EP #482 - Lessons From yamo: Navigating the Highs and Lows of Startup Life
Swisspreneur Show
Intro
This chapter highlights the significance of transparency and open communication at Yamo, especially in addressing challenges. The discussion underscores the value of acknowledging difficulties as a means to foster resilience within the team and the broader community.
Timestamps:
6:25 - Why yamo started with D2C
15:30 - Dealing with regulation in the food industry
28:39 - When yamo hit a breaking point
33:35 - How to be a leader in tough times
44:23 - How Tobias defines success
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About Tobias Gunzenhauser:
Tobias Gunzenhauser is the co-founder and former CEO at yamo, an omnichannel FoodTech company creating the healthiest and tastiest products good for people and the planet. He holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Digital Marketing and Communication Management from the Hochschule Luzern and worked for Campari Group for 4 years before starting Yamo with 2 co-founders in 2016.
What differentiated yamo back in 2016 was that they sterilized baby food using pressure instead of heat, which preserved not only flavor but also the vitamins. They also tuned their recipes to contain nutrients for age-appropriate development, with no added sugar and 100% natural and organic ingredients. They initially started selling their products D2C, afraid that retail wouldn’t take them in, but eventually broke into the world of Migros and Coop shelves as well. They also took advantage of influencer marketing quite early on, at a time when it wasn’t so common, which allowed them to work with big name creators.
Over 8 years, Yamo grew to an award-winning international multi-million organization with over 2700 points of sale in Europe’s biggest retailers, and a thriving E-commerce business. However, despite the team’s best efforts, they were unable to reach profitability. It was at a board meeting in April 2024 that Tobias first got the terrible news: since they had not been able to ensure the capital needed for their next step (but only accrued 2/3s of it), yamo could not continue in business. They had to declare bankruptcy and communicate the news not only to their entire team but also to their partners and stakeholders. Looking back, Tobias thinks this was when he learned what it truly means to be a leader — leadership is most important of all during the toughest times.
Also in April 2024, Tobias announced the yamo shutdown on LinkedIn, after which he received an outpouring of support from both friends and strangers alike. Almost 1 year later, Tobias has come to view success as the ability to say that he has done his best creating something where before there was nothing.
The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io
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