Pat and Beth Rabroker could see that Hutto was primed for rapid growth when they decided to expand their small business, Westphalia Market, into the area in 2012. Primarily a butcher shop, Westphalia Market also offers dairy, produce, dry goods and frozen items.
The original Westphalia Market is located in Westphalia, Texas and is currently in its 59th year of operations. The Rabrokers expanded the custom processing plant here believing they could both provide a service and grow alongside the community.
“At the time we opened, the area did not have a large chain grocery store within 10 miles,” Pat said. “Hutto was also area designated for expansion and we just took a leap of faith that we could provide a product that people would appreciate.”
Believing in their product and knowing that they filled a need in the area was easy for the Rabrokers. What came as a challenge was developing a growth strategy and acquiring then retaining customers.
“The statement, ‘If you build it, they will come,’ is not true,” Beth said. “It is more like, ‘If you build it, work long hours, promote yourself morning, noon and night, train people to believe in you and your product, it may come.’”
Pat and Beth identified five key elements that other prospective entrepreneurs should consider before launching their own business. First up, they believe it is important to work for someone else and learn from them before going out on your own. Learning to lead is paramount. Next, the Rabrokers recommend surrounding yourself with talented people who will only make you more successful.
Another key factor is having a strong work ethic and learning not to complain. They advise it is important to challenge yourself to make a difficult situation better instead of spending time complaining. Understanding accounting terminology and basic accounting principles is also vitally important.
“A business that appears to bring in lots of dollars might not be making money,” Pat said. “Always know what your products cost to make. This may seem basic but it is crucial to understanding if your business is making money.”
Finally, the Rabrokers stress that you must love what you do or else it isn’t worth it do at all. Celebrating 10 years of Westphalia Market in Hutto, it’s safe to say Pat and Beth are still in love with owning their own small business.
“My husband is the entrepreneur while I am the pragmatist,” Beth said. “It tends to work okay because we have been together for 33 years but have only worked together for the past year. In that short amount of time, we both have learned from each other and made changes to better our business.”
Westphalia Market is located at 409 West Front Street, Suite 206 in Hutto. For more information, visit their website and follow Westphalia Market on Facebook.
About This Series
As part of National Small Business Week, the City of Hutto is excited to shine a spotlight on local small businesses. The nationwide theme for #SmallBusinessWeek 2022 is the resiliency and tenacity of America’s entrepreneurs, who are doing their part to power our nation’s historic economic comeback. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll make daily posts on the City’s Official Instagram page to celebrate the local entrepreneurs whose businesses help make Hutto such a special place to live and shop. Follow along by visiting @cityofhutto on Instagram.
