How to Build a Brand Buyers Will Trust with Amanda Stone, CEO of Grounding Roots
Join our host Lee Murray in another episode in the CEO series. This week he interviews Amanda Stone, the CEO of Grounding Roots. Discover the inspiring story behind this juice shop, rooted in Amanda's personal health journey. Together, they discuss the ups and downs of the business's evolution, highlighting Amanda's unwavering dedication to offering health-centric products. Gain valuable perspectives on growth strategies and fostering community connections, as they stress the significance of listening to customers and maintaining a strong brand presence.
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Have a guest recommendation, question, or just want to connect?
Go here: https://www.harvardmurray.com/exploring-growth-podcast
Connect on LinkedIn:
Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehmurray/
Amanda - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-sosa-stone-9672351/
#ExploringGrowthPodcast #BusinessInsights #EntrepreneurialJourney #BusinessExpansion #Embracinggrowth #GroundingRoots #EntrepreneurshipJourney #BusinessChallenges
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But when you're coming to get
expensive high end juice and that's,
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you know, I say it with love.
It is an expensive product.
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It's organic.
People are hand pressing it.
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I mean, it's it is the Louis
Vuitton of juice, you know,
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it's. That's right. Beautiful.
But it it comes with a cost. Okay.
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Welcome back to Exploring Growth.
Today.
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I'm excited to be interviewing
Amanda Stone,
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who is a CEO of Grounding Roots
located in Winter Park, Florida.
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Welcome to the podcast, Amanda.
Thank you. Lee. Yeah.
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So when I was looking for SEOs to
interview for this series around
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Central Florida, I was looking
for a company that required a
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lot of thought around branding.
And when I came across grounding
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routes, I thought this could be a
really interesting conversation.
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So I'm excited to have you on today.
I want to learn a little bit about
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your company and talk about how
much how you approach growth, but
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also specifically with your brand.
So I thought, you know,
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a good place to start with just
telling telling our audience
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about what is grounding roots.
You know, again,
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we're talking to a local audience,
mostly here in Central Florida.
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So, you know, people a lot of
people go to Winter Park.
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A lot of people are in that area
and may or may not have seen it.
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So let's start there.
What is grounding roots.
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So grounding roots started ten
years ago.
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We just had our ten year
anniversary in February.
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So that was a big milestone for us.
But ten years ago we've evolved
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so much in ten years.
But we started as just a local
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juice shop in College Park, five years over five years ago.
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We opened up and we moved to Winter
Park and we kept one location.
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We dabbled in two one.
And the the ultimate ethos comes
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from I was super sick,
my husband, I was a traveling
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executive all over the country,
and I came back from California.
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I said, everybody's healthy.
Everybody's doing, you know,
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juicing. Everybody's doing this.
And so he just started juicing
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for me.
He ran to bed, Bath and Beyond
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when Bed Bath and Beyond had the
20% coupons and he started,
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you know, juicing.
Then women just started showing
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up at our house going, hey,
here's a orange juice bottle,
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fill it up for me.
And I mean, we even had the
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Department of AG showing up at our
door going, we hear you're running a
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juice business out of your thing.
And we're. Like, oh gosh. Friends.
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Like, it wasn't even real yet.
And then I thought, wait, if the
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Department of AG is coming to us,
I think we got something here.
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And ironically, the name Granny Roots
came to us prior to this concept.
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I just bought the domain name.
I didn't even know what it meant,
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I knew nothing, and when I came back
and we started consulting on this
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idea we had, the original idea was a
foot massage studio with the with
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a juice bar side by side, and it
was very California LA inspired.
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And after some reflection,
my my business mentor, now business
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partner, if you can follow that said,
go with the the foot massage.
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And we were like, no,
we're going to go with the shoes.
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So, so really it started out as my
husband wanting to get me healthy.
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We didn't know what was going on
with me.
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I had been sick for years,
been diagnosed with multiple
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autoimmune disorders,
and he just wanted to heal me.
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We watched that sick and nearly dead.
So every juicer has watched that
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movie as like the R, you know,
the the the awakening of like,
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healings on your way, through the
process of opening the juice bar,
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getting it approved by the Department
of AG going through the city.
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I mean, it's it's hard work, but on top of that,
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coming up with the recipes,
getting the branding done through all
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of that, not only is that happening,
we're getting diagnosis of
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finding out I have Lyme disease.
My daughter has Lyme disease in
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utero.
So now it's becoming not just I
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got to get my wife healthy,
I gotta get my family healthy.
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Like we've got to get healthy.
So it became even more serious,
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jumping on to say, okay, this is
this is a life changing diagnosis.
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You will carry this forever.
How do we support you?
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And at first my husband wanted
to heal me.
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And he is a natural intuitive.
He knows he's a healer,
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he's a massage therapist,
a regenerative health coach like
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that's in his ethos.
But he wanted just to cure me.
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And you know, now that we have
knowledge of Lyme disease,
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you know, ten years later,
we understand it's a lifelong
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thing until we find something.
And my doctor says you were the
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healthiest sick person I know.
And I love that because I don't
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identify as a sick person anymore.
And I'm here and I'm running the
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business now.
But back then he was running it.
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We were small mom and pop.
I was working my executive job.
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He was running the juice shop.
And that was that was a very
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different life than where we are
today. Wow. Yeah, what a story.
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And to pull out one point.
I didn't know that you could get Lyme
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disease in utero. How crazy is that?
So it's it's all blood transfusion.
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So again, it's transferring.
Oh, wow. Yeah.
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Wow, that must have been
devastating to get that news.
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There's a lot of guilt.
You know, you carry a child into
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the world and you say, oh,
by the way, I have to do this, too.
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But, you know,
I also have to find it as a blessing.
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And whatever our journey together on
this causes, then I just have to we
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have to walk that journey together.
Wow. That's amazing. Yeah.
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And thanks for all that that that's.
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You know, it really shows that
you guys have, the you.
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If you didn't have it originally,
maybe you did.
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It just was brought out of your DNA
to to to do this thing and take the,
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you know, this good,
news and good product to the market.
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00:05:29,300 --> 00:05:34,340, who is your your target audience?
Who are the people that most either,
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you know, right away identify
with the product and its benefit
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or maybe could be influenced.
You know, it's so interesting
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because if you asked me ten years
ago who was my target market,
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it'd be like women between 35 and 50.
And it was like this finite
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physical working out mom.
And it has evolved into so much more.
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I mean, we have,
post cancer treatments.
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We have,
organ transplant patients.
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We have everyday people that are,
you know, work at the school locally
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at Trinity Prep that come here.
And it's it's really anyone, any age.
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And this is what the company has
taught me is my target market is
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anyone who wants to stay healthy,
get healthy, or find an
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awakening through natural foods.
And it's shocking.
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I mean, the demographics of men in
their late 60s to 18 year olds that
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are in college and they're choosing
to spend it with me rather than
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Starbucks, and it's like, whoa, okay,
so I have been schooled on my target
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market completely, and I was wrong.
Wow. Yeah. That's crazy.
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And I would I would agree completely.
You know, these days maybe
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previous days it would it would
have been a more, more niche down.
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But, you know, getting,
getting young, college age,
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Starbucks or even high school
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and spend it on juice.
That's, that's quite the,
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the accomplishment.
I mean, that's really them
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choosing that. Yeah.
And I just listened to a, a seminar.
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We were at Expo West launching
another product line, and there was
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a talk and it was talking about
the and I'm now I'm forgetting is
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the latest one Gen X or I mean Gen
Z or millennials Gen Z, right.
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Well, yeah,
I think there's even a newer,
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newer there's it's Gen Z, but there's
a newer and I think it's alpha.
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So Gen Z is the newest buying power.
