In this episode of our YouTube series, Business Casual, Heather Giannone talks to Leo Kremer, co-founder of the successful taqueria chain Dos Toros.

After a glowing write-up in the New York Times, Dos Toros more than doubled foot traffic to their locations. Today, they have 18 locations in New York City and Chicago. But long before the Times came calling, Dos Toros had another marketing tool up their sleeves: family and friends (including a handy connection at the blog Thrillist).  

It’s an asset that Leo wants to remind entrepreneurs not to underestimate — especially in the super early days:

“Everyone has relationships in their life … And the takeaway for any entrepreneur is that you should be leveraging your network, and your network’s network. The first part of marketing is really marketing to your group of friends, telling them what you’re up to, getting them excited about it.”

Also in the episode, Leo talks about business financing, and why it’s important for entrepreneurs to have skin in the game.

He also reminds us that starting and running a business doesn’t have to be an endless antiseptic slog of metrics and rationality by sharing some of the quirky strategies Dos Toros uses to connect with customers and potential team members, including a dedicated Instagram account for their mascot, Pinto the Burrito (122K+ followers and counting!!!), and a rap video encouraging people to “Guac It Out.” 

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Business Casual is our YouTube series featuring real entrepreneurs sharing how they built their online business from the ground up. New episodes every Friday.

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