Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Ancona.
Hi Sam, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After working in Enterprise Tech Sales in Chicago and Los Angeles for 5+ years, I started Santa Monica Picnic Co in the summer of 2020 to enjoy a fresh start and build something truly of my own. This picnic business started in my garage at 3rd and Hill St in Santa Monica, where I would wheel down a small wagon to the beach, set up the picnic, clean it up and roll the wagon up the very steep Hill St back to my garage. I did this for four months while developing strong partnerships around town, primarily with a well-known interior designer to get the elegant aesthetic, cheeseshop, bakery, florist, which then expanded to yoga instructors, live musicians, photographers, surf instructors and much more.
After a couple of months of hard work out of my garage, I presented at a travel and tourism sales conference and immediately got offers to partner with most hotels in Santa Monica; I decided to work with Shutters and Casa del Mar due to their branding aligning with ours, similar clientele, strong reputation in town and close proximity to the beach.
Fast forward to February 2023 and we have a fleet of cargo vans, incredible employees, refined processes/operations and a warehouse at 11th and Broadway in Santa Monica, while keeping all the original partnerships I started with. Throughout the growth, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce have been really good to me and helped spread the word with their strong global reach.
10 person picnics were a big deal for me in October 2020 and it’s been inspiring to see our ability to host 100 person picnics in 2023 with the same magic and attention to detail that we had in the beginning.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Physically demanding: The nature of our business is extremely physically demanding, but we get to bring joy to people in a unique fashion on the beautiful beaches of Southern California, which makes the struggle worth it in the long run.
Brief revenue seasonality: One of the biggest struggles was realizing our business is somewhat seasonal and the revenue really dips low from Mid-November to Mid-Jaunary. The first 2 “winters” I encountered were scary because I wasn’t sure if we would bounce back.
2021 Van stolen: Another big struggle was having our cargo van stolen in the middle of busy season in June 2021 when we were still relatively small, with most of inventory in it. That month was really challenging… sourcing all new inventory, doing picnics with a rented uHaul, getting the van back from the thief, countless hours with police reports and insurance claims, etc. but we made it through. It’s amazing how strong you realize you are when pushed up against the ropes.
We’ve been growing at a steady pace and overall the process has been quite smooth.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We set up picnics on the beaches in Santa Monica, South of the pier. Most of our bookings are booked directly with us and a smaller percentage occur in front Shutters and Casa del Mar, which are exclusive to their guests..
When our schedule allows, we set up in backyards, corporate spaces and homes. We also do inventory rentals and provide DIY picnics.
We do a lot of proposal picnics, birthday parties, bachelorette groups and corporate events up to 100 people.
What sets us apart is our relentless attention to detail, which starts from the moment we start to work with a client until we’ve completed our service at the picnic.
The combination of our incredible partners and vendors in Santa Monica, our professionally styled picnic decor and the perfect weather of Southern California has proven to be an unstoppable recipe thus far and validated through consistent 5-star reviews online.
We’ve been featured in most LA publications and get bookings from people visiting from around the world!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Attention to detail.
During the busy season, we will do 50 picnics in a month, a lot of which are large groups with highly specific requests.
Much of what makes us a 5-star service is the ability to stay organized and deliver an unforgettable experience every time, which takes immeasurable time per week making sure we have everything spot on before heading to the beach for a picnic.
Pricing:
- $320 for 2 person picnic
- $800 for 10 person picnic
- $1,400 for 20 person picnic
- $3,200 for 50 person picnic
- $6,200 for 100 person picnic
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.santamonicapicnicco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santamonicapicnicco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smpicnicco
