Meet Amy Tyler: Business Owner of Indulge Gourmet Popcorn

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

Hi Amy, how do you think about risk?
I think it’s hard to get very far in life without taking risks. However, I don’t subscribe to throwing all caution to the wind. I take risks that are calculated and perhaps overthought. I need to feel certain that if things don’t work out as planned, I will be able to recover easily enough. I would never invest all of my savings in a venture or put myself in a position where I might actually struggle to eat in hopes that it will pay off later. I do, however, sacrifice for success, try new things, and hold faith in my ability to make things work even when I don’t have prior experience. On some level I have been an adventure seeker my entire life, always wanting new experiences and challenges. It has pushed me in my previous career and been expanded in recent years as I became an entrepreneur. Opening a brick and mortar business has the most perceived risk of all things I’ve done and hopefully the realized reward will be worth it. 

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I own and operate a gourmet popcorn shop, Indulge Gourmet Popcorn. We offer popcorn that is superior in taste, texture and ingredients. I’m extremely proud that I was able to create recipes for delicious popcorn with natural, non-GMO ingredients, without any prior popcorn making experience. My previous career was in education, but I wanted a change and felt encouraged to become a business owner. My husband eventually convinced me that everyone loves popcorn and that a popcorn company would be an ideal business for us to start. So, I not only didn’t have experience in popcorn making, but I didn’t have any experience in business!

Of course it was challenging, but it did not ever feel impossible, it just felt like okay here’s more hoops they need me to jump through to get this accomplished, lets figure it out and move on. The most difficult or frustrating part of opening a brick and mortar business is that you have to deal with with the red tape and people who can only quote policy and don’t THINK. We were required to do things that just didn’t make any sense because of a given rule, that didn’t apply to our situation, and you just have to play the game and spend the money to get things done. It’s unfortunate.

We learned a few lessons getting started, such as, hire the right person for the job the first time-even though they’re likely more expensive. You end up spending more money in the end having to pay a second person to fix someone else’s shoddy work. Some lessons take a lot longer to truly learn, I have more recently started applying the knowledge that having boundaries is critical to financial success and more importantly emotional and mental well-being. I have had a hard time telling people “no” because I am always striving to make clients happy, even when they ask for things they shouldn’t. Often times, I’d agree to do something that allowed the customer to grossly underpay for my time and effort or would leave me feeling slightly taken for granted or taken advantage of. The solution is to draw a clear line for myself and clients for what I can and cannot do. I have been saying “no” more often and it has helped tremendously.

I’ve also learned in connection with this, people still want to work with us for all of the reasons that make us a great company and they are not so turned off by the “no”; they respect it. We operate with integrity and we do aim to please our customers, the large companies as well as the walk-ins who want just one bag. We work hard to make sure each hand-crafted batch is fresh and consistently delectable. We offer seven flavors at a time in order to accomplish this. Variety is offered through our “flavor of the week” which is a new flavor each week. We use real food ingredients to make all of our recipes, like butter and brown sugar rather than corn syrup solids for our caramel popcorn and real jalapeño peppers, not a jalapeno flavoring for our white cheddar jalapeño flavor. You really can taste the difference when one feels good about what they’re creating and serving, it is the epitome of making food with love because it stems from the idea of wanting what is best for others as well as they’re enjoyment.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Prior to the pandemic, a week with a friend in town might include brunch at Joy Cafe (for shrimp and grits), Carroll St. Cafe, Apres Diem and Murphy’s Restaurant. One morning we’d likely visit the Atlanta Beltline for a nice walk with a caramel macchiato and peachy bacon egg bagel from Inman Perk Coffee. We might have a picnic in Piedmont Park and visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden. We’d check out some of the art galleries in Castleberry Hill like Besharat Gallery or ZuCot Gallery and the High Museum of Art for a weekend event. Lunch might include pizza from O4W Pizza in Duluth, or Del Frisco’s balcony. If we’re lucky, we might catch a show at the Fox Theater or Alliance Theater. Dinner at St. Cecilia, JCT Kitchen and Bar, Little Alley Steak, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, or Bacchanalia would be great. Restaurant no. 246 and then Lenox Cupcakes in Decatur Square would be fun too. For drinks, we’d probably do Little Spirit, Bar Margot, St. Regis Bar or Barcelona Wine Bar. This would normally take 2 months, but anything for a friend. 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have an awesome small group of friends and customers actually, who provide a great deal of support by making purchases frequently, spreading the word about our business, and checking in to see how things are going and offer help or suggestions. My older sister, Sophia is full of ideas and encouragement and lends her helping hands without pay -which sometimes means actual heavy lifting and long, difficult walks in the dark, after events. 🙂 My younger sister, Sundie has now come on board to work at our shop. Having someone else who can help make the popcorn and can be trusted is an incredible benefit and allows me to shift and grow the business. My husband, Carl has supported me and the business from the beginning, and without him, the business couldn’t have taken off or succeeded to this point. All of these people deserve credit and have my deepest appreciation for their unwaivering support.

Website: www.indulgepopcorn.com
Instagram: indulgepopcorn
Twitter: indulgepopcorn
Facebook: indulgepopcorn
Yelp: Indulge Gourmet Popcorn

Image Credits
Carlisa Georgeanne