Life & Work with Royce “Sauce” Handy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Royce “Sauce” Handy.

Hi Royce, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey started with my dad taking me to swap and shops on the weekend when he would make extra money for his storefront. I fell in love with exchanging products for money, trying to convince people to buy, and counting the profit at the end of the day. Fast forward to right after high school when I recorded and release my 1st mixtape, I would stand outside of gas stations, and our local music stores doing the same.

After a brief experience running the streets, I cleaned my life up and got more serious about business. I have a few failed businesses, like a multimedia company called “Fresh Kicks” and a T-shirt clothing brand called “Melanin Connoisseur.” Ironically, those failures prepared me for more success and taught me alot about mixing my passions with business models that make sense. One of those models is “We Are RAP” (started in 2017), my hip-hop education program owned by me and my good friend and entrepreneur, Kartez Marcel. Continuing and growing my music career, We Are RAP providing the perfect platform for me to explore working with youth, working with organizations that need art programming and how to get art funding, pitching businesses ideas, and so much more.

From that, we were featured in One Million Cups, KCUR, Startland News, Pitch Magazine, Global Entrepreneurship Week, The Kansas City Royals, and have worked with local organizations from libraries, to schools, and more. This really opened us up. We recently acquired a bus that will be a mobile studio for our students. When the pandemic hit, we lost a huge deal with Kansas City Public Schools to house our hip-hop class as an accredited elective in multiple schools. We also had a tour canceled, lost money from local booked events, and more. 2020 was very rough financially as an entrepreneur, though I had seen some other successes that year. Initially, I began thinking of easy ways to make money at home.

From there, I Got The Sauce Social Media Management was born. Not only am I savvy in that arena, but I was also already doing that work by running my personal business and music pages, my band’s social media, and more. This was a temporary idea that turned into something bigger. Starting with a family business, Big Momma’s Bakery-Cafe, my clients have included a Beauty Salon, other musicians, an event space, an art organization, and a sports agency. I still have some of those clients and new ones. From that I hired a content creator and scheduler, helping me put this model on autopilot.

Seeing my art suffer and how that hindered the things my family was trying to accomplish, made me want to get into another industry that wouldn’t suffer if the country ever closed like that again: Trucking. I saved money from a partnership licensing deal I did and still have with Intel, and took some personal savings, and bought my 1st box truck starting “Handy Moving & More/Handy Transport” with my wife. As I’ve learned, failed, succeeded, etc., I’ve realized the number one thing is to keep trying. So that’s what I’m doing, still going, still creating, still choosing entrepreneurship.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of the struggles have been the same as others seeking entrepreneurship: money and access to information. It hasn’t been a smooth road until this year. Compared to 2020, this year has done a 180. I’ve made more money than most of my previous years combined, and have already begun looking at some “passive” investment opportunities.

I’ve started building business credit, I’ve acquired other assets, and more. That is the result of all the rough years of wanting to give up, closing business because of so much money lost on them, and learning more about what works for me (us). Other struggles were not having successful mentors, now I have one in the trucking business. Not knowing about certain business tools and tax breaks, etc. I’m now working with a CPA to really take advantage of being in business.

So many times I’ve looked at the business as a side hustle and thought small about what I can do, and that led to many struggles as well.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love doing multiple things. I have many interests but I’ve narrowed those down into my current business music/art and working with youth, media, recently; the transportation industry. I specialize in hip-hop education, content creation, brainstorming ideas to reach youth, and few more things. I don’t have a degree or any certificates to show my expertise but I’m booked every week for something along these lines.

From multiple partnerships with the likes of the Intel, The Kansas City Streetcar, Mid-Continent Public Library, Boys & Girls Club, etc., I’ve literally created the life for myself. I’m probably most known for music, as that is what I have been doing the longest and have seen the largest amount of success-even when inconsistent. I’m most proud of creating the life spoken of above. I’ve tried everything from college, assembly lines, corporate, nonprofit, etc. Nothing has fulfilled me and has given me success like entrepreneurship and art. I depend on authenticity to set me apart from others. I have a very unique story, and I love to tell it. Also, I have a habit of figuring out how to get things done. Finding out “who’s who” and how do I get what’s in front of them. I am extremely strategic… even when I’m being spontaneous.

My wife always talks about how she admires my courage and my attitude of not caring what others think but going after what I want. And I think those things are what get me into doors that I couldn’t get into otherwise.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Wow. I have so many! One of them for sure is being in a creative writing essay competition about optimism. I made it to the regional competition and lost but I met the then-current Mayor of Kansas City, MO, Emanuel Clever, and had dinner with him.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Theycallmesauce.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/theycallmesauce
• Facebook: Facebook.com/theycallmesauce
• Twitter: Twitter.com/mynamesauce

Image Credits
Kai Acunsion