We are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Disney Food Blog this year!
Lime and Pineapple Dole Whip
When I look back over 15 years of DFB, it is easy to find many things to celebrate. But I’m not going to lie and say it was all pretty cupcakes and yummy totchos and delectable plastic cheese. Starting a business is HARD. Building a brand is HARD. Planting a stake in digital media, which I swear changes daily, is HARD. And if I’m being completely honest here, there were definitely times when I wanted to quit.
So, as I and the team share some of our best times here at DFB, I would be remiss to not share some of the worst times either. Here are 3 times when I really wanted to quit.
Fireworks Dessert Party
Back in the day, we held a few Fireworks Dessert Parties in EPCOT during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! These were soooo cool!
Epcot Sparkling Illuminations Dessert Party
We contracted with the Disney events team (like you would if you were holding a conference or a wedding or something) to rent a space in EPCOT and purchase a menu of dessert items. But I didn’t want just ANY dessert items! I customized the menu specifically to DFB favorites! School Bread from Norway, Butterfinger Cupcakes from Hollywood Studios, CARROT CAKE COOKIES!!!! — stuff like that!
I do love that school bread!
The stress of the event was massive. Would anyone come? Would they hate it? Would they hate ME? WHAT IF IT RAINS AND THE FIREWORKS DON’T EVEN HAPPEN?!?! Unfortunately — the one thing I really needed to worry about and be anxious for, I hadn’t even considered! When I arrived right before the event to do the walk-through, I didn’t see the school bread on the dessert buffet. We had publicized the menu, so I knew our guests were going to be expecting it…but it wasn’t there.
It was nowhere to be found.
What I saw instead were…a bunch of dinner rolls. Literally dinner rolls. That was what we’d received to be our “school bread.” (!!!) I told our event manager that that was never going to cut it (for me, or for our guests!), and chaos ensued. I had to explain what school bread actually was and show them pictures. And, to Disney’s eternal credit, the event manager called for someone to literally DRIVE backstage to the Norway pavilion and BUY THEM OUT of School Bread! Ha ha ha!! Talk about a miracle!
School Bread
Luckily they had about two big pastry boxes worth of them ready to go (shocking to me since it was so late in the day), and the night was saved! But yeah — the stress, anxiety, and unexpected chaos of that event so early in our life cycle nearly made me want to quit…and it definitely made me think twice about doing big events!
Foodie Fest
Back in 2011 we held the first ever Disney Food Blog Foodie Fest! We worked with Disney events to purchase the use of an event space (Ariel’s Restaurant at the Beach Club Resort — this seafood restaurant right next to Martha’s Vineyard Lounge shut down in the 90s, but it’s still used as a private event space), and spent a bunch of money on snacks like ice cream novelties (e.g. Mickey Bars and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches). We invited our readers to join us for a meet-and-greet.
MICKEY ICE CREAM BARS!
There were no tickets; it was just a free-of-charge open house for anyone who wanted to come. It was truly delightful! I got to meet readers for the first time, share stories, and connect. But then I realized that some people literally came with COOLERS in order to fill them up with the free (for our guests) Mickey Bars?! It was something I never would have imagined doing — or even thought of doing — if I was going to a meet and greet for a blogger or creator I respected and liked.
You can’t go wrong with the classic snacks!
It struck me as weird and upsetting that people would just take advantage in that way. Maybe I was just super naive — and I’m sure I was — but I learned a lot about human nature that day. That said, the majority of people who came to our Foodie Fest were amazing, wonderful, kind, and thoughtful. So, yep, while there will always be a few bad seeds, try not to let them spoil the whole harvest.
Covid
2020 was an intense and unprecedented year for all of us. One minute everything is normal, and the next: chaos. And for a company that writes about Disney theme parks…when suddenly all the Disney theme parks close…we were plunged into an extra level of “what in the world are we supposed to do now?”
Mickey Pretzel
Our work — how we paid our team members and paid our own bills — was squarely centered on being in the parks every day, helping people plan for Disney trips, bringing all the latest news to our readers and followers. And suddenly we couldn’t be in the parks at all, and people were definitely NOT planning Disney trips. Disney parks “news” didn’t exist anymore.
Magic Kingdom
Not only did I WANT to quit. I didn’t really know how we were going to be able to survive regardless of what I wanted. But enter the world’s best colleagues! Sierra, Jelly, Jessica, Meghan, and I immediately set to cracking the code: what do our readers want to hear about now? If we can’t write what we usually write, how can we still keep them informed and entertained through this?
Spaceship Earth welcomes you to EPCOT.
And this small, but mighty, team succeeded beyond anything we could have imagined! We started writing about Disney history, bread recipes, what to do with all of that toilet paper you stockpiled, what’s happening in the parks even though they’re closed. We used video and photos to help Disney fans feel like they were in the parks even when they couldn’t be there.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We wrote posts about how to support cast members who had been laid off, and trying to bring a little bit of joy and kindness through unique and heartwarming stories. We found the bakery that made Jack-Jack’s Num Num cookies for the parks and showed people how to get there on certain days to do a car drive-through to get their own.
SO good.
We pivoted and innovated and used our own feelings and emotions about not being able to go to Disney to figure out how we could help our readers and viewers.And our readers and followers stuck with us! We saw record numbers of fans flocking to our content, supporting our work, and supporting US! Despite the chaos that was going on around the world, we were finding a way to add a little bit of magic and light to the darkness.
