Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Lopez.
Hi Tatiana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always liked to throw a good party; I love parties that are well decorated and detailed. I believe the food presentation makes a party exciting and fabulous. I love being at parties where everyone knows they will have good and plenty of food. I have been to enough parties where there was little to no food, and everyone has been miserable and hungry. It makes me very happy and satisfied when people stand around the table eating bite after bite and trying new things. I always knew I wanted my own business, but I have always been scared, and to be honest, I am still afraid. I threw my husband a birthday party and a gender reveal party for my sister-in-law. I have thrown many parties, but this party , in particular, changed my life forever. I made them each their dessert table, decorated with balloons and all the fancy party stuff, but what my guest went crazy over was the two cheeseboards I made with my old cutting board. Everyone that day said you have to start your own business you could sell cheeseboards there great. I craved a cheeseboard daily for lunch for dinner, and I would post them on my Personal IG page. So many friends started ask about the cheeseboards. I finally created an Instagram just for my cheeseboards, and the orders started coming in.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not been an easy road. Wow it has been the opposite. For a long time, I worked full-time plus mandatory OT, two kids, a household , a husband and a growing business. They were many nights that I didn’t sleep at all. It was horrible last year when my business took off. I felt like a zombie, I felt so emotionally drained, it made me depressed, and it took a toll in my marriage. However, I knew I couldn’t give up my dream of becoming an entrepreneur. I asked my manager if I could go part-time. After a few months, I was able to work part-time for a few months and then I was laid off, and to be honest is the best thing that happened to me because now I do this full time and I am my own boss. It gets hard when sales are down or when you lose the wedding bit to someone cheaper, Or the hundreds of messages that ignore you after you give them a quote. Everyone wants a grazing table, but no one wants to pay for it. I know they’re pricey, but I put so much work and detail so my customers can be happy with my work. I have to go shopping to so many stores in order to get everything that my clients ask for. Many hours of prep are put in the cheeseboards including the set up. Not to mention premium cheese and meats are not cheap. When I get an order, it makes my whole day I appreciated orders so much that is why I am always answering emails, messages and returning missed calls, so I make sure I don’t miss any orders. A missed message is a missed order.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others? Great, so let’s talk business.
I am very proud and blessed I get to do something I love so much for a living, I make cheeseboards, dips, platters, fruit platters, grazing tables, cones, cups, and workshops. My favorite part of my business is the reaction of people when they look at my cheeseboards, they are amazed. They look at them and say wow it’s art too pretty to eat. I say please ray took a lot work lol. Since I started this, I wanted to stand out a little more. I wanted to make something that would make people come back. I decided to make my own dips. I created a dip my customers loved and would come back for it and would want at their parties. My main dip is goat cheese and pepper jelly, but my husband doesn’t like goat cheese at all, so I made a cream cheese garlic and herb also a crowd pleaser. When I do pop-ups, my dips sell out I love it. Am also known for my boards and grazing tables to be very colorful. I love using as much color to give it a great pop, I love how all the colors help each other stand out. I dedicated a lot of time, thought, detail and love into every order.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Owing your business is a huge risk, especially when your product is a “want not a need”. You have to put a lot of your money and time into it. You can fail at any minute, but you can also succeed, it takes a lot of manifesting. I have prayed about it a lot and time after time when I feel like giving up something happens to show me this is what I should keep doing this is my calling and I need to keep pouring my effort and my all to make it something amazing. Nothing great has ever come easy you have to work hard and put all your energy and faith into it, If you believe in it and believe in yourself, that is all it matters.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: cheeseboardsandthangs
- Facebook: cheeseboardsandthangs
Image Credits:
The first portrait picture please credit photo credit @Ingrid.Smith Photography
