GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet up with Kristen Bailey and Anton Gaffney, the founders of Sweets & Meats, a barbecue food truck and catering business that serves award- winning, smoked meats, homemade sides, and desserts.

All of this and more is next on Start Up.

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♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country continues to recover from extraordinary challenges, small business owners are showing us why they are the backbone of the American economy.

We've set out for our 11th consecutive season, talking with a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they've learned, to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves.

♪ This is Start Up.

♪ Barbecue has a long history in America, dating back to colonial times.

Native Americans used a method of slow cooking meats over an open flame, which was adopted and refined by European colonists.

Barbecue became especially popular in the southern United States during the 19th century, where it was often associated with social events and celebrations.

Today, barbecue is enjoyed across the country.

It has even become a competitive sport with regional styles and techniques.

Today I'm heading to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet up with Kristen Bailey and Anton Gaffney, the co-founders of Sweets & Meats, a barbecue food truck and catering business that serves award- winning smoked meats, homemade sides and desserts.

From what I know, Kristen and Anton went from selling barbecue off a table that they set up in a parking lot, to being one of the most respected barbecue operations in the area.

I can't wait to hear their story and maybe get to sample some of their delicious recipes.

♪ What is Sweets & Meats Barbecue?

KRISTEN: The Sweets & Meats is a full service cater and food truck specializing in smoked meats, homemade sides and desserts using family recipes.

Cincinnati has really grown on the food scene and Eli's was really the first like mom and pop place that opened that did more of a North Carolina style barbecue, but it opened the doors for everyone else.

GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: And now we have like our own- I feel like our own style here in Cincinnati that rivals places like Memphis and Alabama and North Carolina and Kansas City.

GARY: So you think Cincinnati barbecue will be a... KRISTEN: We're on the map.

GARY: Household name at some point?

KRISTEN: I do absolutely, and I've been out to Kansas City and I'm here to say that Cincinnati is way better.

GARY: What got you into barbecue?

KRISTEN: Honestly, Anton, it's something he's always been really passionate about.

I'm a very social person, he's more of a homebody and I'd want to go out on the weekends and be social and hang out with friends and he wanted to stay home.

So the compromise was to have cookouts and he just fell in love.

I saw how passionate he was about barbecue.

We started doing the barbecue circuit and actually did some competitions together.

GARY: Nice.

KRISTEN: And it was just something fun we did as a hobby.

♪ GARY: What was the feedback from people when they first started trying your barbecue?

ANTON: They were amazed.

GARY: Yeah.

ANTON: The barbecue actually started in my backyard, we used to have cookouts.

It started with six people and it ended up to being 60 people.

(Gary laughing) At that time it got expensive.

I was like, you know, "I can't feed all this people because, it's- meat's not cheap."

So they started coming to the barbecues, paying $10 a piece.

That's when I knew, you know, when you're willing to pay for it, it must be good.

GARY: And did you cook a lot growing up?

ANTON: A lot of times I would run home from school, start dinner for my mom, then go back for basketball practice, things like that.

So I started cooking at a young age.

GARY: Nice.

ANTON: My grandfather taught me how to cook barbecue.

Growing up with him doing it and just being by his knee, watching it from the time I can walk to now.

GARY: Take me back to that time with your grandfather.

What was some of the basic principles and philosophy behind good barbecue?

ANTON: Slow and low.

GARY: Slow?

ANTON: Yes let the meat- the meat's ready when the meat's ready, you can't rush it, there's no time limit.

It's about temperature.

Just 'cause a brisket takes 16 hours doesn't mean that every brisket is gonna take 16 hours, so you cook for temp.

♪ GARY: What was the- I guess the immediate inception?

KRISTEN: Honestly, it was when we went down to Alabama, we went to Silicaga and celebrated his grandfather's 70th birthday.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: And his grandfather used to cook for everyone, and Anton was like, "I've got this granddad."

He was like, "All right, you've got this, like this is really good."

Like he was impressed and he's- it's hard to impress his grandfather 'cause he is an excellent cook too.

Then from that moment on, I saw that passion and we both felt like we were unfulfilled in our corporate jobs at the time, GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: So I really pushed him and I actually started the LLC.

I started the company without telling him and then for his 40th birthday I had that smoker delivered.

GARY: Wow.

You were in the- sort of in the background, turning this into a business.

This was all unbeknownst to Anton?

KRISTEN: Correct.

