My Food Job Rocks!

Today, I interview Toni Okamoto, founder of Plant-based on a Budget and Michele Cehn, founder of World of Vegan to talk about their new book and their journey in building their business. Combined, they have over 1.5 million Instagram followers and numbers in the six figures on various platforms such as youtube, email lists, and everything else. Toni and Michelle built their following from scratch and turned what they did from hobby to business. In this episode, you will learn the journey that Toni and Michelle took to get there as long as some really insightful tips on running an influencer company. But most importantly, they’re a dynamic duo and an amazing case study of how collaboration amplifies everyone. The funny story is that I’ve met them personally and have even playtested their recipe. Why Funny you should ask. Toni’s husband is Paul Shapiro, author of Clean Meat, and a popular interview in episode 102. When I moved to Sacramento to start Better Meat Co, Toni was one of the first people I met in Sacramento and Michelle also lives there. Since they loved to cook, they would do a lot of fun parties and cook delicious food. One of my favorites is a chocolate pie made of silken tofu. Toni and Michelle are probably the most down to Earth people I’ve ever met.  They are super authentic, super passionate in what they do, and they are just such nice, accommodating people who are just full of sunshine. You can find their new, collaborative cookbook The Friendly Vegan Cookbook wherever you can find books, and we have a link to it in our shownotes! About Toni Toni Okamoto is the founder of Plant-Based on a Budget, the popular website and meal plan that shows you how to save dough by eating veggies. She’s also author of the Plant-Based on a Budget Cookbook, co-author of The Friendly Vegan Cookbook, and the co-host of The Plant-Powered People Podcast. Okamoto’s work has been profiled by NBC News, Parade Magazine, and she’s a regular presence on local and national morning shows across the country, where she teaches viewers how to break their meat habit without breaking their budget. She was also featured in the popular documentary What the Health. When she’s not cooking up a plant-based storm, she’s spending time with her husband and their rescued dog in Sacramento, CA. About Michelle Michelle Cehn is the founder of the popular food and lifestyle website World of Vegan and a YouTube personality who has reached millions through her creative and relatable videos. She is also co-host of the Plant-Powered People Podcast and co-creator of the 12-Day Dairy Detox, Plant Based on a Budget Meal Plans, and 7 Days documentary. Michelle has been on a lifelong mission to make kind and healthy living enticing, easy, and fun, ever since the age of eight when she first became a vegetarian. Also a passionate photographer and filmmaker, you can find her dishing out mouth-watering food photos and inspiration daily on Instagram, hanging with her pup Chance, and stepping into parenthood with her hubby Dan. Show Notes During the pandemic Michelle now has a new baby Toni now has a new dog. Pitbull handle - @eddiethepittie Toni Okamoto – I’m an author Michelle – I own the website World of Vegan Toni’s Platform Toni’s Instagram: 400,000 followers E-newsletter: 60,000 followers Website Plant-based on a budget: 15,000 users/day Michelle’s Platform Michelle’s Instagram: @vegan: 1.1 million people Also do youtube videos Toni’s audience is more budget friendly Michelle’s audience is more focused on veganism Over time, our audience blends We chose the word The Friendly Vegan to promote the love of food On our book, we look for cheaper ways and more available options for the world What’s the most underrated plant-based protein?: Lentils Lentil Shepard’s pie Tuna Salad made of Chickpeas How does the process work?: We started veganiging our family recipes and went from there How did you find out about Veganism? Toni Okamoto’s story: stopped eating meat at 16, then became full vegan in college and then with 11 years of experience, did animal advocacy. Plant-based on a budget is actually a side project What the Health exposure exploded Toni’s career Michelle Cehn’s story: I worked on world of vegan for a while and when I lost my job, I had a choice and ended up working my butt off and ended up getting much more money than I thought I could get What were your metrics on going forward with your blogging projects?: I always had low expectations in terms of how much I need to survive. I would always review business goals Toni Okamoto’s Story: I was always poor and to the point, I was always surviving. I had Paul Schwartz (friend of ours) help me push myself to make bigger goals. I found a $70k salary was an extremely ambitious goal Patreon What was your first Sponsorship story? Toni Okamoto: I did a sponsored post for a baby stroller and got $200 dollars. I had no kids and was transparent that I was doing this to keep the lights on Michelle Cehn: I went to Natural Products Expo West and saw people paying social media influencers I