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

Jimmy, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I believe that a name reflects the character of the business or individual. By me being a sole proprietor, wearing all the hats (as one might say). I wanted the name to reflect me as a chef & the products that I create to become a household name that people can identify with.
My purpose in naming J Mitchell’s Spices & Sauces is also designed to create a model for my wife & kids, that when people mention J Mitchell’s Spices & Sauces, it would be something that my family could be proud of & my friends could feel that they have a personal connection with me as an entrepreneur & as a face in the community.

I also feel that when you name in front of a business, you have a standard to live up to & take any criticism that goes along with it. Putting my name on my business makes me aware that people are watching me and hold me to a standard that must be consistent with the products I advertise.
What you name your business is a reflection of YOU!

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.

I am a native of Columbus, Ohio where I served the community as a chef for 30+ years. I have been head cook in Hotels, Hospitals, Care facilities, had my own restaurant & catering business. I just love to cook.

I began creating my original sauces and spices years ago in my first restaurant.
Through thoughtful creation and diligent experimentation, my first sauce was born. Its popularity grew and before I knew it, I was bottling and shipping a multitude of original flavors across the country.
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All of my products are my original signature recipes, you will not find these awesome flavors anywhere else.
I have 6 spices (2 salt free) & 2 sauces. I sell wholesale & retail with online ordering. And I do may cooking demos using my products. We are currently in 6 stores.

The problems I solve for my clients is that all of my products are multi use, which means, you do not have to buy a cabinet full of different spices to get the flavor you are trying to get. One of my products can take care of that!

What sets me apart is the unique flavors that other products just do not have & my marketing which I do a lot of demos. Putting a face with the brand and connecting with the customers is key to me building a great customer base.

I am most proud of the repeat customers and those new customers that order from Hawaii, California, Texas…

I want everyone to know that I love what I do, I love interacting & cooking for people. And as a minority business owner, my goal is to set a standard for minority businesses. You can be small but effective!

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

The most effective strategy for me growing my clientele is public demos & pop ups. One thing that I have learned that has worked for me very well is you must be the face of you business, especially a small business.
I do as many demos & pop ups as I can. This strategy allows you to build customer relationship and makes your face well known. I can be out somewhere and someone will walk up to me and say, hey, aren’t you that spice guy?
I say, yep, that’s me, and they begin to tell me how they have been using my products.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I thing what helped me build my reputation in my market is I am personal with my customers. What I mean by that is, My personality is one that draws people & get their attention. I make buying from me fun and exciting.

I also make them feel like they are important when I am introducing my products to them. Again I cannot stress it enough, being out there doing public events with an energetic attitude will help build your market.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chefjmitchell.com
• Instagram: Chefjmitchell
• Facebook: chefjmitchell
• Other: Google Market Place: J Mitchell’s Spices & Sauces LLC

Image Credits
Some photos are by: Erin Gregory & Whitney Morgan