The Too Early Wake-Up Call
Being a founder or co-founder is difficult enough but at least you’re in the cockpit. I wouldn’t want to be an early stage investor. It’s really hard to evaluate a startup.
At this point I’d been watching Shark Tank ABC religiously for eight years. I’d seen all kinds of founders set their valuations and understood why the Sharks valued execution more than a great idea.
That’s why Juliano and I didn’t take it personally that Amazon Accelerator valued our whole brand at just six figures. For Pete’s sake we’d been in business less than 2years. To us that was just a glaring sign we had more work to do to realize our vision.
We chose to start with Amazon because they’re the largest online retailer in the U.S. and that gave us the biggest online reach right from the start. But our mission was always to make the berry available to as many customers as possible which meant we couldn’t just stop with one storefront.
That’s where Walmart came in. They have the largest retail footprint in the country so we knew they’d be a big part of our future. They hold an Open Call every year with over a thousand US based companies trying to get in.
As a professional salesman I’m used to rejection. You still ask for the sale. As an athlete I’ve lost my fair share of competition. You still take the shot. As a single man, well, you get the idea.
When we didn’t get a response from Walmart’s Open Call I didn’t take it personally either. We decided to look at it as an opportunity to prove ourselves on their new online marketplace to build a track record first.
Besides it wouldn’t be the first time I’d apply for something we weren’t ready for. That’s where we’ll pick up next week.
Now for this week’s flavor experiment.
Fall has officially started but papayas are still ripe and in season. I had peak curiosity at this point and had to find out if the berry could make them taste even better than they already do.
I sliced one open and let Nature's Wild Berry coat my tongue for 30 seconds. I went in expecting a simple twist but what I got was next level. It didn’t just taste like a better papaya. It tasted like tropical candy. Not fake or artificial. Just amped up and addicting.
If you’ve ever written off papayas as bland or overly earthy this might be the perfect test. Or if you already love them this could be the upgrade you didn’t know you needed.
Each week there’s a new story a new flavor and hopefully a little spark of curiosity. Look for the hidden 48-hour alphanumeric discount code tucked somewhere in here for 20 percent off. It’s my way of saying thanks for showing up and being part of the adventure.
— Hank