would give companies my media kit and charged $25 dollars per post. Every time I would communicate for a brand and they kept on saying yes so I double the price As an Influencer, surprisingly the difference in success is price per user. If you charge more, you survive more All big companies have a plant-based company now There’s a lot of information, too much so a lot of our content is focused on recipe development and help lift that sector up Vegan is generally a bad word. A lot of people who approach us love us because we’re friendly What is one piece of advice about becoming a professional blogger?: Just do it. Know that there will be challenges and don’t try to focus on the competition What was the make-or-break point that made you keep going?: For Toni, she got an email that talked about this mother taking care of her family using plant-based on a budget For Michelle, it’s every warm piece of feedback Plant-powered People Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michelle Klieger is an agricultural economist and founder of Strategerm Consulting. Michelle and I have been LinkedIn connections for a while and I like her content, which is always insightful and interesting. Mainly because her field dives deeply on the economics of the farmer. We as food scientists aren’t that familiar with not only how food is grown, but how does it move throughout the world or how does your dollar, affect the farmer? You’re in for an eye-opening discussion about the farmer end of the equation. For example, we’ve probably heard of a lot of produce and animals that have gone to waste. Why can’t we all donate all? Other questions like the crazy ways in how food travels for efficiency sakes. Is shipping millions of pounds of food from another country more efficient and sustainable than local? The answer is, that it’s complicated! You’re going to hear us say a lot about this in this episode. If this episode makes you think and you want to understand another important segment of the food industry, Michelle has her own podcast, The Grower and the Economist and her job is to strategize and educate people about the complex world of Agricultural economics Show Notes LinkedIn I’m an Agricultural Economist, recently focused on trade The trade war has recently been putting a lot of strain on the economy Coronavirus hits a lot of issues including imports exports and labor Is the supply chain good and stable?: It’s switched into a Just In Time model. If you focus on efficiency all day, if a disruption hits, you’re in trouble. Efficiency generally means large facilities with a lot of outputs One meat packing plant can carry 5% of the meat production Potatoes excess due to COVID Animals slaughtered because of COVID Why do we waste excess food?: Either harvest is difficult, labor was short, or the tomatoes were rotting We grow on a scale in most places where we can’t understand. Think 10 million pounds. They can only donate 1 million pounds I think the system has proven more resilient than we think Keep in mind that operating margins are low Restaurants need 80% capacity to break even. 50% of seating capacity is slowing killing people. Surprisingly, the government has kept things afloat What is the specialty industry?: One example is high-value yarn. She got the payment for number of pounds of wool which was $100 dollars. Farmer’s market food is generally specialty. The government only pays commodity rate We’ve done a great job optimizing our food system but less good at considering the environmental impact Are grassroots movements effective? Such as the consumers voting with their dollars?: I do believe that it’s important and it’s one of the questions that isn’t being asked. We aren’t really asking people about how much they would pay for premium food. Asking a farmer to add more stuff I really hard There’s a huge trade-off of diversifying volume and specialty. There’s a huge risk in farming such as natural disasters It’s not a widget I studied animal sciences. I wanted to be a wildlife veterinarian After an incident with a leopard attacking crops, it had me thinking about our crop system I felt like I could deliver more impact by focusing on agriculture than healing animals I took the GRE, went to the University of Maryland, moved to DC. Worked for a nonprofit in conservation and then agricultural consulting One example: What do Americans think of Chilean kiwi? Another: Japan’s export tracking how do you sell Chilean Kiwi’s?: I learned that Kiwis are not that sweet, not that valuable, and more of a salad fruit Adam’s Kiwi’s story: We actually ship kiwis to other countries and receive kiwis to other companies In a carbon output, ships are actually more efficient than trucks Life Cycle Analysis ShamePlane What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Price parity. What are consumers looking for and what are they willing to pay for? We’re at a point where we have enough food and it’s safe Right now, our choice is challenged a little bit such as Cocoa-cola cutting flavors for instance Aluminum can shortage What if Beef disappears? What would happen? Gallstones from cows How are you learning? The Square Meal - Eating in the Great Depression Webinars from Kansas state Women in Ag in Boston Group Future is Faster Than You Think Rabobank Podcast How do we think of food differently?: On the farm side, we think of seasons. Food takes time to grow. Stategerm offers agricultural strategies Michelle@strategerm.com The Grower and the Economist – a farmer strategy podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before we get started, just wanted to let you know that this episode is sponsored by Food Edge, an online virtual summit taking place this week and I’ll be interviewing the founder of this digital summit today, but first, let’s hear a little bit more about this event from Lauren. Use promo code "MFJRVIP" to receive 20% off tickets to the Food Edge digital summit taking place October 21-23rd, where you can choose to attend 1,2 or all 3 days! So one of the PR people I worked with introduced me to Lauren Abda, Founder of Food Edge, Branch Food, and Co-Founder of the Branch Venture Group so I can help her talk about Food Edge on the podcast. Then the pandemic hit, that was delayed, and now they have a brand new online conference filled with great speakers and great resources. So we circled back to talking about it and they offered to talk to Lauren. I always research my guests and I didn’t realize that Lauren was this super connector who knew like, every food company in new England. From my experience, knowing super connectors like Mark Nathan from Austin or Cynthia Maxey from San Francisco is the easiest way to get involved in a group of wonderful people. How did Laura become a super-connector? By starting a meetup 7 years ago and building it bit by bit. Eventually, she was able to create money-generating revenue and had enough runway to connect full time. So we also discuss how the pandemic has affected her specialty. Like everyone, events, conferences and connecting with people has been completely altered as the pandemic continues on but the good news is that there’s been a lot of adaption and a lot of innovation. Lauren talks about how her companies have adapted and how others have as well. Disclaimer, my audio messed up! Maybe you might not notice it because of the editing but I recently bought a new sound mixer and forgot to plug it in to the software, blah blah blah. Rookie mistake! But that goes to show that even if you make rookie mistakes, you keep going. Even after 230 episodes. Show Notes Happy Lights Boston Winter Survival Branch Foods Branch Venture Group We’ve funded about 9 companies with around $2 million dollars Atlantic Sea Farm – Saco, Maine. Seafood harvesting company What States count as New England – Everything North of New York Where do you live?: I live in Boston. I chose to live here because I went here in graduate school. I worked for the WTO and have a degree in food policy Meetup.com What do you tell people who ask what you do?: I work with innovators who change the future of food I have a degree in Food Science from the University of Vermont Tufts University Dan Barber was a graduate Wolfgang Puck’s kids were graduates Cell based research happens in Tufts Dim Sum I started the Branch Foods meetup group at 2013 just to network in the food industry. I made the group to share ideas, and collaborate and it started to take off Laura started a meetup in 2013 and just did events weekly. Eventually, made more events and was able to monetize Coworkering space – Branch Food in partnership with Cambridge Innovation Center How has the Pandemic affected your business: We realized there’s a lot of pain in the food industry because of this so we had to relieve the pain by connecting them to the community. Serving Up Support Food-Sol Babson Branch Food meetup group Greentown Labs Mass Robotics Labs Central What tech is really fascinating in Boston?: Nori – an all-natural protective silk-based layer. Diversification of protein is very interesting I’m excited to learn more about: blockchain and supply chain. Anything that makes things more sustainable What resources helped you create Branch Food?: Omnivore’s Dilemma – it set people on the journey on what’s in our food. Food Inc. The Art of Gathering Mountains Beyond Mountains Tufts program: Nutrition Communication Food and Nutrition Bulletin Tufts How do you recommend scientists branch out?: Science helps people think critically and takes the informationa t hand to make a good decision You have the critical thinking skillset on what you want to do Food science is broadly applicable and is a good foundation for every food company today Branchfood.com Foodedge.co Lauren@foodedge.com facebook, twitter, etc Other ways to get involved Venture Fizz Green Horn Connect A great way to start meeting people Boston Public Market for meeting local vendors (Downtown) Communal Kitchen Stockpot Maulden Kitchen   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk a lot about Sustainability on the podcast. Generally, it’s either through technology, or packaging, or advocacy, but how