The Cookie Dough Girl. The Erica Rankin Story.

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Welcome to E Commerce Growth Stories. This is your hostess with the mostest, Juliana Jackson, aka the CLV lady. And also I am the Chief Evangelist for OmniConvert.

And this is Derek, Chief e Commerce Technologist at EcoMmerceTech IO. And we're here again for a new episode of E Commerce Growth Stories.

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Yeah. So thanks so much for having me. I'm really excited for this conversation. My name is Erica, I am based in Ottawa, Ontario and I am the founder and CEO of Brodo, which is a reinvention of a nostalgic treat which is cookie dough. It's 100% vegan, protein infused and contains less sugar than traditional cookie dough. There's approximately 10 ingredients in my cookie dough and an average of 5 grams of plant based protein per serving. I launched the company just over a year ago in December of 2019. And why Cookie dough? For me, it's such a nostalgic treat. Back when I was in high school, in grade nine, grade 10, there was a grocery store right across the street from my high school and my friends and I would venture over to that grocery store and buy a roll of a very popular brand of cookie dough that we all know and we would take it, sit on the curb outside of the store and just eat it raw right from the tube, which you were not supposed to do. And I would always feel so sick When I would go back to my class, I would have a sugar crash and it just was not a good feeling, but I still did it any. And I always regretted it every time I ate it. So I kind of wanted to bring back that nostalgic tree, but also like reinvent it and remove all of those ingredients that we don't really want. And then also add in the protein just because that's something that I really look for when I buy products. Like I buy protein chips, protein cookies, protein bars here in Canada. I looked at the market and there was no protein infused cookie dough. So that's when Rodeau was born.

Okay, I have a quick question. Why Brodo?

Yeah, I get that question a lot. It's just I wanted it to be a fun, memorable, memorable brand. I've been in the fitness industry for several years. I competed in multiple bikini bodybuilding competitions. And bro was just like one of those gym terms like do you even lift, bro? So because of that added protein, it's kind of geared towards consumers who work out and are fitness advocates.

I love it. I think it's hilarious. It makes me laugh and it makes me think of Southern California. I wonder if that's a big market for you because that's where all my bros are at at least.

Yeah, I'll have to get out that way soon.

Yeah, cool.

I have no bros because I don't go to the gym. Clearly. Yeah. So I want to ask a question. You said you were a fitness instructor?

Yeah, so I did compete in multiple competitions and then I tried personal training, but it's just, it's not for me. I gave it a go for a few months.

It's for self starters, it's for people that love fitness, but then you've gotta, you gotta work with other, other people. Was it the clients?

Yeah, I don't know. I think it can be very risky mixing your passion with work. It can either be really good or it can be really bad. I was always at the gym and I was training myself and then I would have to go and train clients and it just became really draining and I started to dislike going to the gym. So I think that's why it didn't, it wasn't for me.

Was there also, maybe I'll lead you here a thought about how training somebody else is a one to one activity. But maybe building a business is more scalable than being an individual contributor.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I never really had the idea of starting my business until early 2019. So it was the. I guess I never wanted to start a business. The idea came before, if that makes sense. I went backpacking when I was going through some things. I quit my regular 9 to 5 job. I met a bunch of entrepreneurs in Thailand and Indonesia who were just on the beach on their laptops. And I never was exposed to that lifestyle. So meeting them and having these conversations, I got the wheels turning in my head. And when I came home, I was like, okay, I. What can I do? What can I mix, like, work with, like, what can I like, combine to make a business that I'm passionate about? So I've always been super passionate about better for you foods and recreating, like my favorite junk foods. So that's kind of how the business came about.

That's amazing.

Yeah. And you're like, for the audience, for who's watching or listening when this is going to be on, you know, itunes or whatever. You're only 26, right?

Yeah, as of yesterday, I'm 26. Oh yeah.

Happy birthday.

Thank you. Yeah, it was. Yeah, I had like a zoom call with some friends and stuff. But yeah, it was perfect. No party.

I'm, I'm, I'm wondering. I mean, there's like, there's not a lot of, you know, women that's 26 that, you know, run into e commerce mostly because it's such a man dominated world.

So.

Sorry, Derek. And I wanted to ask you, I wanted to ask you, you know, as a young woman in E commerce. Right. Are any struggles you are encountering, obviously, as a startup, as an entrepreneur, what are your biggest struggles at the moment that you are facing and you're fighting with every day?

Yeah, like I would say I had a lot of struggles in my first year, especially with COVID and everything. Being like a solo founder is really hard, especially on those days where the world is just like knocking you on your ass and you don't really have anyone to hype you up? Like, I had a lot of days where I didn't have the proper support system in place, so it made those days really challenging. And then that's when I kind of ventured onto LinkedIn and I found my tribe and had a bunch of people that hyped me up and were there when I really needed them. So that was a challenge that I had. And also getting into stores because in the middle of a pandemic, like stores are opening and closing, they don't want to take on new products because, like they're not moving a lot of the products they currently have. So that was something that I really struggled with and Then this year, I'm just. As I scale, I'm facing a whole bunch of different types of challenges because it's. It's just like a learning curve. Like, when I think I know everything, I have another conversation with someone else, and I'm like, crap. I didn't even think about that. Like, there's just so many different moving parts, and, like. Like, I'm really grateful for the position that I'm in, but I just realized I have, like, a long road ahead of me. But, yeah, it's. I'm really excited for this year, though, so.

So let's dive into this one specific thing. Working with retailers during the pandemic. What. Tell me about who you reached out to. What did they say? Who'd you end up landing, if anybody at all? What was this process really?

Like, I'm not in very many stores. I'm in, I think four or five, like, mom and pop shops just around here. Locally.

Yeah.

Like, I would say you just don't get answers. Like, I would drop off samples all the time. I would go in, and I would always ask whoever was working there, like, hey, like, can I get my product in your. In your store? Like, I have catalogs. I would just be super persistent and, like, follow up with emails, and it would either be like, no, not right now, or just, like, nothing. Like, silence. So you have to keep pushing through. And, like, even though they say no, like, keep. Keep knocking on doors and. Yeah, so this year is a little bit different for me because I realize now, like, I can't do that on my own. I can't go to these bigger stores and be like, hey, like, this is me and my brand, cookie dough. Like, take me on. It's a little harder. And that's why I have, like, a growth partner now who's basically, like, a sales consultant and has relationships with retail stores across the country. So that'll be good.

So you were able to see this as a weakness of yours. You're. You might be the product person, essentially, and you. You covered it by. By bring partner to cover one of your weaknesses, and now it's a strength of the company.

Yeah, exactly. And I think it's really important for founders to recognize what their strengths and weaknesses are. I'm not great at everything by any means, even though I am doing everything right now. I think in the first, like, few years, you have to get really scrappy, and if you don't have a ton of capital to work with, you just kind of have to keep switching the hats and, like, do what you can, right?

Yeah, 100%. So what's the second biggest thing that you're the worst at?

Yeah, I'm not very good at, like, the. The logistics of, like, paid ads and SEO. I was talking to another founder and she had talked about, like, how running ads is like throwing spaghetti at a wall. Like, sometimes I run ads and they do really well, and I have no idea why, because I don't really have the time to, like, sit down and go through the back end of things and really look at how it performs. And. And I don't really invest a ton of money either into ads. Like maybe a couple hundred dollars a month. I've been really lucky. And the growth that I've had with my business has been pretty organic.

Yeah. I think advertising for you is just fuel on the fire of organic virality.

So you said something that your LinkedIn is keeping you sane, right? The. The tribe you have on LinkedIn. Right. Because I. I've seen you have so many amazing people supporting you all the time. And I wanted to ask you the approach that you have, you know, in terms of building a community around your story, which is super authentic and real, how are you applying that to your customers? Right. Because you are probably building a community of customers right now, being in the beginning. So how are you communicating with your customers? What is their feedback? What's your relationship with them? And, you know, how are you building the tribe there?

Yeah, man, I love my customers. Someone who does this really well too is Midday Squares. They. They tell like it is, and their storytelling is something that I like, greatly admire. And that's kind of who I'm following in terms of showing, like, my whole story, like the highs, the lows, kind of taking my customers through the journey with me. And I think they really appreciate that. And they kind of see the hardships and the things that go on behind the business. And if something happens, they're more forgiving, which is also really nice, just based off of that relationship that I' developed with them. I also make a point too. Like, if they email me, I email back right away. Instagram, if they message me or post a review. This morning, someone, one of my customers posted a really great review on my product, and I really went out of my way to thank her for that because I really do appreciate it. And just for them sharing that on their Instagram and other people see it, that's how I get a lot of my customers is just through word of mouth. And someone has a really great experience with my product and they tell Their friends, and then I get another customer, and it's just like a chain reaction.

Have you done anything to invest or incentivize this word of mouth, like. Like grow word of mouth aside from just having a really fun product that people want to share about?

Yeah. Can you elaborate on that? What do you mean by that?

Well, there's also. So you could incentivize with loyalty points with free product, you know, reviews can. They can get something from it or giving people like their own tracking links or putting little notes in the packaging, all that stuff.

Yeah, yeah, that's something that I'm looking at now because I'm getting my website kind of like a little. A little facelift from my website, and I'm getting a little brand redevelopment happening right now. But when I have my new website, I'm gonna have different things like that. Like, I thought about if customers post reviews and I can offer like 20. Offer a discount or something and just. Yeah, as a little thank you. I think that would go a long way.

I think she has the right mindset because think about it, she's, you know, new to this. Right. So I think you are doing right now what you're doing, Erica, that bigger brands are not, which is. Which is spending time getting to know your customers. So I think once, you know, you build this amazing relationships, because I've been connected with you for some time, and I just, you know, love how people are hyping and beating you up all the time. And I think, you know, this type of close relationships that you have with the people around you that are rooting for you. I think this is your story and I think the way you are positioning your brand at the moment as an entrepreneur in a startup is great. And, you know, the more, as you said, the more you. You go through it, the more you learn and, you know, everything is gonna come, you know, and, you know, sit down nicely, you know what I mean? And exactly, you know, like a domino effect, as Derek said. So I have a. I have a question. I love how your products look. So you have one of the coolest packaging and it just looks delicious. I mean, I know it's probably. I will probably never get it here in Romania, but it's like, how did you come up? It's so. It has a story. So a lot of companies that sell packaged goods like this, they don't go out of their selves to come up with something creative. But yours is also creative, but it's fun and enticing. So how did you come up with this Packaging? Was it your idea? Was it a teamwork? How did you come up with it?

Yeah, I think I googled Photoshop online and I copied a cookie and pasted it. Just like had like, I wish I had the original logo that I made, but it was so bad. And I had a friend who's like, go on Fiverr and I've never heard of it before. And like, yeah, I'm fully admitting, like, my logo was made on fiverr. I paid $50 for it. But I went on Fiverr and I found this guy and he made my logo. And then, yeah, like, in terms of like the packaging in the jar and stuff, I was like, okay, what would it look good in and what can I have access to? Because here in Canada, like, sourcing packaging is very hard. Like, I feel like the States has everything. Like you guys have all of it. And I really struggle to find like clear, like 12 ounce jars. And I finally found them here and ordered them in bulk. They were a good price. And then I was like, okay, what am I gonna do for labels now? So I actually bought a printer and I print my own labels and then hand stick them on right now. I won't be doing that forever, but that's kind of what the process is like right now. It just kind of all came together then in terms of like the colors and stuff. Like, I've always really loved the te.

Teal.

Like my website's that teal color. It's like my room in university was that color and it's just, it's, yeah. Like, you know, teal. It's my color blue. But yeah, that's it. Yeah. And then in terms of like my Instagram feed and everything, like with the color scheme and the way it looks like that all came together too pretty well. Yeah.

How. How do you make the product? Right now? This is. I mean, you've got to make a lot of cookie dough.

Yeah. Honestly, like, I probably am getting carpal tunnel from screwing on lids. But yeah. I rent a kitchen here in Ottawa and I pay by the hour. It's just a commercial kitchen for food entrepreneurs. And there's like an online, like timetable and we can block off like a chunk of time to do it. So I usually go in for like five or six hours. I bring all my ingredients with me in my Jeep and make like 200 to like 250 jars. And then I pack them back into my car and I have a couple fridges in my condo living room. And that's where like my, my warehouse is, is my Condo.

