Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tara Gesy . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Tara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
When Adventure Bowls was in the process of being built out I planned to run the truck with myself and one other person. That quickly grew to a team of seven for our first season. I am now on truck two and season two with a team of 13!
Recruiting for a food truck is a bit different then your traditional brick and mortar. I posted a small ad on my social media page and had two girls apply. I interviewed them over the phone first and then in person if they were more comfortable with that. We talked about their current/past work experience, hobbies, and core values. All of my season one girls returned and many of them referred their siblings and/or friends who have now joined our team.
On opening day, myself, and two team members, Faith and Shelby showed up to work. None of us had ever worked in the truck and we all just took a station. It was literal chaos and we still laugh about it to this day. What I’ve learned over the course of two seasons is that hands-on learning is the best teacher. Everyone’s techniques are slightly different but we all learned what works best for us!
I started a business for a multitude of reasons, but the main one was because I wanted to be the boss I never had and offer the work environment I always desired. Giving my staff the hands-on freedom to make mistakes while learning, give input on ways to improve my company, and create a supportive team has been the biggest highlight of business ownership thus far.
When I look back, I smile recognizing that my team and I all learned the business together. It created what I now call our “Adventure Bowls Family.” My staff are truly what makes my company go around and the reason I was able to expand as soon as I did. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Tara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Tara Gesy and I’m the Founder and CEO of Adventure Bowls, acai bowl food trucks. At 33 years old I’ve taken numerous different paths to ultimately end up here.
At 23 years old my life looked much different. On June 19th, 2013. I was told by my primary physician that I was morbidly obese, tipping the scale at 204 pounds at just 5’5″ tall. This was the moment, you know? I knew that I wasn’t in great physical shape, but I never took it seriously until I heard that. It triggered an immediate need for action that changed the trajectory of my life.
Just 8 months after this appointment I had lost 64 pounds. I was in the best shape of my young adult life and it showed; in my relationships, my work, and in my mentality. Health & wellness had brought a new joy to my life.
During this part of my transformation, I was working in my degree field, business management and accounting. I had a lot of coworkers, friends, and family asking me for help on their journey. The joy of personally transforming my body and mind quickly became a burning passion to help others do the same.
In August 2015 I lost my dad, Michael, to a stroke. My world was flipped upside down. I couldn’t change this. My life spun out of control as I grieved his death. I couldn’t find the strength to continue living my life when his was cut short. The healthy lifestyle I had been committed to for years went out the window. It wasn’t until 6 months after his passing I had the epiphany that he wouldn’t have wanted me to stop living just because he had. One of the things my dad was most proud of me for was taking control of my health. Recognizing that triggered another drastic change, my career, and I began chasing my passion for wellness in his honor.
In April 2016 I accepted a position managing 4 fitness facilities in the West Metro. In my time here, I became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, Stretch Therapist, and nutritional coach. After outgrowing the company, I was with and knowing the traditional outlook on living a balanced life was very skewed, I realized an opportunity to change the way people viewed making a lifestyle change.
In June 2019 I got the keys to my first business, WakeUp Fit, in Mound, MN. WakeUp Fit encapsulated everything I had learned after 8 years in the fitness industry. It gave me the control to focus on solely 1-on-1 training with my clients; from training and balanced nutrition, to sleep and mental health.
Little did I know COVID-19 was on the horizon. COVID-19 did affect business, but what it actually did was open my eyes to the bigger need worldwide – healthy food options in the fast-casual space. Food is the hardest barrier to overcome in achieving and maintaining fitness goals. Not only does making good choices sometimes come at the expense of how it tastes, it’s hard to know what’s truly healthy.
I couldn’t find a healthy, fast-casual solution to both of these challenges and it was my deciding factor to sell WakeUp Fit.
I have learned in the last decade that God’s purpose for my life is to create real change for youth and adults alike. I knew to continue impacting the world, inspiring people to move, and to do my part in ending the obesity epidemic I had to get into the healthy food space.
There were a few requirements: it had to be affordable for everyone, taste good, and give people the inspiration to get outside and move. Adventure Bowls encapsulates all of that in a food truck only concept. We bring a menu that is entirely gluten free, dairy free, and vegan directly to you.
Our trucks get out to both public and private stops; fairs, festivals, corporate catering parties, weddings, birthday, and graduation parties. With a small truck (compared to the usual truck) and easily changeable digital menu, the truck fits every scene.
While we didn’t invent the acai bowl or bring it to the market, we are proud to say that we are a 100% woman owned and operated company. We provide a healthy option that tastes good and feels good – we source all of our toppings from local, family owned and operated companies. We are also proud to give back a portion of our proceeds to Big City Mountaineers, a non-profit helping local kids get on outdoor adventures! Big City Mountaineers’ main hub resides in Colorado, but they have a Minneapolis hub that takes out MN Youth to the boundary waters.
We also stand proud of our same price, build your own bowl or signature bowl offerings, allowing you to get whatever it is you want without changing the cost.
Our concept is simple – to provide superfoods to help fuel your adventures, while giving back to the communities we reside in.
Truck 1 hit the road on March 31, 2022, just one year after selling my first business, for the Adventure Bowls debut. I chose to put Adventure Bowls into a food truck concept because while fitness & health is passion, I’m an entrepreneur at heart.
My dream as Founder & CEO of Adventure Bowls is to grow & expand by giving other entrepreneurs passionate about health, wellness, & business the opportunity to own their own truck.
Adventure Bowls was trademarked in 2022 supporting my plans to expand and I stepped into ownership of a second truck in early 2023, which hit the road in June!
While my passion for business ownership has grown, my passion to change the typical work space has become my top priority. Learning to lead a team of 13 young women has brought me more joy than I can put into words. I believe the value and work ethic I instill in my staff is amongst the most important role I have in Adventure Bowls. I constantly joke with my team about not being called the “boss.” When I’m working a shift in the truck, our roles are the same. Often times people step into ownership or leadership roles and forget that we lead by example. Expecting the same of myself as I do my staff at all times has made the level of respect companywide outstanding and my teams desire to take on more responsibility grow immensely.
My company would not be what or where it is without my team. Life is not cut and dry, and while making true business decisions shouldn’t be made emotionally, there is nothing that says having an open-door policy with your team is detrimental. Allowing myself and my team to be real humans, with real needs and emotions, has allowed them to feel heard, valued, and respected just as they are now and for who they’re aspiring to be.
Adventure Bowls has become everything I dreamed of and much more in just over a year in business. Something I have learned is that once you realize how greatly your dreams can impact the people around you, the communities you’re in, and ultimately the world, there is no sacrifice too great. As Adventure Bowls continues to grow in team members, trucks, and whatever else God has in store, I plan to continue paving the way in health and business. I know that encouraging personal excellence through a healthy lifestyle and sound leadership will inspire change.
It has been a wild 15 months but I wouldn’t change a single thing!
How did you build your audience on social media?
I took to social media immediately once I solidified my brand. I focus solely on Facebook and Instagram and have seen great engagement through that. Adventure Bowls branding is meant to inspire customers to move more, to get outside, to try new things, and go on adventures – the everyday or the once in a lifetime. Showcasing our acai bowls in the hands of customers out living their lives resonates with our target market. Aside from showing our customers experiences and reviews, I have built my brand by being vulnerable and transparent. I have publicly shared my story, the adversity I’ve faced, and how I used it to propel me to where I am today. Many people believe that our back stories make us unable or unworthy of success, but the truth is sharing how I’ve gotten to where we are, and the “why” behind my company, is how people connect to my brand outside of enjoying our product. Adventure Bowls also believes in spotlighting each staff member and their goals, and showing our team building get togethers throughout the season.
Social media has been the outlet on good and bad news, product mishaps and new menu items, and everything in-between. I do have someone who manages my social media content, but I always pop on to say hi and give updates when I see fit and customers appreciate that!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe my reputation has come from the quote I live by, “do the right things for the right reasons.”
There is always the easy route. Building a reputation in my eyes is about doing the right things, for the right reasons, even when it’s not easy. The products you purchase, the way you give back, the businesses you support, the way you treat your staff, and the way you make customers feel are among some of the most important things you do to build your reputation. Focusing on these things has shown my staff and my customers that the morals and values my brand was built on are matched both inside and outside of my company.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adventurebowls.com
- Instagram: @adventurebowlsofficial
- Facebook: @adventurebowlsofficial
Image Credits
Maggie Pool Photography