0:00

i am unwilling to give up

0:02

that i will start

0:04

over from scratch as

0:05

many times as it takes to

0:08

get where i want the i wanted to sure

0:12

you don't get down out,

0:14

should be for

0:24

inspiring conversations with some of the

0:26

the world's leaders

0:27

will talk with

0:29

founders entrepreneurs

0:31

ceos and really some

0:33

of the most interesting people of our time

0:36

can't wait to get started

0:41

i'm absolutely thrilled

0:43

for you to hear this next

0:46

episode with abraham

0:48

best fear who is the founder and ceo

0:51

of a dozen patterns which is the natural

0:53

food brown has

0:56

a few different things that they do and

0:58

beans rice and sausage inspired

1:00

by the traditional creole

1:03

caribbean and latin american dishes

1:05

that abraham

1:06

the op where

1:07

and the company started and twenty nine seen

1:10

it is absolutely a super

1:12

super yummy yummy yummy yummy

1:15

product you will love this

1:17

conversation ibrahim actually

1:19

came from there are males

1:21

before he decided to

1:24

start a dozen and cousins and

1:26

i am just absolutely thrilled

1:29

to have you learned

1:31

a lot more about his journey

1:34

and less them to line the way so

1:36

let's get going

1:37

oh welcome abraham

1:40

you beg you have me i really say that is dorothy

1:43

super excited for you to be here

1:45

and i'd love to start at the

1:47

beginning so i'd love to get

1:49

more of a picture of who was

1:52

abraham as a child thera

1:54

where you the creative one

1:56

where you the troublemaker

1:58

where you you know

1:59

the one who was always cooking i

2:02

who was abraham as as the as

2:04

a young guy

2:05

here you know they just like personality

2:07

wise a few few trait that price that

2:09

on molson advocated and some some of which

2:12

are still very by the today rubber ones are

2:14

very very decide introverted

2:16

and so wow not l don't get

2:18

always been a lot of time reading

2:21

imagine a daydreaming you know

2:23

i was very comfortable always been ah spending time

2:25

by myself i do think i at

2:27

a younger days a hobby to develop my own

2:30

on my creativity my sense of imagination

2:32

avoid uncomfortable cause of living

2:34

living in the future a living in my own head

2:36

in many ways so lesson on a on a

2:38

personal side i would say in as a young

2:41

young child i did love cooking or love food

2:43

on one of ten children so grew up in a really

2:46

big family arm and so we

2:48

very much the the glue for us

2:50

that was how we got together the ended a day

2:53

come celebrate holidays how we marked

2:55

milestone in some avoid added connection

2:57

to food are both as like just

3:00

the enjoyment of eating but also on

3:02

all the emotional day they com

3:04

definitely and where did you grow up

3:06

i grew up in brooklyn saw grew up in downtown brooklyn

3:09

lived there up it's allows you know seventeen

3:11

and graduate high school

3:12

weird it's a creole and caribbean

3:15

i'm in it where did that come from

3:17

how did you first get exposed

3:20

to that food

3:21

yeah thought you know my mother's from the south and so

3:23

kind of you know have added think about the native cuisine

3:26

that i ate the most going up with southern cooking

3:28

in in all of his various forms or you know

3:30

even today we have a creole red

3:32

beans and rice which is land based

3:34

on my mother's recipe for for ready

3:37

and so that you know that's a big part

3:39

of it out say the rest of the palette of the brando

3:41

it it's really inspired by my

3:43

childhood growing up in brooklyn you know my

3:46

mother would often exchange

3:48

recipes and issues with our neighbors

3:50

and so is very common for her to like combat

3:53

for the laundry mat with mat little you

3:55

know scrap of paper that had recipe

3:57

that he had you know jotted down and so

4:00

you know if you venture brothers a

4:02

very unique kind of black and latino melting

4:04

pot in a yeah people from to out to us

4:06

out from throughout the caribbean latin america

4:09

in so a lot of the to that we make

4:11

i just gonna pull together from you

4:13

know the community and and my neighbors that i

4:15

grew up

4:16

jumping forward a bit so

4:18

after you left

4:20

brooklyn and what is you do after that

4:23

yeah but you know you can fast forward a bit i went

4:25

to on of the my undergrad and my rascal

4:27

both at the university of pennsylvania on

4:29

and so you know between undergrad a business school

4:31

work at a number of different start

4:33

up companies work abroad for

4:35

a little while i'm very much kind of you

4:37

know early career figure out what you enjoy

4:40

what you're good at of an hour delay the first

4:42

