Spudtacular LLC, Venus Williams
I soft launched my food truck business Spudtacular, LLC in late summer 2023.
I am the owner and chef of Spudtacular, LLC a food truck which specializes in all varieties and preparations of potatoes. Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes, yellow potatoes. Baked, loaded, fried, mashed, and boiled.
I’ve loved cooking since I was a little girl. I have had a cottage business doing cake decorating and making desserts, I’ve worked for chain restaurants, but I have wanted a restaurant for years and years. I kept saying to myself that it’s not the right time or I’m not ready. Then, I was diagnosed with Lupus, and I thought that my dream of owning a restaurant was gone. Then the pandemic happened, and I imagined that so many people died without fulfilling their dreams. I promised myself then and there that if I got through this that I will make my dream happen. Plus, I love potatoes.
We don’t just serve potatoes to our customers. We serve them with love and commitment. Our tagline is “Love the skin you’re in.” I am dark skinned, and, as a Black girl, I was bullied quite often for the skin I was in. I figured that if I fed my attackers, they wouldn’t bother me because they loved the food. It worked!
That's what makes our business different; it's not just about the food. It's having the right to be who you are. We don't get to choose the color of our skin or who we love. We feel that way at Spudtacular, LLC. We love the skin we're in. We want you to love the skin you're in. We want to enjoy each other. There's a variety of people. There's a variety of potatoes.
I used to be the director of a Women’s Business Center in Michigan, so I know about SCORE. I understood the basics of business, but I knew I wanted a mentor to ask me the questions I wouldn’t think to ask, guide me through the journey, and connect me with resources. We all need a mentor.
Bob helped me think through the financials, such as cash flow and profit/loss, starting with year 0. The experience has been wonderful, and I’ll continue to use SCORE as Spudtacular, LLC grows.
Bob kept me on track and asked me very good questions. He stuck with me when I would fall off a bit because I needed to study for a final. (I was also going to school for my MBA at the same time!) He was patient and would check in on me regularly. He was there for all my ups and downs. Bob and his wife showed up for the soft launch of my food truck. That was beautiful.
With 15 years experience as Controller for a 25-person firm, and having started my own packing and...
