We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Mooney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
It was my first weekend I decided to start becoming more independent when working markets that could be done by myself since I had not done so prior. I asked my friend Sam to be there with me for moral support and just in case service did get overwhelming but I didn’t expect anything crazy. I was set up on Larimer Street, the weather was beautiful, and everything was running smoothly. Out of nowhere the block became a wind tunnel with it picking up everything in it’s path. Wind is my worst enemy when doing pop-ups since I work out of a mobile tent..like hit me with rain or snow before you blast me with strong gusts of air. A fellow vendor’s handmade ceramics were getting knocked off her table and destroyed, all the while my tent has completely flown away and is heading towards crowds attempting to eat outside – this is with 50lb weights on each leg. My friend and other vendors are attempting to grab my gear and tell me to keep cooking since I had some orders in. There was a point that felt ridiculous and I eventually stopped – that’s when my pans full of mac and cooker went flying off the table as well. We eventually were able to move everything inside of the venue and attempt to continue our market but that day was traumatizing. Now the first thing I check is wind speeds before even checking temperature!
Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started being a business owner the same as a lot of my fellow vendors – during the pandemic. I decided it was time to do something different with my life and I’ve always wanted to have an impact on providing Denver with more vegan options since there weren’t many when I first moved here in 2019. I think what sets me apart is providing familiar childhood staples which allows people to feel less intimidated by replacing even just one meal with a plant-based one. Parents with picky children especially have shown appreciation that their kids are trying healthier alternatives to dairy and meat and actually enjoying them! I am also proud to be able to provide Filipino vegan options to my community since the diet is originally not very plant-based.
The main thing I want to spread awareness around is the vegan markets I have been curating for the past few years where I get all my friends together and we serve our community some of the best vegan products you can find. I’m so humbled that so many successful small businesses trust me to be a part of this mission and I’m proud of the community we have built together.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I began my business, I had enough savings that I decided to take the risk and make it my full-time job immediately. I put all my time and efforts into making sure I was always booked and busy. This meant the norm was around 3 markets each weekend through the nice and harder seasons. Packing in and out through snow or sweltering hot days. My fellow food vendors will agree that this can be very taxing to do multiple days in a row – this means prep, cooking and serving at markets, dishes, prep again, little sleep, and the cycle continues. Even though it was gruesome, I owe so much to this period of time since this is where I found my community, connections, and recognized my own resilience. Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing. However, I eventually pivoted sometime towards the end of my second market season since I was no longer finding the same joy in my job. The physical and mental toll it took was taxing and I didn’t want to have to depend on just my small business for all of my income. I eventually took on another job which I have also found so much joy in and continued to grow and now it’s my full-time career. I will never give up Kids Table and will always continue to be involved during market seasons and catering but I have once again found happiness in it since it is now my passion project versus my way of survival. Big props to all my homies who are still doing it full-time though and continuing to grow their businesses – it’s so impressive and I know how much work it takes to make that happen.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I used to think growing my business meant saying yes to every opportunity, which I did initially. I think this is very important when you’re first starting out and need to make connections and get your name out there but I soon realized not every opportunity is worth your time. This could mean analyzing if the clientele will be receptive to your product, especially important when serving a diet only a minority of the population participates in. Also as I mentioned before, I needed to be better about making sure I wasn’t wearing myself out since quality and service is so important when owning a small business – this is what sets you aside from big names that may serve a similar product for much cheaper. The more you say yes to different types of opportunities, the easier it is to get a feel for where you can benefit most and grow, especially when it comes to getting to know different communities and clientele. I have chosen to give 100% to what makes me feel good and people/places I believe in, even if it doesn’t mean the highest profits, since that usually falls into place when I prioritize the former.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: kidstabledenver
- Facebook: kidstabledenver
Image Credits
Carrie Mitchell Victoria Campagna Brianna Jordan