John and Connie: Hi, and welcome to another episode of Celebrating

Small Family Businesses.

Today we are celebrating Sugar and Spice in Las Vegas, and

we have Sherry and John Long.

And then we have their kids, Aston, Keilani, and Alexis.

Welcome guys!

How are you doing?

Sheri and John Long: Good.

Keilani and Alexis: Thank you.

Sheri and John Long: Fabulous.

Glad to be.

John and Connie: We are so glad to have you guys here with us.

So, who wants to tell us the story of the, I I'm guessing it's

probably gotta be Sherry, but how did the business get started?

Like where, where did Sugar and Spice come from?

Sheri and John Long: Sugar and Spice began as a teacher side

hustle in Southern California.

Um, at the time I was working with at-risk high school students.

I was working with these kids out of the classroom, so they were in an

alternative high school diploma program.

And I was working to help these kids find housing, find jobs, set up bank accounts.

What I discovered while I was working with these kids is the majority of them

were foster youth that had aged out of the system at age 18, and they kind of were

left to their own devices at that point.

So when we left Southern California and moved to Nevada and this teacher side

hustle became a full-time endeavor, I opened it with the intent to bring

those kids in and hire those kids.

So since then we've pulled, we've worked with different organizations

and workforce development programs, and I have kids come in that are

foster youth that have aged out.

And many of them also have developmental disabilities, a lot of them, most

of them on the autism spectrum.

John and Connie: Right.

Sheri and John Long: So it's, it's been a. It's been, well, that was

2017 and started in, in Nevada in 2019

John and Connie: Wonderful.

What a mission.

Wow.

And right before Covid.

Sheri and John Long: and right before Covid.

Exactly.

That was a whole story in and of itself.

Okay.

Yeah.

John and Connie: And your, your primary product is peanut butter

balls that are coated in chocolate.

Is that right?

Sheri and John Long: We do gourmet chocolate peanut

butter balls in two sizes.

We have four count boxes and 12 count boxes.

People always ask if, is that all you do?

And it is.

I I always say we are a one product operation.

However, um, Keilani and I did did do some r and d and try different flavors and, um.

The general consensus was that they were liked.

Um, it's just a matter of the time to perfect it and reprint boxes

and ingredient labels and whatnot.

So we did add some flavors.

Um, Keilani, we did butter, rum, banana,

Keilani and Alexis: And peanut butter, which actually went quite well with it.

Sheri and John Long: coffee,

Keilani and Alexis: Uhhuh?

Sheri and John Long: and we did, um, we added a protein powder to, to try it out.

Um.

And they were liked.

It's just, it's just the time involved.

It's, you know, there's only so many hours in the day, and so, so right now they're

just straight up peanut butter balls.

They have a chocolate, smooth chocolate on the outside, and we always say

surprise crunch on the inside.

I.

John and Connie: Ah.

All right.

Well, I think you've won some awards too.

I remember from your website you've won several awards in the, in the Las

Vegas area for best of this and that.

Right?

Sheri and John Long: Yeah, just this past Saturday they announced,

uh, best of Las Vegas 2024, and we placed gold in the chocolatier

category, so that was exciting.

Um, we're three years running now for best of Las Vegas, and you know, it's.

It's humbling when a small business wins and we've got other larger

candy locations, um, all over.

So that was exciting.

And in this town it's huge bragging rights.

So yeah, that was really fun.

It comes out and it's a big deal.

Everyone looks to see who won for this year, and so we are

best of Las Vegas chocolatier.

John and Connie: Wonderful.

Cool.

Sheri and John Long: The award that I won for the local autism foundation.

Um, we were recognized as the community partner, in working with

their workforce development program and bringing in the, the kids with

autism to work in our program.

So that was, that was exciting.

Um, I've, I received a, a grant for training from, uh,

manufacturer Nevada recently.

So they're working with me on, um, we're doing some sales and marketing and some

financial training and pulling QuickBooks, which is completely foreign to me.

Um, so yeah, so there's been, been quite a bit.

It's, it's been exciting.

John and Connie: That is fantastic.

Well, so, so our, know, big question since we're talking about

family business is what do you love about working with family?

And we got a lot of voices here, so who wants to start?

Keilani and Alexis: Um, I'll

Sheri and John Long: I'll start.

I,

John and Connie: Yes, sir.

Sheri and John Long: oh, excuse me.

Either the princess or the, uh, the one with the different hats here can go.

Do you wanna go first then?

Keilani, Keilani.

Go for it.

Keilani and Alexis: Um,

Sheri and John Long: Okay.

Go ahead.

Keilani and Alexis: a lot of time to like bond together when we're working.

We just like, I mean, we'll just be talking and I feel like even though

we're already family, like we get to know each other better and like stay caught

up with each other's lives and stuff.

And we'll play like little games while we're working and stuff.

And it's really fun in that sense.

We've got a shared curated playlist that has everyone's music taste, um, that's

usually playing in the background.

Mm-hmm.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah, I, I, I think so too.

Like, it, it's created a lot of time where we'll be across from each other and the,

and we're in a, a big commercial kitchen space, but we're across from each other at

the, the tables and conversations happen.

Keilani and Alexis: Okay.

Sheri and John Long: know, you're making peanut butter balls and there's

a lot of conversation that happens.

Well, and on, on my end, I think, uh, being able to pull together and be a, a

part of the success through the business.

