To start off our new "Startup Stories"
segment of the blog, we will be regularly showing off the great results
from our book "StartingUp Now: 24 Steps to Launch Your Own Business".
We will also include interviews from the leaders of these companies.

The Who and Why
Covenant Catering is a catering service
based out of the north side of Chicago that truly believes in providing
high-quality service for all their customers and it all begins with the
word “Covenant.” The co-owners of Covenant Catering, Aaron and Martice
Gray, fully rely on in their faith and believe that a covenant is way
stronger than an agreement, it is a promise. When you work with Covenant
Catering we give you our full commitment and
believe we are responsible to you, our customer, and God, who has made
this business possible. Our covenant is a commitment to provide
catering service with the following Core Values:
Our Values: We commit to...
· Provide remarkable Customer Care.
· Passionately prepare Delicious and Creative food.
· Go above and beyond all Health/Safety regulations.
· Conduct business with integrity and professionalism.
· Embody the phrase "it's all about service!
Interview Questions:
Q. How long has Covenant Catering been up and running?
A. In business since 2009.
Q. Have
there been any major difficulties that you’ve encountered while
starting your business? Is thereanything you would have differently?
A. Starting capital is always a problem. The beginning and getting the incorporated. Also Getting everything in order.
Q. Roughly how much has StartingUp Now helped you in starting your own business?
A. Layout of the business plan:
best business planning we have ever seen. We Appreciate a blueprint of
the business plan that startingup now presents.Business plan
structure is concise. Refers to legal advice that is veryuseful in the
beginning of starting a company. Service at startingup nowis first
class. Brian has done great jobmentoring us through the whole process.
We will definitely refer this book .
Q. Why has Covenant Catering been so successful in the past four years?
A. Great product and great
business ethics. Creating a great product is just half the battle they
said. The next step is selling the product and becoming likeable by
your customers and Covenant Catering does this through addinga personal
touch to their product by showing their customers that we truly care for
them and want to serve themthe best way they know how.
Martice and Aaron work hard to
make sure that their customers are fully satisfied with their product
every time. When running a small business there are no days off. The
Grays are constantly doing business related activities 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. In the words of Aaron, “details matter,” and to be
certain that all details have been considered and thought through.
StartingUp Now was the main
resource to them understanding what the steps were to becoming a legal,
up-and-running business. Covenant Catering started their business plan
with the StartingUp Now business model and they continue to praise
StartingUp Now for helping them become so successful.
If you want to contact Covenant Catering for your next event or to learn of their menu:
Covenantcateringchicago.com
773-217-0213
covenantcatering@gmail.com
And if you mention this article, you will receive 10% off of your total order
Interview by: Canmu Dennis - Community Coordinator Intern at StartingUp Now
Contributing Author: Jerome Smith - Community Coordinator Intern at StartingUp Now