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Kelli and Kyle Koehler do everything together. They are married, after all. But for them, it’s so much more than that. The Koehlers have an active, healthy lifestyle. A big part of that was eating natural, clean, healthy foods and they wanted that to be reflected in their careers.

“I mean we didn’t know anything about the food world or food manufacturing or anything,” Kyle Koehler tells Packing Taste host Axel Brave. “We had this product that we made for ourselves for a while. We didn’t even call granola it was just like a mix of nuts and seeds we just snacked on that was really clean really healthy and we took a lot of things that are diet we took sweeteners out, oils out, grains out, in a lot of things in this is one of the things we could have the can hit the sweet tooth for us.”

Thus, Wildway was born. They make plant-based, grain-free granola without sweeteners, extracts, or preservatives. They started their business by making granola in their kitchen and selling it at the farmers market in San Antonio. The Koehlers would make a couple hundred bags and sell out, consistently. They knew they had a valuable product on their hands and decided to make granola full-time.

That was in 2012. Now, Wildway is on shelves all over the country. They’ve even expanded into making grain-free cereal and fruit and nut snack mixes. It wasn’t easy, though. The couple had to go on a road-trip and visit every single Whole Foods store in the state of Texas and pitch the product to get it on their shelves. They even had to deal with a voluntary recall of their product because there was an issue with one of their manufacturers.

You can hear about that and more on this second installment of Packing Taste. If you like what you hear, leave us a review and share with a friend!

 

Host: Axel Brave

Guest: Kyle Koehler, Wildway

 

Transcript:
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welcome to another episode of packing taste podcast I’m your host Axel Brave and this is a Texas size show about anything and everything that deals with food and beverage on this week’s episode of we’re talking with Kyle Koehler co founder of wild way the San Antonio based company they mainly focus on better for you foods like granola and breakfast cereals we chatted about the fire in his belly and how we got this started Kyle finding his entrepreneurial spirit and leaving his old job the successes and failures and his food manufacturing company and we ended up chatting a little bit about how he finds the balance between work and play let’s jump right in
thank you for coming on the show go yeah thanks for having me yeah so before we get started into all the fun the nitty gritty of wild way and produce scene and manufacturing I kind of want to hear a little bit from you regarding where you’re from you know how did you end up in San Antonio what do you like doing because I think you have a an interesting lifestyle of adventuring yeah yeah now let’s see I grew up originally in la Grange so it’s a little small town are kind of in between here in Houston went to went to school at Texas a and M. and called stations where I met my wife and co founder Kelly we moved Austin actually started in accounting out of school house of fun that’s fun profession and eventually moved up to New York City to do that can I both lived in New York City for a few years she’s an advertising and I was an accounting so lived in New York City really corporate grind in there specially it’s a grind really six months out of the year times right I didn’t see the sun rise it was it was a windowless conference rooms and a lot spreadsheets so that’s that’s that’s kind of where we got our start outside of school and realize that it wasn’t really wasn’t really kind of life we want to live at all we we we just enjoy will have the option or printer bug both very healthy active lifestyles and wanted our jobs and our careers to reflect that so we in a moving back to San Antonio it’s where Kelly’s family was from and I have some family close by it buys well and back to San Antonio and quit our jobs on a whim and just decide to go for it and we I I kind of got in from job in the in the meantime I I worked as a personal trainer for a little while so did that I’m kind of burnt both in the candle on that and and ran the business in the mean time for a couple years before we decided to go full time with the business but back Santonio and you know one thing start led to another and then here we are yes so it’s kind of a
I love hearing that kind of story of I’m doing this job kinda dim dim lights kind of repetitive and the bug gets you that entrepreneurial spirit so I guess it’s around twenty twelve were you and Kelly are like we feel awesome we know everything about granola let’s start manufacturing this right let’s move the sensor knows that kind of how it went or how if you can describe that experience how how did that like I don’t wanna say darkness but how how did that push you to like Hey we need to we should do something different yeah no I mean we do we didn’t know anything about the food world food manufacturing or anything we had this product that we made for our souls for a while wouldn’t even call granola it was just like a mix of nuts and seeds we just knocked on that was really clean really healthy we took a lot of things that are diet we took sweeteners out oils out grains out in a lot of things in in this is one of things we could have the can hit the sweet