Starting out in the very beginning, learning how to fold the boxes, which

boxes are gonna work, all the research or the research and development that,

you know, my wife Sherry had to go through and what about this one and this?

And so we knew how to do this one and then we knew how to do another one.

And as it evolved and as the product was starting to change and get

dynamic and then making a commercial kitchen out of rented space and going

through the process of that and doing the floors that were acceptable and

passing inspection and investing all that time and effort into it.

And then seeing all the fruit of the labor coming into, well now I walk

into the kitchen and she has this workforce and they're just knocking

this out and the people are in the commercial kitchen and you see the

joy that they are achieving a lot.

And it warms your heart to see that these young individuals are working

in an employed state and they're, you know, they're being compensated as well.

And the, the feeling of being able to be successful in their endeavor and

then see what the finished product is.

It's very nice to see that.

I drop in from time to time when my delivery boy hat goes on.

Um, when it's not the IT, which, you know, we've been having difficulties on

our internet, but, um, you know, I do the, the financial things and a whole

variety of things, but seeing what it takes to pull it together and I think

as a family to be able to do that for each other and for, you know, mama.

And seeing the success that follows along with it and what

we have for hopes in the future.

I, I think it's a very pleasant, uh, experience for our children

and to see how a business grows.

And our children are very much the go-getters in life, and they

are looking to have successful careers in their fields as well.

So I think it's a, a beautiful example of how the good work, um,

pulls together and there's a lot of reward involved with it as well.

Keilani and Alexis: I completely agree

John and Connie: well said.

Keilani and Alexis: She's, um, she's a good influence on how to run a business

and deal with other people and stuff.

And I will say when we have to, you know, combat, you know, hurdles that

come our way, being able to have so many different perspectives, um, helps with

troubleshooting and we were able to bounce ideas off each other and well, you know,

I'm thinking, what about if we try this?

Well, I actually was thinking this.

And that's been very helpful just to have us all as a family in that sense as well.

I

Sheri and John Long: I think we, I think everybody's paid attention

to things that, um, you wouldn't normally pay attention to either.

You know, like the kids open, what, when it was, when we were trying to

master the box, the kids would open a pizza box and they'd be like, well,

mom, what about if we made it like this?

Or, you know, just

that you never really paid attention to.

They'd say they'd come home with saved boxes, you know, a cookie box and like,

well, I looked at this box, or, or, Aston was at a Starbucks and, and took a

picture of something and sent it to me.

So things that you wouldn't even normally pay attention to, I think as

a whole, we kind of look at how things are designed in a whole new light too.

John and Connie: Cool.

Aston, you were trying to get in there.

Yeah, I just, I wanted to talk about how like, one of the coolest

things I think, at least for me is to, I mean, we've been in this for

such a long time now, to look back and, and just see how far we've come.

You know, we're always constantly working so hard and, and to kind of just stop

the moments where, you know, like, like the kitchen for example, you know, we

walk into the kitchen and you see a, a whole factory line and, and these kids

are hard at work and it's like, you know, years ago this was just an empty

building and we kind of built all of it.

And it's just to, to, to kind of step back and watch everything and really see

what we've built, I feel like is one of the coolest, coolest parts of it all.

Sheri and John Long: And I will say they point that out to me a lot

because I'm so, in the moment they'll be like, mom, this is your kitchen.

Like, you know, this is like, look.

And, and so sometimes I have to step back 'cause they'll walk in and just

kind of look around and, and sort of, um.

You know, this, this is your, this is, this is, this is our space here.

Like, so sometimes it, it, it kind of, I'm just so like, go, go, go get it done.

Focus on what?

That they sort of sometimes bring me down and, you know, look at, look at

what, look at what we've created here.

John and Connie: Yeah.

Measuring progress, you

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

John and Connie: living, being, I mean, being present, like being in the moment.

Yeah, you gotta.

To do that, to get it done, but, but how will you appreciating what

you've come, how you measuring Yeah.

Measuring that progress and appreciating it.

Keilani and Alexis: important.

John and Connie: Yes,

Sheri and John Long: Say that again, Keilani

Keilani and Alexis: And realizing how much you've accomplished is important too.

John and Connie: Mm-hmm.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Just recently, AJ has, AJ has recently stepped up into the sales market as well.

Some of the local contacts here, bigger companies, uh, Aston is developing a

nice way of presenting a sales pitch and being able to go in as the closer

when my wife gets the clientele and he's able to, uh, draw them in further

and, and get an opportunity for a trial.

And, um, so he's contributing more and more on that end.

So it's nice to have the businessman in the setting as well.

I think everyone kind of, it's, it's been a, a learning experience in that everyone

kind of has their role and, and their strengths and, you know, when you're,

when you're running the whole show and.

Um, you know, Kay Keilani has this brain that can look at a flat template

of a box and figure out what it'll do when once it's folded, my mind

does not, does not work like this.

So I would get these templates from the printer and I'd be lost, and she

would look at it and say, no, you need to have this, this, and this,

and these tabs, and then it'll fold.

And okay, I'd send it back and they'd send me something else

and I'd be like, how about this?

And she'd be like, no, but this piece needs to, whereas

my brain doesn't do that.

So I'm like, you, you're the director of packaging, you know?

Um,

John and Connie: you go.

Keilani and Alexis: work together and benefit each other in that way too.

Like we have different minds, so we see different things.

Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: definitely.

John and Connie: Um.