So really they're telling all
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marketers to focus on the Gen Z
market because it's. It.
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My daughter and my son are in it,
and there are 11 and 14,
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but all the way up to 22.
And that buying power of that 22
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year old is the control.
I mean, you even see it in the
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Sephora craziness of teenagers,
preteens wanting all this skin care.
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So they have truly targeted this
market.
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And I was just thinking,
oh my God, that feels awful.
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But they truly have the buying
power and the magic of this
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buying power that I didn't even I
wasn't aware as they read labels,
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that's my market for labels.
That's my market.
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So it was just a really
interesting spin on this new
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market that's coming that I
wasn't even aware of at this age.
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Yeah, that's an interesting point,
because I think a lot of the
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younger kids are more informed
than generations have ever been,
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that, you know, they have access
to all the information.
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So it's there and they want to
read it and consume it and,
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and make it part of their lifestyle.
Then they're going to buy in.
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But I'm curious, you know,
so you go from, you know,
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maybe a smaller demographic to a
very wide demographic that can cause
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its own challenge then for your,
your business because, well,
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now how do we reach everyone?
We could be, you know,
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it's for everyone, but so do you.
Do you focus on 1 or 2 demographics
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and let the, you know, cards fall
where they may? Or how do you do?
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How do you go about approaching
a target demographic?
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When we do, say,
a social media targeting, right.
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So it's like, oh, let's post an ad,
where are we going towards?
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It depends.
I mean, ultimately if we're trying to
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grow just our followership, then we
will go national because we want to.
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Our growth projections and trajectory
is to be more of a national brand.
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But that's 5 to 10 years down
the road.
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But you still have to have that
trajectory.
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When we're trying to do an ad or
trying to get people into our
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retail shop, I will traditionally
go from a 25 to 55 year old woman
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potentially is where I start with
and then health, organic, healthy
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lifestyle. Any Yogi is my client.
That is like, if I had to pick
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one targeted market, I would be
at every yoga studio possible.
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Because yeah, people do yoga.
Not a woman or a man.
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Anybody, any human being that
identifies as a Yogi,
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is a perfect target market because
they take care of the body.
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They're committing to doing this
practice.
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They understand, you know, what it is
to take in something, so right.
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Any Yogi is definitely a like
it's called down target market,
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but ultimately it's anybody who
loves the juice understands its
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benefits and really wants that
continued lifestyle.
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The trend of juicing is gone.
We rode that lifestyle.
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We rode it out until it was
totally fizzled out.
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And now what's residing as a
residuals of people who truly do
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care at this point? Right.
I like that you have a focus and
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a target to start with,
even though it is broad,
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and I think that I don't really know
that market that well personally,
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but I would think that it
applies that if you can pick a
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good target that is, you know,
good to to purchase your product
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and be a follower, but then also
has influence around them.
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I think that can be a good a
good target that you've picked,
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because I think people look to
people on, especially social media,
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who are, you know, in doing
yoga or doing some kind of,
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lifestyle exercise, you know,
fitness type of regimen to.
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Okay, well, they've got it together
then, you know, maybe I'll just
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follow what they're doing.
So it's probably a good a good
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follow. Yeah.
It's it's a good market to start
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with.
So let's talk about the early days
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of starting the the business and
bringing your product to to market.
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00:11:17,740 --> 00:11:21,370, what are some of the
challenges that you had specifically
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with bringing your product to market?
I know you had at least a few
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everything, we we would never I had run
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my own business as a consultant
and done different things.
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So I've had that entrepreneur
background.
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I was raised by an entrepreneur.
So I knew that and I knew the
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challenges that were to come.
But what I didn't expect is the
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physical work.
I mean, my husband was I and again,
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depending on who I'm talking to
and who's listening right now,
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the gotta make the donuts kind of
commercial from Dunkin Donuts back in
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the 80s is like, that was our life.
So my husband would get up,
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he would go help me with the kids.
He would leave at 6 a.m., come back,
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maybe help ride our bike to,
you know, to get them off to school,
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come back.
So we had that flexibility.
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But he was at the juice shop
from 10 to 6. Come home.
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We'd have family dinner,
and then he would be back on the
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grind up until 1 a.m., preparing
for tomorrow's next juice run.
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And so it was a grind.
And so I'm home, not feeling great,
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still working a corporate job.
He's working like the full on grind.
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And it was like, whoa, this is hard.
And slowly like bringing in new
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employees so he can take a break.
The first week we opened, his uncle
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passed away and we had to leave,
but we wanted to keep the juice
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shop open and a friend ran it and
it just reminded us, like, things
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will work out. You just have to.
Yeah, your ducks in a row get it
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all lined up, but you have to have
some faith in running a business.
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Your faith is challenged 24 over
seven.
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Yes, yes, I agree 100% with that, did you did you start with
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the with the, yeah.
I know you talked about starting out
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of your house, kind of quasi, but then did you start your
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first location?
Is that kind of where you launched or
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did you launch out of your house?
No, no, no.
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Like, legally,
you can't launch out of your house.
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We were literally only juicing
for friends.
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And that was what was so funny is
it was just friends of friends,
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like hearing, and we're just
just making it for them.
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They bring us the produce and we
just press it.
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00:13:23,260 --> 00:13:27,100, but then we launched February 1st
out of our College Park location,
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so that was really fun to launch
out of that.
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That was our community at the time.
That was, you know, people knew what
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was going on. They knew my story.
So it was just a beautiful
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connection.
And, you know,
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launching in your neighborhood is
always something really special.
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But you also have to be prepared
to grow.
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And College Park can be very limited
because people in College Park don't
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leave the bubble, and people outside
the bubble don't normally always come
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into the bubble of College Park.
So we really wanted to expand
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our reach and our growth,
and that's why we chose to move.
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Okay, so you move the Winter park,
and then you had two locations for a
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period of time, and now you're just
down to one. Just a brief moment.
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And then we decided to like put
our put all of our energy here
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when we had moved here, I was at my worst, I had
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got a virus. This is all pre Covid, and I was stuck in bed for
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three months.
I could barely walk to the
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washing machine.
And so this was like me doing,
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I was doing most, marketing and
anything like admin, anything that
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needed paperwork or filing anything.
I was doing that from my bed and
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I had other people.
I was hiring some social media
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people to help,
and my husband was helping to run it.
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And so it was very, very difficult.
We had,
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different partners at the time, and it just it got too much.
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We, we ended up selling the business, during Covid, pre-COVID,
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we closed during Covid.
Six months later,
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the owners couldn't take it back.
We, our capital investors held a
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note. We were able to buy it back.
And then my husband and I had to
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run it again and bring it back
up to life.
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And so we've gone through all of the
challenges, and we sold just because
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I was so sick and he was so tired.
But in, you know, you look back over
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it and you're like, wow, everything
happened the way it was supposed to.
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You know, I was able to rest.
I was able to find healing. Right.
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And now I'm running the business.
So like, that was never part of
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the trajectory of where this
business was going. Yeah.
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And so that time when you sold it
to to the time where you bought
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it again, were you able to get.
Was that a period of time where you
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got healthy for yourself and then.
Yes, yes and yes and no.
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You know, like you,
you don't have plans, right?
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So we packed up,
we did a travel trailer build.
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We're like, okay, we're just.
We need a break.
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I, I broke up, I gave it to you.
Actually, a former customer had
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bought it and it felt really good.
But again,
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you you just have faith and trust
that it's all going to work out.
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But Covid threw a whole monkey
wrench into it and life happens.
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And so when it came back to us,
you know, they called and said,
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we're going to close the doors.
And I said, per our agreement,
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you can't close the doors.
And part of their contract is we
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have the ability to buy back if we
want to. And that's what we did.
