Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Karreno Alexanyan, owner, and founder of Charqute, located in Burbank, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Charqute is a boutique charcuterie and cheese board company located in Burbank, California, with a focus on beautiful design, fresh ingredients, and sustainably sourced products. Founded in 2020 by Karreno Alexanyan, it became an instant Angeleno favorite and a social media darling on TikTok and Instagram. We are a small team, supported by our family and friends, and we do our best to put a smile on every customer's face. We offer an array of charcuterie and cheese boards, boxes, and cones that can be customized to various sizes and dietary needs. Our products range from Mini Boxes, designed for 1-2 people, to Charcuterie Tables that allow scaling from 25 to 250 people. Our customers include businesses such as movie studios (Netflix, ABC, etc.), Tech companies (Amazon, Twitter, etc.), Luxury Real Estate Brokers, Homeowner Associations, Hospitals, as well as Small Businesses and Individuals.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Karreno Alexanyan, and I am the owner of Charqute. After working in the banking industry for almost 15 years, I realized that I was no longer growing personally, so I decided to take a year off to travel, take culinary courses all across the world, and do some side projects to figure things out while working towards finishing my master's degree.

Prior to starting the business, I also worked as a private chef and focused primarily on events. When the pandemic hit, I had to pivot my business model to make ends meet as events started to cancel. One of my existing clients, for whom I designed a grazing table, asked me to create a charcuterie board for a small gathering, and that's where the idea was born.

Right when I was about to launch my business, there was a war happening between Artsakh and Azerbaijan. As an Armenian, I decided to help my community and donate 100% of the proceeds I earned during the first month to the families of the soldiers that were killed during the Artsakh War. The Armenian community discovered me through these fundraising efforts, and my business took off.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Starting a successful business during the pandemic was probably one of my biggest accomplishments as a business owner. Also, it was during this time that I had an incredible collaboration with Netflix to design a Bridgerton themed charcuterie board for the TV academy.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Work/Life balance is one of the hardest things to achieve as a business owner. There is this 24/7 business clock that runs in the background of your head at any given time, even when you try to relax.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Invest in a social media manager - it is critical for the success of your business.
  2. Ask for customer feedback at any opportunity you get.
  3. Believe in yourself, and don't be scared to take risks.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

During the pandemic, I created videos on my TikTok and Instagram accounts to showcase my work. One day, my TikTok videos went viral and helped my business gain more followers. Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank even commented on one of my videos. Because of my large social media presence, I was able to connect with large audiences from all over the world and currently have a social media following of over 100k people and over 7M views across all social media platforms.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://charqute.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charquteofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charqute/
Twitter:
LinkedIn:

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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