If you’re thinking that launching a successful brand is as simple as filling a void, you’re completely right and completely wrong at the same time. Keith has faced his share of challenges and here are just the highlights of my fantastic interview with him.
On my podcast, The Irresistible Factor, I recently sat down with Keith Belling, the CEO and President of one of my favorite new discoveries, Right Rice.
We know rice is a food that’s loved by consumers in almost every culture. We also know rice is one of those foods we have a love/hate relationship with due to the high carbs and empty calories. Keith Belling, entrepreneur and lover of rice, decided to do something about it.
He invented Right Rice, a better-for-you rice alternative, only 2 and half years ago. Today, Right Rice has national distribution in over 7,000 stores, and is the rice alternative at Cava restaurants.
And this isn’t Keith’s first rodeo. Prior to launching Right Rice, Keith was the mastermind behind the beloved brand, Pop Chips! In our interview, Keith explains that both brands were born out of personal necessity and were voids that needed filling.
Listen to the full podcast episode here.
Be passionate
Pop Chips and Right Rice were true passion projects for Keith. And he believes passion is the most important aspect when starting a brand or producing a new product because it will take twice as long as you think and will be twice as hard as you anticipate. Passion is what will get you through the inevitable adversity.
Surround yourself with smart people
Keith’s words of wisdom: “Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. And surround yourself with people who do.”
It doesn’t mean you have to take all of their advice but be ready to listen and learn because the objectivity of people around you is always helpful when starting your own brand.
Don’t be afraid to fail
Every business goes through ups and down but you have to be prepared to face challenges. And you must remember that even some of the best ideas turn out to be incredible and some don’t. You can’t let your fears hold you back. Discover ways to learn lessons from your failures and turn them into something great.
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