Entrepreneur Kathryn Matthews, Owner Of Iron Paffles & Coffee, Joined Jerry Miller On The I Love CVille Show!

Entrepreneur Kathryn Matthews, the owner of IRON – Paffles and Coffee, joined me on The I Love CVille Show powered by Greenberry’s Coffee at Barracks Road and Dr. Scott Wagner of Scott Wagner Chiropractic and Sports Medicine!

Here are some of the topics we covered with Kathryn:

(1). What is a Paffle? How did you come up with the idea for Paffles? How do you make a Paffle? How has Charlottesville and Central Virginia responded to the Paffle?

(2). What motivated you to launch Iron Paffles?

(3). How did you put your business model together to get a loan from a bank to launch your business? Kathryn used $30,000 of her own money and a $90,000 bank loan to launch Iron Paffles.

(4). I asked Kathryn how she allocated and managed her $120,000 seed money to launch her business.

(5). Kathryn said the success of her business has also helped her gain confidence in herself. I asked her to put this into perspective. Her answer and insight on this topic was absolutely amazing!

(6). Kathryn is one of the best social media ninjas in CVille. She’s consistent with her postings across all social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. She’s authentic and genuine with the content she posts. Kathryn DOES NOT just post “call to action” content or “buy this” content. Instead, she chooses to tell the story of her brand through authentic posts featuring photos, videos and copy points that are genuine, cheeky and entertaining.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, I would encourage you to listen to Kathryn’s social media marketing strategy. She outlines this approach in this interview.

(7). I asked Kathryn to discuss some of the trials and tribulations she has faced as a female business owner. Very interesting response from Kathryn. Unfortunately, sexism still exists today.

(8). I asked Kathryn about the future of Iron Paffles. She’s an entrepreneur at heart, so she certainly wants to expand the brand to other markets and locations like Richmond, Va or Washington, DC.

A couple investors are showing interest in the Iron Paffles brand. We may see a private equity infusion that will allow the brand to scale. Time will tell, but it’s certainly exciting nevertheless!

(9). I asked Kathryn about the restaurants and chefs she admires in CVille. Kathryn immediately recognized Chef/Owner Kit Ashi at Monsoon Siam and Chef Laura Fonner at Duner’s Restaurant. She said these were two of her favorite restaurants in CVille. Kathryn also said she admired and looked up to Kit and Laura, two super talented cooks.

(10). I asked Kathryn about how she decompresses or “turns off” from work. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, including myself, this is a struggle for Kathryn. However, she and her husband employ an interesting rule that’s had a positive impact on their lives: No phones after 8 pm!!! Wow. I don’t know how they do this!!

(11). I asked Kathryn about her management style. She indicated that her style has definitely changed since she launched her business 18 months ago.

Interesting tidbit: Kathryn had to fire a male employee during the first week of Iron Paffles’ existence. She said it was difficult, but it needed to be done. This employee then caused Kathryn headaches down the road, including making sexist remarks to Kathryn’s face and across social media. Kathryn relayed this story to us. I was impressed with how she handled this situation.

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