tooth for us and was it I read something about you guys trying to make it into a bar yeah usually the the plan was to make a bar and usually way back in the day but we we didn’t want to use any brown rice syrup or tapioca didn’t want to be too sweet so don’t want to be overly filled with dates and can get stick together Stratton news complete failure and we’re like well that you know cool nice try let’s move on so so the bar thing didn’t really work was kind of a failure but we ended up with this kind of mixture that was just kind of loose kind of a like a grin all it was kind of like a granola it initially were you do want to call it granola we didn’t know what to call it a we had kind of a choice to make of okay we could call this something that people know how to eat and know how to eat it that was granola or we can try to come up with a different name for it and then at age the educate the consumer as far as what it is how they can eat it and what it’s similar to so we decided to go with the granola route to take away yeah that educational piece of it so people knew how they could you didn’t what what do you use it for and where are you guys doing this at your home making the sign usually actually made is made in our kitchen and home kitchen Texas as the cottage law which allows you to farmers markets of stuff man your home kitchen as long as you put a disclaimer I’m on the package so we started a farmer’s markets in San Antonio it was just this week all the granola it wasn’t even a green for going all or anything at the time we just called it a granola that was but it had the soft to have soft to checks you texture yep yep the soft to chew texture the initial thing that we went to farmers markets with was our banana nut flavor except at the time it was made with we had peanuts in it instead we don’t use any peanuts now is the allergen at the time that peanuts in it that was our initial product that we took the farmers markets first one of the we may maybe a couple hundred bags or so on our home kitchen and sold out in like thirty minutes of the farmers market went okay will think maybe we have something here I don’t know let’s see what we can do and then one thing led to another and we can run we’re get into never really did the plan was never to manufacture ourselves in house that was never the plan but one thing kinda led to another and and that’s kind of how it ended up yet and so
so when you guys are are making this stuff at your house was there like did you guys feel this need to be different than another granola or like try to take out ingredients or were you guys just like the stuff tastes really good to us and we think we could share it with with Texas yeah I mean the biggest thing for us is that we wanted to be made of just one hundred percent real food ingredients within one have to add any sweetener is when we didn’t wanna have to any extractions to one it didn’t want to have to add anything that we don’t think should shouldn’t be in there but when it’s still not compromise on taste those those the biggest thing that we want to warn it’s of SBI super clean super healthy and someone to try it and not feel like they’re having to compromise we felt like the clear that we took our diet the more we felt good compromise on flavor and on taste where things just started to seem more like the box that they came in a package that came in rather than something actually was edible and so the biggest thing for us going into is we want to not be able to sacrifice taste and texture for health yeah and did you think other other brands word so focused on just producing large scale and they’d put whatever ingredients they need to put in there to stay to keep it fresh for the longest time yeah a lot of it I mean all of its cost right so using no preservatives and everything you know everything that seed base news and all real food it it costs a lot more so the fact that we use a real actual vanilla bean and Stephen extracts it’s a lot more expensive than one extract would be but is the taste is completely different and it’s the actual real vanilla bean rather than an extra day of of something so that’s that’s kind of one one area where we know it’s going to cost more but it’s going to taste better is gonna be higher quality the same time in effect the manufacturing as well it’s got a shorter shelf life used to be conscious of how we store the ingredients and how we make it because there aren’t any preservatives or snow natural vitamin E. there’s no citric acid nothing and there’s really preserving it at all so it’s something that we have to be be costly cautious of what how long is the shelf life so the shovel for most of the year except for one of the one of the skews the cooking SQ seven months and really it’s it’s not a matter of mold or anything it’s just a matter of of the product going rancid or not tasting generally is fresh as it should so we we found ways you can use natural natural things that are better natural antioxidants that can prevent that from happening there’s a lot of things out there that you can use a cinnamon is really one of them you can look at Simmons a natural antioxidant still prevent some of the notes from from going rancid quicker so you know you find things like that and and formulate based on those two key to Barca’s naturals possible to still be shelf stable yeah and you
