Sometimes, I make things harder than they need to be. It’s an organized chaos that I can only equate to being a Gemini named Amelia, which, by the way, translates to “industrious” in German. The more you know! When I was in high school, we moved to Evergreen, CO, from Denver, CO. I went from being 30 minutes away from school to over an hour away from school by car. The logical thing would have been to transfer to my local high school. Instead, I took the regional public bus for nearly two hours each way for 9 months until I got my driver’s license. My friendships thrived, but my motion sickness and my grades did not. We won’t even talk about what happened when I got my license. Worth it?
Still, at 38 years old, I find myself taking the path of most resistance and wondering when I’ll ever learn. I like to stack on as many things as possible, so that if one thing falls off course, everything comes crashing down. And then, I like to complain (just a little), because playing the victim feels good sometimes. There, I said it!
I will say, this only applies to things I care about. If I can see the writing on the wall for something that I’m not passionate about, I lose interest pretty quickly. I would never lose sleep over a past tech job, but hot dogs keep me up at night. No doubt.
What in the high heavens does this have to do with buns on the run? After doing a few dozen pop-ups in the Bay Area, I felt like I was becoming stagnant. When you host food pop-ups, you’re fairly limited by a few factors: how much you can prep, how much space you have to work, how many people you can bring, and how many people will come. I’ve talked about this before, but pop-ups are a proof of concept for something on the horizon. Things like a restaurant, a catering business, a cookbook, or a product. I really enjoy hosting pop-ups, but I also enjoy a lot of other things tied to Hej Hej that are out of the kitchen. I wasn’t ready to go down a restaurant path, so I decided the next step for me was to bring Hej Hej to new markets.
Now, as I come up on my 9th time traveling with Hej Hej, I have a few reflections:
Taking Hej Hej on the road is a part of the plan, but it’s not the whole plan
If you organize things well, you can make a little bit of cash or at least break even by taking your pop-up on the road. But it is not a money maker. You’ll share your food with new markets, make lots of friends, and might gain a few followers on social media. When I did my first pop-up tour, I had just swapped my $3,500 a month apartment for a $1,200 room at my friend’s apartment. That was the fastest way I could think to make an extra $2,300 a month. Wait, is this me doing something the easy way?
That money went towards travel and logistics for the pop-up tour, but at the time, that worked for me. I got to experience new cities and food scenes, collaborate with interesting people, learn about different products (local buns, hot dogs, shrimp - you name it), and more. There’s one caveat to traveling with your food concept that will make money, and that’s being hired by someone to travel. Just be sure to price out your travel expenses correctly - airfare, hotels, and gas - as they’ve all increased in the past year. Ok, there are two caveats. You can also try to stay with friends and borrow everything along the way. To me, that creates too many balls to juggle. Your time and mental load have a price tag - remember that!
While traveling with a pop-up might have been the hardest way to sell a hot dog, it has made everything else seem easy
Next month, I’m headed to LA to serve hot dogs at the Ashes & Diamonds pick-up party in Hollywood. I'm a huge fan of both their wine and their food. You must visit them in Napa and book the lunch with your tasting. It was such a memorable meal! I am really thrilled to be a part of their pick-up party.
This morning, I created my Google Doc / Google Sheet plan for grocery items to procure, what to pack with me, what to find locally, and where to prep - all of that. But this time around, I know where to go and what to do. I know who carries high-quality hot dogs if I can’t get the usual suspects. I know I can always count on the best commissary, Crafted Kitchen, in DTLA. I know which stores carry the obscure items I need, and most importantly, I’ve made friends. Traveling to serve food means you have to lean on people a little, and while it’s uncomfortable to ask for help, I think it’s what binds the food community. Holler at your girl if you have a cooler and a hot plate in LA that I can borrow!
Anyway, I had a little “aha” moment this morning when I realized that spending money and doing things the hard way is opening doors for me. It just took a little while to feel its effects.
While my month-to-month might look different, my mission with Hej Hej is still the same
I’ve said from the start, but my mission with Hej Hej is to put Sweden on the map for another (iconic) food other than meatballs. Move over, meatballs! You’ve had your time. Now, I’m pretty sure Swedes would think it’s a little silly for their hot dogs with shrimp salad, mashed potatoes, and pickles to make US headlines. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there!
The thing is, it’s important to have a mission or a goal for your business and circle back to it often. It shouldn’t be rigid, and it can surely change, but check in with yourself often and make sure you still feel aligned with it. As I teeter with the idea of opening a brick-and-mortar with Hej Hej, it’s still tied into the grand plan of expanding Hej Hej out of San Francisco and across the U.S. When I realize I have to jump through multiple hoops to carry Hej Hej Swedish candy mixes across a few key states, I remember that this has been the plan. When I barely break even at a pop-up, but I have new Swedish hot dog fans in Brooklyn, or when people send a hot dog shirt to their Swedish family, it’s always been the plan. Building the brand and bringing a little bit of my Sweden to you.
So I guess I’m saying, sometimes it’s ok to do the hard thing? Just make sure to weave some easy things in there, too.
Thanks for reading, as always 🍓
Amelia