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We're like, we've put so much into
it, we would hate to see it go away.
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And that's how that worked out.
Good lawyer and, good foresight.
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And, you know,
at this time I have started and so,
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I don't know, we won't even go
into this whole other spectrum,
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but I started B venom therapy.
And so between the bee venom therapy
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and I was missing my juice like
we were, you know, not juicing.
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So we're trying to buy juice as
we're traveling in North Carolina.
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And it was, you know,
I'm feeling this healing.
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I'm feeling this revival.
And we came back and it was my
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husband and I running it.
And we finally got to a point where
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one of us needed to go get a job.
One of us needed to stay at the shop,
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and he chose to go get the job.
And I chose to stay here.
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And it's been.
A whirlwind ever since.
285
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Yeah, that that seems like a key
milestone for you guys.
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I mean, that's a lot to go through.
But then to have those those
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markers to look back and see, okay,
it's not that you were necessarily
288
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starting over because you you had
really a lot of growth up to that
289
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point, but kind of starting back
over because you're repurchasing
290
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the company and then it's now a
springboard into what you're doing
291
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now, yeah. That's fantastic.
And the one thing that the, the owner
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at that the six month owner,
did for us is one, he continued, he
293
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started delivering to College Park,
which was our original location.
294
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So he started a delivery for us,
and he he started smoothies.
295
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,050
We never did smoothies.
So this was like, oh, wow.
296
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We got new products.
And so coming in going,
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we've never made smoothies.
So we had to get schooled as well.
298
00:17:55,330 --> 00:17:57,160
Yeah.
So yeah,
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that's that's really interesting.
So you came back into to new products
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00:18:00,010 --> 00:18:02,530
that have been launched and they they
weren't just sitting on their hands.
301
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That's that's amazing. Yeah.
So that I was thankful for.
302
00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,800
So, how did the brand change all
the brand change from the time you
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00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,830
sold it and when you bought it back?
The brand has always been the same.
304
00:18:13,830 --> 00:18:16,470
So we've always had this gr a
different font.
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00:18:16,650 --> 00:18:20,160
And then this was very trendy at
the time it stayed.
306
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,650
It's just a very classic.
It's a Langdon font.
307
00:18:22,890 --> 00:18:25,770, but my designer,
it's Rick Roman from page three.
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00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,080
He gave me two different fonts
and I said, Rick,
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00:18:28,110 --> 00:18:30,750
you're gonna think I'm crazy,
but can I combine those two?
310
00:18:30,750 --> 00:18:34,500
Because I love the logo and I like
the font. Can we combine them?
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He goes, I don't see why not.
And it's been that ever since.
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00:18:37,650 --> 00:18:42,450
So it's ten years going strong.
And you know, I think fonts can
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always be revised, but a good logo
can really last you for a lifetime.
314
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:51,830
That's right, that's right, so let's talk about brand, then.
315
00:18:51,950 --> 00:18:55,100, how do you approach building
your brand?
316
00:18:55,130 --> 00:18:58,850
I mean, how do you think about, your brand and how, you know,
317
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what does it communicate to your,
to your buyers and,
318
00:19:01,580 --> 00:19:05,870
and how do you approach using it
as a growth tool? Yeah.
319
00:19:06,170 --> 00:19:09,560
You know, I think brand is a
visual communication. Right.
320
00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:11,960
So people have to walk into a
space and say, oh,
321
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,230
that's or see a bottle and say,
oh, that's grounding roots.
322
00:19:15,230 --> 00:19:17,090
And so those have been all the
little things.
323
00:19:17,090 --> 00:19:20,210
So brand is anything and
everything we touch. Right.
324
00:19:20,210 --> 00:19:23,300
Whether it's experience it could
be brand could also be our
325
00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:25,670
emotional experience,
not just the logo behind us.
326
00:19:25,730 --> 00:19:30,380
So I take brand as this whole
and developing experience.
327
00:19:30,380 --> 00:19:33,950
And so one of the things from
the get go was black and white
328
00:19:34,190 --> 00:19:36,710
is our brand colors.
Like you got to start with the basics
329
00:19:36,710 --> 00:19:39,920
okay. Visually what are we doing?
We've we've sprinkled in yellow.
330
00:19:39,950 --> 00:19:41,900
We've pickled in lime green.
We sprinkled in.
331
00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:45,230
But ultimately I am always in
black and white.
332
00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:49,160
So it felt apropos to be black
and white, yeah, I like it.
333
00:19:49,310 --> 00:19:51,500
Some people have said, oh,
your place looks like a flower shop
334
00:19:51,500 --> 00:19:54,500
because it's all black, like the
walls are black, everything is black.
335
00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:57,800
But it's really about like the roots.
Like you kind of like, go back and,
336
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,190
like, everything comes from the soil.
So it's that deep richness.
337
00:20:01,190 --> 00:20:04,340
So really, you know,
color is a is a functionality.
338
00:20:04,340 --> 00:20:07,430
And then it goes down to the
brand is the experience.
339
00:20:07,430 --> 00:20:13,160
So our brand for us is based on
medical. Right. So we have this.
340
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,430
Every juice is created for a
reason with a purpose.
341
00:20:16,430 --> 00:20:19,700
Even if it's my you know, my husband
created a juice for our kids.
342
00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:22,640
We wanted to know what are the
benefits of this juice.
343
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,390
So part of our brand is the benefits.
And so when people come into our
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00:20:26,390 --> 00:20:28,220
shop, it's not like, oh,
what kind of juice do you want?
345
00:20:28,220 --> 00:20:30,320
Okay, place you order.
It's like, hey,
346
00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,070
what brought you in here?
It's that connection is part of
347
00:20:34,070 --> 00:20:35,660
our brand.
And so when they come in,
348
00:20:35,660 --> 00:20:38,840
it's like, what brought you here?
What's going on?
349
00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:44,090
And I'm like, let's talk about this
and let's sample the juices because
350
00:20:44,090 --> 00:20:47,180
what people think they want and
what their bodies telling them,
351
00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:50,210
they'll want is often very
different because they are like,
352
00:20:50,210 --> 00:20:53,630
oh, this sounds sweet, I want this.
But their bodies like, I want this.
353
00:20:53,630 --> 00:20:56,240
And so they're like, oh,
I can't believe I like this.
354
00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:00,710
And so it's really about teaching the
consumer to listen to their body.
355
00:21:00,710 --> 00:21:02,840
And as they're drinking it,
their body is registering,
356
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,990
going, yes, let's drink this.
And like I'm shocked that I love
357
00:21:05,990 --> 00:21:07,820
that.
So that's part of the brand
358
00:21:07,820 --> 00:21:11,060
experience as well.
Is that they feeling seen and heard
359
00:21:11,060 --> 00:21:14,960
because for ten years I was told I
was a hypochondriac with, you know,
360
00:21:15,110 --> 00:21:17,900
like my mother, as one doctor put it.
And, you know,
361
00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:21,020
like that was insulting to me
when my mother was very conscious
362
00:21:21,020 --> 00:21:24,680
of her health and too, like,
I was aware something was not right.
363
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,250
And so when people come into our
shop, I never want them to feel
364
00:21:28,250 --> 00:21:31,940
that feeling that other people,
other patients get when they know
365
00:21:31,940 --> 00:21:35,690
deep down something's going on.
I want every person to walk into
366
00:21:35,690 --> 00:21:39,650
our shop and be felt and heard,
and sometimes we're not perfect.
367
00:21:40,010 --> 00:21:43,400, we even just went through a
transition on that where my partner
368
00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,190
sat at the front of the shop.
One day and watch customers come
369
00:21:47,190 --> 00:21:49,140
in and out.
He was watching our demographics.
