Summary
On this very raw episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Victoria Dickerson chat with repeat guest and serial entrepreneur Deric Calhill, founder of Wicked BOLD, a company that crafts small-batch, all-organic vegan chocolate utilizing ethically sourced cacao and just four other real ingredients. Deric founded Wicked BOLD chocolate with his wife Brooklynn in 2019 after years of not being able to find a dairy-free chocolate. Now, four years later, Wicked BOLD has flourished and is being sold in Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and Sprouts stores nationwide. Throughout the episode, Deric discusses his success on social media, the multiple books he’s authored: Zero to Side Hustle and Have You Ever Had a Silly Idea?, and how wealth doesn’t always mean that you’re happy or that you’re making conscious money.
Show Notes
(0:52) Introducing Deric Calhill
(1:15) Wicked BOLD’s Origin Story
(11:14) Deric’s Social Media Strategy
(17:05) About Zero to Side Hustle
(23:44) Redefining Wealth
(31:28) Being Able to Trust Yourself
(36:59) Advice to Younger Self
(41:12) Closing Thoughts
Links
Have You Ever Had a Silly Idea?
Quotes
“We read ingredients and a lot of mainstream chocolate had corn syrup in it or artificial flavors, and it was bullshit because chocolate is such a simple food. We decided we can probably go and make it simple. And I think I credit it because neither of us come from food so we’re not immersed in this crazy ingredient world. We were so simple going into it. We just believed that we could do it.” - Deric Calhill, (5:54)
“I’m obviously very entrepreneurial and capitalistic, and I love making money, but I don’t love making money so much that I’d bring my value system down in order to do it.” - Deric Calhill, (7:20)
“....because you put yourself out there when you start a business, when you post a video, when you try to write a book, you’re putting your soul on the line that says this is what I think I can be good at…No one successful is going to try to hurt someone else because they’re too busy being successful.” - Deric Calhill, (15:42)
“If you’re going after perfection, you’re never going to start anything because it’s never going to be perfect. And whatever you start is going to suck horribly. It’s going to take you forever to evolve into something that’s actually cool…I was after perfection because it meant a lot for me to give this experience that I’d failed at so many times and give that to someone else at the very beginning of their journey to inspire them to go start something.” - Deric Calhill, (17:46)
Summary
En este tercer episodio de Startup Junkies En Español nuestras anfitrionas Claudia Scott y Ana Ortiz tiene como invitada a Daymara Baker de Right to Start, una organización sin fines de lucro y no partidista dedicada a ampliar las oportunidades empresariales para todos. Daymara comparte cómo desempeña un papel crucial al conectar las voces de los emprendedores con los responsables de la toma de decisiones, trabajando incansablemente para eliminar obstáculos y facilitar el camino para aquellos que desean lanzar su propio negocio.
Show Notes
(00:50) Introduction to Daymara Baker
(02:03) Growth in Northwest Arkansas
(02:30) Daymara’s Background
(04:07) Opening a Business
(09:29) The Benefit of Networking
(13:21) The Power of Adaptability
(15:24) Learning from Failure
(17:50) The Social Impacts of Business
(19:26) Metrics That Matter
(21:08) Bridging the Gap
(25:23) Government Contract Experiences
(29:06) Managing the Pandemic
(34:08) Advice to Entrepreneurs
Links
Quotes
“Yo nunca había pensado abrir un negocio” - Daymara Baker, (04:15)
“Abrí una panadería comercial para ayudar a gente” - Daymara Baker, (04:41)
“¿Qué te está frenando para no hacerlo?” - Daymara Baker, (05:38)
“Así que decidí abrir un negocio porque claro yo ya tenía una misión bien concreta de lo que quería hacer” - Daymara Baker, (05:56)
“Dentro de un negocio es esencial el networking” - Ana Ortiz, (09:29)
“El efecto multiplicador es increíble sobre todo ena zona como esta (Noroeste de Arkansas) que tiene una concentración increíble de recursos” - Daymara Baker, (10:15)
“Y en el momento que damos el paso, preguntamos, hablamos, pedimos… Es toda una avalancha de ayuda y sentimientos positivos” - Claudia Scott, (10:46)
“Algo que yo pienso que compartimos los Latinos… Es que tu no confías en las instituciones, sobre todo instituciones del gobierno” - Daymara Baker, (11:15)
“Otro está pagando para que sea gratis para nosotros” - Daymara Baker, (11:42)
“Si vas a ser emprendedor tienes que aceptar desde un principio que vas a cambiar” - Daymara Baker, (12:35)
“Uno aprende muchísimo más cuando uno fracasa que cuando todo va super bien” - Daymara Baker, (15:39)
“El conocimiento que obtienes de un fracaso, una idea que no funcione, también te ayuda a tener que adaptarte” - Daymara Baker, (15:47)
“Que tu impacto social pueda seguir incluso a través de una pandemia” - Daymara Baker, (30:59)
“Ser empresario es un camino un poco solitario” - Daymara Baker, (32:30)
“Cuando tienes una idea uno tiende compartirla mucho con amigos y los familiares, muchas de estos amigo y familiares van a decirte: si hazlo, se emprendedor… Si alguien lo puede hacer tu eres el que lo puede hacer vas a escuchar muchísimo de eso” - Daymara Baker, (34:19)
“Siempre te tienes que buscar una persona fuera de ese círculo para que te de apoyo y compartir sus ideas a otro nivel” - Daymara Baker, (34:34)
“Tienes que prepararte y conocer tus números” - Daymara Baker, (35:24)
Summary
On this special episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Grace Gill, Darian Harris, Tom Douglass, and Louis Diesel head north to the Ledger in Bentonville, where they sit down with four of the participants in Fuel’s AI and machine learning 2023 cohort. Fuel is specifically designed for seed and growth-stage technology companies ready to scale and become enterprise-ready. Members of the cohort receive mentorship and education from leaders in their vertical, as well as coaching and connections from Fuel’s enterprise partners. Caleb, Grace, Darian, and Tom sat down with Kannan Udarayajan of Siemba, Mike Romeri of Analytics2Go, Humphrey Chen of CLIPr, and Somya Munjal of Youthful Savings to discuss their entrepreneurial journeys and their experiences with Fuel thus far.
Show Notes
(0:38) Introducing Part 2
(1:24) Kannan Udayarajan and Siemba
(10:59) Mike Romeri and A2Go
(18:04) Humphrey Chen and CLIPr
(34:04) Somya Munjal and Youthful Savings
(43:47) Closing Thoughts
Links
Quotes
“Just being under the umbrella of Fuel gives enormous credibility to whatever you’re building and showcasing. By being part of the Fuel cohort, we have been able to get so many introductions in the Bentonville area, but I’m also seeing that the fact we are part of the Fuel program is resonating in other markets as well.” - Kannan Udayarajan, (7:27)
“Certainly, everyone knows Walmart is here [in Bentonville], and there’s a level of sophistication with Walmart, but I think the entire ecosystem is a very high-performing ecosystem. And I think there’s sort of a community of interest here where people are trying to optimize the performance of the entire ecosystem, and it brings a lot of sophistication and a certain set of skillsets that are cooperative and innovative, and people know how to get things done.” - Mike Romeri, (15:13)
“This is like one of those things where Northwest Arkansas hadn’t been on my to-do list, but now that I’m here, I feel like I’ve been marketing the whole region, and so now more people are planning on coming and checking it out.” - Humphrey Chen, (29:31)“I just think there’s so many great people here [in Bentonville] and it’s an abundant place, but everybody has this same salt of the earth attitude, and you can just get so much more done.” - Somya Munjal, (37:23)