When Robyn Kuhlmann began her career, she focused on marketing and advertising, working for Target at the corporate level. Robyn and her husband, Hans, decided to have kids. That is when Robyn left her day job to become a stay at home mom. As her two boys grew, she began to see things in the educational system that needed a boost. Most of the problems that she saw came down to a lack of funding.
When her kids were high school aged, Robyn got an itch to start a small business. After doing much research on what kind of businesses existed in Arvada, the decision was made to open up a self serve yogurt shop. From the day the doors opened, Robyn's mission has been clear, to give to area schools on a regular basis. She did not want to give back occasionally or one specific date, but each month choose a school that was in need. Robyn and the Smart Cow team now present checks to area schools on a bi-monthly basis.
The Smart Cow Yogurt shops are bright and cheery, spacious and clean. The goal was to create a space where people wanted to hang out and spend time, much like a coffee shop, rather than a stop and go location. There are chalkboard tables, a garage door that opens to the sidewalk and patio furniture for lounging.
Robyn spoke about her experience of leaving an established career to become a stay at home mom and eventually an entrepreneur. She said that teaming up with the right people is key to a good experience. Her husband focuses on the finances, and the third business partner understands the intricacies of operating a restaurant. Robyn says that since their average sale is just over $3.00, they count all expenses down to the penny, in order to keep track of spending. When I asked Robyn if she gets nervous about national competition that has moved in less than a block away, she simply said that she knows that if she provides an excellent product, and continues to give back to our educational system, people will continue to support her business.
To learn more about Smart Cow, you can visit their website here.
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