Meet Emmy Rener

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emmy Rener a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emmy, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
The easiest way to overcome imposter syndrome is to realize everyone, even at the highest level, feels and experiences doubts and concerns, and oftentimes feels like an imposter. I think there is a misconception in the entrepreneurial community, that people know exactly what they are doing, no matter where they started or where they come from, which I have found is pretty much not true 99% of the time. I find comfort in the fact that everyone is an imposter to a certain extent, especially in an industry like mine, because cheeseboards didn’t even really exist 20 years ago! I love the phrase “Be where your feet are”, because it is a reminder to stop thinking or worrying about things in the future, and just be in the moment. The sooner you are able to accept this reality and be present with where your business is now, you can overcome imposter syndrome and stop worrying about what people think. I also think it is important to realize if you aren’t feeling like an imposter, you probably arent breaking enough boundaries or challenging yourself enough. I have never felt the imposter syndrome more than I did when I was at the World Cheese Awards, at the age of 21, with no idea what I was doing, surrounded by 250 of the most professional people in the cheese industry. But once I took a second and realized 1) nobody was questioning my ability more than I was and 2) everyone was an amateur and imposter once too! So sometimes you gotta trudge through the difficult beginning chapters to get to the good times!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Emmy and I started a charcuterie board company in Los Angeles in September 2020 called Sophisticated Spreads. We focus on creating exceptional grazing tables and charcuterie boards that are delivered within the Los Angeles and Orange County area seven days a week. We source our cheeses from artisan creameries that I have personally visited and met the cheesemakers, to ensure we provide our clients with the highest quality products.

As a business owner, I have been invited to the World Cheese Awards and International Cheese Awards to not only represent my company, but also my country, on the largest international cheese stage in the world.

We have recieved a lot of buzz and social media notoriety from working with and delivering to various celebrities, including Sofia Vergara, Allison Janney, Jessica Alba, Jojo Siwa, etc.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think it is incredibly important to know your worth. People will always challenge you on your prices, your ability, your knowledge, etc. but it is important to hold your own. In the beginning of the business, I was embarrassed to say I was 18 years old because I thought people would think I was too young to be in business, too immature, etc. so I would tell people I was 25! Note to self: your biggest advantage in life is knowing your value and what you are bringing to the table, and don’t be shy about it!

I think it is important to know what your strengths are, and what your weaknesses are early on into running a business, and instead of overworking yourself by spending time on things you inherently struggle with, it’s best to outsource those skills and spend more time focused on what you excel at! I am a hugely creative person, and I struggle with websites, SEO, accounting. the list goes on! My best decision was immediately hiring people to help with these areas so I could spend more time creating more content, being creative with marketing, and ultimately building the business from the ground up.

The three areas of knowledge that were most important for me was my unwavering optimism, confidence, and understanding of the market. On a very techinical level, starting with the marketability, I think small business owners too often focus on the product or hone in on the details of the business, without taking time to understand their market. Who is buying your product? Why would they buy this product? What problem is the product going to solve, and what kind of value is it going to provide for this person? If you don’t spend enough time understanding what the market is that you’re entering into, and seeing what unique offer you are bringing to the table, then its easy to get caught up into the chaos of business and a saturated market. Second of all I think optimism is such a key characteristic of any entrepreneur. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing 1000%, why would someone else believe in it at all? I remember 3 months after starting my business, I told my dad with a straight face (and only 300 people following my business), “I think we can hit 1,000 followers by Christmas.” With only 20 days until the holiday, my dad looked at me with disbelief. But sure enough, within one week of me saying this we had hit 10,000 followers after a few viral videos and the help of Sofia Vergara. It is because of my sometimes-delusional optimism that good things come to our business, because oftentimes the best moments of the business are 75% confidence in the mission, and 25% luck!

Contact Info:

• Website: SophisticatedSpreads.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophisticatedspreads/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmy-rener-3924751a1/