you know really big meaningful job i talk with

4:44

after business grew i'm sorry my for

4:46

a general mills doing brand management

4:49

worked on a number of brands from

4:51

your large national brand by

4:54

the gushers for rather than true by the foot

4:56

all the way through your through your

4:59

more emerging national get a brass you

5:01

had the pleasure of working amare bar on

5:04

the cascading farm and is organic

5:06

which is a very informative role for me and

5:08

so that will you know the first maybe

5:10

five years of my professional career was been

5:12

a gentleman

5:13

in how long did you say there

5:16

they never five years of work do a

5:18

number of hours you know like a bases rotational

5:20

system so the every twelve to eighteen

5:23

months you you move onto a new business and

5:25

and other be a really great learning experience

5:28

you know every time you rotate your popped

5:30

into a new business contacts to work with a

5:32

different set of people a different

5:34

set of competitors retailers

5:36

and so i feel like i was able to learn a lot

5:38

in a you know relatively short period of time

5:41

so what was it said made

5:43

you think okay i'm minutes now

5:46

leave and go and start a

5:48

company

5:49

yeah you know the few things the first

5:51

with that has it's just really great experience working

5:53

on any so general mills had acquired nannies

5:55

and on i like immediately raised

5:58

my hand like what i need to work on his didn't what

6:00

do i need to do to get out to california and you

6:02

know after a lot of moving a certain

6:04

are they able to move out the berkeley and i spent a

6:06

just under two years working on any business

6:09

com and really just fell in love with the

6:11

ethos the national product

6:13

industry right in this idea that business

6:15

can be a force for good that

6:17

the food should be on you know helpful

6:20

for a for our bodies arm and you

6:22

know that we she's high body greedier

6:24

by all that all the like big killer

6:26

that and have been indicia kind of fell

6:28

in love with them and only the lumber that i

6:30

kept having was that you know as i looked around

6:32

the options there weren't any that spoke

6:35

to me as a consumer right in terms

6:37

of the food and the flavors that i had

6:39

grown up with soul of like are

6:41

not going i was living as we're double life world

6:43

like i was all in all my organic

6:45

agriculture better for you you know health

6:47

and wellness and then at night i'll go home

6:49

and eat the same types of food that had grown

6:52

up eating to the had just dismissed object

6:54

that of emotional connection to them in so

6:56

the my goal was a dozen cousins was really

6:58

just to see if i could they lost to

7:00

world together you know one see if i could

7:02

create a brand that felt really cultural

7:05

really authentic had all those same feelings

7:07

of home in the flavor that i love the

7:09

to do it and leverage everything that i had

7:11

learned about health and wellness source

7:14

the innovation in exeter and so

7:16

on what i thought i lost in on

7:18

that idea or that mission they

7:21

were you know easy decision to to take

7:23

the lead in and try to do a full time

7:25

the was your first step

7:27

i mean you're leaving a big company

7:29

you've got a very cool

7:31

job working on any is

7:33

and and you've got these recipes

7:36

them you know if i always they

7:38

it's one thing to work on a product is

7:41

another thing to start a fraud act i mean

7:43

as if sir and start a company

7:45

or mean we're were you scared you'd

7:48

worry arena woes

7:50

sort of going through your head

7:52

the get me some nervousness right but i

7:54

would say like honestly for me the excitement

7:56

outweighed the fear by

7:58

a lot you know and part of it was

8:01

you know my life and i we sat down before i left

8:03

general mills yappy just had our first daughter

8:05

so my my elder daughter is about two months

8:07

old you know we just met out

8:09

a plan we said look begin a week ago

8:11

one year with no you know

8:13

no salary that one

8:15

guy be able to make something right now

8:18

we like you know it yet two years

8:20

to prove out the concept and really feel like we're

8:22

gaining traction into like are

8:24

you had it's really clear road map world like what

8:26

and then to give this a try and if into

8:28

year the haven't done anything or the market

8:30

to tell me let's say didn't actually not a good idea

8:33

then it are going to get on a pack

8:35

it up and move on you know what i mean it's oh for me

8:37

as like what does that to be a fun to

8:40

year experiment no matter what happens

8:42

and you know thank you both agree that the end of you

8:44

know two years and and really before then

