I have grown up in the restaurant and family-owned business industry. When I was nine my dad was diagnosed with a vision impairment that may one day leave him blind. He worked in corporate America as an elevator repairman since he was 19 and then as a manager but when unexpected things occur in life…

We always need a plan B.

He knew that he would not be able to continue to work in the corporate and blue-collar world forever, so he decided to turn his passion for cooking into a way to support his family through the years to come.

He started his catering business out of our house which then turned into renting a commercial kitchen, owning a food truck, and eventually opening his very own brick-and-mortar.

“I have watched him over the years grow through the struggles and the successes. “

My brother and I started working with my dad when we were 13 and then I took over half of the company when I was 17.  

I decided to run and grow our entire catering business. I saw the struggles of owning your own company firsthand.

Later that year I interned at a marketing firm where I learned that the marketers who helped my dad weren’t helping at all my dad grew his entire platform and he paid them to do nothing as they told him he was doing a great job on his own but yet he still had to pay them.

With my dad already struggling with time management of running the business, handling the marketing, and trying to still have time for his family things got very rocky.

So, I decided that I would handle the marketing for him instead of paying a company that had no interest or investment in sharing our story or helping us grow.

“I took not only my experience from working firsthand in the restaurant and family-owned business industry but also from what I learned through my internships and education. “

In high school, I studied marketing for 3 years and competed in DECA in the restaurant, food service management, and marketing categories. Over the years I competed I won 1st and 2nd in the region, 4th state, and qualified for nationals and internationals in both categories (ICDC).

I am currently a junior at Kennesaw State University double majoring in both marketing and entrepreneurship.  I am part of Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society, the honors college, and the Coles College of Business. I have had many great opportunities at KSU including studying abroad in London, where I got to experience and study international business and culture.

My experience over the years and working in the industry alongside my family in my everyday life helped me to realize “my passion is to help people like my dad who own either a restaurant or family-owned business to market and tell their story. “

I started my company Rustic Blossoms to do just that, help share the stories of small businesses through social media and help them blossom into their full potential!

“Every brand has a story on why they decided to be an entrepreneur, they have a story on who they are… “

Whether it was a tradition passed down, a sudden change in life, a passion you wanted to make your livelihood, or how you wanted to change the world through your work. Your story deserves to be shared. Let me help share your story today