do you convince someone to care? Manuel Gorrin has done this his whole career, from plants to corporate. In this episode, Manuel talks all about sustainability. From tools used to discuss to the common worker, to new techniques such as Regenerative Organic Certification, which is a new practice and is different than Regenerative Agriculture. Confused? We get into it in a lot of detail. Learn about the journey in how Manuel met Greta Thunberg, and how he collaborated with her to amplify the voices of kids who want to discuss Sustainability. What’s probably the most enlightening thing about Manuel is his kind heart and compassion to animals, life, and the planet. From childhood to his job now, his focus was always making the world a bit better and it’s quite amazing. Show Notes Blaze PR How do you describe yourself?: I am trying to save the world. But you’re a chemical engineer: yes, but we are still involved in the process The fires and the virus are a wake up call and we need to do something about it I focus on Soil: We protect the health of the soil Nature’s Path is the largest organic cereal company. We are family owned. How do you communicate sustainability?: We actually align through a training. Sustainability is our vision which is to leave the Earth better than we found it You need to make it simple and easy to digest so for example, we have 6 rules What do you recommend for young companies to aim for sustainability goals?: Find the passion first and focus on what you are doing Sometimes you have to find your passion through working How did you find your passion?: Surprisingly, networking. Just getting in contact with the stake holders, I got opportunities. Greta Thunberg Youth Movement How to ask for expertise: Ask them “I want to learn more from you” What did you study in college?: When I was a child, I wanted to save animals. I went into chemical engineering to try to innovate in oil. Then I found out how terrible oil is for the planet. Universidad Simon Bolivar I started as a wastewater treatment engineer Then supervised a vinegar plant Earthlings - documentary on youtube What did you do in Kraft Heinz? Build plants. Sustainability is really hard to break in not only in corporate setting but a global setting Why did you switch to marketing?: I felt the need that if we want to move the needle, we need to amplify the message. The company also saw my passion for sustainability and let me have a chance. Are there any trends happening in sustainability?: ROC – Regenerative Organic Certification. If you do a certain procedure, you can make organic products and sustainability Patagonia, Dr. Brenners, and us are part of the pilots for this program Regenerative Agriculture is not the same as ROC The True Cost – Documentary Patagonia says – “don’t buy our stuff” Project Drawdown – an organization What is one piece of advice to start something: You can create your own Green Team in a company and get people excited in sustainability Christine Liu started sustainability in Boeing @manuelgorrin LinkediN: Manuel Gorrin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sensory science isn’t just tasting, it’s so much more. After all, you have five senses. What about the feel of toilet paper? Or the smell of kitty litter, or the sound of paper crackling. Not only that, but the metrics you use and how you train your panelists all matter when it comes to getting valuable data for your product. Though Sensory Spectrum is a service, I ask Ivy Koelliker, on some tools and tips that either you, the budding food entrepreneur or the food technologist on the bench can use to optimize your prototypes. From cat urine to plant-based meat, this episode has it all. How do these relate? You’ll find out. Special thanks to Kristin Bernardi for not only being a fan of My Food Job Rocks but also reaching out to interview one of many extremely talented colleagues. Why did I choose Ivy? Mainly because her blurb had to do with plant-based meat. Yes, the big secret, I interview people to help me do my job better! About Sensory Spectrum Founded in 1986 by Gail Vance Civille, Sensory Spectrum provides Consumer Research, Descriptive Analysis, Training & Education and on/off site Sensory Services Management. Our research and consulting span a wide range of consumer products and ingredients to include foods, non-foods, packaging, and devices. We have onsite objective panels, consumer quantitative & qualitative research, discrimination testing and data analysis, with experienced sensory scientists trained in project management and creativity to provide guidance and data interpretation to our clients for everything from fuzzy front end research to claims support. About Ivy Koelliker Ivy Koelliker joined Sensory Spectrum in 2010. As a Director at Sensory Spectrum, Ivy manages a team of consultants whose expertise spans a wide variety of consumer product categories and sensory research techniques.  Ivy specializes in food descriptive analysis and training food descriptive panels, and has expertise in statistical techniques, including linking consumer and descriptive data.  Ivy has an M.S. degree in Food Science from Rutgers University and completed her B.S. in Biological Sciences there, as well. She also has a Grand Diploma in the Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute. Show Notes How do you describe what you do?: I taste food and I tell people about it Sensory Spectrum Malodor – analyzing and mitigating bad smells Trained Panelists – we hire trained panelists Spectrum Method Training How to taste better?: Remove personal bias, be descriptive, and practice, practice practice. When you practice, taste various different products and be aware of the notes What is the flavor that your company wants? What is the flavor your company wants to convey? Buy top competitor products and see what’s similar and different among them All food companies have plant-based meat divisions What have you noticed about plant-based meat: The top tier companies nail appearance, getting close on texture. Flavor: some are getting close but no one is hitting it exactly. Meat flavors tend to be in the meat broth or mushroom flavor notes. It’s great, but misses the mark National Restaurant Association JUST Egg Did you find out about food science before college?: No. I found out about it during my Masters Rutgers University Culinary School taught me the ways of working and being efficient at work After Culinary School, I decided to get my degree in Food Science and then worked in the sensory lab Dr. Beverly Tepper Food trends and technologies: Sustainability Research Chef Association Griffith Foods Sustainability is a trend Non-traditional Savory options Boba Popsicle Sensory Evaluation Techniques with Gail Civille (owner of Sensory Spectrum) ASTM – Documentation for sensory test protocols Delgado Coffee How do you get into Sensory Science?: Though a degree will give you an edge, some of our people don’t have sensory sciences but you can still get internships or be an analyst. Statistics is very important in Sensory Science Because food is personal, we have to really eliminate the bias of our controls Sensory Spectrum – you can send a quick message   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are listening to episode 236 with Lisa Donovan, Writer, Baker and author of Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger. She’s a James Beard Award recipient for her writing in Food & Wine. Her publisher, Penguin Random House asked me to interview her so that means this podcast, has made it! Anyways, something to note is that we as professionals love to script our lives. Especially early on. By this age, I want to be vice president of this thing, or that thing, you know who you are. But what if you couldn’t? What if you had to fight to just survive? Or what if opportunities come as they show up? Not fall into your lap, but rather finding opportunities and then working relentlessly to get them? That’s Lisa Donovan’s life. A ballet dancer, art reviewer, baker, and now, writer. As I go through my professional journey, if I decided to stay the course, I don’t think I would have been where I am today. I wouldn’t have a  podcast, have started my own company, or have moved to all of these amazing cities. Something to chew on. This interview shows Lisa as an unstoppable and creative force technically, but her new memoir, Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger showcases the struggle of being a single mother and the struggles and successes of being a woman in the restaurant industry. Take note on how we describe the technical process. On the surface, Lisa’s skillset can be considered art, but art has a technical process and something to think about, is how you can put art, in your technical process. Show Notes How do you describe yourself?: It changes quite a bit but I haven’t worked in professional kitchens in a while. Now, at this moment, is writer first. Has your writing been beneficial for your baking?: Each has a technique and a process until it’s “put on the menu”. There’s a nuance for each and you use the same parts of your brain. When you edit, you have to put everything on paper and then cut out the rest. You have to create a central story and some stories might not make it and needs to cover the themes Sometimes the rewarding feeling is having someone personal read your book What got you into baking?: Survival honestly. I had to do it at night when the kids were sleeping. Eventually, I got a job as a server and persisted in baking Rhodesian Ridgeback How did you get into writing?: As reviewers came to try things, I would ask them about what they do and how they did it John T Edge – Founder of the Southern Foodways Alliance Kat Kinsmen How are you surviving lockdown?: I want to try to make things that are just beautiful and I’m thinking a lot about it James Beard Award: Dear Women: Own Your Stories – Lisa Donovan Sean Brock Kitchen Parnassus Books Now Serving in LA Instagram: Lisa Donovan Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Institute for the Future? What does that even mean? It’s a non-profit organization that thinks differently