So I was a banker at the time.

I like to say... GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: I'm a recovering banker.

So I was in banking for 15 years.

GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: I worked with a lot of small business owners.

I learned a lot of what not to do as a small business owner.

GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: He unfortunately was laid off from a job and he was feeling down and out, he was turning 40, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

GARY: Right.

KRISTEN: And so the smoker just showed up and he calls me at work, he's like, "Kristen, what is this?"

I'm like, "Happy birthday, it's your smoker."

You know, and he is like, "But what am I gonna do with this?"

'Cause it was actually on a trailer.

Like he pulled it into our driveway and I said, "We're gonna set up the Creamy Whip this weekend."

And so literally I'd already talked to the local Creamy Whip, which has been a staple in our community since the 50s, and he said, "As long as you've got all your licensing, "you've got everything, you're legit, like, no problem."

So I got flyers printed up, passed 'em out through the community and we let them know we were gonna try this out.

GARY: Really?

KRISTEN: And literally we had a line before we even opened.

And being able to take the money that we earned and go to the store, like we went to Sam's and bought more product and that's what we just kept doing is kept reinvesting it... GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: And coming back with more and more each week.

GARY: How long did you do the table and eventually tent set up for?

KRISTEN: So we started November 2nd, we set up there through February and then at that point we realized like, we really need to get a commercial kitchen 'cause we were still doing things from home GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: When we first started.

So shame on us, but we just again started with what we had.

GARY: And that doesn't necessarily fall into the cottage laws or anything like that?

KRISTEN: No, it did not.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: We rented the kitchen at the American Legion.

We were a tenant there for 18 months.

We went through Mortar Cincinnati, a business accelerator and then in February of 2016 we had the trailer built, and from there, our first event we served like 700 people.

Like we started getting... GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: Really big opportunities.

That's when we landed our lease for our current location for Sweets & Meats.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: And that was in 2017.

GARY: What kind of investment did it take to get into a full scale trailer, fully functioning, built out trailer?

KRISTEN: So we were about $50,000 in back in 2016.

GARY: Okay is that a lot, is that average?

I have no frame of reference.

KRISTEN: Everything's a lot when you're broke.

(laughing) GARY: Well, yeah.

Hunger is the best sauce too, yeah.

KRISTEN: Yeah we literally, say it again.

So we did a lot of fundraising.

I actually- my grandmother wrote us our first check, she wrote me a check for $10,000 GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: And that was the first thing, part of our Indiegogo campaign.

So we were trying to do crowdfunding.

GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: Nobody was trying to make us a loan.

I got turned down 11 different times, GARY: 11?

KRISTEN: For SBA loans and I was a banker.

GARY: Right, I was just about to say like- KRISTEN: So I felt like I was bankable.

I did find a credit union, Emory Federal Credit Union.

I met them actually while I was working at the bank.

They lent 50% of our trailer loan.

So we ended up taking out like 18,000 with them.

We came up with the other 18.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: And then the other money was from sales that we put towards the trailer.

♪ GARY: How long did it take for the trailer to start to really, you know, get momentum and steam, you know, to cover its own cost?

ANTON: Almost immediately.

GARY: Wow.

ANTON: Yes we got our truck up and running, going to rallies, going to venues, getting things like that, and it almost immediately started off for us.

GARY: And what's kind of your spin that you put on your barbecue?

ANTON: So basically, like I said, I stick to the basics.

My grandfather says, "Keep it simple, keep it easy."

We dry rub everything.

We don't sauce anything.

GARY: Got it.

ANTON: The meat's the star and not the sauce.

Our sides are all homemade.

We got mac and cheese, collard greens, green beans.

We use fresh greens, fresh vegetables.

A lot of times at most barbecue places, GARY: Yep.

ANTON: The sides are a second thought.

GARY: Sure.

ANTON: We want our sides to be as good as the meat so that you get a full course meal, so you feel you're at home and not out somewhere.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: Start by telling us the first encounter that you ever had with Sweets & Meats.

JAMES: We go back at least seven years.

It was my wife's 40th birthday.

GARY: Okay.

JAMES: Birthday party, and we asked Sweets & Meats to cater the party.

GARY: How did the food go over?

What did the guests think?

JAMES: The food was great.

Everybody enjoyed it, everybody loved it.

GARY: What do you say to somebody who's in the area and never tried Sweets & Meats?

JAMES: Try it, I don't think there's anything off that menu you're not gonna enjoy.

Find something that fits your palate.

So there's a whole different menu GARY: Yeah.

JAMES: That you'll be able to try and enjoy.

♪ GARY: There's a lot of people that, you know, have a dream of starting a food truck business, you know, a vision, it's not easy though right?

What are some of the biggest challenges behind having an actual food truck, trailer business?

ANTON: Hours.

Um, there's not enough hours in the day.

You have to prep, you have to cook, you have to load the truck, be at your event on time, so that time is very, very important.

KRISTEN: You went to the rally, you came in at 6:00 in the morning, you're not getting done till midnight.

That's a very, very long day.

GARY: A marathon.

KRISTEN: And a lot of people, it's not for the faint of heart, like not everybody wants to work that way and then beyond that, it's the cost.

Like those food truck rallies, there's some- we had to pay $500... GARY: Mm-hmm.

KRISTEN: Just to be in the rally and then it's, you know, a roll of the dice.

You could have bad weather.

GARY: Yep.

KRISTEN: There's all these factors that we don't- GARY: And competition of different foods.

I mean, there's nothing to say or guarantee that they're going to choose barbecue every time.

KRISTEN: You're correct and if it's too hot, they don't want something heavy, and I will tell you almost every rally we go to, because barbecue has become such a staple and so popular, usually there's 25% of the trucks are barbecue, so we're competing with others.

GARY: Talk about building your digital presence.

KRISTEN: I still manage our website.

It's probably time for me to turn it over, but it's something I like.

I feel empowered being able to make the changes GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: And the updates as I need to, and it serves its purpose.

We do e-commerce and we can also take payments for online orders.

So when we do our Thanksgiving orders, we do all of our turkeys through the website now.

GARY: And then what about your social media presence?

Like how important is that for a business like yours?

KRISTEN: Oh my gosh.

I don't know how we could have started this business without something like Facebook.

Facebook is definitely where most of our reach has been, but organically for us, like, I don't spend a lot of money on marketing, 'cause again, we don't have a lot of money.

I say we're rich broke.

(laughing) GARY: Right.

KRISTEN: So we're making money, but all goes- it gets paid out.

So I use those free resources.

GARY: What were some of the key takeaways that you took from your 15 years working in banking?

KRISTEN: I would say the biggest is start with what you have.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: Like we bootstrapped all along the way, like the first three years we had no payroll at all whatsoever, everybody was a volunteer, including myself and Anton.

I still pay myself a very modest wage and choose to reinvest every dollar into the business.

GARY: Smart.

KRISTEN: And that's how we've been able to grow, and I also surround myself with a lot of resources.

So we've benefited from services like Score and the Small Business Development Center.

GARY: Sure.

KRISTEN: So that's how I started the LLC, I did it myself.

GARY: Okay.

KRISTEN: I went to this workshop and then went home and started it.

I actually sit on the National Advisory Board with the SBDC now.

So I'm helping businesses across the country and just trying to advocate and let them know about these resources.

♪ GARY: Let's talk about Kristen and Anton in this business.

BRANDON: Sure.

GARY: What do you know about this place?

BRANDON: They're absolutely the best people you'll ever meet.

In terms of advocacy for small businesses, like Kristen is the biggest advocate I've ever met.

If you're a food truck just starting up and you need advice or you need help with a- a type of grant you're trying to get, GARY: Yep.

BRANDON: Or insurance or any kind of questions like that, that's complicated with small businesses, Kristen's always there to help people out, so.

GARY: Wow, so she's not hoarding that information.

BRANDON: She's not hoarding that information at all.

GARY: She can be at the king of the hill?

BRANDON: No, and that's just a very rare trait.

GARY: Yeah.

BRANDON: And then the food obviously is unbelievable.

You don't have a good restaurant without good food, so.

♪ GARY: What kind of effect did- did COVID have on your business and at that point, was it just a trailer and the brick and mortar?

KRISTEN: We actually- we had the brick and mortar, we had the trailer and I had just purchased a new food truck.

Going into 2020 I was so excited, because we got into every single event we wanted to get in in 2020 and then literally within two weeks everything got canceled and I lost over 300 events.

GARY: 300?

KRISTE: 300 in two weeks.

GARY: That's a massive impact because these events canceled.

KRISTEN: Absolutely.

Everything got shut down and even going into that, Gary, I was in a really bad spot.

Like I had liquidated my retirement to cover payroll that winter.

GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: I was banking on the fact that I could pay myself back when we did these events and I had lost my sister in January of 2020.

I had taken over as guardianship for her, so it was just a really, really rough time, and everything just hit me, and it was just full on survival mode at that time.

There was a four month shutdown here in Cincinnati.

We went to neighborhoods, Anton took the trailer, I took the food truck.

We went somewhere for lunch and dinner every single day, seven days a week.

We hit over 150 neighborhoods in four months.

GARY: My gosh, so you didn't sit back, you hustled your butts off.

KRISTEN: We did not.

We hustled.

I couldn't in good conscience have anyone get sick on my watch.

GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: I had just lost my sister to what I think was COVID.

GARY: Mmm.

KRISTEN: I didn't want to see anybody else get sick, it wasn't worth the risk to me, but my staff pushed back and said, "No, we wanna work."

So it saved our business, it saved me.

If I hadn't had something to put into at that time, like I don't know where I would be right now.

GARY: What do you think that she would say right now if she could see you?

KRISTEN: I know she's very proud.

I know my entire family is very proud.

They all- They all helped us build this business and that's why it was so important to keep going through the pandemic because it's a legacy.

So it's bigger than just Anton and I, it's something for our family, it's a legacy that we're building together, and it's also something I remember them by.

GARY: During that time people were craving a sense of community so bad.

So it feels like what you were doing was probably very well received, and the community around you was probably really grateful for what you were doing.

KRISTEN: It gave something, you know, for people to look forward to.

I remember people would get their kids involved and they would make flyers and posters for the neighborhood.

It also helped us get through, like our staff, I feel like we were in the trenches during that time and we bonded so well together that I have such a solid staff.

Like they all stayed with me.

GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: We're really a tight-knit family.

♪ ♪ GARY: When did you first start working with Sweets & Meats?

JOHNNY: Before it was a payroll or anything else, 2014.

GARY: Yeah.

JOHNNY: I was the first person to volunteer.

GARY: Are you proud of what they've done with this business?

I mean, 'cause it's- it's not a small little operation anymore.

JOHNNY: I tell 'em all the time, I said, "I believe in you."

I actually- when I came back to start here, I was at a job for 10 years.

GARY: Oh wow and you left to come here?

JOHNNY: Yes, because I believe, I believe I can help, I believe the business will grow, and I just believe.

GARY: Talk about coming out of the pandemic.

KRISTEN: It was just exciting, like we didn't realize at the time, like we were just trying to survive when we went into the neighborhoods, but what happened is we created pockets of customers.

So when things started to open up and people went back to work or they had a graduation party or they were getting married, they remembered us.

GARY: Oh yeah.

KRISTEN: We were the first people they thought of.

So we were doing so much like marketing, that we didn't even- like, that wasn't even in our mindset.

It was just trying to... GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: Survive and pay the bills and keep our folks employed GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: But we created- like, in hindsight, we actually doubled our growth from 2020 to 2022.

♪ GARY: When's the first time you had Sweets & Meats?

TONIA: Today?

GARY: First time?

TONIA: Yes.

GARY: Okay and what do you think?

TONIA: I think it's wonderful, I love it, I'll be back.

GARY: Fantastic, what about yourselves?

Have you ever had it before?

TERRI: Yeah, we've had a... We know Kristen since what?

GARY: Okay.

Seventh grade.

GARY: Oh my gosh, so you guys are long-term friends?

TERRI: Yeah.

GARY: What do you think about Kristen, what she's built with Anton, with this business?

TERRI: It's great, you know, she transitioned... GARY: Yeah.

TERRI: From, you know, corporate America and knew what she was doing to pursue this, so it's pretty cool.

GARY: And what would you say to somebody that's never tried Sweets & Meats before?

TERRI: Go try it.

(laughing) SHYVERNE: Yeah they- they have to give it a try.

They have to taste a little bit of everything though.

GARY: All right.

Talk about where the business is today.

ANTON: Business is great.

We have I think 20 employees now.

Food trucks, catering, it's really good.

KRISTEN: We started the company with $500, literally cooking in our backyard.

Last year we did $1.4 million.

GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: Which is incredible.

GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: It's not profit, (laughing) I didn't see a lot of that, but we are profitable, but to see the trajectory, like going from $500 to that number, I never would've over anticipated.

GARY: Over million dollars.

Talk a little bit about the accolades and awards and honors you've received as a business person.

KRISTEN: Yep, one of the ones I'm most proud of is, in 2019, I was selected as the Ohio Business Person of the Year... GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: By the US Small Business Administration.

We got Score Client of the Year, We got SBDC Client of the Year.

I've won the Best Female Entrepreneur award every year with Cincy Magazine.

We got recognized by Mobile Cuisine as the Best Food Truck Restaurant in the nation... GARY: What!

KRISTEN: In 2018.

We- Taste of Cincinnati we won first place for our rib tips in 2019.

Last year, which was the first year coming outta COVID that they had it, we won second and third place entrée and then this year we won first place dessert and it was our first time entering a dessert.

So we've done really, really well.

GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: But honestly, like the biggest thing for me has just been what I've been able to provide for my staff... GARY: Yeah.

KRISTEN: Like seeing them buy their first car, getting a house, I have someone that's getting ready to have another baby, like those are the things that really bring me joy.

GARY: What does the future hold for Sweets & Meats?

KRISTEN: I would like to scale, I would say a sit- down restaurant.

I've also thought about doing a food truck park, where I can actually support other entrepreneurs and have a commissary kitchen in the food truck park.

I think that would be a welcome idea here in Cincinnati, but there's not a lot of land, GARY: Mm-hmm.

KRISTEN: And so that's something that I've kind of just been toying around with.

GARY: What is your personal definition of success?

What does success mean to you?

KRISTEN: I would say being fulfilled, finding joy, like getting up in the morning, enjoying what I'm doing every day with my life.

I remember a time when I would pull up at the bank and literally was in tears in the parking lot.

Like I just did not feel like GARY: Yeah, I know, I get it.

KRISTEN: That was for me, but now, like I am so empowered, I never knew how good of a problem solver I was.

GARY: Mmm.

KRISTEN: Like even though things go wrong and it's very stressful in our line of business, just being able to make those decisions and make things happen and like give people a second chance, like we're a second chance employer.

One of my best employees was a week out of prison, GARY: Wow.

KRISTEN: He's been with us for five years, so- There's just so many things I never would've thought I'd have the opportunity to do, and even though I don't make a lot of money, I'm still comfortable.

GARY: What advice do you have for somebody who's out there and they're stuck and they maybe want to test themselves in a different environment?

KRISTEN: You know, you gotta take the risk, like life is worth living.

I've stopped living in fear as an entrepreneur.

I used to be a very scared person like, "Oh no, no, I can't do that.

I can't do this."

But now, like I said, it's been very empowering to see how far we've come along, and I'm much more prepared at taking those risks now.

I do assess them, but I'm more apt to take the risk.

♪ GARY: Sweets & Meats was born out of Kristen's belief in Anton and his passion for barbecue.

She knew how much it meant to him when she surprised him with that smoker, it completely changed the course of their lives.

When they first started, they didn't even have a tent to cover themselves from the weather.

They were denied 11 times for a loan, but they refused to give up.

Then the pandemic came and it only motivated them further to get their food out to the community.

This is a story about resilience.

How equipped are you to handle rejection?

And how much are you willing to endure before you throw in the towel?

In other words, how much do you believe in yourself and your business?

There's a new kid on the block and I have a feeling that Cincinnati Barbecue is about to give the big guys a run for their money.

It was truly an honor meeting Kristen and Anton, and I'm very excited to see what the future holds for Sweets & Meats.

For more information, visit our website, search episodes for Sweets & Meats.

♪ Next time on Start Up, we head to Tampa, Florida to meet up with David and Stephanie Frank, the founders of Posies Flower Truck, a make your own bouquet pop-up business.

Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.

♪ Would you like to learn more about the show or maybe nominate a business?

Visit our website at startup-usa.com and connect with us on social media.

GARY: (gasps) What happened?

PASCAL: I put the bird strikes on.

GARY: Oh!

WOMAN: Yay.

(laughs) GARY: Thank you so much.

WOMAN 2: You're welcome.

WOMAN 3: Next on Start Up.

(laughs) WOMAN 4: Gary Bredow.

Superstar.

Okay.

GARY: With no nose.

GARY: He going to tell all his buddies like you wouldn't believe what this guy (indistinct) MAN: He had barbecue, these two frickin armed (indistinct) standing there.

GARY: Barbecue.

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AMANDA: I call myself, like a feel-good beauty company.

After 20 years, I'm still doing this because I love what I do.

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