Drew Spurgers

Marketing guru, entrepreneur, pet lover, radio-sing-along-er, coffee drinker

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2017 in Review

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2017 has been a year of change, but one that I am exceedingly thankful for. Some heartache, but a lot of hope and healing. I’m walking in to 2018 excited and ready to make it the best year yet!

Here’s reviewing 2017, with a #LifeLesson or two thrown in.

Look familiar? Hint – we come back here later!

In January, Kevin and I took our second trip to Seattle to teach a class and speak at a show for our friend Brook. We were able to take a week of vacation and spend time experiencing Seattle, solidifying our love for the PNW. We also made our first visit to Snoqualmie Falls!

March was a great month! Kangabloo was able to work on a great project for the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce with our friends at Eric, Rob, & Isaac. The photo on the left is from their annual meeting, where this project was unveiled. We are really excited (and out of focus!) in this photo because Kevin also passed his oral exams and became a licensed counselor this same day!

The next week, we left for our third annual cruise with some of our close friends. The week was a great time of rest & relaxation!

 

In April, my brother married his perfect match – who also may be Kevin’s soul-twin. We adore Leslie and her family, and were so thrilled to celebrate them!

Later the same weekend, we had the “Make Your Mark” event for Stoby’s. This was the first big event for one of my largest projects of the year – and so much fun!

May was kind of a big deal. 😉

When we talk about 2017 being a year of change, our wedding is one of the primary reasons it was. Getting married meant a lot of things changing for us, especially in relationships. While there were many hard conversations leading up to our wedding, there was much more happiness and joy surrounding it. You can read my post about our wedding here.

#LifeLesson Number 1: There are times in life when people reveal who they really are, for better and for worse. There were people who were excitingly loving and supported who we never would have expected. There were people we expected to hear from who were silent. There were people we expected love from who chose a different path – which brings me to lesson 2.

#LifeLesson Number 2: You are loved far more than you know. 30 people flying from all over the country to share our day was easily the highlight of my life.

The month of June is a black hole in reviewing the year. I took 3 classes in June (30% of my masters in a month) and there are literally NO photos on my phone from June.

#LifeLesson Number 3: Three summer classes at a time will consume a month of your life! 

July was a great, normal month, settling in to our new normal. This month did bring our first trip to Minneapolis, though!

#LifeLesson Number 4: Puglets are the cutest.

August was a nice finish to a race and a great working-vacation. Stoby’s re-opened with a great event supporting HAVEN House, and we left the next day for a Tanning Salon Owners cruise with some of our closest industry friends.

#LifeLesson Number 5: A project completed that you can sit inside and take in may be the most professionally rewarding thing in the world.

In September, my dad and I made a trip to Austin, TX to drop of relief supplies after Hurricane Harvey. On the way to TX, multiple people honked and offered waving support, while others stopped at gas stations and restaurants and either gave us more things to donate or money to contribute to the cause. It was incredibly heart-warming to see how, even in the midst of tragedy, people can come together to support others in need — even those they don’t know.

I don’t have photos from our trip to the Texas State Fair, but Kevin and I started a new tradition this year – attending the Texas State Fair with his mom. We had so much fun! We also ordered our hot tub… but more on that later. 🙂

#LifeLesson Number 6: doing what you can to help others (even something small) is just as rewarding for you as it is for them.

October was busy with school and mostly uneventful, but we made a barely 48 hour trip to New York to see Dear Evan Hansen. If you get a chance – go!

#LifeLesson Number 7: You Will Be Found.

In November, we finished the pergola for our #SideYardParadise in preparation for our hot tub! We also enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family, and told my parents about my MBA. You can watch the surprise video here:

#LifeLesson Number 8: Building it yourself is sometimes more fun.

#LifeLesson Number 9: Sometimes 16 month-long surprises are worth every single moment and penny!

December was a great wrap-up for our best year yet. We had a great retreat for Kangabloo, I graduated with my MBA, we finished our #SideyardParadise, and spent lots of time relaxing together, and with friends and family.

#LifeLesson Number 10: There is no better life than the one spent with your true love, dear friends & family! 

After a year of change, I am so thankful for the personal and spiritual growth we’ve had this year. We can’t wait to see what 2018 brings us! Our goals are intentionally focusing on gratitude and peace, spending more time at home cooking, reading, and relaxing!

Ebbs & Flows

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As I spend Saturday morning/early afternoon on my couch at the house, I’m reviewing this past week and looking ahead to this next week, overwhelmed with emotion. This last week was challenging, and this next week looks to be similar. In the middle of it, there’s plenty of warmth and happiness, but also some struggle.

