Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Schimpf, owner of Procrastin's Table, located in Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The core of my business is creating beautiful charcuterie boards where I make the jams/preserves, crackers, & spice nuts that go onto each board. My goal is to make as many of the items that are on the boards in the house for the best flavor and cleanest ingredients. I source the charcuterie meats and aged cheese from the many small boutique farms around America to support our craftsmen instead of big food supplies like Sysco.
The goal of each board is for it to be a centerpiece at your party, a conversation piece, a board that you will want to linger over with friends. Making the jams and accouterments for the boards elevates your senses and thus your experience with family and friends. One of my top priorities and one that has played a role in this business is that we grow the flowers and produce that go on the boards. The urban flower garden planned for 2022 gives me all the feels and excitement!
My customer base is wide: I have repeat corporate clients who give these boards as thank you gifts and/or order for meetings with clients. Small(10-15ish people) social gatherings are trending right now. I see many clients ordering mini grazing tables set up in their homes with florals(these are so fun to create!). The holidays are slammed with holiday party orders and families ordering for their holiday gatherings. The jams on my boards, especially the Pineapple Habanero, are ordered by many to give away as gifts, so those fly off the shelf year-round and keep me busy making more!
Tell us about yourself
I am the oldest of 11 children and grew up on a 40-acre peach orchard in East Texas! That taught me a lot about hard work, and even when the going gets tough you cannot quit; you need to power through. This work ethic played a huge role in my career as an event planner in Chicago and Washington DC and ultimately as a mom to 4 kids and a wife. Because can we just say being a parent is probably the hardest job in the world?!
When I am not doing laundry or school runs, I stay active in my local church community, watch kid's soccer games from the sidelines, work out to reduce stress, and read up on wine, cheeses, cured meats, and all things food.
This business was born from an idea to teach my kids how to work hard, be able to stay home and bring beauty to others' tables. The pandemic really made many of us prioritize what's important in our life. For me, it was spending more time with my family. Hence, I started a business doing everything I love: making jams, baking, and creating beauty with the food we eat, bringing back the Culture of the Table with family and friends.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is learning how to build a website! I am NOT an IT person, but you start learning how to do it all when you wear all the hats.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The most challenging thing that has come with being a business owner is time management. Managing time with the family and being present to the kids is very important to me, but I also have to create boards, answer emails, invoices, social media posts, etc. My husband has been amazing in this by helping our four kids with school pick-ups, homework, and sports to prioritize each client that books with me. It is definitely a team effort over here.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do not be paralyzed by the fear that it will not be perfect. Just start.
- Give yourself grace and time. It takes time to grow a business about two years of hard work to really start seeing the fruits of your labor. You will have good days and bad but just keep plugging along.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE. Cannot stress this enough. Follow up with each client after their order; prompt email, text, social media responses, handwritten thank you notes. Let the client know they mean the world to you.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
The future goal is to open an artisan cheese and charcuterie shop in OKC that offers the items we make in-house. A small urban garden to grow our flowers that go on the boards. I am known for making Coffee Maple Cinnamon Rolls. My crudités board is ordered on repeat and probably up there in orders with the charcuterie boards so excited to keep expanding the catering aspect of this growing business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://procrastinstable.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/procrastinstable
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/procrastinstable/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/procrastin-s-table/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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