8:47

we had news really great national customers

8:49

you know i'm and what whole foods united

8:51

us a nationally that was like a huge

8:53

milestone and you know we had a few of those along

8:55

the way that just give me confidence that

8:58

you on the right track be working on the right things

9:00

and so you how to

9:02

the sub some nervous number seventy

9:04

nine them preventing me from from taken that

9:07

how hard was it when you were lost

9:09

the new product in the whole foods though i

9:11

in just a little bit of background people listened

9:14

to my show know this might

9:15

father had created healthy choice

9:17

and worked and side of armor food

9:19

company and is silly and then they were acquired

9:22

by con agra and ,

9:24

remember hearing you know a long

9:26

time ago how he basically

9:29

was negotiating internally for space

9:31

for frozen space right and in

9:33

the case with other con agra browns

9:36

and that was probably the hardest thing

9:38

was it was actually figuring

9:40

out you know how much they've she was going to get allocated

9:43

but when i actually launched or

9:45

the company i founded hints and hints

9:47

said hey how do i get into safeway

9:49

is like i have no idea

9:52

whether it was a whole new world and maybe

9:54

that really relate to that a little bit

9:56

but i had a serious like how much

9:59

of a puzzle

9:59

was it for years

10:01

yeah big big there's was so awful

10:03

like a little bit of a detox there needs to happen

10:06

right was suicide yeah for online some of the

10:08

habits of like you know when you're when you place

10:10

a phone call on behalf of big seventeen

10:12

billion dollar company like you're usually

10:14

that person's most important phone call of the

10:16

day right so that he always getting people

10:19

energy attention priority

10:21

bird is a cynic cetera vs you know

10:23

and i left the started to doesn't doesn't you

10:26

know there was some weeks where it was the way just

10:28

to get the person to pick up the telephone

10:30

or just to get out you know buyer to respond

10:32

to your email and so that the be was

10:34

one of the biggest shifted at the major psychologically

10:37

that feeling of light in

10:40

the that credibility that you have a bath

10:42

and is like billion dollar company it dot right

10:44

now you have to find a go out and and earn it

10:46

yourself and so it was hard as

10:49

big an early days of beauty first year level

10:51

of my i would involve rejection of much of the was

10:53

just ambivalence or indifferent drive the

10:56

i think once once i that do that it just became

10:58

a lot more work just fine jody another

11:00

to enjoy like a the road that

11:02

runs on saturday right so that that's

11:04

without any definition

11:06

the once you got into whole foods

11:08

that was your first major retailer

11:11

the world where they offered national retail for sure

11:13

our we we have been in some collapse prior

11:15

to that are my just regionally without

11:17

offers people

11:19

then how many different scuse to do

11:21

have

11:22

that we do that on so he launched with a

11:24

set of core beans and i guess ibiza

11:26

mention with what our products are yeah but you're not

11:28

first product with a line of are ready

11:30

to eat been so awful the couldn't

11:32

see then may with real vegetables and spices

11:34

and the trees new the whole foods second was

11:37

you may black bean or mexican pinto been

11:39

and and in trinidad a chick peter though

11:42

that gulag you know to be why did i did you

11:44

know today you can do year later

11:46

on you know the first

11:48

brought

11:49

they are so so delicious

11:51

so did you ever feel like that was

11:53

that the right amount of excuse like

11:55

what what would you say to a founder i mean

11:57

if they're gonna launch

11:59

i'd al line do

12:02

you think it's three as a good

12:04

amount do you think you should

12:06

have only had one said you have had six

12:08

i mean i'm so curious how you think about

12:11

that

12:11

yeah i think it's it's very category dependent

12:14

as i'm sure you know beverage up i'm sure that

12:16

a different answer for me three always select

12:18

a magic number be fun food is so

12:20

subjective in terms of the fact that you might have

12:23

a flavor that people just don't like bright with

12:25

my head the prodigal on point the positioning

12:27

of all point but i don't eat a larger

12:29

or you know this is too spicy right

12:31

like there's always gonna be like just

12:34

want to give yourself room for that to happen it's own

12:36

when i came out read the goal and my my

12:38

what we to the need

12:40

to stick around and be good items and

12:42

you know yet want to have just one strong

