Coffee With E

Building Confidence and a Profitable Cafe with Tasha Heck

• Erica Rawls

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Are you a young entrepreneur interested in the food industry but not sure where to start? Meet Tasha Heck, owner of Healthy You Cafe in Enola, Pennsylvania, who turned her culinary roots and persistence into a profitable business.

Tasha worked under the previous owner for seven years before stepping into ownership in January 2024 at age 30. In that same season, she also launched a food truck. In this episode, she shares how she pushed past insecurity, learned to say no, and built confidence like a muscle while managing a small but powerful team.

At Healthy You, about 95% of items are made in-house. Dressings and sauces are created from scratch, chicken is sourced fresh from a local butcher, and favorites like the Hot Honey Chicken Salad keep customers coming back. Tasha also shares her next big vision: a commercial production kitchen and a retail line for her sauces and dressings.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•How seven years of apprenticeship prepared Tasha for ownership

•Simple ways to stop self-sabotage and avoid burnout

•How to build real confidence through consistent action

•What it takes to run lean teams and keep food truly fresh

•The keys to pricing, portions, and customer satisfaction

•Tasha’s future plans for growth and expansion

Connect with Healthy You Cafe:

Website: https://www.healthyyoucafe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthyyoucafe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyyoucater

Sponsored by:

TOCH Construction: https://www.tochconstruction.com/

Allstate Insurance – Rob Shaw: https://agents.allstate.com/robert-shaw-harrisburg-pa.html  

Chavis Law Firm: https://www.chavislawfirm.com/ 

Dirty Dog Hauling: https://dirtydoghauling.com/ 

Powered by The Erica Rawls Team: https://ericarawls.com/ 

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Erica Rawls:

Hey you! Are you a young entrepreneur and you're looking to get good footing on how to be a profitable business or trying to figure out what you want to do? You're thinking you want to be in the food industry but just not sure quite what it's gonna be. Listen up. I had the opportunity to sit down with Tasha Heck. She is the owner of Healthy U Cafe, and I promise you, she has a baby face, but she has a lion's heart when it comes to business. She breaks it down, actually talks about how she had to overcome some insecurities and how she now is running a profitable business and how her family has helped her to get to where she is today. So listen up and guess what, y'all? As I always say, meet me in the comments. I want to hear from you. So let's roast that little insecure person that's whispering your ear that you're not good enough. I mean, really, who do they think they are? Let's talk back to it. Because here's what I learned. Most of us are winging it anyways, right? So in order for you to gain that confidence, I've also learned that it's a muscle. It is not a birthright. So today, stop the negative talk. You are the darn thing. You are dynamic and you deserve to be in the room. Okay. Tasha, I'm so happy to have you on the chair having coffee with me. Like seriously. This is really good. So, how did we meet? I always love to know. How did we meet?

Tasha Heck:

Do you remember how we met? So, if I remember correctly, I believe that you're a customer at the cafe. Yes.

Erica Rawls:

Cafe, yes.

Tasha Heck:

However, but I you don't I don't see you because you run the place all the time. That's true. Yes. I'm a lot of behind the scenes. I'm very hands-on involved in the day-to-day operation. Um, but I then I believe Sydney had reached out about a food sponsorship for one of the fog companies.

Erica Rawls:

Oh, that's right. Okay. The sponsorship. Yeah. So for people that don't know you, you are the owner of Healthy U Cafe, which is located in Enola, Pennsylvania. Correct. Right? Um and that's your sole location? Yes. Okay, wonderful. So what I love about the place is you actually get a lot of food and it's healthy, so you don't feel like weighed down. Yeah. So I really do love that. So how did you actually become the owner? Because you look like you might be 15. I love that. Thank you.

Tasha Heck:

No, so I um I stumbled upon the cafe whenever I was working, um, really heavy like grind work at a retirement community, and the fitness director there was like, You would love this cafe. You need to go check this cafe out. And I think she was more aiming it towards like, you'll love the food there in the atmosphere. Okay. Well, at that point, I had kind of been looking for a new position, a new job, um, just had recently found out that I was expecting my son, so I needed something that was a little less intense. Yeah. Um and I went to the cafe, I met the previous owner, worked underneath of her for about seven years. Um, and from the beginning of even just working for her as the manager, we really hit it off. She was like, You, um, you're who I want to run this business whenever I retire. So I really learned so much from her working underneath of her. Um, I came in with very little um catering experience. I had a lot from my mom because she had a catering business as well, but more of the displays in the series nature of making the food look as well as what we present it because people always eat with their eyes first. Yeah. So I learned so much from her. Um, I learned a lot of the backside of the business things. I've met so many clients, and then yeah, as of January 2024 is whenever I took over the ownership. Sounds awesome. At the the young age of 30, I was starting um a food truck as well. Really? Yeah, and the the cafe at the same time. What's more crazy than you know, starting two at the site? No. Yeah. But I mean you had the energy to do it. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, so it was, yeah, it was awesome. It was an incredible first year. It was everything more than I could have expected. But um, you know, there's so much that goes on that I don't think a lot of people realize when it comes to running businesses. Oh. That's not always, you know, the It's not great.

Erica Rawls:

They see the highlight reels, right? They see us when we're in the clouds. They don't see like what we had to go through to get to that point. Right. Yep. So yeah, I totally get that. So then did you always have like a culinary black background? Yes.

Tasha Heck:

Okay. So I, my mom, she actually had a food truck and a catering business. Oh wow. So I got started with her. I would be um we would take, we would switch each week. One week she would um do all the breakfast cooking, like get the truck all stocked. Yeah. And then I would, you know, get the extra hour sleep, and then I would have to do the dishes at the end of the day. And then the next week we would switch where I would do all the morning cooking. I was probably like 10, 11, 12 whenever all this was going on, too. Yeah. And like my my parents are incredible. My mom, she's always, um, they've always like butchered their own meats. Like my dad was a very advocate hunter. So, you know, deer, venison, fishing. Um, and then my mom, she had a humongous gardener. We would go to produce auctions and she would can all of her own vegetables and she'd make all of her own sauces. So that's what we would have during like the winter time. So I really just learned like the value of like that good food and like like having a big heart of knowing where it's coming from, too. So I carried a lot of that with me. And then um in high school, and they give you the option to go to Cumberland Perivot, okay, which is the you know, the local vocational school down here. So I did culinary arts there. My senior year, I was able to branch out and go work at a restaurant instead of going to school to get more experience. Did that, and then I um put myself through culinary school at a small tech school in York. At the time, it was called Yorktown Business Institute, um, which they had within the last few years actually shut down. But that was like a really awesome place. They had um like two stories of learning kitchens. So I worked under a bunch of different chef instructors while still taking my academic classes too. So I graduated there with my associates in Callinar. Yeah, and then um right from there, from my internship, I was at the retirement home, which then led me to the cafe. And in between, I worked hospitality between bartending, serving, um, dish room, you know, prep work, bistro, um cafe work. And it's all I've ever really done. And um, I know that it's silly to say, like, I don't know what I would do if I didn't do that. I'm sure I could find something, but of course. But that's I I feel like that's always what I was driven to do. And yeah, um, I think that at least I like to think that you can see a lot of that in my work because I pour every ounce of my soul into the food and I make it very well known to my small team of three that it how important it is to me and um how hard I've worked to be where I'm at, and like with them working with me, they need to understand that too. And I think that we you know present that really well. Yes.

Erica Rawls:

Dirty Dog Hauling, thank you so much for your sponsorship. If you're looking for junk removal company, they are the go-to company, whether you have a small job or a large job, and even excavation, you want to check them out. They are reasonable and also timely and effective. Dirty Dog hauling. Now back to the show. It's so good for you to say um about, you know, you couldn't see yourself doing anything else. Yeah. Because I believe that that's probably because you're working in your your purpose. Sure. Absolutely. So did you ever see yourself as being a business owner?

