Interview with Stryve’s Co-Founder and CEO, Joe Oblas

Can jerky be disruptive? Absolutely.

Joe Oblas, co-founder and CEO of Stryve, decided to disrupt the beef snacks category with a brand that doesn’t believe in compromises. Stryve’s “jerky without the junky” product is nutritious and delicious. That’s because they use biltong, an air-dried meat snack with 50% more protein than jerky — and no sugar, nitrates, preservatives or chemicals. “Typically, the healthier a snack product is, the worse it tastes,” Joe shared. But that isn’t true with biltong — it’s almost like a miracle snack. 

On The Irresistible Factor, Joe and I explore biltong’s South African roots, and its growing foothold in the U.S. market. “It checked every single box we had,” Joe told me. “We were all in.”

Despite hurdles — a pandemic and drastically increased commodity prices — Stryve has grown significantly since its founding in 2018. Joe shares why he and his business partner chose to become a publicly traded company, what keeps him motivated through difficult times, and some valuable advice for entrepreneurs at the beginning of their founding journey. 

“The sun is going to shine again, if not tomorrow, then the next day,” he said.

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Stryve Co-Founder and CEO, Joe Oblas.

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How Joe and his business partner built Stryve
  • Some of the biggest challenges that Joe and his business partner have faced on their journey with Stryve
  • How Joe deals with the inevitable sacrifices that come with being an entrepreneur

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Stryve

Joe Oblas on LinkedIn

Interview with Lemon Perfect’s Founder and CEO, Yanni Hufnagel

Founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel created a product that met a consumer need, and has a super compelling mission to make the world a healthier place. It’s true that his brand, Lemon Perfect, is “literally on fire.” So much so that they just announced $31 million Series A with investments from Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and leading consumer products funds. Yanni’s story and his passion are just the kind of magic that gets investors and consumers excited. 

So, what does it mean for a brand to be “literally on fire”?

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, you’ll find out, with a little help from the always-energetic Yanni. Together, we’ll explore the story of how Yanni first saw a need for this better-for-you product — super-refreshing, full-flavored, hydrating lemon water with zero sugar — and the life-changing advice that really made him go for it. 

With a background in coaching college basketball, Yanni made quite the pivot. He’d been dabbling in keto dieting and drinking lemon water every morning — driving to Whole Foods for organic lemons, getting juice on his counters, and stomaching the bland taste. At the end of a basketball season, he had what he describes as a “lightbulb moment” in the locker room. What if there was a lemon water that tasted great, just like the drinks his players wanted after a game?

In this episode, you’ll find out why Yanni decided to flip from produce to grocery, and how the business has grown significantly as a result. We’ll also cover Yanni’s views on entrepreneurship, why he believes a lot of building a business requires putting on blinkers and just following your heart, and why he is grateful for the rare opportunity to create a great business that also does good. 

“Scaling a beverage brand is beyond hard,” Yanni told me. “Not impossible, but very challenging. And what I would tell you is that we are more focused on growth versus our bottom line.”

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Lemon Perfect Founder and CEO, Yanni Hufnagel.

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How Lemon Perfect has grown to a $22 million business
  • Why Lemon Perfect changed their original formula.
  • Lemon Perfect’s relationship with Amazon
  • Why storytelling has been the key to raising capital

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Lemon Perfect

Yanni Hufnagel on LinkedIn

 

Interview with Natural Products Consulting’s Bob Burke

Bob Burke takes businesses’ ideas, and makes them real.

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Bob and I talk about how he is able to bring natural, organic and specialty products to market as a consultant with Natural Products Consulting. Bob is a real expert with serious experience, and his value to his clients is clear. (His roster of work includes Annie’s, Dr. Bronner’s, Mason Dixie Biscuit Co., Califia Farms, Bob’s Red Mill, Theo Chocolate and many, many more.)

Together, we discuss the role of a brand’s online presence in their ability to eventually exit to a strategic buyer, along with the benefits of Amazon, outsourcing and planning ahead. 

“You always have to be innovating,” Bob said. “You can never be complacent. You can never sit back and rest on your laurels, and you need to be tuned in to where the consumer’s going and where the market’s going.”

We also explore what pioneers in the health and wellness space need to consider in the context of the industry boom. 

Bob told me that “if you’re really looking to scale… being able to leverage that success online into bricks and mortar will result in a higher valuation if you’re looking to exit to a strategic buyer.”

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Natural Products Consulting consultant, Bob Burke.

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • At what stage brands should seek a consultant
  • How to gauge a company’s validity
  • Whether or not DTC-only brands can thrive without Amazon
  • The benefits of having a strong online presence
  • What the term “donor company” means

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Bob Burke on LinkedIn

Natural Products Consulting

Natural Products Field Manual

The Amazon Roadmap

 

Interview with Rush Bowls Founder and CEO, Andrew Pudalov

When Andrew Pudalov founded Rush Bowls in 2004, he was ahead of the health food curve.

In the early 2000s, after a long career in banking, Andrew decided it was time to do something different. He left New York City, quit his job, and moved his family to Boulder, Colorado, where he bought a house and started a new business. 

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, the Rush Bowls CEO tells us his surprising story, and shares plenty of wisdom from his wealth of experiences, including what motivates his customer-centric approach to business. 

“My eyes on food was coming from a very different perspective,” Andrew said. “So people who got into the food business, and you kind of ultimately have blinders on. I was coming from the finance business, and some of the times I really just didn’t know any better. But that really gave birth to innovation.”

As a mom, I loved hearing Andrew’s perspective on providing healthy food for college students. He created meals that were meals to go, that had texture to them, and came in large portions.

Together, we explore why Rush Bowls opened stores in underserved communities. We talk training, research and brand identity, along with how to generate unique ideas.

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Rush Bowls Founder and CEO, Andrew Pudalov.

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • Why college environments are the perfect place to pioneer a new product
  • Andrew’s advice to entrepreneurs and founders: Keep trying, always look to collaborate, and do your research. 
  • Why sharing ideas is crucial, and how it helps businesses refine their execution 
  • How Andrew funded his businesses through his own capital

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Andrew Pudalov on LinkedIn

Rush Bowls

Rush Bowls on Facebook

Crumbl Cookies

 

Interview with Gather Venture Group Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Greg Ho

In 1993, Greg Hoyt graduated from college, and landed his first job with Caribou Coffee. He discovered two things: He fell in love with the coffee industry, and he learned that he wanted to become an entrepreneur. 

Now, Greg is an investor who helps entrepreneurs. He’s also the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Gather Venture Group, a Minneapolis-based investment fund focused on emerging food and beverage businesses. 

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, we discuss why Greg decided to become an entrepreneur, and how he’s drawn to the uncertainty, ups and downs of starting a company. After many years of working in the food and beverage industry, Greg decided to open up a bakery of his own. He still owns the bakery, but his main focus has shifted to using his entrepreneurial knowledge and instincts to help other brands realize their potential. 

Greg knows that food brands can take many years to become established and profitable, and Gather is in it for the long game.

“Trends will come and go, as far as methodology, and ways to build a business,” Greg told me. “But it really comes down to fundamentals, and the fundamentals are: ‘Do I have something that somebody wants? Am I solving a problem that exists? Is there value for the consumer? Is this something that I can see myself doing, and can it be something that generates a profit?’”

Together, we explore Gather’s approach to investments, what the fund currently looks like — and how he hopes to see it evolve in the future — and the fundamental elements that lead to business success.

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Gather Venture Group Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Greg Hoyt.

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • Why learning to slow down is an important lesson for entrepreneurs 
  • What Gather Venture Group looks for in potential investments
  • Gather Venture Group’s investment strategy
  • Fundamentals that define a great brand

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Gather Venture Group

Greg Hoyt on LinkedIn

Rustica Bakery

Caribou Coffee

Punch Pizza

Kind Snacks

 

Interview with Papa & Barkley Founder and CEO, Adam Grossman

For Adam Grossman, founder and CEO of Papa & Barkley, relieving pain is personal. When Adam’s dad was struggling with chronic, debilitating back pain in 2015, Adam wanted to understand how to relieve it. Many traditional pharmaceutical products weren’t working, and out of desperation, Adam sent his dad to the hospital, where his condition worsened. 

And so, Adam found another way, utilizing the power of the cannabis plant. 

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Adam and I discuss how he first created a cannabis “Pain Bomb” to help his dad. Cooking up a crockpot of coconut oil and cannabis from a college friend, Adam was able to make his dad a mixture that provided relief. His dad could finally get out of bed.

“After a long career and a number of early ventures,” Adam told me, “what all coalesced in Papa & Barkley was a personal experience that clarified that this was a road I wanted to be on, and an emerging cannabis market that captured the attention of investors and the world.” 

There are two parts of Papa & Barkley’s business: The California-based brand is both a cannabis wellness company, best-known for its topicals and tinctures, and a CBD business, which allows them to target a larger market. That CBD business is critical, as Papa & Barkley face intense regulatory burdens, Adam said, making it difficult to run a profitable business in this market.

But Adam is in this for the right reasons: “​​Our most key performance indicator, ‘lives-changed,’ is an actual variable that we can apply to this business.”

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Adam Grossman, founder and CEO of Papa & Barkley.

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How luck, timing and a focus on high-quality products created through a natural, artisanal way, catapulted Papa & Barkley to success 
  • Why business leaders should incorporate mindfulness and gratitude practices into their lives
  • Where Adam draws inspiration to continue on his journey with Papa & Barkley, despite the restrictions that hinder its growth
  • Why Adam decided to move the business to Eureka, CA, which has a special place in cannabis culture

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Papa & Barkley

Adam Grossman on LinkedIn

Interview with Mason Dixie Founder and CEO, Ayeshah Abuelhiga

Ayeshah Abuelhiga took a big risk: She left corporate America, and started a company making something that really mattered to her — high-quality comfort food. 

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Mason Dixie Founder and CEO, Ayeshah, shares how she pushes boundaries in everything she does. (She’s a total badass.) 

Let me tell you about the food first: It’s fresh and tasty, just like how Ayeshah told me comfort food is meant to be. It’s handmade — plucked from the earth and put on the table. But Americans got away from that model of cooking. With Mason Dixie, Ayeshah is bringing back the magic of comfort cuisine. 

What amazed me about Ayeshah is that she’s self-made, self-taught and self-funded. Together, we discuss her journey from the transportation sector to CEO of one of America’s most delicious, better-for-you brands. 

“I left a career in tech and automotive, and I climbed that corporate ladder in less than 15 years,” Ayeshah said. “And [I] kind of got tired of hitting the glass ceiling. Quite frankly, I always say it’s a glass floor, because the expectations are never that women can get those opportunities in a lot of those industries. I didn’t want to wait 30 years for my turn. And so I decided to kind of go out on my own.”

From the response to the KickStarter fund, to its first day in business, with customers wrapped around four city blocks, Mason Dixie continually exceeds expectations. 

“One of the rules in business that’s really important for any entrepreneur to remember is,” Ayeshah told me, “when you’re hot, don’t stop. Don’t dilly-dally. You have to keep the fire going.” 

Ayeshah plans only to keep going upwards from here, and she is determined to help other women build their own legacies, too.

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Ayeshah Abuelhiga, Founder of Mason Dixie.

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How your brand can break into the grocery store
  • The difference between scaling and growing, and the year-on-year growth that Mason Dixie has been experiencing
  • Gender gaps in the business world, and Ayeshah’s approach to mentoring other women entrepreneurs
  • The challenges of balancing a consumer product and restaurant 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Mason Dixie Foods 

Mason Dixie Foods on Instagram 

Ayeshah Abuelhiga on LinkedIn 

Ross Perkins on LinkedIn 

Interview with Sweet Nothings CEO and co-founder, Jake Kneller

Jake Kneller wanted to bring a truly healthy product to the frozen aisle. And so, he co-founded Sweet Nothings, a brand of convenient, ready-to-eat, spoonable smoothies made with organic fruits, nuts and seeds, where he’s now CEO.

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, we dive into why the frozen food aisle’s options are so often unnecessarily unhealthy options, and how Jake and his team set out to create something better. We also explore why Jake is so passionate about food that’s not just “better for you,” but truly good for you. (That’s something I really love about Sweet Nothings, how they blend health and ease into one product. Many frozen foods are convenient, but they aren’t often healthy.)

Jake told me that the company initially aimed to create a product for cafeterias, before COVID forced them to pivot. And even then, Sweet Nothings faced challenges of getting distribution in grocery stores, and struggled with getting a new customer to make that first purchase. 

But the frozen food space has a lot going for it, Jake told me.

“There’s plenty of challenges that come with frozen supply chain,” he said, “[like] frozen storage, frozen selling, etc. But one beautiful part is, from a shelf-life standpoint, you can use really fresh, great, organic ingredients, and freeze them, and they’re going to last awhile.”

