Running a small business is certainly a challenge, but sometimes the hardest part is just getting it off the ground. Donna McDaniel put everything she had into her business, Dolly & Polly Catering and Design, and was determined to make a name for her company. McDaniel spoke with Karen Teitelman about some of the problems in establishing her catering service, and what she did to build a solid client base.

I started the business back in 1992 with one of my dearest friends, Shaun Murphy. We were both backup singers and we wanted to have something to fall back on when we came off the road. Shaun was a great cook and I love to bake, so it seemed natural to just go with that. When one of us was on the road, the other one would keep the business going. About two years into it, she got the lead singing position for a band called Little Feat and moved to Nashville. I found the most amazing chef, Ike Greene, and bought out her share of the business; now I am Dolly & Polly.

We certainly had our problems when we were trying to establish ourselves. It was next to impossible for us to get a loan. Even the women’s groups wouldn’t help us. I didn’t own a home at the time, and had no collateral. I basically invested in myself. I just took all of my savings and poured it into the business.

I started off doing baby showers, bridal showers and housewarmings. The entertainment business is certainly very social, and I made a lot of contacts that way in the beginning. All of my business was through word of mouth.

In addition to finding clients, I have to say one of the biggest problems I had as a baby business was getting some of the food providers and equipment people to take me seriously. The most important thing I did was to go and personally meet with these people, make personal contact. Over the phone, my doing a party for 50 people wasn’t impressing anyone. They were interested in doing parties for 50,000. I went to these businesses, brought in my book and showed them the quality of my work.

By having this personal contact, letting them get to know my personality, I was able to make friends, and now I have people who will give me anything I need, who are willing to work for me on any size party.

Along those same lines, sometimes I would simply give away parties, just to show people what the business was about. When you’re starting out, that’s just something you have to do. I would invite not only potential clients, but vendors as well. Their recommendations would become my future clients.