Conversations with the Inspiring Maricela Bassler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maricela Bassler.

Maricela, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2003 at 21 years of age with absolutely no experience in the field I had my heart set on. I only knew that I wanted to do exactly what I had studied for and that was something in public relations, marketing or branding. I am a creative at heart and have always loved to write, to create and to inspire. I have a deep admiration for people who have the guts to pursue their dreams, artists who create outside their heads and brands that stick out above all the rest. My second job outside of college was a marketing associate and spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity. I did public speaking for them to raise money, handled the media, and executed all creative for newsletters, donor relations, and press.

When I decided to move to Houston in 2006, I took a job with Clear Channel (now iheart Radio) in radio sales and at the same time met a hopeful restaurateur named Brooks Bassler. I loved the ideas I heard about his dream of owning a late-night, Nola-inspired po’boy shop. I immediately hit the ground running to create a logo for a potential brand that I truly felt could turn into something big. The market was extremely underserved for both Cajun cuisine as well as late-night dining. I remember Brooks poking fun at me one day and he said, “locations for restaurants aren’t found in the classified section of the Houston Chronicle,” when I suggested to him that I would go to the store to get the Houston Chronicle. That day, we found the location that was to become the first BB’s in Houston… in the classified section of the Houston Chronicle. It didn’t take me long to realize that radio sales wasn’t for me and that I wanted to focus solely on working alongside Brooks to create a brand that was both unique and YUM. The first BB’s Cafe opened in November 2007. We now have 8 locations opened and number 9 set to open in 2018.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been anything but smooth and there will always be struggles and challenges along the way, especially at the start of any endeavor. It takes time, commitment, drive and especially struggle to create something from scratch and build it into something that will make a profit. It also takes immense grit. You have to be willing to do every single job, especially in the beginning. You can’t give up too easily. It’s also important to manage your expectations and to grind daily. You have to find out what works and what doesn’t and keep testing strategies. I can remember when not a single customer came into the first BB’s (2710 Montrose) all day and we had already been in business over 7 months. We kept at it and ultimately the concept took off a year and a half after we opened. I’ve found that the constant connection with your customers will always take the lead in any successful marketing strategy. This might seem cliche but Women CAN really do anything these days and we have come such a long way where Women in Business is concerned. It’s important, more so now, to focus on the authenticity of your brand. I believe in building brands from the inside, out and maintaining their authenticity. I feel strongly that this resonates more with customers, new and old. Building them authentically though is hard to do in this age of marketing and social media. It takes even more creativity, more courage, and more work. Women need to resort to the oldest trick in the book and that’s to go with their gut. To trust themselves and to make decisions based on their own values, opinions and hard work. The rest will take care of itself.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into BB’s Tex-Orleans story. Tell us more about the business.
My position is Chief Brand Officer for BB’s Cafe (soon to be BB’s Tex-Orleans). I’m committed to putting smiles of every single person that walks through our doors. Our customers are the reason we have been able to grow to almost 9 locations so maintaining communication with them is key. I ensure the day to day communication with our customers is always kept open. I execute everything from BB’s advertising, designs, campaigns, social media, art buys, events, PR and work hard daily to keep the concept truly BB’s. I work to make sure that we are organized and branded from everything that you see in our restaurants (table tents, menus, posters, wifi, banners) to everything that you see about BB’s on social media and in the press. I also take the locations we find and work hard to make them feel and look like the Home of Tex-Orleans Cooking. I started to really do this for the brand upon opening our 4th location. Everything from the layout, the colors on the wall, the art, and the feel, I am in charge of executing. We hope to go back to a few of our older locations and do the same. I’m most proud that the BB’s brand is unique and that we constantly find creative and inspiring ways to motivate our customers to come to dine with us. We are truly a business that goes above and beyond to engage our customers. I’m so proud of the team we are on. We have the best team and you can’t do anything without each and every one of them. I also know that we still have so much to learn and so much to improve upon. We strive to improve daily so I feel that, that is what sets me apart: The fact that I know that I can never call myself an expert in this industry because it’s constantly changing. It’s important to constantly learn, improve and change. That and the focus on my daily grind.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I don’t feel personally that women are particular for any type of position because women, just like men, are all so different in their talents and strengths. I believe that women can be all sorts of amazing these days, in whatever industry. I truly believe that the position you are in, in your life, can be the outcome of so many circumstances. Whatever those circumstances are, my hope for all women is to be able to change the course of their life, if that is so what they wish to do.

Contact Info:

• Address: bbscafe.com/locations
• Website: bbscafe.com
• Email: TellBB@bbscafe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbstexorleans/
• Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/BBsTexOrleans/?business_id=186491778805768
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BBsTexOrleans

Image Credit:
Andi Mo Photography, BB’s Tex-Orleans

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