I guess for the listeners and viewers you keep dropping the word natural which we all here but that’s people are starting to eat more natural which means food items that are made with real ingredients that people use at home it’s not this corn syrup or or these preservatives and additives because no one puts preservatives in their and their food like powder preservatives and their food at home so people are feeling this whole natural vibe nowadays and that’s kind of something you wanted to stick with from the start absolutely absolutely and and and it’s good there’s definitely some restrictions as well I mean we’ve really we we really admit they were never can use any sweetners never never gonna use any any oils are extracts and on our products and and keep it all in and percent real food so there’s definitely some restrictions to that and what we can use and what we refuse to use what we really want to stand by that one percent real foods and and you’re right people are getting a lot cleaner nowadays you know back when we started in two thousand twelve two thousand thirteen you know these things like paleo and and these other things grain free was still just very very very very incredibly niche and not something that people have heard of you know would say these things that fed farmers markets and people go what do you good for you it is not really what what is that what he’s talking about and and and you know what you mean what and why why is this why is grain free of art there aren’t any greens in this and now you know there’s there’s probably a dozen different grain free granola out there on the screen for personals of lots of different products out there now but some yeah I think especially especially in Austin where all these new terms for natural on pay Leone begin and all that stuff and and its brands are starting to be a lot more considerate of of what they’re doing to their products so I guess so you have this you have this wonderful product you guys are making it at home husband wife team going to farmers markets knocking it out selling hundreds of bags and you guys are realizing like well I think I think we have a product that speaks to the consumers I think we have something new finding your niche in the granola category one did you guys start realizing that Hey this is this can be real granola could be a little competitive how do we squeeze in there how do we take this product that is killing it at farmers markets and putting it on every shelf yeah I mean it was a it’s it’s really just a by step I mean it’s it’s it’s all really just a learning process I mean I think when we realize it could actually be something that could be successful was was probably in those early farmers market days I mean San Antonio’s not known as the healthiest place in the world no there’s there’s a lot of stats on that you know it’s it’s it’s texmex and queso down there you know so it’s not known which is a list that which is good yeah so I I think the fact that we were taking this natural product and and selling out at farmers markets to us was a sign that man if we can do this and in a city that’s not really known for being super healthy like like Austin is more known for that I think we we have a shot at taking this and be really successful so I think that’s kind of the first thing that got us that hint and then and then can I would kind of got our first couple retailers on your belt and get a little momentum and then just kind of started building from there and
was that a clear feeling that you guys got when you did sell those hundred bags like Hey I think we have something that can be big I don’t know it’s a clear feeling mortgages gives you a confidence Gidget conference kind of take the next step and get you to somebody in come take the next concert the next progression if you will is going to give you give you get enough confidence to do that I think that’s important when you’re when you’re called a small business just starting out to getting that initial confidence every every sale every yes get you there’s gonna be a lot in those along the way beginning kind those initial yeses and that initial buying from consumers I mean given that feedback you know straight face to face an additional feedback is is incredibly important to give you and give you some validation for sure yeah I think like you’re saying those small wins kind of add up make you feel good make you like remember why you’re doing this and that your product is good yeah yeah yeah
okay so kind of switching gears you guys are now how nationwide lots of distribution I’m over a thousand door right yeah yeah big name stores whole foods HEB what are some other ones are weapons of the northeast a big one at Kroger’s here in Texas sprouts as well so pretty much all your comments but a lot of conventional in a lot of natural stores throughout the country
but shifting gears a little bit and seen how you guys got supported with in Texas you guys have a pretty cool track record into getting accepted into accelerators and incubators some might say you guys have a talent for that because I saw you guys were accepted into skew ATX which is an incubator and accelerator here in Austin you guys were then accepted into chobani incubator which is probably the most loved and curator by any food entrepreneur in the in the states and then recently got accepted into the Pepsi co incubator which sounds very mysterious and lots of I feel like lots of things can come out of that one not saying that not out of the other ones but can you talk a little bit about that and how that network you can start with skew at least like how did that network help you guys woods was it natural for you to be like Hey Kelly I think we should go to chat with some mentors other C. P. G. leaders and and get some insight from them to see how we can scale this yeah absolutely I mean going into this is industry like I said we had no knowledge of of the food world are manufacturing or or natural food at all and so for us it’s been a constant learning process and in a constant process of getting more more knowledge and were were big fans of of that you’re really I mean you’re only as smart as the people you surround yourself with and so we’ve always really want to surround or suffer the smartest people in the industry in the brightest people in the industry and that’s been kind of impetus behind you know going into all these colors new computers is really just knowing to broaden our network but ID to get more more mentors I’ve been more more knowledge out of it and that’s that’s definitely what what ski provide this for sure was was was a lot of mentors and a real progress in the Austin food scene there’s not really a natural food scene in San Antonio like there is here in Austin at Seton big CBG seen here in Austin so really plug this into the mentor network here in and then the food scene here and we’ve made countless friends with with other companies without the mentor seared have been instrumental in the growth of our business is a at the end of the day you know all all of us are going to the same problems are gone gone through a lot of the same problems that have people you can connect to we can really you know uses mentors as you grow is is is gonna be instrument instrumentally valuable because there’s a highly likely percentage that they’ve gone through some of the same problems that you are facing now and can help you through those so that’s what we we we found that incredibly useful here and in both the Austin community and and in the communities and and mentorships of bill to the Bani debater into the Pepsi nutrition greenhouse program as well
that’s awesome and is there are there other specific networks are helpful tips for us for Texas food brands that you can share because I know to me like working in Texas like you’re saying I feel like the community here is very helpful when it comes a food entrepreneurs everybody know somebody that can help you and everyone is trying to connect you with one another and I always attribute that to the southern hospitality but what what kind of a other opportunities are networks or like kindness have you seen in people as he adds you started growing this yeah I mean if the the Food Network in general even around the country is is relatively very very small a lot of people know a lot of people could connected to a lot of people it’s a special that’s especially true here in Austin it’s it’s a relatively small world you meet somebody who can be connection to somebody can give a connection to somebody and and you’re never can just grow very easily so my best advice there is really just work hard to really build your network and work hard to to get those connections and ask other people for the connections that would be helpful you know identify areas of your business where you want help meet with somebody and say Hey you know you and be open with your problems you know we’re we’re very open with the struggles that we’ve had in the problems that we’ve had and you know we’ve had a lot of them made a lot of mistakes and I think it’s it’s it can be hard for a lot under Richard met where they have problems were and admit where they need help but that’s we’re gonna that’s we’re going to to get that matter should get the help that you need but being open saying Hey here’s a area of my business I know needs help and it’s a problem you know can it can you help me with this and if not do you know somebody who has experience in this that that you can connect me with and and it’s more likely than than not they’re gonna know somebody that has experience there they can connect you with and you can you know go to the personal tiger problems and get them connected to someone else that’s all something else and and can go from there so you you have to be open with the with the issues of the problems that you’re having and and because there’s it’s like let somebody know somebody that that can help you with those problems along yeah and and I think it must also feel good to have someone internally late Kelly where you can be like I have this issue you can bounce off her because you know she’s on your team yeah yeah and like obviously there’s so much help out there but being able to internalize and kind of chat with someone on your own team at the same level that must be helpful yes it’s incredibly helpful yeah I I’d you know working with your spouse has its own unique set of challenges of course but but I I wouldn’t have it any other way and I almost don’t see how some people do it otherwise I mean we we always have a rule that we can’t we can’t go to bed angry right so so you get in the face a lot as an entrepreneur you know when you do a lot of problems in this very high stress with the end of the day for us it has to be we have to take care of it you know everything else it has to be okay we have to work it out you know we’re is if you just have a a co founders a friend or an acquaintance you can go your separate ways at the end of the day that maybe that’s not the case in there might be some things that kind of faster or can can get in the way of growing your business but for us you know we we have a very strong marriage in a very strong you know found a partnership and that really really helps get the role of the service that we have because we we don’t really have a choice in that we have to if it
