Who would have ever thought that cheese boards might earn you $1M?
After we first met Monisha Misra, she had grown her charcuterie board business, BoardsbyMo, to over $100k in income in lower than a 12 months.
Quick ahead to in the present day, BoardsbyMo hit $1 million in lifetime income, and Monisha now runs the enterprise full-time with a crew of seven workers.
On this “The place are they now?” episode, Monisha catches us up on the fast development and evolution of her enterprise over the previous few years.
Tune into episode 574 of The Aspect Hustle Present to be taught:
- How Monisha leveraged Instagram and social media to construct an viewers for her charcuterie board enterprise
- Methods she used to land press options and native awards
- Methods she diversified her choices into workshops, courses, and company gifting
- Why wonderful customer support was key to her success
- How one can flip your individual inventive ardour right into a profitable enterprise
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The place We Left Off: A Recap of Monisha’s Charcuterie Enterprise Journey
Monisha began her charcuterie aspect hustle, BoardsbyMo, simply three years in the past. On the time, she was working a 9-5 job in software program gross sales whereas creating customized meat and cheese boards on evenings and weekends.
Her enterprise took off rapidly, reaching $100k in gross sales inside simply 9 months, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monisha’s major advertising channel was Instagram. In that first 12 months, she grew her account to round 20,000 followers by persistently posting, utilizing hashtags, and tagging different associated firms.
She additionally provided virtual charcuterie board-building workshops as company team-building workout routines on Zoom. Given the inbound curiosity, Monisha started educating different aspiring charcuterie entrepreneurs methods to begin their very own companies.
Two years later, BoardsbyMo has exploded.
Taking the Leap: Quitting Her 9-5 Job to Pursue BoardsbyMo Full-Time
In Could 2022, Monisha took a leap of religion and give up her software program gross sales job to pursue her charcuterie enterprise full-time. After persistently hitting her month-to-month income objectives for 6 straight months, Monisha gained the boldness to depart her steady 9-to-5 job and commit herself totally to her ardour.
Since making the bounce and committing to BoardsbyMo, Monisha has seen her Instagram following develop to round 120,000+ followers, 6 instances what it was when she was working her workplace job.
Whereas quitting was scary for Monisha, she set a goal income that made her comfy stepping away from the reliability of a gentle paycheck.
As Monisha put it, “It was undoubtedly one of many scariest issues I feel I’ve ever performed.” However by specializing in her income objectives and keenness for charcuterie, she took the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship.
Diversifying Advertising Technique Past Instagram
Monisha displays that pumping out content material only for the Instagram algorithm turned a chore. She then shifted her method to solely publish issues that genuinely introduced her pleasure.
Displaying her genuine self, even when much less polished at instances, has been key to rising her account organically.
In Monisha’s phrases, “For those who’re not natural and also you’re not clear about what makes you content, folks can see proper by it.” She’s additionally expanded her advertising to new platforms like Facebook, and even TikTok (although this one didn’t stick).
Monisha displays on why her charcuterie enterprise has stood out amongst the various comparable “cheese plate influencers” that popped up in recent times.
She believes the aesthetically pleasing nature of charcuterie boards provides her an automated benefit on visible platforms like Instagram.
However Monisha says she began including extra behind-the-scenes, day-in-the-life sort of content material, exhibiting the “not horny” components of operating her enterprise. She’ll deliver followers into the kitchen, reducing enormous wheels of cheese for hours, with salami in her hair.
As Monisha said, this depicts “a extra natural and practical depiction of what it’s prefer to be a small enterprise proprietor.”
When she started showcasing this uncooked, unfiltered aspect, past simply last product pictures, folks noticed there was extra worth than somebody merely organizing meat and cheese.
Even when the uncooked behind-the-scenes posts don’t at all times go viral, Monisha feels this vulnerability builds belief and understanding together with her viewers.
Company Catering: Tapping into B2B Alternatives
Monisha has additionally expanded her advertising to platforms like LinkedIn. With company catering now being an enormous a part of her enterprise, she makes use of LinkedIn to focus on prospects planning massive conferences, conferences, and occasions.
She tries to maintain it natural—posting about successes but in addition being open about challenges.
As Monisha famous, “I speak lots about challenges on LinkedIn and that tends to go over very well.” Staying clear helps her join extra authentically.
Constructing a Crew: Hiring Assist to Scale Her Charcuterie Enterprise
Monisha reveals she now has 7 workers at BoardsbyMo, a serious enlargement from when it was simply her solo hustling.
This features a full-time salesperson who handles chilly outreach to prospects and retaining previous purchasers.
For the primary time in a few years, Monisha doesn’t should do gross sales herself anymore.
She additionally employed a devoted advertising worker to handle email campaigns, newsletters, and social media. The opposite 5 crew members assist in the kitchen with meals prep and styling.
Leveraging E mail Advertising Methods
Monisha’s e mail newsletters spotlight upcoming occasions like public workshops, particular offers, and new product launches.
She considers e mail advertising vital, fearing that social platforms might vanish in a single day.
As Monisha put it, “I’ve a concern that in the future all these social media platforms are simply going to go away.” E mail permits her to remain in contact together with her viewers.
To drive newsletter signups, Monisha positions BoardsbyMo as a thought chief in charcuterie—providing suggestions, tips, and experience. This gives extra worth past simply selling merchandise.
Monisha has additionally collaborated with different small companies on public workshops—letting attendees make boards whereas sampling merchandise from an area associate.
As she described, “It simply exhibits folks right here’s one other native enterprise that you could help and that you could frequent and buy from in a while.” The co-marketing exposes every enterprise to new audiences.
The co-marketing workshops are free publicity occasions for each companies concerned. Monisha and her associate coordinate advertising emails to advertise the workshop and herald new audiences.
Even with out direct income, these workshops can result in future enterprise alternatives.
For instance, a workshop attendee named Shelly booked BoardsByMo to cater her workplace advertising crew’s occasion. That led to catering extra occasions for Monisha’s firm.
As Monisha put it, “Nothing beats phrase of mouth, and it’s the best, most feel-good option to get a brand new buyer.”
Offering wonderful customer support is vital for word-of-mouth referrals. Monisha at all times asks for suggestions and has transitioned to extra of a consultative method.
Quite than simply fulfilling orders, she probes for occasion particulars to suggest the very best choices. As Monisha defined, exhibiting experience past simply transactions creates loyal repeat clients.
Leveraging Press and Awards for Consciousness
To spice up native search visibility, Monisha focuses on getting on-line critiques for BoardsbyMo on directories like Google and Yelp. This helps the enterprise floor for searches like “charcuterie catering Boston.”
She asks each shopper to depart a Google evaluation after their occasion, stressing how critiques assist different potential clients make hiring selections.
By way of driving consciousness, Monisha has gotten nice native press in Boston media, resulting in nice information segments, podcasts, and articles.
She proactively maintains media relationships for future alternatives.
A former pupil even nominated Monisha for the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, a profession spotlight.
Monisha additionally received Small Business of the Game from the Boston Celtics, a tremendous alternative to showcase charcuterie boards on the courtroom.
As Monisha put it, this was “in all probability the good factor that can ever occur to me.” She credit Boston’s sturdy help of native companies for most of these alternatives.
Monisha says even when she doesn’t win native awards, simply being thought of validates her enterprise.
As she put it, “You’re feeling one thing so superb while you’re even included in these lists.” She takes all of it as nice studying experiences.
Diversifying Income Streams with Company Occasions, Workshops, and On-line Programs
By way of revenue streams, catering company occasions is now Monisha’s largest moneymaker. Based on her, “It’s simpler to ebook when persons are spending firm budgets slightly than their very own cash.”
Workshops are one other main stream, together with public collaborative workshops and personal team-building occasions.
Monisha nonetheless runs an internet course on beginning a charcuterie enterprise, pivoting it to focus extra on catering. She recognized a necessity to teach inventive entrepreneurs in these areas.
Drawing on her software program gross sales background, Monisha created a small enterprise technique workshop that rapidly gained reputation, even being utilized by Harvard Business School.
She fills a spot by serving to inventive founders promote their ardour initiatives.
Monisha gives charcuterie board workshops and courses by her enterprise. The workshops can be found as on-line programs on Teachable.
The principle course is her gross sales and advertising technique workshop, which prices $400 individually or $900 as a part of a bundle with different programs. It consists of pre-recorded movies and a downloadable workbook.
Monisha explains, “It actually will get you to do a deep dive after which create processes from there. So that you don’t should maintain doing this, like digging by the mud, making an attempt to determine your analytics and your reporting. You type of have a system arrange shifting ahead.”
