning to wonder if this is normal?! I often think the "clash" in my vision and reality is really a truth point. An invitation to grow. . .in which case my opportunities seem to be endless! lol! The news and our social media feeds are filled with stories of seemingly overnight successes that have reached crazy revenue streams or followers or impact in 30 flipping seconds or less. . . "in just 5 simple steps". . .I try not to read those anymore. . .my journey is not overnight and I need to be ok with that. Whether we are struggling to keep our heads above water in our home lives, marriages or businesses, (and I'm in the middle of trying to do all three) I think what we need to remember is that we don't have to do what we've always done. While the struggle is real, so to speak, and there is definitely an element of necessary struggle, I think there is also a tipping point we need to recognize and identify as an invitation to pivot and move in a new direction. One of the hardest things in this FLIPPING world to do. C-H-A-N-G-E. It hurts. I'm right in the middle of this metamorphosis and have come face to face with the stark realization that doing what I've always done will get me what I've always gotten, which to be quite honest is more stress than is healthy for me. So here I sit. What now? Well, I've decided to blog regularly again for the exercise of accountability through this process. . .to myself. And if there's one other person out there that my journey can inspire. . .awesome. 

First things first. How to not wake up with a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. Sorry if this sounds dark. (eeek!) There is a HUGE amount of love and gratitude in my heart. . .but if I'm going to be honest, this is how I wake up. . .like I'm already late. . .already behind the 8 ball. "Well look at that, you failed before you even got out of bed. . .nice work Colleen." Yeah, not the nicest way to greet the day. So now comes the hard part, I have to DO something different. My personality is go big or go home, and I'd usually convince myself that I'm going to wake up at 5 am and put in an amazing, grueling, hardcore 1 hour workout. Instead, I'm committing to waking up at 6:30 and going for a 30 minute walk with my dog. No music, no phone, no self-help motivational podcasts. Just me, my dog and my God. The only expectation is that I put on my runners and walk for 15 minutes, turn around and come back. My chronic over achieving personality is cringing at this simple goal, why not hit 10 birds with one stone by walking the dog, listening to a self help podcast, praying, applying make-up and getting a workout in all at the same time?? Maybe squeeze in a call to my sister while I'm at it?! I'm pretty sure that's what got me here. . .and it's time to chart a new course. . .I'm SO NOT allergic to hard work, but I have to believe that there is a way to feel peace while I'm working hard. I have a feeling this is going to be a long road. I'm just working on getting out of bed right and it already feels pretty epic!

So after figuring out how to wake up, I think I'll tackle my wardrobe next. I've been inspired by this #project333 movement on instagram.(look it up!) The whole premise is to pick 33 pieces of clothing, pack the rest away and wear only those pieces for 3 months. Learning to live with less. . .awesome. . .but not my prime motivation for trying this out. I have read a lot about decision paralysis and if we can limit the amount of decisions we make in a day (this REALLY works well with food too. . .but that's for another post) then our brains can spend more time and energy on the big ideas, on solving problems, on the stuff that keeps us up at night! Exciting stuff:) 

Weekend well all. . .tomorrow my only goal is to wake up right. Should be easy. . .?

 

 

Our GORP VIDEO:)

Video time:)

So the link above will bring you to our GORP VIDEO:) It's a place I go when I'm looking for solid ground. Some happy music and a reminder of my "WHY" is needed every so often when the days get long and the complications of life, motherhood and running a business all fall heavy on my little weak shoulders;) LOL. . .yup. .. had to come to terms with the truths of my physiological make up this year. .. but that's another story. . .(I'm a freakishly strong amazon woman. ..  in my head. . .apparently. . .come on!!!;)

It's been an interesting month of mistakes (BIG EMBARRASSING social media disasters/lessons) and honours (being nominated for the mompreneur of the year award. . .and some cool (FREE) publicity. . .thanks Global TV and CTV Winnipeg:) 

This month we will hire our VERY FIRST OFFICIAL sales person. . .which is pretty crazy. . .up until now our customers have literally been doing the selling for us and they deserve a break;) We are honoured and astounded at the passionate ambassadors and loyal following our little company has managed to attract. . .and now we will work harder than ever to keep our customers coming back for more:)

We are coming up to a big milestone for us. . .the sale of our millionth bar!!!!!! WHAT!???!! Updates to come:) We will also be venturing into the USA for the first time ever??!! A tad unnerving. . .but nothing compared to the business of running a business. . .and by that I mean the insane responsibility of having a team of people depending on you. .. this hit me hard this year. . .I need to overcome some stubborn childhood shyness and be a leader. . .while this fills me with excitement and adrenaline. . .it also weighs heavy. . .the need to reflect and constantly evaluate yourself is exhausting and downright time consuming. . .but I can't help but believe the evolution will be worth it. . .it has to be. . .:)

More adventures to come. . .stay tuned! Our new flavour is submitted to the Food Development Center for shelf life testing. . .so hopefully we have a few more fun announcements before long!

Adventure on. . .and remember to be kind to yourself along the way. . .

Colleen

 

. . .an apology is necessary. . .continuing to learn the hard way. . .

 

 

It seems I continue to learn the hard way. And what I need to do right now is apologize. I don't want to ruin it with an excuse. . .and will rather try and offer an explanation of my heart and intentions behind what I did. So, for those of you who saw my post this last weekend about rape. . .please know I am offering my sincere apology for any offence taken, I pushed that "post" button in a moment of fervor and did not think through how it could be perceived. . .my heart is sickened with the knowledge that I offended and possibly alienated anyone of my friends, staff or customers. As I build this company and struggle to find the voice of the brand that pushes limits, is relevant, fearless and brave I made a mistake and for that I am truly sorry. The responsibility of having a public voice for a brand is huge and I value every single person who let's GORP into their life. . .in this instance I failed at communicating in a responsible way. . . and I apologize. 

You may or may not want/need to read further. . .but here I will offer an explanation of my heart's intent.

What I thought the post was going to do was start a conversation. . .and challenge us ALL to reevaluate our perspectives and possibly false judgements on victims. . .whether it be victims of abuse, violence, bullying . . .the list goes on. . . 

 

Please know I am acutely aware that this subject is not a joke and intimately aware of why it isn't. Specifically in the last few months I seem to have been privy to many conversations about abuse and the victim, hence why it's been top of mind. In conversation with a group of women the other night it was startling but sadly not surprising when I realized that most of our group had intimate experience with sexual violence, whether it came as abuse as a child or rape or other. What's sad is that 100% of us continue to experience everything from heckling, inappropriate cat calls, being followed to our cars in parking lots to being intimidated in parkades or the workplace. We are all familiar with the horrible examples of victims taking their own lives because of the fallout and response from anonymous bullies on social media. . .confirming to the most vulnerable in our society that it's better to keep quiet. As a culture. . .in the hopes of protecting and educating (which is obviously a great intention) I personally think we've sometimes unintentionally communicated that it's solely the victims responsibility to protect themselves. . .and sometimes it's even their fault if they get targeted. (There is an incredible amount of shame that comes with this belief.) That's why that post hit me so hard. . .and because of the profound effect it had on me I was anxious to share with other women who might be blaming themselves. Obviously I did it rashly and with no explanation of what my heart's intent was. Not an excuse. . .rather an explanation. One you may or may not be interested in.

 

Since a few of my customers had the courage and took the time to reach out to me and communicate their confusion, hurt and anger. . . I thought the least I could do was explain. . .

 

At 16. . .literally the day I could legally drive I headed out and got a job and started to travel the province giddy with the prospective of having an adventure. In my late teens and twenties I got jobs in other provinces and traveled to the U.S. doing sales. . .by the time I was 23 I'd had enough experiences that had convinced me it was unsafe for me to go anywhere alone. The prospect of me going hiking alone (something I love) fills my stomach with knots of fear to this day. To be completely honest. . .I have to gear myself up to walk alone into a parkade or down a street at night. In my entire year of working at MEC and having to walk down Smith to my car I can count on one hand how many times I WASN'T cat called, inappropriately approached or followed or on a few occasions man handled. It's a horrible reality and one I think most women fight against in normal everyday life. I know I am not alone and have found that lately when exploring this with other women we have all just learned to shut up about it. . . . I honestly didn't realize how angry I was.

 

The voice of my brand: To inspire Adventure.

 

To those of you who I confused with my post and found it disjointed from the happy and hopefully inspiring message GORP is trying so desperately to communicate. . .the intent was to get behind anyone plagued with shame and blaming themselves for their fear. Fear that is often stopping people from remembering that they have every right to get outside and have an adventure. It was not targeted at the perpetrators out there. . .or men. . .it was aimed at anyone who subconsciously blames themselves. . .a reminder that nobody has the right to make you feel scared. . .and it's not your fault if they do.

 

As a company. . .our core value simply is to inspire adventure. . .BUT. . .I've recently come to the realization that there are other hurdles for many of us to cross before we can do so. . . one of the biggest being fear. How do we as a company address this? How do we encourage and educate without unwittingly affirming self blame?

