Enterprenuer
Katy Coffield is the Co-Founder and CEO of Foodie Tribe, an influencer marketing and design agency that focuses on brands that sell food and beverages.
Before creating the Foodie Tribe, Katy built her career in the fields of public relations, advertising, and marketing software.
She was in close contact with Fortune 100 marketing teams, first as an account manager, then later as a customer success manager.
In addition to her work, Katy created a food blog in 2009 titled RandoMiami that featured local eateries and the top places to take a bite in Miami.
The blog later served as the spark that led to the idea of creating an online community of food bloggers in the year 2016 – the Foodie Tribe!
Outside of work, Katy is an avid athlete, mother of two, and also (of course) an avid eater!
What was the source of inspiration to create the Foodie Tribe come from?
I began creating a blog about food and drink in 2009 to teach an online class at the University of Miami.
My love for food and writing soon turned into an opportunity to be invited to local eateries to evaluate their food and the environment.
In 2016, I decided to establish Foodie Tribe, a community of foodies from the local area who wanted to help promote their city’s food and culture.
Within a short time of launching our application process, we started receiving applications from all across the U.S. and even from across the globe interested in becoming a participant in our group.
Every day, Foodie Tribe transitioned from a local community group to an international talent agency for influencers, partnering influencers and projects with companies in the food and beverage industry.
Six years later, we’ve grown to include more than 3,300 approved content creators from all over the world that work with companies such as Sub Zero, McDonald’s, Caviar (a DoorDash company), Litehouse Foods, and Del Monte Fresh Produce, HP, American Airlines and more.
What would your typical day take? How can you maximize your productivity?
My day begins by dropping my children off at school.
I have two children, a three and five-year-old.
Then I head to our coworking space in which we have two offices for me and Ali, co-founder of the company, along with our Foodie Tribe team members that reside in Miami.
After I have passed by their offices to say good morning, I start reviewing emails, responding to them, checking on how our influencer campaigns are progressing, and contacting potential clients and new customers.
My method of helping myself stay focused and efficient is through tools such as Asana, the project management tool that keeps me up to date with various tasks and our timelines for our influencer campaigns.
How can you bring ideas to the world?
Most of the time, thoughts are born out of spontaneous meetings between Ali and me.
We talk to each other approximately 50 times each day; that’s no exaggeration.
The majority of the time, we not only talk about ideas but also discuss ways we can keep making Foodie Tribe bigger, better, and more efficient in our processes.
What’s one thing that you are excited about?
What is truly interesting is seeing how the majority of brands are investing the majority of their marketing budgets in influencer marketing.
We’ve been in this business for more than six years.
The majority of what we’ve done throughout the years has been to inform clients about the importance of influencer marketing and why it is a crucial component of any campaign.
What’s one thing you do that will help you become more efficient as an Entrepreneur?
I am a prolific ninja in person that responds to emails.
I don’t let an email go unanswered for an extended period.
This helps me stay on the right track. I also ensure that I mark emails after I’ve replied if they are still worthy of an extended, more detailed response.
Numerous people have said that I respond to emails quickly, particularly to customers and potential clients.
Which advice do you offer an aspiring young person?
Do not be afraid to leap. When I decided to join Foodie Tribe full-time over four years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that I would eventually have an entire team of 8 individuals working with me. I would have it no different.
Share something real with us that nearly no one agrees with you about.
The first dessert to be eaten first needs to be the new norm.
In your role as an entrepreneur, what’s the one thing you’ve done repeatedly, and would you recommend it to everyone else?
I want to encourage you not to be discouraged. Keep in touch with your potential customers.
In addition to being the team’s leader as their CEO, I’m also the sales lead with Foodie Tribe.
We at Foodie Tribe only partner with brands who contact us.
If they have completed our brand questionnaire and are interested in working with us, I will call them three times before closing the lead.
What’s one thing that has helped you expand your company?
I’m not sure if I would describe it as a plan, but it’s essential to remain focused on the end goal and have fun getting there!
Every day, I get happy to join Foodie Tribe and lead our team.
This is the kind of work environment you need to set up for your team and yourself!
What was the biggest mistake you faced as an entrepreneur? If so, what did you do to overcome it?
It wasn’t an error. However, it was more of a lesson.
I did a degree in public relations and not much about business.
There were some things I needed to master by doing it the hard way and then to be quick to act to keep my company secure.
For instance, I had to find an attorney who could help me create solid agreements for our clients and our influencers.
What’s one business concept you’d be willing to share with our readers?
A socially focused coffee shop where the drinks and the treats are designed for promotion through social media using videos.
What is the most memorable $100 you’ve spent recently? Why?
I am always looking for new gym equipment to wear! I am a genuine participant in jogging as well as a HIIT instructor.
What is the one application or web service that will help you be more productive?
We utilize various software tools within Foodie Tribe, but I think the one that has helped our entire company stay on the right track is Asana, the system for managing projects.
What is the best book you would recommend that your community read, and why?
One book I thoroughly loved was The Art of Subtlely Not Giving a Fu*k.
It’s an excellent guide to understanding what you want to achieve in your work and in life and the best way to get it.
What is your most cherished quote?
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!”
Henry Ford
What could the Key Learnings “Katy Coffield” offer to Enterprenuer readers?
Be focused and determined in pursuit of your goals.
Be sure not to be distracted by the road; instead, stick to your plan.
Be constant. Be it with your customers or employees, keep your communications.
Influencer marketing is here to stay. Companies are investing more and bigger budgets each year.