and uses specific tactics to think about the future. Max Elder does a better job explaining it than I do so I brought him on to talk about how we as people in the food industry can be more insightful in our future decisions. I’ve always wanted Max on the show ever since he gave a presentation at the Cultured Meat Symposium a year ago. By the way, it’s digital this year. His presentation about relics seared into my mind. What are the relics we are showing now? Especially new concepts, and how will they be perceived in the future? We dive into nascent concepts like edible beer packaging and more developed concepts like plant-based burgers. Pay attention on how Max thinks about these innovations. One of the most far-out and futuristic topics is of course, cultured meat/clean meat/ meat grown without animals. This technology is not yet commercialized and is a very foreign concept even for me and probably for you too. At the beginning, we mention Alex Shirazi, who gave me a quick shoutout on a recent webinar at the Alt Protein Conference. I helped them with the questions, got a speaker, but that’s about all. Can you guess which one? I’ll link it to the show notes. A disclaimer is that we had some data transfer issues in this episode and content, in the end, was cut out! Do apologize for this, but I hope you get a lot out of this episode. Show Notes Alex Shirazi Cultured Meat Symposium Importance of Imagery in Shaping the Future - Max Elder Presentation Oxford University – Animal Ethics Fetal Bovine Serum Cultured Meat Database Creative Commons Roy Amara – With any new technology, we overestimate the shortrun and underestimate the long run The Institute for the Future is a spinoff of the RAND Corporation in the 60s RAND began in the 40s What do companies ask you to do?: An example is the Bill and Melinda Gates asking the private sector to help them think more broadly Good Food is Good Business Futures Thinking – making better decisions today Food Industry dumps tons of products because of pandemic COVID-19 has exposed some systematic flaws in our system James Beard Foundation One Fair Wage Our research to find trends with signals to create forecasts. Generally, we get these from the past and present Once we find a signal, we go through exercises Then we also go through multiple signals that might combine or clash with them Saltwater Brewery. Use their food waste to create sustainable packaging Think about First order and Second order consequences that might happen if it scales The Pandemic has created the insight in foresight – Why we weren’t prepared and how can we be in the future? COVID is an accelerant Where should we focus our time?: New systemic solutions to our food system, not symptomatic such as robots What are the tools I need to be a futurist? Radical Empathy Befrending Uncertainty Thinking of where will you be in 5 years? Favorite Books The Future is Faster Than You Think Teaching about the future In order to be a really good futurist, you have to be a good historian James McWilliams – Food Historian Just Food Eating Promiscuously The Modern Savage Contact: https://twitter.com/maximilianelder?lang=en https://www.iftf.org/maxelder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back baby, and I’m currently in smokey California but this week, I’ll be in Boston for the foreseeable future. What a trip! Today we have Chris Robb to talk about one of the blind spots I have in the food industry, stocking shelves or merchandising. I’m probably not doing the description justice, but it’s the workhorses that not only coordinate putting items on the store shelves but also how to strategize the best way to promote your product and these guys don’t just wing it, they give you data to make smarter decisions. But it doesn’t stop there. Chris is an entrepreneur, specifically in the CPG industry and his story is fascinating. Mainly because even as a baby, he’s been surrounded by food businesses and has gone through the evolution of the food industry in such a hands-on way. A lot of sage advice for aspiring and current food entrepreneurs. We also talk about the fact that sometimes, it’s ok for an entrepreneur to join a corporate job and your skills might be more suited because you think just a bit differently. Show Notes Neal Gottlieb from Three Twins Ice Cream What do you do?: I manage a full service retail company that tocks other company’s shelves Generally we don’t get companies into stores but we’re in charge after that Head Quarter Call: A bigger strategy that involves multiple stores Our job is to restock and give visibility in the store shelves Filling voids: authorized but not there. A big misstep for products Go Spot Check software Have you ever had a promo that fell flat?: Yea, personally. My own company had the wrong tags and didn’t have anyone to fix it How do you talk to companies?: Mainly through the headquarter calls, you set up the promos. We also do a lot of data and share with the company How do you make a good relationship with your retailer?: Sell a lot of product but also make them a