Meet Kristy Bottini

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

Hi Kristy, how does your business help the community?
We founded Battle Born + Co because, over the years, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright challenging sides of running a business, especially in the hospitality industry. Many companies struggling today are often just a few strategic adjustments away from achieving stability and we are here to provide the support that is needed more than ever to our community.

While people sometimes refer to us as consultants, we prefer to be called your very own operational support. Think about what it takes to run a business, from start to completion and everywhere in between. Instead of pushing your business through the lens of our skills and experiences, we adapt our expertise to fit your unique business. What do you need done in order to be successful? Is it finding a building to operate out of? Is it establishing flow in your kitchen? Is it hiring staff who you can trust and count on? Maybe it’s building your website, switching POS’s, creating marketing materials or newsletters, or trying to understand your P&L. Every organization is different, and we believe it’s essential to understand who you are before taking action. What works for one company may not work for another.

What should our readers know about your business?
A lot of times business owners either don’t know HOW to or don’t WANT to do x, y, or z within their business, which is where we come in. We will have a conversation with you, define what the scope is, provide you with a price that applies to that specific work, and then DO the work for you. We get our hands dirty because sitting behind a desk orchestrating what needs to be done isn’t our vibe.

Is starting your own business easy? Hell no. Let me repeat. Hell to the no. There were haters trying to knock us down, telling us our idea is garbage, why don’t we just start a restaurant instead because that seems easier? If we wanted easy, we would have stayed at our 9-5 director of ops jobs, kept our cute little two week PTO with our lovely health insurance coverage, retire at 65 or 70, and call it a life. But we wanted to call our own shots and take off a random Tuesday-Friday on a whim. Have we reached all of our goals yet? Not yet, but we are continuously working towards that and we will reach it.

We created Battle Born + Co based on the blood, sweat, and tears of our own experiences, and we have been through the grinder. The lessons that have come from these experiences are humility, knowing that I’m not always right, having the awareness to constantly analyze everything I’m doing, everyone is literally faking it ’til they make it, be your own cheerleader and celebrate the small wins because that is no one else’s responsibility, and no matter what, just be a good human.

In an industry that’s constantly evolving, we’re all working to stay afloat and thrive. If we don’t have the answer, we’ll find it for you. Most importantly, we respect what your business means to you and the responsibility that comes with someone asking us for help.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh this is my JAM. I have a working 8-page Word document that I send to mates in town, complete with addresses and descriptions (yes, I have a touch of Monica from Friends in me). Here’s a little sample:

10am: Go to Rise and Shine on Pennsylvania St for a biscuit of the day and a lavender oat milk latte
10:45am: Walk (or rollerblade) around Wash Park
12pm: Hit up the Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market for some produce + live music
1pm: Buy some boots at Freebird and stroll around Cherry Creek for some lunch (Cherry Cricket for a burger on the dog-friendly patio perhaps)
3:30pm: Go back home to shower and get ready for dinner, have a pre-dinner cocktail on our apartment patio
6pm: Dinner at Tavernetta (and DO NOT forget to order the tiramisu)
8pm: After dinner drink at Urban Cowboy in Cap Hill (maybe even book a room at the haunted hotel)

And then the next day would include a hike in Evergreen with lunch at Lariat Lodge overlooking the stunning patio view.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Can I be selfish and have 3 shoutouts? First is my husband and business partner, Josh. He has many superpowers, but when it comes to business, he just gets it. He is smart, intuitive, focused, driven, completely passionate in what he does, thinks on his feet so effortlessly, and isn’t afraid to be cutthroat when necessary. It is a joy watching him work. Second is my dad, who runs our family business back in PA and who I watched make difficult business decisions my entire life. He taught me that family is family and business is business and if you keep them separate, you will have a beautiful life. Third are all of the women who I have met through communities like EatDenver and the CRA (Colorado Restaurant Association). You ladies know who you are and I appreciate and value your friendship strength in our industry. You’re badasses.

Website: www.battlebornandco.com

Instagram: @battlebornandco

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-bottini-212a4b62/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/battlebornandco