Meet Beatriz Lora of Bee Cheesy Miami

Hi Beatriz, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Bee Cheesy started during the peak of COVID in June 2020. I was working my regular 9-5, my internet was down, bored out of my mind, I was chatting with a friend from out of state, who had purchased a charcuterie box to gift to a client. It called my attention to what a unique gift it was, and I could not believe that it was an actual business! It piqued my interest, and I knew I could do something like it, I had built many platters with family and friends before. So I dove into a deep web search and purchased whatever I thought was necessary to package a charcuterie and cheese box. Later that day, my mom and dad got home, I told them “mom, dad, I am starting my own business”, throughout the day I texted with a couple of my close gals trying to come up with a name for the business, and shared a couple of other business strategies and ideas with them. Later during that week, I took a trip to the store to buy cheeses, charcuterie, fruits, and other essentials to build a couple of boards. I made several boxes to gift to family and friends, and before I knew Bee Cheesy had 100+ followers on Instagram a week before Father’s Day weekend and I had about 40 orders Saturday and Sunday. It all happened so fast! Since then, Bee Cheesy has evolved a ton, from 100 followers, to where we are now with 5000k+, we went from receiving orders via archaic Google Forms to a full e-commerce website where clients can seamlessly place and pay their orders, something that has taken away the responsibility of me having to do administrative work. I no longer deliver myself, I now do it through a Square integration with Uber/Postmates, and it has been life-changing as I’ve gained a lot more time to focus on other business areas. From my first grazing table last year during May, table services have taken off and now I average a table a weekend.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has most certainly not been a smooth road, I don’t think any small business owner can say growing a business is smooth. It has been a lot of trial and error, with products, packaging, and marketing. Countless sleepless nights and very very early mornings! A lot of work without pay to spread the word about my business. Figuring out what will be a hit or what won’t during the holiday seasons has also been a huge challenge. Remaining successful, resilient, and trying not to be phased by the new charcuterie and cheese businesses that arise on the day-to-day has been another challenge. I would also say my biggest challenge continues to be working a 9-5 job. I am grateful that it is flexible enough that I can split my time and continue to thrive in Bee Cheesy, but it is challenging because if I am not working, I am working! Essentially, having two very demanding jobs is very stressful, but I really love both and as long as I can continue to do both, I will continue to challenge myself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business? What makes you or your business stand out?
I have an MBA with a concentration in Marketing, I work as a marketing manager 9-5 at a financial technology company. I do anything from email marketing to social media, to events coordinating, web design, graphic design, you name it! And since starting Bee Cheesy I am now a cheese lady or a charcuterie and cheese curator for a more professional way of saying it!

I struggle to answer these questions about my business, to be honest, but I think what sets me apart is my seamless ordering system, I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on that. A lot of people in the industry still use forms or orders via DM, making a client less likely to order. I am approachable and pretty available to discuss ideas with clients. I have a pretty wide variety on my menu to cater to different types of events and budgets.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I see success as something where I can see Bee Cheesy fulfilling different avenues of business, there are many opportunities out there beyond what I currently focus on. Fulfilling these different opportunities, at the right time, with the right mindset is a huge goal for me. Lastly, success for Bee Cheesy is not relying on only myself, but accepting help from others, I can’t possibly grow this business alone, also learn to delegate.