Meet Chelsea Moxon | Owner of Buffettes Shoe Shine

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Moxon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted to be the boss! I’ve been working since I was 13 and have had jobs ranging from bagging groceries, making sandwiches, working retail, market management and more! The one thing all of those jobs had in common is that I was not in charge and that was a problem for me. After working in various fields I saw a business opportunity in the event industry that had very little competition and a demand in the south FL/ Orlando area. I developed my business plan while still attending FAU and filed Buffettes LLC the day after I graduated. I told myself that if I wasn’t able to grow the business in 3 years that I still had a degree to fall back on. Buffettes LLC has been in business for 12 years now!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Buffettes Shoe Shine is constantly evolving so we can stay competitive in the field. Im very big on listening to my employees and clients and I rely heavily on feedback so we can always be doing the best job possible. The one thing that has remained over the last 12 years is that we are an all female staffed, mobile and professional shoe shine company. There have been so many challenges over the last 12 years but with every challenge there is something to learn and overcome . There are still so many firsts even though we have been in business for 12 years so I am constantly growing, learning and striving to do better! If there is one takeaway for anyone reading this it would have to be, take the risk! You don’t want to live your life with regrets and what if’s. The unknown is scary but living with regrets could be worse!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in the best city in Florida!!! To be super cliche, we do in fact live where people vacation! South Florida has something for everyone! My best friend is visiting me in May and even though her trip is short, there are plenty of things I will squeeze in to ensure for an amazing trip! First stop would be the beach! I tend to pick a location that is near restaurants so we can spend the day there and enjoy lunch.
Since we’re both moms, I would then take her to one my favorite foot massage places to relax.
We would then hop on the bright line and venture down to Miami or go have an amazing meal in West Palm followed by an improv show.
The rest of her visit might include kayaking, candle making at candle land, sushi dinner at Kaizen, greek dinner at Greek Islands taverna, going to GLITCH bar for drinks and games and then finding a speak easy to close out the night. I always encourage people to come visit me in south FL because it’s impossible to be bored because there is always something fun to do!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Firstly, I need to give a shoutout to my dad, Jeff Kaplan. Without his mentorship, advice and knowledge I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to start my own company. My dad encouraged me to take the risk and reminded me that I still had a degree to fall back on.

I also need to thank my husband, John Moxon. I actually met him 11 years ago when I walked into an empty bar and asked him if he found it difficult to find shoe shiners in the area. From that opening statement, it was love at first pitch! He has supported me, given me great feedback and advice and has helped watch our two little boys when I needed to tend to work stuff.

Website: www.BuffettesShoeShine.com

Instagram: BuffettesShoeShine

Linkedin: Chelsea Moxon

Yelp: Buffettes Shoe Shine