Light-hearted and full of joy, Hannah Hong and Mollie Cha, co-founders of Hakuna Brands, are the perfect pair to launch a dairy-free (N)ice-cream.
Hannah and Mollie became best friends at UC Berkeley, and along the way, discovered they were both lactose intolerant in their early 20’s – which meant that they had to say goodbye to ice cream.
Years later, Hannah and Mollie discovered frozen banana chunks blended with a little almond milk. In that moment it was, and I quote, “Like lightning striking.” It was non-dairy, 100% plant-based, no refined sugar, and delicious! They instantly knew they had to bring this idea to families everywhere.
On today’s show, Hannah and Mollie talk about how they’ve gotten their product into over 400 retail locations, what it is like to be best friends and business partners, the lessons they’ve learned about dealing with imposter syndrome and much more.
You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!
Having a partner is a great thing, but it comes with its challenges. So really make sure it is the right fit.” – Mollie Cha
Show Notes:
- How they took a problem, solved it for themselves and Hakuna Brands was born
- What they did every evening after work – the EARLY days!
- Their best advice for maintaining a business partnership with your BFF
- Their FIRST Sale – they take us on the journey with them (I loved this part)
- Their BEST Sales Strategy early on – what they did to really STAND OUT
- The Best ACTION STEP to getting into over 400 locations
- How they quickly learned to scale when Whole Foods and Sprouts came calling – before that they were operating out of a 100 square foot kitchen
- Why “moving fast & breaking things” really doesn’t work for them
- The effects of imposter syndrome & how they moved through the days when they had doubts
You are the expert in your product.” – Hannah Hong
Connect with Hannah & Mollie:
Checking yourself and giving yourself the space to make sure that everyone is aligned is really important.” – Mollie Cha
One of the top priorities for women entrepreneurs who desire to grow their business is visibility. This is an area I spend considerable time on with my clients – creating a plan for them to get noticed and seen as an expert in their field or industry. Whether it’s public speaking, attending events or hosting a workshop, getting out of the office is one of the fastest and most profitable ways to accelerate the success of your business. This is where strategic partnerships are created and the referral process begins to happen.