Feeling Scared – Feeling Grateful
by
Mark Jimenez
I don’t have a business degree. I’m a teacher by trade. When I bought Red Rock Running Company in 2018 it’s safe to say I had no idea what I was doing. In an effort to be the best we possibly could, I attended every conference available to me in this industry. At these conferences I often found that I learned the most by speaking with other store owners between sessions. In 2022 I decided to take it to the next level, and I invited several of these store owners to Las Vegas to meet with me and talk about business. The group has grown, and now we meet twice a year at different locations around the country (different store owners take turns hosting). It has been incredibly beneficial to my business knowledge and acumen.
One of the owners I have met in this group is Greg from 605 Running Company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I don’t know what to say about Greg other than he is one of the most honest, hardworking, and passionate men I have ever met. It sounds like a very simple thing to say, but this statement carries a lot of weight with me: Greg is a good man.
So when I read his most recent blog post, it caused me physical pain. Please take a couple of minutes to it.
https://www.run605.com/blog-605/celebrating-a-decade-of-605-running-company-our-american-dream
I wish there were enough words to describe what it’s like running a small business. Those of you who do it, you know. I’ll do my best to describe it here, and I’ll try to keep it very brief. You are always on. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep you have the weight of your small business on your shoulders. You are paying bills, answering emails, and trying to find creative ways to get people through your door. You worry about your staff, you worry about your community. You are the CEO, Tech Support, Social Media Director, Content Editor, and any other role that comes up. The buck literally stops with you. Too many people call in sick? Guess who’s working that day. Worried about payroll? Guess who isn’t getting paid that pay period. There’s a kid that can’t afford a pair of shoes but really wants to run? Guess who’s getting that kid a pair of shoes. Everything starts and stops with you.
Every single small business owner out there is involved in a labor of love. We love our community, we love our staff, and we love what we do. But don’t think that it doesn’t come at a cost. Underneath the smiles and laughs of every small business owner is the worry that we might eventually have to close our doors.
That’s why Greg’s blog hits so close to home. What he is writing about could happen to any of us.
Every time Red Rock Running Company gets a 5-star review on Yelp or Google Review I take time to write back and thank that person for shopping locally with us. Every time you shop with us it makes a difference in YOUR community. The money you spend in the store stays here. It pays for the staff member who spent time with you making sure you got into the right pair of shoes (or anything else you bought from us). It pays for the utilities, insurance, taxes, etc. Your money stays here in Las Vegas. Greg makes an excellent point. One of the common misconceptions is that we mark our prices up. We do not. We sell for exactly the same as the vendor sells for. You love that ASICS Novablast 4? Awesome! We sell it for exactly what ASICS does. How about that new Brooks Ghost 16? Yep, we sell it for the same Brooks does. In fact, with our loyalty program you are often getting 15% off on every 2nd or 3rd purchase with us.
It's scary to see Greg going through this. It hits very close to home. We go out of our way to support our community. We host store runs, we put on affordable races throughout the year. We help local high schools every single year. Do we say no to some people/organizations? Sure, it’s not possible to say yes to everybody. You also won’t see us bragging on social media about how much we help. Is it help if the true purpose is to go on Instagram and say, “Look at me, I’m so wonderful, I helped all these people?” The people we work with and help know what we do, and their thanks is all we really need.
I’m scared. I worry every day about the health of my business. I work hard to make good choices. I’m scared because if Greg can go through something like this, any small business owner can. Greg is smart, hardworking, and very creative. I trust that 605 Running Company will be around for a very long time. He also has my full support, for whatever that’s worth. If your travels take you to Sioux Falls any time soon, please visit one of his shops.
Humans are complex creatures. I’m scared, sure. I worry a lot. That’s nothing new to any small business owner. At the same time, however, I’m also feeling grateful. There is a lot to be grateful for. Las Vegas is a wonderful place.
We’ve hosted two races in the last 2 ½ weeks, our Summer Solstice 5k/10k and our 4th of July 5k/10k. Was it hot at both events? Yes! We live in the desert! Did people get out and run anyway? You bet! We had great attendance at both events, and there were so many smiling and happy faces.
These events wouldn’t be possible without everybody who works so hard to be a part of them. I reached out to Mike Hughes, the father of some of the cross country kids I’ve coached over the years, and asked him to ride his bike and lead the way for the 4th of July race. He accepted without a 2nd thought. Not only that, he brought his dad (also Mike) with him to take pictures of the event and one of his amazing kids baked me the best cookies in North America. His family is always first in line to support us. Even better, they are very loyal customers at Red Rock Running Company. I am so grateful for the Hughes family.
I’m grateful my friend (and fellow cross country coach) Andy Flynn. Some of you might know him as Little Man Flynn. He comes to every race we put on. He smiles, he helps without asking for anything in return, and he and his wife are always there to support me. He has won Southern Nevada Cross Country Coach of the Year two years in a row (and if you count my one year as Coach of the Year in 2021 we’ve got a 3 year streak going) and he probably deserves it every year. Not only that but he won the 10k at both the Summer Solstice and the 4th of July race! I can’t think of another coach who spends more time than him thinking about every possible problem and opportunity that can come up for the kids under his care. He spends countless hours working to make sure they have the best experience possible. He also is a very loyal Red Rock Running Company customer. Every year around Christmas time I get a kick out of seeing Andy and his wife come into the store at different times to shop for each other. Seeing their support makes my heart happy.
I’m grateful for Drew Ehlert, who came to us from Wisconsin several years ago and immediately suggested we start a Saturday long run. Pastries, Smiles, and Miles was born and has been a Saturday tradition ever since. Drew is a friend who has run many miles with me and has listened to me without judgement. We’ve talked about everything under the sun and shared more than a few laughs. Drew is a loyal customer, coming to us for all his running needs. His support means so much to me.
To all of you who make it a point to come shop with us, thank you. Your support allows us to stay in business. It allows us to do good things in the community. It helps us pay our sales associates (and we employ about 30 full time staff members) and give them the option of medical/dental/vision, and 401k retirement. If you want to make a difference in your community, sometimes all you have to do is shop small. I can say with some degree of certainty that the Amazons of the world don’t really give a damn about what happens in Las Vegas. Small business owners do. I’ve said it already in this blog, but it’s worth repeating. When you shop at local businesses YOUR MONEY STAYS HERE IN LAS VEGAS!
Thank you, Las Vegas, for allowing us to be your local running store for almost 20 years. I’ve only been the owner of Red Rock Running Company for about 6 ½ of those years, but I’ve learned so much. I can honestly say that we wouldn’t be here without you, and that we are here for you. Our vision is to “redefine what it means to be a runner,” and I hope that when you come in our doors you feel that we are truly excited to see you. We don’t care what you look like, we don’t care about your body type. We just want to help you be who you want to be! Everybody is a runner, and every run is a good run.
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Every Run is a Good Run