startups
Pursuing a moment in time when you are able to manifest something out of an idea in spite of every one telling you “you really shouldn’t”, in spite of all odds weighing against you, and in spite of immense sacrifice is dauntingly life-giving, for me.
It feels a bit like stepping into a ring with a behemoth of a foe and saying “let’s just see how this goes.”
2017 - 2019
A crowdfunding review company I started with a friend, Jared.
We attempted to bring regulation to Kickstarter & Indiegogo in the midst of so many micro-investors being ghosted by faux campaigns that promised next wave tech but rarely followed through.
Our system had many iterations with a built from scratch site designed for full reviews. We also pumped out a weekly newsletter and leaned into a co-founder of Rotten Tomatoes for our launch. It was surreal to test products in early beta stages and see our review influence a final product and the consumer.
We eventually had direct conversations with Kickstarer and Indiegogo leadership but were never able to maintain position while solving our model for profitability.
Original PR
2018 - 2020
There is something intriguing about the magic of creativity that is born within limitation.
This concept is how ego food co. was born. Josh, Abigail, and I found an old UMC Aeromate that was being used as a wine truck in Chattanooga, TN. We bought it and I drove it back (sketchily) through the mountains while constantly keeping an eye on the temp gauge.
It made it!
We then hired a friend, Tom, to build out one of the smallest commercial kitchens that I’ve ever seen. We ordered custom water tanks, electrical panels, plumbing, sinks (somehow we had two), and a tiny roof vent. Voila, we had a kitchen-ish on wheels.
Abigail created the logo as well as the first menu and we originally posted up at breweries in Charlotte. In general, our launch was really poor planning on my part and a lot of pressure on Abigail to launch an experimental truck without a really solid business plan. Charlotte was brutal for us in an unknown market even though it was Josh’s home turf. He did a lot to help us stay afloat financially in that challenging season.
We decided to make some quick changes and relocate to Asheville and help Abigail get back to Detroit to find stability and normalcy which we definitely didn’t have in that season. Sorry Abigail!
Once back in Asheville, I was determined to be downtown but archaic laws prevented us from easily doing that. I signed up for the downtown ASAP farmers market on Saturdays and found a park on haywood that had high amp infrastructure already set up, so I would not have to load a generator.
We started to have a cult following especially on specific items: bacon, egg, and cheese kolache with buffalo aioli, avocado toast (the basil lime vinaigrette was the shit), ice cold acai bowls blended to order, and pouched happy tea.
Things looked promising but in 2020 the pandemic hit and our necessity for crowds and face to face interaction fell apart with the lockdown.
We sold the baby truck to a taco spot in Charlotte and hope that wherever it is people still smile when they see it.
As far as ego the brand, I still have hopes of reviving it at some point. I’m just not sure what shape that will have even though I still get calls monthly from people asking where we are and if we can cater. Fingers crossed!