 

I did such a poor job choosing how to convey this. . .it sure didn't seem like a very "relevant" post for GORP's brand and product. What I was actually trying to do was start the conversation. . .however, I did it in an EXTREMELY rash way. I sincerely hope I've successfully explained the thought process behind what prompted me to push that "post" button.

 

As some of you communicated, you felt that the post portrayed men in an unfair light. . ..I am SO sorry about that. . .and in no way believe it. In fact. . .I think for men it's actually a painfully hard cross to bear when it comes to thinking about women's safety since God designed them to be protectors by nature. I would imagine there's nothing worse than the feeling of helplessness when a man finds out a person he cares about and bears the responsibility to protect has been victimized. The anguish would no doubt breaks ones heart.

 

I feel very lucky to have customers who are brave and honest and care about the company enough to reach out in concern (and understandably anger) to hold us accountable for our online presence. I don't take it lightly. So, as I continue to stumble forward I will be henceforth putting safeguards in place to make sure I don't make anyone feel like I did this past weekend. 

 

. . .I'm sure my days of making mistakes and blunders are not over. . .but I will take every care to be less rash and more mindful going forward. My nature is not to shy away from debate and I love to make a ruckus and stir the pot. . .but will strive to always do so in a professional and respectful way. . .

 

Looking forward to continuing the adventure. . .lumps and all. . .

Colleen

 

hashtag. . .what?

Well here i am. . .tail between my legs. . .full of broken blogging promises:( BUT. . .there has been a change in the tides. . . I have come to a new revelation!! AND I have some great new support staff in the GORP office. . . AND these ladies are pretty good at declaring their opinions about me getting back on the blog schedule! I always felt guilty about taking time to blog. . .like I was doing something non-essential (and heaven forbid fun!) while everyone else is toiling away. . ..I got a good talking to the other day and gave myself permission to do this. .. .it's good for my brain. . .and it will hopefully do some good for our awesome GORP community as well:) 

Anyways. .. here we are. . .this is year 3 of having GORP on the shelves of stores and this adventure keeps getting more intense and rewarding. .. (albeit stressful!). . .we've landed some pretty neat accounts this past year. . .(Hello northern Canada! Thanks Northwest Company!) and with that comes piles of paperwork full of acronyms and retail math terms that set my head spinning and honestly makes me want to find the nearest rock. . .(you know. . .to hurl through a window shouting. . ."I didn't sign up for this!!!". . .). . except that I did. . .and I'm here. .. and despite the shame associated with being a complete rookie in retail. . .I am lucky enough to have something that propels me forward. . .EVERY SINGLE TIME I GET DISCOURAGED AND WONDER IF WHAT I'M DOING IS WORTH IT. . . THIS HAPPENS. .

It's the phone call from some surfer guy in Tofino. . .(Dan?). . .who was losing his mind on the phone because he just bit into a bar and couldn't help but call the number on the back of the package and shout at our office manager Lisa. . .

"I took one bite and almost sh#t myself with delight. . .you guys rock!"

. . .or the phone message from Helen from Collingwood Ontario who just phoned to tell us she is 62 years young and who after getting to her car with her first GORP bar. . .took a bite and got right back out and bought 5 more. .. she continued to crinkle the wrapper into the end of the receiver and thank us for what we are doing. .. .:)

It's humbling and totally makes up for all the dumb questions I find myself asking the "big guys". . .ummmmm so do I calculate that OIC off the OYR from the wholesale price after I divide by pi or should I just run through that window right there?" (lol!) Seriously. . .I'm learning. . .but seriously. . .

So what I'm getting at is this. . .with all the stress and work/life balance becoming a sheer fantasy. . .I lost my way a bit. . .(#what? wine and chips can't be supper?). . .exer-what?. .I found myself so passionate about inspiring an adventure lifestyle in others that I forgot about letting myself take time to do it too. . ..hence the GORP CHALLENGE idea. . .I pitched it to my new office staffer Jen and she's in. . .for the next 30 days we are on it. . .taking all the best advice and recipes we've personally experienced and love and compiling them into an easy to follow program. .. with a daily challenge to get outside and move for just 30 minutes. . .every single day. There is lots of other fun involved. . .but Jen and I are being the guinea pigs for 30 days. . .we will share our ideas and results and then launch a fine tuned plan coupled with a challenge (perhaps some rad prizes!) to our awesome GORP community:)

Lots of fun to come. . .boy does it feel good to get thoughts down on virtual paper. .. #ilovemakingfunofhashtags! Lookout!