That's. I think that's completely fine for now. I. You can see where it's heading from there. Yeah. And I see here on your Instagram, a picture of you in. In your outfit making some cookie dough. This is pretty amazing.

Yeah.

That it's so, so much that you talked about here. You had to source the product or the jars and make the product. How did you come up with the recipes themselves? I have to imagine, like, this was quite a process.

Yeah, I think people think it's a lot harder than it actually was. That's, like, something that I've always been really good at. Like, I had an Instagram. When I first got into fitness, I created an Instagram and I would, like, recreate, like, brownies and, like, cupcakes, and I'd make, like, protein balls and protein banana bread and all these recipes and share them, and they got a lot of attention and people would recreate them. So, yeah, that's another thing that kind of inspired me to launch this product because I'm like, hey, the demand's there for it. But, yeah, I was just, like, putting things in a bowl. I kind of looked at the cookie dough that's currently in the market here, and I was like, hey, what can I switch these out? Can I use whole wheat flour instead of white bleach flour? What can I use instead of white granulated sugar? And should I completely remove the sugar? Should I keep some sugar in? So I just kind of kept throwing. Throwing things in a bowl until it kind of tasted good. Family and friends, like, did some taste tests for me, and I was like, okay, this seems like it's gonna work. And then a few months later, I ended up launching it. But when I did, like, hit that publish button on my Shopify website, I was like, okay, shit's getting real. And if people don't like it, I'm gonna be really disappointed. But thankfully, like, people do like it. So.

On that direct to consumer side, what was it like after you launched? How did you get the first 10 customers?

The first 10 customers were my family and friends. So I don't really know if it counts. Like, I love them and I'm so thankful for their support, but I was, like, waiting to have, like, actual people who, like, didn't know me and, like, didn't, like, had no idea who I was and just, like, were genuinely, like, interested in the product. So when I got those orders, I was like, damn, like, I'm still waiting for that one customer. And eventually it came through, and it was a little scary. For me, to be honest. But when I first launched my website, I didn't realize brand awareness is so hard when you're a new brand. My sales were very, very, very slow at the start and I was like, I don't know how to do this. How do I market my brand and get my brand out there? So I think that's a huge struggle for a lot of businesses when they first start.

So how'd you do it? Aside from the friends and family, what got that ball rolling?

Yeah, I just like, I really, really focused on my Instagram. Like, I did a big giveaway from my launch and I made sure that people followed me and take people in the comments. And I grew my Instagram following pretty organically. I think I'm at like 4200 right now, which I'm pretty proud of. But Instagram has definitely been really good for marketing and getting my brand out there.

Where do you see the business heading you've got? You mentioned retail. You've got a partner that's helping. You've got direct to consumer. Is. Are you able to tackle both at the same time? Like where, where do you really want to go with the business over the next, you know, two to three years?

My head's like kind of spinning right now. I'm being honest. Like, initially I was like, hey, I need to like just not focus on direct to consumer and really hammer down retail. But like, my margins are so much better dtc and I really want to keep it and push that also for brand awareness. Like, I think it's really good to have the website up and have how that going, but I'm going to try to focus on both. It's just a matter of executing it as well as I can because again, like, I don't have a 3 PL or anything. Like, I'm fulfilling orders from my living room and my. The amount of orders that go out per week isn't high enough to get a 3 PL, so I think I'm still gonna have to do this for a while.

You're in the messy middle. Yeah, but, yeah, only, only for a little bit longer. Start, start vetting them now, by the way. And then when you hit a certain threshold, you'll. You'll know who to go with.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Food is especially tricky. And food in Canada, I have no expertise in. But it's. Yeah, you're, you're, you're perishable, but you don't need to be frozen. Is that correct?

So the product is going to be stored frozen just because the Shelf life is much longer. And then when it hits retail stores, it's sold in the refrigerated section. So that's kind of how it's. And then when I ship it, like, currently it's shipped frozen, and it shipped in, like, one to two days, and by the time it gets to the customer, it's, like, thawed.

Okay. All right. That is really tough. Yeah, this is. You're gonna have a tough distribution strategy, but offering this challenge is what the whole business is about. So good luck.

