Win some, lose some, keep moving either way

Megan Elizabeth and Traci stand at the far left in this group photo of the representatives for the ten companies nominated. Only five would win the grant money but all finalists will receive aid in other ways through Wunderkammer.

Hello, friends and supporters!  Megan Elizabeth and Traci have been on a much needed vacation for the last week but are now ready to resume the tale of their adventure into the world of entrepreneurship.  The last big thing they were really excited about was the 5xHIVE grant money being given out by Wunderkammer.  That is where they shall resume.

For those who may not know, it was in early November that Wunderkammer announced that they would be giving out five $5,000 grants as seed money for new local businesses.  We read over the requirements to enter and felt that our business model definitely qualified.  The application was filled out and submitted within a day or two of the announcement.  After that, all we could do was wait.  Closer to the end of November,  Megan Elizabeth received a phone call saying that the Narwhal and the Manatee was one of the ten finalists chosen before a decision would be made on which five would win the grant money.  It was quite thrilling and the hope for a win was high for the owners and the community of people that support them.  

They had roughly two weeks to amp up the awareness of their business, with encouragement to have some sort of contact with the press.  They did a lot of blogging on their newly made web page, put up more photos on their Facebook page, and sent out a press release.  The press release was picked up by Fort Wayne Business Weekly which definitely pleased the ladies and they managed to add over 60 new followers to their Facebook page.  When they went to the awards announcement they were feeling very hopeful and very fortunate to have been selected as one of the finalists, especially considering the newness of their business.

It may or may not be fact, that Megan Elizabeth and Traci will take pretty much any excuse to get dressed up.  Either a little fancy or a little silly, they are connoisseurs of the made-at-home  costume as well as displaying an adept ability at dressing for most any occasion.  Although they had been told that this was not going to be a fancy event, neither of them really took that to heart.  This, to each of them, was a big deal and that meant above average dress code.  They got extra dolled up and even their friends and family that were attending the event joined them in dressing for a special occasion.  It was a good looking bunch of loved ones sitting in the audience waiting for the five winners to be announced.  

Megan Elizabeth and Traci held hands tightly while hoping to be one of the five.  The Narwhal and the Manatee was not chosen.  It would be impossible to say that they weren't disappointed but it would be foolish to think that they had not discussed how they would feel if they didn't win.  Their confidence may have been sky high but their plans have been, and continue to be, rooted firmly in the ground.  The money would have been immensely helpful, to be sure, however the aid coming from Wunderkammer as one of the finalists is something Megan Elizabeth and Traci may not have had access to otherwise.  There will be workshops that will be open to all the finalists as well as opportunities to meet investors that may be interested in helping a local business start out with a payout that has the potential to be considerably higher than $5,000.  

There's no way these ladies are going to be deterred by not winning the seed money.  Megan Elizabeth and Traci believe in their vision.  They see it in their mind’s eye so clearly and know that someday it will be tangible, shared with all those who come into their someday shop.  They see their shop growing from one to two and then, maybe, hundreds of little shops personally taking care of the skin care challenges brought to them.  As far as they are concerned, the sky's the limit.  They will always see their business, their partnership, their friendship as a success, a win of true hearts and determined minds.