Full Transcript

Sari Kimbell 0:00
Welcome to your Food Business Success. This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach, and it's gotta be fun. In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in, and food founder journeys so you can learn what worked and didn't work, and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now, let's jump in!

Sari Kimbell 0:51
Welcome back to the podcast, grateful that you're here today. So this podcast is going to air on the day after I get back from Tony Robbins. I'm going to, I will have been at Unleash The Power Within. And this is the one, I've never been to a Tony Robbins event, and this is the one where we walk on fire. So if you don't follow me on social media, I definitely would go and check that out. Because I am sure that I have posted. It's funny, I'm like, I'm in those moments, thinking about the future but knowing those will come out after I'm back. So I know that I will be posting photos over on Food Business Success on Instagram and Facebook. So if you want to see photos from that event, and hopefully there'll be something either during or after the firewalk, which is going to be so crazy! I will be a person who has jumped out of an airplane and walked on fire all in one year. That is crazy. Especially since I don't consider myself very much of a risk taker or daredevil, right? At least not in past versions of my life. But I guess entrepreneurship, that's something that happens, right? We start changing a little bit and trying on new identities. So anyway, stay tuned. I'm sure that I will have a podcast that will include learnings from that in the future.

Sari Kimbell 2:26
All right, today's podcast is the second in the two part series that I called Better Outcomes. And I was thinking about that term better. Like what does that even mean? Now we know in the first one I talked about just feeling better, that when we are in a state of high anxiety or high stress, worry, uncertainty, fear. We're going to trigger that stress response of fight, flight, or freeze. And we're not gonna be able to make very good decisions, right? And I talked about all the studies and things that in science that show us that we're just terrible, we make irrational terrible decisions when we are stressed out. And so trying to have a better outcome in your business, since that's what this podcast is about, first requires us to feel more calm, to feel in a better place where we have calmed our nervous system down, we have worked on our emotional, mental and physical well being to be in a place to then make decisions and take action, right? So that was part one. So today, this is really about some things that I've learned, it's definitely adding on to some of my previous podcasts around decision making or problem solving, which I have a couple. There's Become a Problem Solving Machine, Episode 94 and 95 are great ones to visit. But I want to layer in some new pieces here that I've learned since those have aired. And you know, that's all coaching is and life and evolving, it's just like you're just layering on new ideas and concepts. And I'm trying to always come up with better ways to say things, things that maybe they didn't click with you then but they are now if I say them in a little different way. So when we think about this word better, that's funny because I also have a client that their brand name is better than so it's kind of thinking about them as well.

Sari Kimbell 4:36
But usually when my clients talk about, I just want better outcomes, I want a better result, it usually is either I just want the thing, right? Like I don't want to give up so better is just actually having the business not given up, right? And so many of you quit frequently, you get going, you get started, and then you quit, and then you start again. And then you quit, right? And quitting really slows us down so we could just say, a better outcome is that you actually follow through and actually do what needs to happen this time. Usually when my clients say I want a better outcome. So I've been really thinking about what is it that you guys want, that you're looking for when you tell me that? It's that it's going too slow, it's like really going slow, it's costing more money. It's really hard. It's confusing, it's overwhelming. And it's just not fun. And you're unhappy. So better, would be a better outcome, right? Let's just take your business, a better outcome would be that it goes faster, it's less expensive, or at least on track with the budget that you set. You have more fun and you are happier. You're feeling better doing the business, right? There's less negative emotion. And we have to be really careful when we talk about better, like it's going to be better over there. Once I have my business launched, it will be better. Once my business is launched and then I have sales, it will be better. Because really in that case, I never like to attach emotions like you'll finally be happy, or you're finally feel worthy, right? We never want to make our business be a validation vending machine, I heard that great term from Carlo Antheil. I love it. We don't want to make our business be that. It's not a validation vending machine where once I get a product launched, once I am at my first farmers market then finally I will be happy, it'll be better over there. That is dangerous territory, my friends. Do not go there. That you will not, right? Think about all the things in your life where you've been like, yeah, but once I finally get the house, the car, the spouse, the kids, the next job, the next thing, right? Once I finally lose the weight, or once I finally do that marathon or whatever it is, how many times, and we're just pushing the stick out, right, of like when we'll finally be worthy. That's not at all what we want to talk about here today. I do not recommend doing that, it is a terrible recipe for your business because you will just be chasing your tail, you'll never get there. But I do believe through some of these strategies I've been talking about today that we can create a faster, more on track financially, like using our resources to the fullest. So not overspending where we don't need to, and just a more, an easier experience, something that feels more fun in the process. So it's not about being happy when I get there. But along the way I can enjoy the journey. And if I can just say like, really that is my mission. That is why I do the work I do because first it started with me. I'm trying to create a business and I wanted to be easier. I wanted to cost less money or use my resources well, and I want to have fun. I'm tired of it being so hard, feeling so hard, right? So that's really why I do this because I want to help you create a better outcome. And that's what Food Business Success is all about. And you're welcome to come and join us anytime, I would love to have you in there and help you on this journey. But let's just talk about couple of strategies when we are talking about creating better results or creating a better outcome, right? Better than what, well we can go the long, hard, expensive, not fun way or we can have a little bit better experience of it. So that's what I'm all about.

