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food banks .” George and Maunus said most people who use the food bank wish to remain anonymous .
“ That ’ s the really hard part ,” Maunus said . “ A lot of people don ’ t want to admit that their reliant ( on the food banks ).”
Focused Tradition
In 2019 , George moved to Tennessee . But by then , the business was up and running , and the two moms have figured out how to manage the time zone distance and their children ’ s school schedules .
“ I don ’ t think it probably would have worked if … we were coming up with the idea ,” Maunus said . “ By the time ( George ) moved , we already had a team working with us .”
Their team consists of all moms who are all overly qualified for their jobs , Maunus said .
George was born at Stillwater Medical Center and
grew up attending Will Rogers Elementary School .
She is a 1990 Stillwater High School graduate . Although George had a background in retail for about 12 years , Maunus ’ background was in pharmaceuticals prescription management .
But Maunus said having a background in business or something similar isn ’ t the most important thing – something she tells high school students regularly when she visits them for entrepreneurial presentations . “ One of the things I tell the kids is , honestly , if you come up with an idea of something that ’ s not out there , and it ’ s something that you think fills a void or a need that ’ s not already in the marketplace , you can learn all of the other things ,” Maunus said . George agreed . “ We had this idea and thankfully in this day and age , everything ’ s so accessible ,” George said .
When they first started their business , the two met regularly with three other mom-preneurs in their community to share ideas and resources . “ I always say , ‘ You always pull the person up behind you ,’” Maunus said . “ So many people did that for us .”
The biggest hurdle they face is adjusting to the seasonal aspect of their business .
Their team consists of all moms who are all overly qualified for their jobs ... when they first started their business , the two met regularly with three other mom-preneurs in their community to share ideas and resources .
“ We will get this tremendous momentum … ( such as ) we ’ ll get Reese Witherspoon posting ( on social ) but then it comes to a dead stop ,” Maunus said . “ Being in a seasonal business is almost like starting from scratch each year , which is challenging .”
Customers have suggested they expand their products to Christmas or Valentine ’ s Day throughout the year . Although they have one other product called the “ Love Bank ,” they currently don ’ t have any other products in mind .
Their focus is on intentional , well-thought-out products .
For now , that means the focus is on Thanksgiving and how to spread gratitude – and how to give back .
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To learn more , visit turkeyonthetable . com .
STORY BY : JESSICA MARSHALL Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS Provided
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