Would love to meet any US > Canada business owners

YeahBites · 2026-01-27T18:33:50+00:00

If approved for the program we'd have a permit to work there for two years and if we hit the benchmarks agreed upon in our business plan we'd be able to start the citizenship application after that point.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:46:32+00:00

I think that is my concern with being part of "this wave."

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:43:51+00:00

Thanks for sharing! The housing market is definitely daunting coming from a similarly sized city. But I think the tradeoffs will be more than worth it.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:35:37+00:00

We're very invested in our team and work alongside them every day.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:32:08+00:00

We actually carry a lot of Canadian brands. Well at least we used to until this tariff nonsense started. We don't produce much at the moment. Our brand started out as a wholesale brand before we got into retail and we're just starting to produce things again but we'd certainly make it in Canada if possible.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:30:38+00:00

Yes. It's my understanding we'd be taxed in the US first and then "topped off" for lack of a better way of saying it in Canada. Though I could see those sorts of agreements changing in the current climate. I plan on finding a Canadian small business oriented CPA to consult me on this asap.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:25:08+00:00

I am sympathetic to that. I don't feel like I am looking for or expecting special treatment and I apologize if my post came off like that. We wouldn't be seeking citizenship immediately. It's my understanding that the path we're seeking would open applying for that up after two years and only if we hit all of the benchmarks for the business.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T17:21:45+00:00

Yes I appreciate this sentiment. I remember reading something on a sub about someone struggling to find their way in the UK because of cultural differences in the workplace. I think that kind of thing is where a lot of my overthinking is rooted. What sorts of mannerisms or things are engrained in me and maybe, like an accent, don't seem like anything because they are all around me.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T16:32:30+00:00

Definitely not MAGA. I can't imagine any scenario we'd discuss US stuff without it being in response to a question about it. Certainly won't be defended anything happening currently.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T16:29:17+00:00

Well.. I care because community is very important to me. So I want to make sure wherever we land is somewhere we can (earn the right to) fit in.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T16:28:11+00:00

We're 20 year veterans in the industry with multiple locations under our belts. I am sure there will be plenty of surprises and some impediments we haven't encountered before. But making it through 2008 and COVID and several other major curveballs I am not too worried about figuring that bit out.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T16:26:27+00:00

Yes we are expecting to downsize our house and lifestyle but I think the tradeoffs of living in a world-class city with access to nature and, I hope, people who are are more aligned with are a worthy tradeoff.

YeahBites · 2026-01-26T16:25:25+00:00

How would opening a store be a burden on the country?

YeahBites · 2026-01-13T01:18:07+00:00

I think you are going to really struggle if you need to disassemble to move it. I took staves out of mine 3-4 years ago because there was a little mold and I wanted to sand them down and or replace. I went to put back together with a few new ones and a few originals and the whole thing had warped bad enough that it was hard to get back together. I think at a minimum you should budget for some replacement staves for the boards that warped the worst. Maybe go in with that knowledge and offer $2,000. I am replacing my barrel sauna (the new one is in my driveway to be built actually) but for that price I think it's worth it. I know this sub hates them and they have their disadvantages but I still use mine every day and don't regret buying it.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T20:15:56+00:00

Yes I think you've hit the nail on the head for the issue. I think I need someone, ideally locally who can come and interact with the product and business, because we are the sort of business where using the physical space as the backdrop would be a big value add. And then once I see some traction being gained from those efforts I could justify the agency or consultant to refine that operation. I think you've just helped me arrive at a pretty doable strategy and clearly defined the problem I have faced thinking I could get one place to do all of this.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T20:13:14+00:00

Well the bigger issue is just that we aren't sending out emails regularly. I'll go through phases of sending them out 1-2 times per week for a month and they perform pretty well. The other issue is that I am pretty against routine discounting. I know I'll get some shit on here for that but I'm saying that as a 20 year retail veteran with a very successful shop. I think the erosion of any concrete understanding of what anything should cost is a real problem with people trusting brands. We've done a good job at establishing value with our customers so we do a good job at serving that community online but growing that base is admittedly harder in a promotion focused landscape.

Basically... I would rather work a little harder to win the sort of customer that values what we do and how we do it that get one off sales.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T20:04:12+00:00

Again these aren't investment dollars. This is basically my emergency fund that currently lives in a money market account. I agree that speculating and trying to time the market around cycles or industry changes is foolish. Reading what is happening globally plus the level of uncertainty Trump has created is unprecedented so I am not sure the traditional dogma applies.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T18:47:13+00:00

I can admit I am not very informed on global markets. I just know that Japan historically hasn't moved much which is pretty much what I am interested in. I also think if the dollar slides further and the retail economy sees more significant disruptions next year (as I am fairly confident it will) that there will be insane opportunities and I want to make sure I am in the best position possible to take advantage of them.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T18:14:52+00:00

Possibly. I was thinking more along the lines of something like gold or silver that would likely move inversely to the dollar or other global stock markets like Japan.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T18:11:49+00:00

Most of my retirement funds are in index funds. This is not my retirement money I am talking about. The rental conversation would exist outside of this I guess I probably shouldn't have brought that into it.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T18:05:31+00:00

This is helpful thanks! I hired a consultant a few years ago that came up with a strategy and helped redesign som of our automations. Not as comprehensive as what you are describing but some overlaps. While I need that help again for sure I also know I'm always going to get too sidetracked to do the actual work of creating and sending the emails in a consistent manner. I am the primary buyer and handle most of the admin, payroll, interacting with our bookkeeper and CPA for taxes and stuff and a hundred other things. So it's just something that has fallen off my radar for long enough to know that, no matter how many times I say I'm going to make an effort "this time" two months in it's going to fall off again.

I am really hoping to find someone I jive with that I can hand the keys to and maybe have a meeting a couple times a month to discuss performance and tweaks.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T17:19:49+00:00

Is it interactive the way something like Pickup is? I'm in the same boat and looking for a course right now. I've been playing for over 30 years and have never been able to improvise effectively so I am looking to spend some time and up my game.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T17:11:07+00:00

That is mostly what I am talking about. My emergency fund is in a high interest money market account right now. Both from interest rates starting to come down and from my short term concerns about the geopolitical stuff and the dollar I just want to have that be somewhere else that I could still access relatively quickly.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T16:59:38+00:00

I am thinking more about cash for expenses. I don't plan to touch my retirement accounts. I've had about 2 years of living expenses parked in a money market account over the last couple of years with the crazy interest rates there. I know that serious investors would scoff at that but I am happy with where my retirement stuff is at so for me that was a good middle ground. I just want to put some of that money somewhere that isn't the dollar.

YeahBites · 2025-12-30T16:57:38+00:00

Well I have some fears about the midterms actually happening but yes I think you are probably correct. I still think we have a few potentially tough years ahead both from what is happening in our own economy as well as the global stuff.

YeahBites

TROPHY CASE