Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Missy & Matt Rutter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Missy & Matt, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
We both know how hard it is to take care of yourself in the hospitality industry. Working long hours in sometimes extreme conditions can take a toll on your body and mind. What is great about Pay it Forward Charleston is not only are they helping those in the industry that are going through unforeseen hardships, but they are addressing ways to help people live a healthier lifestyle. Providing opportunities for free yoga is one example of such initiative. Pay if Forward Charleston is also advocating for bike lanes downtown, so that Food & Beverage workers can get to and from work in a safe manner. We want to be a part of these positive changes and help in any way we can. Missy and Matt both are passionate about volunteering and giving back from a young age. Missy working with community soup kitchens and Habitat for Humanity and Matt serving on the Volunteer Fire Department. It’s important to them to be generous when they can and help others in need.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We started @cuttingboardsforacause through our business M&M Wood Design LLC in July of 2020 during the height of the pandemic. We wanted to help our fellow community members who were struggling as a result of the closures. Pay it Forward Charleston was at the time working with local farmers and chefs to hand out grocery bags every Friday. We figured that we could also donate funds by selling handmade cutting boards. Now a few years later we still sell cutting boards and donate to Pay it Forward Charleston, however we also do so much more. We build furniture, mailboxes, HVAC stands, TV Surrounds, mudroom drops, etc. Anything with wood, we can do.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Matt definitely has the drive and work ethic to pull off a business while working a full time job and being a Dad. Missy & Matt work together as a team to get projects done in a timely manner and with high quality results. Being in the luxury hospitality sector, it is hard for us to say no to projects, so if our customers are patient, we will deliver great results. Our advice would be to stick with it and make relationships with customers as your return customers will sustain your business.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We would love to partner with local restaurants, retail stores, real estate companies, builders, etc. We want to help these businesses display their products and services in a beautiful manner. Please contact us at mandmwooddesign@gmail.com to learn more about our wholesale pricing and custom branding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mandmwooddesign.com
- Instagram: @cuttingboardsforacause
- Facebook: M&M Wood Design LLC
- Yelp: M&M Wood Design
Image Credits
Missy Rutter