370
00:21:49,140 --> 00:21:51,900
He was watching who was buying
what they were saying.
371
00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:55,980
And we he realized we were so
focused on operations on the back
372
00:21:55,980 --> 00:21:58,860
of the house that when people
were coming in, it was almost
373
00:21:58,860 --> 00:22:01,350
that like rushing them to get out
the door so we could get back to
374
00:22:01,350 --> 00:22:05,010
preparing for tomorrow's juice run.
And we're just like, I couldn't
375
00:22:05,010 --> 00:22:07,920
place my finger what it was,
but him just sitting there for
376
00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:11,730
probably about three hours,
he could put the, you know,
377
00:22:11,940 --> 00:22:14,400
nail on the head and just say,
this is what's missing.
378
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,100
We broke up the front of the
house and the back of the house,
379
00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:19,980
and I personally one day had to
work the front of the house.
380
00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,310
One of our employees got sick,
so I ran up to put my apron on and
381
00:22:23,310 --> 00:22:27,030
I was like, how can I help you?
And at that moment she's like,
382
00:22:27,090 --> 00:22:29,010
you know, I'm talking to her.
I'm doing the whole tasting.
383
00:22:29,010 --> 00:22:31,920
She's like, I've never been
offered a tasting and I've been
384
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,890
a customer for three years.
And I was like, you know, like so
385
00:22:34,890 --> 00:22:38,970
yeah, even though your brand is this,
you have to make sure your brand
386
00:22:38,970 --> 00:22:43,890
is owned and, owned and
communicated through your staff.
387
00:22:43,890 --> 00:22:46,950
And when it's not,
you as a leader have to stop and say,
388
00:22:46,950 --> 00:22:50,190
wait, I'm failing my team.
I'm failing my customer.
389
00:22:50,190 --> 00:22:54,510
So it's a constant reflection as
a CEO to say, what am I doing in
390
00:22:54,510 --> 00:22:56,940
terms of my leadership?
How can I do better?
391
00:22:57,330 --> 00:23:00,420
And it's not so much as a failure,
but as a moment of growth and
392
00:23:00,420 --> 00:23:05,650
then to fix it. I love it.
That's amazing and thanks for
393
00:23:05,650 --> 00:23:08,710
all that, because I know that
people listening right now,
394
00:23:08,710 --> 00:23:12,340
are there someone that's listening
to this right now saying, yes,
395
00:23:12,340 --> 00:23:15,010
I need to do that.
I can't tell you the number of
396
00:23:15,010 --> 00:23:19,330
times that I've talked to business
owners and CEOs and leaders that
397
00:23:19,330 --> 00:23:22,900
have done that exact same thing,
where they just go and sit if it's
398
00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:25,870
a physical thing, or they'll sit
online, look at the analytics and
399
00:23:25,870 --> 00:23:29,590
they just look at it objectively.
You know, they they disconnect and
400
00:23:29,590 --> 00:23:32,530
they say, okay, what is it that
the customer is experiencing?
401
00:23:32,530 --> 00:23:37,240
And they learn so much so quickly.
It's not even you don't have to do
402
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,690
it for a very long time before it
becomes the patterns show themselves.
403
00:23:40,930 --> 00:23:42,760
And I think what you're talking
about, you know,
404
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,760
making this connection,
I've always said the brand is sort of
405
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,930
the culture worn on the outside.
You know, from a visual standpoint,
406
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,770
if you're building, if you're if
you're building, yeah, sure. Take it.
407
00:23:53,770 --> 00:23:56,770
If you're building a culture in
a certain way, whether you know
408
00:23:56,770 --> 00:23:59,560
it or not, because everyone's
building a culture, whether they're
409
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:04,420
intentionally doing it or not,
it's going to seep out externally
410
00:24:04,420 --> 00:24:08,680
into the visuals and into the
experience, which is the big thing,
411
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,380
and especially with people
walking through the front door.
412
00:24:11,530 --> 00:24:15,310, but but even online, you know,
with subscription services and
413
00:24:15,310 --> 00:24:18,400
those types of things,
the experience is paramount today.
414
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,790
People want to know that they
can connect to the brand,
415
00:24:21,790 --> 00:24:23,830
and it's all about the experience
they're going to have,
416
00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:27,340
both on the front end and then even
on the back end getting service.
417
00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:31,300
So it's great that you're doing
just those simple exercises to
418
00:24:31,750 --> 00:24:35,590
see what the buyer is seeing and
experiencing, and then going in
419
00:24:35,590 --> 00:24:38,500
and immediately changing it.
I mean, I think that's wonderful.
420
00:24:39,130 --> 00:24:44,380
It's not easy and it's painful
when your staff any anybody with
421
00:24:44,380 --> 00:24:50,680
employees, you say change and change
causes major grief. At first.
422
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,920
It doesn't matter how small,
how big you are, change is never
423
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:57,250
comfortable for anyone.
But if you lean into it,
424
00:24:57,250 --> 00:25:02,020
then it definitely can cause a
beautiful exchange.
425
00:25:03,010 --> 00:25:08,350
Yes, and I think that a lot of
times employees will be dismayed if
426
00:25:08,350 --> 00:25:11,950
they are not connected to the why
of why the change is made. Yeah.
427
00:25:12,130 --> 00:25:14,950, you know, they'll, they'll,
they'll determine their own
428
00:25:14,950 --> 00:25:18,700
conclusion as to why it's happening, so a lot of times a little bit of
429
00:25:18,700 --> 00:25:22,120
communication can go a long way, but now that we're talking about
430
00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:25,480
brand and and customer experience,
I want to talk about customer
431
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:30,190
feedback or, you know,
really like, I think feedback.
432
00:25:30,190 --> 00:25:31,900
And that's really what you just
described.
433
00:25:31,990 --> 00:25:37,000
They sat there and looked at you,
observed, feedback in
434
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:41,890
various ways can influence the
way that a brand, you know,
435
00:25:41,890 --> 00:25:45,820
changes and grows over time or
services given or down the line.
436
00:25:45,940 --> 00:25:50,140
So how do you consider feedback
from your customers?
437
00:25:50,260 --> 00:25:52,090, you know,
and how much does that influence
438
00:25:52,090 --> 00:25:57,010
how you change your, your approach
to both serving and your product
439
00:25:57,010 --> 00:26:00,780
and your brand and everything?
You know, it's an interesting
440
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,500
statement because we're always
seeking like feedback and it's like,
441
00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:06,600
keep doing what you're doing.
And I'm like, but that's not what I'm
442
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:10,170
asking for. Like what? That's not.
What. Yeah. Yeah. It's like great.
443
00:26:10,170 --> 00:26:14,340
But I need I like constructive
criticism so that I can say,
444
00:26:14,340 --> 00:26:17,220
okay, let's make this better.
You know, one of the biggest
445
00:26:17,220 --> 00:26:19,620
things was for a minute,
we started with glass.
446
00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:23,880
We were doing, I think, 32oz,
and the juice was oxidizing and
447
00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,740
people were like, why is the
color of the juice changing?
448
00:26:25,740 --> 00:26:28,800
And like we're having to educate
ourselves saying, wait,
449
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,700
what's going on here, and so then we reduced to a 16
450
00:26:33,700 --> 00:26:39,570
ounce, plastic bottle and it
just felt so wasteful. We hated it.
451
00:26:39,570 --> 00:26:43,080
It just I mean,
it just wasn't aligning with us.
452
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,620
So we went back to glass.
And switching to glass has just
453
00:26:46,620 --> 00:26:49,830
been part of like,
that brand and the ethos.
454
00:26:49,830 --> 00:26:52,200
And don't get me wrong,
like we have another product line
455
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,260
that's coming out and it's an app.
It has to be in plastic.