. . .adventure on!

Colleen

 

 

What??? but HOW?

 

So 2015 started out with some unexpected and pretty cool honours for GORP:) A few weeks ago I got an email saying GORP had been chosen as Company of the Year by the Manitoba Food Processors Association! Crazy?! I've been at this a long time. . .but still feel pretty new on the scene since we've only been "officially" on the market for 2 and a half years. . .it felt surreal and pretty heart warming to be noticed by your "neighbours". . .if there is one thing you can be sure of in life, it's that you can't fool your neighbours! They know exactly who you are. . .what a boost and much appreciated sign to keep on putting one foot in front of the other!

The second surprise was being chosen by the readers of Get Out There Magazine for Best Sports Nutrition food of 2014! I feel like GORP is like a tiny little "David" in a GOLIATH marketplace (and an intensely competitive one to boot). . ..I know our marketing budget is probably laughable compared to most of our competitors (what's half of nothing again?. . .oh yeah;). . .so this was especially rewarding. . .power to the people. .. and on that note, THANKS PEOPLE!!!!

It's been a contemplative/overwhelming season for us. .. .what's on my brain is SYSTEMS analysis and finding a way to grow smart and stay small. . .I don't mean small in sales or distribution.  ..but what systems do we implement and what culture activities do we need to come up with in order to honour our customers as we grow. . . .the last thing I want is to be your typical "corporate entity". . ..granted we are a long way off, (so says my banker;) but hey. . .I'm a blue sky long term visionary. . .can't help myself;) So here I sit on this Monday morning. . .a to-do list longer than my arm and a big blank whiteboard waiting for a brainstorm. . .

Let's hit this week hard and remember to BREATH. . .JOKE. . .and find a few moments of PLAYFUL in our day. . .so easy to let the grindstone wear us down. . .sooooo this sounds like the perfect time to issue a challenge. .. .sometime this week. ..pull a prank on a co-worker, family member or kid. . .or whoever is in your vicinity. . . beware. . .you might just make someone's day. . .at the very least, there will be smiling involved;)

Be Community!

Colleen 

 

The story continues:) Back in blogland!

Greetings! Today is our BIG NEW website reveal AND the. . .RE-START OF MY BLOG (gasp!), which has been seriously neglected for the past year(ish)!

For those of you new to GORP, welcome here! To my old friends and blog followers. . .thanks for your silent and not so silent support over the past years:) 2015 is going to be epic and scary. .. but it will mostly be about connecting with COMMUNITY. . .(which is my word of the year, but more about that next post!)

We are beyond excited about all the surprises and plans we have for connecting with our customers in more meaningful ways. . ..between contests and some awesome swag coming down the pipe. . .we look forward to rewarding you for being such awesome advocates of our little company:)

Go on and sign up for our newsletter between today and January 31st and we will email you a 40% off coupon code:) A one time deal. . .don't miss out! www.gorpworld.com 

Adventure on!

Colleen

2013-08-17

Having an adventurous weekend at the Dirty Donkey Mud Run! A bit of racing, a bit of playing, and some pretty darn awesome employees who kicked some butt today working the GORP booth:)

What next?
Hmmmmm....

Back on the big old blog horse:)

 

 

So the little gnat on my shoulder that's been telling me this past year " YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO BLOG IDIOT. .. GET SELLING. . .GET SOME CASH FLOW. . .DON'T BLOW THIS LAUNCH!", has finally up and died. And I've realized that sharing this story is half the fun of living it. In fact, I kinda need to do this for selfish reasons too. . .I realized this past year that I'm not as super chill as I thought. My ability to handle stress is not what I dreamed it to be and writing is dang cathartic. .. .as slack as my skills may be.

So back on the blog horse I go.

Over the next few weeks I'll attempt to do a bit of a catch up. .. There's definitely been some highs and some pretty nasty lows. . .and of course a whole lot of learning the hard way.

To those of you who are on this ride with me, thanks for the continued support while I took a break:)

GORP has officially launched and we are in the throws of finding our way in a very big and intimidating retail world. . .I am sure that I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW. . .and there will be lots to walk through in the coming year.

I've been told many times to be careful what I share on this blog, that exposing too much will hurt my business. .. that people aren't as forgiving as I think. . .that people will steal ideas, use things I share against me. . .but I can't come to terms with that. For better or worse I decided a long time ago to relentlessly believe that people are mostly awesome(!), and that they are giving me the benefit of the doubt, and that's the shade of rose my glasses will be. I in turn, do the same.

