Jill Marcus, the woman behind catering company Something Classic, launched her venture nearly 30 years ago from her home kitchen. In her 1,000+ Stories profile, she told us that she is driven by the joy she gets from cooking for others — even if the road has sometimes been rough.
When we caught up with her recently, Marcus told us that the past few years have been especially trying. She and her team have been ironing out the details of an exclusive catering partnership with a local museum, while also navigating several other moves. It has all been “taxing financially and on our creative energy,” she says. Marcus has also faced personal challenges. “This past year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer again and have undergone a mastectomy and reconstruction — all while sanding tables, painting and moving boxes.”
Still, she and Something Classic have survived every storm. Looking ahead, Marcus hopes to purchase her current space and expand the company’s rental line of china, glassware and linens. And the financial independence she has found as the head of a successful venture has given her the means and flexibility to travel with her family — an especially exciting prospect for her son, “a hopeful soccer star” who has gotten to attend several World Cup games.
Marcus says she is grateful for all of the possibilities that entrepreneurship has opened up for her. “As a business owner, I have so much freedom and time to dream. What could be better?”