Three years ago, a husband and wife team took their entire retirement savings and bet it all on a small local market. The first two years weren't even profitable. Today, Jojo's Fresh Market in Paulding County, Georgia is finally starting to turn a corner, and it's become something much bigger than a grocery store.

In this episode of Dirt & Drive, I sit down with the couple behind Jojo's Fresh Market in Dallas, Georgia to talk about what it really costs to bet everything on a small business :financially and emotionally. We talk about how they built relationships with local farmers and even backyard gardeners, buying produce from people with nothing more than a small home garden. We get into how they decide which local vendors and products make it onto their shelves, what it takes for a small producer to get a foot in the door, and why they believe so deeply in supporting small over big.

If you've ever dreamed of opening your own store, getting your products into a local market, or you just want to hear an honest story about what it takes to keep going when the numbers aren't there yet, this episode is for you.

In this episode we cover:

• Betting their entire retirement on a business with no guarantee
• Surviving two years without profit
• How they source from small farmers and backyard gardeners
• What it takes for a small producer to get into a store like theirs
• Why they believe in small business over big distributors

🥬 Visit Jojo's Market:

https://jojosfreshmarket.com/

https://www.facebook.com/p/JoJos-Fresh-Market-61557779307554/

https://www.instagram.com/jojosfreshmarket/?hl=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@jojosfreshmarket

🎙️ Follow Dirt & Drive:

https://www.youtube.com/@dirtanddrivepod

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https://tiktok.com/@dirtanddrivepod

🐉 Follow Dragon Creek Ranch:

Shop Tallow: http://dragoncreek.org

https://facebook.com/dragoncreekranch

https://instagram.com/dragoncreek.ranch

https://tiktok.com/@dragoncreekranch

https://www.youtube.com/@Dragon_Creek_Ranch

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s building something from the ground up.

Dirt & Drive Podcast: Real conversations about building a business, working the land, and creating something that lasts.

Before you head out to pasture, remember, this is just people sharing opinions not medical, legal, or business advice. The opinions expressed here don't necessarily reflect the views of the host, Dragon Creek Ranch, or the Dirt & Drive Podcast. Always remember to do your own research. It's ok to get your hands a little dirty, but keep your rap sheet clean. Thanks for listening!

Before "Stranger Things" made it famous, this farm was already a legacy in the making.

In this episode of Dirt & Drive, I sit down with the sisters behind Sleepy Hollow Christmas Tree Farm - the real-life corn maze and farmland where Stranger Things was filmed, including Hopper's cabin. But long before the cameras showed up, this was a Christmas tree farm started by their dad back in the 1970s.

We talk about what it was like watching their family land turn into a worldwide filming location, how it brought tourists from around the globe, and - more importantly - how they've built a business that goes far beyond the fame. From pumpkin patches and escape rooms to birthday parties, farm photography, and animal encounters, this family has figured out how to turn every inch of their property into an experience that keeps people coming back all year long.

This is a story about hard work, family, and how a small homestead can grow into something bigger than anyone imagined - Stranger Things or not.

In this episode we cover:

• How Sleepy Hollow Farm became a Stranger Things filming location
• Building Hopper's cabin and hosting the corn maze scenes
• Turning a Christmas tree farm into a year-round experience business
• Pumpkin patches, escape rooms, birthday parties, and more
• Why experiences - not just products - might be the future of the small family farm

Follow Sleepy Hollow Christmas Tree Farm:

https://www.sleepyhollowtrees.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SleepyHollowTrees

https://www.instagram.com/sleepy_hollow_farm/

https://www.escapewoods.com/

Follow Dirt& Drive:

https://www.youtube.com/@dirtanddrivepod

https://instagram.com/dirtanddrivepod

https://tiktok.com/@dirtanddrivepod

Follow Dragon Creek Ranch:

Shop Tallow: http://dragoncreek.org

https://facebook.com/dragoncreekranch

https://instagram.com/dragoncreek.ranch

https://tiktok.com/@dragoncreekranch

https://www.youtube.com/@Dragon_Creek_Ranch

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s building something from the ground up.

Dirt & Drive Podcast: Real conversations about building a business, working the land, and creating something that lasts.

Before you head out to pasture, remember, this is just people sharing opinions not medical, legal, or business advice. The opinions expressed here don't necessarily reflect the views of the host, Dragon Creek Ranch, or the Dirt & Drive Podcast. Always remember to do your own research. It's ok to get your hands a little dirty, but keep your rap sheet clean. Thanks for listening!

Before there was Dragon Creek Ranch, there was years of grinding... eBay flipping, estate sales, a brutal home sale, and a closing that almost didn't happen twice. And even after we finally got here, a family setback nearly made us lose it all before we ever got started.

In the middle of all of that, I was also quietly losing a battle with my own skin. Years of rosacea and eczema, hundreds of dollars spent on prescriptions and creams, nothing working. Then somebody recommended tallow. My reaction? "Ew. Absolutely not." Thirty days later I caved. And three days after that, my skin started clearing up for the first time in years.

This is the full origin story of Dragon Creek Ranch. The grind, the setbacks, the skin transformation, and the wedding favor that accidentally launched a business. If you've ever wondered why I do this... this is your answer.

Grab your coffee. Pull up a chair. This one's personal.

Follow Dirt& Drive:

https://www.youtube.com/@dirtanddrivepod

https://instagram.com/dirtanddrivepod

https://tiktok.com/@dirtanddrivepod

Follow Dragon Creek Ranch:

Shop Tallow: http://dragoncreek.org

https://facebook.com/dragoncreekranch

https://instagram.com/dragoncreek.ranch

https://tiktok.com/@dragoncreekranch

https://www.youtube.com/@Dragon_Creek_Ranch

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s building something from the ground up.

Dirt & Drive Podcast: Real conversations about building a business, working the land, and creating something that lasts.

Before you head out to pasture, remember, this is just people sharing opinions not medical, legal, or business advice. The opinions expressed here don't necessarily reflect the views of the host, Dragon Creek Ranch, or the Dirt & Drive Podcast. Always remember to do your own research. It's ok to get your hands a little dirty, but keep your rap sheet clean. Thanks for listening!