12:44

item on shelf nico the easy

12:46

to get lost you to many buyers won't

12:48

even take un at that point the city like the center

12:50

of the store so the was the

12:52

logic in the sense that to buy the minimal

12:54

we really needed on shelves in the third one was

12:57

just a buffer just in case you know we

12:59

had of a bad for even

13:01

you've now founded the company and

13:03

scale the company you started

13:06

in a terrific time in history

13:08

i just right before

13:11

ah the cuckoo's nest that went on in

13:13

our life with the pandemic over the last

13:15

couple years you know what are some

13:17

of the big things that you've learned

13:20

the you didn't realize the mean again obviously

13:22

you're incredibly bright person

13:25

ah you know you've had great experience

13:27

but will look like a couple of things

13:30

that years play can't believe

13:32

right i didn't know that

13:33

yeah you know one which might be

13:37

no do too i f a very but like the

13:39

the at the up and down the emotional rollercoaster

13:42

that like entrepreneurs and small business

13:44

owners are on whether

13:46

to that a level different than what i expected you

13:49

know that was just working at previous jobs

13:51

but i think just the sheer ups and downs

13:53

that you'll be on the course of the day right words

13:55

like the had an event that might and your

13:57

company here's another that that is

13:59

gonna like compel you to the next level

14:01

of success right and like those might be back

14:03

to back meetings you know i mean it's all i ask

14:05

me like one of the things i've had to get good at over

14:08

the last couple years is just like you

14:10

know number one have you manage those moods

14:12

those mood swings right to like you know you have

14:14

even keel for your team the able to

14:16

think clearly and not be you know to reactionary

14:19

or but also then how do you separate that some

14:21

like your home life right because it's like

14:23

i have two young children have why i

14:26

don't want them going on the same role go to about

14:28

everyday either right and so like i feel

14:30

like that area dislike apartments

14:32

realization moods control

14:35

had been probably my biggest learning about

14:37

the point two

14:38

i can only imagine though i mean you're starting

14:40

something that you have

14:43

list with right for in many

14:45

ways from the time

14:47

that you were a child right and you're

14:50

you're bringing it to the rest of the world

14:52

i mean that's an incredible story

14:54

of much be an incredible feeling to

14:56

see you know people wanting

14:58

to buy it's something

15:01

that you that made you so happy

15:03

happy enough to want

15:05

to launch a product around it what what would

15:07

you say did you

15:09

ever know what that would feel like

15:12

i had a feeling but it is been

15:14

better than i expected in a know like

15:16

the that fit in for me articulate

15:18

into a the first with that i

15:20

feel like one hundred percent proud

15:24

everything we do have the company and everything

15:26

he presented the company and i've never i've never

15:28

been at that level any other point of my career

15:30

right this stuff that worked on before that

15:32

i felt pretty good about or like you know

15:35

pfft birthday this feel good to me and other

15:37

forty with that will buy a compromise that i had to make

15:40

with some other people on my team

15:42

my boss whatever the case may be right in

15:44

i think now the feeling worth

15:46

like look you can pick up any one of our fathers

15:48

tear it open eat it right in front of me like i'll

15:50

be proud of you do that the marketing that

15:52

we put out in the world the you know

15:54

the images of what instagram the copy that

15:56

we have a website that feeling of just feel

15:58

like the that i really stand i'm proud

16:00

of the what we do there's nothing

16:03

like it and hope that other found us

16:05

feel the same way it is one of the cheap either

16:07

by honestly i always found it is

16:09

you know this was a to dictate an opportunity because

16:11

you think it can be like profitable in the marketplace

16:13

but mark my perspective

16:16

it if you're gonna be living and breathing the thing

16:18

for twenty four hours a day seven days a week

16:20

x number of years you really want to fix

16:22

on the net you to have that level of like pride

16:24

in connection to the why the think

16:26

the pain of the journey is proudly say

16:29

lot word with you not of he is not work to do something

16:31

that you don't feel that level of private

16:33

when i started hands it was

16:36

i four kids under

16:38

the age of six and and i always

16:40

tell people now there a lot older and

16:44

you know what they've learned along the way in

16:46

the journey and i absolutely

16:48

have lived through everything that you're saying the ups

16:50

and downs one day you have a buyer that says

16:52

you guys are awesome your wonderful then the

16:54

next day were continue a

16:56

year ago at as not average you know

16:59

it's just it really as a rollercoaster

17:01

but i think that's the lesson

17:04

that

17:05

your family will learn just

17:07

through

17:08

the ups and downs and thing you

17:10

do something that you really love in investing

17:12

time into something that has purpose

17:15

and meaning is really powerful

17:17

i also think that i

17:19

read an article of

17:21

how you know

17:22

your

17:23

definitely creating a voice for the challenges

17:25

of by parker entrepreneurs and

17:28

i think i'd love to hear a little bit more about

17:30

that

17:31

you don't put if i wanted to frame the issue

17:34

like you know about half of the united states

17:36

identified as being a person of color right

17:38

depending on the data source you look at it a little

17:40

bit higher a little bit lower right so it's a very

17:42

diverse country that we live in a as

17:44

everyone knows nothing when you

17:46

think about the cpd industry it's

17:48

unique in my opinion in terms of just

17:50

how you know democratic

17:52

it is right these a product that everyone

17:54

uses sometimes multiple times

17:56

a day people are feeding themselves in their family

17:59

their taking care of their skin washing

18:01

their hair cleaning their clothes take care of

18:03

their house either like very intimate products that

18:05

people [unk] interact with input and their

18:07

body and so to me as an industry

18:10

you know we are responsibility to be reflective

18:12

and representative of the people that

18:14

we serve right both in terms of like who lead

18:16

these companies the to make decisions

18:19

around product design who

18:21

to promote those products was there in market

18:23

right like to me to reflect the users

18:25

right and so are be something that

18:27

from the moment i started as incident

18:29

has been important to me not only just from

18:32

like the perspective of our grand right grand right

18:34

our business is fighting to represent servants

18:36

who the flavor that have been on the shelf

18:38

in natural food store is a particular the

18:41

we also have day or bad and others and so

18:43

good at a chance to oh

18:45

how bout a nonprofit a few years

18:47

your project potluck our mission

18:49

is entirely focused on helping people of

18:51

color build successful companies and career

18:54

than the ctg space i sit

18:56

on the board alongside you know are no phone

18:58

ceo of an alter ego i'm

19:00

in a chef who is the ceo of mason dixon

19:03

foods m until that's something that

19:05

we're really focused on kathleen casanova

19:07

is our executive director just to complete

19:09

the the team that is working on that doesn't

19:11

it but it's something that very near and dear to my heart

19:13

and honesty have been something that i focused on

19:15

really every everywhere i've been throughout my life

19:18

and just making sure that it

19:20

up it a to people who look like needed to

19:22

do the same way that are billion joy some of the same

19:24

successes that are biblical

19:26

i love it will i love the idea to

19:28

have really going and starting

19:30

your own thing cause i think more and more people

19:32

saying said there is one passed

19:35

in order to do that right that maybe

19:37

you get out of school when you get started a company

19:39

and i always tell people

19:41

not necessarily

19:42

in fact you could go and he were

19:44

totally different career you didn't have

19:46

to work and say that had an idea

19:48

need to figure out how to go make that happen

19:50

as

19:50

that you're great example of that

19:53

to that you've been able to demonstrate

19:55

that us not a straight line

19:56

the line the way to

19:57

the and being able to be a voiced and started

19:59

non profit and do all of those

20:02

things that you're doing after was just really

20:04

really critical and

20:05

it's something that i think it's rare

20:07

they really inspiring aswell so

20:10

yeah really really

20:11

though what do you think is the greatest

20:14

thing about being an entrepreneur for

20:16

you what it's made you the most proud

20:18

you worked with

20:20

the incredible you know we're talking about

20:22

john he was actually

20:24

out the founder of any is that ran any for

20:27

many for many and

20:29

for you've you've work with people

20:31

that i've either been founders at

20:33

general mills as well but now

20:35

he your it right like went

20:37

