How to Start and Scale a Business in East Central Indiana: Lessons from Local Founders

©Journal Communications/Jeff Adkins

Aside from hard work, business success in East Central Indiana can often be traced to community roots, shared trust and neighbors who invest in one another. That foundation has shaped the stories of Ky and Jo Scott of Ky’s Kreations, a food truck, and Lathay Pegues of JohnTom’s Barbecue, a barbecue sauce supplier. The paths of these entrepreneurs show the power of local support.

Growing a Business

For the Scotts, returning to Indiana wasn’t part of their plan. After years away, they felt drawn back to familiar ground and settled in Henry County. “We didn’t know where home was going to be,” Jo says. “But we came across this great house, and everything started from there.”

Food had long been part of their lives. Ky grew up in her family’s restaurant, Hickory Lane Smorgasbord, learning the business at a young age. Jo began in the industry as a teenager, and even after stepping away, she was drawn back to the energy and community of restaurant life. Together, they launched Ky’s Kreations as a food truck in 2018, building the business around Ky’s homestyle cooking and their belief that good food brings people together.

Growth followed quickly: Catering expanded in 2019, Ky’s American Bistro opened in 2024, and the Scotts acquired Twin Lions Wine Bar in 2025. Through each step, community support remained the foundation, turning a simple return home into a thriving multilocation venture. “Without the community, we never could have gone from a food truck to brick-and-mortar locations,” Jo says.

Behind the scenes, Jo says she and Ky have learned that passion alone doesn’t run a business. “We’ve learned a lot about what not to do,” she says. “And we’ve learned how important it is to have a team.”

©Journal Communications/Jeff Adkins

A Family Legacy

For Pegues, the road back to East Central Indiana came at a crossroads. After a broadcast journalism career in Illinois and Wisconsin, a station closure forced a decision. “I had to choose whether to stay in Milwaukee or move home,” he says.

With a young family and a growing entrepreneurial dream, he returned for the support he knew the region could provide.

His inspiration for JohnTom’s Barbecue traces to his grandfather, JohnTom Branson, the family’s pitmaster who was known for his Mississippi-style barbecue. Though Branson never wrote down his sauce recipe, Pegues spent nearly five years recreating it, turning a family memory into the foundation of a business.

Courtesy of JohnTom’s Barbeque

JohnTom’s Barbecue officially launched in 2006, beginning with long production days in a kitchen incubator in Madison, Indiana. Early sales were grassroots – friends, family and neighbors. By 2014, the brand had gained traction. Today, JohnTom’s sauce is served at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, sold at Kroger and Fresh Thyme, featured in restaurants across Indiana, and used at major Indiana universities.

Pegues credits much of that growth to the region’s entrepreneurial network. Programs at Ball State University, the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, and the Innovation Connector helped him think strategically about growth. “They helped us think about things we hadn’t even considered,” he says.

Beyond resources, Pegues says the character of the community makes a difference. “People here are generous and willing to help, even people doing the same kind of work,” he says. “When I moved back, I forgot how people wave from their porch. Those small gestures remind you how special this place is.”

Courtesy of JohnTom’s Barbeque

Launchpad for Success

Both Pegues and the Scotts encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to take advantage of the region’s support before launching. “There’s opportunity here if you’re willing to put in the time,” Jo says. “There are grants, mentorship and real assistance if you seek it out.”

Pegues agrees. “Take inventory of what’s available. Talk to other business owners. Set up meetings with the Small Business Development Center and entrepreneurship centers,” he says. “If you tell them what you need, they will help guide you.”

For both businesses, success has proven that East Central Indiana offers more than a place to open a door. It offers a foundation built on shared purpose, steady collaboration and a community that invests in those who invest in it.