A Bold Leap: The Story of Mallori Rojas and Her Grazing Business

Get ready to meet Mallori Rojas, the remarkable woman behind Smashbox Curated Grazing. Tune in to hear how $100 at Trader Joe's and a pocket full of dreams, transformed into a thriving grazing business.

In our conversation, we dive into the heart of creativity and its crucial role in entrepreneurship. Mallori shares her personal experiences, the triumphs and trials of starting a business, and the joy she finds in curating beautiful grazing boxes. We delve deep into the power of ambition and the courage it takes to answer the call of your dreams. This episode is a testament to what can be achieved when we let go of fear and embrace possibility. So, tune in and be inspired to take that bold leap toward your dreams with Mallori Rojas and Smashbox Curated Grazing.

Connect With Today's Guest:
Smashbox Curated Grazing
Find Mallori on Instagram
Find Mallori on Facebook

Next Week on Mama's Cup of Ambition...
Join me for a fun Momversation with Sarah St. Clair. We chat about everything from dance ambitions to sage advice from Winnie the Pooh (yes, I said Winnie the Pooh). 

Let's Connect On Instagram:
connect with the Show (@mamascupofambition)
connect with Rachel Mae (@rachelmaemusic)

May your dreams be ambitious and may your coffee be strong! xoxo -Rachel Mae

Transcript

Rachel Mae: 0:01

Hey, I'm Rachel Mae, Country Singer, songwriter and host of Mamas Cup of Ambition, the podcast for ambitious mamas with big dreams and little kids. Or maybe your kids aren't so little anymore, but your dreams are still just as big as ever. Wherever you find yourself in your motherhood journey, if you've got ambitious goals that you're longing to achieve and you're looking to spark inspiration, cultivate motivation and develop community with like-minded mamas, you're in the right place. As a new mama myself, I created this show as a place for honest and empowering conversations about motherhood, entrepreneurship and dream chasing. So grab a notebook, top off that cup of coffee and let's turn our goals into action plans and our dreams into reality together. Now let's jump in to today's episode. Hello, hello and welcome to another episode of Mamas Cup of Ambition. Whether you're here for the first time tuning in, or you're an OG ambitious mama, I am so freaking happy you're here today and let me just tell you this episode will not disappoint.

Rachel Mae: 1:04

I sat down with Mallori Rojas, who's the founder of Smashbox. It's a curated, grazing company and in this episode she shares her incredible story of how her business took shape. It's an inspiring story and she's going to share how she took $100 at Trader Joe's and a big leap of faith and turned it into an ambitious entrepreneurial pursuit. Mallory is down to earth and so relatable and I absolutely freaking loved this conversation. So let's not wait another minute. Here's my interview with Mallori Rojas. Okay, mallory, I am so excited that we're on here. I know you've been sitting here waiting for me because my computer just decided that it was going to do a little update, but we're here now and I have been anxiously anticipating this moment because I've been like admiring you from afar and I am such a fangirl of what you're doing. So let's jump right into it. I would love for you to tell my audience who you are and give us like a little overview of what you do, sure?

Mallori Rojas: 2:11

Well, first, thank you. I don't feel worthy of fangirling, but I appreciate it. That's super cool. So a little bit about me and what I do. So my name is Mallori Rojas and I am the owner and founder of Smashbox Curated Grazing, and so I run a grazing business, and so if you don't know what a grazing business is, you might know what charcuterie is. It's kind of the same thing, and I've been doing that since 2020. But, first and foremost, I am a mom. I'm a stay-at-home mom first, and so I have two little ones. I have a two year old and almost five year old, and so my life is just chaos. Really. That's what it is right.

Rachel Mae: 2:52

Well, you're in good company because we're all about that like ambitious chaos here, right, like when I read your story. So I initially found you through local mom's meetup group that's how I was introduced to your world originally and then I immediately went to your website and when I read your story I was like, oh my gosh, oh gosh, thank you.

Rachel Mae: 3:11

You are like the embodiment of this show, and I have so many questions for you because your story is just so cool. So let's back up a little bit and talk about how you started this business, because, if I'm getting this right, you had a toddler at home and you were pregnant when you started this. And you said it was 2020. So take us back in time and give us a little bit of like the origin story about how Smashbox started.