sounds awesome okay and can you tell us a little bit so you know getting into the it’s going from farmers markets to being accepted to these pretty kickass incubators and accelerators I’m certain you had pretty big orders in between some of those accelerators but can you can you tell us a little bit about receiving that first like a green light from a big retailer like doing a bigger order than you’ve ever done how did the how did that go through in your mind was it exciting nerve wracking like you had to put out fires before you can start moving forward yeah all the above really I mean our first retailer was was the southwest region whole foods so to pitch them my I really just well I walked into their local office here with with our you know little sad brown bag of the sticker on it of granola and sitting here to see the local buyer and and that’s how initially pasted I just kind of showed up no appointment no plumbing or anything no no no point or anything I just love product with them and and get email couple days later and and set the meeting with the local buyer and then six months later the buyer said Hey you’re you’re you’re good to selling all the whole foods in the southwest but we’re not going to take you in on the reset was run when they set the shelves she said all the stores have the ability to buy you but it’s going to be your job to get on the shelves and those stores which is kind of a unique scenario so killing I when I’m going to Texas road trip to every single whole foods in state and had to put your product to each individual store buyer has to why would be a good fit for their said and why they wanted our product and and that’s that’s forty three stores we have lost Dorsey has a lot of stores and a lot of travel so Houston Dallas Austin Gasol on travel a lot of stores allowed not to keep up with what what did you tell these these store buyers because I’m used to dealing with obviously the the regional buyer but that’s kind of a weird situation where they like I had accepted you into whole foods now go to the stores and it’s this again yeah I I don’t know if they do that anymore I don’t know how that’s done now but that’s how it was in our particular case and it was interesting yeah I mean we just we said Hey we’re local were local products now we had distribution through a small distributor here here’s how we’re different than what you have currently on the shelf is grain free again again at that time there were no other you know paleo or grain free style Grinnell’s we were the first one that they were kind of seen on on the shelf so that was what was unique about it and and made a strong case for why they want us to say Hey will support it and we did we went into we we’ve we’ve when the stores and demoed it like crazy so it is offering a support is is incredibly important as well but it is challenging is every not not everybody was are not every every individual store buyer was willing at first to put it in and I know they have a million things they’re dealing with why listen to this you know small little upstart granola company that I’ve never heard of before and white one with this product within the Davis also only supported you can get off the shelf they gonna be happy with it so yeah
yeah because I I imagine when you and then after you got the whole foods client everything was done and you guys just and everything right yeah good deal no no yeah we we still may we still need the product in the commissary kitchen at the time so there’s a commissary kitchen is a sure gets is based out of San Antonio and kind of the the the bad part of San Antonio I would say not the part you want to spend your nights and there’s a conocer kitchen there and it was booked through the entire day so we had to go and pretty much from like ten PM to like one AM to make products in war the farmer’s market that that was fine it was due on the minute we got kind of our first whole foods orders from those stores didn’t roller gosh I don’t even remember this time prop probably wasn’t very many but there was a lot to us at the time was a definitely what’s what’s the time it may be on a case against Q. yeah maybe a case of you skew per store selling you know hundred and hundred cases are so something along those lines and it was just you and Kelly is an angel yep in the kitchen so we’d we be there from ten AM to one AM most days just just making product in and get it out and and so it was a struggle but but you know it it at the end the day just have to do we’ve always been of the mind set of which have to make it happen you know what’s this land the deal and figure out how to make it happen we just figured out how to make it happen and it was a grind for awhile and so we moved out of that space and into our our own kind of small scrappy manufacturing facility but we made it happen and you kinda you can move on I think a lot of people get stuck in the initial phase of of trying to figure out how to manufacture it need to need to come in fact sure you know how how my gonna make this happen you know within a day at the if you go to yourself and get a get a work from ten dog to one be able to do it you know you you got to do it so yeah so you know it’s funny because a lot of people at least on the outside look at us is like okay the hardest