Building a Magazine Through Community | Allan Farrell, Stroll The Lakes Magazine #065

Hey everyone, it's Karissa from Shining Light on Minnesota. It's a beautiful kind of cloudy day and I have Allan from Stroll the Lakes with me. Welcome Allan. Thank you so much for having me. Yes, you bet. I'm super excited because we like to bring things back local and that's what we're going to kind of start on today. How did you get into Stroll the Lakes and tell everybody kind of your background of getting into it. Well, I um did utility work for Excel Energy for um six years and then some time um in underground construction and I had my back fused and then I couldn't continue. Yes. Doing tree work. I I miss it dearly. I miss the danger and the guys and the training and the the physicality and being outside for sure. Um, and then I transitioned into a a four-year um career where I was doing sales and service for a company and it ended uh on a on a rough note, but I learned a lot about who I am and what I want to be and then realized that I'm not college educated and my body is not necessarily in great shape. Yeah. So, I can't go back to doing what I was doing before. And I started self-educating about marketing and advertising and copywriting. And I'll tell you that was tough. For like eight months, I did that at home every day just studying and learned that I didn't like it very much. No, it's not it's not fun to self to well, it's always fun to learn, but it's not fun to go from being outside and doing all the things and the things you enjoy like the aspects of the danger and being up and doing all the things that you want to do to let's sit inside and let's be behind a desk and let's let's do all that. That's a whole different world. It's very isolating. Yeah, it is. So, I always had this thought that if I ever worked in a career where I was inside or I had to work alone, it would not be very productive or I wouldn't like it very much. Well, it has to challenge you, but it also has to be something that's rewarding and creative and it also has to give you something where you can get outside and try new things, too. Yeah. So, it's it's interesting. So, let's tell everybody a little bit about what Stroll the Lakes is. Uh so Stroller Lakes is a hyper local um advertising platform where the families write all the articles for their own community um newsletter. Yep. Um it's a great platform for business owners to be seen because you know honestly the the content is relevant to the community that we're distributing to. So by default they're going to read it. I mean, if it's your neighbor on the cover, and I know that we did an article on you guys, and yes, uh, we did Goreham Builders and the original developers of the Lakes, which was awesome. So, um, it's a really great platform for just connecting people and building relationships. Yeah. And I think it's fun for people to just say, "Hey, my kids are on the cover." Or if you have something good going on or anything in the area, it's it's local people, right? It's people that are in your neighborhood or on your block or people that they know on the cover instead of it's just another business or it's just another person. It's it's people in the community. It's people in that community. Yeah. Yep. And it's it's a lot of fun to see and it's not just another here's another advertising, here's another here's another block of of businesses. It's it's real life people telling their story. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you've got an opportunity to meet a couple of those people too at one of our networking events that we do monthly. I have found tremendous value in relationship building. Yes. In just that small that that small group and we've been kind of doing that since January when I took over the magazine. Um the growth in the businesses that have attended that and the growth in relationships for the people who have attended that have been amazing. I think what's different in some of those group events that you do versus some of the big ones that you do is it's local businesses where you get some of the bigger associations that you're part of and it's you're seeing the same people group after group after group where the local one that you do it's people in the community like you said it's not hey I'm going to go to a contractor association and a subcontractor association and I'm going to go to an IR and it's going to be the same contract contractor and the same contractor and the same contractor. This one's just local people in your community who you want to do business with because they are your neighbors and they are people that you can walk down the block to and see and you're like, "Hey, I didn't know you owned a business." Or, "Hey, I didn't know you had a bakery." Or, "Hey, I didn't know you owned a gym." Or you have the publication and they're all in there as well. And it's it's great to connect with those people that are on the same in the same community as you as well. Totally totally agree. Um uh we have some great um helpers, contributors in the magazine. Aside from the content that we just get from the neighborhood, we have