Mallori Rojas: 3:42

Yeah for sure. So I think I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but nothing ever stuck. I had all these ideas and it just like it, just never went anywhere. I have an events sales marketing background. I had just started a new job at a promotional products company in February of 2020. And then I got laid off, which was actually okay, because all this time I was working and I had that my son was about two and a half, or no one and a half, and I was like I just want to stay home with my baby. I don't want to have to go to work, I want to stay home, I want to do something else so I can be with him and not just drop him off at daycare every single day. So it was actually ideal that I got laid off.

Rachel Mae: 4:27

Was this pandemic related or was this just because you said February, so it was like right, when everything was yeah 100%?

Mallori Rojas: 4:34

so it was like March I got laid off and then it was like I was part time, ish, and then they just fully got me out of there. So I mean I'd only been there for you know, a month or so full time, yeah. And so then I was home and I got pregnant, and so that was like August, ish, I think. And then my unemployment it wasn't gone, but I was. It was in adjudication, so I wasn't getting paid and I was like, okay, this doesn't work. Like we need to incomes. Yeah, we had just bought a house. We closed like December 20th 2019, so we just bought a house. We had this new mortgage and I was like I need money, like I have to make money. I was like who's gonna hire me? I'm pregnant. Like I mean, like what am I doing? I just tell them I'm not pregnant and then be like.

Mallori Rojas: 5:24

And so I was trying to figure all that out and I was on Instagram and I saw somebody making grazing boxes and so I thought, well, like I mean I could put some stuff in a box and sell it right. Like I mean it can be that hard. And so I went to Trader Joe's and I was stressed about it because, mind you, we don't have the money right, we don't have like disposable income at this point, I'm not getting paid. And I was like telling my husband I'm gonna go, but it's gonna be like $100 I'm not just like $100 on cheese and stuff and he's like, okay, what, what? Okay, whatever.

Mallori Rojas: 5:56

So I did it and I put it in a box, went to Hobby Lobby and got some boxes, pie boxes, put them in the pie boxes, posted on my Facebook, and people wanted the boxes. And at that same time I'd send a photo to my husband and I was like, hey, what do you think of this? He's like, oh, I'd smash that. And so that was how smash the name got started, and so I posted and we were all home, right, nobody to go anywhere, and so I think it was just perfect timing and people wanted the boxes and it was right before Thanksgiving and people wanted them for their you know little intimate Thanksgiving gatherings and it just kind of steamrolled and I was like, well, I'm not gonna say no, like I'm just gonna have to say yes to everything and I'll figure it out later. And so that's how it all got going.

Rachel Mae: 6:41

Oh my gosh. Okay, I have a million questions. I'm gonna try to still this down. But after that initial trip to Trader Joe's, you start selling these boxes on Facebook and people are obviously here for what you're doing. How did you navigate, trying to figure out one like how much To buy it? Like, were you just kind of having faith that like, okay, I'm gonna keep making these boxes and if I build it they will come, type of thing? Or like, were you sort of taking orders at that point and then going out and buying the stuff? Like how do you even figure that out if you just kind of like I'm gonna try this out and all of a sudden you get that momentum going?

Rachel Mae: 7:18

yeah, how did you harness that momentum and start turning it into the business that it is now?

Mallori Rojas: 7:23

I just said yes, I just yes, yes, yeah, sure can I can do that. And then I think I can I do that. I don't know A lot of googling. You know we live in a time where, fortunately, people are sharing how to do so many things on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube and all that, and so I watched a lot of videos. I mean, like I live honestly.

Mallori Rojas: 7:45

Rachel thought that Tilla muck cheese was fancy cheese, like that's. That's the most I knew about cheese, right, like I really didn't know a lot about this world. I didn't even know it was such a big industry. I really thought I was like on to something new when I first did it, and so I just luckily operating in a place of scarcity, right. So like I didn't have the funds to put money into it, and so I just had to take the order and then, once I got that cash, I would get what I needed, and so to this day, that's how my business operates. I operate off of cash. If I don't have the money, I don't do it. So I think that's really huge, because I got to start a business with relatively no start up costs which is great.

