My successes.

Allie Robinson worked at Munson for three years doing ER work and loved being involved with patient care. She also had ten years as a medical assistant. She was later moved to a position doing time keeping and was behind the desk, and found no joy in this role. She wanted to feel the passion and joy behind what she was doing. Fast Forward and Allie connected with Courtney Wiggins – they met on a camping trip, both single moms at the time with the same interest and most importantly, they both had an entrepreneurial spirit. 

They drafted out a business plan for making and selling local teas and what their goals were. They started at the Interlochen farmer’s market and had their first sale in June of 2020. They continued this business model for two years at the Interlochen farmer’s market in the winter of 2021 they decided to go their separate ways.

Allie started with SCORE in the middle of 2020 - covid. Why SCORE? Someone suggested it to them, and they were struggling with being seen a legitimate business. They had the creative side down, and customer service was easily managed by them. 

While meeting with SCORE, they found out they had a good understanding of their business but needed support in some areas.  They saw their mentors as their small business partners - encouraging them, offering constructive criticism, and sharing different perspectives on things, helped fill in some gaps they didn’t realize were a gap.

As they decided to move out of partnership and use SCORE as a resource, Allie was referred to an attorney who guided her through the process. She met with an attorney referred by SCORE and was able to use this service for free.

What makes this business work is the niche market that she is in, an underserved demographic – holistic healing, representing non-tourism and built for the locals.

Soon thereafter was the tipping point for the storefront. Allie was approached in the spring of 2021 by a local business to be an investor on the tea side. They discussed scaling the business just from tea – but would it be growing too big, too fast? When her husband asked what did she love about Blessed Be Tea?  It was her customers - they are the fuel for what she has going on. So, she stumbled across the space for a storefront and reached back to SCORE to help build a business plan. The storefront allows people to come in and increase sales, as well as being used for networking connections to add small business consigners in the shop and expand the customer base.

 “SCORE helped through this transition and was the best resource with an open-door policy. They were always there whenever I needed them.  They helped with customer liability, employee additions, map out a business plan, and look legitimate to the bank,” says Allie.

Allie’s goal was to put together sustainably sourced herbs with a purpose and physical or metaphysical purpose.  She had culinary experience, so there was no lack of flavor in her teas.  Teas bring love, luck, prosperity, or heal aches, pains, and tummy trouble.  Everything is made with intention, care, affection, and love goes into every single product.   

In addition to making small, local products made with intention she wants to build a sense of community, so she has started the dead poet society – closing the shop on Saturdays and opening it to a gathering place for all to read poetry in a safe place, free from judgment – open to all races, genders, abilities, political position.

Allie’s advice to someone: Chances are your biggest hang-up is fear of failure – you just must go make mistakes, push the envelope to uncomfortable, and take the leap because once you do it will all start flowing and come together. Once the leap is done, everything will start moving in the right direction.