Sari Kimbell 9:30
When we are creating a better outcome, when we're creating a business, now let's just take a couple of examples that we can use. Let's say you want to launch your business, right? Your cottage food or you're not, either way. You want to put your product into a package, put a label on it and actually launch it legally, safely, have it be for sale, right? So there's a launch goal. It might be that you're ready to move up and you want to have a full license, you want to be working out of a commercial kitchen, or you want to be moving into manufacturing. So it could be something about the production. Maybe the outcome you're trying to create right now is that you want to expand your capacity as an owner to be able to go and create more sales and to create a bigger business so you need to go hire help. Or maybe this is something I've been working with a couple of my clients on is they've said, I want to make X amount a month as my salary. And so let's just take 60k as an example. So we're like, okay, what is the business need to do to create $5,000 a month in sales? So that's the outcome that we're trying to create. And then I just say, okay, if that's the outcome that we want to create then there's a series of problem solving strategies and decisions that need to happen for us to get there. There is no like one size fits all, do this one thing and then you will magically have this thing, right? It is a series of decision making. It's a series of taking action, evaluating, repeat, make new decisions, take more action, evaluate, repeat. Alright. So inside Food Business Success if you're launching your product, I do give you sort of, quote unquote, a recipe, and that there are certain things that every business needs to do to be legal, to be safe, to set yourself up for success when you're starting to launch your product, right? But really, once you launch, it's a little bit like, it's outlawed territory, right? There's, I know, people love to tell you that there's specific formulas and specific things and if you just do this. But the reality is, it's your recipe, it's your business to create, and every business is super unique. And I want you to think that that's a good thing. It's so awesome that there isn't one specific way that you have to do this. Otherwise, we'd all kind of be screwed, right? Because if we can't replicate the exact conditions that Justin, Justin's Nut Butter did his business, then we're all kind of after, right? So it's a good thing, that there isn't only one way to do this.

Sari Kimbell 12:48
A couple of ways you could think about this is first we want to let go the myth that it will be easy, that it's just a straight line, right? No, it is not going to be easy. It's going to require effort, it's going to require failure. It is a constant, just like you're out there a little bit in in no man's land, right? And you're just putting one foot in front of the other. And sometimes it feels like there will be set, there are going to be setbacks. It feels like you're back at square one, quote unquote, right? I love this term. I can't remember what podcasts I heard on. But it's something like it's not a setback. It's a set up, the setup for your success. And sometimes we need those things like I really think that the universe is like helping us out even though it sometimes feels terrible. It feels like a setback. But I will bet that you can find places in your life where things happen that were outside of the plan that you didn't want to have happen. And that you're so glad that they didn't. Like I was supposed to marry this guy when I was 18. You know, fell in love all the things, was almost got married. I'm so glad it was terrible breaking up. And I wanted that so bad at the time. But I'm so grateful that I didn't, oh my gosh, my life would have been so different, right? That was a set up for me to go in a different direction. And so be careful of thinking that it should be easy, that there shouldn't be any challenges, any deviation. Any of that, right? Your business always has at least 10 problems that you're solving in this moment. And that problems just change. Coaching the CEO of a big, a bigger brand, right? They started out just like many of you, thinking about bringing this home product to market and wouldn't that be cool and I could start this business but now they're a pretty big household brand, right? I just had to kind of laugh on the inside, like here's this, you know what all of you, if you saw this person, you would be like, oh my gosh, she's so amazing. She's so successful. I bet she doesn't have any problems at all. And she's, you know, her problems are just way bigger. They're in the millions now, right? Not in the thousands or tens of thousands. So the problems just get bigger, the dollar signs just get bigger. And I like to think about, you know, I bet that she would, she looks back on the time when she had little problems, right? Like the things that you think are so big right now. Like she would probably look on those things and be like, oh, I would do anything to have those little problems. So the point is that we always have problems, we're just human, we're alive. And if you're an entrepreneur, if you're in a business, you always have at least 10 problems, the problems just change. So what if you believed a hundred percent that the outcome that you wanted, launching a business, going into a manufacturer, hiring great help, creating the salary of 60k. Whatever yours is, what if you believed a 100% that it was inevitable, it was going to happen? And now we looked at it just as a challenge. So as things come up, as problems come up, decisions come up. It's all just part of the big challenge puzzle, right? And challenges, by using that word on purpose, challenges are kind of fun. We actually do challenges on purpose, right? We do puzzles, we do escape rooms, we do, I don't know, crossword puzzles. You went out and figured out your recipe, right? Maybe you created something new and you're like, that's a fun challenge. I'm gonna figure out how to make the most amazing gluten free cinnamon rolls, right?

