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Melissa Vitelli – From Fashion Photographer to Co-founder & CEO of Jar Goods

February 17, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Melissa Vitelli on She's Got Moxie with Joy ChudacoffMy guest, Melissa Vitelli, had a successful career in fashion photography but she found her herself being drawn to the food industry through her hobby of vegetable gardening. She joined together with her sister-in-law Lauren and Jar Goods was born. They initially found success at Farmer’s Markets and this led them directly into the arms of Whole Foods.

On today’s show, Melissa talks about how she and her sister-in-law decided to take her father-in-law’s famous tomato sauce recipe and turn it into a thriving business. She shares how she brought her small side business into grocery stores across the country, some of her most pivotal moments as an entrepreneur, how she’s dealt with the challenges of entrepreneurship and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

People who need quick foods, should not be relegated to low quality.” – Melissa Vitelli

Show Notes:

  • What it was like to move from Fashion photography to the FOOD industry
  • How their decision to go with mom-and-pop stores first before hitting the Big Guns of Whole Foods and AMAZON paid off
  • Why beginning in FARMERS MARKETS was their Golden Ticket
  • WHEN she realized she was on to something with her business
  • The moment she decided to add more flavors to the mix – she shares it’s the key to creating a BRAND Block
  • She’s learned it’s all about being CONSUMER CENTRIC
  • Her experience at the CHOBANI Food Incubator
  • Why Jar Goods decided to try a subscription model
  • Her perspective on why you shouldn’t listen to other people’s ADVICE
  • Where she Finds her Joy
  • And much, much morel

In order to do it, it doesn’t matter what industry, you have to be very risk tolerant.” – Melissa Vitelli

Connect with Melissa Vitelli:

Facebook | Instagram | Jar Goods

The creative juices are not going to flow if you force them.” – Melissa Vitelli

Emily Groden – How Watching a Netflix Food Show Led This Attorney Away From The Courtroom & Into The Kitchen

January 20, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Emily Groden on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

My guest today, Emily Groden, Founder & CEO of Evergreen, typically worked late at her law office in Chicago most nights, however, one evening she found herself at home watching a food show on Netflix.

What happened next changed the entire course of her career…and it involved sending a “cold” email to someone.

Fast forward to today, Evergreen, launched in early March 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, and is now in more than 49 Whole Foods locations in the Midwest, as well as many other Midwest stores.

On today’s show, Emily tells us all about her emotional journey of being in a start-up, why she started to distrust processed food, and how the show Chef’s Table changed her life. She talks about the importance of endurance, how her professional swimming background helped her in her life, and much more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I feel really lucky to have worked in a start-up environment prior to starting Evergreen myself.” – Emily Groden

Show Notes:

  • The story of how a late night “COLD” email changed her career trajectory
  • Why you should pay attention to CLUES (she had them along the way but ignored them)
  • The QUESTION you need to ask yourself before every business move
  • The story of the LAUNCH moment (a paper bag, paper plates, utensils and her toaster)
  • The QUICK decision she made when ALL Manufacturers said “NO”
  • Simple, NO-COST Tips on gaining Brand Awareness in a Start-up
  • How she gets through the really tough days – she shares the “Emotional Journey U”
  • Her Best ADVICE on just getting started (it involves a homemade jam story)

Building a start-up business is not a sprint, is a marathon.” – Emily Groden

Connect with Emily Groden:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Evergreen

Define your principles on day one and then stick to them.” – Emily Groden

From Wall Street to Wellness, Meet Priscilla Tsai, CEO & Founder, CocoKind, an Organic Skin Care Line With Products Under $25

November 13, 2019 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Priscilla Tsai on She's Got Moxie with Joy ChudacoffMy guest today, Priscilla Tsai, struggled with life-long hormonal acne issues until one day she decided to take matters into her own hands and literally solve this problem that created insecurity for her every day.

She left her job on Wall Street and went straight into wellness by founding, Cocokind, an organic skincare brand that is clean, conscious and accessible to everyone.

