Zen Stax

Gourmet pourable pancake batter made with clean ingredients and sneaky superfoods.

11/13/2026

Occupational hazard 😜

11/12/2026

Here’s a wild idea: What if community events actually helped BUILD the small businesses in their communities? 🤯🌺

Instead of asking for another discount, another donation, another favor…

What if we made room in the budget to pay small businesses fairly?

What if we used these events to introduce people to local makers, founders, and entrepreneurs?

What if we treated supporting small businesses as part of the event’s mission, rather than an expense to minimize?

I love my kids’ school, and this isn’t a criticism of the school itself. It’s a bigger conversation about the choices event organizers make.

Small businesses are already giving so much just to stay in business.

We want to give back. We genuinely do.

But community should be reciprocal.

Don’t just ask what a small business can do for your event. Ask what your event can do for that small business.

That’s the kind of community I want to help build. 💗

11/12/2026

Eight. Dollars. 🙃

There’s negotiating, and then there’s nickel-and-diming someone who’s already offered you their product at COST.

I understand budgets. I understand trying to save money.

But can we please be a little more thoughtful about WHO we’re negotiating with and for HOW MUCH?

Small businesses are already being squeezed from every direction.

Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do is simply accept a fair price.

And to be clear, this isn’t about my kids’ school. It’s about the decisions we all make when working with small businesses.

Small business owners aren’t line items. We’re people.

Lead with aloha. 🌺

11/12/2026

Supporting your community shouldn’t come at the expense of keeping your small business alive. 🌺

Small businesses are often the first ones asked to donate products, sponsor events, contribute gift baskets, or offer discounts.

And you know what? Most of us LOVE giving back.

But every donation has a cost. Every discount comes from somewhere.

And sometimes the businesses that are most eager to support their communities are the ones least able to absorb another expense.

This isn’t about any particular school or organization. It’s about how we approach the people behind small businesses.

Before you negotiate, consider:

Who am I negotiating with?

What am I actually asking them to give up?

Does this amount mean more to them than it does to our budget?

Because community support should go both ways.

Small business owners aren’t line items. We’re people.

Let’s build communities where generosity is appreciated, not expected.

With aloha, always. 🤙🌺

11/12/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of owning a small business isn’t the work. It’s wanting to say YES when your business needs you to say NO. 💗

I love being part of my kids’ school community.

And when we’ve had the resources, we’ve donated products, sponsored events, and contributed financially. We also support our school personally, as a family.

But here’s something I wish more people understood:

My family’s finances and my business’s finances are not the same thing.

Wanting to give doesn’t always mean being able to give.

And saying no to losing money doesn’t mean saying no to your community.

This isn’t about blaming the school. It’s about asking the people who organize events and make these decisions to remember that small business owners are people, too.

We’re building dreams, raising families, paying bills, and doing our best to give back along the way.

You can love your community and still have boundaries. Both things can be true. 🌺

11/12/2026

Unpopular opinion: My production cost is not your opening bid. 👀

I’m all for negotiating. I run a business. I get budgets.

But when a small business owner offers you something at their actual cost, negotiating below that isn’t finding a better deal.

It’s asking them to subsidize your purchase.

And maybe you didn’t realize that. That’s why we’re having this conversation.

This isn’t about my kids’ school, which I love. It’s about encouraging everyone who plans events, organizes fundraisers, or makes purchasing decisions to think about who they’re negotiating with.

Want a donation? Ask! We love supporting our communities when we’re able.

But please don’t confuse a willingness to give with an obligation to lose money.

Where do you draw the line between negotiating and taking advantage?

11/12/2026

It’s not about the $8. Except… it kind of is. 💔

Eight dollars might be a rounding error in an event budget. But for a small business owner, every dollar represents something real.

Ingredients. Packaging. Labor. The ability to keep showing up tomorrow.

I love my kids’ school, and this isn’t about the school itself. It’s about reminding the people making decisions that there’s a human being on the other side of every negotiation.

We’ve donated. We’ve sponsored. We’ve shown up. And we’ll continue to when we can.

But generosity and financial capacity aren’t always the same thing.

A little thoughtfulness goes a long way. 🌺

Have you ever been asked to give more than your business could afford?

10/29/2026

Zen Stax is just pour-and-flip.
Flow along for retailers near you and to be a part of our mom-owned business 🤙

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

http://www.zen-stax.com/

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