On Your Eighth Birthday
Dear Sweet PJP,
By the time the world reads this, you’ll officially be EIGHT YEARS OLD. We’ve been at this together for 2,920 days…can you even believe it? And look, if there is anything I’ve learned in this past 2,920 days, it is that entrepreneurship is a TERRIBLY TENUOUS GAME. According to the Internet, a retail food establishment that makes it past five years is a veritable unicorn. For the most part, I am just thankful and humbled that we have gotten you to this milestone. (The other part of me is amazed that we actually did it, because we certainly gave ourselves enough opportunities to go terribly wrong.) Add in an appearance on a national reality television show AND the addition of our West End location, and well…it’s been quite the year.
More than anything this year, we’ve really endeavored to understand you as we’ve started to expand your unique brand…and to also worked to know what you need to continue the path to success (and also how to give that to you so that you keep excelling consistently). And look, by all accounts, you are a complex girl. Lucky for you, complex things are our very favorite. Because we believe in you just so much, our entire family now works together to combine our skills to poise you for tremendous growth. We are giving you literally everything we’ve got because we think you are so worth it.
“The genius thing we did was we didn’t give up” According to Instagram, this quote is attributed to Jay-Z in reference to starting his music business. Jay-Z is a rapper and we are pie bakers, but the end game is the same. I don’t think Jay-Z has ever gotten up at 2 am to bake for Easter weekend and then cried 18 hours later on the drive home because he was sticky from corn syrup and tired. But I’ve never tried to write an entire record of rap songs in the hopes that I’ll win a Grammy, so it’s all relative. (But we do both like Beyonce, so there’s that.) I just know enough to know that when you love your business, you are willing to never give up . And PJP, you are worth it.
In Year Eight, we’ve got some big moves to make. You are ready for more, PJP. I just know your potential to expand and do even more amazing things is sitting there for the taking. We are lucky, lucky, lucky people to be here with you through it. Thanks for holding on to us through it all.
