Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the Accelerated Degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, CSU’s executive MBA program. Without them, we wouldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the show, we have the owner of Sprolls, Cynthia Washington. Welcome.

Intro: Hello.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited for everyone to know about Sprolls. Cynthia, do you mind just sharing a little bit about this amazing dessert?

Cynthia Washington: Well, I started out by doing the filling, what, probably 40 years ago, the sweet potatoes as a side dish for family and friends. Free, of course. And I did it for years and then decided one day to try something new. And I added them in spring roll wraps and it went from there. And I say, oh, I’ve always wanted to be a businesswoman, an entrepreneur, since I was a child. And here I was, um, retired from the federal government and working for the airlines. So I decided, you know, hey, let’s make them and sell them locally. It got to be overwhelming. Okay. I didn’t think spring roll making spring rolls would be that overwhelming, but it was. So it stepped back. I incorporated the business and I started doing festivals and they were so successful. Now we’re looking for a way to grow, and that’s where we are right now. But it’s an old tradition with a new twist. That’s what I call it.

Lee Kantor: So let’s go back to the very, very beginning. So you have a family sweet potato recipe that everyone loves and your family. Is that the kind of the genesis of this whole thing?

Cynthia Washington: Yes. My grandmother used to make the best sweet potato pies and in the world. And I took the filling that she made. And because I’ve never been a crust lover. And so I decided to do just the filling, um, as a side dish, you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas for holidays. And it was, it was really a hit. People would call me and say, hey, don’t forget, got to do my potatoes this year. And I decided to to incorporate something different. So I took it a little further than grandma.

Lee Kantor: So then what was the how did you come up with, hey, why don’t I throw this in the spring roll?

Cynthia Washington: Um, I’m just that creative. And I decided, wow, I’m going to try this because I lived in Japan for like 4 or 5 years. And so I decided to do that because, you know, I love the spring rolls period, but I, I hadn’t encountered any desert spring rolls. And so I decided to do something different. And I tried it with my son and his wife and they loved it. And it went from there.

Lee Kantor: So was it on the first try? You just took the filling, put it in a spring roll, wrapped it up and then put it, fried it up. And then you were like, this is delicious. Let’s. Or were there some iterations of it of the recipe?

Cynthia Washington: No. Well, um, I did. I did it with this. The sweet potatoes. But we also did other flavors, like banana pudding. Um, we actually made banana pudding by, you know, from scratch. And it was nothing was by can or anything. We did everything fresh. Um, we peel the potatoes and did everything and so we, we just got overwhelmed. So we decided to stick with the sweet potatoes for now and then go back to the other flavors that we had. And we and I decided to make a glade, uh, a sweet potato glaze, right. And flavored icing to go on it also. And that was a big hit. You know, the people were asking for the icing separately and the glaze because with the glaze, you can use it on, um, French fries, ice cream pound cake. You can use it on different things, and it just really makes what you add it to really, really creative and delicious.

Lee Kantor: And that’s how you consume spring rolls. You dunk it in sauce like so that all makes sense.

Cynthia Washington: Right? Yes. Well, when we’re at the festivals, um, we um, pay the, the, the glaze and put it on there for the customer and then put the icing and then shake the little, um, cinnamon sugar on top. And so that’s the completion of it.

Lee Kantor: So what was, were you nervous at first at that first festival when you were like, well, I hope this works like, uh, you know, works for my family, but, uh, these are strangers now.

Cynthia Washington: Right? Very, very, very nervous because when we were looking around, we were thinking, these country folks are not gonna like nothing like this. Sweet potatoes in a spring roll. Oh, no, we’re not going to do well. But those people were. And I say those people with much love because they embraced it the first time they tried it. It was like we had customers coming back and saying how good they were. And that was in 2018, the first time we went, and they’ve been coming repeat customers. Every year we get new customers that come back repeatedly. And so when they showed, in fact, it was because of a customer that we were able to make the glaze and the icing separate SKUs because they were asking for it separately. In addition to the, um, the spring on the spring roll. Oh.