priority. These guys want to grow too. Accounts that are small but matter, for example Berkeley Bowl Rainbow Groceries Gus’ Market Value of small store, high volumes This industry is really unique is that people do care and it’s a people forward business Did your parents work in the food industry?: Yes, they hustled. My dad sold rice in the back of a Lynx and my Mom was in the deli while I was a baby I’ve been to every Expo West since 2003. How do you predict timing?: It’s hard. Our shrub business for instance had too much sugar in a low-sugar age. In almond milk, we nailed the timing. The way we started almond milk is when a buyer from Whole Foods asked us to make a new almond milk. A huge opportunity for emerging entrepenuers is through the buyers’ insights Why did you decide to work for a company?: I fell in love with a nitty-gritty profession that Dirty Hands did. High Touch Why does your food job rock?: Working for an amazing culture How is the pandemic affecting what you do?: We’re still helping stores continuing to thrive. When stores are overwhelmed, the whole team helps out the stores. Suprisingly, we see sustained lift. The Sales are general higher actually in retail Aluminum Cans in Shortage Advice for startups: don’t create a me-too product. Find an inspiration Baa-Chan’s Sauce A startup is a seed. When it sprouts, it’s your job to protect it chrisrobb@dhsupport.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blended Sense is a media technology company that matches the right creator to the right local projects to distribute and produce digital assets quickly such as video, audio, anything digital. Albert Baez is a wonderful communicator who does an amazing job of breaking down strategies and concepts. During the pandemic, I was impressed on one of his webinars and invited him to do a webinar for WeWork Food Labs. (On the show notes, I linked the top-secret recording of the webinar that I’m not supposed to give out, but who cares? -->note, can't find it) Albert’s Austin-based company is rapidly growing and adapting quickly to the ongoing chaotic nature of the pandemic. We get into many topics ranging from social media platforms to selling solutions to help companies in crisis. Not only are you going to get some really smart digital marketing tips, but also a lot of talk about strategy. Not only useful advice and actionable tips for your company but through Albert’s own journey building Blended Sense. About Blended Sense Blended Sense is a Media Technology company that matches the right creative teams to the right projects to produce and distribute digital assets quickly. Capital Factory's Startup of the Year, is creating a new kind of production that supports the small business owner and activates the creative community. About Albert Albert is a sales & service growth expert with 7 years of building high-performance teams for technology companies. He serves as the President of Blended Sense and is passionate about supporting small business owners with technology. Albert is also Bi-lingual and is obsessed with serving the growing segment of spanish speaking businesses in the US. Show Notes Media Tech Ventures Got some Angel investors from that Incubator I worked for YODLE and got an opportunity to grow the Austin office Abbie is a commercial film actor Surprisingly, there’s a lot of film opportunities in Film in Austin Tim Ferriss After YODLE, I built out OpCity that got sold, and MainStreetHub who got sold to GoDaddy The aha moment came from Main Street Hub as I saw the potential to figure out digital media services RINGR Why did you go into CPG/Ecommerce?: It was against my will actually but my cofounders insisted. But the community convinced me it was a good segment Was the CPG segment hard to get?: Yes, we had to position it differently. One example is with expansion, you need the assets there right away. One of our first clients was Cocina 54 Education that’s personal, educating and passionate is what we kind of recommendations for clients Welcome emails should be in audio and videos Focusing versus spreading: If you’re starting, you should spread on different platforms. Until you have customers and they’re giving you feedback, you have to see if the social media platform resonates with your audience What’s the most underrated social media platform?: It depends, but Pinterest for B2C, Linkedin for B2B What’s your least favorite?: Facebook. We wrote a post about it on our website comparing it to a popular diner Facebook now has cheaper ads so it might be good to test ads at this time What have you noticed about marketing during 2020?: Everything has changed but ultimately, people are still the same. There has to be a social interaction before a business transaction Consumers now have to like you before they buy from you How do you prove authenticity?: Consistency and Documentation. It’s low cost Gary Vee model Audio is a low friction way of introducing that We document things such as interviews with black entrepreneurs and also training You can do as much as possible and you can’t convince them. What