Resumen
This is the Startup Junkies Podcast. Welcome back!
This week, the usual crew, Matthew Ward, Caleb Tally, and Jeff Amerine meet with Dustin Finkel, CEO and Founder of Ka-Pop!, which recently merged with Bubba’s Fine Foods to create Awakened Foods. From brand awareness, relationship building, and family-work balance to the importance of community, we discussed all the things that lead Dustin and his team to success.
Thank you for joining us!
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(0:53) Introducing Dustin Finkel
(1:41) From Investment Banking to Food Production
(5:05) Shark Tank and Brand Awareness
(7:13) Building Relationships While Sourcing
(9:52) Company Culture + Branding
(14:42) Balancing Family and Running a Corporation
(18:40) The Value of Intentional Community and Partnerships
(29:46) Advice to Younger Self
(33:58) Wrap Up
Enlaces
Citas
“So despite my food background, it started just like everyone else. I thought there was a better way… The difference is I had a network that allowed me to really kind of partake and grow this business fairly quickly.” (4:12) – Dustin Finkel
“And that’s really the differentiator that our branding is about… it’s about enjoyment. Snacking is fun. It should not be a trade off. It shouldn’t be about this serious engagement.” (11:15) – Dustin Finkel
“I want consumers to love my product to just gravitate toward it, [to] enjoy the eating experience.” (12:26) -Dustin Finkel
“That was the whole point; build as much flexibility to grow. Because who knows what the next COVID is or who knows what the next growth trend is or what that might be.” (20:40) – Dustin Finkel
“I don’t accept mistakes. I hate them, but understanding how to deal with them, understanding how to react, understanding how to take patience into account.” (33:28) – Dustin Finkel
Branding Authenticity, Simplicity, and Joy with Dustin Finkel of Ka-Pop! and Awakened Foods
You may have heard the name Dustin Finkel, or Ka-Pop! around the startup universe due to platforms such as Shark Tank or QVC. Dustin didn’t stop there. He has just recently merged Ka-Pop! with Bubba’s Fine Foods to create Awakened Foods. This company takes the hottest snacking trends and upgrades the category with ancient grains’ delicious and nutritious power.
In the early 2000s, Dustin was in investment banking and was a part of the first launching of a nationwide gluten-free product, gluten-free Chex cereal. After the launch, he received a heartfelt letter from the parents of a young girl with celiac, explaining the joy their daughter felt being able to eat “real people food.” This moment impacted Dustin, making him re-examine what type of grains we were actually putting in our bodies and on our shelves. Soon enough, he began experimenting at his own house with ancient grains, thus the road to Ka-Pop! began.
“So despite my food background, it started just like everyone else. I thought there was a better way… The difference is I had a network that allowed me to really kind of partake and grow this business fairly quickly.” (4:12)
Shark Tank and Brand Awareness
Dustin had the startup junkie experience of a lifetime by appearing on Shark Tank back in January 2020. He explains that everyone needs their own “shark tank moment.”
Although the company had been established in 2018, they sold more on Amazon than all the previous years combined in just nine days. Occasionally when the episode re-airs, they will see another jump in sales even now.
Building Relationships while Sourcing
Learning how to manage the sourcing side of Ka-Pop!, especially with unique ingredients like ancient grains, was essential to creating quality products. Dustin believes that consumers search for quality and consistency when purchasing a product, so he would focus on those two factors in production. Dustin and his team have found the key to the supply chain is building strong relationships. Since the launch, they have set out to establish symbiotic partnerships based on giving rather than just taking.
“So that’s number one. It’s simple, but so few people do it. It’s like customer service…it’s a lost art to a certain degree.” (7:56)
Dustin adds that relationships, along with contingency plans and backup options, are what kept Ka-Pop! consistent with quality products despite circumstances.
Company Culture and Branding
Authenticity, simplicity, and joy are the pillars for Ka-Pop! and Awakened Foods… but how does that translate into the product and marketing? It started with the choice of ingredients being non-GMO, gluten, and allergen-free without sacrificing taste and creativity.
“And that’s really the differentiator that our branding is about… it’s about enjoyment. Snacking is fun. It should not be a trade off. It shouldn’t be about this serious engagement.” (11:09)
The joy comes from believing and loving their product and hearing back from consumers that feel the same. Even in the marketing, Dustin comments that they often goof around while making fun and engaging promo videos.
Balancing Family and Entrepreneurship
Balancing family and a company is exceptionally challenging, Dustin explained. But he also emphasized that intentionality and disciplining a rhythm makes it tangible to have a healthy balance of both.
“Anyone who thinks “entrepreneur” is [that] you make your own schedule or you have your own time… [no] you make your own schedule to work more is what you do.” (16:17)
The Value of Intentional Community
Dustin attributes much of the hope moving forward with his company, even during a pandemic, to a community of other CEOs that met virtually weekly. Discussing challenges and concerns while celebrating victories was crucial to keeping hope alive. One of the friendships built within the group ended up being the CEO of Bubba’s Fine Foods, who is now the COO of Awakened Foods.
Seeing how this community impacted his brand, Dustin now uses his experience to pour into others as a true partner who knows the struggles and wants to help with those problems.
If you enjoyed what you heard today, continue to tune each week as we sit down with entrepreneurs who are innovating, creating, and moving our world forward one product at a time!
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