456
00:26:55,260 --> 00:26:57,600
And so that is a different
consumer brand.
457
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,140
But when you're coming to get
expensive high end juice and that's,
458
00:27:01,140 --> 00:27:04,710
you know, I say it with love.
It is an expensive product.
459
00:27:04,710 --> 00:27:06,540
It's organic.
People are hand pressing it.
460
00:27:06,540 --> 00:27:10,200
I mean it's it is the Louis
Vuitton of juice, you know.
461
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:14,190
It's that's right. Beautiful.
But it it comes with a cost.
462
00:27:14,190 --> 00:27:17,670
And so one of the things people
say to me all the time is their
463
00:27:17,670 --> 00:27:20,520
feedback is the glass is what
makes a difference.
464
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,950
And I hear that, you know,
they're just like, you know,
465
00:27:22,950 --> 00:27:26,550
I have other juice bars.
I like them, but they're in plastic.
466
00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:30,480
The glass is what makes a difference.
And so like you take that feedback,
467
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,620
not only criticism, but also if you
keep hearing the same thing over and
468
00:27:34,620 --> 00:27:37,830
over and over again, I would be an
idiot to go put it everything in
469
00:27:37,830 --> 00:27:41,220
plastic because I didn't listen.
So I'm also hearing that's right,
470
00:27:41,220 --> 00:27:44,490
what is the positive?
And like what do they like about it.
471
00:27:44,490 --> 00:27:46,110
Because that to me is the most
important.
472
00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,290
So where do you look for feedback?
I mean, obviously you have
473
00:27:51,290 --> 00:27:53,960
people walking in every day.
That's a great place to have
474
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,290
questions and that sort of things.
Do you use social media channels
475
00:27:57,290 --> 00:28:02,300
or email surveys or, you know,
at conferences or I'm sure word
476
00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:04,700
of mouth, like where,
where are the honey holes to
477
00:28:04,700 --> 00:28:08,660
find that good feedback.
The number one is our customers.
478
00:28:08,660 --> 00:28:10,760
So they will always tell you the
truth.
479
00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:12,710
They will always tell you what
they want.
480
00:28:13,190 --> 00:28:15,650, so we start locally,
we start in our shop.
481
00:28:15,650 --> 00:28:18,500
We will do, you know, a text,
you know, we'll say, hey,
482
00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:22,580
this is going on. Let us know.
We'll do some surveys on IG.
483
00:28:23,060 --> 00:28:26,600, we don't do as much email, surveys.
484
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,690
I definitely I'm always wanting
more feedback.
485
00:28:29,990 --> 00:28:33,530, we did a, we did a survey, how's it going?
486
00:28:33,530 --> 00:28:35,750
What can we improve on?
And we sent it to all of our
487
00:28:35,750 --> 00:28:40,190
subscribers. And I put a stamp on it.
It was a postcard like old school
488
00:28:40,190 --> 00:28:42,110
postcard. You got to write your hand.
And I was like,
489
00:28:42,110 --> 00:28:45,650
I'm not going to get any, but I
just I want that human touch back.
490
00:28:45,650 --> 00:28:50,120
And I couldn't believe the amount of
postcards that got mailed back to us.
491
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,900
It was I'm like, maybe they just
needed a stamp on it, you know?
492
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:56,870
So I, you know, yeah,
one got a stamp and I got all
493
00:28:56,870 --> 00:29:01,040
these handwritten personal notes
and I'm like, that to me is gold.
494
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,640
And again, no constructive criticism
because I was asking, what can we
495
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,310
do better? How can we serve you.
They're like just keep doing it.
496
00:29:07,310 --> 00:29:11,630
And it's like, okay,
well received. Right.
497
00:29:11,750 --> 00:29:14,180
Well that's that's I love that
approach.
498
00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:16,490
I think that's very clever to
send that out.
499
00:29:16,490 --> 00:29:18,500, of course,
adding the stamp probably helped
500
00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:23,240
the friction point there, but, but you know, I think,
501
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,650, I think approaching your audience
since it can be very broad with
502
00:29:27,650 --> 00:29:31,940
different mediums and different ways, and always asking the
503
00:29:31,940 --> 00:29:35,030
question that you want to have
answered in different ways.
504
00:29:35,030 --> 00:29:38,090
Yeah, is the thing to do.
And it sounds like that's what
505
00:29:38,090 --> 00:29:41,570
you're what you're doing.
AB testing is not always the easiest
506
00:29:41,570 --> 00:29:43,940
because then you're like, which
one do I pick and who do I go to?
507
00:29:43,940 --> 00:29:45,560
And you just have to trust that,
yeah,
508
00:29:45,830 --> 00:29:49,370
the message is going to be received
to who it's meant to be received by.
509
00:29:50,450 --> 00:29:52,670, so let's talk about your
actual product.
510
00:29:52,700 --> 00:29:55,040, well, first I had a question
that popped up.
511
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,980
You were talking about using glass,
and I think I watched a video on
512
00:29:57,980 --> 00:30:01,400
Instagram where someone was
bringing the bottles back in.
513
00:30:01,550 --> 00:30:03,770
Do you do they trade them out,
or how does that work?
514
00:30:03,770 --> 00:30:07,640
So we have a closed loop system.
So one of our goals is to for every
515
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:11,120
dollar you spend in shop, you get a
point in every bottle you bring back.
516
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,930
Let's be clear. It's our bottle.
So we've received other good juice
517
00:30:14,930 --> 00:30:18,500
companies bottles. Oh yeah. Products.
I'm like let's be really clear.
518
00:30:18,770 --> 00:30:21,560, so yeah, you know,
usually that doesn't happen,
519
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:25,790
but when it does, it's quite funny, so you bring back a bottle,
520
00:30:25,790 --> 00:30:29,300
will you get a point?
And so that's really like a comeback
521
00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:33,260
kind of system, a loyalty reward
system. And then we wash it.
522
00:30:33,260 --> 00:30:35,660
And the Department of AG is
always on us going, you know,
523
00:30:35,660 --> 00:30:38,960
your double your double sanitizing
your product, your bottles. Right.
524
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,590
And we're like we're fine with that.
So it'll go through a wash.
525
00:30:42,590 --> 00:30:46,310
It'll go through bleach bath and then
I'll go through a sanitation process.
526
00:30:46,310 --> 00:30:49,310
So we're just really ensuring if
we're investing this much people are
527
00:30:49,310 --> 00:30:52,340
investing that much in themselves.
We want to make sure we're
528
00:30:52,340 --> 00:30:56,630
investing that same measure in
our bottles and making sure.
529
00:30:56,630 --> 00:30:58,940
So we try to keep it a closed
loop system.
530
00:30:58,940 --> 00:31:00,800
Bottles sometimes go to bottle
heaven.
531
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,350
Either somebody didn't want to
wash it out a lot.
532
00:31:03,350 --> 00:31:08,330
It's either wine we're forming, a funky kombucha or just it's
533
00:31:08,330 --> 00:31:12,080
gotta go. So it just depends.
Our the label is retired, so.
534
00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,380
But we do try to keep a closed
loop system as much as we can on
535
00:31:15,380 --> 00:31:19,820
those bottles, speaking of kombucha or any of
536
00:31:19,820 --> 00:31:23,570
your products carbonated. Yeah.
So we just launched a kombucha.
537
00:31:23,750 --> 00:31:26,810
We worked with a very dear
friend of ours that has been
538
00:31:26,810 --> 00:31:30,200
making kombucha since before,
I mean, really before we opened.
539
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,260
But he launched maybe three
years after us.
540
00:31:33,500 --> 00:31:37,790, and it's living vitality, is the kombucha maker,
541
00:31:37,790 --> 00:31:41,360
so he has his own line,
and then he's created for us,
542
00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,260, and allowing us to do a line
through his manufacturing as well.
543
00:31:45,260 --> 00:31:49,490
So that's been really exciting for us
to launch. We know him. We trust him.
544
00:31:49,490 --> 00:31:54,290
His facility is perfection.
So to be able to launch into
545
00:31:54,290 --> 00:31:59,780
something that we are not personally
manufacturing has been a fun gift.
546
00:31:59,930 --> 00:32:04,910
I do it with somebody you trust as
well. Yes, yes. How did that go?
547
00:32:04,910 --> 00:32:07,550
I mean, because to me,
when I look at your product line,
548
00:32:07,550 --> 00:32:11,510
it screams, we need a kombucha, you know, to me.
549
00:32:11,510 --> 00:32:13,820
So I'm sure when you launch it,
it had to have gone.
550
00:32:13,820 --> 00:32:18,080
Well, you know, we just launched it.
It is like, okay,
551
00:32:18,380 --> 00:32:22,640
two weeks old and so,
so many people are curious about it.
552
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,660
And the funny thing is, we sold
different kombucha through the years
553
00:32:26,660 --> 00:32:29,750
and they did not go off our shop.
And we just kept thinking,
554
00:32:29,750 --> 00:32:32,000
we kept canceling.
We didn't like we tried different
555
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,430
makers. We try different things.
There wasn't the makers.
556
00:32:34,820 --> 00:32:39,950, kombucha sells best on tap,
we've learned, but we didn't have the
557
00:32:39,950 --> 00:32:42,650
room for tap and it's just an extra.
You got to bring your growl,
558
00:32:42,650 --> 00:32:44,750
your growler, you got to do all
these different things.
559
00:32:44,750 --> 00:32:49,220
We wanted it in a in a bottle or a
can. We had bottles, we had cans.
560
00:32:49,220 --> 00:32:53,300
And then this last iteration working
with Daniel from Living Vitality
561
00:32:53,300 --> 00:32:56,900
was we want to stick with the can.
He's perfected it.
562
00:32:56,900 --> 00:33:01,190
And just putting a label on the
second we slap our label on it.
563
00:33:01,190 --> 00:33:05,630
People now trust that kombucha
because we trust it.
564
00:33:05,630 --> 00:33:09,230
And that has been beautiful.
I mean, some of my wholesalers are,
565
00:33:09,230 --> 00:33:12,800
you know, coming to me,
that I buy from and they're like,
566
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:16,040
hey, I want to sell your
kombucha on my in my fridge.
567
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,850
So it's just been really nice to
I didn't realize that there was
568
00:33:19,850 --> 00:33:23,540
such a demand for kombucha. Yeah.
Until we put our label on it.
569
00:33:23,540 --> 00:33:25,820
And that's really fun.
Yeah,
570
00:33:25,820 --> 00:33:29,450
that's got to feel really gratifying.
And that you've had the validation
571
00:33:29,450 --> 00:33:31,730
that your brand has that much weight.
Yeah.
572
00:33:31,730 --> 00:33:34,130
You know, that shows you that
you really have grown something.
573
00:33:34,130 --> 00:33:37,280
Yes, I hope so.
We're still getting there.
574
00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:41,510
We're still in our humble beginnings.
So not sure. Sure. So.
575
00:33:41,930 --> 00:33:45,020, so we're talking about different
products and those types of things.
576
00:33:45,020 --> 00:33:49,430
How do you approach like how do you
think about adding a new flavor or,
577
00:33:49,460 --> 00:33:52,460
you know, I mean,
and specifically about juices,
578
00:33:52,460 --> 00:33:55,520
if you wanted to add a new flavor,
like, what is that thought process
579
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:59,900
like? There's so many factors.
So originally my husband,
580
00:33:59,900 --> 00:34:02,360
which he has now trained,
our juicer, our juicer has been
581
00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,540
with us for eight years.
His name is Zach is really
582
00:34:05,540 --> 00:34:09,950
getting everybody on board, the the partners get involved.
583
00:34:09,950 --> 00:34:12,140
We talk about it,
we talk about a demand.
584
00:34:12,500 --> 00:34:16,460, we talk about what produce is
available. How often is it seasonal?
585
00:34:16,460 --> 00:34:18,830
How hard is it going to, you know,
you have to chase the hemisphere when
586
00:34:18,830 --> 00:34:22,400
you're trying to create a consistent
when people say local produce,
587
00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:27,740
I always laugh because there's no
way you can create a sustainable,
588
00:34:27,740 --> 00:34:34,010
static flavor local. You just can't.
So, for example, like one thing I'd
589
00:34:34,010 --> 00:34:36,380
love to do is create a seasonal
juice, but I have to work with the
590
00:34:36,380 --> 00:34:39,680
farmers and I have to pre-plan
an entire year ahead of time.
591
00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:44,000
So I have two organic farmers now
I'm working with to plan for 2025.
592
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,310
So it's not easy.
You've got to think about your
593
00:34:46,310 --> 00:34:49,820
produce supply chain.
So that's number one, we.
594
00:34:49,930 --> 00:34:51,940
We kind of have that in the back
of our mind,
595
00:34:51,940 --> 00:34:55,480
but it's not the deciding factor.
We start with why are we making it?
596
00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:59,440
And it's usually a cause, or a person
dealing with an issue is how most
597
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,760
of our juices have been created,
or all of that desire a need.
598
00:35:03,940 --> 00:35:07,240
And then we kind of say, okay,
well, what's those?
599
00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:10,720
What are the benefits we're looking
for in vitamin C, immune support,
600
00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:15,490
antioxidant, oxygenation to the
blood, you know, whatever it was.
601
00:35:15,490 --> 00:35:18,370
So for example, our heartbeat juice.
My husband wanted a pre and
602
00:35:18,370 --> 00:35:20,950
post-workout juice.
He wanted something to build his
603
00:35:20,950 --> 00:35:23,530
blood strength.
So it has a lot of parsley,
604
00:35:23,530 --> 00:35:32,110
which is 2,200% more potent than
spinach. Beets. Okay.
605
00:35:32,230 --> 00:35:35,680, bring nitric oxide into the
blood. So this is a blood juice.
606
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:37,330
When you see the red,
you think blood.
607
00:35:37,330 --> 00:35:41,020
It really, truly is a blood juice.
And so it's pre and post-workout.
608
00:35:41,020 --> 00:35:45,430
So it's oxygenating the skin the
blood, the skin getting everything
609
00:35:45,430 --> 00:35:50,080
alive. And so it had a purpose.
We found ingredients that match
610
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,510
the purpose.
And then that's when that product can
611
00:35:52,540 --> 00:35:56,980
then go into beta test of tasting.
And then you got to think like yeah,
612
00:35:56,980 --> 00:35:59,650
when people say, oh,
I just choked down the juice.
613
00:35:59,650 --> 00:36:02,470
That is the antithesis.
Like that is the opposite of
614
00:36:02,470 --> 00:36:05,170
what we want.
We want every single customer to
615
00:36:05,170 --> 00:36:08,320
enjoy the juice.
Now the get well shot's very spicy.
616
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:11,950
It's it's whoa, kick your tush.
The benefit is there and they
617
00:36:11,950 --> 00:36:13,540
know it.
But when you're really sipping
618
00:36:13,540 --> 00:36:17,530
on a juice you want, you know,
the, the doctor Emoto.
619
00:36:17,530 --> 00:36:20,200
Are you familiar with that?
Where he put love and hate on a
620
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,070
bottle? On, water.
And it was from the same source.
621
00:36:24,070 --> 00:36:27,250
Completely sterile environment.
And then he froze them.
