Today we’d like to introduce you to Quincy & Omari Boyd
Hi Quincy & Omari, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
How it all started- Omari received a call from a friend while on our family camping trip telling him about a trailer that a family member wanted to part ways with and if we wanted it, it was ours. The trailer was initially a sno cone truck but had been sitting for years and needed plenty of work inside and out. Omari responded by saying let me talk to the wife and I’ll call you back. Omari gets off the phone looks at me and says, “Boo we are gonna have a sno cone business?” I looked at him and said huh? I’m completely thrown off by his statement and my initial thoughts were “a sno cone business? Is he serious?” However, I thought about it for a quick second and said OKAY. I always (most times 🙂 back him because first he’s a smart, goal driven man and I know he’s not going to lead his family in the wrong direction. His mind is always working, and we make a fantastic team. We started to do quick research about the business and after a short couple of hours it was clear that we could do this and make it work because again we make a fantastic team.
Omari called our friend back and says, “we’ll get it”. So of course, the remaining time we were on our camping trip we brainstorm business names and Omari drafted what looked like a kindergarten drawing 🙂 for our logo and the name K.O. Kones came to mind quick and it felt right and the perfect fit for our family. Omari is a top ranked professional kickboxer with numerous accolades and achievements in the sport. Our daughter Sydnei trains in Jiu-Jitsu, and I taught Fitness Kickboxing and trained Jiu-Jitsu, and our two sons’ Ra and Pharaoh will soon start in martial arts as well, K.O. (KnockOut) Kones was unquestionably the perfect name for our family business.
Fast forward our friend would drop the trailer off and boy was it old and unattractive. “What did we get ourselves into” was my thought. The trailer needed a lot of fixing and we had never completed anything like it. But if you know Omari you know it’s nothing this man can’t do or willing to learn to do himself. I’m also a sucker for DIY projects so it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle together with the help of YouTube. We would work on this trailer for a little over a year to get it ready, pass codes and inspections. We’d have plenty of date nights and late nights working to get it to what you see today. Hard work, determination, perseverance, stepping outside of our comfort zone, believing in each other, and investing in a business that we were and is still so passionate about makes all the late nights and long hours well worth it. The love and support shown towards us and our family business by our family, friends and community is how we are currently Knocking Out the start of our 3rd year and going strong. We are forever grateful for it all!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Obstacles along the way to success is to be expected I would think. We most certainly did. When we first received the trailer, it needed work. Work such as plumbing, electrical and cosmetic work, countertops, floors, walls, etc… the trailer just needed a lot of TLC. We knew that doing it ourselves would save us money, but we also knew doing it ourselves would take time, effort, patience and again time. A few other challenges were the how To’s. As a first-time business owner, it’s a lot to learn. How do we get our business name out there? How are we going to expand. How do we balance doing it all. And when I say all, I mean all. These are all questions we had asked at some point in our three years in business. Some we’ve figured out and some we’re still figuring out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
K.O. Kones vision pulses with growth and vibrancy. Our commitment to quality is uncompromising, offering over 30 self-made flavors and using filtered water for our ice. Each serving is not just a snow cone; it’s an experience designed to leave a lasting impression.
Knock Out’ customer service is our trademark. At K.O. Kones, customer satisfaction isn’t just a goal; it’s our reality. Our commitment to friendliness and quality has garnered us accolades for our flavors and our soft, quality ice. Innovation is at the core of our business. We’re about creating the best experience. Our mantra is simple – a smile, a positive attitude, and a delectable snow cone for every customer. Oh how we love to see the smiles on not only the kiddos faces but our adults customers as well and it’s just a contagious feeling.
The community is a cornerstone of K.O. Kones. Our engagement extends beyond serving snow cones at community events. We’ve made donations to schools, libraries, helped in community cleanup efforts and sponsored local institutions and talents such as local MMA fighters.
Our technology accommodates all payment options, and we offer competitive pricing and tailored event packages. Our ambitions are soaring – we aim to grace major events, expand with multiple K.O. Kones trucks, and step into the world of weddings. Looking further, we aspire to feature in prominent sporting arenas, including UFC stadiums. At the heart of it all, we are dedicated to fostering enduring relationships and crafting a thriving legacy for our children.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
We are both born and raised in Nashville, TN. We both attended the same karate dojo at a young age and wasn’t aware of it. We moved to Memphis in 2013. Omari was a national swimmer. He’s also a Ninja Nerd (that’s what I call him) and let me explain why… Omari is a top ranked professional kickboxer, and he has his master’s in civil engineering very smart man (side bar) nerd :). Most don’t know until they ask what K.O. stand for. That’s when I tell them about his fighting career because he can be modest about it. That’s when I also explain our logo- a sno cone with boxing gloves, mouthpiece, and boxing shoes etc. Omari also commentates at local MMA fights. He coaches at Law School MMA on Tuesdays. Myself (Quincy) enjoy being a domestic engineer, making beaded bracelets that I sell on our trailer, and I also refurbishing old furniture in my spare time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kokones901.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kokones901?igsh=b2MxeXd4Mmc1YXF3
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokones901?mibextid=ZbWKwL
