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

Dominique, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

During the height of COVID, all of the restaurants in Austin were closed, so we were doing a lot of cooking in the Cole household. After weeks of eating the same foods, I decided to make an attempt at creating my dad’s recipe for bbq chicken. I started getting the ingredients out of the pantry to make the marinade and realized that I was missing some core ingredients. The grocery store were also closed, so I had to improvise. I started mixing in random ingredients and made a batch of the marinade. The chicken came out phenomenal and was so good, that my wife asked me to make it again the next day. On the third day, she asked me grilled salmon and put the marinade on it, but we had run out. I attempted to recreate the recipe, but I could not remember the exact ingredients I used or the measurements. The salmon came out ok, but the marinade was nowhere near the creation I made days prior. Being the competitor that I am, I was determined to recreate the marinade. For the next 2.5 weeks, I attempted to recreate it everyday, trying it on chicken, seafood, pork and beef. And on the 21st day, I finally was able to recreated the marinade. I made a gallon batch of it and shared it with friends, neighbors, and even mailed some to my parents in Florida.

Everyone said how the marinade enhanced the taste of their food and some even mentioned using it as a sauce to put on their food after it was already cooked. And then came the feedback that made the light bulb in my head turn on, “You should really think about bottling this up and selling it.” I order a 1000 sample bottles on Amazon, create some horrendous labels using my dad’s face, batched up the bottles and mailed it out to friends and family to get feedback on whether people would buy it. 100% said they would buy and I then knew that I was on to something.

Dominique, 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?

Smokin Cole’s BBQ Sauce & Marinade is a family owned business, specializing in the creation of flavorful barbecue sauce and marinade products. We currently offer two signature products that can’t be beat in taste! Our products pair well with anything and can be used as traditional barbecue sauce, dipping sauce, glaze or marinade.

Our story is simple…

Smokin Cole’s developed from a pastime enjoyed by a father that is now shared by his son. There were several pastimes that the son adopted from his father including, his love for sports & playing dominoes, but one stood out above all…HIS LOVE FOR BARBECUING!

The son would barbecue several times a week, each time, calling his father for tips on seasoning and marinating, controlling grill temperature, etc. Using what his father taught him, the son started developing his own barbecue techniques, mixing new flavors, and creating recipes of his own. Never forgetting his inspiration for barbecuing, the son paid homage to his father.

And as they say, the rest is history.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Competition BBQ has really helped build the Smokin Cole’s brand.

In an attempt to make a name for the Smokin Cole’s brand, I decided to enter in a KCBS barbecue competition in 2021. I knew nothing about competition barbecue, but I figured that I would use the opportunity to network with people that barbecued often and hopefully convince them to start using my products. Well little did I know, all of the competition barbecuers had their own brand of sauces and seasonings of their own that they sold, so I was just stuck competing. As luck would have it, I ended placing 6th in the pork ribs category. Beginner’s luck!

The following year, I was contacted by a tv production company to be featured on an episode of the BBQ USA featured on the Food Network. The show was hosted by Chef Michael Simon, showcasing the world of competition bbq. I didn’t perform so well in the episode, but it was a great experience nonetheless. In addition, the opportunity allowed the Smokin Cole’s brand to be seen by millions of people around the US and the orders started rolling in.

Since then, Smokin Cole’s has competed in over 20 KCBS, IBCA, & backyard bbq competitions, making us award winning with multiple top 10 placements in chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and brisket categories. And it’s all thanks to my not so secret sauce.

Every now and again, I’ll be out and about, and someone will randomly come up to me and say “Aren’t you that guy that was on tv with the barbecue sauce?”

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.

The book helps the reader understand that the little repetitive things add up to have impact and lasting results. Everyday with Smokin Cole’s, I focus on executing on the small tasks, like identifying at one new person to tell about Smokin Cole’s, This has led to an uptick in sales, increased brand awareness, and partnership opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.smokincolesbbq.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokincolesbbq/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokincolesbbqsauce

Image Credits
Sauce & Veggies Photo by Erin Miller Photography