It’s often said that the life of an entrepreneur is a roller coaster. This rings especially true this week. In the middle the best season I’ve had in business recently, there are still constant struggles that pop up. Nothing major, but the dark blip on the radar drains so much energy and distracts from all the light around it. Even as an optimist, it’s a hard battle for me to see the weight of the good and focus on that, instead of being pulled down by what still remains to be solved.

I am a problem solver. As the owner and leader, it’s my job to set everyone else up to succeed. I tell prospective team members in interviews that I am not here to do all of the work, but instead to set them up for success and then fix the problems they can’t, or break down the walls they can’t. Some weeks, this is harder than others and more draining. This week was one of those weeks.

Outside of work and just in life, this last week I was met with the first real hatefulness and adversity I’d seen since our wedding. From someone who I value and respect, a petty back-handed response was painful. It took conscious effort for me to realize “this isn’t my issue; this is someone else’s.”

The biggest revelation of my year came from my therapist (not the one I’m married to!): Every problem can’t be fixed to your satisfaction. I strive to be a clear-communicator, and to always be honest. I work hard at relationships every day and strive for peace and understanding. This idea that I can’t fix everything to my liking has been a particularly hard one for me to accept. Admitting that I can’t fix a problem feels like defeat. It feels like saying “I wasn’t able to solve this, so I’m giving up.” Giving up is not something I do well – even when I should. Kevin wisely pointed out that I was striving for peace, but peace takes effort on both sides. The relationships that expect you to put forth all of the effort to bend to their convenience are 1) not peaceful relationships and 2) probably aren’t valuable relationships in your life. While 100% agreement isn’t necessary for a peaceful relationship, mutual respect, understanding, and a value for the other person sets the stage for disagreement, but leaves room for love and unity, paving the way for peace.

As I sit here reflecting on this week, looking forward to the next, and processing thoughts and feelings by writing a blog post, I am so thankful for rich relationships. I’m thankful for great friends. I’m thankful for a loving God whose grace extends far beyond where it ends in my head. But I’m also tired. Not weary or spent, just tired and needing rest. I’m thankful for a season of life that’s ushering in peace, and a new-found fervor in pursuit of my relationship with God and who I am in His image. I’m expectant for great things to come.

 

<3

New Year, New Dreams, New Plans

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Would you believe we’re already 3% through 2016!? Ahhh!!! So many resolutions to make progress on!

I always take the first of the year to re-evaluate my life, the businesses, where things stand, etc. This year, for the first time, we at Kangabloo took the full week off between Christmas and New Year’s. The way this fell on the calendar, we had around 2 weeks off total. I had no idea how much I needed that break to reset and re-energize for the new year.

As well as a slew of company and professional goals, I made a few personal goals this year. My theme for this year: “Less frantic. More peaceful. More stable. Lighter.”

  • Less frantic – owning 3 companies can be tough sometimes. Be it through delegating, working further ahead, or managing time differently, I’m going to make sure this year is less frantic than previous years.
  • More peaceful – this one is pretty clear. I want more peaceful, easy time.
  • More stable – most of my small biz friends often feel out of control of their lives. When one thing falls apart, it can break your entire day – or week. I’m making sure I make this year more stable.
  • Lighter – at the end of every day, I really just want to lie down to sleep and not feel a weight sitting on my shoulders.

Here are the specific goals I set for myself personally:

  • Less Clutter – at home and at work, I’m getting rid of the stuff I don’t need. I read The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up going into the new year – I love the criteria of “does it give you joy?” when you pick something up. Made it clear how much stuff I was holding on to for a rainy day that I didn’t need.
  • More Writing – as I do more consulting and “preach” the gospel of original content online, I have to do a better job of writing for myself.
  • More Reading – I love to read, but rarely make time to. This year, I’m going to make sure I take the time to read.
  • Fitness – while I’m not in terrible shape, I need to do better. I will do better this year. 🙂

The biggest challenge I have for myself, my friends, and my clients (who are business owners) this year:

Own your business. Don’t let it own you.

I’m going to make sure 2016 is the best year yet. What are you doing to make this year successful?

Hello, Fresh!

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Recently I subscribed as a trial to Hello Fresh on a recommendation from my friend Robert Blake. I was definitely skeptical, but with a week’s worth of food for the promo price of $20 , I didn’t have much to lose.

Hello Fresh, like Blue Apron and Plated, is a meal planning & grocery shopping service all-in-one. For this busy professional, the idea of not having to 1. plan meals for the week or 2. go to the grocery store is incredibly appealing. However, I was skeptical about the price at first. As of this week, I’m three boxes in, and I’m 100% sold.

Each box includes 3 different meals for 2 adults. You receive a box on the day of your choosing that includes all of your groceries/ingredients, including meat, freezer packed. The box is beautifully branded.

So far, all of the vegetables & produce we’ve received have been top-notch, and the meat has been amazing. This chicken was probably the best cut of chicken I’ve ever had:

Parmesan crusted chicken with blistered tomatoes and balsamic potatoes

Parmesan crusted chicken with blistered tomatoes and balsamic potatoes

 

After putting the pen to some paper here, the $60/week price tag is actually great. If you’ve ever tried to cook for two, you know it’s frustrating – it seems you can cook for four just as easily as two, with little-to-no price difference. More so, it’s nearly impossible to eat out and eat anything of quality for less than $20 a meal, and even still, you’re likely loaded with fat and have no clue how the food was prepared.

All of our Hello Fresh recipes have been great. So far, we’ve had:
Parmesan Crusted Chicken – this was my favorite
Sweet & Sour Pork Stir Fry – I liked this more the second day, actually. The leftovers were great – and fed us a total of four meals.
Zucchini Noodle Lasagna – this was a great lighter alternative to lasagna, and was lunch for me on day 2. 
Chicken Fajitas – great ingredients here – and the guacamole was great!
Seared Steak and Charred Nectarine Salad – oh my word. Charred nectarines! 
Pork & Chinese Eggplant Stir Fry – this is dinner tonight!
…and a box we haven’t cooked from yet.

Another pleasant surprise for me here: while I expected the portions to be be rather small, almost every recipe has fed at least three meals, if not four. I’ve also realized I’m paying for a service here just as much as I’m paying for food. Usually, meal planning for a week takes me at least an hour, and shopping throughout the week takes a great deal of time, and I’m not guaranteed great ingredients. Hello Fresh is the meal planning service, the grocery shopper, and the great quality groceries all in one. Additionally, there is no contract. I can cancel or pause at any time (so when I’m on vacation I’ll just pause the box for the week), and I get to choose my favorite 3 out of the 5 recipes they choose weekly.

If you’re interested in trying Hello Fresh, you can use my referral code to save $40 off of your first box, and I get a $20 discount on my next box. When you check out, use the promo code M7TNPE at checkout. Here’s to happy cooking!

Kitchen Remodel – Complete!

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In February 2011, I bought my house. It was in great shape and needed no work, but I definitely had some I wanted to do. Since I love to cook and entertain, I felt the kitchen needed some serious work. Here’s where we started:

Before we started

Before we started

In September of 2011, with the help of my great friends (and now essentially family) Don & Christine Riley, we laid tile to cover up the awful linoleum. This was probably my favorite of the remodel projects so far. Mind you, I am a marketer, not a contractor. Without the Rileys (who also aren’t contractors – they’re just brilliant) this would have been awful. Since they’re amazing, it turned out really well!

The next project was the cabinets. In October of 2011, I had my wisdom teeth out. My brilliant plan was do to my cabinets that weekend, start to finish! I was going to be home, might as well do it! That 3 day project may have turned into a 2 year project. I started sanding and staining and got ONE bay into my kitchen and hated it – as well as the work. So I took a short break (read 2 years) and then decided I wanted to ditch earth tones in my house altogether. So no staining – let’s move on to painting!

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Tile done – cabinets after short break

With the purchase of a new business, I also procured a Graco Magnum X5 that made this really easy. Overspray is terrible. The prep work is the longest part of this – and the hardest. Once the prep work is done, painting takes no time. I sprayed a coat over my entire kitchen in less than 20 minutes.

Here’s where we ended with the cabinets:

After cabinets - before countertops

After cabinets – before countertops. Hi Kodi!

After finishing the cabinets, the off white appliances were… less than pretty. And the tan formica may have been even worse. The next piece was a countertop overlay called Feather Finish made by Ardex. We sanded the countertops and got to work! After finishing countertops, the final piece was adding new stainless steel appliances (unfortunately I don’t have an after countertop/before appliance picture).

First coat on countertops

First coat on countertops

During countertop work (wet seal on counters)

During countertop work (wet seal on counters)

After countertops!

After countertops!

With appliances!

 

Complete!

Complete!

This was one of the more fun projects I’ve worked on. The beauty of it? Once all is said and done (not including appliances), I spent less than $1,000, and can say that I did it all myself (with LOTS of help) and didn’t hire it out!