This business will tell it's story. Not after we succeed. . .but before and along the way:) If we fail, so be it. . .there will be truth and lessons to look back on. . .so onward and upward. . .if a storm is gonna take me down, it better be ready for a fight!

go gorp!

Colleen

 

 

 

GORP Ads from awesome friends:)

Can you spot the GORP bar? (hint. . .look under her right hand;)

Lynn Angele, you are awesome, and hardcore and I can't tell you how tickled I am that you took this photo with a GORP bar strategiclaly propped up in the beautiful background. . .you rock:)

And Lisa, our office manager extrodinaire. . .this gal's support and enthusiasm keep me going on those days I slump into the farm office feeling a bit "challenged". . . I can't believe these two thought to take GORP photos on their vacations. . . .I am so lucky to have people like this in my life. . .

Plus. ..I got my very first (unsolicited, I might add) GORP bar testamonial from my hardworking cousin Sam who works as a paramedic. .. I've posted it below. Whenever people ask me how to use GORP, I always go into my "Puzzle piece" speech. . .in short, I want folks to use the bar like a puzzle piece to fit into their lives where they need healthy convenient food the most. . . whether it's used to stave off making bad food choices, or very strategically in a nourishment program for athletes. . .OR even as a meal replacement. . .there is no right or wrong way to use it. . .I just want it to contribute to a healthy lifestyle for the EATER:)

Here's Sam's testamonial:

"A little Gorp promo here, because I work a lot on-call (Late nights or all nighter call outs) I found that I was either eating too much or feeling starved after a late night call.  Some of our calls can take anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on
patient condition.  So when I get woken up by the pager I don't have time
to make a late night snack before the call and usually when I get back into
station I don't have the energy to even pour a bowl of cereal.  So I
started grabbing a Gorp bar as we would go to a call, seeing as how it only
takes 5 seconds to a minute to eat (depending on chewing habits) I would have
something in my stomach fueling me with energy while doing my job.  I
found that I felt full and energized while on the call, and wasn't hungry or
tempted to over eat when I would eventually get back into the station, giving
me the freedom to go straight back to sleep. 

I must say that knowing I am eating something healthy, filling, and tasty
before heading out on a call makes doing this job a lot easier.  I don't
have to worry about it making me sick or having that super heavy feeling in my
gut for a few hours.  And it doesn't leave my breath all nasty and
disgusting when talking face to face with patients or their families. 

Also not having to depend on greasy, heavy, unhealthy fast food during long
days where Mcdonalds is the only food choice, I sure am glad to have a few gorp
bars stashed in my go bag." - Sam Murray


Thanks Sam. . .this meant the world to me that you took the time to write this, thanks for letting me share it on my blog:)

Today I'm hitting Steinbach with GORP bars and pricelists. . .don't know why I get so nervous about this type of thing but I do. . .hopefully I'll have good news to report tomorrow and GORP will be available in Steinbach, then it will worth the trip for one more reason!! (heh heh)

GORP out:)

 

Thanks Larry McIntosh!

This morning was the debut of GORP's first radio event ever. . .all thanks to Larry McIntosh from Peak of the Market. . .My palms were sweaty and there were some stutters, but it turned out way better than I thought. . .plus it was sort of a high(?). .. Larry had a way of putting us at ease. I'd never been inside a radio studio before and it was super neat to share the experience with my daughter, who sat quiet as a mouse in the corner:)

Her mother on the otherhand apparently kept clapping while she was talking. .. Grant kept giving me hand signals to quit. .. but it was just confusing since I had no idea I was nervously clapping in the first place. .. .Oh well. . .lessons to learn:)

. . .I've been crossing a lot of firsts off my Bad Business Etiquitte Bucket List this past week . . .

- inappropriate crying during a meeting. check.

- nervous clapping during radio interview. check.

Nice. Can't wait to see what's next. .. perhaps I'll accidentally sit on a baby or something. . .argh!

Anyways. . onwards hoooooooo.

Thanks again for inviting us to be on your show Larry. (Food & Friends hosted by Larry McIntosh airs every saturday morning from 8 to 9a.m.)

Next week it's go time for approaching retails in Winnipeg. .. so if you happen to loudly inquire as to where those GORP bars are at your local health food store or gym. .. that would be awesome!

Oh and if you missed the interview it will be online as a podcast ready to download and listen to at some point right here.

Happy Weekending all. . .

;)