992: Kara Graves Senior Partner and Director of Marketing at Uptown Hospitality Group

Kara Graves is a Senior Partner and the Director of Marketing at Uptown Hospitality group based in Charleston, SC. Kara went to school for PR and marketing and entered the fashion industry in NYC. After only two years, she transitioned into the restaurant/hospitality industry, taking on bartending, managing, and marketing. She began working with Keith Benjamin, Uptwon's co-founder and Director of Operations, in 2012 when they began opening restaurants in Charleston. By 2014 she began working within Uptown's marketing and she became a partner with the business in 2017. The following year she helped open Uptown Social.

Check out episode 985 with Keith Benjamin, Uptown's co-founder and Director of Operations.

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Show notes…

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Favorite success quote/mantra:

• "The time is now; don't hit snooze on your life."

In this episode with Kara Graves we will discuss:

• Marketing
• Guerilla marketing
• Social media marketing
• Partnering
• Getting your guest to promote for you
• Building your team around marketing
• Influencer marketing

Knowledge bombs

1. Which “it factor” habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Energy
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Time management
3. What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team?
   • Does this person know about the company? Communications skills.
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • The younger generation doesn't take the job as seriously as they should
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Have fun
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Buy back policy
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
   • Beatgig
   • LineLeap
9. What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough?
   • Treating their staff with care
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Bring good energy to any room you walk into
    • Have patience
    • In order to be a good leader, you have to listen

Contact:

Email: [e-mail]

Instagram...

Bodega: @eatdrinkbodega

Uptown Social: @uptownsocialchs

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Kara Graves for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

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