Sheri and John Long: Um, I am not a social media guru and I know that social

media is huge and I look at Instagram and just wanna start crying half the time.

So I'll send Alexis things and say, can you put this on there

and share this and tag this?

And, you know.

And she's, and I'm like, okay, we now have the manager of social media and then, you

know, it comes to sales and I'm, I'm kind of hemming and hawing and I can't get, you

know, I can't get something in a location.

And I'll tell Aston, "Okay, call him, you know, make it happen."

And he will get off the phone and say, okay, go deliver tomorrow.

You know?

So I, I think we all kind of have our strengths and we've put those into

play and it's been very, very helpful.

John and Connie: And did you know those strengths beforehand or did you kind

of figure them out on the fly as, as you had problems to solve together?

I think more than ever we kind of had no choice.

It was sort of brought out of us.

So even

I

Sheri and John Long: pulled it out.

we had these, these, um, you know, strengths before this, I mean, especially.

Just, just growing up, we've, I mean, we were younger when the business

started, but I think kind of having no choice but to look at each other's

perspectives, and even though we might all be part of the same family,

we we're very different people.

So when we all kind of come together, we, we have no choice

but to sort of rely on each other in the, in the areas that we lack.

And it kind of just brings us all up together.

Sheri and John Long: I, I think working, working as a family.

Uh, let me just add this sweetie, and then you can go.

Uh, I think working as a family syntax is very important because initially

it wasn't, would you like to go to the kitchen and help me today?

It's, you'll be going to the kitchen and helping me today.

No, I always made it a choice.

I never did that.

I always made it a choice.

I always, and I did that on purpose because I never wanted it to

be a, a, a resentful situation.

Like, I have to go work for my mom, or I have to do this.

So it was always made, I always made it an option or a choice.

And I think that is what also pulled out strengths because, um, Keilani

was the one that chose to come to the kitchen and do the, the physical, you

know, the physical creation of, of, of a product while Alexis did the behind

the scenes and AJ's the people person.

So I always made it.

Um, a a choice of, you know, do you wanna do this?

Do you wanna do that?

Um, now sometimes I'm like, okay, now I really need you to call

and get this location and close the, close the sale, you know?

Um, but they're also older now, so I think they, they see it,

you know, they get it more now.

Um.

And then, you know, when the computer breaks, the IT guy steps in and, you know,

um, when there's plumbing issues, the plumber comes, arrives at the kitchen and

you know, and then of course we're coming at the end of the year, so taxes are due.

So the accountant is here.

Keilani and Alexis: And I'd

John and Connie: it's a lot of hats.

Keilani and Alexis: allows us to like combine our strengths

and work together like that.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

John and Connie: how do you, when you say combine, um, you mean, uh,

in, in a general sense, or do you mean like, like something to do?

Maybe like the boxes where you, you found a way to combine that way?

Keilani and Alexis: I'd say like we each kind of have our

own section of the business.

So like she said, like I'm the packaging manager, Aston does the sales.

Alexis is like the

John and Connie: You can froze, sweetie.

Keilani and Alexis: So

John and Connie: There we go.

Keilani and Alexis: we can all, um, like work together to make

it a whole and succeed like that.

I think it, it kind of goes both ways with that, because if you look

at the business as a whole without.

Each of us, I feel like we're all kind of crucial in our own way.

So the business would suffer a lot without each of our strengths, but

then also with individual things, like sometimes Keilani and I will be

trying to find a more efficient way to do this or that, and I can't figure

it out and she can't figure it out.

And then when we sit down together and look at something, our strengths

kind of come together on, on something in like a smaller aspect as well.

So it kind of goes both ways.

John and Connie: Nice.

Sheri and John Long: a good point.

John and Connie: that's what I was wondering.

Yeah.

So, um, hopefully all these things that you're figuring out and documenting,

uh, that you're documenting them also that, 'cause someday you're

gonna, need to replace yourself.

Sheri and John Long: Right.

John and Connie: on to something else,

Sheri and John Long: Well, and....

With the, with the boxes in that.

I always told the kids, you know, when it, when it gets into the big factory and you

know, you're in the supervisory position, I say, Keilani can walk up there and

say, oh, it's a little bit more efficient if you do it this way, because she's

learned everything from the ground up.

Right?

I mean, that makes a great manager if you've done all the jobs yourself and

you know exactly what it is and, and what the little tweaks and tricks are,

and I think to what AJ said, I think you think of things , you know, different

people think of different things.

For example, he, he called one location to see if they would

take product and sell them.

And they kind of hemmed and hawed, oh, we're not interested.

You know, we're not really sure.

And had I been on the phone, I would've said, okay, well maybe you know,

another time and gotten off the phone, put my tail between my legs and left.

And, you know, when they came back with, you know, we're not, we're not

really sure we want peanut products.

He was so quick on his feet and said, "Well, you know, I have noticed that

you have Reese's and Snickers and both of those are peanut products."

You know, and that was such like, I can't even think that fast.

So when, so I think it's just different thoughts and different

brains and, you know, you just think differently and it comes together

and, and really creates something.

John and Connie: What'd you say, Keilani?

I missed you.

I missed it.

Keilani and Alexis: A hundred percent.

I totally agree with that.

John and Connie: Oh.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

John and Connie: Oh, that's what teamwork!

Exactly.

I mean, the fact that you guys have just kind of figured this out naturally.

You know, some families go decades and they don't figure this out and, , getting

the roles right, getting the roles straight and, and figuring out strengths

and so my hat's off to, to y'all.

This is fabulous and letting each other grow where you need to grow.

That's

Sheri and John Long: And I think it's.

John and Connie: to you two.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Does your teacher background, Sherry, does your teacher background really, um,

did it really lend itself well to, to bringing your kids into the business?

Sheri and John Long: Oh, tremendously.

Tremendously.

I think I pulled them in probably the same way I would teach is like, you we're

gonna find your strength and we're gonna, we're gonna focus on your strength.

Um, I think when I was teaching, I also.

I don't wanna say I made learning a choice, 'cause you know, these

kids are forced to go to school and they have to be there.

But I had a way of making my students responsible for their learning.

And I would say that with my own kids, um, making it a choice and,

and having them see their strengths and realize that they're good at

this or they're good at that and they can really benefit the business.

Um.

I think was definitely a teacher background.

Yeah, for sure.

And I think it's helped them in other ways.

Alexis has gone on, with working with marketing and in, with Sugar and Spice.

She's gone on and created, she's in the process of creating a group

on her college campus right now.

Completely unrelated, but still with the background that she learned

or, or took with her to, to school.

Keilani and Alexis: And you being a teacher.

You definitely taught us leadership, like to take control when no one else will.

That's a big, aspect that you pass down to us.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah, yeah.

To, to kind of take the bull by the horns and make something happen.

Um, and I think all three of my kids have, have seen that.

And, and that's, I mean, I think part of it's probably personality, but I think

a lot of it kinda came out in a step back and teach kind of mode as well.

Um, you know, Aston's working right now and, and like John said, he's doing sales

and I think it sort of transfers over.

Um, so I think they've been able to take what they've learned and kind of

put it in areas of their own lives too.

John and Connie: Yeah, when you can learn and, and take some risks and

make mistakes and it's still okay , and it's safe, then you know, you,

you have much more self-confidence.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

John and Connie: to try new things and to, to transfer those skills.

'cause there's so much transferable skills I'm hearing here that, you

know, just goes on in other areas of life and other businesses.

Sheri and John Long: Do I miss the classroom?

No.

Will I ever go back to teaching?

No, but I, I always joke that my classroom has morphed into a large commercial

kitchen and it's still happening, so.

John and Connie: Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: We still have an educator in the works.

I'm on my year 31 of teaching, so I keep talking to the boss

over here who, you know, supplies my, my big paychecks for me.

When are we gonna explode so I can get into retirement mode for my first

occupation and get in here full time.

John and Connie: Cool.

One of our questions that we like to ask is about a challenge you've overcome and,

and you talked about the little growing pains, but you had a pretty big challenge

a few years ago with Covid, and you guys are in a food manufacturing plant.

So tell us about how you weathered that storm.

Sheri and John Long: So I actually couldn't even think of a challenge and

Keilani said, you know, Keilani was like, I think it was when, when Covid

was around, I had Covid very, I was down for six weeks, completely down.

Um, probably should have been hospitalized, but I wasn't.

I was quarantined to the upstairs bedroom.

Um.

So for six weeks I was not in production.

I was not doing invoicing.

I mean, I couldn't even get out of bed.

It was, it was a, it was a challenge just to walk to the bathroom.

So they took over.

Alexis you did the balls.

Keilani was helping with the balls and the packaging.

AJ was making boxes.

Alexis, like, at one point I was walking her through how to, how to

complete an invoice to invoice one of the hotels out here and she said,

oh, I didn't know you did all this.

And I was like, yeah.

So she became pretty adept at, at invoicing.

When checks came in, I was talking her through how to, you

know, mark it as a paid invoice.

And then he was delivering.

So I was literally in bed, down for six weeks and they ran everything.

And, and that speaks, speaks volumes.

I.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah, I'd say it was a really big challenge.

And more than ever we had to learn to each do our part.

I mean, of course excluding Sherry because she couldn't help out with us, but we

were really connected at that point 'cause we totally had to work together.

Sheri and John Long: I mean, I remember getting like a report,

Keilani and Alexis: I.

Sheri and John Long: you know, how many, how many boxes?

earlier,

John and Connie: Go ahead, Aston.

Sheri and John Long: ahead, Austin.

like earlier we were talking about kind of how our, our, our

strengths come together and this was like a prime example of that.

I mean, it really, it went, Beyond.

I know she likes to say we, we had a choice.

I would argue that during Covid we did not have a choice, but it

Sheri and John Long: Okay.

I mean, we had no choice.

We had,

so we sort of had no choice but to sort of, you know, come together

and, and if we didn't, the business was not gonna continue to thrive.

And it was, it was definitely a challenge, but we learned a lot.

We grew closer because of it, and, and ultimately we were able to

come together and make it happen.

Sheri and John Long: There was probably some bribery in there at that point.

Yeah.

If, if you can fold, then you know, something came with it.

Um, but yeah.

There, there were bonuses to that minor salary at that time.

John and Connie: Uh huh.

There you go.

Sheri and John Long: I mean, Keilani just brought up the,

John and Connie: bring hard choices

Sheri and John Long: yeah,

John and Connie: mean.

Mm-hmm.

Sheri and John Long: Keilani just brought up the other day.

She said, remember when it was a snow cone or a McDonald's sundae for pay?

I said, yeah, I remember that.

Keilani and Alexis: exactly.

