We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olivia Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olivia below.
Alright, Olivia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
Olive started with just my mom and I. We created a charcuterie board for a family event and the next thing you know we are receiving orders to create for others. It happened so fast, and looking back on it we had no clue what we were doing. But, for the past 2 years, we’ve submersed ourselves in the art of food and are loving every single minute of it.
This August we realized it was time we brought someone in to join our team. That is where my husband Robert came in. He has been providing his unpaid services from the beginning. haha However, everything came full circle when we were officially able to bring him on and add him to our payroll this past month.
Robert manages our finances, food ordering, and inventory. He also can be found creating salami rosettes here and there.
Now that he has joined the team we realize we would love to expand even more. We are currently on the search for a seasonal employee to help us keep up with the holiday season. (and hopefully beyond) Our hiring process is pretty straightforward. We want to find someone who is fun, flexible and shares the love we have for food.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Olive + Co started with a charcuterie board, and fast forward 2 years later it has turned into a thriving catering business. We consider ourselves a boutique catering brand. We create unique and customizable experiences through grazing tables and themed food bars.
Grazing has always been a part of our lives. Even before it became trending we were creating insta-worthy (or maybe some not-so-worthy) spreads for our family and friends. But, now we get to share those recipes with our clients!
We believe every event we do is unique and all about the clients. That is why you will never see an Olive + Co advertising sign on our grazing tables. The event isn’t about us, and we strive to make sure our clients feel that every single time.
Our true passion is curating custom menus, and the ability to bring ideas to life. Want to fill a coffin with tacos? We are your people. Looking for a themed menu to match your party aesthetic? We’ve got you. Not sure what food you want but you need some? We’ve got you there too!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
We started Olive illegally. That might sound dramatic but what I mean by that is, we started in our catering business in our home kitchen. You’ve got to start somewhere right?
As we gained a following we were being asked for permits and licenses to work in the bigger venues. This was a really scary time for us because we were just starting out and had all the questions. Researching was really tough. It felt like every person we talked to had a different requirement, and it was overwhelming. There were several times that we wanted to give up.
But, we didn’t. We kept pushing through and finally went through all the hoops, gathered all the docs, paid all the fees, and finally had our health department inspection scheduled. It felt like Christmas morning. Mom and I both were full of nerves and excitement. We showed up bright and early to the kitchen. The inspector goes through our equipment and needed docs everything is looking great. Then, we finish up by walking out to inspect our vehicle.
The application said the vehicle must be”free of lint” so we made sure to thoroughly vacuum. But, the look on his face told me there was a problem. He steps away to call his supervisor and when he comes back he informs us that he cannot issue us a permit due to our SUV not being a true catering vehicle. We needed a vehicle with non-porous flooring and it could not be our personal everyday use vehicle either.
We had spent a ton of money and time to get here. Only to find out that we could not obtain a permit without purchasing a new vehicle. We were devastated, to say the least. Despite the frustrations we pushed forward, saved up enough funds, and purchased a dedicated catering vehicle that allowed us to obtain the required permits.
Sometimes things seem unreachable and you feel like your back is up against the wall. In those moments we’ve learned to dig deep and keep the eye on the prize. The other side feels so good!
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
We started Olive with nothing. Literally, we started from the bottom now we are here story. I remember shopping for the first order we received. We were splitting up the order to cover the cost. Mom, you buy the salami. I will grab the cheeses. We had no idea what we were doing but we made it work. We probably made -30.00 on that first order. But, man did we have fun.
The Facebook marketplace was our starting point for marketing. We needed to get the word out that we were making charcuterie boards but didn’t have a marketing budget. It was a great free marketing tool that we still utilize to this day. Once a few people started ordering we took that money and put it into our first website.
We have zero website-building skills but knew it was our next step. So, we watched a bunch of YouTube videos and read the step-by-step blogs. Before you know it, Olivekc.com was born. A one-stop shop for people to see our work and hopefully order from us. It ended up being the best decision ever. It did gain traction and is our main source of revenue today.
As orders started to trickle in we focused on those clients. Ensuring that we were getting feedback and soaking in everything like a sponge. The goal has always been to create forever clients. We made it our mission to go above and beyond every order in hopes the next time they need food they would think of us.
That catapulted our business into what it is today. Word of mouth for the win! We eventually gained enough sales to get real funding. We’ve used those funds to invest in catering equipment, food displays, and marketing strategies.
The start was slow going but my biggest tip is to learn to enjoy the ride.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.olivekc.com
- Instagram: @olivecokc
- Facebook: @olivecokc
Image Credits
@Elated_kc