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

Hi Jeremiah, thanks for joining us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

Currently I run a business called Delta Que. A portion of the sales will go to Students Utilizing College for Career Enrichment and Economic Development. I chose this non-profit primarily because of the mission and I’m the president. The mission is to provide a path from higher education to careers to drive economic development. In short, we want to place college graduates in high-impact positions with no risk to employers. The end result is to streamline the process of employment, reduce the number of unemployment, and stimulate the economy. I used Delta Que to generate revenue and to provide funding for startup cost.

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

I started my journey of BBQ while I was in the military. I had the change to try different foods and I was inspired by this small restaurant called Bamboo Cafe. After my time in the military, I used my free time to make food for family and friends. They really enjoyed the food and encouraged me to go into business. After a few months, I took the dive and started the company. My first year was full of learning lessons and correcting from my mistakes. Now that I’m in my second year, I’ve developed a cadence that works out well for my customers. I sell at local events, small events, and one major event every year. So far, I can honestly say the best part is how people react to the food. A lot of people who’ve tried the food were new to it just like me. So when they take their first bite, I relive the moment I had back at Bamboo Cafe.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn quickly was to understand the importance of marketing. In my first year, I didn’t see much business and had a lot of sunken cost. In my second year, I started to leverage the tools within my reach (budget) and make moves that resulted in the perfect segment. As a result, I seen an increase in customers, exposure, and I sold out for the first time. In one of my most recent events, the turnout was very low, but majority of the foot traffic did come to my tent and I was able to sell about 80% of my product.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

You have to be an extrovert. You must be able to speak to people and talk to them. You can learn a lot about your customers and what they want. Always listen to see if you can provide a solution for their problems. For example, one of the dishes that I believe is the best is made with pork. Majority of my customers do not like pork, so I had to throttle back and switch it out with chicken. I am probably one of few vendors who sell BBQ an their is a growing demand for BBQ.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.succeedfoundation.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delta_que_209/

Image Credits
Delta Que