Tasha Heck:

I, my, my mom to this day, she still says about how I've always been miss independent. And it's not like I was ever a difficult employee. I was someone who was like, if someone say like this is what we need to do, I would do it. But I always liked kind of being in charge. Yeah. So I've always felt like I was always gonna have something like that. And I always refer back to do you remember in like your senior, like high school senior yearbooks? How can you have leading me? But yeah, I'll go back, I'm working back. Okay. But they have that little spot where it's like your senior bio and like what you're gonna do when you grow up and all this stuff. Girl, I hit that to a T. I said, I did. I said, I'm gonna I'm gonna meet my husband, I'm gonna have kids, and then this is the best part. I'm gonna have a sandwich shop. I've got a sandwich shop and a food truck. No, it's just great. It makes me laugh though, because I'm like, most of those things, like what are you thinking when you're like 16, 17, 8 years old, right? You're like, right, I'm gonna own a sandwich shop. No, it's always been my dream. Yes, that's so funny. I don't know if it if it legit says on the Carlisle Pike or not, but I'm in Enola, so it's not too far, right?

Erica Rawls:

It says the Carl Pike. I know we need that. Like I should have brought it with post it. I'm actually gonna post it. You have to send me a picture. Like, look, if you that's like manifestation. Yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh. That's why you always have to be careful what you write and what you say, yeah, right? Because that thing will happen. Yeah. Oh, that is so great. That is so great. Okay, so you are young. You don't have to tell me your age, but I could just tell you're you're young, right? And I know as a young woman, woman, yeah, just a young person, period, but then put it on top of that woman. So let's talk about some of the challenges you have to overcome.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah. So um I there's I've definitely fought some battles within myself, not feeling like I fit into the business world, especially within this area. Um, like growing up in Perry County, I know that Perry County kind of has like the stigma that comes along with it. Um it does not. Uh it's a great place. It is, it is a wonderful place. And and I will always, you know, back them up on that. But it's just like I my style or like my appearance and like the way I feel comfortable. Sometimes I've felt like in the past I've had to like shift myself a little bit. And it took me up until this year to realize like I don't. Um and how so, do you mind sharing? Yeah, like like how I like how I dress sometimes or the way I present myself. In the past, I've been told, like, you know, you might want to wear something different or or do like change your hair a little bit, or and it's it's it's tough, you know. And um I grew up in like the the late 90s, early 2000s, where like I feel like women's appearance was like a huge part of them, right? Yeah. Always having to be thin, um, well kept, and it's just something that I spent so much time and energy and and honestly money too, trying to fit into this nick that I never was gonna fit into. And the moment that I was like, I'm not doing this anymore, I'm gonna be myself. That's when I felt like I really started to like flourish.

Erica Rawls:

So let's go a little bit deeper there because I still think that that is still a thing. Yeah. Because a lot of people now, more so than ever, they have this obsession, I'll put it obsession, that I'm putting it only because, okay, that is not to judge, okay? That's just my perception of what I'm seeing. There's this new obsession that's going on with wanting to be thin. Yes, yeah, yeah. So where is that coming from? Because I see a lot of people that um may not be thin, and I believe that they are so beautiful. So to hear people say that, yeah, um, I'm looking to lose like 50 pounds or 65 pounds, like, yeah, that just it's just blowing my mind. So to hear you say that, you're like, you know, back in the 90s, I'm like, no, girl, that's 2025 stuff.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, like I I remember being um my gosh, it was probably like even middle school, middle school, early high school. Do you remember 17 magazines? Maybe that was. I do remember in my room and just wanting to look like these girls, but I I was always like on like the heavier side, like never like super unhealthy, but like I was just never like those thin girls you're like. Super model thin? Yes. And like um, I remember, I think it was uh what was the modeling show that they always had out in top model?

Erica Rawls:

Yeah. I wanted to be on that. I was too old, but didn't we?

Tasha Heck:

Oh, yeah. But like um, and just like listening to the way that they, you know, would talk to them, and you're like, oh my gosh, like this whole self-image thing. And it's like you're not gonna be good enough unless you look like these girls, and unfortunately, like it's it's still around. And um, I think the you know, my biggest thing having a daughter now is like I tell her all the time how beautiful she is, and I just hope that that's something that sticks with her, and she doesn't have to deal with you know the voices in her head sometimes, like I had to, and I hope it doesn't take her 31 years to realize that she is just perfect the way she is, and not everyone's meant to be those ways.

Erica Rawls:

So I have a friend, and the reason why I'm talking about this I just literally had a conversation um about this with one of my friends, and so I have a friend, and she said that um that her algorithm is like all messed up. Yeah. Because, you know, she's not a small person, you know, medium size size woman, and she appreciated following people that look like her when it came to size that were into fashion. Right? So, but she's finding it's hard because the one person that she was following for the longest decided that they wanted to lose all this weight. Sure. Hey, I need to take two seconds to interrupt this wonderful show that you're watching. I run a real estate business, and the way we fund this podcast is through that business, the Erica Ross team. I would love it if you would just give us one opportunity to service your real estate needs, whether you are in Central PA or around the entire world. Think of us first so we can help you. Now back to the show. So she was like crashed. She's like, oh my gosh, like who am I going to be able to follow? You know, so just to hear you say that, like there's a message there, Tasha. Yeah. Like, I love the fact that you said that, you know, I'm just gonna be who I am. Yeah. You would probably make a killing if you decide to focus on that, like being a culinary person, yeah, wearing great clothes, you know, that matches your appearance, like that makes you feel good. Sure. Yeah. You would kill it. Yeah, yeah. You are beautiful, by the way. Thank you.

unknown:

Thank you.

Erica Rawls:

You are beautiful with beautiful eyes and beautiful personality. Yeah. Yeah, you're just a beautiful person. Yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you. You're so welcome. I know you're like, okay, now I feel uncomfortable. You are. Do not change the way you are. Like if that's something that you want to do just to get healthier or whatever, but don't think you have to be like a supermodel stick in order for you to perceive as beautiful.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, well, I think like the biggest thing was um like feeling like because now of being a business owner, you have to like change who you are because or change the way you present yourself because your name is now attached to this business, right? And like how so. Exactly. Like, and it's not like I'm not a professional person or anything like that, but it was you know, going to different like networking events or just making yourself more aware within like the business world, just having this like perception behind you, and I'm just kind of like I felt so uncomfortable anytime I would try to like dress differently or you know, go to these things, and I was just fine, like, you know what, I'm just gonna throw on my vans and some comfortable pants and like a cute little like top that's not so uncomfortable to me, and I'm just gonna go and see how this networking goes as myself. Good for you, and it was amazing. I I connected with so many different people, and I even had a couple of them were like, We love your vibe, like and I'm yeah, and that's never it was like this is this is me. Like, I don't have to pretend to be anything, and I'm done wasting like my my energy trying to do this and being so uncomfortable because it's not it's already uncomfortable going in like a big room of people trying to like talk about yourself and then to not feel like comfortable in the world.

Erica Rawls:

You're not yourself, but you have to talk about yourself.

Tasha Heck:

Exactly, yeah.

Erica Rawls:

How weird is that?

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, yeah.

Erica Rawls:

That's very weird. Yeah, very weird. Yeah. So well, continue to do it. Yeah, because it is gonna work for you. I believe. So I can talk about this because I am of the generation where we went to work, we had suits on, you know, women had to wear the business um skirts with the blazers and the business pants and you know, just feeling very uncomfortable, can't wait to get home and just pull the clothes off. Yeah. So um, our generation seeing children, not children, good lord, because y'all are not children, yeah, young adults, yeah, um, going to work with um shorts on, flip-flops, t-shirts, right, and holding executive meeting. Yeah, I'm just like, what the world? Yes, it was hard for me to I I'm not even gonna lie. Yeah, it was hard for me to understand, like, how am I supposed to take you seriously? Well, you know how by the with the the work that they actually produced and how they executed that meeting, I was like, oh, okay, excuse me.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, and do you think it's because they were more comfortable in their skin because they were in something that made them feel like themselves, or do you think that it was just like it's just a new generation of the way?

Erica Rawls:

Now, the generation now, yeah. I don't believe you're really worried about how a person looks, but it's more about what they say. Yeah. Are they telling the truth? Can they back up what they're saying? And are you able to execute? I love that. It's not about the way you look. I love that. Because you can look apart, right? Yes. And just be absolutely terrible at your job. Yeah. So I applaud your generation because I'm even more comfortable now. Yeah. Yeah. Although sometimes networking events, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm under dress. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you guys are that seriously. Yeah. I wish I grew up in your generation. So I live vicariously through my daughters and my son. Sure. It's like, yeah, you go out there and just do you. Yes. Do you.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, I love that. Yeah. So that's that's what I'm that's what I'm working off of from here on out. Because, like I said, you know, just time is valuable and energy is so valuable, especially now, you know, whenever you're trying to juggle work-life balance and and home and kids and all that, and it's just I waste this energy here whenever, you know, you could use it over here. So Yeah.

Erica Rawls:

So then let's talk to the people that may have some insecurities. Sure. So how did you first did you experience insecurities? You ever feel like you weren't good enough?

Tasha Heck:

Oh yeah. Um, you know, self-sabotage is a big thing in my in my world. And I think it's just because I'm such a people pleaser. And um I often wonder if like things are good enough. And then, you know, I just get in my own head and it's like, oh, you should have done this differently, or like, I don't know, maybe it's just maybe it's time for something different, and then it's like you have to take a step back and really review it and realize that you're just being too hard on yourself.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Tasha Heck:

I've learned that um while big goals are, you know, always my thing, just taking little goals to get to the big goal is always really important now. Um honestly, like last year, it was just it was it was such a big year and it was such a big learning year for me that I uh are rarely said no. Right. So then there then so then there's the burnout, right? And then you're exhausted, and then there comes the sabotage because then you know you're upset because you can't even get off the couch. And then you have a million other things that you should be doing. Where um the beginning of this year, my husband was like, Okay, like it's it's time for you to really sit down. Oh, so he had to sit you down. Oh yeah, because um, so he works he works his full-time job, but then he also helps me too. But he he travels a lot as well. So there's times where um like I'm I'm juggling, you know, two two young kids, two businesses, the home, the animals, not on my own. So it's like, while I'm super busy at work, and then I have to come home and you know, live, you know, mom life too. Um that kind of kicked in then again with self-sabotage, where it's like, I'm not a good enough mom, like I don't know what I'm doing, my house is a mess. And then again, going back to um kind of like comparing yourselves and that kind of thing. And yeah, it was just it was it was rough towards the end of last year. Um, but then this year kind of taking time to figure out what's more important and what's not, um, learning to say no, realizing when the the spiral of self-sabotage and burnout's coming, and I kind of see it before it hits me now, so I know the steps to take to not let it happen and not dig myself so deep into a hole where I'm like crawling my way out.

Erica Rawls:

So was it your husband that had the most pivotal good lord. That word, I've been trying to say it on a how many episodes, I can't get it right. Is that the most um like the biggest part? Was it your husband that was able to he he's like Did you the course correct?

Tasha Heck:

Sure. Like he he, I feel like knows me better than anyone does, and he sees stuff coming way before I can even see it. And he'll point it out, and then I'll look yeah, I'm fine. And then like he'll point it out again. I'll be like, okay, you're right. Yeah. So he um he's so great. And yeah, I mean, he just he knows me better than anyone, and yeah, him saying that, and I was kind of like, all right, you're right. And we we balance things better now. Um, and I would say like this year has probably been one of the best yet.

Erica Rawls:

That's awesome. Yeah, that is so awesome. Hey, I'm hoping you're enjoying this episode of Coffee with E. I had to take 30 seconds to share with you one of our sponsors for this episode. Top Construction. They are a premier construction company located in Central PA. So if you live in Dolphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties, you want to check them out. Not only are they reliable, they are reasonable, and they get the job done. Now, let's go back to the episode.