part of this is getting the whole foods account you know once you got that you’re set and it’s funny because you just described yeah I did that I walked in I got it but now it’s how do we manufacture this okay let’s just let’s just do it how we always did the Roman bags get that first order out and then see how we can scale that right as that was a CL two back then now you guys have a pretty big team you have your own facility I imagine and you guys like you said at the beginning you guys do everything in house right yeah yeah so yeah getting on the shelves from the easiest part of of the whole bit in on the shelf and colonial everyone’s mind yeah yeah you know that that’s not the difficult part you can you know you can get it on the shelf is the easiest part it’s it’s it’s been able to get to it’s a manufactured product over the more so get it off the shelf and make sure that sells is is really where you can find the value there anybody can get on the shelf anywhere but it’s it’s making sure the products also gets off the shelf yeah I
I hear a lot that it’s the first order you shouldn’t like celebrate so much on the first order more so on the second or third order once you’re in the store demo lean yet in that repeat orders on those big clients yep yep that’s true that’s okay so you guys are a bunch of stores now it’s I do want to bring this up because I just found out yesterday but and twenty seventeen you guys had a voluntary recall being found one of your suppliers had found Listeria yeah and and one of the ingredients that you guys use that is pretty much every food manufacturers nightmare yeah how the hell did you guys handle something like that add to what was Gil was it who did you have to report that to yeah I was a tough one yes so it was it was tough for sure that was definitely definitely heartbreaking and I got a call to get a call from one of our supplier saying Hey we found actually had found lysteria somewhere in there plant there wasn’t any of the products that they sold us but they said due to you know the the abundance of caution is the term that that are by likes to use were calling everything that was made in this particular plan over the course of this scene a two month period and by the way we sold you something that was made in a particular plant though during a two month period so so yeah we was voluntary on our end we was a tough decision for us whether we’re going to actually go through with the recall or not and we decided it was in our best interest to do it his mom and also the yeah yeah the FDA didn’t call you it wasn’t a requirement on the FDA no it was it was voluntary those who believe on here on our end we made that choice to go ahead and do it ahead of time as to be proactive with it and we thought that that would be the best decision for us and for our customers and for a brand I know it’s tough I mean a lot of a lot of retailers no the the language of the FDA makes you use in the recall notice isn’t isn’t isn’t the most consumer friendly language at all you know we went back and forth we we like we had a recall insurance which is which is something I’m working every food company get if we didn’t have that I would probably not be talking to you today would be out of business we had recall insurance which which kept us in business to say and and you know you you go back and forth with the F. T. on what language do use but they’re very very strict on what you can and cannot say you recall notices and it’s it’s not consumer from it also retail from the at all retailers I got the notice you know thought there something wrong our plan our products we had to go and say no no it’s not us a promise it’s we’re doing it voluntarily because of a supplier and there’s there’s there’s a lot of damage control that you have to do and and it really hurt the you know regardless it really hurt in our brand equity in our brand and credibility we know we got through it and you kind of push on something that’s going to happen some there’s nothing we could have done to prevent that from happening point so it is it’s it’s it’s the worst nightmare scenario but we dealt with it and you learn how to deal with it and you move on it’s one of those things you are going to get hit in the face a lot as an entrepreneur and you have to figure out how to get through them you know sometimes you can’t control what happens to you you can really only control how you react to it how you get through it and so so yeah yeah no I think that’s that’s very important for for start ups and entrepreneurs to understand it’s it’s not the problem itself how you react to it yeah that kind of defines who we are and yeah that could hurt your brand equity but I think being ethical about the situation and and even though no one Sony remove this product you like I feel the need that we should take this self just in case because we don’t want to put anyone at the end of the day I mean no one has to you know at the end of them the I’m I’m let’s go sleep on it you know on on this live with that and so you know you have to you have to make a lot of decisions as an ox were in this business knowing that you have to go to bed at night and sleep the decisions that you’ve made and and so we decided to do what we thought was the right thing and and take the necessary steps yeah