Sari Kimbell 17:11
I'm thinking about Chanel of Good Love Foods, and she just launched her puff pastry, right? And that was a challenge for her. But it was like a fun challenge. Like how am I going to create this great recipe that I can then go out and sell? But what if we thought of our business as a whole, as just a fun challenge? As like, I'm so curious how I'm going to figure this out? It's happening, it's totally going to happen. If I, if I never give up, I can guarantee you, it can happen. It is inevitable if you keep taking action. So just try that thought on for a little bit that this is just part of the challenge. Things come up, I always have problems. It's happening. Like this business, I'm gonna make 60k a year. I don't know when but I'm gonna keep taking action and I'm going to find out. It's kind of like a big Choose Your Own Adventure, right? And that's what I told the CEO once we were coaching. I'm like, what if there were no wrong decisions? What if this is just that choose your own adventure? You can open this door, you can open that door. And that's really the first thing when we talk about making decisions because overcoming a challenge, getting through it, solving our challenge is really just a series of decisions. So first thing is there are no right or wrong decisions, letting go of that, just let it go. We only want it to be a right decision because then we will feel good, right? We won't have a negative emotion. But here's the thing, how would you even know if it was a wrong decision? Most of the time, we have no way of even knowing. It's just that we're so afraid that we're gonna beat the crap out of ourselves if it's quote unquote, the wrong decision. If we get an outcome that we don't like, then we're going to really, you know, that self loathing and the regret and all the things. The shame, the embarrassment. And what if we just didn't make it mean anything? What you can decide ahead of time that this is the right decision for now, and I'm going to have my own back no matter what. You get to choose. You're the only person that really matters in that deciding whether it's the right or wrong decision. I love this quote. It says there are no perfect solutions, there are only trade offs. Thomas Solo, I believe, how you say it, so that's it. That's all we're doing, right? We're making the most of what we got, with the energy, with the resources, with the knowledge, the mindset that we have right now. And instead of doing it the old, traditional way, right? This is kind of how we were taught in school, it's like, weigh the pros and cons, try to make the best decision and then stick to it no matter what. And the way I like to think about decisions is, you come from a place of abundance thinking of creating win-wins, right? That everybody, there doesn't have to be any losers, nobody has to lose for one person to win. Everybody can win, this can be a beneficial, we can find a way to expand the pie, to not take away from somebody else. So what if we came from abundance thinking it wasn't about scarcity, and that there's only so much and lack, but like, there are ways to do all of this. And we looked at the both and, so I want both things in my business to be true. Maybe you want to have a business that is really serving a low income population, and you want a business that's also paying your bills. Okay, how can both be true? There are ways to go figure that out. And it's really important that instead of just saying it has to be one or the other, that we can look at and say both and, coming from abundance thinking, letting go of right and wrong decisions. As long as it's not physically, emotionally, mentally hurting somebody else on purpose, I really don't think that there is a wrong decision.

Sari Kimbell 22:02
Now, you may not like the outcome. It may not have been the outcome that you were going after. But it teaches you something and it could be that thing that is the setup, right? That gets you to the next thing. So we always learn from what's going wrong. And you reserve the right to change your mind at any time. You make a decision, you have your own back no matter what. You make it from abundance thinking, both and. And then when new information comes up that points it in a different direction that says, oh, actually, I should go here. Let's make this tweak. Or let's make a full 180, whatever it is, you're willing and you're open, you're not so invested in like, I've made the decision. I'm in here, no matter what. That's the sunk cost fallacy that I've already invested so much money into this, that I'm not going to change my mind. That's where businesses go wrong. That's the BlackBerry of entrepreneurship, right? Where we're like, no, we're gonna hold tight on this keyboard thing. None of this touch screen nonsense, right? We've already sunk so much cost, invested time and money into this one place. It happens. And it happens to a lot of businesses. And that's where we get into trouble. So just we're going to drop the old way of doing it, no more just weighing the pros and cons, making the best decision we know and then sticking with it, and let go of right or wrong. We're going to make decisions on abundance. Win-win, wins. And then when things happen, and they don't go the way that you hoped that they would. We're gonna use two little words. O K. That's it. Not two words. Two letters. That's what I meant. Okay. What if every time something went quote unquote, wrong? Right? Not the way that you anticipated, that you thought it would go or that you thought it should go and you just said okay. I was just, this is not a food related example. But I was thinking about this podcast and then this happened this weekend. And I was like, this is actually a really good story. It's a good example. So I get into my car Saturday, and I have some errands to run. And I live here in Colorado and we had snow this last week. Not very much but it got cold, right? And there was freezing and, so I have a, I have an all wheel drive car. And you know how when the pressure, the temperature outside, it can sometimes get wonky on the tire pressure. So I set out on the errands, and the thing dings at me and it says, check your, you know, your tire pressure. And I did look, I was like, okay, it's not flatish, like it doesn't look flat. So I just decide, I'm like, you know what, it's just the fall, this stuff happens, I'll get it reset, I'll go by a tire place or go to the gas station or whatever, no big deal. So I'm going off running my errands. And so ironically, I actually was going to pick up I did like, you know, go to the parking lot of Walmart, and they'll bring your items out to you. And there's these sparkling beverages that I'm loving called Ora Bora. And they're a small, you know, they started out as a small brand, just like many of you are thinking of doing. And anyway, so I pre ordered them, went to Walmart, and they had a tire place. And I was like, I should go, reset my tires for me. Let me run over there and do that. So I do that, I run over there and talking to the nicest man and asked like, hey, could you reset my tires? Can you just make sure they're at the right air pressure so I can reset them? So he's like, yeah, no problem, really nice. So I pull in, and he's like, yeah, you're gonna want to come out and look at this. So I come out and there's a giant nail in my tire. And instead of getting freaked out and worrying and panicking and drama, I just said, okay. I kind of paused and was like, yeah, it's very large now.