Tasha Heck:

We're still, we're still doing great. We're still, you know, crushing it between like home life and work and his job and everything.

Erica Rawls:

So yeah. So being a young business owner then, so how did you or what's been your experience with working with older people? Like, do you struggle with, okay, they're not going to take me seriously? Or how did you overcome that?

Tasha Heck:

So um so I my two two of my full-time employees are actually older than I am, which they they are wonderful. So there are times where people come in and they think like Beth is like the owner. Yeah. So I'll be like, oh no, let me go get Tasha. But no, I think for the most part, um, everyone, my my customers are so great. I've never had anyone that was like super rude or disrespectful because I was so young. Um, I think a lot of them appreciate seeing me in, like still there working, although the ultimate goal someday is to be able to kind of like have have a full team that can run without me, which they can. Um, but it yeah, it's it's awesome. Our customers, some of them are sometimes like they giggle a little bit whenever I do come out. Yeah.

Erica Rawls:

So that's really good. So you honestly you don't care. No.

Tasha Heck:

You're just like, I'm gonna go do my job and yeah, because I mean, if like thinking back to or whenever we were talking about this is all I've ever wanted to do, and like to be able to do that at the age that I am, it's it's kind of that's where like the confident boost comes in because it's like you can do whatever you want to do as long as you you know work hard to get there. Yeah, so to you know, to have all that accomplished by that time, it was awesome.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. So then where do you see healthy you going from here?

Tasha Heck:

So our ultimate goal is because of our um our setup being inside of the building that we're in, that kitchen will never be larger than what it is. So I think that our goal is to eventually have like a commercial kitchen where we can do a lot of our caterings out of. Okay. Um, not necessarily have like a cafe or a storefront, really just be like a production kitchen. Um, I would love for all of if not all of them, some of them, some of like our sauces and dressings and special and like um ingredients or sauces, that kind of thing that we make in house, because we do make 95% of everything in-house. So a lot of the things we make in house, I would love to be able to get it on store shelves.

unknown:

Yeah.

Tasha Heck:

Right now we're in a couple like little like um like mom and pop shops, but like I don't know, like I feel like the dream of having like a healthy line would be amazing to be. That would be so nice. Yeah. I don't ever dream of having another location, like another cafe location. I kind of like the feel of like a little hidden gem.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Tasha Heck:

Um, because we get busy in there, and because we're such a small, small little shop, it it can get a little bit hectic, but I think only having the cafe setting there versus trying to do all of our catering out of it would be great for us. So I think that's like five year goals to have a big building to be able to do commercial kitchen work and production, larger production and stuff like that.

Erica Rawls:

That is so good. So good. And your food is really good. Okay, so what is your what do you specialize in for the people that have never been there?

Tasha Heck:

Sure. So the so the cafe setting is a lot of sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads. My watch really just talked to me. That's hilarious. As you were saying. Yes. So a lot of like sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads. Um, we make homemade soups, salads. Um our deli case has um like baked goods in it. We do like our avocado brownies that are really popular, our peanut butter energy bites. Avocado brownies? I've never had. Yeah. Okay, Kasha, I'm coming over. Yeah, sorry. Sorry after this recording. We and I think what scares a lot of people from our place is having the word healthy in our name, right? And I'm constantly having to like reassure people, like I I promise you, we're not serving up like just bowls of kale. You know what I mean? Like we we try our best to take like ordinary recipes and just make healthy alternatives and switches and stuff like that to it. Um well, I'll speak for you.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, because you're the owner. Yeah, yeah. Your food is so good. Yeah, it really is. Um, the one that I like, I wish I remembered the name, was the salad with the spicy chicken.

