In this episode of The Irresistible Factor, I’m joined by Founder and CEO of RIND, Matt Weiss. RIND was inspired by Matt’s great-grandmother who was as Matt says “a foodie before kale was cool”. She emphasized the importance of the roots, rinds, seeds, and stems to capture the nutrients, minimize food waste, and to stretch your food budget. Her philosophy was the start of Matt’s journey of creating RIND.
Prior to RIND, Matt was in finance for twenty years, working for an old school mutual fund that put as big of a focus on founders as it did on the businesses themselves. Matt has taken those experiences and lessons with him to RIND, and he eventually made the jump to take RIND from a side hustle to a full time business.
“The moment I pushed myself out of that comfort zone by this completely new venture in a new category, as a first time entrepreneur, the personal growth and satisfaction, fulfillment, I started to enjoy from that, was so bright.”
Matt elaborates on what it means to feel fulfilled, the importance of learning, and why it’s okay to not have it all figured out. He also speaks about challenges he has faced: Scaling products, rising prices of produce, and finding the best suppliers.
Matt also offers advice from his personal business background: How small emerging brands can take market share from bigger companies, how his finance background helped him raise capital, how he creates tastes that are aligned with consumers’ wants, and the importance of having both a brand and a business in order to be successful.
“Our brand logo and packaging is our value proposition. It’s the RIND. It’s fruit with benefits. That was brand magic, but the business had to have heft to it. It really had to have substance to it. The magic happens at the intersection of these two, and it’s what informs our product portfolio”.
Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with RIND Founder and CEO, Matt Weiss
Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation:
- The process Matt took to move from finance to starting his own business
- Matts’ children’s involvement and the positive impacts they have had in growing his business
- What motivates people, energizes them, and inspires them
- How Matt rationalized his risky decision by allowing himself to be outside of his comfort zone
- How to be valuable to big retail businesses and manage your supply chains
- What motivates people, energizes them, and inspires them
Links mentioned in this episode: