Young, Black Entrepreneurs make their mark in Florida’s Capital City
By: Tauheedah Shukriyyah Asad
In today’s unstable economy, young African Americans like Kianta Key and Johnathan Sellers are creating their own job opportunities. The two trailblazers made waves in Florida’s capital city by putting a unique twist on a familiar concept. In August 2010, the Florida A&M University alums launched “The Cravings Truck”, a mobile food unit known for its signature chicken and red velvet waffles.
Capitalizing on the growing influence of social media and technology, co-owners Key and Sellers have quickly made a name for themselves in Tallahassee’s food industry. “In a city that wasn’t familiar with food trucks we knew it would be important to be engaging,” said Sellers. “We use social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook to tweet our location, promote new menu items, communicate with our followers. Some people will even tweet in their orders.”
Radio personality and Program Director, Sean-D said the Cravings Truck is a big hit with Tallahassee radio listeners. “People are always talking about the Cravings Truck. I know I try to get out there as much as I can,” said Sean-D. “I think the response has been so huge because you can tell Kianta and Johnathan aren’t just about the money. It’s a business of course, but they give back and they have a real connection with the people in the community. And that’s why we support them”.
Today, business is booming for The Cravings Truck. The company has a constant stream of catering requests, and support from the community. However, Key said it was a long journey to get to them to get to this point. “Our first day we made a grand total of $75. We were so sad,” she said. “Emotionally it was tough because Johnathan and I are in a relationship, and working with your partner can be challenging at times but thankfully I think we’ve gotten through the worst of it.”
During the first month of operation the couple faced unexpected obstacles including issues with city ordinances, accidents in the kitchen, and broken equipment “There was a curve ball thrown at us every single day for the first three months. Things you would never think of,” Sellers said. “I’ve suppressed a lot of it because it was so depressing.” Keys recalls naming the food truck Lazarus because it kept “dying and coming back to life.”
According to the dynamic duo, being in a position to have success as socially responsible entrepreneurs and serve the community has been worth the trials and tribulations. Since opening its doors the small business owners have donated more than $2,000 to help charities and student groups on FAMU’s campus.
In the future, the power couple has plans to expand their fleet of food trucks and relaunch Freedom Theory Clothing, a successful t-shirt line started as undergrads. In the meantime they continue to pursue graduate degree while encouraging young African Americans to redefine the “American Dream”.
“If you have a good idea, run with it. But at the same time plan it out. Our business plan is a living document. It wakes us up every morning and is constantly being revised. Its one thing to have a business plan, but its another thing to actually run a business. There will be bad moments, but you can’t sulk in them.”
Tauheedah Shukriyyah Asad is a writer, activist and social commentator from Miami, Florida. Contact her at tauheedahasad@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter, @respectmyname.
