Kansas City is stronger with you at the table.
When Lindsay Smith introduced me to her start-up, The Merry Outlaw, I fell in love with the picture she painted for me. She wanted to create a restaurant that facilitated social connection in her hometown of Kansas City. It’s one-of-a-kind business model is all about addressing food scarcity and inequity, and features
a pay-what-you-can lunch menu,
nourishing, local, farm-fresh meals for anyone who needed it,
a social worker on site,
and a high-end dinner experience, to bring the KC folks with the most resources into this community space (and to encourage them to open their wallets).
Food as communion
I’d been working in restaurants since I was 16 and supporting myself on their wages since I was 18, and I often like an underpaid and undertrained social worker, building relationships with the customers, some of whom had nowhere else to go for a warm meal, conversation, and a shared table. So, it was a wholehearted yes to working with Lindsay and writing copy for the programs she created to bring the Outlaw spirit to KC, even before she had the space and investments for the fully fledged restaurant.
Solidarity, not charity
I wrote copy, conducted market research, and consulted her on several dynamic programs--from a pop-up, high end dinner series to raise funds, to a healthy meal prep program that funded microloans for KC entrepreneurs. And right as I sent her over the final files, the ultimate test of social connection rocked the boat in March 2020. While The Merry Outlaw had to press pause on their in-person programming, Lindsay and her co-founder Chris Whited quickly pivoted to building a mutual aid app, and to-date they’ve raised over $42,810 in funds for their neighbors. (!!!)
Lindsay is the embodiment of emergent strategy, and even with the unpredictable nature of Covid-19, she adapted and found a way to support and sustain her community.
I know that as the world begins to open up, she’s going to bring so many people together around a table and a shared meal in the name of social connection. Because Kansas City is truly stronger with everyone at the table, and The Merry Outlaw is so strong with her at the helm.
Services + Scope
—Brand Voice Consultation
—Brand Voice Guidelines
—Copywriting
—Content Writing
—Video Scripts
—Print Materials
—Sales Letters
I'd spoken to several copywriters in the last year and each time, felt hesitant to proceed. But when I approached Kira about it, I knew immediately she was the right person for the job.
Kira has a warm spirit and is so attentive and curious to learn. I felt like she totally understood what I was trying to do with TMO, and if she had questions or wasn't sure, she asked me all the right questions and was a great listener. Eventually I felt like she might understand my mission/passion/heart better than I do!! :)
I’d recommend Kira’s services to anyone. Best money I’ve spent on TMO so far. Kira was such an amazing person to work with—kind, smart, warm. She knows how to bring out the best in your business, and she always keeps your vision and goals at the core of everything. I felt so safe with her doing this work for us and had butterflies every time I received an email from her with new copywriting!
— Lindsay Smith, The Merry Outlaw