Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Rasmussen.
Hi Christopher, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Mama Lama started as an idea, built with love, and resuscitated by inspiration. As a single mom, you need the flexibility and the money, and most 9-5’s don’t offer either. After watching an episode of Shark Tank, I had the brilliant idea of opening a Food Truck that served desserts. I designed the outside of the truck– I needed something that called for attention but not too much. I think that was my first fail, my truck attracts EVERYONE’S attention! I designed my logo with Ice cream cones on it… guess what? We don’t sell Ice Cream, yes second fail but there is more! I needed a name, I needed something that represented who I was and why I was doing it. So, I looked into something representing my daughter, I made sure it wasn’t your typical “I-named-it-after-my-daughter name.” So, I named it after myself “Mama Lama” which is the short version of the name my daughter gave me, Mama Lama Kama Zama. Yes, every day when she came home from school she would yell out “Mama Lama Kama Zama I’m home.” She was learning how to rhyme at school at the time, and everything, I mean everything was a rhyme. I saw my food truck grow from the ugly white USPS truck to its beautiful pink self and I could not be more proud. Little did I know that fail number 3 was coming and this one took out the business before it even started. Life has a way of changing you, of pushing you and at the time I had no choice but to leave my hometown and move to Fort Worth. I needed a stable job that would feed my daughter and keep a roof over her head, and as I left El Paso my dreams were left behind. Fast forward 2 years to the part of the story where the prince finds the princess and they are living their best life. Except that in those 2 years the princess works really hard, goes to school full time, gets the awesome job, and prays to her fairy godmother for the handsome prince to show up. My handsome prince is Christopher, and he is more than I could’ve ever asked for, literally every girl’s dream. As any other girl who is over the moon, completely in love I have to tell you Christopher’s story.
Christopher has many strengths and qualities, he is highly educated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, extremely hard-working, and always has a smile on his face. I have to say his greatest quality is his ability to make genuine connections. His personality is one you instantly like, he has great energy and exudes positivity. Christopher quickly realized that in every job he had, he rapidly moved up the ladder. He was quickly offered manager or supervisor positions but was never offered the “Owner Position.” He could see all the money he was making for the boss that he could be making for himself. He knew the kind of life he wanted to have, and entrepreneurship was part of it. He wanted to have a business that served his community, he wanted to be able to talk to people daily, and most important a business that would give him the flexibility to enjoy life. The only question remaining was, what type of business would provide all 3.
One night while Christopher and I were having dinner we were discussing how working for someone is exactly like the quote says. You are helping someone else live out their dream, so I shared mine with him. Christopher was so inspired he pushed me to pursue it but this time we would do it together. We’d resuscitate this beautiful truck and make it our own. We’d hold each other’s hand while facing all the ups and downs of opening a business. Little did we know, that having full-time jobs and starting a business leaves you with zero to no time. You work on your day off, you work when you get off work, you go to sleep and dream about work. It was too much and we both felt like the Mama Lama dream was fading away. It was time to make a hard decision, did we have another fail coming up? NO, no fail. Christopher made the brave decision to part ways with his 9-5 and make Mama Lama his full-time job. Which brings us to the present, we are now Mama Lama 2.0 serving Gourmet Popsicles in the summer, and Waffle Pops in the winter. We are excited to grow the Mama Lama together, meet other entrepreneurs who took the risk and followed their dream, work while enjoying life, and make connections while providing a delicious dessert.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We definitely wouldn’t categorize the journey with the Mama Lama as a smooth one, but honestly, navigating the bumps has been satisfying in a way. Starting a new business is like learning any new skill. We’ve learned to go through this process with humility. The biggest struggles have proven to be the truck’s mechanical issues. Our truck is a diesel, it’s fairly old, and the model is one that is no longer manufactured, making for quite the battle in finding a mechanic that can work on it. The few mechanics that were willing to take a look at the truck had a 3-to-6-week backlog. In December the trucks engine stopped working and we found ourselves looking at our calendar full of booked events and having to cancel most of them. That definitely proved to be the most heart-breaking part of our journey.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have worked in the foodservice industry since I was slinging Blizzards at the Southlake Dairy Queen at 15 years old. I worked the front and back-of-house in various establishments in Austin (Uchi and Daily Juice to name a few) as well as the metroplex (Ellerbe Fine Foods). After finishing my undergrad degree in Anthropology, I quickly realized that a career in Anthropology would require more schooling and more student debt.
Looking for a change of pace, I went into construction, settling into the role as a production supervisor in a mobile-home manufacturing plant. While in that role I finished my Master of Business Administration and looked for a way to put that degree to use through my own business. Along came Nancy. She had a brand already built; a mighty fine one. With Mama Lama Sweets I could combine my business knowledge with my extensive food-service industry knowledge.
Nancy had a previous career path as a message therapist and administrator of a local e-commerce business. Presently she works for the city of Dallas. On her days off she will join me to work an event, but her input is ever-present. Nancy is the brain behind the Mama Lama menu.
What sets us apart are the complementary skillsets we bring to the table, which has made for a strong brand.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Networking is key. You can’t be a shy business owner. Many of the events we book come from talking with other food truckers. Mechanical advice, pricing/menu suggestions, industry business practices…all come from talking to those in our industry. The hardest part of starting a business is navigating the red tape: permits, build-outs, etc. After that, it’s off to the races. We’ve found that communication is key. We’ve had to cancel events due to truck maintenance, but we made every effort to keep our clients in the loop. We realize that not only are we building a business, but we’re also building a reputation.
We’ve been blessed to be in the food truck industry, as it is unlike most industries out there. In the food truck industry, everyone looks out for each other, because the mentality is not that we are each other’s competition but that there is plenty of business to go around and we are stronger together. Maybe you’re starting a business in an industry that’s not in such a positive culture, it just means you have to be more proactive in making connections.
Pricing:
- Events: minimum $300
Contact Info:
- Email: mamalamasweets@gmail.com
- Instagram: mama.lama.sweets
- Facebook: @mamalamasweets2
