We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fannie Gibson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fannie below.

Fannie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I came up with the idea in 2009 and we open up in 2018. I used to cook from home and post online to get feedback and build my audience while I was working on getting a location. It took me a long time to get a location because of my credit. I had no credit at the time so I couldn’t get any building nor could I get a loan from the bank. They all said no! But I didn’t let the no stop me. I was determined to bring the culture to Kansas City since there wasn’t any west African restaurant at the time. So I found a partner that had credit and capital, but we couldn’t agree to disagree, we parted ways. I was devastated when we parted ways, but I also believed that God had a plan. I kept cooking from home and posting online until the day I found the location on Troost. The landlord was very helpful and understanding and he gave me a chance to make my dream a reality. He was my first yes in seven years and It took me two years to do renovation due to capital. I reached out to so many construction companies and they all turned me down and said the building was too old and I could never put a restaurant in such an old building, they would charge very high such as $50-90 and walk out. I still didn’t allow them to kill my dream…I kept on going until one day I came across a company called American construction services. They were willing to work with me and they actually believed in my vision and gave me a chance. We built everything from scratch. I would work and put my checks towards the building and I even had to cut down on everything like shopping, going out to eat, fixing my hair. Etc. after the renovation was done passing inspection was another task.

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

Hi, my name is Fannie Gibson and I am the owner of Fannies west African cuisine. I am a mother of three amazing children ages 14, 9 and 3. I started my business in 2018 and we served authentic west African food in the heart of midtown. I am most proud of sharing my culture with all of Kansas City and it surrounding areas. I think what set us apart is my craft. I put my heart and soul in every dish and I want you all to experience best of west African cuisine. The love and support we received from the community it is so appreciated. Thank you all.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started building my audience by posting unique content on social media. I would post daily and used hashtags to reach more people .Sometimes I would even post a question to get people engaged and participate. I have also used Facebook ads to reach more audience and it works perfect. When using Facebook ads remember it a nice to get likes and comments, but what’ most important is views. Views will review to you how many people you have reached that day or week. Also ,whatever you do, be consistent, be creative, and be unique. Don’t copy still true to what you know and work on your craft daily and keep getting better at what you do. Never get comfortable consistency will take you there.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I had no capital starting my business. I would work and put money aside to put towards the business. I did that for four years or more. I didn’t get a loan, however, I got a credit card to help build my business credit. Also, family and friends borrowed me some capital to start.

Contact Info:

• Website: https//www.fanniecuisine.com
• Instagram: https//fannies_west_african_cuisine_
• Facebook: Https//tastyafriacncuisine
• Linkedin: Https// Fannie Gibson
• Twitter: Https// fannies_african_cuisine_
• Youtube: Https// Fannies cuisine TV
• Yelp: Https//fannies West African cuisine

Image Credits
Chase Castor