Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Karr and Iris Smeltz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Morgan and Iris, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
We are all about Community + Female Empowerment. When we launched The Board Babes in the height of Covid (April 2020), we knew there were 3 things that we wanted to focus on (other than cheese + wine): Giving back to our Community; Collaborating with + supporting other small, local businesses; And especially those that are female-founded including the staff we hire, etc. (sorry, boys).
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
We (Iris + Morgan) met in 2018 when Iris worked part-time for Morgan at an Orange Theory Fitness studio, then Morgan left to work for Iris’ boutique catering company — it was fitness that made us friends, and food that made us best friends + business partners.
Once COVID took a toll on catering + events, we decided to shift gears + join forces. I mean, what’s better than friends + cheese? That is how The Board Babes came to life. When you put together a catering pro and self-proclaimed cheese aficionado who both share a love of cured meats, aged gouda, and a crisp glass of wine, you get a powerhouse business duo who can deliver the best cheese spread you’ve ever dreamed of.
We’re definitely delving back into the catering + larger events scene but still love to build a Board, gather a Grazing Table, and we LOVE when we get to host a Charcuterie Board Workshop with our clients and fellow local businesses.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Absolutely! When Covid halted the Catering + Events industry, and it became apparent days were going to turn into weeks, we started brainstorming how to stay top of mind with our clients and just a little way to spread the love. Well, how were we brainstorming? Sitting on the couch eating cheese and drinking wine, and we realized that was most likely what our clients were doing as well. So we delivered a handful of charcuterie Boards at the end of April 2020…those clients asked if we could send one to their moms, sisters, friends for Mother’s Day while simultaneously posting to their social media thanking us, and before we knew it, we had 60+ orders for Mother’s Day, just 2 weeks in! That’s when we realized this wasn’t going to be just a side-hustle or way to simply keep ourselves busy.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
We usually always end up on a super personal level with our clients — It’s just who we are. For the most part, you’re getting asked to cater and be a part of a special moment in someone’s life, whether it’s getting married, celebrating a birthday or even a celebration of life, so it’s very natural to become friends with our clients. We are very blessed to have an overwhelming amount of repeat clientele, because they see how much passion, creativity and energy we put into their event. They trust us and know we’ll always show up for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: theboardbabesfl.com
- Instagram: @theboardbabesfl
- Facebook: @theboardbabesfl
Image Credits
Sand + Sea Studios