Using Farm-to-Table to Make a Difference with Chef Tim McDiarmid

Tim: [00:00:00] Now, and I would say more interested in just like, how do I create a stable, healthy business that people want to work for? And how do you create teams? I mean, I do endless amounts of learning events and webinars and we’re implementing systems and researching software and like, what are the best communication tools? And so like now that’s my thing. 

Hope: Do you want to wake up feeling like you are stepping into who you are meant to be? Into the best possible version of you? What if I told you that the key to your best life, health, and happiness are all around you? You just have to find what works for you. I’m Hope Pedraza, and I believe that there isn’t just one way to live a healthy and meaningful life.

And that all you need is a little inspiration to make changes that last from the inside out. Each week, I’ll be sharing tangible tips and inspirational interviews to help you on your journey. These are the steps to take to improve your life and live with purpose. This is hopeful and wholesome. 

All right, y’all let’s [00:01:00] get going today i’m excited to bring on tim today we are talking about Her health inspired restaurant here in san antonio as well as her non profit initiative that she started and everything that she’s doing In the food realm here in our city.

So thanks so much for joining today, tim! 

Tim: Thank you for having me. 

Hope: Yeah, so how did you come into the food scene? Was there like a defining moment for you? How did that journey happen? 

Tim: Wow, these are lengthy questions. 

Hope: Jumping right in. 

Tim: So, I’d say sort of always have been involved, I grew up in the west coast of Canada, on a, very remote, so I mean my mom grew all our food, well between her and kind of bartering and buying things from local farms and whatnot, so, the sort of, when I, by the time I moved, and you know my mom was amazing, we lived very remote and we were all super like born food snob. So we knew we had to pretty much, you know, she made amazing food. We always just had amazing food. And in order to do that, you had to make it. [00:02:00] Yeah. And then I moved to New York city and I was there for 20 years and that was kind of. I’d say the beginning of when the whole, like, farm to table was actually a term that was, like, new.

And I remember always thinking, like, what do they mean? What else is there? 

Hope: Right. 

Tim: And so, you know, I got really involved in that scene there, and farmers markets, and yeah, it was amazing there. I mean, the, like, the, Union Square was like the main big farmers market in New York, and it was amazing. I mean what people would pull in from that area was incredible.

Yeah. And it was like ramp season and fiddleheads and just a lot of things too. I grew up on the west coast of Canada and then moved to New York City and so a lot of the stuff that they had was also not things I was familiar with. Right. And then I moved to San Antonio ten years ago and I had no idea what I was going to do.

I mean, I’d worked in all realms of the culinary business in New York for almost [00:03:00] 20 years. And it’s a too long of a story of how I ended up living here, but it was under some duress. Let’s say, 

I didn’t really mean to move here. And, uh, I had no idea what I was going to do. And I was, you know, recently like a full time single parent and my child was young.

So I. Sort of, uh, after my year of like, what the hell have I done, I, um, just kind of looked around and was like, huh, there’s really, like, not anything much in the, you know, healthy sort of fresh food scene. 

Hope: Yep. Yep. 

Tim: Still not a ton. 

Hope: Yep 

Tim: And so I started doing private shopping and then that turned into doing catering and then I grew my catering company Business: Tim the Girl and we started doing bigger bigger events.

So that was first and then I When I was in I also work in Italy every summer until this year. 

Hope: Oh bummer! 

Tim: I’m in [00:04:00] deep mourning But I’ve never actually spent a summer here. Well, I’m super excited. Yeah so in that and we have a lot of women so their culinary trips that I do with my one of my best friends from Canada that she and she lived in Italy and married an Italian and When she moved back to Canada was it was the bit before I moved here And she just called me one day and was like, hey, let’s start, I want to start hosting these trips to the Cinque Terre.

And I was like, whatever it is. Yes. And my ex had my son for half the summer. So for six weeks I spent in Europe and the point being that a lot of there are trips exclusively for women, actually, this was the first year we were opening them up to co ed, but, and I was super interested to see, but so it was always, so we have a lot of women that came from San Antonio, one of the I guess five years ago, there were a few women there from San Antonio.

Well, there’s always actually a lot on my, the [00:05:00] trip I host, because I market it here. 

Hope: Mm hmm. 

Tim: And so, they were like, oh, you know, please, because I always said I am never opening a restaurant. Like, I’ve been involved in opening. 

Hope: Really?? 

Tim: No, I never. I was like, never. 

Hope: How funny. 

Tim: I will do. I liked catering. I liked private chefing.

Because it’s, you know, sure, you work hard and you work all the time, but you do run your own show. 

Hope: Right. Right. 

Tim: Whereas, like, restaurants, you can’t just be like, I don’t feel like opening today. 

Hope: Right. Exactly. 

Tim: You know? I mean, you could, but you’re not going to do well. I just, yeah, no, I. Anyhow, they were like, we don’t want to always have to have a party to have your food a lot of restaurant, you know, and then I pitched to Pearl, and we got in there, and we were originally going to open a freestanding location.

Then the food hall situation came up, which was awesome, and they were like, awesome and super helpful, and so then we opened. That was when I started The Good Kind, and so we had that for three years. And then I, the opportunity for the new space that we’re [00:06:00] at, which is The Good Kind Southtown and Ivy Hall Events, which is our own event venue.

That came up, and we’re the exclusive caterer there, and I realized in December, I have a really good friend who, I have three friends who have passed away in the last couple of years, and the one in December, Katie Powell, who was an amazing San Antonio artist, I was with her for six weeks every day until she died, and I remember partway through it thinking, if I died right now, I would be so pissed.

Because my life was, like, just out of control. I mean, having two restaurants, and the venue, and the catering, the restaurants are open, like, every day of the year, except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. 

Hope: Right. 

Tim: And so every single day of my life, for three years that I woke up, there was, like, some sort of drama.

That’s just the nature of it. And I decided to close her location and close our commissary and move our kitchen so that everything in the company was [00:07:00] on one property. 

Hope: Good for you. 

Tim: And that was like very stressful and chaotic. And it was just kind of one thing after the next that then COVID hit and boy, was I happy I did that.

Hope: Right. Can you imagine? 

Tim: This in order. Oh no, I can’t imagine. I really don’t. I mean, look, I think every small business right now, it’s like on the fence. Like, are we gonna make it? We don’t know what’s coming next. I mean, I’ve dealt with postponing 40 events. We have people wanting to postpone events for the fall and we’re just like, we can’t let you, I mean, it’s super stressful, but I’m like, I think when I break it down, we are big and bridal, you know, we do corporate also in social events, but a lot of bridal and of course everyone getting married thinks that the entire world revolves around them and their wedding that, you know, I’ve had to spend, I’ve spent, I’ve been on just total lockdown.

Reaching out to everyone. It’s hard. Yeah, and it’s explaining like I’m sorry if we’re open [00:08:00] if we are closed by executive order Then of course, we’re gonna postpone your event. But if we’re open, I mean sure, we’ll postpone your event. There’s a fee 

Hope: Right, right. 

Tim: I mean the other day I was talking to the phone and I was just like let me break it down for you like I’m pretty sure you’d like us to be in business.

This is how it works. And I mean, I am a big believer in, you know, learning. I joined the entrepreneur organization, which is a global network of entrepreneurs. There’s like, you know, you have to have over a million in revenue, but not necessarily be profitable. I’m like, I have well over a million in revenue, but yeah, to really, to ever be profitable.

That’s kind of the nature of startups. Look, I’m just always a big risk taker and I’m always like, okay, bigger, this, no. 

Hope: Especially restaurants, right? I mean, restaurants are like the biggest risk.

Tim: It takes a while. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, And then, you know, so I’ve spent since COVID happened, I mean, luckily, and I also, because I won the James Beard Fellowship last [00:09:00] year and went to, like, culinary business boot camp in San Francisco with, like, 20 other, the 20 women per year, this was only the second year they did it, win this award.

And you go and do so between the entrepreneur organization and my James Beard thing. They’re both like lots of communication. I mean, that’s it. Lockdowns on webinars and like how we do this, how to survive this. So that being said, the point is, is I didn’t just kind of make up policies of what we would do going forward.

I’ve spent like two and a half months on lockdown, writing loans, writing grants. Learning, figuring everything out, trying to like pivoting every hour. 

Hope: Yep. 

Tim: And we, you know, we, I did meal delivery for probably five years. I hadn’t done it in three years, but we, I had those systems set up and I kind of pulled that back out.

Massive, massive PTSD . Um, so yeah, I mean, we’ve just been, I’ve been just trying, you know, there’s times where I’m like, you know, hiding under. My blanket, just like, it just go away. I don’t, [00:10:00] but overall, I think, you know, the best we can do is just remain hopeful. And we’ve started doing some really fun, small events and we have a perfect space to do that.

So slowly, but surely it’s coming back. We opened, you know, meal delivery, then we switched to curbside and then now we’ve kind of opened, opened. Mm hmm. We’re even doing, we’ve been doing some socially distanced speed dating events. How fun! We’ve been having some bands playing, and just, you know, our tables have always been socially distanced and spread out, so it wasn’t hard.

But definitely like very, I think the hardest thing for businesses right now is just that I feel like this time, I mean I have many feelings about this time, but it’s, it’s Presented this kind of everyone has now a new thing. They can be all judgy about Like what you’re supposed to do. So it’s like as a business center.

I think that’s the hardest thing You’re like, well, okay, so this and this [00:11:00] seems that you know, like this is uncharted territory, you know It’s like every other generation lived through a war and i’m like, well, this is our war. 

Hope: This is it Yep, 

Tim: and you don’t know and minute to minute it changes and everyone has different information And so it’s like how you do this without Look, and there’s always, like, haters out there, no matter what you do, they’re gonna be judgy about it.

So, I mean, we’ve just The team has really worked hard to, you know, I had to lay off like 35 people, furloughed them and was like, Oh my God, it was just me. And what am I going to do? 

Hope: Right. Yeah. That’s tough. So for you, what is your favorite part? I think I know the answer, but I want to know your favorite part and the most challenging part.

Is it the restaurant food side or the business side? Like which side do you enjoy the most? 

Tim: I mean, I would say the food part, but you know, it’s really been a long, like, I also started my business with a business partner that was gonna handle the business and that didn’t work out. So just [00:12:00] through, through a series of somewhat traumatic events, I ended up having no choice But to go into the business side and really now, I mean, I have, I have a director of culinary operations.

I have an operations manager. I am not in the kitchen very much, really very rare conceptually and kind of creatively, I still like come up with menus and work on some recipes and whatnot. But I feel like it’s really the transition over the last few years has been that. I would say that now that I got forced into, I mean, I didn’t even know, I remember when I was then all of a sudden solo doing this and people talking about P& Ls and all this stuff.

I didn’t even know what it meant. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: And I remember just being like, oh my god. And like, I mean, uh, Pearl has a consultant that worked with me a lot and I just like went straight into like, This is it. I am basically, and [00:13:00] he said, when I was, you know, there were some dark times, and he just said, like, you need to just understand that this is Because he taught, you know, he teaches, he’s like, I think he probably, I think he has an MBA.

He just was like, like, you could go get an MBA, but you’re learning way more now than any of us people are ever learning because this is like, kind of like survive or die. Yeah. Yeah. And nobody has that kind of fire under their ass while they’re doing it. So now, and I would say more, My more interested in just like, how do I create a stable, healthy business that people want to work for and how do you create teams?

I mean, I do endless amounts of learning. Learning events and webinars and we’re implementing systems and Researching software and like what are the best communication tools? And so like now that’s my thing. 

Hope: Mm hmm 

Tim: But yeah, I would say now I’m definitely more before I [00:14:00] was for sure On the creative side and like I did all our marketing and all that stuff like marketing and the food That was all easy for me.

Hope: Yeah, 

Tim: but now On the other side, I think now I’m like definitely become more of like a business owner and entrepreneur. 

Hope: Yeah, 

Tim: like I’m more looking at like the bigger picture. 

Hope: Right. 

Tim: Like how do we grow?

Hope: Right. Scale and all that. Yeah. 

Tim: Exactly. 

Hope: Mm hmm. So when you do get to like be creative and be in the kitchen and come up with You know, whatever recipes or whatever you come up with, what inspires you in that sense?

Like, what inspires you to cook? 

Tim: I think it’s always been on, like, a combination of nostalgia and travel, I would say, are, like, my two things. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: I obviously grew up, I mean, I really think people have, like, food is about memories and comfort, and, like, those are the things. And so, I did a series for the paper when I moved here that was, like, reworking what, because, I mean, look, Almost everything [00:15:00] people eat here was completely foreign to me, like, I might as well have been living Actually, I would have been more familiar with food living in Israel.

So, I mean, like, Southern food I didn’t even know, really, when people talked about the South, I didn’t know. I moved from the west coast of Canada to New York City. New York City is not like America. Right? It was like, still a melting pot. Most of my friends were like, expats, like, they’re from France. England, South Africa, ton, most of my friends were from South America.

So like, I didn’t live in what is America. I had no experience whatsoever. And I moved to somewhere where I was like, what is that? What is that? Chicken fried steak, tech snacks, barbecue, like none of it, none of it was food that I understood, but you know, I also am like, you know, really involved at the time, you know, in health and like realized that San Antonio was like Had its own pandemic, pre pandemic, okay?

Hope: No kidding, no kidding. 

Tim: Um, just like, and I get it, it’s like easy to be really judgy about it, and like, why would anyone eat that? Like, chicken fried steak, I’m [00:16:00] like, what? That is like, is there even any nutritional value, this amount of calories? And, like, I don’t believe in people, like, counting calories, it’s just, like, I’m very much a believer in, like, real, just eat real food, eat when you’re hungry and you’re good.

But you can’t blame people for, like, that’s your comfort, that’s what you know. So I did this series where I kind of reworked dishes to try and make them still in that comfort zone, help them up a little bit, so, hence, like, our tagline was, like, fresh comfort food. Uh huh. You know, selfishly, it was also partially, like, stay in business.

Like, we’ve reworked a lot of dishes, and now we have, because we have a full bar, and we have a whole botanical cocktail list, and so now we have a lot of bar snacks on our menu, but, you know, we have nachos, but they’re made with organic blue corn chips, and, like, real aged white cheddar, and fresh salsa, and pico, and, you know, So, I mean, I think that travel is for sure, like, core, kind of, memories.

So, I’m now, I mean, but I can’t do everything. Like, when I opened, my [00:17:00] menu was, like, totally me centric. And, like, oh my god, how cool. Like, was it, uh, Beyond what was understandable for here. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: Right. It was like, well, not lentil pate, like all these sounds amazing. I was like, we’re, I’m going to be bankrupt.

So like, I also need to figure out, cause it’s like, look, as a restauranteur or any kind of business person, it’s like, sure. You, you have always are walking that balance of like, what do people want? I have this friend who’s Greek, who came from like a lot restaurant family from way back, her family’s still in Greece.

She grew up in Long Island. Her dad is, uh, he’s passed away, but he, you know, she grew up in the restaurant world. And, you know, and then there’s me and some other friends. We were all on a trip, and we’re like, just like, oh, what’s this? And very, like, maybe we’re a little more precious about things, and she always would crack me up, because she’s like, I don’t understand what’s so complicated.

Just, you know, Make what people want to buy. Right? Right. And I think it goes across the [00:18:00] line in a lot of businesses, right? People get really precious about things when they open businesses. Understandably, it’s like having a child, but there is that line you need to be like, it’s so important to do branding exercises and marketing exercises and all these things because like, you need to know your demographic.

Yeah. You need to know. And that is important and I think that’s why a lot of the small businesses that are personal don’t make it. 

Hope: Right, it’s too personal. 

Tim: They’re, they’re turntent on being different or they’re turntent on their way and I’m just like, that’s really cool, but you know, you’re not living in New York City where those little microcosm demographics exist.

Right. You need to be there. And so like, sure, I could have opened here and been like, we’re going to be a barbecue joint or a pizza place. And like, but instead, you know, like we’re putting, you know, we have like paninis and flatbread on the menu. You know, we just, I’ve always been to, I don’t like [00:19:00] shoving health and what people should do in their face.

Hope: Mmhmm.

Tim: It’s like, look, you’re a grownup. People can make choices. I mean. And. I think people get kind of obsessed about like, Oh, people this, you know, they need to be educated. I think most people are pretty, pretty knowledgeable what they probably should be eating. Like, I know I shouldn’t, you know, last night for example, I have just tons of QuickBooks stuff to do.

And so like, I stayed up, I ate chips in bed till 3 in the morning, and like, had like, sex in the city, playing on another screen, just to like, keep me company even though I know I shouldn’t be doing that. I know I should like set parameters and have boundaries of work and schedules and not do it. So I mean, I don’t think that I also am definitely someone who does not believe, you know, there’s a lot of people like, Oh, well not everyone can afford to eat well.

That is. Yeah, you know guess what like learn how to cook and I had times when I lived in New York City that I was like Super poor [00:20:00] and I lived alone and I lived in this teeny little apartment with like a hot plate and like I mean, yes Okay, so I may be slightly more educated, you know, probably a lot more educated than a lot of people in like health Yeah, but and I grew up luckily knowing how to make things like brown rice and I remember working out nutritional value for money for penny spent so And I’m sorry, you’re way better off if you can like, I would get onions and garlic, couple veggies and buy bulk, any kind of whole grain and bulk legumes, lentils or whatever.

Sorry, if that is your main diet, it’s super healthy and it’s super affordable. And it’s very cheap, yeah. Like for the price of a bag. Happy meal or whatever it is people buy like you can feed yourself make a pot of and it’s something delicious Yeah, totally and I get it that not everyone thinks that’s delicious But I do think as much as I think there’s that Comfort food and I get it like sure and I once in a while like [00:21:00] eat that but I mean don’t eat it all the time Like crazy and I love like real Mexican food, but Tex Mex is not my thing.

Hope: Mm hmm 

Tim: But I think that it’s also, that being said, possible to change your, I know lots of people that have. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: It’s not like they overwork, but they can change. Look, try new things. Right. Try to become, to educate yourself about food. Right. And then like, I’m sorry, if you educate yourself about fast food, where it comes from, how those animals are treated.

Look, You can make yourself stop liking it. 

Hope: It’s very true. 

Tim: Like seriously, go watch like one documentary. 

Hope: It is very true. How do you think when you kind of, because I like that you kind of stuck to your roots with, you know, the healthy food and all that. How was the, or what do you think about the initial response that people had where you were kind of like recreating San Antonio food in like a healthy way. Was it a good response? 

Tim: Yeah, I would say for sure, but people who are completely not interested probably didn’t [00:22:00] take the time to be like, I only heard from people that were into it. You know, I did. One of my favorite ones was a take on enchilada because, okay, so I’m also not a big meat eater. I did a take on enchiladas.

I remember like, I was so, I love, I mean, I think it was amazing. I actually got a lot of feedback before and it was these enchiladas made with inside, I did black beans and sweet potato and Swiss chard. And then corn tortillas and then like a spicy tomato enchilada sauce and then I made like a Pumpkin seed cilantro kind of cream that went on it It was delicious.

And yeah, I, I had people see it and then like want that for parties and I haven’t done it in a long time. I should bring it back here. But for the most part, and I’d say now even people that come in here, they’re definitely, I mean, look, like I said before, there’s always going to be haters. Sure. I mean, I think that the thing I struggle with probably the most in that part is people maybe [00:23:00] not.

So, um, what I’m getting, because like I said, we have chicken wings on the menu now, we have cauliflower wings, we have nachos, we have a burger, is people not understanding pricing of quality ingredients. 

Hope: Right, right. 

Tim: And portioning. So like people here are used to giant portions for cheap, okay, and that’s what I would say probably 90 percent of people are used to and looking for.

I am not that person, and when I see food that’s too big and too cheap, I just think I know that they can’t be. Buying quality ingredients because it’s not possible. Yeah, and I totally get it that people can’t not everyone can afford it my opinion on that is it’s like Most people don’t need to be eating the amount that they are, and I would rather have quality ingredients of something that’s really good.

Hope: Yeah, I agree. 

Tim: So, that’s probably at one of our biggest, and not that people wouldn’t like it, but they’re just like, what? Like, that’s, you know, too small. 

Hope: Right, right, right. It’s not enough food. 

Tim: Right? Yeah. For what, you know, and that’s not even much. Like, look, most people frequenting here, they get it. 

Hope: Yeah.

Tim: And they’re super [00:24:00] happy to have those choices. Yeah. 

Hope: Right. Yeah. For sure. 

What do you think was the biggest challenge for you, uh, or the biggest obstacle that you had to overcome, I guess, throughout your journey? It doesn’t have to be when you’re starting out, but, cause I know, like, you were a single mom for a while, and you had to figure out how to do that.

Would, would you say that would be a pretty big obstacle, or was that something you kind of dealt with? 

Tim: I’ve had so many, it’s really hard to There’s been so many. I mean, I think when it’s like, yeah, I mean I was a full time single I mean I am I mean I got remarried a few years ago But still we each have our own kid and we kind of like for all intents and purposes.

I raised my kid alone He’s 16. I’m still trying to raise him. All those 16 year olds don’t really like let you, they think they’re totally independent until they’re like, I’m hungry. So there’s just so many endless hurdle. I mean, brand new town. Yes. What am I going to do? How am I going to support my [00:25:00] son? I thought I would get like a real job.

And then I remember writing a resume. And I’m, I’m a really good writer and I’m good at that kind of stuff. And my friend, I was in Marfa with a friend of mine from New York and I was like, what do you think about this? And they’re like, Oh my God, it’s totally amazing. I would definitely hire. And then I’d meet you and be like, what?

Not that he was saying I was like, or anything. He was just meaning like, you’re basically not possible. Whoever like takes this person is going to like, you’re going to need to figure out starting a business. Definitely. Like I’d say the business challenges. There’s so many, but I think ultimately, everyone’s biggest hurdle is like, knowing themselves and realizing what they’re capable of.

And, what probably just as important, Yeah, you actually aren’t capable of certain things, and you then need to go find the resources. 

Hope: Hire somebody. 

Tim: Hire people. Yeah. Yeah. That was a big one. Like, don’t try to do everything. Yep. And now, I mean, I’ve come so far in that. I mean, I [00:26:00] don’t hire anybody for any position that I don’t think is way smarter than me in what their position is.

Hope: Mm hmm. 

Tim: I just hired a new, and we’ll see, we’ll try but a new, you know, kitchen manager, chef, culinary ops manager and I’m just like, oh, I’m a hundred percent sure he is way better than me. . I’m like, awesome. That’s, I don’t need, I don’t wanna be the boss of all the things. Yeah, right. I want people, and it’s taken me years to learn that and like endless coaching and training and then business coaches and this to like get to the point where I’m like. Oh my god, if I had nothing to do, 

Hope: Right, right. 

Tim: I don’t want to, like, letting go of control. I think that’s kind of the root of it all, right? You think you can control something, but you can’t. Right. You can make good choices, you know. There’s all this and, and even still, I don’t always make good choices. You know, but learn from it.

Right. Figure it out and take care of yourself. 

Hope: Yeah. No, I think that’s a hard lesson to learn [00:27:00] Or I mean, I feel like that’s a trend and i’ve had this conversation multiple times with people that have interviewed it So Like one of the hardest things for people to learn is to let go of control and yeah Like you can’t do it all yourself Like you’re not going to be as successful as you want to be if you’re trying to do it all yourself So it that’s a hard thing to learn and a hard thing to 

Tim: you know I have a lot of people that come to me and like want information I’m actually in the next couple months going to launch my coaching business.

Hope: Nice! 

Tim: Like for startups. Rest for rest. Um, like when I just think of the amount of like trauma that I have been through and I think Yes Especially as a female business owner, an entrepreneur, just the amount of information that’s out there that people don’t share. And you’re just like, now that I know what I know, I’m just like, Oh my God, no one else should have to go through this.

Like, and I can make it easy for them. I. Didn’t know that and went through like through the school of hard knocks of how things work And I think that most people that I talk to I’m just like what you don’t [00:28:00] have a bookkeeper like Basic that people don’t understand. Sorry, I swear a lot Basic stuff that people don’t understand that that it’s not that expensive Then it’s not doing everything yourself.

There’s sure a time when you’re gonna do everything yourself But you cannot grow, you cannot functionally grow unless you, because I think too, like when I was first here and starting the business and had my kid, it was like, well, a right away. I mean, I was poor. Hell yes. I had a housekeeper. Cause I looked around San Antonio.

I was like, Oh my God, that’s one thing I can get rid of very cheaply. Yeah. Yeah. You know? And like, I pay her well, but I’m like. For what? Like, and I, so if you’re always being like, what is my time worth? What is my time worth? 

Hope: Exactly. 

Tim: Right. 

Hope: Exactly. 

Tim: Because if I can then have the energy to go do this thing and grow this, what I’m capable of achieving or earning versus this, and you’re employing someone.

So I [00:29:00] think that’s something that’s really hard for people. 

Hope: Yeah, for sure. 

Tim: I’ve also, I’ve talked to people. I was like, oh, but isn’t that so expensive? I’m like, no. It’s not and the amount I mean, I’m a firm believer in outsourcing because it’s like what would take you Ten hours. Hey, and you probably won’t even do it as well could potentially take them one hour.

Yeah Yes, you paid 25 for it. So I’m sorry for 10 hours of time. So you were getting paid 2 an hour Yeah Right? 

Hope: Yeah. Yeah. It’s that time value thing that people don’t grasp. Yeah. Like, it is costing you work. Because now it’s costing you, like you said, ten hours of your time, and you could have already had it done.

Yeah. No, I totally agree. 

Tim: And very likely, you’re going to have to pay someone even more to fix how much you screwed it up. My husband is a contractor, and he sent me, the other day, this funniest sign from the place where he, I don’t know, gets lumber or whatever, and it was, like, I can’t remember exactly, but it was basically, like, if you think that You know, getting [00:30:00] construction done is expensive, like wait till you try a cheap person.

Yeah, kind of that thing where it’s just like getting it done well the first time. Definitely worth it. 

Hope: That’s a, that’s a great analogy there. So, I do want to ask about your, the non profit that you started here in San Antonio. So, it’s kind of a new thing that you’re doing, which has actually been, I know, a huge blessing for a lot of people during these COVID times.

So, what kind of prompted you to start this non profit?

Tim: I think, I mean, I was, you know, Struggling sitting in COVID times. And, you know, I have this great space and I, you know, I just wanted to do, I mean, partially, so I have friends that I started it with my friend, Heather, who owns cryo fit and sweat equity was one who I had had this kind of on the back burner of doing something I had already like own the domain name and.

Years ago, but [00:31:00] I’m too busy. So look, I had time. Heather was the one who prompted and was like, Hey, I want to do this gift card. I was like, okay, perfect. Like, let’s do this. So people had time. My, I have my graphic designer who offered for free to come in and like help with that part. Another friend who’s part of it, Angela, who has slept cinema, who built a website.

Like it was just like, Right thing. And you know, we, I’ve always wanted to be able to like use time and resources to feed people who. Need access to good food. So we did frontline workers. We also have you know, a homeless shelter that we did So yeah, we just kind of it will continue to grow. Yeah, and it was you know other like I’ve a lot of female friend small Businesses, so obviously was also like great that it people selling gift cards gives you cash flow when you need it.

It’s relevant It’s doing something good. There was this whatever it was a win win all around. 

Hope: Yeah. Yeah, that’s awesome So as your business of kind of evolves, what is inspiring you [00:32:00] to kind of scale? Like what direction do you see your restaurant going? 

Tim: That’s hilarious right now. 

Hope: I know right? We’re all at a standstill, but before Covid, What was kind of your, your aspirations for that?

Tim: I mean that, you know, I had just in that done that big change of like downscaling in order to stabilize. Cause we have never been profitable. I have an investor group. You know, there’s been plenty of times where I’m like, I, I’m not gonna make it. Plenty. I, of course, I’m not like, that’s not what I’m posting on social media, but it’s like, there’s been plenty of dark times.

So, I had just done that big change, so my current plan is like, okay, stabilize and then look, and then COVID happened, like, it’s a new world. So, it’s getting, I think, the event venue is the thing I’m primarily focused on. Originally, when I came up with the concept for The Good Kind, that was like, Look, someday, I’d love to have the time and the right team, but I have a [00:33:00] pretty new team and an awesome team right now.

It’s like, yes, get to where it’s good, kind of scalable, but I’m not doing that by myself. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: That would be like, okay, I get somebody who wants to like partner in that part of it. I mean, there’s lots of ways it can work, but I’m not doing that by myself. Hell no. So the plan is there and so it’s, you know, we’re like really kidding it out as in like, Yeah, food Bibles, things are right like, Now we’re like I’m really focused on the organization of that.

So that could happen. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: I already in the beginning like I already, I have all the, I mean, I did all the branding and marketing exercises. Like that part is there. I mean, one day I, I wouldn’t necessarily. So, and we also cater offsite. So it’s like, I’m really like all portions of the business I’m looking to grow.

Ivy hall is my main, cause we’re the, we’re the exclusive cater and bar for Ivy hall. So there we have the, we cater at lots of other venues, but here we have [00:34:00] the potential and what we do is really just more like, I’m trying to curate what, what an event at Ivy hall is right. And to be able to be more like, Hey, here’s what we do and just make it unique and special.

You know? Down the line, like, I don’t know if I would necessarily, sure, I want to someday not work forever. Sell the company, potentially, like, I don’t know, or maybe there’s offshoots of it. I’d like to get to where, you know, I’ve spent a solid, well, probably most of my life in some version of trauma.

Because I’m just like, As soon as something’s working, then I just like on to the next thing. 

Hope: The next thing. Yeah. 

Tim: So that is exhausting. 

Hope: Yes. Yes. 

Tim: And that is why I’m not even thinking about anything else right now. It’s like rather than, sure, we have sales plans for growth and all that, but I’m saying rather than a new thing, I’m like, okay, I’ve kind of decided to just, And this was even pre COVID just like let’s dig into what we already [00:35:00] have.

Hope: Yeah. Yeah. 

Tim: We kind of ripped apart systems and structures like down to the ground, staffing, everything. Be like, okay, what’s working? What isn’t? And like slowly properly build back up. 

Hope: Right. Right. Right. Yeah. That’s, I mean, that’s, I mean, I think that’s how successful businesses are growing. I think that’s a great plan. And rather than growing too big, too fast, and then you’re, you know, S O L. So. 

Tim: Well, that’s what I did. 

Hope: Yeah. And. I’ve done that before, too. 

Tim: It was exhausting and not even worth it and then I’d be like, crying myself to sleep being like, oh my god, and I’ve like, missed my kid growing up for this, it’s not going to work, like.

Right. And I think that is one of the things, like, why I’m. Working on building a coaching site and some clientele is I just enter so many things people don’t share knowledge especially I think that look because I think men there’s something interesting someone was like in one of my millions of things I’ve done where it was like the reason that Men make so much more [00:36:00] money than women.

Let’s put like gender inequality aside. I’m just saying it’s because men never doubt that they’re worth it. They don’t even bat an eye at like And you know, so I think especially women have a tendency to Not want to show weakness, or talk about failure, and ask questions they feel like, Oh, then I seem stupid because I don’t know, and like, I did all those things.

And so, I think that that is like, really crappy. It is a reason for a lot of people’s failure. 

Hope: Yeah. Yeah. 

Tim: Because they’re just afraid. Right. And guess what? You shouldn’t be afraid of what you don’t know. What you don’t know. Don’t pretend to know shit you don’t. Because I can speak from experience. It gets you in a lot of trouble.

