Lisa Danforth

Hot Betty BBQ was founded in 2009, when the economy was declining rapidly. We were receiving many inquiries for lower priced menus. After 8 years of building my high-end boutique catering business, The Wooden Spoon, I decided not to lower my prices (and hence, be in competition with myself) during the downturn in the economy. I decided instead to launch a new division that could accommodate the requests, keep us busy, and stay in alignment with each of my 'brands'. Hot Betty BBQ was born...a lower cost, high quality option for my clientele. It was important to me to be able to provide lower cost, high-quality food, with exceptional service and presentation during these hard-economic times. People were still celebrating weddings, birthdays, Bar and Bat Mitzvah's, celebrating a loved one's life, and bringing people together for celebrations of all types. My team and I enjoyed HBB immensely. Hot Betty BBQ was a hit the moment we opened our doors. People loved the name, devoured the food, and enjoyed our amazing staff. She was hard to retire.

I started The Wooden Spoon by accident. I was 'volunteered' to cater my son's pre-school 1st annual fundraiser. It was a huge success with over 300 attendees, and as my first ever catering event, I learned how to swim pretty quickly...and enjoyed every minute of it. After the fundraiser I kicked off my catering career and built it up slowly so I could stay home, take care of my family while growing my business. Eventually my boys were old enough to work so I brought them onboard to teach them the ropes in business (see the picture of my mom, boys, and me). After 8 years I decided to focus on what I enjoyed most about catering: high-end cocktail parties. All those marvelous little morsels displayed on fun & funky vessels totally lit me up. The common consensus among those close to me was that I shouldn't niche down so far, that I would leave too much on 'on the table'. I decided to go with my gut (stop listening to what others thought was best for me and my business) and lean full force into what got me excited to get out of bed every day...this is when I grew my business 10X. Always listen to your gut! After 14 years of catering hundreds of events, I decided to take my years of entrepreneurial experience and start my business as a Business Strategy Coach so that I could help other business owners to grow and scale with more control and less overwhelm. I've never been happier with my work than as a coach.

Founder, Owner and designer of Bottom Buddies for eight years. Designed, manufactured and sold diaper covers and coordinating children's wear. Responsible for designing, sourcing, producing, and distributing children's diaper covers and clothing to North America and internationally. During my time as owner of Bottom Buddies, I was responsible for the staff and daily operations of the company. I leveraged a national sales team to extend distribution channels, which led to sales of Bottom Buddies extending east to west in the U.S. as well as large volume sales in Japan.