Two buns are better than one

why I love collaborations

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday and some time away from your regular responsibilities last week! I can’t believe it’s already December - the end of this year really snuck up on me. Today happens to be my older sister Erika’s birthday - so if you’re reading this - happy birthday Seester! It’s also my half birthday, but being the middle child, I’m sure nobody will acknowledge this major milestone. My brothers birthday is two days from now on December 3rd - Sagittarius season at its finest. If you’d like to know anyone else’s birthday in my family, just ask! 😉

It’s not very often that I have a weekend without a pop up. I felt like the weekend after Thanksgiving could be hit or miss, so I avoided scheduling one. It used to be nice having a weekend off here and there, but now it just makes me feel rusty and a little anxious! I can’t wait to get back in the saddle for my upcoming Ukrainian / Swedish hot dog collaboration with Chef Anna Voloshyna a week from today. I met Anna through The Proof Collective, a women in food industry group, and after chatting we thought a Ukrainian / Swedish hot dog collaboration would be a really fun and unique offering. The more people I meet, the more cultural versions of hot dogs I encounter. It’s the coolest.

Collaborations, in any line of business, are such a great way to meet people and learn something new while expanding your awareness and increasing credibility. You also push yourself to work with people that have different personalities and working styles than you do, which is very important for personal growth. These collaborations can also tell a different story about your product or service that’s never been shared before, which is a really valuable opportunity. There are a few notable collaborations in recent years that were not predictable but had a huge impact, such as streetwear clothing company Supreme and luxury jewelry company Tiffany’s that brought two very different worlds together for the first time. Likewise, Lyft collaborated with Taco Bell to add a stop during your ride to pick up food - genius right? Then there’s the infamous GoPro and RedBull collaboration - truly one of the most revolutionary collaborations / partnerships that changed the way we view and experience adventure and extreme sports.

This approach is no different in food. Bringing together different culinary backgrounds, types of cuisine, or complimentary products into the fold can enrich the experience for everyone involved. Since starting Hej Hej, I’ve done one collaboration every 3-4 months and they have quickly become my favorite pop ups! One collaboration I did was a Swedish pizza and hot dog pop up with Jules Pizza where we leveraged each others food categories to highlight crazy street food in Sweden (banana curry pizza, anyone?) and it was a huge hit. How often do you hear of Swedish pizza and Swedish hot dogs being offered at the same time out of one restaurant? Spoiler alert - you never do! I’ve also loved popping up with sister owned sausage company Lotties Meats based out of Denver, CO. For these collaborations, we highlight their sausage product with innovative Swedish (or other) hot dog combinations and bring in their local food and beverage contacts and it’s a win win for all involved. Plus, hanging out with other like minded people is just the best!

I would say the only downside I’ve experienced so far with collaborations is that sometimes (not all the time) you will make less money than if it were just you on your own. This is also something you can plan for and avoid. But the pros from collaborations far outweigh the cons in my opinion. And of course, when you’re starting out and building your own identity as a brand, you want to make sure you are leading with your brand vs always being tied to someone else’s. But again, if done correctly this isn’t a concern at all and there are only positives to gain!

Are you a business owner / pop up that wants to explore some sort of collaboration but not sure where to get started? I think the best place to start is to think of other brands you admire, no matter which category they fall in. Have a simple idea of what you’d like to do and reach out via multiple channels (email, Instagram, or in person) with an open mind. You can never shoot too high - just go for it! I asked the owner of Pink’s Hot Dogs in LA if he wanted to do a pop up and he very directly told me that would be a complete waste of his time, haha. His loss! You don’t get what you don’t ask for. Let me know your collaboration ideas - I love talking about this stuff!

Now for the good, the bad, and the ugly for the week:

The good

I got confirmation that my trip to LA resulted in a yes for an upcoming pop up residency! I am so beyond excited for this experience and I can’t wait to share more soon. I also need to find a free place to live, a new hot dog (nbd), and make a plan to scale up operations in a short period of time. Anxiety! But the good kind…

The bad

I can’t find any strong contenders for a new all beef hot dog frankfurter equivalent to my Cream Co hot dog that is currently out of stock. There’s a really nice pork frankfurter from Olympic Provisions that I can substitute with, but I’m not sure how people are feeling about pork vs beef? It’s a good reminder not to hinge your business on any one thing that could go away. That can be hard to avoid, and I should’ve thought it through a little more.

The ugly

Half of my income this month was going to come from a corporate event that I had verbal confirmation of 10 days ago, but now I haven’t been able to get ahold of the team and it would have been this week. If this falls through, I’ll have to spin up some last minute events to make up the difference in cash which will be difficult this time of year! It’s a harsh reminder of the ebb and flow of income streams and how important it is to be able to float through those times financially.

Hope you have a lovely Sunday, thanks for reading as always

🍓Amelia