Thank you.

I honestly see this as a product that can be on the shelf at the grocery store as you, you know.

Might have to struggle for some time until they get where they get. But, you know, I mean, I think your story is very inspirational to so many people. So why would you tell them, you know, to start. To start that business?

Yeah, just. It's like Nike. It's so cheesy, but, like, just do it. Just. Just do it. Like, you know, I was in that position once, like, I think in August, in 2019. That's when I got the idea. And, like, I registered my business. I had everything ready to go, and I literally sat on it for months because I was like, oh, my God. Like, my parents didn't understand what I was doing. Really. They're like, you're going to launch a cookie dough business. Because they work, like, normal nine to five jobs. They didn't really understand it. And, like, they're supportive. Like, they totally support me. But at first they're like, I don't know about that. Like, you're not gonna go back to work. You're just gonna launch this business. And, yeah, so I kind of sat on it for a bit. I was apprehensive because I think once I hit that publish button on my Shopify website, I was like, okay, shit's. Shit's real now, and I'm all in. And people are gonna know that I did this, and if it doesn't work out, I'm gonna be so embarrassed. But you know what? No, like, don't be embarrassed. I, like, my mentality has totally changed the past year. Like, I hear so many entrepreneurs, like, they have so many ideas and they try so many things, and, like, the first business doesn't work out, the second business doesn't work out. And, like, don't see those as failures that they're, like, a staircase to. Like, just. You're going to learn from it. You're going to know what not to do, and you're going to be smarter about the next. The Next thing that you go on to. So I think just, just do it. Like, don't feel like you're under qualified or you don't know everything. Like, I literally went to school for psychology and I was like, I don't know about business. I'm sorry if I don't know if I know.

It's fine, it's fine. I'm very acceptable.

But yeah, like, I, I felt so scared. I was like, I'm launching this business. I, I literally got 60s in math in high school. Like, I don't know what a cash flow chart is. So there's, there's so many free resources out there and you just, just go into it, like have a business plan or an idea of what you want to do and then just take it one day at a time and you're going to mess up a lot. Like you are. It's inevitable. But you're going to grow and you're going to learn from it. So that's my two cents.

How much money did you have in a personal Runway as well to invest in this? Did you. And even are you doing other worker projects to make money on the side while this business takes off? And then like other. What do you think your other upfront skills and even outside externalities that allowed you to invest and really launch this business? What else helped you aside from, you know, yourself?

I'd say, yeah, all great points. Like, I think, yeah, you have to kind of use common sense too when you start a business and like, be prepared to an extent. But in terms of like capital and stuff, like, it's super bootstrapped. When I first launched it, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Like, CPG is so expensive. Like, if I knew, I probably wouldn't have launched my business, if I'm being totally honest. But ignorance is bliss, right? But initially I think I invested around 10k for the startup. I did not plan on investing that much money, but it's like, oh, I need liability insurance. Oh, like I need to buy like a certain amount of containers to get the cost down to this much and ingredients and just all these different, different things come into play. So I had a bunch of savings for that. And like, I was really fortunate enough. Like my company started taking off and I was actually kind of making money, but I was still putting it back into the business. And then I ended up breaking even in October, which was really exciting for me. Yeah, it was, it was, it was cool, definitely, but I was really, really careful and I had my cash flow charts and I was just making sure like what I was spending and what was coming in was like on par. Like I was kind of making some money. I don't have any debt, which is really nice and I haven't taken on any investors. That will change eventually, but now I am taking out a line of credit because I'm realizing if I want to make it to the next level, I have to get additional funding. I can no longer bootstrap it. I don't want to take on investors now because I think it's really early for me and I don't have any debt at all. And I think taking on a little debt is okay. I found there's, there's a company called Farm Credit Canada here in Canada and they have really, really low interest rates and I got a line of credit through them. And FuturePreneur is another one here in Canada. So they're, they're very friendly to startup businesses and that's what I'm going to be using now.

And so Lorenzo says, are you planning on going on Shark Tank? I think everyone's thinking this is a Shark Tank esque type of brand.

