We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tara Gesy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?

The best investment I’ve made as a business owner hasn’t been either time or money—it’s been both, intentionally poured into personal and professional development for my team and myself.

From the beginning, I made the decision to treat every hour and every dollar spent on growth as a deposit, not an expense. The time I invest in my brand, company culture, and personal development compounds over time. What starts as intentional effort eventually becomes routine—and then it becomes identity.

Year over year, every dollar I’ve invested in my team and in myself has paid dividends. Not just financially, but culturally. It’s created a mindset of opportunity and abundance rather than scarcity. I’ve learned that if you don’t believe your company and your people are worth the investment, your customers won’t either.

The culture at Adventure Bowls didn’t happen by accident. Over the last four years, it’s been built by intentionally developing a team that finds real value in their role—and that belief overflows into the value they bring to every customer interaction.
Investing in growth—personally and professionally—has been the foundation of this company from day one, and it hasn’t wavered. We invest in being better every single day. And that commitment has shaped everything we’ve built.

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 Tara Gesy and I am the Founder and CEO of Adventure Bowls, açai bowl food truck. Established in April in 2021, with a grand opening in March of 2022, we are currently approaching our 5th season in business.

Over the last five years Adventure Bowls has filed and received it’s trademark, started the franchising process, bought a second food truck, put the franchising process on hold, and as of March 2025, sold one truck and restructured the company back to a single truck operation.

Known for inspiring our customers to live life at their peak, my company focuses on three pillars: passion with purpose, people-first impact, and a healthy and adventurous lifestyle.

With an initial plan to franchise my brand and a dream of having 1,000 trucks on the road in 10 years, the more we grew the more I realized my God given purpose was magnifying those three pillars in the local communities we live and serve in. I am truly grateful for the one track mindset I had to franchising because it got Adventure Bowls where it is today, but I am most proud of restructuring my company to stay true to who I am and who God has called me to be. I always want to be willing and ready to pivot when necessary to honor the pillars of my brand while continuing to foster growth among my team, our communities, and ultimately the world.

Adventure Bowls takes our people-first impact very seriously and proudly gives back to three non-profit partners; Big City Mountaineers, Backing The Blue Line, and the Wright Tech CEO program. All of these non-profits use the dollars we give to impact our communities right here in Minnesota.

While the company has changed its direction, our core values and the pillars we have built the company on have stayed the same. I am incredibly proud to be a woman owned and woman operated small business, pouring into the next generations, keeping business in the U.S., sharing God through our brand, all while offering entirely an entirely gluten-free, dairy- free, soy-free, artificial & number dye-free, vegan menu!

Many of our customers have asked what’s next for Adventure Bowls and me. I spent much of last year getting clear—learning how to do more with less and fully stepping into the many roles I’ve taken on since opening this company.

I’ve always dreamed of a brick-and-mortar space. The planning and design are done. But right now, Minnesota isn’t where that next step belongs. I’m trusting God with the timing and refusing to move without clarity.

What is clear is this: I’ve stepped into a more active role as a keynote speaker. I once swore I’d never do it because it terrified me—but the opportunities kept showing up, no matter how many times I tried to ignore them. I refuse to be complacent, and I refuse to miss chances to empower others to chase their wildest dreams. This is the season I’m being called into—and I’m saying yes.

Don’t fret though, Adventure Bowls isn’t changing! The food truck is something so special and we are excited to keep doing what we love this season.

Any advice for managing a team?

The most important advice I’ve ever been given when building teams is that you win and lose together. If one person isn’t doing their job well, the entire company feels it. On the flip side, when everyone is going above and beyond, the entire team shares in the success.

I set that standard early at Adventure Bowls by openly sharing both our wins and our losses. That transparency creates a culture of accountability — one where my team feels empowered to tell me when I can do better, where I can challenge them to raise the bar, and where teammates hold each other accountable even in my absence.

Maintaining high morale also means truly knowing your people. I believe in understanding what makes each person unique, what motivates them, and how I can best invest in who they’re working to become — not just the role they fill.

Finally, morale is strongest when everyone is fighting for the same mission. For me and the young women on my team, our shared purpose at Adventure Bowls — inspiring others to live life at their peak — gives meaning to the work we do every day and keeps us moving forward together.

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

I believe Adventure Bowls’ reputation was built through a combination of many things, but at the core of it is my commitment to lead with vulnerability and transparency — even when it may have cost us business.

After building two businesses from the ground up, I’ve learned that vulnerability is often viewed as a weakness. I strongly disagree. The hardships I’ve experienced and the mistakes I’ve made shaped the life I wanted to create and laid the foundation for how I lead and operate today. They taught me that you can decide you want a better life — and then go build it.

I didn’t always have people who supported me or places where I felt seen during my hardest moments. Because of that, I made a promise to use Adventure Bowls as a platform where people could come exactly as they are, feel seen, and feel supported.

Today, while we’re known for making wildly good açaí bowls, I believe our reputation is really built on something deeper — standing confidently in who we are, being honest about what we believe, and creating a space where customers feel less like transactions and more like family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adventurebowls.com
• Instagram: @adventurebowlsofficial
• Facebook: @adventurebowlsofficial

Image Credits
Maggie Pool Photography