Never Forget Rule No 3
Before we get into the next part of the journey story, it’s time to zoom out for a 30,000 ft view. It was mid 2018, and Nature's Wild Berry was starting to hit a rhythm. 20times a day I’d check the Amazon Seller app and see the triple digit yoy numbers in green. It was reassuring but I tempered myself: a couple years of growth is not that amazing when your first year ends in the red.
But truthfully I was pumped to be on the adventure with Juliano. Three years of being an in-kind sponsor at Sundance Institute was starting to feel pretty cool, more entertaining than work. Three years at ExpoWest meant LinkedIn connections became real life friends. Three years of mberry being our only competitor was not that bad either. They respected us, we respected them back. I could see us doing something down the road like a Coke/Pepsi Challenge one day - still do, actually.
Sure we hit some roadblocks where we heard no, not interested or not yet. UNFI said “Not yet, you’re not ready” even though they knew and liked Juliano personally. Every restaurant passed except for one in Las Vegas and they never put us on the menu like they promised. Every time I applied to Shark Tank ABC I never got a callback. One time I offered to be on this food dude’s podcast and he flat out said, “Nice try but I don’t find you interesting.” Like, how do you really feel bro lol
You know what though? They were all correct when I considered their pov. We were too new for US distribution. We did not belong on menus or in restaurants yet. We were not ready for national primetime TV. Not enough people knew me or even got NWB to belong on each food podcast.
They were looking out for me because I was too early, I had not earned any of it yet. When it was all my vision of the future, how could I expect people who did not know me to bet on me? That ain’t rule #3. Rule #3 is bet on yourself. That's when I turned this basket of no’s into the motivation that fueled the momentum.
Now for this week’s flavor test.
I ordered MARK'S SNACKS Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Vinegar off Amazon so I could taste test them live on his podcast Let's Eat with Mark Samuel episode 248. On the show I told Mark they were delicious before the berry and I meant it. Thick crunchy kettle texture, avocado oil, non-gmo.
Afterwards I chewed the berry for 30 seconds so the pulp could coat my tongue and went back in for round two. The sharp vinegar bite softened, the sour edge turned into a bright clean sweet and the salty crunch tasted like a next level snack you would find in a gourmet magic shop. Familiar and new at the same time.
If you have ideas for what I should try next add them in the comments. These tests keep the fun going and help us discover new pairings together.
As always there is a hidden alphanumeric code in this post. Spot the odd word with a number, enter it exactly as written and save 20 percent for the next 48 hours. Thanks for being here and for riding along.
– Hank