Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Sprung
Hi Katherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Massachusetts, raised in Central Florida, and spent my adult life in New York City. My path has never been liniar, it looks more like a squiggly line with some loops in it. I studied broadcast journalism, ended up with a marshmallow company, with nightlife DJing and voiceover work in between, and now segueing back to infuse more media and production back into my career! I’m relaunching my podcast, Sprung On Food, so look out for that!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. Being a solo founder and business owner is not for the faint of heart! You deal with all the pitfalls and difficulties of running a business in general, and then add having a retail space (and, at certain points, multiple pop-ups and satellites) in New York City, managing staff, going through the pandemic, it can be a lot. But, if it were a completely smooth road, you don’t have the opportunity to appreciate the good moments, and grow in general.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My company Squish Marshmallows, founded in 2014, is a small batch, handcrafted marshmallow company focusing on custom and catering orders. The marshmallows can be tailored to each client based on the flavor, color, shape, size that they need, along with any custom packaging for gifting and promotional purposes. I had a shop for 5 years, which was the first and only marshmallow cafe in NYC, so I’m pretty proud of that. The company has also been featured and recognized by networks and publications like Forbes, Money, and Business Insider. Through my work with Squish and being a pastry chef, I’ve competed and won Food Network’s Chopped Sweets, and competed on Beat Bobby Flay.
I also do content creation, voice over work, and have a podcast and video series that I produce (along with hosting, directing, and editing) called Sprung On Food.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Be agile! I had to switch things up and focus completely on e-commerce for a while. Luckily, I already had that system in place, but wasn’t exactly prepared for the influx of shipping orders, with everyone now at home, and only having myself to do everything since the team wasn’t there initially. It was also a wake up call to really spend more time on the facets of the business that were the most profitable, and letting go of the streams that weren’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katherinesprung.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsprung/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsprung
- Other: https://squishmarshmallows.com/
Image Credits
Main profile image in copper sweater: Heather Willensky
Chef portrait seated against brick wall: Heather Willensky