Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Ganz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Five years ago, I was a broke single mom living on welfare. During the pandemic, I was laid off from a job I loved that I thought I would advance in long term. I was devastated and overwhelmed with what my next steps would be and how I could support my family as a primary financial provider. While on unemployment, I found joy in making my kids “fancy snacks” as they called it. I had always loved presentation and had a passion for design, but I had no background in the particular skillset of food styling. I posted a few pictures of my newfound joy of food art on social media, and before I knew it, I had multiple messages from people asking if they could order charcuterie boards from me. Within a few months time I had so many requests for orders that I finally decided to jump in and take the risk of launching on my own side business (while still looking for a normal 9-5 job) in hopes of adding a little extra income on the side of whatever my next career choice would be. I had never run my own small business before and didn’t have any extensive background in sales or marketing, and I had no idea where to start with licensing and permits. I went into entrepreneurship blindly and took a risk with a small amount of money in my bank account. What was the worst that could happen?
Before I knew it, what had started out as a hobby became my primary form of work. I couldn’t believe I got to monetize a passion for food art while still maintaining a balance of being available to my kids more.
Within the past few years, I’ve had the beautiful privilege of connecting with other single mothers who have skillsets they are hoping will enable a life that gives them financial freedom. Most importantly, time to focus on their children. I want those women to know that it is possible to start from scratch and build a life that they can be proud of, even if it’s different from what they thought it would look like. The mission I feel like I’ve been called to represent and deliver is to encourage and inspire other women to step out and take risks into entrepreneurship. They may never know that the gifts and creativity they possess are ones that can serve others as well as earn a living.
Amy , 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?
Hi! I’m Amy or (Ames). I’m a single mom to three really rad boys, lover of a good party, amateur comedian, and a big fan of creating grown up lunchables. I specialize in creating custom charcuterie boards, boxes, cones/cups, grazing tables and teaching workshops. My goal is to elevate every event with unique design.
Having no prior experience in catering, I started selling charcuterie boards “under the table” to friends around the holidays. I guess you can say that I became an entrepreneur on accident. After my social media posts, I had people asking for my business cards.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a business. I’ve just been doing this for fun as I continue to look for my next job,” I would tell them.
“Well, why not? You’re really talented. I would love to hire you for my next event. Why don’t you just start a small business and see what happens.”
So I thought, “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” Maybe if I sell a few boards every month it will at least help contribute to some bills. And there it went. I got licensed, built a website and officially launched my small business on complete and utter blind faith. Ames & Olives went live in January of 2022.
One of the first emails to come through asked if I could cater for 200 people. I had never catered for that many people. I didn’t know how much food to buy, or even how long it would take to set up. A few months prior, I was only making boards for fun in my kitchen. But I also knew I didn’t want to limit myself, so I kept submitting myself to the process of learning. I watched videos daily on food art, met with other small business owners, and I surrounded myself with mentors who encouraged me to keep building. I kept asking questions, over and over. And the emails poured through and the jobs lined up. Before I knew it, I was running my small business almost full time.
I think what sets me apart is that I am not a traditional caterer. I guess that’s sort of the beauty with charcuterie. With grazing tables, there is something for every palette. Every grazing table could have nearly 100 different items laid out to choose from. It’s not limiting because there is so much variety. Clients can customize however they like and trust me with the outcome. The best part is that it’s all strategically styled to bring that wow factor to every event. It’s delicious and it’s pretty. My favorite part is seeing the finished product come together. When the guests arrive and pull out their cameras. It has brought so much fulfillment to create a fun experience people will remember.
If you had told me just a few years ago that I’d be turning this fun hobby into a business, I would not have believed you. I’m proud of the way that I’ve been able to create a life for myself almost entirely from scratch. Proud of the way I stepped out of my comfort zone after heartache and loss and took a risk into entrepreneurship knowing that it could fail. My story is truly a testament that anyone can switch gears at any time and do something new, even if you didn’t think it was possible.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The same year that I lost my job due to the pandemic, I also unexpectedly lost my marriage of 13 years. I became a single mom/co-parent over night and didn’t know how I would survive through so much compounded trauma and loss. I can honestly say it was the lowest I had ever been. My health started failing, my endocrine system crashing and I lost a lot of my hair. Every night I’d wait for my kids to fall asleep just to fall apart. I felt like a failure and didn’t know how to move forward with my life. All I knew is that I had three little boys that needed me to show up for them. I had no other option but to pick up the broken pieces of my life and move forward, despite the cards I had been dealt.
It wasn’t until a friend sat tearfully with me on my kitchen floor one afternoon and said, “Amy, you aren’t meant to just survive forever. You are meant to flourish. What you believe is the end might just be the beginning of a new and better life.”
And so I continued to get up and show up and put one foot in front of the other. I took radical ownership of my physical health, surrounded myself with mentors and community who believed in my talents and abilities, and got to work. I took a risk and launched a small business having no other back up plan. I submitted to a process of healing and let go of outcomes and the idea of what my life was supposed to look like. And while the rebuilding has been a foreign place, a process I never thought I’d be a part of, much less would have ever considered an option in my story…I’m grateful for what it has at least produced in me. These treasures of empathy, and a tenacity to turn tragedy into transformation and loss into legacy. I consider it a privilege to be a part of the amazing community of single mothers who re-define the word “brave”.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the lessons I’ve had to learn the hard way is that you can’t always be a one woman show. You need people to surround you in business, friendships, and throughout life. We aren’t meant to do life outside of community.
I figured this out the hard way when, two days before one of my biggest catering events of the year, I fractured my tibia while wakeboarding. I didn’t have a full staff to help me with this upcoming event. I did most of the shopping and prep solo for all of my events, and here I was completely unable to walk. I knew I couldn’t cancel on the client on such last minute notice, so I humbly started asking for help. A lot of help. And people showed up. I was completely blown away by the level of support I received. It was the first time running my business that I had to take a back seat, coach from the sidelines, and trust that everything would come together beautifully. And it did. The client was so amazed. He told everyone about my services, and I gained even more amazing customers as a result. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome with such a last minute pivot. I gained a team that day, and I’ve never been more grateful for my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amesandolives.com
- Instagram: amesandolives
Image Credits
Vera Gayazov