We were lucky to catch up with Lindsay Kennedy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsay, thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

Corporate America has created an image that highly processed cheese products are cheese but it is nothing like real cheese. I always love new guests who have never tasted quality cheese. They often start out a bit hesitant but once they put it in their mouth, suddenly their whole energy changes. Their eyes begin to sparkle!

Lindsay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My professional career started in mental health. I was a case manager for in-patient and out-patient care for several years. Eventually, I realized I did not love it anymore. I am a firm believer that if you do not love what you are doing, you need to get out of the way of someone who might. I knew my heart loved wine but had no idea where it would take me career-wise. I spent the last 10 years working my way through the wine industry from restaurants, boutique wine shops, to distribution. It was very important to me to learn as much about the industry as I could before becoming a business owner. I wanted to fully understand what it takes for a product to get to me and what the people supplying me with my products have to go through. I also wanted to provide benefits to my employees but understood that is rarely offered in this type of work so I went to grad school to figure out why. Turns out, I am able to offer Paid Time Off and an IRA match at our current level and hope to someday be able to offer healthcare as well but right now that is a distant dream.

I am very proud that I have never compromised my values to take an easier path. Every day our team talks about the best way to care for our guests, if our prices are fair, and what we can do to grow and be even better for our community.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I spent the last 7 years working to own a wine shop! Over the last few years, the industry has dramatically changed, especially with mega stores like Total Wine now being in Michigan. I remember actually crying when I read they were coming so close to where I had built my dreams for so long. I wish I could say buying a cheese shop was originally my idea, but it was not! I was talking to a friend about how I knew the original concept I had was a bit riskier than I liked so I needed to pivot and they asked if I considered buying the cheese shop. After processing the idea with the former owners, it was clear that it was a brilliant idea. I live for my experiences with food and beverages. The question quickly became, “Why wouldn’t I own a cheese shop?” That day my husband was leaving to head up north and I asked him to meet me for lunch before heading out because I wanted to buy a cheese shop. He initially thought I lost my mind, but by the end of lunch, he said, “Hon, you are going to own a cheese shop!”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Stupidly is the quickest and most honest answer! I left working retail while in grad school to work in distribution. I always knew working a commission-based job would be a terrible idea for me. I worked about 60-70 hour weeks with almost 200 accounts because I always thought, that if I worked more, I could get to my dreams faster. I was also driving to Grand Rapids every week for class. Now that my business is the only focus, I realize I forgot what free time was like. I have been working hard to get back to my hobbies. I am very proud that I funded my business on my own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dolcettofarmington.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dolcettofarmington
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/dolcettofarmington