over what do you feel is into

20:39

the irina contract of scary

20:42

right like the but kind of soft tissue

20:45

you know about the say the to the the i enjoy

20:47

the most about me in aspen or number one

20:49

is the ability to only

20:52

work with and spend time around people

20:54

then i will be stacked in enjoy you

20:57

know a third that that is something

20:59

that stands out to me about my career work

21:02

life version the role

21:04

the jobs that i've had in the past where what

21:06

about you have to deal with and a home for

21:09

lack of a better time you know the and noise yes

21:11

i'm i was like that i really rather not be talking

21:13

see right now but i gotta do

21:15

it right my job requires it and now that

21:17

is not the case you know by our employees

21:20

maybe spend a lot of time interviewing

21:23

in getting to know people be really clear by

21:25

our values and how we want operate at

21:27

together as a team you know before

21:29

we either thought working together once we start

21:31

working together unable to hold them accountable

21:33

to that right like a here's what we said we're gonna

21:35

do in situations like this arise right and

21:39

fading with our partners or vendor then

21:41

a clear shot off on anybody who is

21:44

you know again available for

21:46

lack of editor of the viewer the

21:48

listener you know what i'm talking about right if like

21:50

always on my time that we're going to deal with that before

21:53

we move on to find an alternative and as a like

21:55

that destined on one thing i enjoy like spending

21:57

time people use

21:59

you game

21:59

fix that right ear as

22:02

you described yourself you are

22:04

quieter more introverted

22:06

and dot you've done amazing

22:09

things including one and

22:11

words and and now are

22:13

scaling a company and get doing

22:15

the impossible you get your product in the whole

22:17

foods it's working all

22:19

of these think that what he's saying

22:21

makes you successful

22:24

or

22:24

if you don't like that word or

22:26

is it is who you are right

22:29

and and

22:30

what do you think it is

22:33

are we the i buy you can magnify a little hesitant

22:35

so i prayed myself i appreciate the tie words

22:37

of course you know the

22:39

paper had to say one actually do that i

22:42

can choose to my success the most it

22:44

is com a certain relentlessness

22:46

foul i approached everything right

22:48

like there's the you know it

22:51

it net not a lot that doesn't make me quit

22:53

something that i feel like that that

22:55

could be one right the clock like

22:57

that with no longer worth it right or the

23:00

not a path to success for sure the times yeah

23:02

because you know cut your losses and move

23:04

on but the me if i could see that

23:06

if i could see the crap are willing to put in the

23:08

work for an intermediate day by day

23:10

by in part of what enables

23:12

that is what we just talked about his life i'm

23:15

on a journey that i enjoy with people i

23:17

respect the flag my energy and limit with

23:19

to keep to stay on that june right

23:21

on itself the point the one day

23:23

at a doubt the it i just gonna cheat cheat to

23:25

bang and at the teabagging at the go

23:28

the what keeps you up at night

23:31

oh man so many times

23:34

have i got his got his year old are almost

23:36

three year old

23:38

well now have a one year old though she doesn't

23:40

use of my second daughter

23:42

last year's invective just about it or one

23:45

the you know day

23:49

the our team figure spent a lot of time

23:51

as you thing by a team internally i think when you're

23:53

working on a fast growing business year or

23:55

every two or three months the have to

23:57

really take stock of the

23:59

what you have on t v would you need to add

24:02

would change the need to make that one in the right

24:04

rose edwin it at one excited

24:06

and happy and energized right to have had

24:08

to say like that one developing a lot about his

24:10

life the how the culture

24:12

of the team and and do we have all right down

24:14

and resources in the right place at the right time

24:17

that's one do you think about a lot

24:19

you know current environment supply chain

24:22

is something i think about a lot as well you know fingers

24:24

crossed out we are emerging well

24:26

you know silva we've dealt with over the last two years

24:29

but you know there been

24:31

three or four many saga within

24:34

the last two years right whether that is like

24:36

the quarterback the up in a you know

24:38

ingredients are delayed or logistics

24:40

cause are spiking because the

24:43

shortage of truck the

24:45

you know now a deal with fuel prices

24:47

and the impact of that's a bit that's sudden as

24:49

