Bellyfull’s CEO Kelly O’Grady Is Her First Best Customer

The word entrepreneur means a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. Kelly O’Grady was an entrepreneur way before she cooked up the idea of Bellyfull Dinners. This young self-starter learned the art of feeding many mouths in her youth when her parents would entertain guests.  The food however was not her mainstay it was watching her father start new ventures and grow businesses. She credits her father with teaching her business and while growing up Kelly learned how to create a business instead of work for one.  She started working at the age of 14 and as a young adult eventually evolved her career into sales.  So she not only learned how to get around in the kitchen, but she developed serious business skills.

Bellyfull Dinners was created in October last year and they launched their website in February 2014.  Last month Bellyfull delivered their 1000th meal to customers.  In this interview you will learn more about this rising star in our community.

Kelly O'Grady-4Wayne: It seems entrepreneurship is in your fabric.  How early did you know that you were an entrepreneur?

Kelly: I think I always knew that’s what I was meant to be. I started young. When I was 5, at Christmas time I’d go and pick Mistletoe from my uncle’s farm and sell it out in front of Safeway. As I got more creative I started making up fake catalogs for my mom that had choices like different purses and shirts she could buy. She would order them and then I would actually sew them for her. I got my first real job when I was 14 at Cardoza’s pumpkin patch as the chainsaw man in the haunted house and I haven’t stopped working since. Even in high school as a senior I worked 30 or more hours a week at Petaluma Coffee and Tea Co. and went to school graduating in the top 10% of my class. Although I was more than qualified, I didn’t go to college mainly because I wanted to pay for it on my own (without my parents, or debt) and eventually I got so good at my sales career it just didn’t make sense. I know everything I’ve done has given me the skills and abilities I need to bring this business to life. I’m very driven and learn quickly. I started my career in sales when I was 17 at Petaluma Wireless selling cell phones. I loved sales. From there I went on to be a new business specialist and sales account managers for a few different companies in Sonoma County.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *