Blueroot founder shares restaurant journey
Jennifer Ryan may have been an accidental entrepreneur, but now she’s a trailblazer for small businesses.
Ryan, founder and CEO of The Blueroot Company and Croux, shared an incredible story of grit and determination to the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. “I do have a story,” said Ryan, “of how and why I’m ‘accidentally’ running two companies.”
After an opportunity for Ryan’s husband caused them to move from California to Birmingham, their family made a conscious decision.
“We promised ourselves one thing: that we wouldn’t just float through and exist here,” Ryan said. “We would really live here. We would build a community around us and contribute.”
On the quest to figure out where she could contribute, Ryan discovered she was hungry. Birmingham has many food options, but it did lack one thing. “I couldn’t find healthy, easy, convenient food that tasted wonderful,” Ryan expressed. After writing manifestos to restaurateurs in the healthy food space, begging them to come to Alabama, Ryan realized it was time to take matters into her own hands.
“I had a choice. I could either be okay with the status quo, or I could build something better. And I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like,” said Ryan.
It started with collecting resources.
“I called every nonprofit, and I begged them for free resources,” explained Ryan. “I called the Birmingham Business Alliance and ran through my pitch. Women business owners, the chamber of commerce, and restaurateurs also offered roadmaps for Ryan to build this new business.”
In early 2020, the first location of Blueroot opened in Mountain Brook. And just like many other businesses, they faced financial struggles when the pandemic arrived in March. An unexpected award, though, would end up saving her livelihood.
“In April 2020, something magical happened. The Les Dames Chapter of Birmingham granted me a $6,000 check and called me their Entrepreneur of the Year,” shared Ryan. “That $6,000 covered the payroll for April, and that’s the only reason we’re alive today.”
Ryan shared the same frustrations as many in the hospitality industry over the next two years from supply chain issues to inflation. One area that hit the industry the hardest, however, was staffing shortages.
“People are leaving [the workforce] for reasons that may not be so obvious,” Ryan explained. “Working conditions have reached an all-time low while the mental health crisis has reached an all-time high.” Ryan, along with other professionals, had an idea that would bring freedom and flexibility to Alabama’s hospitality industry.
“In October of last year, we pitched this crazy idea called Croux,” Ryan said
Croux is an app that connects talent with opportunities. Vetted talent can be matched with understaffed restaurants, bars, hotels, special events, and more. Croux expands the talent pool and gives talent freedom to choose shifts based on schedule and skillset.
Ryan credits her success to the community who surrounded and supported her. Ryan gratefully shared, “This industry is one I never expected to work in, but the conditions in Alabama allowed me to take an idea and transform it into reality.”