Tasha Heck:

The hot honey chicken hot. Hot honey chicken salad. So, how trendy is hot honey right now, right? And to be able to come and get it on like fresh, organic, local greens with all the fresh veggies, like we everything that we have in there is prepped. It doesn't last any more than like one to two days. So you're like, you're getting fresh prepped items. Like it's not sitting in a case or sitting in a bag. We we make our flatbreads in house, um, our chicken we get in fresh from a local butcher and we um we cut it, we marinate it, we grill it ourselves. So yeah, like we for such a small place, like it is so so cool how much we do in-house. Like all of our dressings are made in house, all of our sauce is a hot honey we make it house. So good. Um and then again, like I said, like our baked goods. Yeah. And then aside from the cafe, the the catering is awesome too. So, what's the best seller? Would you say in a cafe? Yeah. Probably the hot honey has been very popular for a long time. Our sandwiches switch seasonally as well as our salad, so we'll have our fall menu coming out here soon. But so get my hot honey real quick. That'll never leave the buggy.

unknown:

Okay.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, that'll never leave the buggy.

Erica Rawls:

I had to take two seconds to interrupt this episode. I would like to thank one of our most recent guests, attorney Jenny Chavis, for sponsoring this show. Chavis Law Firm is an elite law firm in central Pennsylvania that helps with estate planning as well as understanding what type of business entity you should enter into when starting your business. If you're looking for a great attorney that understands estate planning as well as business entity, how to start the right way, you want to check out attorney Chavis, Chavis Law Firm. Now, back to the show. Okay, so to you have to speak to um the younger version of yourself, right? Because our platform is 25 to 35. And of course we have uh older people. However, you know, women leaders, what would you say to the person that wants to get into the business, your line of business?

Tasha Heck:

Yeah. Um, I would it's it's it's long and it's hard, but don't give up. Like I was so discouraged when it came to the food license, like getting my food license, because it doesn't seem like that much of a daunting task, right? But then you're having to make phone calls and gather paperwork and you know, take all these tests and you're like, is this worth it? I'm telling you, it's worth it. Um and always be brewing new ideas. I mean, always be thinking ahead. I think that's my favorite part of it, honestly, is a new season starts and you're already like, okay, how are we gonna mark the next season? And just always having ideas, not to be afraid to talk to people about it as well. I'm always talking to my staff about like, hey, what do you think about this? What do you think about that? And um I think having like a a good small group of people to really give you honest opinions to. Um, I think that's important as well. And yeah, I just don't get discouraged. It's it's uh it's hard. Have something that stands out. Um one phrase that I always use with my team whenever it comes to like a big event or if we're in kind of like a slow period, it's like what sets us aside from everyone else? Think about how many places there are to eat, how many places there are to order food. Why would someone want to come here?

Erica Rawls:

That's a great that's a great thing.

Tasha Heck:

It's a great way to think about it. Like what what about our food stands out from the rest? What'll keep people coming back? Um So what's the answer to that? Honestly, I mean it's uh it's my staff too. Like they're incredible. It's the people behind the counter, the friendly faces, the hi, how are you? Do you need anything else? Um and then the freshness of our food I think is is big too. Um we give we give generous, you know, portions as well, but again, it's it's wholesome fresh food too. So, you know, it's not like it's gonna weigh you down or anything like that. So I think people enjoy coming in and being able to eat something that they feel good after and not have to worry about, you know, dragging the rest of the day.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah. Yeah. So then are you the um the CFO, CEO, the chief marketing officer? Um, are you all those things?

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, yeah, like I I I definitely I I definitely wear a lot of hats and headbands, let's put it that way. So um, but I have I have wonderful people around me where a lot of the times is while I'm juggling all these things, I don't ever keep an idea to myself. Like I'm always whether it's my best friends, whether it's my neighbors, my sister, my husband, my coworkers, I'm always like, what do you guys think of this? Because I like outsider perspective, but yeah, it's I um I prioritize a lot too when it comes to those jobs. And of course, yeah, and you have to. We're I'm still at the beginning of this. I've always said like I wanted to build like this like food empire, right? And so I'm just I am just getting started. Yeah, yeah. I I'm only on year two, so I'd I don't know what you know year 10 is gonna look like, but I hope it's only way bigger and better than where we're at right now. I love it.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, I love it. So because we believe in running your business like a business, would you say that you are a profitable company?