be like very thoughtful evolving particularly

24:52

in the last two years because of you know that the macro

24:54

bought no answer by the

24:56

to the that keep me up the most that night what

25:00

you know your your former i've you

25:02

know founder ceo you know these about

25:04

i did the millionth the that at least out here they

25:06

know that i'm gonna talk with monkey my

25:08

yeah constantly and i think it's

25:10

of beauty as

25:11

you know the founder is is always

25:14

kind of thing around the corner and

25:16

being able to you know just

25:18

go figure it out right because

25:20

you have a passion for

25:22

it and and interests in a curiosity

25:25

and and most the time

25:28

you are able to go figure stuff like that

25:30

out so i think that it

25:32

unfortunately it does keep you up at night

25:34

at times trying to figure out those of

25:36

those pieces along the way so i've

25:39

i've definitely been there for sure of

25:41

two people always thinks it's you know people who

25:44

go start a company or

25:46

i've had successful roles as

25:48

the you have have it super easy

25:50

they just snap their fingers then they've

25:52

made it work they're lucky however

25:54

you on and view the world they

25:57

want to hear kind of as a story

25:59

where maybe you encounter something where

26:01

you realize okay it's

26:04

over now we're not we're

26:06

not doing this company anymore but

26:08

you've got back the was bad

26:11

week we figured it out maybe

26:13

you didn't say

26:14

it would actually gonna go that way but then

26:17

he figured out another way and maybe some

26:19

lessons learned along the way

26:21

the a big a question on the

26:23

know that to their to stand up or maybe

26:25

give to brief ones you know the first was are

26:28

for the big fun way that wasn't the first money

26:30

that we raised in like maybe the first time went on

26:32

a railing a big chunk outside capital

26:35

and you know the we

26:37

had raised a small amount fryer and i just a few

26:39

weeks honestly worldwide okay

26:41

the other really easily they have a lot of excitement

26:44

we have even actual you know few people we haven't turned

26:46

away so you know geared up for the next

26:48

one racing located gonna be mobile

26:51

being italian couple of weeks think i get back

26:53

to it and you know we re thought of

26:55

a seed round that ended up taking on a

26:57

close to nine months you know we raise an honor

27:00

the convertible notes those found on are only

27:02

basis and it was probably

27:05

income for some of just the worst week of

27:07

my like time at the founder

27:09

and ceo of that because because in

27:11

a motor element to it as well right words that

27:13

you know you might be on a phone call you

27:16

know hundred twenty people in the course

27:18

of a week the making of

27:20

them say no and one of them

27:22

said maybe right in it's like you know

27:25

each person as as he did articulate say give

27:27

all the reasons why i think you're gonna

27:29

fail right in about polite way possible

27:31

most respectful way possible on defense by their

27:33

job but it's like there to just listen

27:35

to that for two three months at a time when the business

27:38

is already you know like a tenured

27:40

position you're still try to prove it the

27:42

yourself be a customers the year enough

27:44

to your partner that so that

27:46

was definitely tough time never reached the point where

27:48

felt like gonna hang it up but

27:51

it definitely was like man

27:53

who are much higher than i thought so that that's one

27:55

then pick one up iraqi emerging from

27:57

a be right now you know this past spring

28:00

we had our first employees that you know

28:02

the part of the company and so you know it's

28:04

such no such

28:06

a young team and you have we know we as

28:08

a group of like i want to say five people who

28:11

all started the same time they will try that first

28:14

cohort of it was either side of based

28:16

on with one another and so you know we

28:18

had to have those folks leave enough

28:20

a great opportunities and david they're excited

28:23

about and you know we wish them well blood that

28:25

me was just a moment to like reevaluate

28:28

reassess okay are we doing everything

28:30

we need for the people were still here railing

28:32

are they enjoy and getting you know the growth

28:35

and experience that they want added the company

28:37

so many way that you think

28:39

it'll end up being like a net then

28:41

a bit far business just in terms of letting

28:43

has been a reminder to meet up for not neglect

28:46

the human resources that we will write in

28:48

this really make some point as much into the team

28:50

is i need to book

28:51