Yeah, that's, that's funny you say that actually. So here in Canada we have a show called and is like. Yeah, it's, it's like the same thing. But I actually auditioned, I sent in a virtual audition a few weeks ago and they messaged me back and I'm going to the, the next round of auditions.

That's awesome. You're following Aaron from Hush Blankets Path.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I admire that. Usually.

Go on the show, don't take any money, play hardball with them and yeah. And be very careful there. But of course, you know, having another strategic partner to help you, let's say on the distribution front, if you could piggyback off of another frozen food, non competitive frozen food brand that's doing like very similar things to you. You could grow a lot faster. Maybe get into the same retail locations as them, have the same distribution network as them, have the same manufacturing facility as them. That would, that would definitely take a lot off of your plate. So you wouldn't have to have everything stored in your own, in your own home. But, but it's, man, that's, it's going to be quite a journey to, to.

Watch what are some major fuck ups you did and what did you learn from them? That's my biggest, that's the most important question.

I have so many, like. Yeah, I think, yeah, when I first launched I didn't have like a ton of money to buy cold storage or like fridges. I had a roommate at the time and like we had one fridge. There wasn't room for me to store like 200 jars of cookie dough. So what did I do last summer or last winter when I first launched? I drove around in my car with the heat off and stored it in my car and I would like park in the shade so the sun wouldn't hit it. And I did that for I think December through like February or March. And it started to get warmer and I was panicking and I was like, I don't have money. Like, I don't know where I'm gonna put this cookie dough. I don't have fridges. So I took it and I brought it into my condo for like, like one day or something. And I didn't realize it had all spoiled and I. They were bubble wrapped so I couldn't see it and I shipped it to a store that they first, they first ordered it for me like the first time and I sent it to them and they didn't unwrap it from the bubble wrap and they sent it to their customers. So the customers got it and they got spoiled product. And that was like right when I launched my brand and I got all these really angry emails and I was like, oh my God, like this is the first month or the first months of my business and like I'm already ruining my reputation. How can I come back from this? And like being a new business owner, it's like really scary. And you're dealing with all these people who like don't know you yet and they don't really know your brand and it's hard to like get them on board and trust you. So that's where like the customer experience comes into play. Like you really, really have to like kill them with kindness and like, like really apologize and make up for it as best as you can. Like I sent them all a replacement jar for nothing and I apologize and I made sure like the restock that went to that store was like solid and had no problems. And luckily like I won them over and like they've stuck around. So I think just like things like that, like instead of brushing it off and being like, oh, like too bad for them, like really show you care and they're going to keep coming back. Like you don't want to burn bridges with them early on. Right. So that's a tough experience.

One that's almost make me feel like just giving up. That, that's, that's so tough.

Yeah. It was pretty heartbreaking. And I just remember too, like, after that had happened, like, the remaining product, I had like 100 jars, and I had to throw them all down the garbage chute. And I was just in tears throwing down all these jars.

Damn. So that's one fuck up. Tell me two more.

Yeah, let me see here. There was one not too long ago in the summer in the kitchen. I broke the mixer. And we only have one mixer, and there's multiple businesses that use it, so I felt like such an asshole when I broke it. But basically there was a guy who had a Caribbean food truck, and it was outside parked, and he had been cleaning it. So he had the hose pulled through the kitchen, and he was cleaning down this truck. And I just finished up, like five hours. I'm making cookie dough. I packed everything into my car. I was cleaning up. I was ready to leave. And the mixer has. It's on a stand with wheels. And instead of me taking the long way around the kitchen, I decided to try to pull it over the hose. So I went to go, like, lift it up, but the wheels at the bottom weren't attached to it. So the wheels popped off one by one. And I was like, shit. As I went off one by one. And this mixer's like 200 pounds. And I was like, oh, God. And I'm a strong. I'm like almost six feet tall. I'm a strong girl. And I was holding this thing and I was like, okay, what do I do? And I was trying to put the wheels back in, and it just was, like, not working. And I forgot the guy's name. So I was like, yelling for help and I couldn't remember his name. So he just was doing his thing, cleaning his truck. And eventually, like, my knees gave out and I let go and I went flying and came crashing down. And he heard it and he came in and he was like, what happened? And I was like, that happened. And he had to get another guy to help him pick it up and put it back. And I was supposed to make product again the next day for a new flavor launch, but the mixer was broken, so I couldn't use it for, like, another week. Like, thankfully, no one got hurt. But yeah, just like, things like that happen a lot. And then usually when, like, one bad thing goes wrong and like, one day a bunch of things do, like, little stupid things. Like, I tripped in the parking lot once when I was carrying boxes of jars, and they just all went out onto the road and, like, all the jars cracked and, yeah, just Just like that.

What keeps you motivated like every day? Because I'm sure, you know, as an entrepreneur I've been on that road. I wasn't as determined as you. I gave up and I went back to being what keeps you motivated to, you know, deal with all this every day. Like what's your, you know, your North Star?

Yeah. So I guess a bunch of things keep me motivated. I'm really stubborn and I always like challenging myself. So now when like bad things, like, okay, you want to test me, like, let's play. And I like look at it and I'm like, okay, how can I come back from this and learn from this? So I think that mentality is really important. You can't, you can't change what happens to you, but you can change how you react to the situation. So that's definitely key. And I've just always had like a very disciplined worth ethic. When I competed in 2018, like I prepped for a year and a half, I weighed everything I ate, I didn't drink for a year and a half. I went to the gym for 12 hours a week. Like I was very disciplined in that way. And then like for motivation wise, like having a really great support system in place, like through LinkedIn has helped me. Like, I can't even express how much it's helped me. I went so long, like eight or nine months without having like even being on LinkedIn at all. And then when I went on there and all these incredible people are just like cheering me on and like they want to help and they want to be a part of the journey and it's just it so refreshing and really helps on those hard days when I just don't want to get out of bed. It's like, no, Erica, like we have those days too. And it's 24 hours and the next day will be better. Like those, those are definitely key components of like what keeps me going.

That's true, that's true. And I agree with that because I, you know, I'm the same. You know, there's so many nice people and they're like supportive of you and it makes, you know, like it gives you a push, like, okay, let me go that extra mile, you know, because on the extra mile it's always lonely, right? Like there's not too people that actually go there. So I wanna, I wanna ask you. I know you're bootstrapped. You have all the things, you know, that you're doing yourself. You're wearing 2,000 hats at the moment. And it's I'm, I'm sure it's like super challenging and pressuring, but you said you want to grow, you're looking towards growth and scaling everything. So I guess my last question, I'm sure Derek might have another one. My last question for you is, where are you heading? Do you have like a clear vision board in your head and say, where are you going right now?

Yeah. So, yeah, I signed on with that growth partner, which is really exciting. So I kind of have that going for me and like, retail stores are going to be a lot easier to get into with that. He locked me in with one of Canada's biggest distributors, which is really exciting. So I have like all these different pieces coming into play and then the next piece that I'm looking for is a co packer. So I'm in the process of actually looking in the States for that, which is like something that I never really considered. It's really hard in Canada. Like we don't have that many coat packers, especially with my product, like it requires certain equipment and not a ton of manual labor because I don't want the cost to be too expensive. So I have also a team working on my branding. So they're kind of gonna give, yeah, my website a little bit of a facelift. They're doing new packaging, they're building out a social media strategy for me so I can kind of have a better direction for my brand. And all of this is happening in the next few months and I'm planning on launching in retail. Hopefully we're aiming for April, but I'm thinking it might be in June just because with cpg everything takes so much longer than you think. Like if you think something's going to take four months, it's probably going to take eight months and yeah, so we'll see what happens. And then, yeah, for, in terms of like hiring a team and stuff, as I need to take on more and more people for different roles, like, I'm probably going to be managing a lot of things for as long as I can.

So you're, you're, you mentioned moving into United States co packing.

What.

What percentage of your sales are in.

The US So actually none. I don't sell to the US but I'm just. Yeah, not yet. I'm just thinking like long term. Right. It's going to be really hard when I want to venture into the States. Like say I get a co packer here and then in a year, like in 2022, it's like, okay, let's hit the. The US market now, like, product across the border is going to be a headache especially, too, because, like, the market's so much bigger there and there's so much more opportunity there. So I might as well just have it manufactured in the States to begin with. That's what a lot of companies do, too, is what I'm learning. So that's. Yeah, that's kind of why I'm kind of looking at the States.

