Meet ALEXANDRA EITEL | Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with ALEXANDRA EITEL and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ALEXANDRA, how do you think about risk?
Nothing happens without risk. Imagine if you did not risk going outside. Everything you do has an element of risk to it because you do not know what is going to happen. You cannot control the world or even your own body and you are definitely not omniscient. I think acceptance of your lack to control the world is a great first step. After this step, you can start to test your tolerance for embracing the unknowns. I tend to approach the unknowns of life and business by analyzing worst case scenarios and would I look back and regret if I never even tried. Usually, when doing this I realize that I can live through the worst case and I would harbor regret if I never even tried. Want to start a new business that you know nothing about? Worst case you fail and lose all your savings -can you live with that? Are you going to look back and regret that you never even tried to start that business? I have a hard time reconciling the ‘what if’ in my life. I would rather KNOW that I tried and failed. This almost flips risk on its head. It is more risky for me to live life and not try anything because it means everything becomes a ‘what if’, an unknown. Furthermore, risk can be taken in bite size portions. You do not have to throw it all on red, you can take incremental actions and work towards a bigger leap.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own and operate several food manufacturing themed businesses. One of which is a shared commercial kitchen facility and another is a co-packing facility specializing in bottling. We have over 100 other small food businesses operating out of our facility. My two main values when operating these businesses is to provide the best environment that I can for these businesses to use as a base point to launch and grow their business. I want to give them a great starting point where they can use all of their energy and resources on growing their business. The second value is to provide the lowest barrier of entry possible. I strive to make the facility reasonably priced with low levels of red tape. If a business is just an idea they can still find a place to be at our facility. I want that idea to become a great reality.

How did I get to where I am and was it easy? In short -no. Not easy 🙂 “Life ain’t a sprint, it’s a marathon,” -Ice Cube. Business ownership reminds me of this everyday. Sure, you have your occasional all nighter or extra stressful day or maybe you have a raging fire to put out, however, these are little sprints. There is always a problem, everyday, and you need to learn how to run a marathon. Business, and life, is about managing the daily problems and solving those daily problems, every day, so that it reaches an outcome at the end of the year that is positive. Rinse and repeat. This grit and daily dedication can create burnout if one is not aware and that can make business ownership feel very difficult.

Lessons that I have learned? So many and I am still very much a student. I love using idioms because as I learn from experience both failing and succeeding I see more and more truth and value in those small phrases. When it rains, it pours. No good deed goes unpunished. A rising tide lifts all boats. No man is an island. The ax forgets, the tree remembers. A business owner begins to intimately understand these innocuous phrases and their contradictions. In addition to these timeless lessons, my favorite item to point out is that starting is the hardest part. Once you get going and momentum is created it is a law that momentum is conserved. So just get started, in any way possible even if it is really little. That activation energy will lead towards momentum and then actions will start to accumulate into tangible outcomes.

What do I want the world to know about me or my brand? Ooohh. For me this is a hard question. I have always struggled with talking about my accomplishments. I would rather work with someone to achieve a goal or let my actions speak for themselves. If pressed, I believe, what I want to be known for is being genuine. What you see is what you get. I may not be perfect but I am real.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Mandatory day in the mountains. Hiking, skiiing, or maybe just a drive up past the tunnel to have an immersion into the mountains. My favorite place to eat is Chimayo Grill in Dillon. It is required that we go there to eat 🙂 If my kiddos are involved we like to go on a small walk into the woods and play pinecone baseball which consists of everyone finding their favorite stick and collecting piles of pinecones. With these we then toss pinecones at each other and attempt to knock them out of the park with our sticks. Everyone loves this activity especially since we are all so bad at it.

Breakfast at Bakery Four on Tennyson and maybe another coffee at Steam Firehouse. We could always revisit Tennyson for Post Oak bbq or grab food at The Spice Room on 38th. A city rendezvous beginning from the Happy Camper, Avanti, or Little Man starting point and walking over the pedestrian bridge and into the city for a beverage and snack at Union Station is a great outing. The last time I did this I was surprised with large teeter totters that lit up. You get a feel for the city and it is great people watching.

It is always fun to embark on a brewery day. Maybe grab a hearty breakfast at Snooze or Lucilles and a designated driver and hit up Stranahans for a tour and then a handful of the many, many breweries and distilleries in the Denver metro area.

High tea at the Brown Palace is a great afternoon and maybe roof top dining at the Populus followed up with a show at the Clocktower Cabaret.

A show or concert at one of the many venues. What is playing at The Bug or is Wet Leg playing a show on Colfax, grab a donut at Voodoo. Wander around the capital building and bowl a game at Punch Bowl Social.

All of this will have to be followed with pizza delivered from Blue Pan so we can watch a movie on the couch and relax!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shoutout to my husband. We own and operate businesses together and the luxury of having a partner that can pick up the slack when you need a break is instrumental in success. Sometimes, believe it or not, one person cannot do everything and being able to pass the baton to my husband is a huge relief.