We recently connected with Reba Kolbeck and have shared our conversation below.
Reba, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I definitely got my work ethic from my parents. My father was a truck driver, so he was gone working all week. My mother usually worked 2 jobs while I was growing up to make sure I always had what I wanted or needed. It was always taught you work for what you want in life, so if you want more you work more to get to where and what you want.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Growing up one of my first jobs was working at the local ice cream shoppe in town. I fell in love with the environment and with the business the first summer I worked there. I stayed there for 8 years working through high school and college. The owners at the time knew how much I loved the business and all aspects about it and when they felt it was time for them to move on to a new chapter in their lives, they offered me the business. At this time, I was 22 and just finishing college. I was scared to death to take that plunge into my own business, even though I knew deep down inside of me for years that I was meant to own my own small business. I turned down the offer, and it is probably the only regret I have to this day. I go back and forth about regretting it- part of me does and part of me doesn’t because if I did I would not be where I am today. I know that and I am very thankful for where I am today! Since then, I have worked in various restaurants from serving to bartending to managing. Through this I learned even more skills of the customer service world. I also worked in office settings where I learned more computer skills and analytics to use. I have worked 2, if not 3 jobs, at a time to get me where I am today. And even today I still work multiple jobs. I love working and am not the person who can sit still for too long.
I love business and love there are so many different avenues you can take for every business model. When one thing does not work there is always another way to try!
The skills I learned and developed over the years is what has brought me to where I am today. I can proudly say I own my own business! My husband and I own Pittston Popcorn Company. We have over 100 flavors of popcorn, over 40 flavors of homemade fudge, handmade chocolates, handmade hard candy lollipops, and cotton candy. We make everything in our shop located in Pittston, PA. We just started our 11th year of business! It was a very rocky road to get here though. I have learned so much along the way. I have worked with some amazing people along the way and even though things did not work out as originally planned, it all brought me to where I am today and for that I am thankful. At each one of those rocky moments, I was unsure of how to proceed, which way to go and is it worth moving forward and in what direction and with who. Most of them were all gut-wrenching moments where I was so unsure of what to say or even think. But you move forward and work for what end goal you really want. It wasn’t until year 6 or so that I felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel as they say. This is when I could see small parts that felt like things were falling into place and things were moving in the right direction. We now have been in business for 10 full years, have expanded our flavors of products we make, have expanded our wholesale places and have worked with many other small businesses and organizations with fundraising.
I have an amazing husband who has supported me and all my crazy ideas. We have had 2 girls. Our first daughter did not make it and she was stillborn, 3 days before our due date, in September of 2018. To say I felt like I hit rock bottom is an understatement. But with the help and support of truly amazing friends and family we got through what I was unsure we could. There are still days that can bring me to my knees over losing her, but they are fewer and we have ways of remembering and celebrating her. We have started a nonprofit called Angels like Addison to help other families in need.
Angels like Addison is a big part of our Pittston Popcorn Company now too. We pride ourselves in being a small business and a small family owned and operated one. At any point in time you can walk in and see our daughter, Zoey, running around and greeting customers as they walk in. She shows them were to find things and even tells them her favorites. Our regulars come in and the first question they ask is where is she if they don’t see her.
Our shop is located in downtown Pittston, on Main Street. We love being downtown and apart of the community. Seeing our town grow over the last few years is truly amazing. More businesses and more attractions to town and the small community working together to help bring business in.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1- Customer Service is by far the most important. You have to be able to talk and to listen to what people want and need. Being able to read how a person handles matters is so very important, from handling a customer complaint to dealing with sales and trying to sell your product and to even working with other businesses and people in the community. And being involved and part of your community is very important.
2- Knowing your numbers. No matter what you work with or deal with there are always numbers involved. I cannot urge it enough that knowing your numbers and what they do for you is critical in everything. Knowledge is power.
3- Being adaptable. Being able to try things and if they do not work out to work the situation from a different view is so very important. Nothing usually works out how you think it will or how you originally plan it to work, so being able to work with changing variables and being able to keep pushing forward- in any direction- is vital.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was teaching me the value of things and teaching me to work for what I wanted. Things were not given to me and I did not grow up rich. But I knew that to get where I wanted to be and with what I wanted in life I had to work for it. My father has passed, but my mother is still here and she helps at the popcorn shop daily. This something I hope to successfully teach our daughter as she grows older.
Contact Info:
- Website: pittstonpopcorn.square.site
- Instagram: Pittston Popcorn Co.
- Facebook: Pittston Popcorn Co.
- Linkedin: Reba Kolbeck
- Twitter: Pittston Popcorn Co.