I agree completely. I think it's smart.

That's. That's a great point. And that's something that I consider, too. Like, a few weeks ago, I was thinking about that as my website gets redeveloped, I put a poll on my Instagram and I was like, hey, who would be interested in this? And a lot of people were. And it's like, I look at the sales and usually my customer buys, like, around four jars a month. So it would just be like, yeah, they wouldn't even have to worry about it. They could just subscribe and then it would arrive the first or second of every month.

Yeah, it'll be there soon. I've got tons of ideas for you, and you have very little time to execute on the. We talked about it a little bit, but Lisa's asking about packaging designers, manufacturers, and logistics. I mean, you're doing all this stuff yourself. You mentioned that you found glass jars. It was hard to find them. And, like, what other. The jars are obviously important. What other things maybe did you learn? I have a feeling. I mean, you have to pack this with dry ice or something like that. Like. Like, how did you find the box to ship it in? And how many times have you shipped it to somebody? It's spoiled in the process and you had to reship it. I'm sure there's lots of learnings here that we could all. Anybody else shipping frozen food might be able to learn from.

Yeah, it's a headache. Like, I wish I didn't get into perishable foods, if I'm being honest. It's good, though, because it's very challenging. And if I want to venture into something else, it'll be easier because I can just learn from it. Because it's going in with the hardest thing, right? In terms of, like, finding out all that information and, like, how to, like, get my product manufactured and the materials and, like, networking. Networking is literally king. Like, it's. It's cliche, but, like, it's so true. Like, I'm here in Ottawa and there's a company called Honey Bar, and, like, someone introduced me to them, and then they introduced Me to who did all of their website and their branding. And then I signed up with that agency and everything that I know is just from people that I've spoken with. So I recommend, like, going on LinkedIn and connecting with people who are in the industry that you want to pursue or you're currently pursuing, and just pick their brain, ask them what they do, what they did for, like, their product development and their website and any questions you have. Like, they're really willing to help you because they were once in your shoes and they, they really want to give back. That's what I'm sort of realizing because when I first got on LinkedIn, I was so intimidated. I was like, God, I'm messaging these huge, big, popular, like, successful founders. Like, they're not give me the time of day. I'm so small. But it's not true at all. Like, they want to help and they want to give back. So, yeah, just networking and messaging people, it really goes a long way.

100%. On that note, shall we. Should we share your LinkedIn handle so that people can connect with you?

Sure. Do you want me to send that here?

I've got it right here.

Cool.

Erica, Bro doe. Yeah, on LinkedIn.

That's the one.

Thank you so much for being here today and sharing your story. I think I speak for Derek, too. And I'm telling you that we're rooting for you and we want to see you, you know, grow in the next year. And I'm excited for you and I'm one of those people on LinkedIn that supports you, so I want to see you win. And yeah, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today to share your story. And I'm sure everyone that's in your shoes right now or wants to be in your shoes or is going to be in your shoes, appreciate all the insights you share, shared with us today. So thank you so much for being here, Erica.

Thanks for having me and giving me a platform to tell my story. I really appreciate it. It was a really great conversation.

We'll ask you again when you, when you scale, we will ask you again so you can tell us what happened.

I can tell you're gonna have all the typical good growth problems, and they're still very serious problems that are going to hit you and you'll, you'll be ready for them. You'll. You'll figure it out. And I think that is, it'll be really cool to see that this journey take place. So, yeah, I'll be, I'll be studying it from the sidelines.

Yeah, I'll take y' all along with me. I'll show all the behind scenes stuff that goes on. So.

Wow. What an amazing story. I just simply love Erica and I am rooting for her and I'm excited to see Bro Doe really, really killing it the the the CPG game in the in the next year. Thank you so much for tuning in today and listening. I'll see you guys next week. And until then, if you like this episode, please don't forget to subscribe. Thank you. This podcast was brought to you by Vitex. VTex is the first and only fully integrated e commerce marketplace and OMS solution that offers fastest time to revenue and no upgrades ever. So go ahead, check them out. Vtex.com.