sure it out a tough love you know tough month

28:54

when oh god with

28:55

don't do that then often

28:58

it's tough i think it's a it's a very

29:00

prior to founding hint

29:02

remember i it worked for

29:04

definitely bigger companies that they started out

29:06

smaller and it you know i wasn't the founder

29:08

so you have just different lens

29:11

and to when people leave you okay

29:13

they're leaving and they're going and doing whatever

29:16

when you're he's the founder it's very

29:18

person all i read your like what'd i do

29:21

you know yale why doesn't the history

29:23

of the were we don't managed improperly

29:26

whatever that was and so expansively

29:29

those first couple you

29:31

know people that leaves i mean years you wanna

29:33

know your baby's ugly of me what me

29:35

what the fifth at that they're

29:37

saying to you and i thank you

29:40

you have to sort of reef

29:42

in it for yourself and now that i'm

29:44

in sounds like you have but it's all good

29:46

right that is like they're going to go and

29:49

do what they need to do and you need to to

29:52

yeah but you are you actively the well i like

29:54

he objected mine tiny know that

29:56

people join your company people leave your company

29:58

everyone feared like you know

30:00

the jedi right there on a date

30:02

night sometimes you just have you know the

30:05

character on that journey but you know to other

30:07

points i was in his personal right

30:09

feels very personal i think the reality is a

30:11

new doing poor so much of yourself into

30:14

a company into a business you know it's hard not

30:16

to take it that way so ah but in any

30:18

event like you said all of the lessons and

30:20

will before

30:21

last question is when you think about

30:24

a dozen cousins and sorta

30:26

what do you need to do

30:28

in the next like

30:30

when you get up in the morning and he saying okay

30:32

wonder why i know it's a nexus

30:34

of kind of dealing with the day to day

30:37

and and trying to put

30:39

out fires and grow the business and all that

30:41

but where do you think you need to do

30:43

the really

30:44

get to the place that you wanna be

30:47

the great question and i think the next

30:49

if i had a fat isolates what single thing

30:51

you know our say it's really around like

30:54

of our brand building and and

30:56

more specifically just introducing our product

30:58

for more people write me not

31:00

the for the first few years of our business we've

31:02

taken we've okay product

31:04

in distribution first approach in

31:06

also like my number one focus had been

31:09

it dot product world classes are packaging

31:11

clear the telling the story of the brand are

31:14

we at the right price or we available in all

31:16

retailers what people want to find us and

31:18

he the thankfully i think you fab really good success

31:21

in those areas reading areas product as well

31:23

rated very well liked by everyone

31:25

tries it we have a really great network

31:27

of on of retail partners from target,

31:30

walmart kroger whole food, kind

31:32

of down the list and i think the next

31:34

big for us is to make sure that we

31:36

are, you know, promoting

31:39

and introducing the product a new people into

31:41

that's i'm laughing a lot in charge

31:43

of just the next game know the next phase of the

31:45

business you know how do we get our brand in

31:48

front of more people just a that you know where where

31:50

where better known and and more people to shared

31:52

experience

31:53

super great will ever him the says than

31:55

such an amazing interview you are

31:58

just like an incredible on children we're

32:00

and just a wealth of experience

32:03

and lessons that you've shared without

32:05

so where's the best place for people

32:07

to try your product and

32:10

get a hold of some as a dozen

32:11

cousin yeah visit our website www

32:14

dot a dozen cousin that com to the

32:16

store locator we'll be able to find a retailer

32:19

that nearby ah boykin what is

32:21

and brought it all mine and it's a yourself a trip

32:23

to the store but that me the place to

32:25

begin

32:26

thanks for listening to this episode we

32:28

hope you enjoyed it and i wanna thank

32:30

all the gas and our sponsors and

32:32

finally or listeners keep the great

32:35

comments come in and one final

32:37

plug if you have not read or listen to

32:39

my book and onset please do so

32:41

you will hear all about my journey

32:44

including sounding scaling

32:46

and building the company that i sounded

32:49

since we're here every monday wednesday

32:51

and friday thanks to everyone for listening

32:54

and good bye for now

32:56

before we find

32:57

i wanna talk to you about fear

33:00

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