It all started with a great friend and a little pop-up

I knew that my dear friend, sorority sister and woman who is successful at everything, Sue Persichetti, would tell me if Shavestix was a good idea, or coco-NUTS.

If Sue liked it, it would be worth a try. If she didn’t – she would let me down in the nicest way possible. That’s how she is.

We were having dinner outside at the Princeton in Avalon, N.J. At first, I was laughing at how terrified she was of the circling sea gulls. Then a giant gull swooped down and almost hit her in the head. Then I laughed even more. That’s how I am. I don’t deserve her. ;)

We moved on from BIRD-NADO and got to chatting and laughing about everything else, as usual. At the end of the night, I pulled out a little Zip-Loc bag with three Shavestix in it. That’s when she laughed at me.

“Ok, first of all,” she said, “please don’t show this to anyone else by pulling it out of a sandwich bag, OK?” We still laugh about it today.

I have upgraded my packaging a few times since then. Thankfully, Sue LOVED my idea and immediately offered to sell it at Goodness Bowls in Avalon - her VERY successful business (which also has a retail section). Sue even scheduled a pop-up shop for me the following weekend. She asked how many I had. I had 10. “Ok, you need to make a lot more -- like 50 to100.” she laughed. “Can you do that?”

For the first time in my life, I said "yes" when I really didn’t know the answer.

I could. I did.

Saying yes that night, and doing that pop-up the following week set my business (and my life) on a whole new trajectory. That’s where I met Maria McCool from QVC.

Stay tuned for that crazy story.