Exploring Life & Business with Mike Johnston of Mike’s Smokehouse BBQ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Johnston.

Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After 25 years of working in the non-profit sector, I left my position as Director of Communications for a national organization in 2017. For the first time in many years, I found myself without a well-defined mission, any significant projects to which I could apply my skills and, frankly, without enough money to make the ends meet.

Using what I had learned from my Dad over the years, I had dabbled with preparing Texas-style BBQ and had some occasional thoughts about one day opening my own BBQ restaurant. Whenever I had the opportunity to try out the secret family recipes on my friends and collogues, the response was always the same, “Man, this is the best BBQ I’ve ever eaten! You should sell this stuff!” Well, they were my friends and it was free so you would expect them to say nice things! Never-the-less, it was great to get that kind of response and the idea of serving it to others for a living was becoming more and more attractive so I began taking small steps in that direction.

Without any real capital and no desire to take on a huge amount of debt to start a business, I found full-time work as a merchandiser for a national company and used my spare time begin laying the groundwork for what would become Mike’s Smokehouse BBQ, a catering company specializing in Texas-style BBQ and serving the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region.

With my background as a Management Analyst with Department of Defense and having served in senior management positions in the non-profit sector, the planning and organization required to establish a new business actually came pretty easy for me. The problem was I REALLY love planning and organizational work. Almost a year into it, a very wise advisor told me, “Mike, you need to stop working on these spreadsheets and just start selling BBQ!” That was some of the best advice I’ve ever received and just what I needed to get me off my butt. I’ve been successfully selling my family’s delicious Texas-style BBQ to thousands ever since. They’re still saying, “This is the best BBQ I’ve ever eaten!” but now they’re paying for it!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One thing I have seen in those who are successful in what they do is that they make it look easy to others. The truth is, it takes an enormous amount of time and energy to start and maintain a successful business. That includes learning how to deal with failures and problems in a way that you and your business can benefit and grow from them. For me, the greatest challenges have included learning how to best utilize the different skills and personalities of those that work with you. I’m not naturally a “people” person and can be very demanding. Learning how to lead others by example without feeling like I’m the only one that can do this right has been huge. Secondly, the right location for operations has been a challenge. We started out sharing a kitchen with another caterer only to have our lease cancelled after the first two years and right before COVID hit. We were not in a position financially to cover the costs of our own kitchen but were able to relocate into a shared incubator kitchen. It’s been a real blessing and probably saved our business but shared space presents its own set of challenges as well.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mike’s Smokehouse BBQ?
With over 40 years of family experience preparing Texas-style BBQ, Mike’s Smokehouse BBQ sets the standard for exceptional quality and genuine Texas cuisine. Our mouthwatering Texas-style BBQ and southern sides have a distinctive regional flavor and are cooked to perfection. Our classic western or traditional upscale buffet presentations blend with your overall theme to create lasting memories for you and your guests. We don’t operate a restaurant or mobile food operation so our full attention is dedicated to providing superior catering services for you and your guests – on time and within your budget. We look forward to serving you!

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The food and beverage industry suffered a huge hit from the COVID pandemic and it has resulted in significant changes in the way food was being delivered to the public. Due to many of the state-imposed restrictions, most of our catering services were limited to either Individually Packaged Meals (IPMs) or food-to-plate service. However, as restrictions has eased, we have returned to our standard self-serve buffet style and expect this to continue to be the preferred option for most of the events we service. We have also seen an increased desire for BBQ and other “feel good” foods and expect this trend to continue as customers look for less “stuffy” options and better value for their money.

Pricing:

• https://www.mikessmokehousebbq.com/catering-menu

Contact Info:

• Email: response@mikessmokehousebbq.com
• Website: https://www.mikessmokehousebbq.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikessmokehousebbqky
• Other: https://www.mikessmokehousebbq.com/catering-menu