Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bianca Hernandez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Bianca, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The initial risk was leaving our careers in the big city to move back home to help with family. Coincidently, we both had been with our employers for 12.5 years. I was a paralegal for a great law firm and she was the catering manager for Jason’s Deli. It was a tough transition and felt like I was taking 10 steps back. We placed our house on the market and moved in with my parents until a) it sold and b) we were able to find a new home. Part of the agreement in moving back home, was that I would not work for at least one year. I spent that time visiting our oldest son in Houston and taking my grandparents to doctor appointments. At approximately year 2 of moving back home, I took a position at a local law firm. I had been with the firm almost two years when the food truck business pretty much landed on our lap. We had plans to sell a particular item and ended up keeping the same concept of the prior owners, selling funnel cakes, funnel fingers and churros. I told JT, “this is your thing…I don’t cook and want nothing with the food industry”. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, you know? She asked me to help her out until we were able to hire employees. So, here we were, both working full time jobs and running a food truck part time. I was not happy with my job and had a goal to stay with them for at least another year to ensure business would run smoothly before jumping the gun. We purchased the food truck December of 2020 and by March, I made the difficult yet liberating decision of quitting my full-time job. Was I scared? Most definitely! However, the role I wanted absolutely nothing to do with, ended up making me the happiest I’ve ever been in an employment setting. Our customers are amazing and it’s just all-around fun. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s cold out, it’s cold inside and when it’s hot outside, it’s H-O-T inside. There are times when we have to close due to extreme heat, cold or when I get sick. We’ve been blessed with great family and friends to help out. However, have not had luck in hiring new employees since November 2021. All in all, those two risks made an impactful change in our lives and I would not change a thing about it. Our next goal is to move into a building.

Bianca, 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?

We were both born and raised in San Angelo, TX and have been a part of each other’s lives since we were in diapers. JT left home to attend Le Cordon Bleu, landed a job at Disney World but became homesick, returning to Texas. JT landed a job with Jason’s Deli that would take her to College Station, back to Austin and then Dallas. I left home to start new in San Antonio but ended up finding her second home in the DFW. We kept in touch through social media, family and would see each other on holiday visits home. In 2011, JT needed a “date” to the TX vs OU game and the rest is history! ;) In 2016 we hit a hard blow with the passing of JT’s sister. After several visits back home, we made the decision to leave Cedar Hill and move back to San Angelo. JT took on a general manager position with Strike it Rich Bingo. It took me about a year and a half off from work to be sure she did not miss out on her eldest son’s senior year as he resided in Houston. I later sought employment with a local law firm. A year later, we were making plans to own a food truck. It’s crazy what can happen in conversation at your grandma’s house. JT’s grandma had a friend over and she mentioned a fellow church member was selling their food truck. I also happened to be friends with the daughter of this family which made us feel way more comfortable moving forward. JT’s plan was to serve a particular item which is not off the table so we will keep quiet on that. lol We decided to move forward with selling funnel cakes, funnel fingers and churros and were able to keep the name, Angelo’s Best Funnel Cakes and Churros. We were both nervous and went back and forth on who would work the food truck and how we would make time. I do not cook, does not care to be in a kitchen and wanted absolutely nothing to do with the food truck, other than maybe the hiring process. In the beginning, we had family members help out and have been blessed with 2 great employees. Unfortunately, those 2 had to move on to bigger and better things so it has just been me running the business with the continued help of family. Yes, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the food truck! lol I LOVE working the food truck and at times, does it all alone. We have the best customers who are very understanding when short-staffed or not able to open. We love being creative with our products and the smile on our customer’s faces is oh so satisfying!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

We initially set up a Facebook page for our business. This allowed us to provide location, phone number, menu and updates. While we saw some traffic on this platform, there were still so many people who did not know we existed. I was later advised by a friend to create an Instagram page for the business and link to the Facebook page. I followed through and noticed the traffic increased but felt we were still missing something. I reached out to a cousin who runs a blog on both platforms. She advised I change the business page to Professional on Instagram and follow the steps it walks you through. Following these steps helps grow your audience and shows you different ways to keep that audience and bring more followers. We almost always post to IG first and it then syncs to FB. The more content you share, the more your audience will not only grow but they then begin to share your post. If you are camera shy, no worries, you can definitely make a video that shows your face, have little messages pop up around you and even add music to it. Do not be afraid to follow other people who do the same as you. I’ve shared post or food items from other pages for my peeps who live in that same area. It is always a kind gesture to share post from other local businesses. We have now been in business for a year and a half and there are still so many people who do not realize we exist. This is the very reason I LOVE sharing our fellow local vendor’s content. There is absolutely ZERO cost to spread the love. We recently found out about Google Business. It is very similar to creating a Facebook and is one more spot to provide business info, photos of your products and provide updates. So, all in all, stay consistent and share the love.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We feel great customer service, keeping our customers up to date on social media and the simplicity of “word of mouth” has helped build our reputation. We strive to keep a smile on our face when serving customers and making small talk. This is not very hard when you have the sweetest customers visit. When creating a specialty cake, I feel like I have my game face on but as soon as I make eye contact, there is a smile. It’s always great to see a customer comment on how we keep a smile no matter then temp or how long the line is. Our customers like to share their order on social media and tag us in the post. This has definitely brought in new customers. All of our items are made to order to ensure our customers are receiving the best quality in our products. We ask our customers to provide feedback on social media and it’s ok if they didn’t have a great experience. We want to know how and where to improve. Thankfully, we have not run into complaints but I’m sure there will be a day. That’s part of being in business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: angelosbestfunnelcakeschurros
• Facebook: Angelo’s Best Funnel Cakes and Churros
• Twitter: @AngeloFunnel