There you have it — 3 times I wanted to quit, and yes, I am SO glad I didn’t! Once again, it just goes to show: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Keep following us here at DFB for more!
I Was Fired From My Job 15 Years Ago and Started a Blog. Here’s What Happened Next.
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Fantastic post about the real challenges faced when starting and running a new business. Thank you!!
Glad you stuck it out, I appreciate DFB!
AJ,
Thank you and your team for keeping us abreast of all things Disney, especially during COVID, storms, and management debacle! You are a visionary and apparently an awesome, inspirational leader.
Ever thought about running the Disney parks?
Dear AJ & Company,
My extended family and I had gone to WDW for two weeks in late June/early July 2018. While we vowed never to return in the summer again, we set a goal of two, one-week return trips in 2023, one in early Spring, one in late Fall.
When the pandemic hit, I had just started planning for those two events, hoping things would normalize by 2033.
I devoured everything DFB offered during those dark days, and while there was no certainty about anything , your blog presented me with things we could do, alternatives if things webt awry, support, and helped me to keep my head in the game even though WDW’s doors were totally shut.
Thanks for hanging in and just “being there.” It helped me make my family’s dreams come true.
Thank you AJ for taking the time to write this blog post. I too am starting my own business as a voice actor. There is so much to learn, anticipate, etc. Quitting may seem like the path of least resistance at times. However, no worthwhile endeavor in life ever comes easy. It takes loads of hard work, endurance and perseverance – certainly not the landscape for quitters! Congrats on 15 years of success and many, many more!!!
Loving these reflections. I love love if we could get some insight into AJs role now that the business has grown so much. I notice it’s rare she writes the articles and I’m sure there was a time it was always AJs hand in the food photos but now it’s a whole host of people. Surely the transition from being a blogger to running a whole company must have been insane?!
Ugh…Covid was rough! We started planning a 2020 trip towards the end of 2019. I hadn’t been in quite a few years, so to say we were excited was understatement! My ADR date came around and after hours of reading & watching DFB I was ready to reserve our dining! Got everything we wanted! Then 3 days later, the parks shut down. 4 days later I got an email that all my reservations were canceled 😞 In the many months to follow, all of you at DFB kept Disney in my heart and gave me hope that we’d eventually get there….and we did! November 2021. First time for my husband and kids. We still had to wear masks indoors and not everything was back open, but we still had the most amazing time! My husband turned into a Disney adult on that trip. Thanks to all of you at DFB, he has me on a wild goose chase for snacks all around the “world” each time we go back 😂
In the months leading up to our yearly trips I get super invested in all kinds of Disney content, but DFB is my #1 and the one I follow all year long to stay in the loop! I read the newsletter every day. It’s how I unwind after work!
Thank you all for all you do!
I’m sorry, but you had to explain to a DISNEY REPRESENATIVE what school bread is? I feel like someone needed to be fired over that.
Covid was the worst. I had a trip scheduled and then rescheduled twice due to park closures. After it opened, there were so many initial changes that it seemed like it was nothing like previous experiences. I’m happy that DFB was able to survive it and ultimately grow afterwards.
This is incredible. As a brand new realtor two years ago in Los Angeles, I wanted to quit so many times. Either by sheer will, or stubbornness, lol, I persevered. Great message!
I’m so glad you stuck with it, perseverance pays off, and you have persevered and come out stronger, and with more knowledge of what your readers want. Your content is so valuable to so many of us, and so appreciated! I always tell my wife, I would love to work for AJ at DFB! Your videos get us excited for our vacations. We have a DCL cruise to Lookout Cay scheduled for next April, so we won’t be in the parks for at least another two years, but I’m reading your em ails and watching your videos like I’m going tomorrow. Keep up the good work, and tell your whole team THANK YOU for all you do to keep us informed and excited about Disney!!
Way to go AJ…Walt never seemed to give up & neither did you…kudos! But good grief people really brought coolers to take all the ice cream treats they could get away with?…Mickey wouyld not have approved!
I actually found you during Covid, and you helped me through those dark days! I was in Disney World the day they closed and booked my next trip on the way home – not knowing if I would be able to go. Your blog gave me hope! I’m so glad you didn’t quit, and I look forward to hearing from you every day. Thanks for always keeping it positive!
I appreciate what you do… It is not easy and it’s not easy to stay true to what you do. I can’t imagine coming up with Contant. I’m a voiceover actor and I have to come up with Contant every single day. I don’t work on YouTube and I don’t write a blog or a blog but what I do is have to be creative and being creative is one of the hardest jobs in the world. So you keep doing you keep trucking along and I can understand those three things that made you wanna quit I face them every day. if I could work for you, I would do it in heartbeat being your own capitalist is always interesting. And you’re responsible for a whole bunch of other people! I have no idea how you do it. I am a Disney lover my life I would do it thank you so much for making me smile and thank you so much for sharing.
Hi AJ
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE SCAVENGER HUNT YOU HAD IN EPCOT
IT BROUGHT GREAT JOY TO MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF
I WAS USING SCOOTER AND WE HAD SO MUCH FUN SEEING THINGS WE HAD NEVER SEEN WHILE LOOKING FOR THE ANSWERS TO THE CLUES WE CAMEIN SECOND AND RECEIVED A 50.00 GIFT CARD WE HAD A BLAST THAT DAY THANKS TO YOU
WE ARE NOW 85 AND 87 YEARS OLD AND STILL TALK ABOUT THAT DAY
WE ARE GLAD YOU DO WHAT YOU DO