Lee Kantor: Well, I mean, that’s common in business. You listen to your customers, right? Because you want to, you want to serve them. And then, um, so you started going to more and more festivals is that became part of your weekends was going to festivals.

Cynthia Washington: Well, we would only go usually during the summer and uh, and the fall is when we mainly went and um, you know, we go every year, especially to the Oslo fest and Oslo, Georgia. Mhm. Because they were our biggest fans and our most loyal fans. And so we make sure we go there. And so right now I’m, you know, I’m concentrating on building the brand. And we introduced me, uh, help with, with building that because we have one, um, retailer that’s interested in getting 50,000 per month and I need help with that, you know, because it cost for the manufacturer that I partnered with to, to produce them. I got to be able to pay them before they release it right now.

Lee Kantor: And this is a common challenge for a lot of brands that are emerging like yours. Like how do you kind of take that leap of faith from being the size you are to a size you aspire to be without raising capital? Like, what have you learned about that? Because I’m sure in your career, this was not what you were talking about or doing every day.

Cynthia Washington: Right? Well, um, we’ve had some interest from some investors, but the investors so far that we’ve, um, encountered really wants to, you know, control and, uh, you know, I’m not willing to give control to those over to anyone because I’m looking to build this as a legacy for my family, my children’s children. Right. And so, um, we’re working on crowdfunding, You know, we have a GoFundMe account that because I’m not media savvy, it hasn’t been doing well. And I just want to get the exposure that I need to be able to, you know, get the, uh, manufacturer to produce what we need and also to get the equipment and things that we need to move forward. Because, you know, one of the main things that I’m thinking about is like, they have the, um, the narrative that put about policemen and donuts, right? Well, it’s going to be policemen and scrolls when we get going. They’re not going to remember donuts. And I’ve had some policemen try them and they were like, wow, you know, and I have an idea for a commercial with policemen. So it’s just so many ways that I can go with this idea and I’m excited about it.

Lee Kantor: So is right now the main way that you’re exposing the brand to the public is through festivals and online?

Cynthia Washington: Yes. Right. Well, really not online through the festivals and word of mouth. Um, we have people that call and say, but can you do this and do that? And because they’re frozen, we don’t do the, um, cook them for the customer and send them to them. Um, they usually order a big amount and then they, they save them from their, for themselves or cook them.

Lee Kantor: Uh, but at the festival you’re, they’re eating them right there. Right. Or are they, are they buying them frozen there?

Cynthia Washington: We have some customers that do buy them frozen for later.

Lee Kantor: Right. So you have at a festival, you can taste it there or you can buy some frozen.

Cynthia Washington: Right. Exactly. And but we’ve all customers have always bought them in addition to buying them frozen. And when we have the last festival this past October, we didn’t have a manufacturer at the time, but now we do.

Lee Kantor: Oh, so you were making them all yourself, like in the weekend? You know, right. A day or so before.

Cynthia Washington: We would do it the night before because we wanted them to be fresh. Right? So we did them the night before. And to do 2000 rows is no joke. That is no.

Lee Kantor: Joke. That’s that’s real work.

Cynthia Washington: Yes. And so but now that we’ve encountered, you know, um, uh, manufacturing is going to be uphill all the way.

Lee Kantor: Right. So now, um, is your whole family involved in this or just you? Who’s, who’s I know you’re leading it, but who, who, who do you have? Who have you recruited to help?

Cynthia Washington: Well, my son is going to eventually take over, but he’s working. Of course, he has a wife and three kids, so he’s working and he’s, you know, dependent on me to get everything set up before he can leave the commitment of his job. Um, we we need to get contracts in for, in in order for that to happen. And like I said, I have a Loi from a company that wants 5000 per month, right? But we really need some contracts and we’ve been reaching out to the cruise lines, the casinos in Florida and Mississippi. And, um, we were reaching out to different franchises. We looking for corporate contracts preferably. And um, we’re looking for someone to put my name out there to chat to get into his big chicken menu. And, you know, so if you’re listening, Shaq, you don’t know, you know what the I even took some to the Henry County Sheriff Department, where he. He’s a part of.

