Transcript 0:00 Thank you guys so much for listening to Honey & Hustle. We are a digital podcast that features conversations with small business owners, creative entrepreneurs, and those in the non-profit community. 0:11 We're so glad that we started sharing our podcast here on Anchor FM. And if you haven't heard about Anchor, it's the easiest way to make a podcast. 0:19 It's free, there's creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer, and it will distribute the podcast for you so it can be heard on all the major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and so many more. 0:33 It's everything you need to make a podcast all in one place. If you're listening to this right now, download the free Anchor app or go to Anchor FM to get started. 0:43 Thank you to Blackology Coffee Company for sponsoring this video. Take 10% off your next order at Blackology Coffee Company by using the link in the description, www.blackologycoffeecompany.com/angela. 0:55 [gentle music] Hey, everybody. Thank you guys so much for joining us on Honey & Hustle today. Today I'm joined with Ken and Tamera of RCV Cakes. 1:10 Um, they're incredible pastry makers, incredible bakers, incredible just artists in the kitchen here in the Raleigh-Durham area. I'm so happy for you guys to meet them, to get... 1:20 learn more about them, learn more about their partnership, and just how you can get familiar with their work. Uh, so Ken and Tam, thank you guys so much for joining me today. Thank you. Thank you. 1:30 Thank you for having us today. Absolutely. We appreciate it. We really enjoy watching the show. Yeah, yeah. Awesome. So, like, you guys have been working together as husband and wife for some time now. Yes. 1:41 But can you tell me just a little bit more about how this partnership came to be and [laughs] what you guys have been up to during the pandemic? So how I came to be, we were... 1:52 We got married in 2012, a little afterwards, um- Sure... we got married. And so, um, [laughs] Ken, uh, Ken already was baking and he said we should do a dessert company together. 2:04 And I told him, "I don't wanna work with you." [laughs] And he is... You know, 'cause we newlyweds. 2:09 And so I'm unsure if I would wanna work with, you know, my husband, 'cause we were still learning marriage and each other. You know, even though you, um, of course we dated, but you know, you're still newlyweds. 2:18 But, um, I gave it a shot. And so, um, he risked me to North Carolina a year after. [laughs] Mm-hmm. [laughs] I think it's all a setup, right? [laughs] Mm-hmm. 2:28 [laughs] And so we've been doing it, um, since, uh, November 26th, 2013. So seven years now. You know, seven years, it's that complete circle. 2:37 Um, with the pandemic, you know, 2020 was, at the beginning of the year, you know, we had everything lined up. Like, we had- Oh, yeah... this event, this event. We was re- ready. Weddings. We had a couple weddings. 2:48 We was ready Freddy. And then, um, everything just got canceled. So, um, Ken had decided, you know, we... He was like, "How can we give, you know, to our medical heroes?" And I was like... 3:03 So we, we sometimes donate to the blood, um, center. And we was driving home. I'm gonna let him finish that part. Well, we, we were driving home from, uh, the Blood Connection in Raleigh. 3:14 And I'm very thankful for places like the Blood Connection, because I had some major surgeries in, in the past and I needed, uh, you know, some, some feces and everything like that to keep my, my health together. 3:24 So, I, we always try to, you know, give to, to the Blood Connection, things like that. And we were just talking about the pandemic and we were talking about, you know, uh, the health workers and things like that. 3:33 And I was just like, "Man, God over COVID." And I was like, "Hold on." 3:37 I was like, "We can put that on a shirt and sell it, and use some of the proceeds, you know, to, uh, help medical workers out that's fighting for both COVID." And we did. And we, we got it on a shirt. 3:48 We got it designed up, and we got it out. It hit the news a couple times, then people start calling. And, uh, we thought they were calling for the shirts, and they started placing cake orders. [laughs] Mm-hmm. 3:58 [laughs] But they start, they start placing cake orders. And then, you know, the shirt orders start coming in and things like that. And we were, uh, on the news again to present a, a check to, uh, 4:08 for, for the foundation. It was the- UNC... UNC-... Foundation... Foundation. And, uh, we're still selling the shirts. And now we, we're gonna have them, uh, in some stores, trying to get them in some stores as well. So- 4:19 Yeah... uh, during the, yeah, my, you know, during the pandemic, we just turned and just, and just started giving and helping other small business. And we used our name to, to push things for other folks. Nice. Nice. 4:30 The other part of the question. So we had to change our format because we couldn't do events. So what we started doing was curbside pickup. We would do a weekend menu. Like, we would just sell cake slices. 4:41 And, um, um, and then when, and even when the holidays come, people still wanted to eat. And so, um, we were able to get some orders. Of course, this wasn't like how, uh, the events happened. 4:52 But with that turnaround or just being creative during this time, we were able to still sell some stuff. And then we were also part of the, um, Black Farmers Market. Um, th- that was huge in June. 5:04 Uh, it s- it came out June 14th I think was the first one in Durham. And that really just helped us a lot. Mm-hmm. Yeah. 5:12 Black Farmers Market has been doing a lot for sure to bridge the gap between like, you know, Black-owned makers, Black creators, Black farmers, and also just like the community. 5:21 Some people would never know, like, that these people existed if they didn't have, like, this platform virtually and in person, socially distant. Uh, so it's awesome that you guys got to link up with them. 5:31 But, and just in how you changed your whole format. Just, like, cakes have nothing to do with T-shirts, but they have everything to do with you having a spirit of giving, and how can I serve the community first. 5:42 And that's what people saw and gravitated to. Um- Right... and so I think that's really unique about your message. So as a married couple, like, again, these are not decisions one of you made. 5:53 You guys made these decisions together. 5:55 So when you were talking about how you didn't wanna work with him, Tam, because you're newlyweds, like how did you guys form the partnership that works now today that's this well-oiled machine that we see here now? 6:06 I'm gonna be honest. A lot of prayer. Mm-hmm. You know, prayer is powerful. Prayer changes things. But also communication. Yeah. Um, 6:13 I, I think, too, Ken has come to realize that I'm in the kitchen a little different than how he works. [laughs] You- when Ken be in the kitchen, Andrew, you'd think it's a, a, a little concert going on. 6:24 [laughs] He got the lights all low. There's some music playing and I'm like- No, straight up. No, it's, it's, uh- [laughs] It's, it's, look, you know, I got my Ken going, or I got my Boney James, my Maxwell. 6:35 You know, I got my songs going. I can be in the kitchen baking with all the lights off, and I can have some candles going, and I'm just in total meditation mode, and I'm just rolling. 6:46 Or you come in some days, and I got my, my techno music just blasting, you know? And I'm just... Or I'm watching a boxing match. So it, it just depends on, you know, how I feel. Or, or a, you know, a documentary. 6:58 Oh, yeah. I gotta- I gotta watch my documentaries, you know? How people used to be homeless and now they multimillionaires, or listen to a audiobook or something like that. Tamara's totally different. 7:07 I think Ken's just too loud for me- [laughs]... or he wants to talk to me when I'm baking. If I'm trying to create a new recipe, it's like library sometime. And he be like, "Babe, I gotta ask you a question." 7:18 I'm like, "Shh. I just need a moment. I just need a moment, please." And then once I get past this step, then I'll come in. But he... 7:26 You know, and I think it's just been good that he's just been accepting of, like, okay, this is her and this is me. So sometimes I'll be like, "I'ma let you start, 7:35 and then I'll come in later," 'cause I- [laughs]...'cause I don't wanna talk. I just wanna... I gotta get into my cake zone. So we just have different ways. I think, too, we, it's, uh, what's your vision? 7:44 You know what I'm saying? We, we both wanna be success- We want Royal Cheesecake & Varieties to be a household name, you know? I used to tease and say, you know, I want one day to walk down the street, "Ken," you know? 7:55 [laughs] Like, so, and, and, you know, it actually happened I think... Was it last year or the year before? I think it was. Yeah. And so we were at, you know, we like the food truck rodeos here in North Carolina. 8:06 And somebody came up like, "You make good cheesecake." And I was like, "Hi." [laughs] Like [laughs] We, I thought we've been on the news and we've used social media in the last five years over 50 times. 8:18 I keep telling Tamara, I'm like, "We're local celebrities." And she's like, "No, we're not. No, we're not." 8:22 But when I put that hat on, that Royal Cheesecake & Varieties hat, or y- I got the shirt on, they be like, "Hey, Cheesecake. Hey, I saw you on the news." A, a guy at my job just came to me yesterday. 8:32 He was like, "I saw you on, uh, on Channel 11." I was like, "They replayed it?" He was like, "Oh, no. I was just watching the old clip." So I'm like, you know, we, we, we are local celebrities. 8:42 I'm not trying to be, like, super famous, but this feels good. [laughs] I gotcha. I understand. I can understand. So one thing that I'm hearing is communication. I'm hearing- Absolutely... prepare, uh, vision. 9:00 Uh, for people who may be in a similar position, I think there's people that get in the business even before they get married- Mm-hmm... 9:06 um, and try to make that work, or just have similar financial, um, goals or, like, connections, whether they'll get credit cards together, they're investing something together, um, and just kinda see where it goes even before they get married. 9:19 Right. So for people that now, I think, 9:23 just from what I've been hearing just from the community, from people that I know, uh, some, now that we're in a pandemic and maybe one spouse has been laid off, another one has maybe a small business, or maybe they're looking at financial stability differently, now they're saying, "Well, what if you come and work with me? 9:38 What if we come and build what I already have going?" 'Cause you can't get fired from this, you know, unless you commit a crime. Right, right. You know, which probably is not gonna happen. 9:46 So it's like, you know, this is what people are thinking about. So what are some things you would tell people if they're, like, kind of maybe looking to d- go that route? 9:54 Maybe, like, they've been used to a nine to five, used to a steady paycheck, and now because of the pandemic they no longer have that. 9:59 You know, what are some things you would tell them, I guess, to give them confidence, to give them, um, hope that, you know, this is possible? 10:05 Like, obviously it can be very successful when done properly, even if you two have very different work styles. Um. I, I would say respect each other's boundaries. Um, like, you can't, you cannot get past communication. 10:20 You have to have good communication. Uh, respect each other's boundaries. Listen to each other's ideas. 10:26 And when you're having issues with something, if you need time to step away, step away for a second and then come back to it. And don't feel that you're by yourself. 10:34 You know, always have somebody that you can go talk to that's mature and that's not gonna just take your side, and that, that can say, "Hey, you were wrong on this, on this part," or maybe you need to, you know, try something different. 10:46 And, uh, it's, I would say, yeah, just say, say, you know, respect. Just you gotta have that respect there, gotta have that prayer life there, and just, uh, make sure, like you said, just work on the vision. 10:59 Say work on the vision together. And know that it's not gonna be easy. Mm. It's, it's gonna be ugly. We have a sticky note on our front door that say, "Faith when it's ugly," because it's gonna get ugly. 11:09 And, you know, if you run away from it, you just gonna keep going back to the circle of life, going back to the nine to five, and then you might get fired again. 11:18 But if you can create something with your spouse, that's very special. So just keep that in mind. Mm-hmm. But, and that's the question, as, um, far as the financial part, you gotta have a plan set. Yep. 11:29 Um, one thing, I think it was 20... Was it 2016? '26 is, is, you know, the mindset. But 2016, we asked, Ken went out, he stepped out on a faith. He did do the company 100%, and he came to me and he said, "Tamara, 11:46 join me with the company." Mm-hmm. "And if it doesn't work out, you know, you can always go back to work." And I was like, "You know, I'll check it out." 11:55 [laughs] And just a little ba- um, backstory, Ken grew up with entrepreneurs in his life. Yes. He come... Like, even his neighborhood, his family, he know all about owning his own business. 12:06 Me- I grew up, uh, you work nine to five, you do your 30, you out. You work like you wanna eat. You clock in, clock out. So- And I just learned this. I just learned, what was this, what, last month? Yeah. 12:19 That she never grew up around an entrepreneur, and that just blew me away. Like, you never knew anybody with their own business? No. So that's, that's- You work and then you got a paycheck. That's crazy. 12:28 So, so imagine that Mitchell signs on the corn, right? So when he came to me and, and you know, I s- you know, I prayed on it. I talked to one of my good friends. 12:37 She said, "Tam, you know, why not join your husband in his dream?" And I was like, "Eh, eh." You know, I'm always that, but I sa- I told him, "You know what? I'll do it." And we did it. 12:47 And I tell you, [laughs] once we did it, it just, with faith when it's ugly, it just became ugly. Mm-hmm. But we still kept going on. We had got a shop. We, um, was getting orders in. We was trying to do... 12:59 We did, um, media parties. You know, we were doing events. All this was going on, but then it's just, we even got into the state fair that year. And, um, state fair, bless anyone who do it. Mm. 13:10 It's a great, it's a great job, but, oh. [laughs] Bless anybody who do it. [laughs] Make sure, make sure you have a team. You have to have a team, 'cause it was me and him. I tried to hire people. People didn't show up. 13:21 Right. I mean, but, uh, it, but it was a great opportunity. Don't get me wrong. Mm-hmm. I would do it again if, if I could. 13:26 [laughs] But what ended up happening, and like I said, with that communication, that prayer, that vision, that plan, um, the numbers weren't coming in right. You know, we still have to eat. Gotta have a place to live. 13:38 It's just me and him down here. Mm-hmm. And so, um, said, "You gotta go back to work." And he was like, "Yeah." [laughs] I think that's what he did. But I was showing him the numbers. I said, "What we gonna do?" 13:52 And I tell you, having that faith now, but we never gave up the company. Mm. So he went back to work, and we still was baking. And then I had a interview, and I was able to go back to work the next month. Mm. 14:05 And so we were still, we still didn't say, "Well, we're done with the company." We never said that. Right. We just kept pushing it. And so now we're both working full-time, but we still doing the company. 14:15 And until we get... You know, you gotta have the numbers. It gotta make sense. Mm. And you know, we all believe in faith, but we also gotta, God gives you common sense, too. Right. You know? 14:24 And I, and it's, I think to just those who wanna start their business, I know the pandemic, you know, we're, we're living history, but make a plan. Yeah. 14:31 And do understand that it might not be the way you want when you want. Mm-hmm. And we had to learn that, too. But you keep doing it. Mm. Keep doing it. I, you know, right now we're in the black. 14:42 I'm, I'm going to another part of the story. But keep doing, [laughs] but keep doing what your dream is because eventually I believe we can become full-time doing Brother Chicken & Rice. 14:51 Now for me personally, I love teaching. Um, even with what's going on, I might still teach something on the side. That's just me. You see what, he's shaking his head. So... 15:00 [laughs] And that's him, but I respect that as he respect me for what I love to do as well. One thing I have to say, like, uh, like, like I said, I grew up around entrepreneurs. And don't get me wrong, every job... 15:12 I'm, I'm management. You know, when I go to, to retail and stuff like that, I have bakery management experience, retail management experience. I always get offered top management positions and things like that. 15:23 So I know how to work in corporate America and things like that, but I've seen so many people get hurt right before they're about to retire. 15:31 Or when something happened at the job, I see them cut their insurance or have to go through a lawsuit or something like that. I've just seen so many things happen to people 15:42 right when they were supposed to get, you know, get their, get to their promised land so to speak when it, when it comes to retirement, things like that. 15:48 Or get fired or get laid off, and I'm just like, I cannot absolutely not let them people do that to me and my family right before I'm, I'm retired. You know what I'm saying? 15:58 So I took it upon myself to just say, "Hey, I have to push this business." Like, I don't have a pension. Like, I don't... Like, I have a good job now. 16:09 I work in the medical, I work for, you know, in the medical field, so I have a good job. But I'm, I'm not giving them 30 years. Oh. You know? I retire me. I retire Tamara. 16:19 If Tamara wants to still stay at work, that's up to Tamara. 16:22 But the plan that I have and the plan that I put together with the financial coach is the company is gonna be sold in the next nine years, 'cause it's gonna be a multimillion-dollar company. Oh. Or sooner. 16:33 I'm not giving anybody 30. Mm. I'm not giving anybody 20, 15, 10. Five is a very slim maybe. But- [laughs] Maybe. [laughs] You g- you gotta have that vision, and it has to be there even when it's ugly. 16:51 I, you know, even with the pandemic and things got canceled and stuff like that, I still didn't erase my vision. You know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. But at the same time, I have to respect what Tamara wants to do as well. 17:01 You know what I'm saying? So it's, it's so many things to, to go through it, but like the, it always come back to communication. Communication and respect. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's really good. 17:12 So what I'm hearing is as a married couple, you guys decided that your financial plan is your own and not your business's. So you're not basing your life around like guarantees that you can't control. 17:24 You're trying to control that with your business. And that's- Exactly... very, very interesting, 'cause I feel like a lot of people do it the opposite. They allow, they stay realistic. Like, we're gonna move here. 17:33 We're gonna have this job. We're gonna put in our time, 'cause this company has good benefits. This company has good retirement, good health insurance. Right. Good all these things. Right. 17:42 Um, good culture, whatever you wanna call it. Right. And then we'll save up to do what we wanna do in retirement. Yeah. And you guys are saying, why not both? Mm-hmm. 17:50 Because at the end of the day, a job is just a job to me. You know? Yeah. But RCV is my life. That's my love. So. Yeah. 17:58 I've seen a lot of people, uh, in their 60s just coming back and going to school saying, "Hey, I, I got laid off and that's the only job that I had since I was 18." Wow. 18:06 And they're like, "Hey, I need to learn a new skill." And you know, now their body is breaking down and they haven't been reading or anything like that 'cause they just been doing the same old job. 18:14 So it's very difficult for them, and now they have to take their retirement and try to start this bus- business and start all over, and they don't have any idea what to do. No. 18:22 You start your business early, and you keep pushing, and you work your job on the side. So if something happens to y- the business, okay, you have your job to fall back on. 18:32 And then you make that money back up, and while you're learning how to rebuild your business, you're still putting up money for the business and you go back to the business. 18:40 I just, I mean, praise God for, for people who have nine to fives and they're able to retire, like my mom, my dad, my wife, she wants to do, do that. I'm, I'm very thankful for people like that. 18:50 I'm just not made like that. Uh-huh. You know what I'm saying? I'm just not... I, I'm just, I can't do it. Uh-huh. [laughs] You know what I'm saying? 18:59 And, and I ha- I still respect people who can do it because they, they're amazing. Mm-hmm. Yeah. 19:06 So Tamara, what is something that you've been able to, like, learn from Kim and Ken and all of his, like, like experience and knowledge that he's gained by being around entrepreneurs all the time? 19:16 Because I was, I'm definitely like you. Like, my family is definitely like, I didn't grow up around entrepreneurs like that. 19:22 I grew up thinking, "Hey, you get a job, you get a nice job, good pay, good benefits, put in your 30 years, you're good to go." You know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. 19:30 Like, save up, you know, make good investments, all these things. Like, I would... Entrepreneurship is definitely like a new, a new thing for me and my family. So- Right... definitely new to that life, right? 