writers who are contributors who will let's just call it what it is. There are people who are not great writers, right? And but they have a story to tell. Absolutely. And so we have contributors that will go and have coffee with that family or that person and talk about the their health journey or help them write their own story which has been really great for for connecting family to family in the community and also from connecting me to the families and me to the community. So it's been awesome. I could talk all day about the contributors, right? And it's it's one of those things why you do what you do and I do what I do is everybody has a story to tell and to get those stories out into the communities and into the network. People want to hear those stories and that's how you connect and that's how you really get to be more intentional and how you get to the heart of what you do, right? So it's letting people share and hear those stories too. You never know what battles people are facing, but you also never know how you can help and support. So you you do the magazine, you have the connections, how and like what got you obviously I we know what got you into that, but what is your driving force behind it other than the background that you have? That's a great question. I contemplate that all the time. Yeah. I think what I've learned in the last year is that I just want to serve people. Amazing. I think it's what I'm meant to do. Yep. In whatever capacity that is, I I find um I have a I try to do exactly what I said I'm going to do. Mhm. And it doesn't matter if it's 6 months later, right? If it's a year later and maybe my body's not in the condition it was in a year prior, right, I'm still going to go and do it. Yep. Because I said I would do it. Yep. Exactly. Who have been some of your mentors along the way that have made you who you are today? Throughout my whole life. Oh, definitely my grandparents. Yeah. So, we grew up, my brother and I grew up and was raised by our grandparents and uh my my entire value system is like who I am as a person. My integrity, my work ethic, my drive, my my motivations. Um, I would say my belief in God, but my wife is, my wife and I have just recently gone back to church. Y, December of 23, and we're exploring that journey. She's a little farther ahead in the race than I am. Yeah. But that's okay. I mean, every step forward is a step forward, right? Yeah. Yeah. Um, mentors along the way. There's many. Um, most of them aren't here anymore, but but they they've made you who you are, so they've made me who I am. Yeah. What do you think is important for the younger generation coming up and to help them succeed? Well, I struggle with that because I tried to uh impress that upon my kid. And they don't have it like we did. No. There's really there's so many distractions that deter you from [snorts] um work ethic and the importance of seeing like the big picture and what it's going to be in the future and what you're setting goals. There's just too many distractions. I guess stay motivated, stay hungry, set small goals towards a larger goal. Yep. Otherwise, you'll never get there. Correct. Have you been ever or have you ever been given any advice that has really stuck with you along the way? Uh, well, there's a quote I just several quotes, but one is from Barb Monson, who's in the community of the Lakes, and she wrote me a private email just to tell me that she was proud of me, and she said, "How you do anything is how you do everything." Yep. So I I I resonated with that and I'm like, "Wow, my entire life is based around that quote." Absolutely. And then when I lost my previous career and my wife and I started going back to church and I started listening to Jim Ran because I felt like my mindset needed to be fixed. Yes. And uh he just says in 5 years you're going to arrive at a destination. Is it going to be by design or is it going to be by default? You get to choose that. Amazing. Keep working. Yep. I think it's really important for people to know that they own their destination and they where you are now today is kind of what you dreamed of in the past too. It's kind of one of those things you don't really think about but you got to just keep moving forward which is which is huge for a lot of people. They don't really think about that like where where you are now is where you wanted to be in the past and every step you take forward is still a step. So it's important. What are some fun things that you've you've have you done any traveling or that you've gone to in the past that you have gone? I'm not a big traveler. No. If I go anywhere, I go back home. Yeah. To South Alabama. Um we did take a fun trip to Alaska. Big big family trip with my wife's family. There were 15 of us on a cruise ship with no internet service. That's fun. So, the challenge Oh, boy. The challenge was communicating. Yes. And where everybody was going to be at all the time. So, sometimes a family would be out of their cabin. Yeah. and you're calling the room and you can't reach them. Can't touch face. Um I realized that Alaska is probably where I want to retire. Nice. And I'm happy to retire there. What part of Alaska? We didn't go that far up. We did like Skagway, the the cruise line tour on the south um east side. Um I think I just want to be a I just want to be a a cashier at a gift shop. Life is simple at a gift shop and I want to go fishing every day in a small aluminum boat with a 12 horsepower motor or something on it, you know, just make life simple, right? I think it seems like when everybody nowadays as we get older, we just want the land. We want the easy life. We just want to do what we do and kind of get out of the hustle and bustle and and live life. I'll golf, I'll fish. I'll have my land and dig and do what I need to do and I'll be on my excavator and just doing what I do, [laughter] right? Make make life easy. Yeah. So, you grew up, you're from South Alabama. What was life like when you grew up? Woods. Yeah. Um, four-wheeling fun. Like my brother and I were very young and we would just hop on our grandparents four-wheelers and it was a dirt road. Mhm. And up the way there was um the Boy Scout camp right on a lake and my brother and I would eight and five would go take the four-wheelers and go swimming in the lake. Yep. or we'd throw the fishing rods on the four-wheelers and go to the pond or we would uh go hike in the woods on the hunting land, which is the dream. Now kids are on their phones and it's like you can't pry them off enough to get outside and go do things, right? It's like all right, put the phones down and go outside and play. Like we used to have our parents yell at us to come inside and get inside. Now it's like put the phones down and go outside. Just don't care what you do. Just go outside, go do what you do, right? Totally. Yeah. You used your imagination and now um social media is you viewing someone else's imagination. Yeah. Yep. Or making your life perfect online even though it's not perfect, right? Yeah. Yes. So, what do you see is going back to Stroll, where all are the publications? So, let's talk a little bit about that and where all Well, we're uh we're nationwide and we have I think it's probably close to 600 now across the country, but we have seven in Minnesota. We have one in Sartell and St. Cloud for two up there. I should say they kind of get grouped as one. Um, Edina, Parkwood, Nolles, um, the Wilds and Prior Lake, the Wedgewood neighborhood in Woodbury, North Oaks, and the Lakes of Blaine. Amazing. Yeah. So, we're kind of bouncing back and forth, but it's kind of fun. So, you've done a little bit of traveling in Alaska, you've lived in South Alabama. [snorts] What's your favorite type of food? I really like blackened red fish or blackened flounder. Yeah. And do you like to cook or is your wife the cook baker? She's a baker. Yep. Yeah. Uh we both kind of cook. I wouldn't say we're either of us are very good at it. Yeah. But she has it. We do it. She uh the kids are alive. Yep. You make it You make it happen. Yeah. Even if it's an edible food, it's still food, right? Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So with the kids, they're active. You guys are active. What do you guys like to do outside of work? Well, my kid, my youngest was wrestling for a time. He wrestled for a season and realized it wasn't for him. Yes. He did pretty well. Um he was a 500 wrestler. Got to state. Amazing. And uh I don't want to talk about the embarrassing loss up there, but because he loses help, right? I mean, they do help. Yes. I think they I think it helped him to lose. Um because in football he excels pretty well. He's really strong. He's got an incredible work ethic. He is He picks the other kids up off the field. And uh so I've been coaching for eight years. Yes. This is my eighth year. I coached my oldest boy for 5 years. This is our third year. Um it's uh very rewarding. Mhm. To um coach those young men who don't have a dad at home, right? Yeah. They don't have the family life, right? They they need they need structure. needed some guidance and some structure and some discipline. Yeah. Some work ethic. Yep. Yeah. And sometimes, I mean, even going back to my life when I was younger, the teams that you had were what made you today. And obviously, I've played a lot of golf all my life. The growing up on the golf course with the rules, the regulations, those are the life lessons that you also learn. You have the rules, you have the structure, you have everything that you have. I mean obviously I play basketball, softball, volleyball too, but the things I learned at the golf course are I mean you have the laws, the rules, everything that you have to follow. That's the structure that you carry on with you throughout your life too. I mean it's everything that that's there and the team momentum kind of like wrestling like everything else too. Those are the bonds the relationships that you carry with you as well. So it's it's very important for people to have that team with you and behind you too because those can be that can be your family just like anything else. Yeah. Which you don't have. So with the stroll and the association that you have, what kind of events are coming up with the association and what what's all planned with that? Well, we're