Today we’d like to introduce you to Katya Bravo.
Hi Katya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I started bartending and working events at restaurants in Miami Beach and that introduced me to a lot of people in the industry. I ended up meeting an employee for Anheuser Busch, who later offered me a job as a brand rep.
I found out that I really loved being a brand rep, and no day was ever the same – I enjoyed interacting with the different accounts, coming up with unique ideas for activations, and finding my passion for storytelling.
It took me a long time to get here, but after I became a mom, I went back to work doing the marketing for Lincoln Road in 2005 and fell back into the hospitality industry. I also worked in the nonprofit world with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
After that, I started my first marketing company, Rock Paper Scissors, and was working with Lincoln Road and consulting with Brown Forman — who is still a client today. With the real estate crash in 2008, I lost several clients but then had the opportunity to interview with the owner of a real estate company for a marketing position.
I had no expectations going into this interview, but I met the most relatable female entrepreneur and learned from her for the following four years. Afterward, I made my way back to the food and beverage industry with Peroni and finally felt like I was exactly where I needed to be.
I was with Peroni for seven years and then decided to create Secret Sauce.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Entrepreneurship is never a smooth road, there will always be growing pains when building your own business. There are going to be a ton of roadblocks and sacrifices that you will encounter along the way, however, what sets people apart is how they handle each situation, learn from it, and evolve.
When you first start out your business, you have an idea and vision of what you are trying to accomplish, but often you have to adapt and change the course of your plans due to outside forces and even your own growth. The pandemic was a huge roadblock for us and for everyone in the events and hospitality industry.
We struggled and had to adapt to the environment and the times we were in. We learned a lot during that time and were able to grow our client list outside of spirits brands and partner with more lifestyle clients.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Secret Sauce is an experiential creative agency, focusing on hospitality and lifestyle brands. We are a female-owned and female-operated business.
What sets us apart is that we are storytellers, we approach every project and client that way. We want to help craft and tell their story in a really fun, interactive, experiential way that connects with people/consumers/guests.
We are fortunate enough that we are able to partner with like-minded brands that have similar beliefs and core values as we do. Secret Sauce has built a reputation that is known for the details, it’s what separates us from other agencies.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Being a female entrepreneur was something that solidified me as a person. Entrepreneurship can be scary, it’s scary to be responsible for my employees’ livelihoods, but it is also very empowering.
Now, I want to help other women become entrepreneurs and provide them with the proper tools to be successful business leaders in their own right. I am excited for the next chapter as an entrepreneur and growing Secret Sauce.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wearethesecretsauce.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethesecretsauce/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearethesecretsauce
