Ms. Alicia Boyd, owner of Humble Hearts Catering & Events, exemplifies the resilience and adaptability every small business owner aspires to. When faced with transition, leaving her the sole owner of the business, Alicia could have let the setback deter her. Instead, she reached out to the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help chart a path forward.
Alicia’s challenge was to maintain a forward momentum for her business, which employs 8 team members, and to refine her business strategy. She now focuses on catering events for a more intimate and mid-sized clientele, a niche that perfectly matched the strengths and capabilities of her team. The SBDC coordinated a collaboration with senior business students from Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business. This partnership resulted in comprehensive market research and the creation of a strategic marketing plan designed to ensure Alicia’s vision came to life.
The outcome was nothing short of phenomenal. With the assistance of her student team, Alicia developed a marketing plan and a well-crafted press release that has contributed to impressive sales growth in 2023, far surpassing the previous year. But Alicia’s success story doesn’t end there. During the first half of 2023, she continued to refine her business strategy with participation in two other programs to develop her vision. She entered the Salisbury University Shore Hatchery Competition to pitch growth priorities with the goal of prize funding and she joined the Curate Program, to build a professional support network of similar business owners. This period of intense collaboration and the resulting success underscore the powerful impact of community support, dedication, and the relentless spirit of entrepreneurship.
Reflecting on her transformative journey, Alicia Boyd stated, “I think what SBDC offers is amazing and super supportive for the local small business owner. Greg Bartoo really helped me build upon my strengths and come up with solutions to help me learn how to handle new responsibilities of the business during restructuring. Having access to great advice from business students at Salisbury University was a rewarding experience and greatly contributed to my plans.”
With Alicia’s investment of time and talent to optimize her business plans, she is eager to refocus her energy toward her customers and employees and be intentional with selecting events and nurturing the “Soul Behind the Service.” Over the next few years, she aspires to own and operate her own event property which will include a commercial kitchen.