Infuse Infuse 10 December 2019 | Page 14

What characteristics do you need to
succeed as an entrepreneur?
I was told to pitch to them. At the
time, I was definitely not ready to
pitch to anyone, but I knew that I
wanted to create a functional snacking
company. I introduced myself to them
and I shared my vision. There was
about 15 people in the room and they
were all nodding and smiling. From
the beginning there was good energy
between us.
I think persistence is the number one
trait. I've been told that many times
and I think it's true. No one knows how
many times you fail behind the scenes.
You have to have the mental strength
to just keep going even when you’re
disappointed.
Self-belief is also essential. You need
to believe that what you're doing is
ultimately going to work and stick to it. I
was pushing for years behind the scenes
before Uplift Food got off the ground.
From there, I pushed the relationship.
I was warned that they're slow moving
and they'll talk to you for ages but
never strike a deal. I continued to
pester them, and actually created a
proposal for an incubator that allowed
me to serve as a nutrition resource
to their R & D team in exchange for
their overall product development
support - they agreed! From there,
they launched Snackfutures and I
requested to present to their Chief
Growth Officer up in Chicago. That
day I told them ‘I'd like to be your
first investment and this is how we're
going to do it.’ Several months later
– after extensive due diligence with
their legal team - we formalised the
agreement. Getting funding has been
a roller coaster, but an exciting one to
say the least.
And finally, I think humility helps. If
you’re humble, then amazing people will
gravitate towards you, and together you
can really make cool things happen.
What is next for you and Uplift Food?
I have been plugging away for the last
eight months on a new snacking product
and I have recently launched a new
gut health-focused cookie range in the
US. From there, the goal is to increase
distribution and get on more shelves.
I'm also currently acting as the media
representative for the Global Prebiotic
Association.
One of the things that made my pitch
unique was offering to work to get my
foot in the door.
LEARN MORE:
https://upliftfood.com.au
www.upliftfood.com
www.theprebioticdietitian.com
@theprebioticdietitian
@travellingdietitian
© Dietitian Connection
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Infuse | December 2019