Lee Kantor: Right.

Cynthia Washington: And I, I gave them and I said, make sure he gets gets one. And when the lady called me back, she said, Miss Cynthia, she said, I’m. I’m sorry to tell you they’re gone. And he didn’t get any. I’m like, oh, man. So I’ve still been reaching out trying to get get some to him, you know, because I know he’s going to love her. He’s going to love them.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And there’s a lot of other franchises that are based here in Atlanta that might be interested in partnering with you.

Cynthia Washington: What? Give me that information because I’m I’m fervent about, you know, seeking out any kind of help that I can get.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, there’s a lot a lot of brands are based here. There’s a lot of, um, companies that are the the franchisor of a lot of the brands that you know of that might be a good fit to partner with. So yeah, hopefully if they’re listening, they’ll reach out to you, but it sounds like you got a winner here and you just got to get the word out.

Cynthia Washington: Yes, we had, we did an event for one summer for the, uh, Clayton County Police and fire Department. They were, um, at a kids camp and teaching the kids about safety. And they asked me to, you know, to come and share my spring rolls. And I did it for free. And when the people, when everybody came through the line, the firemen and the policemen, one guy, he said, now I don’t eat those. I don’t eat, um, sweet potatoes. And my daughter in law convinced him to at least try it. He came through the line three more times and we said, wait a minute, we’re not here to feed you. We’re just here for you to sample them, he said. Oh my God, these are so good. He said, can you cater my wedding? I’m getting married in two months. I said, we don’t do catering except for the spring rolls. We can’t, you know, we can’t cater your wedding. So we made we’ve made some believers out of some unbelievers.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And that might be a whole other side for your business partner with wedding planners. So that you provide the the spring rolls.

Cynthia Washington: Right? That’s a good idea. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. There’s, there’s so many opportunities for you with, uh, a dessert that’s so, uh, unique. Uh, it just seems like the sky’s the limit.

Cynthia Washington: Right? And, and we don’t use, um, because one manufacturer that I was going to go with, they wanted to do canned sweet potatoes. Oh, no, no, no, no. And they made some samples for me and my nine year old granddaughter. When it arrived, I, I made, I fried some for my nine year old granddaughter and she said, grandma, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, she said, but these are not as good as the ones you’ve always made. Well, I recorded it, you know. So to get her reaction right, and I told them, no, we’re going to stay fresh and do everything right.

Lee Kantor: Don’t compromise on the quality and what makes it special. I mean, that’s right. That is not the way to go. I mean, make it the way you you make it. And that’s what people love.

Cynthia Washington: Right. So we use fresh potatoes, cut up potatoes. We peel them and everything. And that was part of why it was so stressful for us when we were doing it by hand, is that we had to peel the potatoes, slice the potatoes and, you know, get everything done by, you know, right from from start. Right. But it’s worth it. It’s really worth it.

Lee Kantor: So when you go to a festival right now, How many do you have to make? Um, to, you know, to kind of handle the, the demand at a given festival.

Cynthia Washington: Well, we usually hit our max mark at 2000, but we usually say about and it’s, it’s, it’s kind of frustrating, you know, but, and so we, we try not to make them ahead of time, even though they have a, a year shelf life, we try to make them as fresh as we can. Right. Go to the festivals.

Lee Kantor: Right. So the frozen ones, I would imagine they have a shelf life. But when you’re at a festival, you make some fresh right there. So how many of those do you have to make where it’s ready to put into a fryer right there.

Cynthia Washington: 2000 we do it the night before 2000.

Lee Kantor: So you sell 2000 in 1 festival?

Cynthia Washington: Yes. We sell out.

Lee Kantor: Wow.

