3 Points to Ponder
- “Purpose is something you would do, regardless of pay, position, or prestige. What is something you are naturally drawn to regardless of circumstances?”
- “Many times, we can harvest glimpses of our purpose from childhood experiences, as during this uninhibited time, we were uniquely ourselves. When you think about how you interacted with the world at a young age, is there anything that stands out for you? Is there something latent needing to be unearthed again?”
- “Experiences shape us more than we realize. If we get burned, we naturally will be hesitant to touch the surface again. We don’t even think about it. Same way with reward, as we are wired to repeat pleasurable experiences. Reevaluation of experiences is necessary to bring about breakthroughs, as it is possible we are holding ourselves back by circumstances not present anymore.”
2 Quotes to Share
“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” – John W. Gardner
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he’s not the same man. ” – Heraclitus
1 Story of Impact
In 2014, we opened The Mango Tree, Frozen Yogurt for Good, in Pella, IA. This was a social enterprise, designed to serve the community of Pella and raise financial resources for local and global impact. The first year was great, as we achieved many of our desired goals. Based upon this experience, we felt we could open store #2 in a community 15 minutes away, and replicate many of these same results. When we opened, we immediately knew our assumptions were wrong, as we divided, not added to, our staff, our volunteers, and our customer base. Instead, both stores suffered and eventually, we had to close both stores in 2017 and 2018. In 2016, we opened our first Des Moines area thrift store in Grimes, IA. The first year was tough, but it showed promise. With lessons learned from Mango Tree, we were hesitant to open another store in the same area. After four years, we determined this wasn’t the same situation, we weren’t the same organization, and we could rewrite our past experiences with The Mango Tree. On June 8, 2020, we opened our second Many Hands Thrift Market in the Des Moines Metro area and in mid-June, we celebrated our one-year anniversary. In our first year with this new store, we surpassed initial sales expectations by 88% and this store has been able to bless people near and far! Experience is a great advisor, but sometimes it lies to us. Don’t be held captive by old thinking, but rather, through necessary self-reflection, learn from the past to build a better future.