Monisha will get most of her course clients by natural Instagram advertising. She shares brief enterprise suggestions in her posts and Tales, like utilizing Hubspot to set reminders to comply with up with {couples} on their anniversary after catering their wedding ceremony.
Her call-to-action is often “If you wish to be taught extra about my gross sales and advertising methods, go be part of the course.”
Monisha has additionally expanded into company reward containers and platters, not too long ago partnering with a wine firm to supply wine and cheese pairings.
For company purchasers, she creates customized packages with handheld bites, engraved boards, and different inventive items.
Hiring Smarter Folks to Complement Strengths
When demand grew for her charcuterie enterprise, particularly across the holidays, Monisha realized she wanted extra assist past simply her and Hannah.
She shares, “I might begin seeing that we have been getting a number of orders for the vacations and it was simply me and Hannah and I used to be like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if we are able to deal with this capability.’”
Monisha employed her subsequent few workers beginning in October to assist prep within the business kitchen. She explains, “I feel my subsequent rent was for kitchen prep. I feel the following three have been kitchen prep after which Bridget was employed to assist with advertising.”
Initially, Monisha hesitated to rent part-time kitchen assist, considering, “Nobody’s gonna need to work similar to a number of hours on Friday or a number of hours on Saturday.” However she realized she was holding herself again by not delegating.
Monisha brazenly posted on Instagram that behind the beautiful last merchandise was troublesome kitchen work, and he or she wanted part-time assist.
She was capable of finding inventive folks fascinated about meals styling and prep work to assist.
Monisha highlights, “It introduced me the good folks. It introduced me individuals who already had their 9-to-5s, however have been searching for a little bit little bit of a inventive outlet for a number of hours every week.”
Hiring was scary at first, however Monisha says discovering the proper folks utterly modified her enterprise. She explains, “I’d by no means, ever, ever have thought I’d be as busy as we’re as an organization in the present day, but it surely’s all as a result of I used to be capable of rent these folks and really delegate duties out to them.”
Monisha realized she didn’t want to seek out folks as passionate as her; she simply wanted good individuals who consider within the model.
By altering her mindset and hiring assist, she was capable of scale her enterprise past what she might do alone.
Subsequent Up: Opening a Bodily Storefront To Meet Charcuterie Demand
Together with her enterprise rising, Monisha has been fascinated about the following step of opening a BoardsbyMo storefront.
A retailer would offer a devoted kitchen house and permit for extra flexibility with same-day orders.
She explains, “One of many issues that we’re actually lacking proper now’s the power for folks to love decide up or order similar day or are available and cease in for a seize and go.”
Monisha highlights the demand, saying, “On a fairly common foundation, we get an e mail despatched to our data handle like, ‘Hey, can I order one thing for this afternoon?’ or ‘Can we come decide one thing up?’ Properly, we work in a shared business kitchen and we solely go in for sure hours day by day. And that’s not a chance proper now.”
She sees potential in Boston’s walkable surroundings, saying, “What if folks might simply stroll in and seize a small board for date evening that evening or one thing like that?”
Although she’s contemplated a retailer for over a 12 months, Monisha admits being “scared to take the following step.” Nevertheless, she is aware of even when it fails initially, she is going to be taught lots.
Trying forward, Monisha sees a storefront as the following natural step for her charcuterie enterprise. With over 1,000 folks taking her programs and beginning their very own firms, she additionally envisions franchising the idea if the primary location succeeds.
After beginning on a whim in 2020, Monisha has boldly grown BoardsbyMo right into a thriving enterprise. A storefront would reveal her dedication to maintain innovating and taking sensible dangers to scale the corporate.
As she says, “I feel it could be a very cool problem.”
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways from Monisha’s charcuterie journey with BoardsbyMo:
- Construct your crew step by step because the enterprise grows. Begin along with your core strengths, then layer on complexity.
- Concentrate on “who” will help slightly than “how” you’ll accomplish the whole lot alone.
- Delegate what you’re not nice at. Diversify advertising channels over time. Grasp one space like Instagram earlier than increasing.
- Search for B2B alternatives as soon as your B2C aspect is robust. Greater ticket gross sales even when barely decrease margin.
Monisha has boldly grown her charcuterie enterprise BoardsbyMo in just some years by hiring the proper folks, specializing in core strengths, and regularly discovering new alternatives. Her story demonstrates how sensible dangers and fixed innovation can create a thriving enterprise.
Monisha’s #1 Tip for Aspect Hustle Nation
“Not hiring is holding you again.”
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