Meet Marquita Richardson | Owner, Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marquita Richardson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marquita, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
This is an interesting question for me, because I didn’t start a business, originally…. Life was life-ing, as they say, and I was exhausted and incredibly stressed out. I made a decision to figure out something else to do that would help me find balance. My requirements were: to find something that I could do with my dog on the weekends, that I loved. Something that would break up the weekly routine and not be nearly as stressful as my corporate gig. Something that made me happy from the inside out. The funniest part to me is I remember telling my dad, “I’m not going to get rich from this, it’s literally just for fun.” (My only expectation at the time was to make enough money to buy the produce required to make more ice cream).

I’ve never wanted to be an entrepreneur or business owner. I tried it when I first graduated college – freelance PR and Social Media – I hated it. I hated how unstable it was and how you could work really, really hard on a project and have a customer just decide to not pay you. It was crushing and ultimately, I didn’t love PR enough to do it for free. So I entered the corporate world and up until a year ago, I thought my impact would be expressed by rising to the top of the corporate ladder and being the representation so many C-suites are currently missing and being a real voice for the unheard and misunderstood.

But through this process, I’ve come to realize and love that instead of running someone else’s something, I get to make a the kind of company that I would want to work for. The kind of company that won’t need people to change minds or perspectives because it’s filled with outdated perspectives by people who don’t look like or understand me. I get to create a company that treats people fairly, pays people appropriately, stands on principle and lives their mission.

I’ve never felt more excited or energized about anything more than this. And I get to do it all while hanging out with dogs. It’s literally a dream come true. I honestly, don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. And if you hadn’t guesses, I absolutely would do it for free.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I originally started my college journey pursing a teaching degree. My grand plan was to teach in the day and go to Law school in the evenings. After 3 years, some state test and getting placed into a classroom, I decided teaching wasn’t for me. I literally spent a Saturday, looking at Wayne State’s website with the thought, what do I already know how to do, that I like to do (a running theme in my life), and I landed on Public Relations.

Once I figured out that Change Management was how I wanted to utilize my PR degree professionally, I became a contractor and project hopped. My plan was to gain as much experience in as short of time as possible because I never wanted to go back to school. From there, I joined one of the most prestigious firms in the world. I’ve moved around a bit since then, but have supported and helped lead several multi-million implementation projects.

With all of its glamour and “perks,” consulting is an incredibly demanding, fast-paced job that most people would probably not like or be able to handle. There are a lot of pressures – internally and externally – weekly travel (pre-covid), sales goals, metrics, so on and so forth that can truly begin to have a toll on even the strongest of people. I would describe myself as a type A perfectionist and proud extrovert (we get such a bad rep), but even for me it can be a lot at times, though, I do like the challenges and problem solving aspect.

But through it all, and what I feel has set me apart from a lot of my peers, is the ability to shut out the noise and focus on what matters most – the people who are actually impacted by the changes we are managing. Leading with empathy and never being afraid to do what’s right, even if it isn’t popular, even if I will receive a few lashings later on from the higher up, has and will continue to be my superpower. And while it doesn’t always fare well in corporate spaces where signing the next million dollar contract is top of mind for most, I’m excited to continue flexing my do-gooder muscle for my own brand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fun Question: Im kind of like a purveyor of fun vibes..

Walk or bike the Riverwalk and Dequindre Cut, it’s truly so beautiful and you could sit and observe the water for hours – plus the DC has a bar in the middle, now.

Detroit-style pizza from Comos, washed down with Cherry Old Fashions from Traverse City Outpost

A show at The Fox would be an absolute must, followed by grub from Frita Batidos.

A day in West Village – Shopping, Sister Pie and Two Birds – David is the homie!

We’d have to go to The Belt of course, nothing beats French 75 slushies at The Skip on a hot summer day. The people watching is also pretty top tier and towards the end of the night, get on the list at Standby for some of the best music and cocktails in the city.

Eastern Market on a Saturday for shopping, samples, meeting entrepreneurs and the Butterfly Tears seltzer at Eastern Market Brewery.

And on the last day, I’d take my friend to the Avenue of Fashion for brunch at Petty Cash and shopping, followed by a history lesson on Detroit Black Excellence by touring Boston Edison.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is such a great question!

My shoutout goes to Heather Levine (co-owner of Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, Freya, Dragonfly, and the Oakland).

She changed my entire thought process, and I’m not even sure she’s aware of it.

Through one of the many incubator organizations in the city, I found her and scheduled a free 30-minute consultation. This was maybe 2-3 weeks into my researching the validity of the idea. And as previously mentioned, at the time, all I knew was that I wanted to have an ice cream cart for dogs – not a “business” per say, but as a hobby that I’d pursue on the weekends.

As I researched how to do so, I ran into dead end, after dead end. The rules simply didn’t seem to exist or apply to have a mobile food service that wasn’t for humans. So, by the time our session came up (I may have booked 3 weeks ahead or so), I was completely discouraged. The night before, I vividly remember debating with myself, if I should just cancel because I didn’t want to waste her time or make a fool of myself. But I didn’t and. I’m so glad for it.

Heather helped me realize the cart was only a vehicle, and the ice cream was the business and where I should focus my energy. She asked me, “Where do you get the ice cream?” I said I make it.
She said, and I will literally never forget this for the rest of my life, “That is your business. I don’t see why I can’t go to Whole Foods and get ice cream for me and ice cream for my dog.” It was like a light switch literally turned on in my head. Ending that call, I immediately began researching how to become a pet treat manufacturer – a better fit, with less dead ends.

That conversation changed my entire thought process and literally transformed my vision of a weekend hobby to a brand and business. A business that I wanted to do and could still have fun doing.

Website: https://www.sweetpawscreamery.com

Instagram: @sweetpawscreamery / @marquitarich

Image Credits
Submitted by Sweet Paws Creamery and Brooke Carey of Visuals by Brooke