The Chophouse Truth:  It’s Not All Sunshine and Sawdust


     Starting a small business is a wild ride, and my husband Andrew and I have certainly experienced our fair share of twists and turns. We took the plunge and quit our jobs to pursue this dream full-time. Our main motivation was to be home and close to our aging parents, who need our support. We knew it wouldn't be easy, but we were determined to make it work.

Diving In Headfirst

To be honest, we had absolutely no clue what we were doing when we first started. We were passionate and driven, but lacked the experience and knowledge to navigate the business world. We were eager to get things moving and, unfortunately, we made a decision we now regret.


We went with one of the first marketing companies we met with, despite our better judgment. We were so excited and wanted to get our business off the ground quickly. We didn't do enough research and didn't ask enough questions. It was a costly mistake.

Learning the Hard Way

Ten months and thousands of dollars later, we found ourselves back at square one. The marketing company hadn't delivered on their promises, and we realized we were on our own. It was a tough pill to swallow, but we didn't let it discourage us. Instead, we saw it as a learning opportunity.


We decided to take control and start over. We began creating websites, developing customizers, writing blogs, and crafting social media posts ourselves. It is a lot of work, but we are determined to make it work. We are finally building our business the way we envisioned it although it feels like we are spending more time doing this than crafting our boards.

Lessons Learned

Here are a few things we've learned along the way:



Starting a small business is challenging, but it can be incredibly rewarding. We're grateful for the opportunity to be home with our parents and to build something we're passionate about. We're still learning and growing, but we're excited for what the future holds.