Jake’s advice to founders is simple: Do what you’re passionate about. That’s how you’ll find success. 

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Jake Kneller, CEO and co-founder of Sweet Nothings.

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How Sweet Nothings is reframing healthy frozen food with a good-for-you product
  • The importance of hiring the right people
  • How Sweet Nothings raised capital and found investors to back them
  • Jake’s advice on how to differentiate your brand from competitors’ 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Jake Kneller

Sweet Nothings

Superfood Nut Butter Bites

Proper Good — How to get investors excited about your brand

Brands need funding. And capital investors need brands with good ideas. 

That’s why on my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, I recently spoke with Christopher Jane, CEO and co-founder of Proper Good, and Al Sambar, General Partner at XRC Labs, a venture capital firm and accelerator that invested in Proper Good. 

Proper Good is an innovative brand, which is why I was so excited to speak with Chris and Al. The company sells delicious 90-second meals, crafted with clean ingredients, direct to consumer.

“There’s a food renaissance going on,” Al told me. “It’s an explosion of [the] amount of categories, room for different brands, and they can’t be contained within the grocery store.” 

In this episode, Al explains what XRC Labs looks for in a startup and the importance of quality founders. He shares what he liked about Chris and Proper Good that made XRC Labs decide to invest in the company. And Chris talks about the need he identified that inspired him to start the brand, along with the challenges and benefits of launching it at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Together, we dive into learning from consumers and customers about how to develop products before launching them. We also discuss how Proper Good and XRC Labs are working to get the brand into retail, and the challenges of switching from being a direct-to-consumer product to being a retail brand. 

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with Christopher Jane, CEO and co-founder Proper Good, and Al Sambar, General Partner at XRC Labs.

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • How Shark Tank helped Chris refine his brand
  • What XRC Labs considers before investing in a company, and the types of brands they’re currently interested in
  • How Proper Good mitigates risk while developing new products
  • The benefits of a brand with shelf-stable products, and the types of lifestyles it suits

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Al Sambar

XRC Labs

Christopher Jane

Proper Good

Shark Tank – Episode #13.2 

Billie

Karma Water — Transforming water into wellness

CJ Rapp, founder of Karma Water, is on a mission to shake up the beverage industry, transforming water into wellness.

Ready-to-drink health beverages with active ingredients, like probiotics and vitamins, lose their strength over time. That’s why Karma Water is so special — they created a special cap that stores active ingredients. When consumers are ready to drink the beverage, they can release all that goodness into the water, creating a better, better-for-you beverage. 

In our conversation, CJ talks about his long career in the beverage industry and experience with his first brand of energy drinks, Jolt. We talk about the story of Jolt and why CJ decided to make a pivot into the health and wellness space with Karma. 

“I tend to spend more time on what is not working well,” CJ told me. “They say you should build out your strengths. I figure where we get it right, that will take care of itself, and where my time needs to be better spent are the areas that need improvement.”

We also talk about the Karma launch strategy, involving a process of iteratively improving through a slow rollout on a shoestring budget, and how this attracted the strategic partnership of beverage giant Constellation Brands. Tuning in, you’ll hear perspectives on the burgeoning cannabis industry and CJ’s plans to release a new CBD product as soon as regulations allow for it!

Listen to The Irresistible Factor’s Interview with CJ Rapp, Karma Water Founder. 

 

Here’s what you won’t want to miss from our conversation: 

  • What differentiates Karma Water from other drinks in the health and wellness space
  • How early-stage brands can learn through a smart, small-scale product rollout
  • The challenge of satisfying the FDA’s standards, and why Karma Water’s launch was delayed

 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

CJ Rapp on LinkedIn

Karma Water

Constellation Brands

 

Waterloo — How bold flavors and authenticity grow food and beverage brands

Waterloo sips different. This one-of-a-kind, totally irresistible sparkling water company crafts premium products with unmistakable flavor. This week on my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, I talk with Waterloo’s dedicated and talented CEO, Jason Shiver, to figure out how the brand has broken into a crowded field, overcome challenges and, ultimately, found cult-status success.

If there’s anything that growing food and beverage companies should take away from this conversation, know that bold flavors are key to elevating new brands, and that authenticity starts at home. 

You can listen to the full podcast online, on Spotify or in the Apple Podcasts app.

Here are the highlights:

Bold flavors, big rewards

What are consumers looking for? When it comes to the food and beverage space, bold flavors bring a brand into the premium category. That’s certainly the case for Waterloo. As the company’s CEO, Jason Shiver wouldn’t settle for lackluster quality — instead, he wanted a drink that even he wanted to drink, something that tasted like nothing else on the market. 

What sets Waterloo apart from other companies, is that Waterloo prioritizes Pure Flavor Artistry, and crafted a catalogue of their own flavors. Many companies use existing flavors, but Waterloo is different. When it came to their Strawberry, for example, Jason described going through 100 iterations to find the perfect flavor, a process that took months and months. He told me that the company will not allow for the flavor to “escape” the Flavor Room without it being perfect, and that you should know a flavor as soon as you crack open a can, just by the scent alone. (I can attest to this. My favorite flavor is Grape — it’s totally irresistible.)

Standing out with authenticity — it comes from a strong team

Jason told me that people describe Waterloo as, “Just different.” That comes from the beverage’s bold flavor, and from their big bubbles. 

But standing out and rising above the noise also stems from the company’s culture. With around 40 employees, compared to companies with a similar size who have 100, Waterloo strives for authenticity. A big part of that is Jason. He has connections to a lot of his colleagues through years in the food and beverage business — did I mention that he helped build SkinnyPop Popcorn, and worked his way up at AriZona Beverages? — and knew 70 percent of Waterloo’s team through previous work.

That knowledge and experience brings trust, which builds genuine relationships. In my experience as a marketing guru, company dysfunction is a huge turnoff for investors.  Shared vision is important to building capital. At Waterloo, Jason’s been able to raise capital to scale because he understands the importance of consistency and collaboration among the management team. Employees and managers understand each other, and they’re told to play to their strengths. At the same time, the right hand always knows what the left is doing.

Don’t be afraid of the action, lean into it

Waterloo’s success has been like an action movie, Jason told me. I just love that. Entrepreneurship can certainly feel action-packed, with its risks, rewards and non-stop motion.

At the beginning of Waterloo’s journey, Jason stayed true to his high-standard goals, and his COO delivered: They both knew they had to make a product that was BPA-free, they needed to ensure that Waterloo became a premium brand, and they had to deliver that bold flavor that customers now love. But they also needed to bring the price of the products down, so that the business would be profitable, and so that consumers could access the irresistible Waterloo experience. Within the first six months, Jason raved that Waterloo’s COO was able to achieve all of that. They didn’t compromise.

To give the company the runway they needed to take off, Waterloo’s team signed a major deal with the largest independent bottler in the US. Waterloo told them: We’ll do a million cases within the first year. That was another big goal, and a big risk, too. If Waterloo didn’t reach that goal, they’d have to pay a penalty. The bottler thought they were crazy, like cowboys, Jason told me. But Waterloo succeeded.

The bigger your goals, and the more you stick to your brand values, the higher your rewards. Now that’s the Irresistible Factor.

If you’d like to be featured on The Irresistible Factor or need help figuring out how to make your brand Irresistible, reach out to me, Kristi Bridges, at kbridges@sawtoothgroup.com.

Get the inside scoop from a former Whole Foods Director!

Elly Truesdell was the Director of Global Brands and Product Innovations at Whole Foods Market for nearly a decade. That experience led her down an unconventional path to a career at Almanac Insights, a fully food-focused venture fund in New York City, founded by David Barber, the co-founder of the Blue Hill Restaurants. Though Elly’s path was not always linear, her willingness to learn and dedication to the food industry played a huge role in her success.

On a recent episode of my podcast, “The Irresistible Factor” we discussed her career in food and the health & wellness space, the somewhat unconventional path she took to get there, and where she’s headed next. Listen to the full episode here for her inspiring story. 

From a decade at Whole Foods

Elly first worked as the local forager then the Director of Global Brands and Product Innovations at Whole Foods Market for nearly 10 years. In her role, she was fully immersed in the growth of both national and international young brands; helping to identify trends, and usher in emerging brands, to succeed and scale. In some cases, some of those brands became global success stories like RX bar and  Purely Elizabeth.

During Elly’s tenure at Whole Foods,  she was constantly exposed to entrepreneurs and founders in the food and beverage industry. She partnered with and worked across every category of the store, from consumer packaged goods to produce to seafood, allowing her to gain knowledge in every category’s production & quality standards. Her role required that she build trust and goodwill among the founder community. Although unconventional, all aspects of Elly’s incredibly unique role would later help her in venture investments. 