It

Sheri and John Long: was

Keilani and Alexis: very worth

it though.

John and Connie: Cool.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

So I, I would say that was probably the biggest.

That was, that was a huge hurdle.

Um, the way of challenges and just, you know, I mean, when you're a small business

and you don't have other people to run the show, um, it's, it was a matter.

I couldn't just, I couldn't just go out for six weeks.

Um, so it was a matter of keeping things going and I was

completely hands off at that point.

And I would say on top of, I would say that was the biggest challenge, but

other challenges that we've had was like the first time that there was a

considerably larger order that would come in and it's like, oh my goodness.

Uh, so we have to get the boxes ready.

We have to have enough of the ingredients, we have to get it together.

I have to have time to, you know, create the product and then get it packaged and

then get the invoices and everything.

And when it was a quick turnaround, so that was, you know, you, you

work well under pressure and we got a taste of what the pressure

was like in those moments as well.

And that's when you really gotta stay levelheaded and pulled together.

And, uh, I would say those times makes you a lot more efficient and that

transfers over . Yeah, I, I think that transfers over with the organization and

then also with the teaching background as far as organizing things like you

would organize a lesson, everybody has a component that goes together.

It's gonna pull together for your finished product.

And a lot of things in education, that's what we're, we're trying to get the young

people to do is work together and have an understanding as to how they play a

certain part in the overall each piece.

And that makes it successful in the end.

Keilani, what were you gonna add?

Keilani and Alexis: It was, it was such a difficult time for us.

So I think it's definitely proof that if anything like that ever happened again

or if the rest of us had to run the business, then we could definitely do it.

I.

Absolutely.

Sheri and John Long: Oh, and you guys are older now too, so I could see.

I think yeah, definitely.

I mean, let's hope what never does, but I think even being older now,

you could definitely take over.

John and Connie: Yeah, it's huge self-confidence boost.

You know, that's, that kind of goes back with that, you know, mention of track of

your accomplishments, you know, that's one of those things, you know, you can do.

You went through that, so, and you know, it goes on the

list and a well run business.

If the owner has to step out for some reason, everybody

else can pull it together.

Sheri and John Long: And I feel confident now that if, if that were

to happen, if for some reason I had to leave or step out or, or travel

and get whatever, I feel confident that, um, they, they could do it.

Mm-hmm.

They could do it.

John and Connie: right.

Well, they did it for what, the 18 months to two years of covid.

So

kudos to all of you.

Sheri and John Long: Mm-hmm.

And that was a, that was probably, I mean, that it was me having covid but was.

With having a food product and being in a tourism city, it was a

challenge keeping things going also, because all of my hotels shut down.

I, I have a lot of the coffee locations in the hospitals and obviously those were

closed without visitors in the hospitals.

The airport, all my stores in the airport, if no one's flying, my stores

in the airport weren't taking product.

So it was a challenge in terms of losing a lot of locations that

either were shut down or closed, or didn't come back after Covid.

And then having to reestablish relationships with the different, uh.

Companies and, and finding new locations.

And, uh, you know, she, she wore out some shoes hitting the pavement.

Mm-hmm.

She was really having to hustle and come up.

And still, it's a, it's a constant that, uh, you know, she's constantly getting

out there and she's getting more notoriety and people are, are seeing the product and

she's getting, um, reorders from people from different functions, different,

uh, places that they've seen them.

They're in venues where there's sporting events and that's

starting to come to fruition.

And, um, it's starting really to grow.

So I'm, I'm waiting for the explosion.

John and Connie: Do you have a, a, a corporate gift part of your business?

So where you, you know,

Sheri and John Long: Yeah, I do.

John and Connie: we've got a.

Sheri and John Long: I, yeah, I've done quite a few.

A construction company and, real estate.

I just did an IT company.

And one of the things that I do if, if they want is, I'm always willing

to co-brand with, with companies too.

So if they provide me with ribbon or stickers or they, you know,

I, I'm happy to, to, to share in the, you know, in the product.

Um, so I've done some co-branding with some companies and, and you know, we put

both, both of our names or our logos on the box somehow and make it work and.

Um, I, I love cross-promoting.

I, you know, especially if it's a fellow small business, I, I, you

know, I, I love helping them out.

If they're gonna buy product and get it out there, then I'm more than

happy to put their logo on my box.

John and Connie: Yeah.

'cause you know that IT guy is not sitting back there rolling Peanut butter balls.

You might be rolling something out.

but they're not.

Right.

But, but what a, what a wonderful thing of, of, of that smart cross branding

because a lot of people don't understand that, um, what It helps everybody.

Sheri and John Long: Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

I love cross-promoting.

I, I feel like it's a win-win for everybody.

John and Connie: Absolutely.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah, I know Alexis is, is being, being on social

media and, and, and the social media manager that she is, she'll find

things or places online or, or posts and she'll send them to me and say,

Hey, can we do something with this?

Or do you wanna contact them or should we reach out to them?

Or, you know, so, um, you know, it's, it's sometimes finding those leads too.

Um, so she'll find the leads and I'll contact them, and then I'll

have Aston close the deal and Keilani will get the boxes good to go.

John and Connie: There

Sheri and John Long: a, it's a win-win for everybody.

John and Connie: There we go.

Cool.

Sheri and John Long: And then, and also with the website too, where

it shows where the product is.

And so that's giving promotion for the different venues that she, uh, is, is in,

especially with the smaller businesses, some of the, the coffee establishments.

