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

Alright, Blackwell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

Any improvement you are going to make in life takes risk. You risk failure, disappointment and heart break but what you get on the other side of that fear is freedom. Risk for me isn’t really a risk anymore. It’s just a learning opportunity in the form of actions and missteps. If you make a misstep move on don’t hold onto it, don’t beat yourself up. If you have a crappy Instagram reel who cares? No one saw it. In the end you risk more my not trying.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I attended culinary school in Baton Rouge Louisiana. I feel in love with the food, the people and the culture. It was a wonderful experience. I took that love with me in the form of a seasoning blend. It evolved over the years of cooking in restaurants and dabbling in other food related ventures. One day my son started asking for the seasoning on food. It struck me as odd that the picky kid and the picky chef both like the same thing. Lucky Cajun was born and we just continue to grow. Recently launch our new website theluckycajun.com on Nov 1st. We deliver our seasoning in TN now but we will be shipping nation wide shortly.

I want people to know that Lucky Cajun will be here for a long time. We are committed to producing high quality blends. If your tired of seasonings the fall short on the promise of excellent flavor we got your back. We create blends from mild to hot and they literally go great on any savory dish or food.

I am proud of the fact that we know what we are. We are not trying to be something we are not. I believe this comes through in the flavor, design and personality of Lucky Cajun

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This year I was diagnosed with Lymph Node Cancer. I did chemo and radiation therapy for 2 months. This all happened right when we where getting momentum in the spring. First off it was brutal. I tried doing markets and eventually the heat just made it impossible. I produced the spice when I could. At some point the spices just killed my throat so I couldn’t do much. I could sticker, open and seal bags. Doing ordering was hit and miss chemo fog is real. I thought I ordered that i didn’t. My wife Kelly and Quin really carried it during that time. I don’t really want to do it again but something interesting happened. I developed a clarity of vision and purpose that you can only get when faced with a life threatening situation. Life is good, life is beautiful and you get what you think about most. I thought about and visualized the life I wanted during that time. I carry that practice with me everyday.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am not a social media expert. I have read tons of books. We post on multiple platforms several times weekly. The only way to get better at it is do it and keep doing it. Eventually you figure out how to make a decent reel.

Here is what I learned. Get good lights, Get a phone with a decent camera. Get a phone tripod and other devices to hold the phone. Use an app called Splice or find one you like for editing. Don’t get something complicated to learn. It’s super easy and fun. Mix photos, still shots and moving shots together. Make them under 15 seconds. Make sure your caption speaks to your ideal buyer/client/fan. This is something I wish I had done earlier. Batch content.

Here is what I do now. I choose an ingredient or type of dish. Let’s say it’s a hamburger. I make each burger using different ingredients. I used the same patty on each burger. I only need 3 to 5 clips and maybe a photo or 2 for each reel makes sure that the image is nice, make sure it’s beautiful. If you got a great clip of toasting a bun or searing the burger use it in each reel. Next day make turkey sandwiches and use the same toppings and sauces from burger day on those sandwiches. Do that for a few weeks eventually you’ll have tons of content you can recycle through, make montages and no one notices. The Instagram account Naughty Fork does all of what I just suggested. Scroll her account you will see the same images and clips used over and over.

I actually have a second Instagram account that I post on so I can see what the reels look like natively before we post on the real account.

Contact Info:

• Website: theluckycajun.com
• Instagram: theluckycajun
• Facebook: eatwithlovenow
• Youtube: TheLuckyCajun

Image Credits
Quin and Kelly Smith