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

Herman , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

My experience as a Financial Advisor taught me how to understand and build strong relationships with my clients and customers. In order to excel in your position or industry, you must be empathetic to the needs and wants of others and build trust. I was able to make connections with total strangers by being genuine and catering to their initial needs first which opened up the opportunity to ask more questions, gather data, and educate. Many of us have bare witness to the roller coaster ride of the market ups and downs during the past 4 years and making investment decisions can be scary especially if you don’t prioritize your goals and are unsure of the process. Being a business owner is twofold. You have to understand the goals and needs of your clients and you have to understand the goals and needs of your company.

Having the right questions is more important than having the right answers. They trigger introspection, curiosity, alternative thinking and motivation in the receiver. Answers lead to the curbing of thinking, curiosity, creativity and the exploration of a different perspective.

It’s important to understand what actions contribute to depreciating returns and those that lead to sustainability.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Herman Green, owner of Smoke City Proz BBQ, LLC. We are a catering company that’s has multiple food trucks that serves all of North Texas. I am a former Wealth Advisor and started my company during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. In my profession it is important to understand what’s going on in the economy, the markets, and government in order to improve the financial lives of my clients. I’m a strong believer in practicing what you preach and I was diligent in studying various sectors, business disruptions and the different monetary and fiscal responses throughout the pandemic while putting my investment and career goals into perspective. Maintaining a career while working in a startup was probably the most difficult but I was able to see how many things are relatable in both industries which helped my plan of action. There were many days when I was up without sleep for 36-48 hours just trying to operate at a high level in both worlds but when my side business started to triple my salary I knew it was time to let go and I left the corporate world in October 2022.

My wife is the number one contributor to my success and I could not have gotten this far without her. In the early stages of business you have to wear all the hats from Marketing to Sales to Human Resources, Investmens and even Mechanic. There were many times when she had to step in and do everything alone because I was so consumed with Financial Advising. We have been able to set ourselves apart from the rest by having a huge amount of faith and not being afraid to fail fast but learn quickly in order to move swiftly. Everyday we are asking questions, gathering information and applying it. We keep a small circle of mentors around us that are also successful entrepreneurs, some with multiple multimillion dollar businesses, that educate us and share their experiences and processes.

We have grown rapidly and have completed hundreds of bookings for many businesses, private parties and festivals. We strive to maintain a professional image and educate other Food Truck owners on creating contracts and also teach business practices and investing to the youth. We have a unique style where we blend Cajun, Texas and Kansas City BBQ cuisines. We are known for our tender Brisket, our Stuffed Creole Mac and Cheese Turkey legs but we have several items that are requested like our Party Macs, Nachos and Tiger Wings.

Any advice for managing a team?

Employer employee relationships reflect client relationships. We MUST have empathy and trust. We take time to get to know each individual on our team and explain how important their contribution is for success. We have also experienced how Management can force an employee to do tasks that they wouldn’t do and many times don’t know how to do in the corporate world but we show that we can handle any task and form of pressure as a true leader.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We love supporting other businesses. We make sure to support other businesses that we have worked with on our platforms by posting their products or referring them to customers. Making sure that everything is of the highest quality and being unique and professional on all sides has increased our clientele dramatically. We do text marketing to previous customers, host our own events and create a ton of digital content.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @smokecityproz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokecityprozbbq?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: Smoke City Proz BBQ, LLC
• Twitter: @smokecityproz
• Yelp: Smoke City Proz BBQ
• Other: https://www.thumbtack.com/tx/fort-worth/mobile-food-trucks/smoke-city-proz-bbq/service/432510427119951875