Local.

Yeah.

A local owned small business.

And it's like, you know, the product can be found in these locations

and you see that on the website.

And especially for, you know, we, we appreciate the local draw of

the people and if they can seek her product at a coffee shop, at a butcher

shop, at different things like that.

And that is helping to promote the other people too.

It just, it starts tumbling and tumbling and tumbling and there's more and more

orders that are coming from those venues

For her, and as a result.

They see, hey, these people are coming in, they're asking for it.

It's also drawing in their business as well,

John and Connie: right.

Sheri and John Long: it's great.

John and Connie: And, and if you are running, if you're running links from

your website to those locations and they're getting a back link to their

website, and that's also good for

Sheri and John Long: Mm-hmm.

John and Connie: Mm-hmm.

Nice.

Sheri and John Long: And they do, they, I, I have links for, you know, different

small coffee shops, winery, you know, um.

Gifting.

I work with some gift basket type locations and, um, you know, it's,

people think of Vegas as as big and it, once you're in, in, once you're

in it, it's really, especially as a small business, it's a very

supportive city of small business.

Um, and it's really just not that big.

Um, you know, we all run in the same circles and so, I'm friends

with a basket lady who uses cookies and peanut butter balls and puts

'em all in her gift baskets.

I I find that it's, everyone kind of tries to help each other

out and lift each other up.

You know, people think of Vegas as big, but I think in the small business world in

Vegas, we all run in the same circles and I, I think everyone's pretty supportive.

John and Connie: That makes sense.

'cause you've got really two economies.

You've got the, you know, the, the strip economy, the big nationwide

advertising on tourism and then.

You've got the rest of the city

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Yeah.

John and Connie: and the people who live there and work there.

Sheri and John Long: And there's a, there's a, there's also a big difference

between, um, you know, my wholesale sales and my consumer direct sales too.

So I, I kind of go in both directions because I guess the

nature of the city that we're in.

Sherry through some organizations had some, uh.

Invitations to, um, when F1 was first getting established, she did a, uh,

uh, she had an area where she was, um, helping with the media people

that were coming in Super Bowl, well, for, for F1, the media coverage.

And they were there and got to know her product and things like that.

It was a big, shindig for all of them.

And then, um, and then with the Super Bowl too, and as a side product.

They, well, the, there was the Business Connect program comes into the host city

and I think they had 700 applicants.

They found 200 small businesses.

They vet those businesses and then they put them in a manual, I guess

you could call it for, for the host committee to come into town.

And here's 200 small businesses and, you know, they were everything,

photography, videography, balloons, flowers, you name it.

So I made that.

What, what is it?

What, what was it?

It was a, a, uh.

John and Connie: Catalog?

Sheri and John Long: Catalog, I guess, of businesses.

And I was one of the 200 that were in there.

And then what John was talking about was the media event that they hosted

when they welcomed all of everybody and they had the small businesses,

um, participate in that media event.

And, and you know, they either did the decorations or we, we had our

food products there and whatnot.

And then they did a lot of, um, small business.

Um.

Like conference type situations.

We, they, they taught us about cybersecurity.

They gave us a little talk on marketing.

It was just sort of like the host committee and the Super Bowl came

together and they just wanted to like train these small businesses on various

aspects of, of, of being a business.

And, um, at the very end, the very last one was kind of like a hoorah.

The Super Bowl's coming, you guys made it this far.

This is awesome.

And they raffled off two tickets to the Super Bowl.

John and Connie: Congratulations.

Fabulous.

Wow.

Sheri and John Long: No sugar.

Sugar and Spice took those tickets and, uh, I brought them home and

Alexis videoed me, you know, telling him that he won these tickets.

And I, I, how many views were on that video?

Alexis?

60,000.

Keilani and Alexis: pretty high.

It, yes.

That sounds

about

right.

I haven't looked recently.

I mean, it was, it was a while

I think it was 60 or 80 thousand

views

Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: it was crazy.

I mean, just, just coming home and telling my husband, guess what I,

I, I walked in with an NFL bag.

It was like a a a, like a duffle bag.

A duffle bag.

And I said, look at this cool bag I won.

And it had the NFL logo.

And he thought that was just the neatest thing.

'cause it was the official NFL duffle bag.

And I said, but wait, look what's inside of it.

And I opened it up and pulled out those, you know, massive like life-size tickets.

Keilani and Alexis: right there behind you.

Sheri and John Long: Um, and it was, his mouth just dropped.

And so, um, he, you know, in my head I'm thinking, I, I

can buy a new house with this.

Um, but he's like, my question was, are you gonna take me?

I said, I said,

John and Connie: Yeah, I was gonna say there's, there's a whole here.

Sheri and John Long: think if I didn't take him, it would've

been grounds for divorce.

So, so yeah, that was, that was fun.

And that was as a result of being a small business here in Las Vegas.

John and Connie: There you go.

And you never know where something like that's gonna show up.

Oh, and that's an asset that just continues, right?

That's right.

And you can

repromote that too, can't you , Alexis?

Sheri and John Long: yeah, yeah.

John and Connie: Mm-hmm.

Sheri and John Long: So that was, that was definitely a perk.

John and Connie: Cool.

Well, so our

final question, I guess is what's next?

Yeah.

Where, what do you see

Expansion.

John and Connie: company?

Sheri and John Long: Wait, what did you say?

