There is nothing like a deadline to get you across the finish line and finally open for business. We have been working behind the scenes for the better part of two years to get Max Mix off the ground.
We spent those past two years taking an idea based simply on making personal gifts for family, friends and teachers, to tweaking Max’s recipes and scaling them for production, developing a name, a logo, packaging, sourcing vendors and defining our route to market strategy.
Max’s Aunt Gina announced she was having the first-ever Fall Festival at The Meadowlark event space, and bam, we thought that would be the perfect time to finally make the dream come alive. It gave us a critical final couple of months to finally pull all the work and the ideas together, bringing Max Mix to market. Nothing like the pressure of a deadline. Could we finally pull everything together and be ready in time?
Burning some midnight oil those last few nights, we pressed to finish the website which encompassed the critical ecomm portion. In addition to helping with the website, Max’s sister, Maggy jumped right-in to create the Max Mix social pages along with a content calendar. With the Fall Festival just days away, we needed to figure out how to set up and use Square to accept on-site payments. Finally, we had products, a website and online store, social media channels, and a POS system for the live events. It was actually go-time!
Pam said many times in the last few days, “We will just have to finish building it as we go”. Man, did she have that right.
Max Mix launched with a website and pop-up shop at the Meadowlark on Saturday, November 11, as planned. We decided to go with a soft opening, meaning mainly communicating on our own social media channels and sharing with family and friends that Max Mix was open for business. 
We didn’t expect the unbelievable support that came immediately. By the end of the first weekend, Max Mix had a very busy and successful pop-up and more than 80 orders from the website needing to be filled. We were immediately overwhelmed, but excited by the response. Let us say to those who jumped right up and ordered, as well as helped to spread the exciting news ….. THANK YOU for your generous support. We know you will love using Max Mix.
We also committed to another pop-up the following weekend at the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis’ first Holiday Fair and spent a successful Friday and Saturday doing what Max does best, making some new friends. And as a bonus, we sold a nice amount of product.
Unfortunately, we had not finalized the details for shipping online orders and other little things, like postage. Pam scrambled, and thanks to a few trips to the post office, figured out how to utilize Pirateship with Shopify, while Max and I figured out packaging and shipping, as Maggy documented the journey with photos, updated the website and managed social media. Orders kept coming! What an incredible blessing but we needed to get orders out.
We appreciate everyone’s patience, right about a week from launch, the first orders were going out to you all and we have really enjoyed seeing your posts about receiving orders on your social media! So exciting to see the orders in people’s hands and what you’re cooking! Please keep sharing Max Mix with your circle of friends on social media!
Several people have asked what they can do to help. We are so thankful for your support of Max! Please, please share Max Mix on your social media to all your friends.
Also, please consider using Max Mix for your hostess gifts, holiday gifts for personal or business clients, or stocking stuffers. Everyone you give Max Mix to, will learn Max’s story and become part of the Max Mix Gourmet Spice Blend Family.
Thank you all for your love and support and remember……Max it!