19:41 Um, so how, how have you been able to, like, learn from, from Ken in that way? Um, Ken, um, h- is like, he has these explosive ideas. He's like almost like a visionary almost. 19:55 And what I've learned from him was, one, be willing to take risks, step out, um, your comfort zone. So, like, when we first started, you know, we're not from North Carolina. Mm-hmm. 20:06 And so when we was coming down here, they're like, "You made this from scratch? Really?" You know, then I was like, "You made this from scratch?" Right, right, right, right. You know? 20:13 And so now, um, I used to couldn't talk to people, you know? Right. [laughs] I used to could not... I was like, "Hi, can I help you?" [laughs] You know, and, and but as my regular job, I'm all over the place. 20:25 But when it's come to regular... And so he was like, "You gotta get out there. You can do this." And I'm like, "Nah, you talk to them." [laughs] "You talk to them." 20:31 But now I'll be quick to be in front of the camera like I'm talking to you now, or we, we've been in live events, or we at an event. I'm just boom, boom, boom. Um, it's also, 20:42 what I can say I learned from him is just really trying something new. Like, when we met, you know, we're from Detroit, and he's like... 20:50 When he talked, okayed the idea of moving to North Carolina, I was like, "Hmm," you know? I, that's my gra- I had my grandma back then at the time. I ain't wanna leave her. I said... 20:59 He's like, "Tam, we can always move back." That was his always, that was the safety net. We could always move back. And, you know, [laughs] after living down here, I don't wanna move back. 21:08 [laughs] I'm not, I do visit, but, um, with him it's, it's take a risk. And but he also a- said, "But you always have a backup plan." Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? You, yes, you gonna have faith. 21:24 Yes, you gonna try it out, but you gotta have a backup plan 'cause you don't know what life gonna spin. Who saw this pandemic coming? Maybe about five people did, but I wasn't one of the five. 21:32 [laughs] I think someone seen it. When it's gonna be 15 years from now, it's gonna be some documentary out there. Somebody done plotted this, but that ain't what this show is about. But [laughs] have a- [laughs]... 21:43 have a plan. And so that's what I could say I learned from him. Just try it. Just try it. 21:50 And, and I, and I'ma be honest with you, I never thought that we would be at this point, you know, where we're Royal Cheesecake Varieties and, you know, we have our place in the store, and, you know, we're doing a podcast about the, um, business and people reaching out to us like, "How did y'all do this?" 22:07 I never thought, because I grew up, um, just baking with my grandma, you know? Mm-hmm. Or I sometimes baked with my mom. But to have my stuff sold and people like... 22:16 [gasps] Or they reach out on Instagram like, "I just had your cake," and it's so like, "Oh, it's you." You know? So that's what I learned from him. Okay, okay. 22:28 I see Ken glowing over there, so I think- Right, right, right. You know, he's getting his extra credit points. [laughs] Oh, man. 22:36 Well, thank you guys so much for coming on the show and sharing your story with me today, and I hope the viewers get something out of it. I think, like, as a single person, I got something out of it too. 22:45 'Cause it's something to think about. It's something to think about when you're thinking about taking that next step with someone and building something- Right... 22:52 together and building love together, building a life together. Um- Mm-hmm... it looks different for everybody, and I'm glad this has worked out so well for you guys. And as someone who- Thank you... had your cheesecake, 23:03 highly recommend. Ah. Thank you. Okay. [laughs] Thank you. Yes, yes. Thank you so much. We truly appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Angela. 23:13 [upbeat music] If you've been getting value from Honey and Hustle, I need a quick favor. 23:31 Would you take 30 seconds right now to leave a review? Reviews help other people discover the show, and honestly, they help me know what's landing with you. 23:40 Whether it's this episode or one from a few months ago that stuck with you, just share what made it worth your time. You can leave a review wherever you're listening right now, and I appreciate it in advance. 23:52 See you in the next episode. [upbeat music]
