What Grit Looks Like When a Business Collapses

What happens when something you spent more than a decade building disappears almost overnight?

Angela M. Keaveny shares the unfiltered story behind ROWDYDOW bbq, from rapid growth and national contracts to a supply chain collapse that nearly ended everything. This is a conversation about grit, resilience, leadership, and why some founders keep going when others walk away.

This is not a food story.
It's a perseverance story.

00:00 Eleven years to build, five minutes to lose it
03:40 Turning a family recipe into a real business
08:15 Scaling fast and landing national contracts
14:10 The supply chain warning signs most founders miss
22:05 The moment everything started to fall apart
31:50 Losing Walmart, Sodexo, and momentum
41:30 How close she came to walking away
49:20 Why grit matters more than strategy
56:40 Rebuilding, mentoring, and what comes next

About The Fervent Four Show
The Fervent Four Show is a weekly podcast hosted by Tim Ryan and Zack Miller, featuring candid conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders shaping Hampton Roads and beyond. Each episode focuses on real stories, hard lessons, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
Learn more at https://www.innovate757.org/ferventfour/

Innovate Hampton Roads exists to tell the real stories of entrepreneurship happening across our region and beyond. We highlight founders, leaders, and builders who are shaping the future through action, not hype.

If you care about entrepreneurship, leadership, and building something that lasts, subscribe and explore more at https://www.innovate757.org