Saturday, September 20th was a very special day for my family and me. This is my third year in business and since I first started I have always wanted to sell ice cream inside of Sanford Stadium. Any businessman or business woman can understand that why I would want to take my ice cream cart to any place where there are 92,000 people! After driving past the stadium stadium my whole life, seeing all the people come to my town year after year after year, I finally got to see for myself what all the excitement was about. My experience was unbelievable! At the end of the day we all got together and talked about our day. We all agreed it was biggest most challenging event we had ever worked but we survived! We can't wait to do it all again next Saturday when the Dawgs take on the Volunteers! Check out the most valuable lessons I learned my first time working in Sanford Stadium.
1. Bulldog Nation is for Real!
 |
| Watching the Pre-game video with all the Georgia greats! Thanking God for this opportunity. |
Bulldog fans are extremely loyal and supportive! Just some things I observed about the Bulldogs - During the pregame video that featured some former players and coaches, the fans were cheering so loudly, I thought the game was starting. I think I even saw some people crying!; The Dawg Walk is a right of passage for everyone during every home game; You don't want to be on the other end of "Gooooo Dawgs, Sic 'em", Every member of band believes they were born to play for the Bulldogs on Saturdays, and everyone from ages 1 to 101 stand still when they play the Georgia's Alma Mater When I asked my mom why were people liked that song so much, she said it's our Alma Mater. (My Mom is a proud alumni card-carrying member of Bulldog Nation. She graduated in 1989). I definitely learned that any Bulldog fan in the world would suit up in a minute if they thought they could help the Dawgs get a W. I also now know why my mom wants me go there. After yesterday I learned that I am a natural born Bulldog (sorry dad).
2. Ice Cream Weather is Whatever the Temperature is that Day!
I was a little worried about the weather before the game. However, those worries disappeared quickly. I was amazed at the number of people who wanted my ice cream even though it was not 90 degrees outside! This shouldn't surprise me because I when worked the LickSkillet Artisans Market last October it was 69 degrees outside. Apparently people from the North are not all that concerned about the weather when they are eating ice cream. As it turned out 80 degrees was as perfect as 69 degrees.
3. Unless your game day position is between the Hedges, you got to work to get noticed!
There are so many other concession stands and vendors working in Sanford Stadium. While Mom and Rock manned the cart, my dad and I walked around the concourse looking for customers. My dad carried the bag while I carried the sign and yelled "Ice Cream!" We did get some customers!!!! People saw us!!!
4. Stay focused and Resist Distractions
I didn't do a very good job of this yesterday. I'll be honest I really wanted to see the game. You see although I live in Athens, I have never been to a UGA football game. So every chance I got I watched the game. It was awesome! This may have caused me to not be as engaged with my customers. I may have even counted some change incorrectly (sorry Mom). I made up for it by working extremely hard during halftime. I will do better at resisting this temptation next week.
All-in-all I had a great time! Best work day ever!! Before I close, some thank yous are in order. First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me, my family and my business. He keeps opening doors for me and I am so grateful. I want to thank Mom, Dad and Rock for working with me. They have been #teamBeau from day one. I want to thank my grandma, Martha McKnight, for making us some custom aprons for the game. These aprons helped to hold the money in place so I didn't pull out too much money when giving change. I also want to thank Ms Sande Bailey for praying with my family before leaving the house. Ms. Sande is the coolest! A Special thanks to Mr. Randy and Mr. John for giving me a chance to prove I can work in Sanford Stadium. And lastly, I want thank Doc Mr. Shumate, Ms. Dee, Mrs. Burks and everyone else who have prayed for me and believed in me and my business.
Beau (with help from Mom)
2. Ice Cream Weather is Whatever the Temperature is that Day!
 |
| Walking to the stadium with Georgia and Ice Cream on my mind. |
3. Unless your game day position is between the Hedges, you got to work to get noticed!
There are so many other concession stands and vendors working in Sanford Stadium. While Mom and Rock manned the cart, my dad and I walked around the concourse looking for customers. My dad carried the bag while I carried the sign and yelled "Ice Cream!" We did get some customers!!!! People saw us!!!
4. Stay focused and Resist Distractions
 |
| It takes a whole of people working together to make a UGA football game happen. Thanks to RJ for helping us get ready! |
All-in-all I had a great time! Best work day ever!! Before I close, some thank yous are in order. First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me, my family and my business. He keeps opening doors for me and I am so grateful. I want to thank Mom, Dad and Rock for working with me. They have been #teamBeau from day one. I want to thank my grandma, Martha McKnight, for making us some custom aprons for the game. These aprons helped to hold the money in place so I didn't pull out too much money when giving change. I also want to thank Ms Sande Bailey for praying with my family before leaving the house. Ms. Sande is the coolest! A Special thanks to Mr. Randy and Mr. John for giving me a chance to prove I can work in Sanford Stadium. And lastly, I want thank Doc Mr. Shumate, Ms. Dee, Mrs. Burks and everyone else who have prayed for me and believed in me and my business.
Beau (with help from Mom)
