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Intro

What if your next business…

👉 Didn’t come from a plan…
👉 But from people constantly telling you, “You should sell this”?

In this episode, Elijah Bilel sits down with Chef Rico, the owner of Hopeboy’s Kitchen—a viral vegan food truck that’s been making serious noise in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

This conversation blends:

• Business and entrepreneurship
• Health and lifestyle transformation
• Real side hustle growth strategies

And it all started… in a parking lot.

👉 If you’ve already heard about the food or want to see how it landed with The Veggie Outers, check out The Veggie Outers review of Hopeboy’s Kitchen here 

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Intro to Chef Rico

Chef Rico is the owner of Hopeboy’s Kitchen, a highly successful vegan food truck based in Dallas.

His journey includes:

• Former dump truck business owner
• Self-taught vegan chef
• Started cooking from home during the pandemic
• Built a loyal customer base from scratch

Hopeboy’s Kitchen has:

• Won multiple awards in the DFW area
• Become one of the most popular vegan food spots locally
• Grown through pure word-of-mouth and consistency

👉 Follow Hopeboy’s Kitchen on Facebook here 
👉 Follow Hopeboy’s Kitchen on Instagram here 

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Episode Overview

In this episode, we break down:

• How Chef Rico built his food business from zero
• The real numbers behind a food truck
• Why passion matters more than just making money
• How health transformation changed his entire life
• The mindset required to grow a side hustle into a full-time business

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Listen to the Episode

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Side Hustler’s Society Resources

The Personalized Side Hustle Starter Kit

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From $700 Weeks to $7K–$10K Weeks

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The Growth Journey

Chef Rico shares:

• Started at around $700 per week
• Grew to $7,000 to $10,000 per week

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What Changed?

• Consistency
• Customer experience
• Word-of-mouth growth
• Product quality

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Key Takeaway

👉 Most people quit before momentum kicks in

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The Parking Lot Hustle That Built the Brand

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The Setup

• Cooking from home
• Taking pre-orders
• Meeting customers in a Target parking lot

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How Long He Did This

👉 About 18 months

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What Happened

• Traffic kept growing
• New customers every week
• Eventually forced to scale

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Turning Point

👉 Got kicked out of the parking lot

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What He Did Next

• Bought a food truck
• Got permits
• Took the business legit

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Key Insight

👉 Sometimes getting pushed out of one stage forces your next level

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Why Passion Beat Profit

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He Could Have Stayed Comfortable

• Dump truck business was profitable
• Stable income

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But…

👉 He didn’t love it

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What Changed

• Fell in love with cooking
• Found purpose in helping people
• Built something meaningful

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Key Takeaway

👉 Money alone will not sustain you
👉 Passion and purpose will

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The Health Transformation That Changed Everything

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Chef Rico’s Reality

He was diagnosed with:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol

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What He Did

👉 Changed his diet immediately

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The Result

👉 Reversed all conditions in 7 weeks

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Why This Matters

This was bigger than business

👉 It became a mission

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His Purpose

👉 “My people deserve healthy options.”

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👉 If you want a closer look at the food that helped build that reputation, you can check out The Veggie Outers review of Hopeboy’s Kitchen here 

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The Meaning Behind “Hopeboy’s Kitchen”

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Chef Rico’s Background

• Formerly involved in street life
• Incarcerated for several years
• Struggled after release

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Turning Point

• Found faith
• Left that lifestyle behind
• Rebuilt his life from scratch

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What “Hopeboy” Represents

👉 Transformation
👉 Redemption
👉 A second chance

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Key Insight

👉 Your past does not have to define your future

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Entrepreneurship Means Flexibility

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Ice Storm in DFW

• Had to shut down temporarily
• Adjusted schedule
• Opened on a different day to compensate

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Lesson

👉 Entrepreneurs control their time more than most people realize

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Key Takeaway

👉 Flexibility is one of the biggest benefits of being self-employed

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The Power of Community Support

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Growth Came From People

• New customers every week
• Strong local support
• Word-of-mouth marketing

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Key Insight

👉 Community can build your business faster than ads

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The Bigger Lesson From This Episode

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You Don’t Need Everything Figured Out

• Started from home
• No formal chef background
• No perfect plan

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What You Do Need

• Consistency
• Passion
• Willingness to evolve

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Because at the end of the day

👉 Businesses are not built overnight
👉 They are built week by week

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Final Thoughts

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This episode is a reminder that:

👉 Your side hustle can start anywhere

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A kitchen

A parking lot

Or even your current situation

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But if you stay consistent…

👉 It can turn into something much bigger

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