so kind of switching gears again talking instead of talking about recalls inside something something a little bit more of a and lightning I do follow Kelly on Instagram and saw that you guys were in Europe recently for an entire month yeah right so how to talk to me a little bit about work and adventure band so I can learn a couple tips from you guys yeah yeah I know we very much have a work hard play hard philosophy I guess we set up a business in a way that that we can take needed time off we need to at the same time there’s there’s a long periods of time where we we spent a lot of work in the business and the of this month and one of them and haven’t haven’t got much sleep leading up to this you know so so if I I I sound like I’m going off on a tangent there that’s that’s the reason why yeah that’s going to be times when you mean you can take that time often times that you can’t that’s that’s kind of the the the the beauty of the business and how we’ve built it but you know it it’s we’ve really good people in place they’ll handle business while we’re gone and I I wrote oracle on this not too long ago that that being able to take vacations for us is is helped us really grow the business because it really helps you make sure things in your business that that may not have been mature otherwise have did you have to really trust in your people you have to hire the right people first of all on that that you can trust to do a good job when you’re not there and you have to put trust in those people to do a good job and you have to get to give those people the economy to make the right decisions and all that really helps grown mature business because at some point that’s going to happen anyway so I think you know doing something like taking all annexing vacation or taking a month off really kind of prompt to do that sooner than you might have otherwise really prompted us all made a lot of things in our business that would have been automated otherwise you know when you take a step back going okay if I’m gonna be gone for a month how are X. Y. Z. gonna get down okay what to put systems in place to make sure that those things need to get done without me or the to make sure that those things can easily be done by someone you know they’re in my business so it’s putting process season systems in place to be allow you to be gone the can easily be done and so there’s a lot of ways in which is helpless mature business be able take time off like that and I encourage any any entrepreneur to to to do that because again it really helps mature mature business yeah and I I imagine also the the mental breaks you get slow like for letting your brain catch a breath yeah absolutely absolutely no any in and the reality is you can’t completely one hundred percent disconnect from the business that’s just the reality and that’s the reality of it you know and you just have to accept that and I think that that that that that that mindset really helps a lot as well knowing that like look you run a business there’s going to be things you have to take care when you’re gone I think that that and just knowing that that’s just that’s just the way it is having that mindset again when you when you enjoy it and really building something that you’re proud about it’s not really work in in that sense and so I think that that’s when you when you hear a lot of people say oh you you you work on vacation you can’t really be gonna have a person that most them is really terrible well no not really because you know I’m doing something that we really a passion about a real like do a and we’re building a business and and it’s not really work in the sense that that a lot of people you think of of his work yeah it’s different I think that’s a key characteristic an entrepreneur is it’s what I love noticing it in people’s like it’s I wouldn’t say it’s an addiction but it’s this constant connection to building something if it’s within your business or outside of your business you’re always thinking of like eighteen right you’re always I don’t wanna say fixing but you’re always thinking of connecting something or creating something or moving something up and that kind of defines entrepreneurs even if you’re on vacation and you’re thinking of granola are thinking of a better way it’s like I I am taking a break but this is just how my brain works Kay I’m doing something I love yeah yeah absolutely
so I have two more questions for you at first what what inspires you on a daily basis to continue doing this just create such an awesome product what’s the inspiration behind that yeah I mean I think it’s it’s it’s really you know the old man’s person really just providing you know it engine buying process in a really really good way when they talk about the products as well as providing better food for more people you know and and and providing better nutrition for more people helping change people’s lives in that sense I mean really that’s that’s as an entrepreneur that’s I think that’s the ultimate goal of ever I also the goal of ever ever every entrepreneur in and what their buildings to make people’s lives easier and better and better in people’s lives in no in the end of the day your helping better people’s lives by doing what you’re doing I think it’s the automotive motivation and really just building something that that you’re really proud about and and leave the world a better place than what it was when when you started before hand I think those are the kind of ultimo motivations will really drive us to to keep putting out better products it’s beautiful and then how am
