581 – Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies with Sasha Millstein

Entrepreneur Sasha Millstein shares her journey launching Aunt Ethel’s Pot Pies and scaling this frozen comfort food brand from idea to shelves.

Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/581-sasha-millstein-aunt-ethels-pot-pies/

Sasha Millstein, founder and CEO of Aunt Ethel’s Pot Pies, joins Henry Lopez to share her inspiring entrepreneurial journey from concept to scaling a consumer packaged goods (CPG) business.

Launched in 2020 during the pandemic, Aunt Ethel’s has sold over 75,000 units, secured placement in 100+ Wegmans stores, sold out on QVC in under six minutes, and earned features in The New York Times and How I Built This.

In this conversation, Sasha reveals the origin story of Aunt Ethel’s, including her family’s entrepreneurial influence, the pivotal pop-up that validated the concept, and her innovation of the first-ever two-part pot pie that solves soggy crusts and long cook times.

Sasha also discusses the challenges of packaging, co-packers, funding, navigating consultants, and ultimately landing major distribution.

“In the first three years, I think I cried every single day. But ultimately what keeps me focused is having that North star - you have to know why you started this company.” – Sasha Millstein

Listeners will gain valuable insights into perseverance, the realities of the CPG space, fundraising challenges, and why doing your research and knowing your numbers is non-negotiable for entrepreneurs.

Sasha Millstein is the founder and CEO of Aunt Ethel’s Pot Pies, a Brooklyn-based frozen food company reinventing comfort food with innovation and hustle. Since launching in 2020, Sasha has scaled the brand into national retail and online channels, earning acclaim for her patented two-part pot pie design.

This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com