Rachel Mae: 8:27

Well, your work is so beautiful and I know, as folks are listening to this, that they're gonna get on the Instagram and start scrolling. First of all, let me just tell you to your rebrand is so dreamy magic, my gosh. Just it's so dreamy and I love it so much. But, like your Instagram feed, I scroll through there and I'm just like how in the world do you learn how to do this? Like, what was that learning curve like for you and how did you sort of refine your creative process? Because it's stunning, like you make the most beautiful creations and it just blows my mind. So what's your creative process there and how have you been, like, honing that?

Mallori Rojas: 9:09

First, thank you. That's super kind and I wish I had an answer. I think I've always been a pretty creative person and it somehow found this and this is like where my creativity foreshes and I watched how other, like I said, I watched videos and scrolled Instagram and saw how everyone else did it and, I'll be honest, I really tried to copy other people at first, like that's, because I was like I have no idea how to do this and so I was trying to like do things that other people did and I was like I don't like this.

Mallori Rojas: 9:40

This isn't me, like I'm not a very structured person, right. So when there's a board that's like perfect, I'm like that's, it's just not, it's not me, and so I think it's still a work in progress. I keep tweaking things and trying new things and I think that's a really. That's something I'm struggling with right now is figuring out like what is my process and can I teach that to somebody else so I can grow? Yeah.

Rachel Mae: 10:02

I've seen you have some local workshops, is that? Something that you eventually want to scale and teach like an online course or are you trying to keep that super?

Mallori Rojas: 10:10

I think I could. I just it's like another thing to learn, right?

Rachel Mae: 10:13

so it's like just doing what I can with the time that I have, and I do teach people how to do the baseline stuff at a workshop, but I'm just not sure how to teach, like the way, and looking like my board, you know, I just haven't figured that out, yeah well, and you said something there that I think is really powerful and I just want to pull back to it for a second, because you said when you started out, you were sort of just mirroring what you were seeing already done in the market and then somewhere in that process you started to find your own way, and I think that's I want everybody who's listening right now to really like soak that in, because I think we all do some version of that.

Rachel Mae: 10:54

Whether you're podcasting or you're creating any piece of art or you're baking or making these like grazeboards, we're all going to start first by looking at what other people are doing and sort of modeling ourselves after that. But the clarity around like your magic that you bring to the table, comes from getting in there and doing it like you wouldn't have figured out. Hey, that's cool and I'm modeling my process after what I'm seeing. But what I bring to the table and my unique spin on it is a little bit different and you only figure that out by jumping in and being willing to just like start somewhere. So I loved that reminder to just if you have to model after what you're seeing and start there, great, but eventually you will dial in and figure out what it is that you bring to the table, because we all have something unique that we can offer, for sure, and I think when you what came up, when you said that it's like, well, isn't that like the human process, right?

Mallori Rojas: 11:54

Like we learn from our parents, they model the behaviors, and then we figure out. We're like wait a second, that doesn't work for me, right? And so this has been a really interesting process for me personally and professionally, like leaning into, like allowing myself to be me and whatever that is, instead of like trying to conform to what I think people want, right? So, yeah, it's been a cool process for sure.

Rachel Mae: 12:18

So what advice do you have for the mamas who are listening, who are like, yeah, I have that same entrepreneurial spirit and I want to do something. Maybe they know what it is or maybe they don't. I know a lot of my audience is sort of in that crossroads of trying to reconnect with a bigger dream or a part of themselves in motherhood and finding that balance. But what advice would you have to somebody who's listening, who wants to start something on their own?

Mallori Rojas: 12:44

I don't know what else to say other than just do it, try it, and even if you, maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't, and either way, you'll learn something along the way and it'll get you steps closer to that thing that's going to be for you, love that.

Rachel Mae: 12:57

So what's been the most rewarding part? Is there something, now that you've been running this business for several years now, what's been the most rewarding?