John and Connie: That was quick

I said expansion.

John and Connie: expansion.

Sheri and John Long: But like, okay, so if someone asked you that,

they, they know the answer to this.

What's, what's, what's been the goal for me from the get go?

Keilani and Alexis: Ready,

Should we say it on three?

Starbucks.

John and Connie: Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: My goal from the get-go has been to get Sugar and

Spice peanut butter balls, our little four count boxes, into Starbucks.

And

John and Connie: Fab.

Sheri and John Long: in one once and, and there was this little tray in the

four by four space by the register, and he took a picture and said, mom,

your product would fit perfect here.

Um, and I'm in, you name a coffee house in this town

and I've either contacted them or they carry my product.

Um, so the goal has always been Starbucks.

I, and, and, and I think with that would be to get beyond

the confines of, of Vegas.

You know, I, I'd love to just, I mean, how many independent

coffee houses are in this country?

Right.

Um,

Keilani and Alexis: mean, you have to

Sheri and John Long: you know,

Keilani and Alexis: credit you have.

Um, I mean, you were in Texas for a while.

You had a coffee shop

You are in Manhattan.

Keilani and Alexis: Um,

Sheri and John Long: man.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah, so the, the

John and Connie: Cool.

Keilani and Alexis: is coming at a very quick speed.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Um, Texas and Manhattan.

Manhattan, he had a coffee shop here and he took, he, he, he sold this

coffee shop and opened a place in Manhattan and still wanted them,

so they were shipped to Manhattan.

I moved

John and Connie: Wow.

Sheri and John Long: them to New York and then Texas.

She found I, I don't know.

Alexis, you that was an online, she found us.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah.

She, um, I think had seen one of our, our posts that had gotten, um, to

a, a larger audience and said, yeah, I run this cheese shop, you know,

these would be a great addition.

And we said, okay, let's do it.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

So...

John and Connie: Which city in, in Texas, I'm curious.

Sheri and John Long: Round Rock.

John and Connie: Round Rock.

Keilani and Alexis: I think

John and Connie: Okay.

Keilani and Alexis: Yes.

It's

little.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Tiny little.

It's like they, they're known for some huge antique show

that they have every year.

John and Connie: Yes.

It's a huge thing.

See?

See.

Sheri and John Long: See, there you go.

Now if you go there, you probably see her product.

John and Connie: there you.

Sheri and John Long: Um, so yeah, I

John and Connie: I'd rather come to Vegas.

Sheri and John Long: Vegas, I'd love to get beyond the confines of, of.

John and Connie: Sure.

Sheri and John Long: I mean, I, I'm in Reno up north and, and, uh, Mesquite.

Um, but just to get beyond Nevada and, and move into other locations,

um, would be, would be like

John and Connie: coming and you got a team behind you.

Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: expansion.

we're, we're only one national contract away,

Sheri and John Long: Okay.

I like that thought.

no matter what it is.

I think that's, that's the big break we need.

I mean, we we're expanding rapidly, but we've got some things that are,

you know, in talking stages of regional and that, and I think just one national

contract with a, a chain of stores or whatever it may be, will just kind of

get us out there so much and it'll, it'll just take off from there to, you

know, everywhere you go, Sugar and Spice.

Sheri and John Long: I mean, and we are in some locations here regionally,

you know, we're in Total Wine, and, their distribution centers, aren't

really set up for food right now, you know, and they're back east.

And so there's some logistics in there.

Um.

Uh, uh, but, you know, I'd love to think that eventually we could move

into other Total Wine locations, um, you know, or, or other hotel.

I mean, a lot of the hotels obviously have, have other hotels and, you know, um

John and Connie: Yeah, there's one particular chain that

is known for their cookies.

If you could get into another chain

Sheri and John Long: Right,

John and Connie: Yeah, but

Sheri and John Long: right.

They know.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah.

John and Connie: but, but to go into another brand and say, put

Sheri and John Long: Right.

John and Connie: there and

Sheri and John Long: Yep.

John and Connie: go.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: And that's what I would love.

I would, I would love to just, you know, like Aston said, get some,

some sort of national distribution.

Well that, that, that coming from our up and coming salesman there, I, I think

he just, uh, found his next project.

John and Connie: On it.

I

think I got some work to do.

John and Connie: Yeah.

Yes, you do.

Sheri and John Long: He could do it.

John and Connie: Networking

Keilani and Alexis: I'd say

if she did get to that point, then it's definitely like when,

yeah, when she gets to that point.

It's definitely like a watermark for both businesses.

'cause obviously we know the Double Tree cookies, we've

visited tons of Double Trees while

traveling and stuff, so that would be a great opportunity for her.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

John and Connie: Yeah.

Absolutely.

Sheri and John Long: I think it's just, I, I've always, I've always

been a, a strong believer that the right people come at the right time.

And, um, so sometimes I think it's just, I, I feel I, I've always felt

like there's, there's something big around the corner, um, and little baby

steps are setting me up along the way.

Um, so sometimes I think it's just being patient.

Um, and just trusting that the right people or the right opportunity will

present itself at the right time.

John and Connie: Super well, and it's hard to go from a crawling stage to a full run.

There's a lot that has to happen.

Right?

Sheri and John Long: Right.

Right.

John and Connie: so it sounds like you all are, are in that getting, starting to

stand up and getting ready to rock out.

Sheri and John Long: And I will say we celebrate together too.