trying to plan out next year. We we'd like to continue to do our monthly networking meeting because it's growing. Yep. And it's been really productive. Um, our restaurant reviews, which we just had one at Crispen Green recently, and that was awesome. Yes. Um, Jennifer and Brandy are I don't know, you probably know them. Yes, I know. I was supposed to go to that one, and it's just with everything we have going on, it's hard to delegate which we go and what we're supposed to do, but they're amazing. Yes. Yeah, they are amazing. And they're community oriented and communitydriven. Yes. Uh, restaurant reviews are nice because the business partners get to come out and have dinner with the families and build that connection there. And then the networking obviously we invite preferred partners of the magazine and our lakes resident business owners to that. So it's an exclusive club. Yeah. Uh and then our two big events. So this is my first year planning any of these. Fun. And uh when I took over the magazine in January, I started planning for the May event which was our first annual turn the page to summer event. And we try to tie the two big events to a nonprofit. So yes, um it was a local one, someone I knew that was it was easier for me in the planning phase of being my first event to do a nonprofit that I knew. Y and uh it turned out really well. Um had 140 people there and we had a bunch of Lakes resident business owners there and ice cream trucks and all that stuff and we raised some money and and had 358 books donated for the book drive. Amazing. Now we're planning. So immediately when that one ended, I gave myself 30 days. And then I started planning the one in October. Yes. Which is a costume contest for pets and kids. Fun. But in July when you start planning it, it's dark at 10:00 or 9:30. And now and being someone who's not that far forward thinking for these kind of things, realized recently that it's going to be dark at 6:00. Yes. When we run this event. So Yep. So it's like, okay, what time is [laughter] going to work? What's not going to work? Is it [snorts] going to be 7 o'clock? Is it going to be 8:00? What time will work best? Yeah. What's the best day if I did it on a weekend? Would anybody come? Yeah. Um, we're working out the logistics of the lighting. I think it'll be just fine. But we have a lot of vendors coming to that. We have uh six sponsors and we're benefiting the Real Hope Project, which is uh to help kids find a forever home through video services. Amazing. And I know that that one is really strongly supported in the community. Yes. Um because I did a poll in the private group and and pulled that data so I could really make sure that I'm hitting hitting hitting the right ones. Yep. Yeah. Which is important. So let's talk publication a little bit because I prior [snorts] to where I'm at today, I was in the newspaper business and I know that a lot of times people say, "Hey, publication, they don't want to do print. They don't want to they don't want to do print anymore. They don't want to do because obviously technology is the way it's going. they they just don't want to advertise in print anymore. How has that affected or has it affected the stroll or is stroll more family oriented and people are still wanting to advertise in it? I think the con the misconception about the stroll is that it's like every other print form out there. Yeah, it's not. No, it's very unique. Uh and um I would say that print all altogether print is coming back. There's a level of trust that comes with print. It doesn't come with digital. And we're we're transitioning back the other way. The pendulum is swinging. Yes. All advertising works, right? You know, eyes are on it. Eyes are on it. People see it. You're consistently branding all the time. Yep. And that's great. It doesn't matter what form of advertising you're doing, you're branding. if you wear a hat with it on there and it's the wrap on your car or whatever it is. Um, Stroll is unique that I would argue that it has a better open rate. I I agree cuz it's one of those few that come when it comes in the mail. Like you know the people on it, you look forward to it cuz it's like, "Oh, hey, those are my neighbors." Or, "Let's see who's in there. Let's see what recipes in there. Let's, you know, see what's in there." That's one of the few that you open up. Yes. Y I appreciate that because it's relevance. It is. Right. If uh a print form comes into your mailbox and it's all advertisement. Yeah. Or those little clear plastic things with all the ads that's going in the garbage right away. It's so unlikely that you open that because it's not relevant. I mean, maybe a coupon that comes with a with a oil change or something you may keep bringing to the house and put on the counter and then realize that it expired and then throw it away. The stroll is nice because the families write it and you probably know who's on the cover. Absolutely. It's a It's a big community, but it's relatively small and meaning it's like a small town. Yep. Everybody knows everybody. Yeah. And it's like, hey, I know I'm going to be in there this this month and everybody that knows you in the neighborhood or you want to look to see who the next family is in there. Or if it's something that you're passionate about, like let's say it's a golf magazine. I like golf. I'm going to sit there and look forward to it each month because I like golf. Even if it is print, just like a book, people are starting to get back to wanting to turn those pages. There's something about there's something about the physical wanting to get back into it instead of I'm going to get on my on my iPad and sit there and want to read it. They're starting to go back to wanting to read. I mean, I've got a slew of books up here that the authors come in and they're like people are starting to want to get back to the physical touched wanting to read them again. So, and just the emails that I get from people in the community that say, "I'm so happy that you connected me to this person." Yep. Like, I had no idea they lived here and they're amazing and I'm so grateful for them. I don't know how many since we've started living in the lakes and within the last couple months I don't know how many events that I've gone to between having the vehicle rep having the article having gone to the events people are starting well it's probably all the advertising that we do too but people are starting to say hey I know who you are I know where you're at I know it's it's the advertising in general of everything that we do, but they're like, "Well, I know you live in the lakes or I know I know who you are because of everything that you do." And it's it's staying omnipresent. And I think that the more people realize that the being in the magazines doing doing all the things and going to the events like the local events, saying, "Hey, you live in the lakes. Hey, you're doing the things that are local. Hey, you're doing the things at TPC. Hey, you're members here. you're you're going to the local events, it's all the local community things, especially in Blaine and around Blaine. They're starting to come full circle. And it's I mean, within the last week, I've had probably four or five people saying, "Hey, you live in the Lakes." Yep, I do. And I didn't even know who they Well, they know me and I don't really know who they are because I haven't seen their advertising. So, it's it's one of those things that it's working. So, it's all clicking. Yeah. Yeah. I see you everywhere. I know a lot of people do. I see you all the time. What's ironic is that I saw one of your wrapped vehicles going north on 35 10 months ago. Yeah. Yep. And that I would meet you. Yep. And that after we have done an article for you guys because I was that the deadline I worked on this deadline, but I didn't personally meet you. Um um but just the way it all happened. I see you going up the road and yes, it works. Advertising works. No matter [snorts] what people say, the articles, the going to the events, staying on me present works and being in the article, being in the communities, getting out there and meeting people works. What have been some of your obstacles that you've come across with the networking with the articles that have changed kind of the way you've done the articles and done the publications? I try to diversify what we're putting in there. Mhm. There's brand staples for the stroll. Yeah. Like pets and kids and the family on the cover. But there's also stories that I think it's a society we uh it's valuable and moving when we hear it. Y um and I think this day and age too that men have gone quiet. Mhm. And I I wanted to start something in the magazine where we could put a voice to some of the guys in the community. Absolutely. So, we did Behind the Beard. Yep. And that's been really amazing. Matt Moss has become a a regular contributor. Yeah. He's going to help write. He's meeting guys in the community and helping them write their stories. Yep. Um I met with Tyler Miller. Yeah. Um met with uh Dan Elo. Yep. Um so those three articles are coming out. Those are awesome. Good. And then overcoming adversities, which is so neither of these articles anybody else is doing in the country, right? As far as Stroll is concerned, I I uh feel kind of like a pioneer in doing it. I'm not saying I'm the only one to ever think of it, but it's it's good to have those open lines of everybody can share and everybody can have an equal spot in what they do. Yeah. Yeah. I I had people emailing me saying, "All you ever all we ever have in here is women." right? All this women articles and women on the cover and that's not right. Yeah. And I I thought, well, you're probably right. Yeah. Women are more forthcoming with their time and they have they want to tell their story more than men do. Y um statistically, I guess. Uh and then overcoming adversity. So, we started this column to really highlight um people who have triumphed over some terrible things that happened in their life. Mhm. Maybe um a death in the family, a husband or a wife and um overcoming addiction and battling cancer and beating cancer story and living with limes disease and uh that has been a driving motivation for me that I'm we're doing something. Yes. That those stories consistently