We recently connected with Patricia Garza and have shared our conversation below.

Patricia, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It all started in mid-November 2018. I was so excited about the cool weather that I decided to host a dinner party, I’m a big snacker so I always make sure I have different little bites to offer my guests. I went all out since all my big group of friends confirmed they were coming. I was struggling to find serving dishes that matched together and after opening what it felt like 30 cabinets and not finding what I wanted, I remember thinking: wouldn’t it be great to have one long serving plate to fit all the things! And that was it!! The very next day I starting thinking on how I could create something that would solve my aesthetic problems Lol. My first thought was wood, my father and grandfather were both woodworkers and I had some tools and knowledge. I sketched it out, went out to get supplies and my first 4ft long board came to life in my garage. It was perfect, everything I needed, and the next thing for me was to host another gathering of course to show off my handcrafted piece of art. It became the talk of the party and my friends begged me for one, They even offered to pay, I was happy to make one for them, so I did. A few weeks later they hosted their own parties and their guests were asking for one and my friends encouraged me to make several and start a side hustle. I was so excited about the idea that I posted one on fb marketplace one evening, I woke up to 500+ messages and I was blown away, I was crying excited, taking screenshots of the number of messages I received from people asking for one of my boards. I was not ready for that. obviously, but with that excitement came an idea. That was the exact moment that I decided to start my business.

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

I am a proud wife and mother of two beautiful girls, they are not girls anymore, but I still call them that. My oldest just graduated from college and my youngest is about to finish high school. I am originally from Monterrey, Mexico, where I was born and raised. I grew up smelling that fresh cut wood scent from my fathers wood shop, it was just a hobby for him, so when he was home he would always be working on something for the house. His dad, my grandfather was also a woodworker, he was a wood sculptor and an artist. I’ve never considered working with wood before but I had some skills that I developed from helping my dad, he would force us all to help and for that I am now very grateful. I was so proud of my first board that I took it to my dad’s house immediately for approval. We worked on some boards together, he showed me some tricks, gave me some of his tools and offered me guidance moving forward. I loved every minute spent with my dad working on something we were both passionate about. I’d love for my clients to know that I take my time on every single board because it’s made with love and it brings me absolute joy that something I made will forever live in their homes.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I have met some of the most amazing and creative people because of my business and the connections I’ve made have now turned into friendships. I will be forever grateful for that!! For me, what worked in building a good reputation was taking time to build those connections with people, telling my story, being real. Being quickly responsive when they have questions and being honest about my product. Word of mouth really did it for me.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Every time I sell one of my boards, I make sure to send a small “Thank you” message, and I ask them to share pictures with me of how they used their board, I ask them to tag me on social media and I always share on my stories. I have a newsletter that I send monthly or sometimes twice a month if there’s a holiday sale, and I share new products and some ways to style boards. I have many clients that are new to the charcuterie trend and have asked for advice, I take my time and I send complete item lists, including my favorite bites and wine pairings, I love sharing tips and tricks on how to style boards. I continuously receive pictures and kind words of gratitude for my help. Wouldn’t change that for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.servboardtx.com
• Instagram: @servboardtx
• Facebook: Servboard

Image Credits
I took the pics myself