A Scottsburg couple believe they made one of the scariest jumps of their lives when they decided to quit their jobs in the summer of 2021 to open a food truck.

Laykin Eubank worked as an automotive supplier, and her wife, Stephenie Eubank, was a sales representative for the beverage company Pepsi. When the pandemic hit the world, the Eubanks realized they would be much happier working for themselves and being able to spend more time with each other.

With their love for travel and a passion for cooking, the Eubanks decided it would be a great idea to open a potato-inspired truck, now known as Spudbank.

They began researching the field and how the hospitality industry works and with their background in management and sales decided to try their luck.

Eventually, they found a step van for sale and went to work turning it into a food truck.

“It was fully gutted, and we converted it ourselves with the help of a few family members that were eager to help and lots of YouTube tutorials,” Laykin said.

It took them about two months to fully renovate the old step van into a fully functioning food truck.

The Eubanks decided to focus their food truck on potatoes because of the versatility they offer.

“There’s not much you can’t do with potatoes,” she said.

After deciding what theme their food truck would be, the couple went through the process of choosing the perfect name. The Eubanks wanted to incorporate their last name in some way for their food truck. After running through many ideas, the name Spudbank was born.

Once their business was up and running, instead of using social media or advertisements to promote their business, the Eubanks took an out-of-the-box marketing approach.

Taking a grassroots approach, they made cold calls and introduced themselves into the community to create an old-school, word-of-mouth marketing, and it took off from there.

“We wanted our food and hospitality to speak for itself,” she said.

Recently, with the growth of their business and clientele, they created a social media page and website to connect with potential clients and their customer base.

First starting out with a new business, they remember how scary and uncomfortable it was during the process of building a business due to such uncertainty.

“Working a typical 9 to 5 was so comfortable in a sense that we knew what to expect tomorrow, next week, next month. It takes time to get to a place of being comfortable with uncertainty,” Laykin said.

The Eubanks said even some of their family and friends thought they were crazy for taking such a big leap of faith.

The couple, however, said they have quickly fallen in love with the hospitality industry and take pride in the things they create. They also take satisfaction in knowing their customers are taken care of and the relationships they have developed within the different communities.

“Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner,” she said.

The Eubanks said the most important thing for others who are thinking of starting their own business or food truck is to stay true to yourself and take the risk.

“I would encourage anyone thinking of starting a new business to go for it. It may just turn out better than you ever expected, and you may find yourself happier than you’ve ever been,” Laykin said.

In 2022, Spudbank served in Jackson, Scott Jefferson, Clark, Washington and Floyd counties.

During the Jan. 26 Seymour Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Mayor Matt Nicholson and the board’s other two members, Dave Earley and Jim Potts, granted approval of a one-year operating license for Spudbank, allowing them to operate in Seymour more often. The Eubanks plan to travel to Seymour in the near future.

Spudbank has been traveling across the different counties in the past year, being selected as a vendor at the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art and the Light Up Charlestown events, to just name a couple.

The Eubanks hope to expand their decorating and hospitality skills within the next two years as well as provide catering services for weddings and events.

Spudbank’s menu offers a variety of different potato-style bases for creations, such as baked potatoes, fries and tots. Some of their featured food items include buffalo chicken, Texas chili, barbecue chicken and loaded mac and cheese as some of the many toppings to put on top of a potato. Spudbank also offers a create-your-own spud with many different toppings to choose from. All food is prepared on the truck except for the chili and the sauces.