come in. Yep. And I'm happy to share that because sometimes those are the reasons that people pick up those magazines too, right? They want to they want to hear those stories and they want to help and they want to give back. And I know that through some of your networking events, you have people in the communities that will pull together and make food for those people or they'll do events for those people. I know that there's people that will bake foods and things like that that they've pulled together and they really want to help and give back and they just don't know how to do that in the communities. So sometimes those articles will help pull food trains together and really just help people give back, too. So yeah, I had a really I have a really close friend that we go to church with. We've gotten pretty close to their family and he's on his third round of cancer and it's a scary thing. We weren't there for the first two rounds, but this time we wanted to be supportive and I put out a call on Facebook to some of the Lakes families and said, "I know that you ladies bake." Yep. and we want to raise money for this family and and uh can you guys help us? And they showed up with so much of stuff. Yeah. So much stuff. Um we raised several hundred $600 just on that alone. Um and then those ladies were connected through that and now those are the emails for I'm so glad that you connected us because now that she Janelle now cuts my hair. Yep. Absolutely. And then an is baking cakes for people in the community. Yeah, it's um yeah, an has been incredible. Janelle, Abby, yep, Nancy, Marian, and you. And those are the people that I want to also help and give back to them. I want to have like I've reached out to them at a few events and I want to have them on my podcast to help give back to them, too. I want to have I have some of those people that I've talked to when I was at the complete performance event and I want to have them on my podcast to help them come full circle and let me help them and have them on my podcast to make sure they're getting the recognition that they need too because they're giving back to so many people. Let me give back to them then too and come full circle. How amazing is Jordan Davies? Yeah, she's absolutely amazing. Complete performance. Wow. It's uh what an incredible human. Absolutely. They all are. Yes. Yes, they all are. just all day. We could talk about them all day. We could we could go Yeah. on all of them. Yes. Yeah. It's great to have good people in and around in and just give back. I mean, think I think that one of the reasons and my driving force and a lot of people's driving force is to help and just the the why is everybody says there's three different dimensions. Like your why first is probably like your family and then you dig a little deeper and you go a little deeper. But you have to have some realm of good in you to give back and to really make a difference in people's lives. And a lot of times that's all people do is they're not thinking about themselves. They just want to help others. And there's a lot of people in the communities that are like that, especially our community. Yeah. Who do you think has really [snorts] made a difference? Obviously, you said your grandparents and things like that, but in the last few weeks, that has really helped you and made a difference. My brother. Your brother? Yeah. I don't get to see him very often. We get to maybe go home every four or five years. And uh he's consistent. He's reliable. He's truthful. Yep. And u Yeah. Yeah. Good. What do you think if you could tell the younger generation a piece of advice? What would you tell the younger generation? Life is tough. Keep going. Yep. Keep moving forward. Amen. How can people get a hold of you? How can they reach out if they want to advertise or if they can start being part of the network association live in one of those areas or in the lakes? Yeah, I suppose if you live in one of the communities that we put the stroll magazine in, you could get connected there locally to your magazine. Um, but specifically for the stroll, you could go to my website, go to the stroll website and then find the lakes and then you could contact me directly through there. Or did do I want get a hold of me? They can get a hold of me or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. I guess they could get a hold of you, too. Um I don't know. Do I give my phone number? You certainly can. Yeah. 6125036350. Yep. And this will be all in the blog post that we'll have that'll go in our newsletter as well. But yeah, like I said, get a hold of me, get a hold of you, we'll put you in touch. Um take a look at the stroll [snorts and clears throat] is every It comes out how many times a month? It comes out once a month. Yep. once a month. Absolutely. It's a great publication and there are a lot of fun events that are out there. I know that there's one that's going to be out for us tomorrow, but it'll be the third 23rd. 23rd. Yes. But that'll be obviously back dating exclusive. Yep. Thank you guys for coming out. We're going to continue to shine a light on Minnesota. See you guys later. Bye.