Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cheryl Lisowski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Cheryl with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
At a young age my father encouraged me to work hard and save for college and my future. I knew I wanted to leave my small town in Pennsylvania and in order to do that I had to work for it, hard!
I was an artist and was training to be a metalsmith in Philadelphia. I put myself through college by working nights and weekends. I fell into the fast hard lifestyle of working in the service industry. I would work late nights and bicycle home with sometimes hundreds of dollars of loose bills in my pockets. I would avoid under passes in hopes no one with throw a stick in my tire to rob me and I would ride in circles around my block until there were no people around my front door so that I had enough time to jump off my bike, unlock the gate in front of my other locked door and bolt in. Money in hand the next morning I would by silver for jewelry making and other art supplies.
After college I started my own jewelry company called Heart of Metal Designs. I sold my wares at boutiques in Seattle and peircing/tattoo shops in Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and New York. Unfortunately, my schooling didn’t include any business skills. It was hard to know how to promote myself and sell enough art work to live off of. For the ten years I was a jeweler I continued to work part time in the service industry to support my art. I fell in love with the art of mixology, food and wine. I stopped making jewelry and focused my attention on being a service professional which gave me enough capital to buy a home after the housing crisis. But there was something suddenly missing. The amount of myself that I poured into other peoples businesses was taking every ounce of energy from me. I thought If I spent the same amount of time and energy on my own dreams there would be no way that I could fail. That is when Sloshy Pops was born and I never looked back!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
It was a particularly hot day in August of 2016. Friends were expected to come over for a party and I struck on the idea of making a frozen cocktail for my friends. I experimented with different fresh fruits and spirits until I was satisfied with my miniature booze infused popsicles. The frozen bites of love won over my friends. They thought they were so good that THIS was the thing that I should focus on as my small business. I partnered with a friend that was a chef, Carl Foresman. We worked all winter finding ways to freeze a high alcohol content popsicle that held shape, had great taste and texture.
Sloshy Pops is a boozy popsicle event company based in Portland Oregon. Our product is made with fresh fruits, kissed with the lightest touch of sugar and are paired with premium spirits or wine. Also offered is non-alcoholic pops for kids and those who do not imbibe as well as tropical flavors too! We have an assortment of boozy popsicle push-carts and branded coolers available to party at weddings, company parties and private events of all kinds. You now can get Sloshy Pops also delivered to your door in the Portland area. Build a box from the 10 different flavors we offer on our website.
Our company is focused on making a high quality and unique product that people feel excited about. It brings us so much joy to see smiles on peoples faces while trying our product. All of the hard work and love that is poured into making a hand-crafted popsicle is expressed on peoples faces. We find excitement and inspiration in making cocktail inspired popsicles and we know our clients can taste that joy too!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When I look back and think about what was the most impactful qualities or skills I needed to succeed, it was clear.
Focus. Focusing on working hard, creating your own schedule and not taking your eye off of your goals is one of the best things to work on as an entrepreneur.
Education. Not many people are taught ALL the skills you need to have as an entrepreneur. As a small business owner you need to wear many hats. Educating yourself on business, marketing, branding and anything else that pertains to your small business is integral.
Determination. There will be lots of bumps along the way. If you are determined to make your product better, grow your business stronger and smarter no matter the obstacle you will succeed.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed as a small business owner. I can say the think that has helped me the most is community. There is a whole world of folks out there who are doing similar things. People who are generating income from a product or service they love! Forming genuine bonds with other entrepreneurs is vital to success. Feeling overwhelmed? Reach out to a fellow entrepreneur for advice.
Also, you are your own boss! It is important to carve out time for self care. Design a schedule that works for you and make sure you are taking good care of yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sloshypops.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sloshypops/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sloshypops
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sloshy-pops-portland?osq=Sloshy+Pops
Image Credits
All images are by
Lindsey Rickert Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