Cynthia Washington: We sell out. Yeah, we sell out. And we have this year. Um, and, and they record, they did, uh, one recording of, of, uh, the people eating them, but we should have gotten the recording where this lady, he bought some and she said she had been, she’s been there the years before. She said I just had to make it here, she said. And then she came back about two hours later and she was like, oh, well, I was hoping you all were still here because we were shutting down. She said, I got to get some for my mom because I ate the ones that I bought for her and I and I’m coming back to get some for her now. And so it just made us feel really, really good that, you know, people are, are that into it? They really are. They, they, it’s such a loyalty in that city.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you when you do the festivals, do you put a sign up that say your GoFund me and help us grow. Do you have some way to get people that love it right there to give, uh, to invest in, in the growth.

Cynthia Washington: Oh, you know what? Thank you. I, we’ve never advertised the GoFundMe at the festival. I didn’t think about that.

Lee Kantor: But those are all people that love your work and that probably want to help support you.

Cynthia Washington: Oh my God. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for making me aware of something. And to the poverty.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Well, I mean, I would start there. Those are your super fans. They’re coming back for more. And if there’s a way for them to help you grow and be part of the journey, I’m sure a lot of them will sign up for you right there on the spot.

Cynthia Washington: Yes. Okay. Because you know, it’s on my website, but usually when people go on the website, they usually just go to the pictures and say, oh my God, it looks so good. They don’t really read the story.

Lee Kantor: Right.

Cynthia Washington: And, you know, I need to make that clear.

Lee Kantor: Right. Well, at the festivals you’re having conversations with the people. That’s a perfect time for them to understand the story and want to be. And some of them are going to want to be part of the story by helping you.

Cynthia Washington: Right? Because, you know, the first, I totally agree. The first year we went, a young man, he he’s the one who was going on about the glaze and the icing. He came the second year and he said his mother, him and his mother come. And, you know, even now they come every year. And his mother said, oh, I’m so glad we finally found where you are. I’m so sick of him. He just said, I can’t wait till I find that man. I. She said, we finally found you. And that same year that young man, he. He said, Miss Cynthia, he said, this is going to go far. He said, I want to. I want to bless you. Shoot. And he went to his truck and he came back with a check for $500. And I was like, oh my God. He said, because you’re going far. And now that I’m thinking about what you’re saying, I could have been advertising the GoFundMe at the festival. Right? And then he didn’t think about that. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: Well, I think that that’s where you should start is with the people who are tasting it and loving it right on the spot, because a certain percentage of them are going to want to be part of the story and be part of the journey with you.

Cynthia Washington: Right. Well, we won’t, um, I’m going to I have some of my phone number and I’m going to ask them to spread the word.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, that’s where I would start is with the people who are your superfans and build from there. And, and it might require you to go to more festivals, uh, to get in front of more people. But that’s, I think how you build something is from the ground up and you’re doing, you did the hard work of coming up with a great idea. So now you got to just get in front of more people.

Cynthia Washington: Right? Yes. And but for those that are listening, that may want to, you know, can I give them the right.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Please give us your Facebook and your website and anywhere else maybe where you’re going to be in the coming months. Um, just share whatever you’d like because we’re here to help.

Cynthia Washington: Okay. Well, it’s freaux STROLLSLLC. And I think if you like, with the link in LinkedIn or Facebook or anything, you just type in that name, you should get us to come up. Um, I don’t know if there’s other scrolls on right sprout though.

Lee Kantor: The website I have in your, in the document in our prep document is Sprolls desserts.com. Sprolls desserts on Facebook, SPROLLS. Desserts T s. If you look for that, you should be able to find you. I would think pretty easily.

Cynthia Washington: Right? And if you go on GoFundMe period, you just type in this profile LLC. Yep. And it’ll come up. Mhm.

Lee Kantor: Well, Cynthia, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and you’re a true inspiration. And thank you again. We appreciate you and, and we’re rooting for you.

Cynthia Washington: Thank you. I thank you for the opportunity to share my story. And I thank you for your encouragement. I really do. And hopefully we’ll we’ll speak again. And when we talk, especially.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, when you get that big retailer, come back on and tell us about it.

Cynthia Washington: Yes, I will. I sure will. Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.