Today we’d like to introduce you to Kent Scroggins.
Kent, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always had a love for cooking. The passion started when I was nine, cooking with my Nana in her kitchen. She always took the time to show me how she would start and finish a dish, as well as doctor anything up. I played tennis, sang, and acted in high school but always ended the day cooking something or watching cooking shows to help improve my techniques. After graduation, I got a job with the school district helping facilitate caterings and other events.
Shortly after one of those events, I was reached out to by a friend who was a recruiter with a large financial institution. She was inquiring if I would be interested in an entry level job, with good benefits. I was 19, ABSOLUTELY! It was 2011 when I started there. It is a phenomenal company, and I spent six years there. It grew me in so many ways, but one of the best things it allowed me to do is have time to cook dinners and have my weekends to still dabble in recipe testings/caterings.
I left that company in 2017 and dabbled in other investments, selling sports memorabilia, and really taking time to try and figure out what the next step was for me from an entrepreneurial standpoint. In May of 2018, my sister sent me a link of the school bus/food truck for sale, and I had to jump on it. I showed it to my wife, we prayed about it, and by the end of the week it was ours. That was just the beginning of Oh Balls! Food Truck.
Over the next couple of weeks, I began fine-tuning recipe testing, researching and developing marketing ideas, menu, pricing, etc. We launched in July 2018 and started booking private events in August 2018. I still can’t believe it’s only been a few months, but I can’t imagine them being spent on any other way. Fun Fact: two weeks after we purchased the bus, my wife and I found out she was pregnant. Our little meatball will be arriving in January 2019!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The journey of Oh Balls! Sort of began in 2015. My wife and I were in Oklahoma City. She was at an audition, and I took her car to get worked on. I was working on a paper for school and halfway through attempting to knock it out, I closed my laptop and just started daydreaming. Did I really want to keep pursuing a finance degree? I mean, I loved my job, I loved the people, and I loved the industry (so, yes right?).
I still kept thinking about a food truck, and I started daydreaming about my wife and I eating with our friends and how many memories are made with food being the center of them all, and how happy that made me… I started googling food trucks in the area we lived. I saw many familiar concepts; BBQ, Pizza, Tacos, Grilled Cheeses, etc. All of which had their own creative twist. I started my list of things I wanted; creative concept, clever naming, family friendly, and fun menu items, and that’s where it started, by the time the car was done I had 30 different menu items, basic recipes, and an overall rough draft concept; Oh Balls!
I remember texting the “menu” to one of my best friends, and his reactions were exactly what I wanted, I thought to myself “hey, maybe I have something here.” We drove back to Texas and as just as soon as Oh Balls! saw a glimpse of light, it immediately went back into hiding when I went into work on Monday. Fast forward to May 2018, I’m an early entrepreneur looking for the next thing for me to tackle, juggling the thought of taking the plunge and buying a food truck and BAM, the bus appears. Like I said before, we launched late in the summer. Which meant most places were already booked and were only booking for fall.
The first couple of months we kind of played the “cancellation” game, hopping into last-minute events and scrambling to get our new brand in front of people. I cold called and in some cases went into establishments wandering around looking for the right contact to introduce myself to, to discuss the opportunity of them having us in their rotation. I think that’s kind of the beauty and the best of the food truck business. We are constantly grinding and trying to book the next event, it’s such a rush!
Oh Balls! Food Truck – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Oh Balls! Food Truck is the ONLY Meatball Food Truck in Texas. We specialize in gourmet meatballs and other ball-shaped items! I think as a chef I am most proud of the concepts and flavor profiles. We strive to break the stygma and show people that meatballs aren’t just served with spaghetti.
There are staple meatballs in almost every major culture around the world, and on top of that, there are so many other classic dishes or flavors that can be served in “meatball form.”
As a business owner, I am most proud to be doing a lot of the work myself, grinding and really figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I have been so blessed with help from family and friends both on the bus and in the test kitchen, it’s amazing to have so much support from everyone and how much they want to see Oh Balls! succeed as well.
I’m also super proud of our motto, #rollwithit My beautiful wife, Lindsay gets the credit for that bad boy. It implies to just “go with the flow” and surprisingly applies to other areas in our life outside of the food truck, it has become a staple saying for us!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success can be defined in so many ways. I think the best way for myself to define it is actually acknowledging that success is measured in more than just one way.
There are different levels of success; business, financial, health, etc. A wise man once said “the worst idea is one you don’t try” and that has stuck with me since the day I first heard it.
There is so much truth behind that saying. I think by constantly trying to be innovative and acknowledging the speed bumps along the way is how I am able to be truly successful. Selling a few meatballs doesn’t hurt either.
Pricing:
- Balls: $9 (3 per order)
- Base: $2 (pairs perfectly with each ball)
Contact Info:
- Website: ohballstx.com
- Phone: 682-800-3463
- Email: ohballstx@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ohballstx
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ohballstx
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ohballstx
Image Credit:
Andy Emery
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