You know, I mean.

I just got a massive order, from one of the hotels for a Valentine's

event that they're doing.

And I came home and I said, um, it's 700 boxes.

And then I say, they changed, they upped it to 1100 and then like that

afternoon, now they want 1200, you know, and so we, you know, we, we, um,

we celebrate together too, I think.

Um, and, and,

Keilani and Alexis: I think that's what also fuels us

celebrating

the, the little wins.

Mm-hmm.

Um, it, it keeps us going and keeps us encouraged, um, and, and, and

does show us how far we have come.

It's not even really us celebrating the bigger win, or I mean

the, the, you know, the little wins.

It's us celebrating one step closer to the bigger picture, even if, you know, it's,

it's not necessarily that we're excited about the 1200, you know, box order.

We're excited that 1200 people are gonna see the product.

So it's like, even though, you know, we celebrate the small things, it's

because we have that big picture in mind.

Keilani and Alexis: Definitely.

John and Connie: it's gonna be more than 1200.

You know, you, it is exponentially.

They're gonna

Absolutely.

John and Connie: they're gonna show their family.

Sheri and John Long: Right.

John and Connie: know, and it's going to, it is going to explode.

So

kudos

to all of you.

Good thinking there.

Sheri and John Long: Thank you.

John and Connie: That frame, you know, it's, it's, what does

it mean, where does it lead?

Right.

Awesome.

What a great way to, I, I, I am looking forward to sharing this episode.

I think there's just, yes, just a lot of lessons here

for other businesses to learn.

Is there anything else anybody'd like to say before we

I have a, I have a question for the two of you.

I mean, obviously you guys have talked to so many other families.

What, what advice do you have?

What, you know, what do you guys have to, to say?

John and Connie: In general or in in a

I mean, I guess what, what would you, what advice would

you have to us, to the business?

I.

John and Connie: Mostly, I say keep doing what you're doing.

Communicate.

That's the number one issue in a small family business.

Is communication because 'cause we bring in past with us when we come in, we can

deal with what is now and go forward.

And it sounds like you all are doing a great job on doing that.

So continue that.

Yeah.

Keep doing what works, keep, keep talking, do more of what works and

less of what doesn't, that's the, yeah.

A really, really simple principle.

But.

It is solid.

Yeah.

And, and listen, and you know, the, the, the whole thing about, you

know, you have two ears and one mouth and, and listen on that too.

'cause that's another thing that's really important.

Not only knowing where you're coming from, but listening to

where somebody else is coming in.

Sheri and John Long: And I think I, like, I, I always seem to, maybe

it's the teacher and yeah, I always say I'm like the eternal learner.

I'm always pulling in from

John and Connie: Mm-hmm.

Sheri and John Long: other businesses and, you know, picking their brain about how

they did something or what they learned.

Um, so.

Um, Alexis, uh, share our social media.

Keilani and Alexis: Yes, sure.

So we are on, uh, Instagram is our biggest platform right now.

Our handle is @ Sugar and Spice Las Vegas.

Um, and you can find us on there with all of our announcements, updates,

sales, promo codes, um, new locations.

Um, it's a good way to stay connected and see what we're doing.

John and Connie: Good.

And we'll also have all this in the show notes.

Yeah.

So, so we make sure

Keilani and Alexis: Perfect.

John and Connie: your website, uh uh.

Any email addresses, you know, any of that stuff that you'd like to do.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Keilani and Alexis: can find us on pretty much all platforms.

Um, Sherry's big on LinkedIn, um, and then Facebook and TikTok as well.

Mm-hmm.

John and Connie: We'll be sure to get the, oh, TikTok right now, I, I'm not, I

don't think I've ever been on TikTok, so I'd have to get the address or like how

should be the same, right?

John and Connie: isn't it?

Keilani and Alexis: It's the same handle.

Yes.

Mm.

Sugar and Spice Las Vegas

Keilani and Alexis: Yes.

John and Connie: Cool.

Sheri and John Long: Well, you're gonna have to, you're gonna have to plan a trip

to come out here and visit us and, uh,

John and Connie: Looking forward to it.

Sheri and John Long: you know,

John and Connie: saying.

Sheri and John Long: I mean, you know, this, this city, there's, there's, there's

more to do than just, you know, the gambling, you mean peanut butter balls?

Eat peanut butter balls.

You can come peanut butters and see the salt at the same time.

John and Connie: that's right.

Yes.

Thank you so much for, for, for taking your time out and joining us.

Yes.

And for all getting together to do this.

Sheri and John Long: Yeah.

Thank you for having us.

John and Connie: It's nice to meet you all and we are so looking

forward to seeing the the continued growth of Sugar and Spice.

Sheri and John Long: Thank you.

John and Connie: I can't wait to see you in my Starbucks here in Tampa.

Sheri and John Long: There you go.

John and Connie: Or the Total Wine that's right across the street or

the Total Wine that's right across.

Oh, I could go to Total Wine, then come back to the Starbucks and go back.

Sheri and John Long: Chocolate and peanut butter balls.

Wine and peanut butter balls.

What?

Better combination.

There

John and Connie: right.

Sheri and John Long: go.

Keilani and Alexis: balls.

Yep.

John and Connie: Yep.

Keilani and Alexis: Yes.

John and Connie: Well,

Sheri and John Long: All right.

Well, thank you for having us.

Keilani and Alexis: Yeah.

Sheri and John Long: We're.