BIRD WILLIAMS: You're listening to Bird Means Business Episode 18.

Hi there! I am so excited to have you hear from our guest today, Patsy’s a boss, and I love her story. She has an incredible journey of changing her food truck to a restaurant that just launched about three months ago. And I just really think you'll gain a lot from this restaurant, not only if you're looking to launch or grow a business in the food space. But just in general, as you're venturing into what it is to be an entrepreneur. I love hearing stories from other entrepreneurs in any industry because I can almost always pull out something that's helpful for me when I hear their story. So I hope that happens for you today as well. 

I met Patsy, years ago through Lululemon, the fitness apparel brand. And we recently reconnected because I actually had a student in my course. For those of you who have followed along my journey, you know that I launched an online course called “Making Sense of It - Developing a Profitable Business Plan”. And one of the students in that course wanted to actually launch a food truck and then convert it to a restaurant at some point. And I reached out to Patsy cause I knew she'd done that. And she graciously offered her time to sit down with me and my student, and talk through what that would look like. And she actually told my student, don't start with the food truck if you're going to go to a restaurant. Just go straight there. And it was just such a good, good meeting. And I was so grateful for her to do that for me. And then right after that, I had another client who's also in the food space that she generously sat down with and talked through all things food in the food business. So she has just a huge heart and I'm just so grateful to have her on the podcast today. 

So before we get started I actually want to share a review of Sticky’s so you can just know how awesome they are. This was left on Google reviews a few days ago actually. This is what it says, “Sticky’s is one of the best places to eat in Houston. When you first walk in the restaurant, you're greeted by the nice and wholesome staff. The girl I spoke with, I believe her name was Shelby. But she was very nice and made me feel very welcome, and she informed me of the history of Sticky’s and how it came to be. Once I got to sit down I really got to enjoy the amazing aesthetic of the restaurant. Beautiful place. Along with the great music and the great entertainment on TV. Now when I tell you this food is amazing and then you have to go try it for yourself, you should listen. I've never experienced such great-tasting food. From the perfectly cooked chicken to the amazing tasting rice and mouthwatering sauce. I highly recommend the chicken on rice with an egg. All around, I love the place so much and will continue to be a regular here.” See, I told you. Well, now you get to hear from the lady behind it. All right, so let's go ahead and jump into the interview.

Patsy, thank you so much for being here with me on Bird Means Business. I cannot wait for our listeners to hear your story. I really think it's going to be good for them. So, just jump right in and get started. Okay? 

PATSY VIVARES: Thank you so much for having me. 

BIRD: Alrighty, so tell me the story of your entrepreneurial journey. Like how did you get to where you are today?

PATSY: Well, I never really realized I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I always knew that no matter what career, or where my career leads me, I always wanted to be at the top. Whether it was like, VP or president or CEO, I always knew that I wanted to be at the top of the food chain, for any company that I worked for. I just never realized that it would be for my own. I just got into it because my goal was, actually my brother, who was the one who actually started our food truck. And he had the vision, then he had, you know, the idea and everything, and I kind of just like followed along. And the opportunity came up where you know I was either, stick to, because when we started the food truck I had a job, and then during, in the very beginning, I was laid off. And I was living off of unemployment for six months and just going off of that for a while and just you know enjoying life on unemployment. And then after that, my dad was like, Patsy you need to make a decision. Either go find a job or, you know, work on the business. And then I thought well, the business is already there, so I might as well just work on it. And then I started working on it and I just fell in love with it. You know, I fell in love with like making up your own schedule. You don't have anybody to answer to and you could like, really just create whatever you wanted to create and not have to answer to anybody. And so I just kind of stuck with it. And when I realized that, the first time that I realized that, okay, I really have something here. It was like our second year in business, and I was driving one day, and then I got a message saying that Sticky’s was mentioned in something. We were mentioned on Thrillist. And I was so excited, I was like oh my god, and we made a list of top food trucks in Houston. It was like Thrillist Houston or something like that. And I was, wow, you know, we don't even have any connections for people to even know about us like that. So, once I saw that we'd made that list, that's whenever I knew, okay, we actually have something here and I really need to go full force with it. So I just went with it. 

BIRD: I love that. That's so awesome. I know what it's like to kind of see your brand on something like that, and it's like, Whoa! It’s crazy to see especially like you said when you don't have a connection or something like that. So that's really awesome. I love it. 

I know that you started with a food truck and then you are now you have a brick and mortar, like a storefront. So how did that process happen? What made you decide to switch?

PATSY: We never really knew we wanted a brick and mortar, until like, it was actually our first year. So it was our first year as a food truck, we were offered by several people, they wanted to invest in us to open up a restaurant. My brother and I were just like, okay, but, like we just started and we don't even know what we have yet. So we turned down a few people. I mean we would, you know, we're always open to listening to other people but we didn't really know how real business partnerships worked you know. Because between me my brother everything's 50/50. But when you add somebody else on the outside, you know, it kind of changes things. And so we held off on that idea. And then the next year, we were offered a partnership with some friends out in California. At that time we were really excited about it because you know they had just started something out in California and we wanted to be a part of it. But at that time, it still didn't feel right. So again didn’t go with it. It got to the point where Houston was really like the food scene started to really really open up. And, and then that's whenever my brother and I decided, you know, we need to get in on this, like now, because if we wait a little bit longer, we might miss the bus. And we got back with our, some of the partners that we have now, you know. We contacted them again out in California, and they still really wanted to work with us. So we just kind of made it work, and we knew like I said we had to do it now or else it'll be too late. 

BIRD: Yeah. And how long have you had this storefront now?

PATSY: About three months. 

BIRD: Wow, that's exciting! Wow. Has it been a huge, like shift in terms of your leadership or your problem or is it kind of…?

PATSY: Yeah.  

BIRD: Okay, explain that a little bit.

PATSY:  Everything has been crazy. I actually just got asked that question recently. Some of the biggest challenges was inventory. Because I can schedule out the food truck. I know we'll be out this day, this day, this day. And I know we're going to need X amount of food, whatever. But with the restaurant, I didn't realize how much more inventory I would need because I'm not used to having every single day being open. Yeah, so I didn't know how much to keep on stock. And then I never have enough. So it's constant back and forth to the supply store. And also staffing. Again, you know, on the food truck we only really need two to three people, four at the most if it's super busy. And then with the restaurant, because you're open so much longer and the volume is a little higher. We need more people. And so that was really challenging to find the sweet spots on both of them. 

BIRD: I can only imagine. Okay, so you talk about being in Thrillist and kind of feeling like okay, we made it. But was there a point before then that you kind of felt like you had a viable business? And I ask that question because I was actually recently asked it on Instagram. Someone said you know, how do I know if the idea I have is actually viable? What was that like for Sticky’s? When did you know like this business model is going to work or this food is great or, you know, this can actually be a real thing? 

PATSY: I guess, whenever I started noticing people that didn't know us actually became, like, huge fans. Then that was like, okay, maybe we do have something. You know, cause I mean you're always gonna have your support system and the people around you that's always like, you know, your food's great, your food’s amazing. But of course, they're gonna say that. But whenever you see random people saying that and you see random people like vouching for each other. Like I remember there was this one tweet, I think it was like Karruche Tran, had said something about Sticky’s. And then, Bun B had actually vouched for that. Like, you know, commenting on Karruche, and I was like that's pretty cool. Just random people that you wouldn't really expect. 

BIRD: I love that. That’s awesome. When it comes to kind of guidance or direction. Did you ever have a mentor or who did you kind of look to know like what to do as you walk through this process? 

PATSY: Really my dad. My dad. He's helped me out a lot, just not necessarily like the business-wise of it, or the business aspect of business. It's just like the life aspect of it. As an entrepreneur you kind of need somebody to hold you down and whenever things go crazy they bring you up and then at the same time they push you. A guy I know wrote a blog or something about that. How it's very important to keep people around you that not only, like, build you back up. But they'll push you and they'll push you to keep going because there's days where you just really want to give up. And you don't want to do it anymore. But whenever you have solid people around you that know your vision and know your goals. They'll remind you of it. And then they'll keep you going. So, and the person for me, has just been my dad throughout the whole time. And you know there's friends and stuff that can help you make decisions business-wise, but you really have to have that one person that just keeps pushing you. 

BIRD: I love that so much. I love that answer because a lot of times people think, when they think mentor, they're thinking kind of like a business mentor or someone who can help them in the business. But it is so important like you're saying, to have someone who kind of keeps you grounded, and kind of pulls you back to like your core values and why you're doing what you're doing. Can be the motivation you need on those hard days, for sure. 

When it comes to relationships, I get this question a lot. So when it comes to your friends and family, how do you manage those in your life as an entrepreneur? Because our lives are very different from everyone else. We don't have a 9 to 5. People think that we're just like hanging out and can like just have lunch whenever do whatever. It's like this glorious idea of what entrepreneurship is like. But a lot of times it can be really tough when like a friend wants to do something and you can't because of the business. And so how do you kind of handle that? 

PATSY: Well, first of all, if they really love you, they will understand.

BIRD: Yes, yes, yes.

PATSY: Because we are on our own schedule. I always tell other people like, you know, whenever you're available, just let me know because I could make the time. Like I can shift things around a lot easier than they could, to make things happen. One thing I do enjoy is that because we are entrepreneurs our weekends are usually busy, so I don’t always have to attend those family parties, which is great. You know sometimes you just don't want to go to, but you have to. Now you have an excuse. Usually, people just really understand. And the people who don't, cause I know, like as far as even dating. There’s guys that like, they just don't get it. They just don't get that, what you're doing is important and that you can’t always be around. And if they don't understand that, then obviously they can't support you and your goals. And so I just choose not to be around them. I mean if they get upset then they get upset. That's on them. But the people who love you, they will understand. You know, and I do make time for people. So whenever I do have some time off, I'll just check in and see if you know we can hang out. Or, you know, if I'm not working, I'll go down and visit my parents, or they'll come and visit me whenever they get bored. 

BIRD: Yeah, I love that.

PATSY: You just kind of make it work.

BIRD: Yeah, I tried to get into the practice of like blocking my schedule because time management has been a really tough thing for me. And I thought, well like take meetings and lunches on this day and work on this business on that day and this other business on this other day. Then it helped with my sanity, really. And I remember the first week that I did that, Mondays were gonna be my days at home. And a friend reached out to me and was like, I'm coming in town. I’m gonna be in town on Monday. She’s like coming from Chicago. And of course, I went with her. But it's just a hard balance of like the two. You probably have a more flexible schedule but you're also trying to honor the boundaries you set and stuff like that. So that's a tough one for sure. But I love that perspective. How would you kind of define success? Like when you think about Sticky’s and your role in the business, and you know where it could be in the future. No specific time, but just what is success to you? And are you there yet or are you working to achieve that? 

PATSY: To be honest, I don't know the answer to that. Because people can look from the outside and see, aw, you're such a great success story. You came from a food truck and you partnered with your brother. Now you're a restaurant. But at the end of the day, like if you're in the grind with me. I do not feel successful. Like I feel like I'm drowning, every single day. So, I don't know, because even as we grow Sticky’s. It's like, okay, so we have three more, five more. But then it’s like the problems just like, compile, and the challenges just get bigger. So do you ever really feel successful? Because, I mean I just, I don't know. I guess success to me would be the day that I could sleep better at night, and you know and be okay with how things are and not be so anxious about like, how's the business going to do today? How's it going to do tomorrow? And I guess, because if you're feeling calm about it, then that's good, right? Like, the business is good. 

BIRD: Absolutely. It's such a real answer. And I love that you shared that because I think so many people view entrepreneurship as this like, super cool, awesome like, oh, look at me. And the reality of it is that it's really really tough. And it has to be something that you really care about because there are more hard days than like the thrillist days, you know? 

PATSY: Yes, exactly. 

BIRD: I would agree. I think we got that question asked us so many times in the beginning. Like, you know, will you be expanding and what's the future of The League. And we didn't really know. And now like, you know, success to me is like being able to not work after six o'clock. Because that must mean that the business is doing well on its own. Or, you know, to have my weekends or whatever. It's like the normal things that are the success of entrepreneurs. So I love that. 

PATSY: Yeah, it's coming from, cause this past weekend was just a nightmare. I mean, you know with all the things that's going on right now currently and everything. We were scheduled to have the truck over at McIntyre’s. And I was really excited to do that because I knew it was gonna be like a good amount of income for us to help supplement with everything that's going on. You know when I started my day six and I got ready. It was seven o'clock on the commissary, the truck wouldn't start. Yeah and then I called my dad I was like, Dad, I think that it just needs a battery change. So he came over and helped me, and it's still wouldn’t start. We spent probably like a good 30 minutes to an hour just trying to figure it out. And then, you know, you just have those days. Just want to give up. You know, thank God I had my dad there with me. He's like, don't worry about it. It's just one day. Maybe it's a good thing that you didn't have that truck out there. It's just like, success is when you're not stressed.

BIRD: Right. It's also building like systems and processes around growth, right? So, I try to when, I have things that are repetitively an issue, to write it down, fix it, to make a solution for proactively for the next time. So every time I meet with a client, they're asking the same question. Maybe that's something that I should put in the intro email, for example. You know what I'm saying? Like, kind of create systems around like, if this were to scale. What would need to be in place? And even when you're in small place to go ahead and put those things into practice because it might seem unnecessary. But it'll just relieve a lot of stress and then, like the idea of scaling isn't as daunting. I love that. 

How do you deal with those tough days, when it's hard? Is there something you do? Like work out or talk to a friend or take a walk. How do you deal with those hard days? 

PATSY: I call my dad.

BIRD: I love that! I'm really close to my dad too. So I really love that.

PATSY: We just talk it out, you know, and then he reminds me that I’m doing a good job. He’s like my own personal cheerleader. He just helps me to talk it out. And then sometimes like there's just days where you just have to give up for that day. Like nothing's going right. And the harder you work to try to make it right, the worse it gets. And because of all that frustration and all that mental anguish, you just got to take a break. And so sometimes I just force myself to stretch out on the couch and, you know, try again tomorrow. 

BIRD: Yep. I totally know. There have been so many days where it's like five o'clock, and I still have all this stuff going on and there's like all these you know alarms going off around me. And I just say Ashley, okay. You did everything you can do. Like this day we'll end. And tomorrow will be a new day. Start all over again. It’s okay. That way you get some peace to know that some things you can’t control and you have to just kind of let it go away.

So what would be the number one piece of advice that you'd give someone who's starting a business, or even a restaurant business? Whether it's just general or specific to the restaurant industry. Just if you could go back to Patsy, you know, several years ago when you started with the food truck. What would you tell yourself? 

PATSY: The number one thing is to find your support system. Whether through family or through friends. People that know you and love you unconditionally. You have to find that. Because when you know, the days are tough. You need that support system to just help you keep going. And people who understand you and won't judge you. Because you know once you surround yourself with that doesn't make it any easier but it really helps. That's businesses across you know because you can't give up. Like if you really believe in it, you can't give up. And one of the ways to keep from giving up is just having that support system with you. 

BIRD: I love that. And entrepreneurship is lonely. I don't want to make this podcast episode so depressing. It's just the truth. Cause you're like, no one really knows what you're going through. It’s not something you can really talk to your friends about and they really get it. Thankfully, I was in business with my husband. You're in business with your brother. So there's like something there. But a lot of people are in it alone and it's tough. So having that support system is so, so key. I love that.

PATSY: Yeah, just finding ways to mentally and emotionally, strengthen yourself, whether through prayers, whether through reading, meditating, yoga exercise. You have to keep up with that because you have to immune yourself to the tough times.

BIRD: So true, so, so true. I love that. Okay, well this is a question I want to ask every guest that's on the podcast. So what is the one thing that you can do this week to bring you closer to the best version of yourself?

PATSY: Oh, that’s a good question.

BIRD: I like to make things as practical as I can. And I think that your perspective is really unique because you are in this and you've been in it for a long time. A lot of the people who listen to the podcast are either launching or growing their business, so I kind of want to hear for so from the veteran. Like, what does it look like whenever you're like, Okay, this is one of my goals. There's something I can practically do this week to get me there. What does that look like for you?

PATSY: So this week, I guess because of all the craziness that's going on right now.

BIRD: Coronavirus and all that. 

PATSY: So for me, it would just be a moment to just like take time for myself, and actually really take care of myself, like, mentally and physically. And just to get through the week because, and like, stop watching the news. Right now, like I’m wanting to watch the news to find out more. But it just makes it worse. So just finding little things to make myself better. And it was so funny because last night I was at home. And sometimes I'll watch like people go live on, like Instagram or social media. And John Mayer just happened to go live. And I was like, ok let me tune in and see what he has to say. He was actually really good. Because he was talking about how, you know, we're all in this together. And, you know, it's okay to be quarantined. We’ll probably, you know, just be at home, doing other things and be alone by yourself, which is, you know, sometimes we need to because we're always so too active. It was really cool. It was really cool to see that like somebody who's stepping up and saying, you know, calm down, everything will be fine. We're all in this together and we all get through it together. And so, for me it would just have to be like, just taking those moments of just like to take care of myself so that I can be a better leader for my employees and be a better leader to the community. 

BIRD: I love that. 

PATSY: Especially at this time. 

BIRD: Yeah, that's so important. We're releasing the power of community what that means in a different way. So, yeah, you're kind of taking that position. 

PATSY: Yeah.

BIRD: Well how can people connect with you and Sticky’s online? What's the best way that people can connect with you and see more about your story and what you have going on? 

PATSY: Sticky's Chicken is our handle for everything. @stickyschicken. And then my Instagram is @simplypatsy. I like to try to post motivational things on there every once in a while.

BIRD: I love it. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much Patsy for being on the show. I really really appreciate it. I know you’re super-duper busy. And you have just been so generous to me and my student, my client. So thank you so much for just being awesome, being who you are. 

PATSY: Thank you, Ashley. Thank you. Thanks for taking the time for me. 

BIRD: Absolutely, well have a good rest of your day.

PATSY: You too, thanks!