Jay & Rex Nicole have been entrepreneurs for over 30 years when they bought Rays Chili. As we sat down to learn more about their entrepreneurial journey, they shared decisions they faced, adversity they overcame, and how they have continued to work as a cohesive team to grow and expand their business.

Jay stated “if you have an idea 💡 great! If you have a dream 💭-> even better!! BUT you need to have a good team of trusted people - a good banker, a trusted lawyer and a skilled accountant- in order to be successful.”

More than 10 years ago they began to expand their business to supplying spices to local chefs and restaurants. This quickly expanded because they saw a need for fresh, high quality spices in central Illinois. As this business began to grow their daughter Jeana Griffiths
joined the company.

In addition, they attribute their success to
🌟capitalizing on relationships
🌟”up sale” sales technique
🌟doing your research, solving problems

Thank you Rex & Jay for your time and advice!
We also want to thank Red Door Spice Company for being a sponsor of our initial business venture and to Jeana for serving as a mentor for the 3rd year in a row! We truly appreciate your commitment to the CICEO program as it would not be possible without the support of local businesses!

#reddoorspicecompany #rayschili #entrepreneurialjourney #salestechniques #salesbestpractices #solvingproblems #relationships #customerexperience #youngentrepreneurs