622
00:36:27,250 --> 00:36:29,890
And then the structures were
different based on the energy
623
00:36:29,890 --> 00:36:32,380
you put on it.
And we believe that when you're
624
00:36:32,380 --> 00:36:34,330
drinking your juice and you're like,
oh, I'm just joking it down,
625
00:36:34,330 --> 00:36:38,320
that is not what we want.
We want you to completely love it.
626
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,860
And so then we're going into
flavor profile of like, okay,
627
00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:44,020
these beets are earthy.
So how do we sweeten it.
628
00:36:44,020 --> 00:36:47,740
Let's put some pears in there okay.
Maybe an apple but not too much apple
629
00:36:47,740 --> 00:36:50,500
because we want that pear to sing.
We want that to be the note that
630
00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:53,110
carries the sweetness.
So you're trying to not only
631
00:36:53,110 --> 00:36:55,510
enjoy it, but you're also trying
to reap the benefits.
632
00:36:55,510 --> 00:36:59,620
And that's really the process that we
go through in creating a product.
633
00:36:59,620 --> 00:37:03,340
But then we go into let's make it,
let's do the cost.
634
00:37:03,340 --> 00:37:05,470
So the cogs are a nightmare
because then you're like,
635
00:37:05,470 --> 00:37:08,920
this is the most beautiful juice.
But I am literally losing money
636
00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:10,840
by making it.
And then you got to go back to
637
00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:14,590
the drawing board and go,
how can we rethink this, yeah.
638
00:37:14,590 --> 00:37:17,740
And then we have to go into
operational SOPs and making sure the
639
00:37:17,740 --> 00:37:21,130
staff knows how to prep it, make it.
It's weighed out properly, the
640
00:37:21,130 --> 00:37:25,750
recipes are written out and then get
it bottled and get the label made.
641
00:37:25,750 --> 00:37:27,940
And then you got to get that
onto the shelf, and then you got
642
00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:31,840
to market the hell out of it.
So creating one product is be
643
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:36,610
prepared for a nightmare because so
much comes from one product concept.
644
00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:40,630
Just the can of worms opens up.
Well,
645
00:37:40,630 --> 00:37:44,920
I really like your process and thanks
for very detailed explaining that.
646
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:48,520
I think it makes a lot of sense.
But if if you were to zoom out
647
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:52,180
of all of that and look at the
beginning and the end, first of all,
648
00:37:52,180 --> 00:37:57,460
I really like that how you start is
with sort of addressing an ailment,
649
00:37:57,460 --> 00:38:00,760
a new, newer ailment that you
haven't addressed and and then
650
00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:04,720
creating around that problem.
And what that says to me is that
651
00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,750
you're really going back to your
no pun intended roots.
652
00:38:08,140 --> 00:38:10,660, and you're saying, okay, well,
you know, why did we get into this?
653
00:38:10,660 --> 00:38:12,850
Well, we wanted to solve a
problem that we were having that
654
00:38:12,850 --> 00:38:15,640
probably other people are having.
So what's the next problem that
655
00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:18,520
we want to look to solve?
And then you run it through this
656
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,400
very fine tuned process of
taking it to market.
657
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,300
And what's so great about that is
that when you get to the end and
658
00:38:25,300 --> 00:38:29,740
you have to actually market it,
I'm sure that at the beginning you've
659
00:38:29,740 --> 00:38:32,290
already, like we talked about,
listen to your customers and you
660
00:38:32,290 --> 00:38:35,920
recognize that it's not just you
that's having that this need,
661
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,380
but there's other people.
So there's already a built in
662
00:38:38,380 --> 00:38:42,520
sort of maybe small market to,
to launch it to.
663
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:46,630
But the story at the end is can
be so compelling because of
664
00:38:46,630 --> 00:38:49,300
where you started, you know.
So when you get to the end and you
665
00:38:49,300 --> 00:38:52,840
have to market it, you can speak
directly to those core group that
666
00:38:52,870 --> 00:38:56,800
you know are going to want it.
And then beyond to talk about this
667
00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:01,030
identified need and all that,
all that this is doing to to to
668
00:39:01,030 --> 00:39:04,870
not necessarily cure it.
But but you know, bring it around
669
00:39:04,870 --> 00:39:08,770
and, and I like the last part of
two it making it taste good because
670
00:39:08,770 --> 00:39:11,590
really that's how you get you know,
your core audience,
671
00:39:11,590 --> 00:39:14,410
they'll probably drink anything.
But then you get beyond that.
672
00:39:14,410 --> 00:39:18,160
People want things to taste good, so, so I love that whole
673
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:22,180
process because it really does
start with how you started.
674
00:39:22,180 --> 00:39:26,500
And it keeps things,
you know, really grounded. Again.
675
00:39:26,500 --> 00:39:30,160
No, I can't help but use the words
that you've chosen are so good,
676
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:32,770
it keeps you grounded on what
your mission is about.
677
00:39:32,770 --> 00:39:35,830
And then when you market it,
it should become pretty pretty easy.
678
00:39:35,890 --> 00:39:39,190.
I mean, we think we did a April
679
00:39:39,190 --> 00:39:42,550
Fool's yesterday on Dilly Delight and
we're going to bring pickle juice,
680
00:39:42,550 --> 00:39:45,580
which actually pickle juice is the
rage right now, which is ironic.
681
00:39:45,580 --> 00:39:47,770
And that's so fun.
I can't wait to try it.
682
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,290
I'm like, no, no, no, it's a joke.
And then I'm like, oh no, I think.
683
00:39:53,060 --> 00:39:56,510
Your audience is just screaming,
we trust you. We trust. You.
684
00:39:56,630 --> 00:40:01,150
We do like pickle juice.
Yes, let's do it. Ha ha ha.
685
00:40:01,630 --> 00:40:05,710
We might be making pickle juice next,
I don't know. April fools.
686
00:40:05,740 --> 00:40:09,010
Okay, so I have a couple, I have a couple more questions
687
00:40:09,010 --> 00:40:11,050
for you before we get off here.
Sorry.
688
00:40:11,050 --> 00:40:14,170
We're going a little bit longer,
but, I want to know.
689
00:40:14,170 --> 00:40:17,350
Okay, so that is amazing how you
approach a new juice.
690
00:40:17,350 --> 00:40:19,570
But then when you look at,
you know, look at your website,
691
00:40:19,570 --> 00:40:21,670
and I see that you.
Because I haven't been in your store
692
00:40:21,670 --> 00:40:25,390
yet, you have new you have products.
You even have some tours and
693
00:40:25,390 --> 00:40:27,610
services that you offer.
You have subscriptions.
694
00:40:27,940 --> 00:40:31,300, how do you think about
launching those types of things?
695
00:40:32,140 --> 00:40:36,070, again, the demand, if it happens
or I wake up in the middle of the
696
00:40:36,070 --> 00:40:38,950
night and have this mad idea,
and then my whole team goes, oh,
697
00:40:38,950 --> 00:40:40,990
God, Amanda has another idea.
Now we have to.
698
00:40:41,020 --> 00:40:44,230
My operations manager always
jokes like, you hand me all
699
00:40:44,230 --> 00:40:46,810
these boxes and I'm the one that
has to put the bow on it.
700
00:40:46,810 --> 00:40:49,030
And so we always be,
we're always careful.
701
00:40:49,030 --> 00:40:52,180
Like, how many boxes do you have?
How many can you handle and which
702
00:40:52,180 --> 00:40:54,910
ones are on the shelf and which one?
Which ones are we going to open?
703
00:40:55,330 --> 00:40:58,960, so, you know,
I was a homeschooling mom on top
704
00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:01,480
of running a business.
So I'm super passionate about
705
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,090
kid education.
And, you know, you know,
706
00:41:04,090 --> 00:41:06,220
the the song.
You know, the kids are our future.
707
00:41:06,220 --> 00:41:09,700
It's really. It's true in my heart.
Like, the kids are all that
708
00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:12,730
matter because they're the ones
that need the help.
709
00:41:12,730 --> 00:41:14,830
They're the ones that we're
educating to be healthy,
710
00:41:14,830 --> 00:41:16,720
to take care of themselves.
They're going to take care of us,
711
00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:19,720
I hope.
And it's it's really that's important
712
00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:23,530
for our humanity to take care of,
of our children.
713
00:41:23,530 --> 00:41:27,460
And so we do have classes,
entrepreneur classes that we
714
00:41:27,460 --> 00:41:29,560
teach to the kids.
And it's just been a beautiful thing,
715
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:33,100
from brownies to homeschooling
groups to even my daughter's,
716
00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:36,010, now she's in private school.
Her private school class came
717
00:41:36,010 --> 00:41:39,040
and did a class.
And so that's I'm passionate about.
718
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:44,080
But we can have anyone from we've
had the Mayflower, living home,
719
00:41:44,140 --> 00:41:48,040, whatever you call, assist,
not assisted living, retirement.
720
00:41:48,990 --> 00:41:54,750, apartments. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
And they came in for a tour and
721
00:41:54,750 --> 00:41:59,640
tasting, and we ended up having a
subscriber out of that demographic.
722
00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:02,520
So again,
I'm schooled every single day.
723
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:04,890
And when he texted me, he goes,
you're going to be surprised by
724
00:42:04,890 --> 00:42:09,150
a onesie dropped by a point and
I and again, that's awesome.
725
00:42:09,150 --> 00:42:13,650
The irony is like juice is the
nemesis of sugar of you know how
726
00:42:13,650 --> 00:42:14,430
it is.
You know,
727
00:42:14,430 --> 00:42:18,330
like everyone just says juice, sugar.
And it really is actually a
728
00:42:18,330 --> 00:42:21,690
benefit to supporting people
with diabetes as well.
729
00:42:21,690 --> 00:42:25,590
So I'm learning through my
customers every single day.
730
00:42:27,260 --> 00:42:31,070
Yeah. That's amazing, and I and I would expect to,
731
00:42:31,070 --> 00:42:34,820
I mean, people.
No, no no no, it did, it did.
732
00:42:34,940 --> 00:42:37,970, but I do have one more
question for you.
733
00:42:38,060 --> 00:42:41,630, well, maybe technically two,
but one specifically.
734
00:42:41,690 --> 00:42:44,360,
what's the one thing that you want to
735
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:48,800
communicate to most of the people?
So your prospective customers
736
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:52,040
who don't know about your, like,
they don't know about your products?
737
00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,500
Like, now, I know,
because we've had this conversation.
738
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,500
What would you what's the one
thing you would want them to hear?
739
00:42:58,210 --> 00:43:01,450
I think the one thing that I want
them to hear is that we create a
740
00:43:01,450 --> 00:43:07,360
product that is made for them,
regardless out of our product line,
741
00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:10,300
something in our store,
because somebody will come in
742
00:43:10,300 --> 00:43:13,150
with being unconscious,
not thinking anything, and we'll say,
743
00:43:13,150 --> 00:43:14,410
what brought you in here?
And they say, oh,
744
00:43:14,410 --> 00:43:17,470
I just saw it on Google,
or I drove by and then we say,
745
00:43:17,470 --> 00:43:19,990
oh, okay, everything going well?
Is there any things that we want
746
00:43:19,990 --> 00:43:21,760
to address?
And they kind of look at us going,
747
00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:25,060
this is this is maybe weird.
And then they stop.
748
00:43:25,180 --> 00:43:27,490
Oh, wait, nobody's asked me that
question before.
749
00:43:27,490 --> 00:43:31,000
And so I want people coming in
to know that we see you, we hear
750
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:33,640
you and we want to support you.
And that's really what our
751
00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:37,450
products do, we want to support the body
752
00:43:37,450 --> 00:43:42,310
and support the mind and support,
you know, the ability to something to
753
00:43:42,310 --> 00:43:46,840
have good access to clean products.
I love it.
754
00:43:47,350 --> 00:43:49,900, what are your plans for your
future growth?
755
00:43:50,530 --> 00:43:54,580
Right now,
I want to focus on my local market.
756
00:43:54,700 --> 00:43:59,290, we just took, three,
five products, I should say. Really?
757
00:43:59,290 --> 00:44:04,570
But I focused on one to the wholesale
market in Anaheim at the expo,
758
00:44:04,690 --> 00:44:08,080
the Natural Foods expo,
natural Products Expo, I should say.
759
00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:11,110
And it was shocking how many
foods are not natural.
760
00:44:11,110 --> 00:44:17,430
And it's also one of one.
Entrepreneur said to me,
761
00:44:17,430 --> 00:44:21,180
they own Randy's Pickles.
They also have another jerky
762
00:44:21,180 --> 00:44:24,600
line which is through Guinness.
And he said to me,
763
00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:28,890
go back to local. Excuse my French.
Can I can I curse on here?
764
00:44:28,890 --> 00:44:33,510
He says. Fuck up locally. Sure.
And I said, okay.
765
00:44:33,510 --> 00:44:35,190
And he says,
because your local market knows
766
00:44:35,190 --> 00:44:38,130
you and believes in you, so take
your wholesale market locally.
767
00:44:38,130 --> 00:44:42,660
And so right now my, my focus is in
the next year is to really build
768
00:44:42,660 --> 00:44:45,930
out my local wholesale market,
which is we're doing we're going
769
00:44:45,930 --> 00:44:49,200
through a whole step through the
Department of AG getting certified to
770
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:54,060
go wholesale, and that's a step.
And then I really would love to be
771
00:44:54,060 --> 00:45:01,280
able to have. In the next ten years.
If not, you know, sooner is to have
772
00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:04,220
more of a wholesale market where
more people can have access to our
773
00:45:04,220 --> 00:45:09,380
products, in a different way.
I really want to disrupt how clean
774
00:45:09,380 --> 00:45:12,290
products are being distributed
because they're very limited.
775
00:45:12,290 --> 00:45:19,530
How you can get a product to shelf
that's stable and safe. Yes, I could.
776
00:45:19,530 --> 00:45:22,500
I would think that would be a
complex thing to problem to solve.
777
00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:25,920
But the next real big step is a
second location.
778
00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:28,830
And we're going to really go
into the juice and coffee line.
779
00:45:28,830 --> 00:45:31,920
So it's going to be a juice and
coffee bar. Oh nice. Yeah.
780
00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:35,250
So can you say where that location
is going to be? If I knew, I.
781
00:45:35,250 --> 00:45:41,070
Would tell you. Okay.
Well, hey, listen, this has been
782
00:45:41,070 --> 00:45:43,830
an amazing conversation.
I'm so glad it worked out for us
783
00:45:43,830 --> 00:45:47,430
to get together.
And, if I want to send people
784
00:45:47,430 --> 00:45:50,820
your way, where should we send them, send them to Granny
785
00:45:50,820 --> 00:45:54,090
roots.com Instagram.
At Granny Roots, we have the
786
00:45:54,090 --> 00:45:58,080
same TikTok at Grounding Roots.
So everything is just a simple
787
00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:01,140
grounding roots.
And anybody can Google us and you
788
00:46:01,140 --> 00:46:05,420
can find a map and get right to us.
Love it.
789
00:46:05,930 --> 00:46:10,100
Okay, well, thanks a lot again.
And, I wish the best for your
790
00:46:10,100 --> 00:46:11,870
business. Thank you, I appreciate it.