can you do?: People are selfish generally, there’s a deeper root. Being authentic is not authentic for some people too. Generally, good content is making compelling stories based off of your Serenity Kids – Healthy Foods for Kids. An example of adapting The Dominican New Technologies ClubHouse – A terrible new networking apps Canva Do you think the pandemic has improved technology?: It’s now more focused and practical What is one thing in the food industry that you’d like to know more about?: Actually, cooking and chemistry in food products OxTail Tampopo in Phoenix Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin What’s your favorite learning platform?: Audio is practical and I can multitask What’s your favorite podcast?: Gary Vee Podcast Cannabis Podcast Blunt Tannis My Favorite DnD Podcast Blended Sense Podcast- Tea with Abbie What were the challenges with Blended Sense?: Surprisingly, we changed by asking our customers why they couldn’t use our services even though they needed it. We made a revival kit to help all struggling services Any advice for starting entrepreneurs?: Curb your expectations. You have to havea  positive mental attitude throughout your journey Blendedsense.com Albert@blendedsense.com Most active platform: Instagram and Linkedin Instagram: @AB.postive_    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have an amazing episode all about recruiting. This is a bit different from previous recruiting interviews. George McGehrin’s agency is focused on finding top brass, executive-level people, and putting these into companies. The shocker is that the salaries these top executives are offered, hit the seven-figure mark. So this interview gives you some tips on interviewing whether on a  podcast or on a Zoom call. They’re more similar than you think. If you’re an introvert, don’t worry. We have tips on that too. You’ll also learn that the interview process differs between hiring for a 50k paycheck versus a million-dollar paycheck. We get super crunchy in the hiring process and it kind of works as a bit of an evaluation for me. This is probably the most technical recruiting advice I’ve ever gotten so if that tickles your scientific fancy, then this will be very useful if you are deciding your next move. We also talk a little bit about mentoring and coaching. It’s an interesting topic that a lot of executives use to invest in their careers. Show Notes McGehrin's agency I’ve been on 50 podcasts so far and will be hitting around 80 at the end of the year First Podcast: Adam Tourez – Money Matters Podcast Podcasting allows you to see your own story and shows you what’s important in your story Advice for Introverted Interviews: Keep It Simple. A great trick is to ask a lot of questions The Culture Piece: When we vet people, we always analyze culture. It’s actually super hard right now because we can’t interview on Zoom. Meeting people in person matters for culture How did the interview go?: Usually, if the interview is awkward, it could actually be a good thing. Not everyone is skilled at having a two-way conversation. It’s a symbiotic relationship How does it feel to gain everything and lose everything for business? : I think you have to think about what bad really means. In the US, bad isn’t so bad. Other countries have so much better. If you have housing and food, you’re probably good. How to get a job: It’s a math problem. You have to track everything. Lead, resume feedback, phone calls, in-person interview. Makes no difference whether 500k or $4 million Generally, as you progress in your career, you will get more hits via connection or recruitment How do you get a job at a different category? (eg protein bars to plant-based meat): Look on LinkedIn and see where they’re hiring. You can also look at food scientists who have had a category change and you can see trends based on company culture. Then you can contact them and ask them for their advice. You have to do this a lot. Most people like to mitigate their risks when they get hired so the easier the referral is, the better. What’s the difference between a million-dollar paycheck versus a 5-6 figure paycheck?: Everyone knows everyone. Most of the time, it’s referral. Some issues: Reputation Repair. Some executives are hard to hire because of the reputation even though they are good people. The opposite is true. Good Companys have bad deals Easiest hack to progress the career ladder: change companies. You’ll always get more money. Disney Executive leaves to go to TikTok Common Executives Practices: They’re generally fit, they’re generally learning, they like to plan, and they like to do achievements Getting an Executive Coach: I did it when I started making $200,000 a year To be an executive you, have to invest in yourself Who do you follow?: Tim Ferriss James Clear’s Blog on Habits What is one advice you’d give to people looking for a job: Activity breeds activity. It’s a number’s game. Where can we find you for advice?: George McGehrin on LinkedIn Instagram @exec_headhunter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices