Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Sarah Ahrens of Beloit, Wisconsin

Sarah Ahrens shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Sarah , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Something that is bringing me joy outside of work lately is hiking, re-staging my own home with individual vintage home decor items I find at local vintage malls and planning pickin trips with friends!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi Everyone! My name is Sarah Ahrens and I reside in Beloit, Wisconsin with my two sassy and fun redhead children! I am a lover of Coffee, Traveling, Pickin’, Vintage Rusty Trucks, Hiking and the small details in life! I help oversee two local vintage Malls called Best of Beloit and Best of Janesville Vintage Malls along with maintaining four booth spaces that revolve around my own personal business called, Love & Dirt Roads!

Love & Dirt Roads was built off and inspired by my Grandpa & Grandma Dose’s Farm that was located in Lake City, Minnesota. Some saw just an old barn on their property but I have so many memories that came from my grandparents place! The winding Dirt Road that lead on for miles, the humongous sledding hill we conquered at Christmas, the flowers we cut and shared from Grandma’s flowerbeds and the hours spent playing hide n seek in the cornfields. This place is where my love of all things farmhouse came from. Where chippy meets shiplap and I learned a little dirt never hurt a girl! When I was at Grandma and Grandpa’s it felt like I was right at home! This barn held more than animals and rotting wood, it shaped the woman I became!

Currently for my business I am working on my 67 Chevy Truck named LULU that i just obtained last winter! My dad had a 67 Chevy Truck and so al the nostalgia comes to me when I drive her on the country roads! I am also working on growing flowers and just finished up my first summer of growing and harvesting them to gift to others in the community and at the stores!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship with my father shaped me into who I am today! He always had this way of making me aware that our world is big and we must explore it while we are here! He also instilled my love of nature, embracing life and travel to my core! I am told that I am a-lot like my father. He told me to make mistakes, get back up, try new things and always connect with people in a way of getting to know them and their story. I live life every day to the fullest possible and it is thanks to my dad, Dale Dose, for this!

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could tell my younger self to just get up, do the day as best you can and keep going each day I would be further along in life. The opinions of others do not make your business go nor does it define you as a person. The right people gravitate towards your energy and will be there for you. This is your life, you get one and it does matter immensely how you treat your self and others!

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I have a huge admiration for anyone who tries to go out and start their own business. It takes every day dedication, drive and energy. There is so much behind the scenes to make a business go that many do not see or understand.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Success is just showing up every day and doing the work most don’t want to do. That is it. You do this day in and day out for months and it turns into years. That is success! Accept it. Do it. Then you’ll Win at Business!

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