Mallori Rojas: 13:06

part. Working for myself is very rewarding. I've never been great at working for other people. I'm a very like. Someone asked me to do something and I'm like, well, why, why do I want me to do that? Like, what do I have to you know? So now I'm the one that's like, yeah, you have to do that, absolutely do, because else you don't have a business.

Rachel Mae: 13:25

Do you find yourself like resisting your own direction too?

Mallori Rojas: 13:29

Oh for sure, yeah, yeah, it's just like in my, like stars, I don't know, like my. I did an astrology reading and I swear she was like, yeah, you really don't like routine. I'm like, no, I don't, you're absolutely right. So yeah, it's been. Being able to kind of create my own schedule is definitely number one for me. The power to be able to say yes or no, which is also really challenging sometimes, but having that ability is amazing, awesome.

Rachel Mae: 13:57

Well, has there been one standout moment in this journey where you have had sort of that like, wow, I can't believe I'm doing this, like I can't believe that I'm my own boss and I'm getting paid to do this? Has there been like one defining moment that you can think of?

Mallori Rojas: 14:13

It happens all the time. To be honest, it's kind of ebbs and flows, you know, as life is, it's peaks and valleys, and sometimes I'm just exhausted and I'm like, why am I doing this? What is happening? Yeah, and then, you know, I get back to the top of the mountain and there's clarity and I'm like, oh my gosh, I did this, like I'm I'm doing this, like I did this. I did this all by myself. I mean, it takes a village, there's lots of other things that go into it, but like I did this, it's amazing what do your kids think of it.

Rachel Mae: 14:43

Like you said, you've got a five year old, so how cool that your kids get to witness you doing something so incredible.

Mallori Rojas: 14:50

Yeah, I don't know that they like totally understand it yet. I mean they know what I do and if they see something they're you know, they know it's a Smashbox or they know, they understand what I do for work, but I don't think they get the full scope of it? Not yet, they're just like Mommy, where are you going to work? Like, can you just stay home with me? Mommy needs money, honey. That's why and a break from you.

Rachel Mae: 15:13

Oh my gosh, so great. Well, what do you see Like? What are your? I know we kind of talked about scaling and maybe doing some more courses and workshops and stuff, but what else do you envision for the future of Smashbox as you move forward?

Mallori Rojas: 15:27

I am currently trying to figure that out. When I first started, I did pretty small boxes right Because people were home and that's what people needed. But now that everything's back to normal, it's a lot of bigger events grazing tables and things like that which are amazing. I love them. But I'm trying to right now figure out ways that I can duplicate and so that I can maybe not be the person in the kitchen all the time and actually be the face of Smashbox and out talking to people and making sales and stuff like that to grow the business. So I think I'm probably going to lean into a bit more of like corporate catering type of stuff or, you know, it doesn't have to be corporate, it could just be anybody that needs catering but more single serve options.

Rachel Mae: 16:13

Has there been a steep learning curve, especially when you're dealing with something like food? Has it been like a steep learning curve in trying to navigate storing things and just managing like food safety and all of that, like jumping into something like this and just sort of figuring out as you go? What has that been like, trying to navigate that learning curve? Because that seems to me like it would be such a hurdle to overcome.

Mallori Rojas: 16:38

For sure, I knew nothing Absolutely, you know. Like I knew, like, okay, I think that things have to be at a certain temperature. What is the temperature? I don't know. Yeah, it's been an interesting process learning more about all of the, the foods, and I have like the palette of a toddler sometimes. So it's like I don't even like a lot of the things, so I have to lean on other people to tell me what's good, yeah, and so that's kind of a challenge, because I can't, like you know, stand behind something and say like I love this cheese.

Mallori Rojas: 17:06

I'm like I actually like really don't like it at all, but people say it's great, yeah, so that's interesting. But I'm really lucky I work out of a commissary kitchen and the owners of that kitchen have been caterers for like 20 plus years and so they're super knowledgeable and if I have any questions, someone there always knows the answer. It's awesome or can get me to somebody that knows the answer. So that's been a really great resource for me and kind of having that camaraderie when I'm there is nice, because being a solopreneur can be a little bit lonely for sure.

Rachel Mae: 17:40

Well, I always wrap up my interviews with same three questions. So the first one is what's your best piece of advice in the four words or?

Mallori Rojas: 17:49

less. I think I'll just go back to what I said before. That, just do it. I think that's it. Whatever it is personal, professional. This is way more than four words now, but if you're feeling it in your gut, you just got to do it.

Rachel Mae: 18:02

You know amen to that. Ok, is there a resource that you love that you would recommend to the ambitious Mamas listening?

Mallori Rojas: 18:10

This could be a book or podcast, anything you know lately I have been listening to the Baker and the Banker podcast by Jenny Keller and Dan Keller. So Jenny Keller owns Jenny's Cookies, which is another local business. Yeah, I enjoy it because it's like a local person and I know her and I enjoy listening to it. But she's also you know, also a mom of two kids who's started Jenny Cookies from her home kitchen and grown it into what it is today. So it's nice to listen to all their tips and tricks.

Rachel Mae: 18:42

That's awesome. I've not heard of that. I've heard of Jenny's Cookies, but I didn't really know the origin story, so I'm definitely going to have to check that out.

Mallori Rojas: 18:49

There is an episode about the story so you can find out everything Amazing.

Rachel Mae: 18:54

Well, what fills your cup, both literally and figuratively?

Mallori Rojas: 18:57

Coffee yeah, I have right now in hand I have a 3 pm coffee, which I'm sure was a really bad idea. I'll regret that later tonight. Coffee and I really need a lot of alone time. The biggest way for me to like reset and be the best that I can is for me to have time where I can just like be silent and be by myself. I go out and I'm just like I have to have that time to refuel and replenish Totally and so, yeah, that time for myself is really important.

Rachel Mae: 19:31

It's hard, too, when you have kids to carve out that time.

Mallori Rojas: 19:35

Oh yeah, because then it's like at what 11 o'clock at night, when you should be sleeping yeah.

Rachel Mae: 19:41

Oh my gosh. Well, this has been so much fun. Please tell everybody where they can find you, where they can follow all of your beautiful work, and also commission work, if they're looking for it For sure, so you can find me at readysetsmashboxcom, and that's also my handles on Facebook and Instagram are also readyset Smashbox.

Rachel Mae: 20:02

Oh my gosh Well, so incredible. I'm really thankful that you took time out of your schedule to share your story with me and with my audience and, like I said, I'm just I'm a huge fan girl of what you're doing and I'm excited to see how your business just continues to grow and evolve and I'm cheering for you and hopefully we can meet in person at some point in time. I'm sure our paths will cross outside of the virtual world too. I love it most definitely.

Rachel Mae: 20:32

Well, thank you so much, Mallori, it's been fun. Oh my goodness, I don't know about you, but I felt all kinds of inspired listening to Mallory's story. I really loved how honest she was about her process and about all of the learning curves along the way. And I think sometimes, as ambitious souls, it can be really tempting to front like we had everything figured out before we got started. But the reality is so many of us don't come out the gate with a five-year plan and a map for what our business is ultimately going to look like. Right, we're starting before we feel ready. We're taking action when it feels uncomfortable and scary and figuring things out as we go, and you know what? That's where we learn and grow and evolve.

Rachel Mae: 21:18

So I love that I get the privilege of sharing stories like Mallory's here, because I think they serve as such a great reminder for us that we can just start where we are. We have permission to grow and learn out in the open, and we don't have to have it all dialed in before we can start sharing our ideas and our ambitions with the world. I know I always need that reminder, so I hope that this episode also struck a chord with you and I hope that it inspires you to take that next step toward whatever ambitious whisper is currently stirring in your soul. You are so capable and someone somewhere is waiting for what you have to offer.

Rachel Mae: 21:58

As always, if you've got something out of today's episode and you wanna continue the conversation, come find me on Instagram. You can find me at Mama's Cup of Ambition and I'd love to continue the conversation with you there. And while you're at it, go find Mallory as well and watch your feeds start to populate with the most beautiful grazeboards. They are truly a work of art. Okay, so until next time, may your dreams be ambitious, may your coffee be strong and may we all find the courage to jump in to the dream we're being called to fulfill. I'll talk to you soon, abu.