I like asking this to everybody but how do you manage what you want to do what you should do and what you have to do on a daily basis yeah that’s a good one you know there’s a lot of there’s a lot of parts of this business that that might not be the most enjoyable and most glamorous that you have to do anyway I mean that’s just that’s just part of it you know those aren’t things that you’re going to see on Instagram are going to see on a blog or you’re going to see you know in in the news at all there’s a there’s a lot of on gore’s purses business I just have to get done and that’s and that’s just part of it you know I liken it to you know an example would be if you watch the Olympics once every four years you’re seeing the most glamorous parts of those people’s job right you don’t see the four years of just absolute grinded all those people put in hours and hours every day to get to that you know sixty second shining moment where there were there actually and we got on the big stage on the race and so there’s a lot of of of work behind the scenes and groundwork that that that’s just part of that has to be done and that’s and that’s you know if you take the good with the bad and and that’s that’s gotta get done within the day also you know know what things you truly don’t enjoy doing that are causing you pain and stress and and and look for ways to hire those things out and get somebody else to take care of those things so you can spend the time doing things you like to do and enjoy to do this you’ll you’ll never grow the business the way you want to grow to be happy work in the business working in a business doing things consummate you don’t enjoy doing so there’s been a lot of things that we’ve hired offer outsourced over the years that we just have enjoyed doing to be able to do more things were strengths are and do more things that we enjoy doing so it’s it’s a combination of there’s gonna be some things that you just have to do and that’s and and that’s part of it but there’s other things plenty of things you can hire out and hire other people to do that free up your time to do more things you truly enjoy to do and what to do this game of balancing and managing that balance yeah never been delegated and yeah yep will Kyle I want to thank you once again for coming on the show I think you there’s a lot of good stuff here and I think people can and learn about how you guys build your your granola empire are there any last words are pieces pieces of advice you’d like to share with any start ups are food entrepreneurs alone you know I’m at I think the the two products deserve I size it’s a lot of small food entrepreneurs is one and I’ve I’ve heard it said by number of different people I like to say a lot of it is you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable in this business you know there’s there’s complacency is what kills a lot of companies and so I think you have to you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable that’s how you know that you’re growing in your involving you’re getting better so a lot of people see that discomfort and and you want to shrink away from a shy away from it but the the day that’s that’s a sign that you’re that you’re growing in in your getting better and so you have to be comfortable costly being uncomfortable because there’s going to be all kinds of seniors that that make you uncomfortable in this business and you have to be you have to be comfortable doing with them that’s just part of it that’s just part of a year going forward you’re going backwards there’s no it’s usually in the status quo I’m a I’m a big fan of that and then and then the other one the other piece of advice that I I’d like to give people especially smaller from entrepreneurs that you have to be willing to do a lot of the work yourself at the beginning I’m still a lot of people getting caught up whether be eighty on the manufacturing side Hey I can’t find a co manufacturer can find this supplier can find that’s a bargain find someone to make it I can’t find someone to manage my you commerce are two of my website or I can’t find an Amazon consultant are you know all these plaster of things in my response always is you just said you know they have to learn how to do it yourself you know if if if if your funds are incredibly limited your resources are incredible wanted a small company the best thing that you can do is to learn to do those things yourself and put in the work to Linda didn’t do them yourself I see a lot of people getting hung up simply because they are refusing to to put in the work and and and and you know it’s gonna be tough is gonna be a long day’s gonna be some long nights would for true passion what you’re doing what you’re building and then at dinner they’re gonna enjoy it you’re gonna be glad that you did and then so as much two pieces of advice I think again yeah thank you for sharing the advice and hopefully people will listen to those words of wisdom and traveling thank you once again call for joining us on this week’s podcast we had a lot of fun learning more about how you got this started and I think you gave some great advice for food entrepreneurs and start ups within the Texas community and if you guys want to find wild way products in your local stores you can check out our show notes where there will be a link to find those products the packing taste podcast team includes your host me axle brothers producer Mariah gossip audio engineer Jake Wallace we want to give a special thanks to found in Austin and you can find us on all major podcast platforms including the iTunes stitcher and Spotify thanks for listening