Buffalo Boss Babe: Emily Morrow
This weeks Buffalo Boss Babe is Emily Marrow (used to be Kluckhohn... she just got married)........ CONGRATS GIRL! Emily is the founder and Boss Babe at Step Out Buffalo. You have probably heard of this business considering they have a HUGE following on Facebook and Instagram (FB: 44K and IG:27K HOLY SHIT!) This is always my go to place to see whats going on in our cool city so it was a no brainier to feature them!
We sat down with Emily to chat about her unique and booming company and life :)
Emily Morrow- Director of Storytelling
What made you start or brought you to where you are today? Tell us your story and what makes you a Buffalo Boss Babe.
As I went through high school and college I really never know what I wanted to do or be when I “grew up”. ( We feel you .... turning 30 and I still have no idea hahah ) ..........I started a job out of college that in hindsight wasn’t really a good fit, but I needed to do something (obviously). At the same time, my Dad (turned business partner) was kicking around the idea of starting local resource for cool things to do similar to what other cities had. I think he saw me struggling to find my passion and knew that working on an autonomous project with tons of freedom to get creative and experiment would be something I’d be into and could grow into. So he asked me to help/let me help (I can’t really remember how it happened haha.)
That was 4 years ago. We’re slowly growing our team (there are 4 of us full time, plus a group of awesome freelancers and interns) and gaining a following, learning what works and what doesn’t, figuring out how to make money, and how to make an impact.
Step Out Buffalo Website
Buffalo Cocktail Classic--- Photo by Mike Mondello
Who are your favorite people to follow?
My favorite people to follow are other entrepreneurs who have awesome stories to tell. My favorite way to “follow” them are on podcasts like Startup, Girlboss, How I Built This, The Venture, Masters of Scale, Gary Vee, etc. They all have such interesting stories, I feel like I’m in school (but like, a way better version) every day as I drive to work listening to them.
My all-time favorite, go-to person to follow on social, etc. is Gary Vaynerchuck. He’s super knowledgeable about branding and marketing, but also just about life, business, tech, humanity, company culture, the list goes on and on. Everything he says is right and TBH we owe a lot of our success to his advice via his videos, books, podcasts, snapchat rants, etc.
What are your favorite things to do in the area (Buffalo and greater WNY)?
My absolute favorite pastime is eating. If I have a free minute or dollar, I spend it trying new restaurants with the hopes of discovering something legendary in my mouth. The experience of sharing meals has always been something I love. The fact that we have so many options to choose from to have an outstanding, noteworthy experience locally now makes the hobby all that more exciting.
Tell me about your favorite collaborations or a dream collaboration?
I don’t have one specific dream collab. What excites me is a collaboration where everyone truly benefits.It’s our actual mission in life at SOB to create events that benefit everyone involved, including the attendees, the businesses who participate, sponsors, and ourselves. I think our events are the ultimate collaboration just because they bring so many parties together to do something that can only happen if all of these groups of people come together. For example, the Buffalo Bloody Mary Fest brings together SOB, attendees, 10 local bars, sponsors, food/craft vendors, etc.) The idea that everyone could benefit from the experience is my dream. It’s like making a crazy 5-way trade happen or something like that. It’s a huge rush.
Step Out Buffalo Bar Crawl - Photo BY: Artist Why
If you could have coffee with anyone in the world who would it be?
I wouldn’t be very productive in a one-on-one (I’m shy when I don’t know people and I would just clam up), so I’d rather make it a group hang with Gary Vaynerchuck, Sheryl Sandberg, and Mark Zuckerberg. I would love to just be part of a conversation with them about anything and everything.
Buffalo Bloody Mary Fest- Photo by: Mike Shriver
What are your hopes, dreams, goals? Big or Small.
Professionally I hope to build a cool business (or two, or three), something that people really want and need and find valuable. I also want to build a company where people love to work, find meaning in their work, feel accomplished, and valued. ( im pretty sure you have done that! WE ALL NEED SOME SOB in our life!
Personally, I’d love to build a family like my parents and grandparents have - one where everyone loves each other AND likes each other. Family businesses are cool and have really worked out well for my family, so I’d love to continue with that too.
Tell us about your family a bit ?
My family members are the coolest people I know. Sorry everyone else ever. They are my closest friends and the people I rely on most.
My husband Paul is one of the sweetest people I know. He’s selfless and ridiculously supportive and my step daughter Hannah is literally everyone’s favorite person/not to mention 8 year old. She’s super smart, kind, funny, silly, and stunningly beautiful.
I grew up with both my parents, Chuck and Carmen supporting me every step of the way - andddd they still do. I work closely with both of them at Step Out Buffalo on a daily basis. I have a younger sister and brother who are off doing awesome things in New York and Austin currently. I’m dying for them to move back home and maybe join the family business.
Buffalo Bloddy Mary Fest Photo by Mike Shriver
Feel Good Five
Color: White
Food: This is a hard one….. tacos
Super Power: Coming up with ideas (not saying anything happens with them, they just sit in my brain most of the time).
Animal: Puppies :)
Season of the year: Summer. The more sun, the better.
Emily is a SERIOUS BOSS BABE to this city. Sometimes I think not knowing what you want to be when you grow up can be the best thing because awesome things like Step Out Buffalo are born!! Step Out Buffalo is such an amazing resource that Emily created for this city. We cant wait for what the future holds for this awesome chick... Be sure to give them a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat! @stepoutbuffalo ( you probably already do). Stepoutbuffalo.com is the whole site.... be prepared to be lost for an hour checking out everything cool happening in our city.
Until next time babes!
Buffalo Boss Babes is a woman run blog that features amazing woman doing amazing things in and around the city of Buffalo N.Y. If you know someone doing amazing things for our community, past and present, young and old..... send us a message at buffalobossbabes@gmail.com
Be kind to everyone you meet.
Here's to strong woman! May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.