To Almanac Insights – a food-focused fund in New York City

Elly was brought onto the Almanac team in 2017, as an operational value-add investor and now a VC partner. She still focuses on new and emerging brands and her past experiences bring a valuable lens to the table. Though she doesn’t come from a financial background, her experience and network lets her play a more hands-on role, than those who have more experience in the economic and financial side of things. 

In the podcast you’ll hear Elly cover these important and inspiring topics:

  • What makes a brand irresistible enough to invest?
  • The importance of teamwork.
  • How her non-linear path led her to a successful career in the food business.
  • Valuable advice for those contemplating thinking about launching a brand in the food space.
  • What the pandemic means for consumers and brands in the health and wellness space.
  • What’s next for her in her new venture with Bobby Flay.
  • Top brands to watch.

 

If you’d like to be featured on The Irresistible Factor or need help figuring out how to make your brand Irresistible, reach out to me at kbridges@sawtoothgroup.com

CAULIPOWER – HOW TAKING RISKS CAN MAKE YOUR BRAND IRRESISTIBLE

On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, I had the pleasure of interviewing ​​Gail Becker, the  awesome and energetic founder of Caulipower. She started Caulipower to fill a void in the market that she herself was experiencing. And based on the incredible success of the brand, it seems as if she wasn’t the only one.  Caulipower has re-imagined the frozen food aisle, won all kinds of awards and accolades for innovation and is the #1  selling gluten-free pizza and cauliflower crust pizza in the food industry.

There is so much good stuff in this conversation, it was hard to summarize, but here are a few of my favorite bits on how Caulipower came to be and how they continue to disrupt the industry through innovation and truly Irresistible products. Listen to the full episode here.

 

How a void in the market can turn you into an entrepreneur

Gail Becker, was a mom trying to feed her two sons who were diagnosed with celiac disease, but found most gluten-free foods had so many bad ingredients. At the same time, she was wanting to escape corporate America for something more fulfilling . So after some soul searching and with no prior experience in the food industry, she made the decision to follow in her father’s entrepreneurial footsteps and start her own brand. Caulipower was born in May of 2016.

 

The highs and lows of being an entrepreneur in the food industry

As an entrepreneur, being uncomfortable is the risk you have to take, but Gail sees it as a good thing.. As she says, “I tell people, if you don’t learn something new, every day, you need to find a new job. Being uncomfortable is exciting, exhilarating and heart wrenching.” . But there are also highs. Caulipower is now in about 30,000 stores and 5,000 restaurants, across the country and they have pasta rolling out in the next few months. They remain relevant by continuously innovating and bringing new products to the market.

 

Why waiting for the right moment is sometimes key 

Caulipower started as a self-funded company, with every dollar Gail could scrape together and a strong belief in her product. It wasn’t until a year into her business that she decided to find an investor who could help them grow and allow them to try new things. In terms of expanding from the one great product Caulipower was built on, Gail waited for the permission from two key stakeholders; the retailer’s and the consumers, who kept asking what they were going to Caulipower-ize next. 

 

How a lack of experience can lead to success 

Having no fear, and being comfortable with admitting what she did and more importantly didn’t know, helped Gail succeed. She asked a lot of questions and broke some rules because she believes you don’t get a lot from being in the middle of the road. ”You have to be clear about what rules you’re going to follow and which you’re going to break. And although there’s a lot of conventional wisdom in any industry, I disrupted a lot of conventional thinking, because if you just mimic what everyone else does, then what are you bringing to the table? If you’re not a disrupter you’re not really an entrepreneur, you’re a fast follower.”

 

And her best advice for any entrepreneur or business owner,

“If you really want to do things differently, you have to do things differently in every sense of the word, and it doesn’t have to be in every part of your business but pick the three or four things and where you are going to break with the rest of the industry, because that is ultimately what is going to set you apart.”

 

If this interview isn’t  enough inspiration to try this awesome brand – Caulipower would like to offer YOU a FREE Pizza! Just DM them on any of their social media accounts and mention “The Irresistible Factor” to send you a coupon for one FREE pizza!

If you’d like to be featured on The Irresistible Factor or need help figuring out how to make your brand Irresistible, reach out to me at kbridges@sawtoothgroup.com