Sari Kimbell 22:35
And he's like, well, it's in the sidewall. So we can't patch it. And I was like, okay. Said, well, actually, I have another idea. I have an idea. Are you are you willing to make a small purchase? I think that this will work. I think we have a patch kit that I think will help. And I was like, okay, of course, sure. Let's try it. So he's like, it's gonna be a few minutes. Okay, no problem. So then we go inside, I buy this patch kit, he comes back and replaces it, right? In the meantime, I'm like, in my brain, like problem solving, thinking like, okay, do I? You know, do I have to get four tires? It's all wheel drive. How much is that going to cost me? I'm just trying to like, stick to the circumstances, like can I drive? I was like, well, can I drive on this? I've been driving on it all day. Is this a problem, right? I'm just trying to understand the facts of it and just say, okay, right? Because what happens is we make it mean something, right? We go into the anxiety, which is what I talked about last time. And so I just kept saying, okay. And sure enough, he patches it. It's a $3 patch. And I say I just asked questions, right? I'm like, so how long is this patch gonna last? And he's like it, probably forever. And he showed me how to do it in case I need to and I was like, okay, so what are the, you know, what's, what should I look for? What are the risks, like I felt like I was just in a really complex, like I didn't let the drama of it. I didn't like oh, now my whole day is ruined and this is just happening to me. The universe hates me. Why me? I was just like, all right, that's what we're doing right now. And I was actually feeling pretty grateful that I took the time to stop, that this man was so helpful, that I nothing had happened in the time that since I left, right? Feeling actually quite grateful that I was both taking care of, but then also taking care of the situation, like taking care of the future of what's in my control. And so, now I have the patch and he also was like, I would recommend getting one of those tire pressure, automatic tire pump kind of things to keep in your car, just in general as a safety measure. So just for all of you out there listening. I'll pass that along. So I ordered one of those today. And yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about how I handled it. And you know what? If I come out and you know, one morning and the tires flat, then I'm just gonna say, okay. Or I can also be proactive about it and I can be like I'm not comfortable with that. And I could go get new tires, right? But I'm just making decisions. And I'm doing everything in my power to not purposely put myself in a place that is going to be more expensive. Be harder, take longer, right? But I'm, there's just trade offs in that situation, now that I know what's going on. So now I'm just making decisions. I'm gonna have my own back on it.

Sari Kimbell 29:20
Alright, friends. I hope that those were helpful. I want you to create better outcomes. I want it to be easier. I want it to be faster. I want it to be in a reasonable budget that uses all of the resources available to you. And I want you to have fun. To me, that is a better outcome than the alternative, right? Which unfortunately, the alternative is what most people experience. It's harder than they thought, they quit a whole bunch of time so it really slows them down. They don't have the expertise or the information and so that slows them down. And they just generally have a terrible, it's not just a fun experience. It's pretty miserable. It's lot of confusion and doubt and overwhelmed and questioning. And it's just going a lot slower. I'm here to help you inside Food Business Success or with one on one coaching. You can go check out. The links are all below in the shownotes. Or go to foodbizsuccess.com. And until next time, have an amazing week!

Sari Kimbell 31:48
The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line. When you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done. You can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one-on-one business coaching or join Food Business Success which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders that includes monthly live group coaching calls and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own Food Business Success.