And the beat goes on

It's been a long time since my last blog post.  REALLY long time.  In wondering why I think I may subconsciously be going for 2011's "most inconsistent blogger".  All the same, I figured I was long overdue to sit down and write a new post. 

So let me start by catching up what's been going on for the last few months.  Chad's Carolina Corn has been on a steady climb in 2011 and there are a lot of exciting possibilities brewing right now.  All of the retail accounts are doing well and are reordering more frequently.  Website sales/traffic is up.  A great community is developing on Facebook and I love interacting with them.  Fox 8 filmed a "Made In NC" segment on Chad's Carolina Corn that will be airing very soon.  And the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market has been a great success serving as the "official" retail location for Chad's Carolina Corn.

As with any start up company the amount of time I'm putting in versus the amount of money coming out isn't exactly setting any records yet.  In fact I know I'd make money money on the hour if I took a minimum wage job and would actually get to take a day off now and again.  BUT, I believe in this company!  So I know all of the time that's going into it right now is going to pay off. 

In fact, on a lot of levels I consider the company a success already.  It can be found on shelves around the triad, it's been shipped all over the country, and most importantly people are enjoying it. 

One of my favorite things about being out at the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market is that I get to give people samples and see their reaction first hand.  It's awesome!  They take a bite, and I can count down for the flavor to hit 5...4...3...2...1... "wow, that's great popcorn!"  Hearing that and seeing the smile it puts on people's faces is an incredible feeling.  Even if they don't buy a bag right then, it's still very fulfilling to see that reaction. 

Well, that kind of sums things up for right now.  I could go on and on, but I want to save something for the next blog so hopefully it won't be another few months before I post again :)

Thanks for reading

Chad aka "The Popcorn Czar"

Things are poppin'

It's hard to believe that just a few short months ago Chad's Carolina Corn was just an idea being tossed around.   I'm very blessed, and somewhat humbled, to see how far the company has come in such a short amount of time.

We have now moved from a concept we began in our kitchen to a production facility in Archdale, NC.  We have officially launched the website and orders have been coming in.  The product is on the shelves in Lewisville at Mostly Local Market, and in Thomasville at Shoppes On Main and Cedar Lodge Market.  More stores to come very soon....

And in a very excited surprise Chad's Carolina Corn was featured on WXII on December 1st!  We saw a jump in website traffic of 2700% the next day!  Thanks very much to the folks at WXII for giving us that opportunity.

All this for a company that didn't exist 6 months ago.

There have literally been new opportunities pouring in daily, and I am SO thankful!  The support that I have received from everyone is beyond what I could have anticipated.

As the story on WXII alluded to, this is really more than just about popcorn.  A big part of the reason for starting this company is to give me a way to better support my family.  It's no secret that times are hard for everyone right now, and we are not an exception.  I've been praying, searching, and brainstorming for what feels like forever about what to do and starting Chad's Carolina Corn felt like the right way to go.  It was, and to some degree still is, a risk.  But I have been SO encouraged by everyone's reaction.

So I just want to say thank you so much to everyone out there who has given me a word of encouragement, had good things to say about the product, and helped open doors for me!!!

More good news to come shortly.....

Chad aka "The Popcorn Czar"