Regina Richmond and Bringing Families Together Through Business Ownership

Written by Maddie Steele

When most people, including myself, think about working with their family, it automatically raises their heart rates. Maybe you think about the fights that could occur when making important business decisions, or fights about money. Running a business for the sole purpose of being together as a family isn’t most people’s dream, but that’s exactly what Regina Richmond’s goal was six years ago when she had a vision and a story to tell. And somehow it’s been successful. 

Regina Richmond is the CEO of Saucy Jake’s Street Food, Peppermint Addie & Co., and soon-to-be Skillet Junction. She started these businesses with the purpose of bringing her family together. She was a stay-at-home mom and realized that her family was constantly on the go and never together, so she decided to fix this problem by starting a business. 

“I really think family is our purpose,” said Regina. “And I think we have a purpose together and it is to show people that family can do this, they can come together in all areas of life. Working with them has been amazing.” 

Saucy Jake’s began as a food truck six years ago and has grown from there. Her husband is the general manager and runs the day to day operations. Peppermint Addie’s is a new business that was started for their daughter, Addie. They wanted to see if there was an entrepreneurial spark in her, and decided desserts were the perfect business for her because she’s always been in the kitchen baking. Although Regina and her husband run the numbers and business side, Addie runs the daily operations at the age of fifteen. They are always giving their kids the opportunity to try their jobs, to see if someone can do it better than them. 

Many people think that money drives people apart, but they never have issues with leadership or money. When people understand that what they are doing is not for an individual but a collective, then it works. They always have the goal in mind: bringing families together. And to do this effectively, they must set the example first. 

After being in business for six years and speaking on a few guest panels at theCO, Regina decided to go through CO.STARTERS so she could be refreshed by the people in the initial stage of business ownership. Being in a room full of people who are on fire and excited about their businesses energized Regina and helped her grow as an entrepreneur herself. 

“Being in the business world, you think you have to do everything on your own,” said Regina. “But theCO has so many things to offer and I wanted to experience that. A lot of people don’t understand that wherever you are in business, theCO can help.”

The most rewarding part of owning a business is the control of their time and spending that time with their family. They face a lot of the critiques that come with owning a business, and often, people don’t respect them as much as a corporate company. However, doing this as a family is the strength they need when they want to give up or when they are facing criticism. 

“I think our story is still being written. It’s this ongoing, eventful life. Everyone thinks that when you’re running a business that you get tired and exhausted and they wonder how you do it,” said Regina. “But I really think our story is strength, and our story plays off of each other. We just love entrepreneurship.”