On today’s show, she talks about how she took her struggle with hormonal acne and turned it into a business that now has 133K raving fans on Instagram who love Cocokind.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

How I actually convinced myself to just do it was – I was like ‘you know what? You don’t have to be the face of the company – you can just be a business owner.'” – Priscilla Tsai

Show Notes:

  • How she took her struggle with acne and turned it into 133K followers on Instagram who love her products and her approach
  • How she got her products into Whole Foods – a simple strategy that required a BOLD move
  • Why every decision she makes is around a set of “conscious” values
  • Why she almost didn’t start the company (Priscilla talks openly about her insecurities and vulnerability)
  • How vulnerability became her secret sauce
  • Why perfection doesn’t sell well
  • Her passion for helping other women entrepreneurs and how this lead to the Cocokind Foundation
  • And much, much more

We don’t ask, ‘what can we charge?’… we charge what we think is fair.” – Priscilla Tsai

Connect with Priscilla Tsai:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Cocokind

For me, when I hear from my other friends who started things say ‘we go through similar pains’, and then you that, it is normal and you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” – Priscilla Tsai

Koel Thomae – How Cold-Calling a Dairy Farmer Turned Into a $170 Million Yoghurt Company

March 28, 2018 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Koel Thomae on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

On a trip home to Australia, Koel Thomae discovered a homemade yoghurt in a beach town corner shop, and she knew this was an entrepreneurial moment.

Inspired to bring the best-tasting yoghurt to the United States, Koel couldn’t stop thinking about the velvet tasting yoghurt that would one day become Noosa Yoghurt.

After cold-calling a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Colorado, Koel partnered with ‘Farmer’ Graves and brought Noosa Yoghurt to life.

What started in small farmers markets and local Whole Foods stores has led Noosa to be sold in 25,000 stores nationwide.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

It is certainly ok to evolve things, but don’t ever get too far away from that core fundamental reason why you started the brand.” – Koel Thomae

Show Notes:

  • How a visit to Noosa, Australia led Koel to go on an entrepreneurial adventure
  • How her obsession with this yoghurt led her to a three-hour lunch that ultimately got her a “loose license” for the yoghurt
  • What it was like to QUIT her day JOB and jump right into her entrepreneurial idea
  • Why Koel took her life savings and put them into her business
  • WHY you should never over-think an idea
  • HOW she diverted Whole Foods attention when they initially didn’t like her packaging
  • Why she decided to pull out of a market that Noosa wasn’t ready for
  • A Deep Conversation on Cash Flow – pure gold
  • How Koel stayed PRODUCTIVE while building a business and raising a newborn
  • The ONE question Koel asks herself to stay on track every day
  • And much much more

I would say that if finance is not your strong suit, then get some really smart people who do know that and learn it really quickly.” – Koel Thomae

Connect with Koel Thomae:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn| noosa

Very simple productivity – tasks lists and really understanding what is the priority from what will most impact your business.” – Koel Thomae

Kara Goldin – Trading in Her Soda Addiction For Flavored Water and Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Beverage Company Along The Way

December 20, 2017 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Kara Goldin on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint Water, had given birth to her third child, lost some of the baby weight, but still found herself carrying an extra 55 pounds AND she had a serious diet soda addiction (10-12 cans a day). After seeing a physician who said he could give her a “pill” to “fix her situation,” Kara declined and decided to ditch the diet soda instead. What happened after that decision is nothing short of miraculous.

Kara has always been an incredible Moxie woman. Before starting Hint, she led AOL to a $1 billion enterprise as vice president of shopping and e-commerce partnerships. Kara is also an active speaker and writer. In 2016, she launched “The Kara Network” which is a digital resource and mentoring program for established and aspiring entrepreneurs.

She has been named Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” one of Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” Forbes “40 Women to Watch Over 40,” EY’s “Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California,” on top of many more amazing recognitions.

You’ll love this show. Kara is quite humorous and at one point I’m laughing so hard I have tears coming out of my eyes!

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I really believed that buyers needed to catch up to where I was at prior to us really blowing this thing up. But also, the consumers really needed to catch up and there was a huge component around education that really needed to happen.” – Kara Goldin

Show Notes:

  • How befriending a store clerk at Whole Foods was a major coup
  • The TWO pieces of news she shared with her hubby that catapulted growth – literally!
  • Her BEST action steps to create a multi-million dollar fruit infused water product
  • WHY she said NO to Walmart
  • The ONE thing she had to cross off her list before giving birth to her 4th child – this segment is hilarious and gives you real insight into her determination
  • The POWER of relationships – you can hear this thread all through the interview
  • What happened when an executive from “the real thing” called her “sweetie”
  • How she stays PRODUCTIVE being a CEO of a fast-paced company and raising four children
  • And much, much more!

If we could actually get people to enjoy water again, whether it is bottled water or tap water then we could actually change health in America.” – Kara Goldin

 

Connect with Kara Goldin:

Facebook | Instagram | The Kara Network | DrinkHint

When somebody was so negative about what I was doing, I really saw it as ’here’s an opportunity. The opportunity is there. This guy is really not going to go into it anytime soon, so it really gives me a chance to develop it’.” – Kara Goldin

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  • Emily Groden – How Watching a Netflix Food Show Led This Attorney Away From The Courtroom & Into The Kitchen
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