Tasha Heck:

Yes.

Erica Rawls:

That's awesome. Yeah, I love it.

Tasha Heck:

Very much so.

Erica Rawls:

Um had to take two seconds to thank Allstate Insurance for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking for car, life, or casualty insurance, they're gonna be your ultimate insurance company. Thank you, Rob Shaw, with Allstate Insurance. Now, back to the show.

Tasha Heck:

And I I like I had mentioned before, you know, living in the area that I did, it was always kind of like I always wanted to grow up and like not have to worry about money or like how I'm putting food on the table for my family or my kids. And um, it's just it's really cool to feel like I'm gonna be able to start like generational wealth for my family. Yes. And it it is a it's a it is a wonderful feeling, right? Yeah. Like to just know that my kids will never have to struggle ever.

Erica Rawls:

Oh, I love that. Yeah. So do you ever have to make uh any hard financial choices that didn't feel good?

Tasha Heck:

Um in the in the past, like before leading up to the point of you know starting these businesses, you know, there were times where before my husband and I had kids, like we we bought the house on my 20th birthday. We probably had no business buying a house when we did, but we we had to sell his Jeep, we had to, you know, we had to sell and get rid of a bunch of things just to be able to pay our bills. So it is very like I'm I can't figure out the right, the right word right now, but to to see where we once were to where we are now, like it's we've worked every step to get there. Yeah. And sacrifices. We definitely had to make sacrifices in the past. Yeah. There were times where I would I would eat at work because I knew that we didn't have any food at home. Sorry. And he traveled so much with work because he would make extra money whenever he traveled. So yeah, we we definitely spent a lot of time apart from each other, you know, at sacrifice. Um even after we had my son. Um, I think my son was like two weeks old whenever he started traveling again. And again, it's because he would make extra money on the road, and I was on an unpaid maternity leave. And wow, yeah, and wouldn't change anything for the world because I I do feel like I'm a firm believer of everything falls into place and it it did it just exactly that. That is so good.

Erica Rawls:

Yeah, yeah, so good. Yeah. Yeah. So any last words you want to leave with the the audience because we want your business to grow as a result of you taking time to sit down with us. And I can't say enough how good your food like really is. Anytime I have an opportunity when someone says, Hey, let's um go to lunch, I'll bring lunch to you. Yeah, I'll go there, pick it up so that they can taste it. And they're like, Where'd you get this? Where's that? Yeah, and Enola. Huh? Where? Yeah, next to Giant. Yeah. Yeah in the UPMC building. Yeah. Like, yeah. It's just yeah, more people need to know about you.

Tasha Heck:

Yeah, and I I think that, you know, our just customers or people just, you know, spreading word of mouth is it's huge for us. And um just don't be afraid to try it, honestly. I think that that's my biggest thing. I think that the the healthy part of things really just you know steers people away. And in reality, it's it's great food, it's fresh and locally sourced when we can. And yeah, it's basically just my my dream come true. And to have people walking in the door every every day that we're open, or you know, the online orders, the catering inquiries, it like you're gonna get the same, the same quality or the same, you know, work put into it as if it were you know, anything like this small or anything as huge as you know the the mixtures that we cater. So yeah, my heart goes into to everything the same. You're gonna get the same quality every time, no matter what it is.

Erica Rawls:

No, that's so true. Yeah, so true. Okay, y'all, you heard it. Tasha Heck, owner of Healthy U Cafe, she actually brought a lot of great gems. And I would love for you to let me know what you thought was the best in this conversation because I think we're gonna hear more about her to be a young entrepreneur having a successful business, and she has this great vision. Who resonated with her? I want to hear from you in the comments. See ya.

Tasha Heck:

Thank you. How are you feeling? Good. I just felt like I was just talking with you. So

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Erica Rawls

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