Hope: Mm hmm. Yeah. Rather than just asking for help. Right? Yeah. Totally. So before, I have one last question I want to ask you, but before that, where can people find you? On social media, website, whatever. Where can people find you? 

Tim: Sitting here in my office. No. [00:37:00] So we have four channels on all the platforms. So I’ll just go with Instagram.

So Tim the girl, at Tim the Girl, at Ivy Hall events, at Be the Good Kind, at Good, Kind Southtown. 

Hope: I hope you’re not doing all of those yourself. That is, 

Tim: I have someone who is helping now. 

Hope: Thank God. 

Tim: For a long time I did. 

Hope: It’s a lot. 

Tim: Oh yeah, no, I would like, work all day and then I would stay up all night posting.

Hope: Content, yeah, that’s so much content, yeah. 

Tim: Well again, a lot of it was from being controlling, cause I, I did have people here and there, and I’ve had some good people here and there that helped, whatever, but then, I don’t know, they left and And I’m, I was too controlling. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: And if things weren’t exactly written how I wanted, I’m also like a real stickler for grammar.

And I found it very, very difficult to find people in San Antonio that use punctuation properly. 

Hope: Alright, [00:38:00] for the last question, I like to ask this to everybody. What do you think is the most important change people can make, or the most important thing they can do to live with purpose? 

Tim: Gosh, I mean, I don’t know.

I still ask myself all the time. What is my purpose? I Think that it’s kind of one of those things like pie in the sky that people think that all this and there’s just this one Thing that look try a bunch of things. Do you really know? I mean, it’s a lot. It’s a lot I think people put too much pressure on themselves thinking that they know that right away Let’s look your purpose at a certain point in your life can be your kids Right?

They’re young. They need you. Then it’s like hard. Then you, they grow out of me. I mean, I’m going through that. I’m just like my son, it’s been in the last year that he’s kind of like, I don’t need you. And like, I mean, he, I nursed him till he was three and he slept in my bed till he was 11. So it’s like hard.

And so then you’re like, okay, wait a minute. Whoa. Like that, you know, so it morphs, right? Yes. Yeah. Purpose is your business. Your purpose is that. I think ultimately as we get older, you need to look like, look, and it’s really hard how [00:39:00] you’re. How to not have your identity as a business owner completely enmeshed in the success of your business.

I mean, I went through, I can’t say that I’ve definitely succeeded in extracting it, but that’s the goal. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tim: And then I think your goal is to move to like truly a purpose. Yeah. Which, I mean, I’m still Like, I mean, I think I have an idea of mine, like, yes, it’s, but I’m also just, look, I’m too busy to notice it, really.

People are like, what? You don’t think you have a purpose? Are you insane? Like, definitely, it’s partially, like, it’s food, it’s women, that’s why I’m, like, set on doing this coaching thing, because I think now my purpose It’s to like help other, I don’t want to say necessarily young, but I would, for sure, I think I’m only taking female clients with female young entrepreneurs because I just straight out realized like, Oh my God, it’s so easy when you already know all the things to think everyone knows the things.

They don’t. 

Hope: Right. 

Tim: They don’t. And it’s so simple what I can [00:40:00] offer to somebody to make their life like, and I, I’ve had business coaches. I had two. And people are like, oh, coach this, it’s expensive, and I’m like, the amount that you save yourself, it’s like getting the carpenter. 

Hope: Exactly. 

Tim: It’s like, just, yeah, I mean.

Hope: Why reinvent the wheel? I mean. 

Tim: Like, passion and dedication to an idea is nothing when you do not have the other part done. 

Hope: Right, you don’t know how to implement it, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s great advice. Well, thank you, Tim. This has been awesome, and I’m really excited about your new coaching program.

It sounds like something a lot of people could, especially now, like, we’re all kind of stuck. So I think this is gonna be a great, a great new thing. 

Tim: Thank you. This is the first time I’ve actually even said it out loud, like, other than to my, other than to my best friend who I did the Italian trips with.

Cause it was like two, a month pre COVID where I’m like, okay, I’m ready now to like, build up the site and like, [00:41:00] I have so many people coming and asking me for the advice, anyone like I might as well set it up. So anyway, yeah, no, it’s exciting. 

Hope: Exciting. Very cool. All right, Tim, thanks so much. I appreciate your time.

Thanks for listening to Hopeful and Wholesome, y’all. If you found value in this week’s episode, please subscribe on iTunes wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a review to let me know what you thought. I’d love to know what you find useful in these episodes so I know how I can provide the most value I can to my listeners.

And if you have topics that you want to know more about, I’d love to hear those as well. So shoot me a message on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. It’s at thehopepadraza, or visit my website, hopefulandwholesome.com. Thanks, y’all. . [00:42:00]